Devouring Films: What Maisie Knew

Oh hey guys, remember when I read What Maisie Knew this summer because I was like 'there's a film! Skarsgard is in it!' and then I didn't see the film because it wasn't released anywhere and now it's December?

Well, that happened, but it's all ok because (US) Netflix came through for me like it so often does, and has it on there now (i.e. you can watch it toooo! If, you know, I can convince you to do so) so I watched it one quiet Sunday evening when I probably should have been sleeping. But, whatever, sleep can wait.

So, if you're an avid reader of this here blog (I know you ALL are, so well done for having fabulous taste) you'll remember that, after reading What Maisie Knew, I decided it would work really really well updated to modern times, and guess what? I was right! Shocking, I know. So, moved from 19th Century London to 21st Century New York, stripped of all that unnecessary language James uses, and involving certain Swedish Gods, What Maisie Knew really comes into its own.

But don't get me wrong- What Maisie Knew is still all about what Maisie knows. Onata Aprile who plays Maisie is in every single scene of the movie, and if she doesn't see it, then we don't see it either. As in the book, this can sometimes be frustrating because WHAT EXACTLY HAPPENED BETWEEN MAISIE'S TERRIBLE MOTHER AND LINCOLN?! but that's kind of the point of the story- when you're a child, things that adults do are confusing, and sometimes a mystery, and you don't always get the full story of what went on because no one ever thinks to explain it to you.

DAMN, it's hard being a kid.

Anyway. So Onata Aprile is amaaaaazing. I was pretty sure she was going to be, because everything I've read about the film has said 'Onata Aprile is amazing', and that many people can't be wrong (usually). But really- I don't know if she even knew what she was doing, or if she's just blessed with an incredibly expressive face, but damn that kid can emote. She makes it so easy to feel for her because every single thing she's feeling is written all over her face, and it's pretty wonderful to watch.

AND (I thought I was done with the kid, but apparently not) she's never annoying in the way that some children are kind of annoying. She's never too whiny, or wimpy, or tantrumy, or anything like that, but instead she just tries to deal with all the new and different things that are thrown at her as a result of her parents' divorce in the calmest and almost dignified way possible. It feels weird to call a six year old dignified, but that's kind of how she is- she's a child who's used to being alone, waiting for her parents' attention rather than demanding it, and that in itself is kind of heartbreaking to watch.

Let's see, there were other people in the film, I guess... Well, Julianne Moore was awesome because she's Julianne Moore, and she made me dislike her character the perfect amount, so that I could still feel sorry for her when she wanted Maisie's attention, even though that wasn't really something she deserved. Steve Coogan annoys me in general, but he wasn't in the film that much and definitely wasn't supposed to be likable, so that's fine. Joanna Vanderham was also really likeable as Maisie's nanny-turned-stepmother, and it was difficult not to feel for her as the woman duped into marrying this guy who isn't nearly good enough for her, so, I don't know, he didn't have to pay her to look after his child?

I feel like I'm missing someone out, who can that be?

Oh, Skarsgard. I don't think I've seen him in anything before where he's being all adorable and responsible and child rearing, and I have to say, I LIKE it. I would say that it made my ovaries ache but that expression is BULLSHIT and eurgh.  But, let's just say I would totally have his babies (obviously...) but now I can totally imagine that we raise them together and it's beautiful. AHEM. So basically, he's really sweet and lovely, his onscreen (and, actually, offscreen) chemistry with Onata is so lovely to watch, and the uniform he wears to be a bartender is so incredibly hot that I can barely look at him while that's happening. Ahem.

The point! You should probably watch this. If nothing else, it's beautiful to look at, but also? Everything else. All of the other parts. They're good. It stays close enough to James's novel that you can't accuse it of taking liberties, but goes far enough away from it to stand on its own and, actually, be better than the book (in my extremely unbiased opinion). As always, what Maisie knows isn't enough to stop her from getting hurt, but what I know is that this film is pretty great and I know I'll be watching it again.

Devouring Films: The East

Before I talk about The East, it's pretty important that I talk about Brit Marling's hoodie in The East:

I LOVE IT and it is now my mission in life to get an inexpensive black hoodie, sew some lace onto it and wear it with the hood up all winter. Hey, we've all got to have dreams. And it'll look FAB with my other mission to join an eco-terrorist group and stick it to the corporations and stuff.* YEAH!

Now. The real deal about The East. OBVIOUSLY I really only wanted to see it because Alexander Skarsgard is in it (I know, I know, YAWN) but but but (and this is important) I wouldn't just like it for that reason. Like, I might watch it more than once for that reason because, you know, YUM, but in the end, I'm not going to say I like a film if I don't, no matter who's in it. It's because of this I could be SO scathing about The Astronaut's Wife (and I am crazy about Johnny Depp) and part of the reason I didn't even bother writing a review for the Straw Dogs remake that Skarsgard was also in (the other reason is laziness. But I really didn't like it.)

And you know what? I liked The East. I really did. It was one of those times where, leaving the cinema on a Skarsgard high, I wasn't entirely sure how I felt about the movie aside from that part where Skarsgard was in the bath and... Other parts, but a few days later when I found myself thinking about some of the issues actually explored in the film, it suddenly clicked and Ah! I did like the film for its storyline and things aside from stellar casting decisions! Which is honestly a relief to know.

So, the story. The East starts and ends with Brit Marling's character, Sarah, and it's really all about her journey- an ex-CIA (FBI? I forget) operative, now working for an actual private company as an undercover agent whose job is to infiltrate The East- a left wing group that targets evil corporations to try and repay them with some measure of the things they've done to others. Even though Sarah completely disagrees with some of their methods, she comes to sympathise with their aims and to question everything she once thought was true about the world and about her life.

And that's just the core of the film, and surrounding that is The East itself. Kiiiind of led by the charismatic (read: beautiful) Benji (Skarsgard) and all gathered around the same goals and a commitment to a certain (read: communal, hippy-esque) way of life, they're kind of a beautiful group. There are people of almost every ostracised group in society represented, and as you learn more about certain characters, their motives for wanting to be a part of such a group become increasingly clear- and sometimes in heartbreaking ways.

For what it's worth, I kind of loved them all- even though I definitely have some issues with their methods, I have incredible empathy and love for basically all of them, and you know what, let's just say it, I totally get where they're coming from. The people behind corporations are almost NEVER held responsible for their actions, purely because they have 'The Corporation' to hide behind, and it's kind of disturbing to realise the things they can get away with. (I don't know how much, or if any of the stories told in The East are true, but I know enough about such things to know that they very easily could be). The East are really just trying to balance the scales here, and can I blame them for it? Not really.

Slight feminist moment- This film didn't even need to try to pass The Bechdel Test because there were plenty of women in the group, the lead character is a woman and, imagine this, she's a woman who has more on her mind than finding a man to marry her! GASP! (Whether or not this is because she's already engaged is neither here nor there). It's actually refreshing to realise you've just watched a film where, for example, Sarah and Izzy (Ellen Page) haven't had a conversation about who likes Benji more, and where as a group they talk about things that actually matter as opposed to who's sleeping with who (my own thoughts: everyone is either sleeping with, or want to sleep with, Benji. But I would say that). I attribute most of this to Brit Marling being one of the writers, and I love her for it and now I kind of want to watch everything she's done? Yeah, that.

On reflection, then, I liked The East for more things than Skarsgardian abs, and that's about the highest praise I can give a movie. It's the first movie for a long time I can remember even thinking about for longer than about 5 minutes, and it's way smarter than it needs to be, but not so smart that it becomes inaccessible. And if you don't like gender equality in your cults then I don't know what to do with you.

*Shit, people like monitor the internet, right? I'm totally kidding, scary Government types! I'd never break laws and stuff! Unless someone really pissed me off, that is...

Devouring Books: What Maisie Knew by Henry James

"What was clear to any spectator was that the only link binding her to either parent was this lamentable fact of her being a ready vessel for bitterness, a deep little porcelain cup in which biting acids could be mixed. They had wanted her not for any good they could do her, but for the harm they could, with her unconscious aid, do each other."

Before I tell you all about What Maisie Knew, I have to tell you What Laura Knew- namely that a movie version is coming out in August (a mere month away!) starring the rather dashing Alexander Skarsgard (and there are probably some other people in it too, I don't know) that I've known I wanted to see for about a year. So, when Penguin did one of their 50% off sale things at Christmastime last year, I snapped up a copy of What Maisie Knew and intended to read it straight away.

Six months later, I finally picked it up, and now I have read it! *Pauses for applause* And a whole month before the movie comes out, too. I'm calling that a win! I've read some Henry James before (The Europeans, The Turn of the Screw) and I liked them fine, but both of those are shorter than What Maisie Knew, so I didn't really know what to expect. Actually, that's not true- I thought I did know what to expect, but what I got was something else entirely and it maybe wasn't as... Good as I thought it was going to be.

Ok, here's what I'm really dancing around- I don't really like James's writing style. His sentences are never ending and sometimes seem to have  overused the Thesaurus function in Word (just like 'Baby Kangaroo' Tribbiani*) even if Word didn't exist until about 100 years after Maisie was written. I could feel myself rushing through sentences and paragraphs because there were just. So many. Unecessary words. I don't like to rush through books in such a way so DAMMIT JAMES, no. And I don't know if this is just a personal 'Laura can't read big words' thing, or if this is a legitimate criticism of James's work, but if it's how I feel then it IS legitimate so there.

Let's put the actual writing aside for juuuust a minute, because there were things about the book that I actually did like. I liked how modern the story felt- parents getting divorced and using their child as ammunition feels like something that maybe didn't happen so much in 1897, but I'm willing to bet it happens a lot more now OR, at least, there are more opportunities for it to happen now. I also liked (and this is kind of the selling point of the whole selling point of the book) how the story is told through Maisie's eyes, which doesn't mean we get a childlike rendition of events, but more that 'What Maisie Knew' is ALL we know. It's clear that many, many things are happening when she's not there, but it's pretty much up to the reader to decide on the exact nature of said things, which means you keep thinking beyond the lines of the narrative. Which I like. Obviously. 

And then, there's Sir Claude. Can we just pause for a moment and appreciate this description of him:

"She felt the moment she looked at him that he was by far the most radiant person with whom she had yet been concerned."

Oh, RADIANT, you say?

 Ok, bad example. But YES Sir Claude's modern equivalent is Skarsgard and it seems sooort of like perfect casting. But anyway- I don't love Sir Claude because of his radiance OR the fact that I pictured him as tall, blonde and hot as fuck, but because, of all the adults in Maisie's life, he seems to be the one who is best for her, and who does the most for her. And this doesn't mean that he denies all his own urges for Maisie's sake (because he doesn't) but just that he loves her the best/at all, and that's really what she needs. And, as her stepfather, he's not even obligated to do anything for her, really, and yet he still manages to give her more positive attention than her mother and father combined.

We shan't talk about the part where he sort of takes her to France without her parents' permission because I'm sure that was way less classified as kidnapping 100+ years ago. And besides, I don't think her parents cared where she was...

Ahem. But anyway, Maisie and Sir Claude really seem like two good eggs (well- it remains to be seen even by the end of the book whether or not Maisie has been ruined by her parents' shenanigans, and I'm inclined to think she might have been...) in a sea of selfish and/or hateful characters. Even the nannies Maisie has with her respective parents are locked in a ridiculous feud that seems to only increase the damage to Maisie, and is just another reason that Sir Claude seems to be the best for her. Plus, there's his damn radiance, and everything...

Aside: On how excited I am for the movie- I'm really excited. And NO, not just for Skarsgard, you perverts. Nope, when I was reading, I was excited because I could see exactly how this could be adapted for a modern situation, mostly because it's already a modern situation, and kind of fits today's time better than its own. And I know that I potentially love a lot of the changes the film has made- like how Maisie's parents are both people with Big Careers, which is why they hardly ever see her, and how Sir Claude (who, we assume, marries Maisie's mother for her money) is a bartender who her mother pays to look after her and HEY see how that works? Also, he's still radiant. So there's that.

So. There's no ignoring the fact that I don't like James's style *nervously eyes The Portrait of a Lady and The Bostonians and why do I have so many books by Henry James, again?* BUT in this case I'm willing to overlook that because I do really like the story that I had to speed read to get through. If a different writer had been involved, I might have LOVED it, but they weren't so I'll take what I can get. Maybe most importantly, it's gotten me all excited for the movie, which was my main reason for reading it in the first place and I can't really ask for anything more than that, can I?

*Don't even TELL me that you don't come here to read Henry James being compared with Friends because I KNOW YOU DO

Top 5 TV

Look! I've bought top 5 TV out of retirement for my magical birthday week on ze blog! I've actually been percolating the idea for this list for a LONG time, but I only filled those magical last two spots on the list last week. It's going to be great!

I realise that vampires have been done TO DEATH (gettit? Because they're vampires) and everyone is basically over them, but that's when you're talking about the lamest of lame vampires. I want to talk about the coolest of cool vampires- the ones in True Blood, also known as 'That Programme With The Most Beautiful Cast on TV'. But not only do I want to do bad things with basically everyone in the show, I also want to laugh and cry and laugh some more at their WORDS. Words which I always assume are all supplied by Alan Ball as the head writer on the show*, but I guess some other people do some work sometimes, probably.

Anyway- the list! The residents of Bon Temps, Louisiana, sure do say a lot of crazy shit, but the following are the top five lines I wish I had the opportunity to use in my everyday life. For the sake of ease, though, let's just call them:

Top 5 True Blood Quotes

1. "That boy's cheese done slid right off his cracker."- I can't even remember who says this about the less-than-bright Jason Stackhouse, but I feel like it's the perfect thing to say whenever anyone does something that's completely mental. Also I kind of want cheese and crackers now.

I would describe this as a CHEESY grin/laugh. Gettit?

2. "You is Satan in a Sunday hat, boy."- Satan in a Sunday hat is mayyybe one of my favourite phrases that I've never been able to use in context. Because isn't it the perfect way of saying that something's too good to be true? That was the most rhetorical question ever.

Sometimes, Skarsgard wears hats.

3. "I'm bored. Take off your clothes."- Ok. It doesn't hurt that this is said to Eric. Northman. In fact, I think I mostly just want to say it to Skarsgard. But I feel like it would be nice to brandish that kind of power and ALSO say it after dramatically sweeping the pieces off a chess board.

Oh no. No one would ever want *him* to take off his clothes...

4. "As we say in Surrey, SOD THE FUCK OFF YOU CUNTING TWAT!"- Just for the record- we don't say this in Surrey. But maaaaan, do I want to! It's just a stunning utilisation of ALL THE SWEARS, and kind of perversely pleases me. Did I say kind of? I meant, ENTIRELY.

5. "If you two are done eye-fucking, can we go?"- I don't really know if people actually stare each other down like dickheads in real life, but it's the kind of thing that happens all the time on tv, and the only appropriate response is to pretend that they fancy each other. This works even better if you're Eric Northman saying it, but that's true of everything.

Even when he's cross, he's beautiful.

You might consider this post to be an excuse for loads of Skarsgard gifs, and I resent that. There was an opportunity to use five, and I only used four! Also all of these quotes are magnificent and I would happily use them daily. Now to create some opportunities for that to happen...

*Well. Not anymore, actually. I'm concerned about the possibility that True Blood might go downhill now, but I'm also excited about what he might do next. Also I really need to watch Six Feet Under.