Greatest Days, Asteroid City and No Hard Feelings

 

Originally a stage musical called The Band in 2017 based on the songs of Take That, it certainly seemed to take inspiration from Sunshine on Leith and Mama Mia. The acting talent is definitely minor league, but they gave it all they had which is all that was required. The production was first class and the, nearly all, exterior shots were pleasing. A couple of emotional moments and something that looked good on the big screen.

I was going to say that the full length songs at the beginning and the end (those from the trailer: Freight Train by Chas McDevitt and Nancy Whisky, and Last Train to San Fernando by Johnny Duncan and his Blue Grass Boys) were brilliant, just a shame what came in between. But that would have been unfair. After all this is a Wes Anderson movie. There were times when it was pretty incoherent, but it was never less than entertaining. The colour palette is remarkable, and of course we get lots of star turns as listed in the poster above. A film bursting with American acting talent. 

I liked Scarlett Johansson's Midge, Jeffrey Wright and Maya Hawke as June Douglas the dancing schoolteacher. She twirls around to a skiffle group (or cowboy band in American), Montana and the Ranch Hands (complete with Jarvis Cocker on washboard) as the film is set squarely in the late fifties.  The music supervisor is Randall Poster and the soundtrack is full of songs from that era, (and beyond) including The Springfields with the terrific  Island of Dreams with Dusty on vocals. Focus Features have the full list on their website.

I was struggling this week for something decent. I thought I would wait a couple of weeks before I tackled Indiana Jones. So here I was, watching Jennifer Lawrence as Maddie tackle something out of her comfort zone. An edgy, grown up. distinctly American comedy. Well, that was what the first half told us. The set being quite a stupid idea with lots of silly stuff to follow. But the second half was quite a surprise as it turns into a much more solid drama, things are serious, hardly any laughs, as a relationship crumbles. We even get Mathew Broderick as her young friend's father. There is one moment that elevates the movie from ordinary, and that is when, at a fancy restaurant,  Maddie's young nervous date is forced to play the piano, and choosing  the Hall and Oates Maneater. We already know that Percy thinks the song is about a monster, not someone like his date.