theteeto ***SPOILERS*** ***SPOILERS*** My word, this was one horrid little flick. I figured, with Posey and Northam, this might be pretty good. Wrong! Maggie's misadventures are completely of her own doing, and she is the single most unsympathetic character I've seen in quite some time. ***SPOILERS*** Posey meets Northam in Paris, sleeps with him, and then discovers the next day that he's English (oops! She really wanted a Frenchman). So, of course, they decide to get married for some reason. Then, the movie jumps ahead 7 years for some reason, perhaps because the makers felt it would be impossible to develop these characters in any way, as just a few minutes in, you already are asking, "WTF?". While Margaret is a complete psycho, and her husband seems to be the only thing holding her together, she decides she must cheat on him. We're never given any reasons why, unfortunately, but hey, why bother with little details like that? She runs off to France, gets drunk, and tries to bone a Frenchman, but he just puts her to bed--she's furious! Why kind of frog doesn't want to sleep with the crazy married drunk American he just met? She also tries to seduce her dentist, her sister's girlfriend, and the Frenchman yet again, for reasons unknown, failing every time. So, she tries the dentist again, with success! But now, she's still unhappy (poor dear--perhaps her podiatrist would have solved her problems). She then runs to France again, where her husband (inexplicably) woos her back. THE END. This movie had no character development, no common sense, no one to like, and no reason to exist. The pretentious flashbacks to lovers in jolly Olde England were particularly wretched. The only redeeming quality about this film was seeing Posey's bare breasts for a solid 30 seconds.

Countess-2 I first saw this movie at a screen room with Brian Skeet, Ian Benson, Craig Chester, Brooke Shields and fellow guest Illeana Douglas. I expected it to be entertaining. Even I was agog at how much and how hard I laughed throughout the entire film. (Afterwards Brian and Ian jokingly asked me to attend all future screenings.)This movie is an absolute gem. It has a little bit of everything without having too much of anything. To me, this is Parker Posey's ultimate role. She shines through the character of Margaret, perhaps because they're not so dissimilar. I found it impossible to take my eyes away from her whenever she was on camera. Craig Chester was given a fairly good role and infused it with enough self-mocking humor to make this a standout performance. Brooke Shields? Although not on screen nearly enough, her character of Lily was so out of her usual screen roles and yet she carries it off with such eclat that one almost wishes for a sequel. The Lackidasicals of Lily?Elizabeth McGovern was perfect casting as Margaret's sister and she plays off of both Brooke and Parker seamlessly. Even Corbin Bernsen, an actor I don't follow, was lovable in his jerkiness and distinctly memorable.I just re-watched this film on video, where it runs a pert 86 minutes. At the screening, it was at least a half-hour longer. Interestingly, all the things I remembered from the film the first time were there the second viewing. Which means that evidently the editors and the director took out the extraneous and make this movie a perfect length.Oh. Have I mentioned that I liked "The Misadventures of Margaret"?

cor_seed My mom and I were going through the channels, and were about to resort to our well-worn video collection when we stumbled upon a nameless film with a young woman yelling at a man. My first impression was "Hey, that's Parker Posey!", and so began our little adventure viewing (most of) The Misadventures of Margaret. I've seen a few "chick flicks" in my time, although most leave me cold. When I use the too common term, I'm talking about anything that involves two of the three: 1) a love-centered plot line, 2) a woman striving for harmony with her inner self, 3) accurate, almost overly-done period piece costumes. A slight warning to those who aren't inclined to give this film a fair shot: it has all three in abundance.However, the film also has some of the best acting I've seen out of Ms. Posey, great characters along with the title one (especially Elisabeth McGovern as Margaret's sister, and a disturbing pseudo-cameo by Alexis Denisof, who I'd only ever seen as Wesley on Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel. It's almost disturbing to see him play a sex symbol--not that I minded!), and some of the most entertaining women-centered writing I've heard in *any* flick (chick or otherwise) in a very long time. Women-centered in that it manages to make the characters sound like modern women without turning them into cynical harpies or caricatures of the feminist movement (or, worse, icons of a "better" set of values, when a woman's heart is only as full as her husband's stomach.) I'm starting to think that Mystic Pizza is going to have to share my title for Best Girlie Film. ;)

James-66 Saw at LFF - very good indeed.Go and see for Brooke Shields; she is a riot as a lesbian femme fatale!Parker is a bit irritating, but beautiful!Good film.