BLONDE, NETFLIX
Valuation: 
A screen display of Joyce Carol Oates’ fictional – and I stress the word fictional – biography of Marilyn Monroe, Blonde, has caused quite a controversy. It was criticized for its violent sex scenes, but also for its brutally dejected depiction of the life of a woman who is still revered as an icon 60 years after her death.
It’s about how the monster that created them ended up consuming them
Actually, director Andrew Dominik’s film couldn’t be more appropriate in my opinion. It’s painful, mesmerizingly beautiful—yet so full of sadness it’s almost painful to look at. Like Marilyn herself.
This is the story of a lost, lonely, abused and terrified child who has grown into one of the most famous and desired women in the world – but at his heart has never escaped his past.
In Blonde, Marilyn is not a real person, she is an avatar for Norma Jeane Mortenson, an armor of flirtatious kisses and breathless sighs, a vessel for men’s lust, a slave to Hollywood’s money machine.
The Marilyn Monroe biopic Blonde has caused quite a controversy. It was criticized for its violent sex scenes, but also for its brutally dejected depiction of the life of a woman who is still revered as an icon 60 years after her death. Pictured: Ana de Armas as Marilyn Monroe
The story here is how Norma Jeane tried and failed to outrun Marilyn, how the monster that created her finally devoured her. It might be utter crap as a concept, of course, but that doesn’t mean it’s not worth checking out.
There are some very awkward sex scenes, and two in particular – one at the beginning of the film, one at the end – that are torturous.
It has nothing to do with nudity (although there is plenty of nudity elsewhere); it is the fact that they are so brutal and soul-destroying by nature that they make the heart weep. That’s kind of the point.
Sarah (pictured) says director Andrew Dominik’s film is painful, mesmerizingly beautiful – yet so full of sadness it’s almost painful to look at. Like Marilyn herself
Ana de Armas gives a riveting performance as the doomed Norma Jeane (above) with trembling lips and liquid eyes. The camera loves her as much as she ever loved Marilyn, and she conveys that childlike quality that Marilyn had – a quality that was key to her appeal, yet also deeply disturbing – brilliantly.
The more Marilyn is in the spotlight, the more Norma Jeane searches for dark places to hide in, and Armas navigates that journey with utter conviction.
There are few good men in this film. Marilyn’s makeup artist, Allan “Whitey” Snyder, is one of them; Her third husband, playwright Arthur Miller, who is taken aback by her insights (much emphasis is placed on Norma Jeane’s intellectual aspirations and her desire to be taken seriously as an actress), is another.
Everyone else is a predator in one form or another, worst of all John F. Kennedy, whose treatment of her as little more than a hourly prostitute helps push her over the edge. The film comes close to sanctioning the conspiracy theory that he had her killed; but in his contempt for her he might as well have had it.
Ultimately, this is a film about a woman who has never fully believed in her own power or abilities, who despite being at the top of her game has never seen her own worth. I suppose that’s ultimately what makes her story so relatable — and why she remains a box-office hit 60 years later
SO GOOD, IT’S SCARY!
I know, I know, I missed the start of series four of Ghosts (Fri, BBC1) because I was away. But I just have to give this show some credit. It’s a prime example of what the BBC does best: a modest budget (obviously) but backed by a fine ensemble cast (including Lolly Adefope as Ghost Kitty, below), a sharp and witty script, a generous dose of silliness – and such something all ages can enjoy.
Ghosts is a prime example of what the BBC does best: a modest budget (obviously) but backed by a fine ensemble cast (including Lolly Adefope as Ghost Kitty, above)
It’s bizarre: Paxman: Putting Up With Parkinson (Tue, ITV) should have been a wistful watch, seeing how the once-mighty Paxo was brought down by this terrible disease. But actually I found it uplifting, not to mention fascinating, and very funny at times.
“As you get older, you fall down. Especially if you’ve had a few.’ Jeremy Paxman on giving up Parkinson’s, Tuesday ITV
That’s mainly because Paxman doesn’t take Parkinson’s at all, he’s fucking mad at the thing. Whatever his illness has taken away from him physically, he’s still as combative as ever.
But Parkinson’s seems to have brought out a new side to him – one that chats amiably to nurses and bravely takes a dance class. I’m not saying there’s a silver lining, how could there be – but it’s a revelation.
THE WALK-IN, MONDAY, ITV
Valuation:
This new five-part drama starring Stephen Graham couldn’t be further from Hollywood, but it’s no less compelling. I have to confess that I could see Stephen Graham in anything, such is the intensity of the man’s acting (although part of me really wishes he played a role as a goofy aristocrat in Bridgerton or something like that, just for fun).
Sarah praised Stephen Graham’s “intense” acting in new BBC drama The Walk-In, which she called “engrossing”. Image: The actor in the walk-in
Anyway, intense is the name of the game here, as Graham plays a reformed neo-Nazi constantly on the run from his ex-colleagues, trying (and failing) to have a semblance of normal life with his wife and three young children respectively. sucked back into the cesspool of extremism all the time.
This is a show that attempts to address contemporary cultural issues — and almost succeeds.
The best thing to do is to explore the process of radicalization, tracing how someone can go from being a sane member of society to a drooling, hateful madman.
How a combination of ignorance, lack of opportunity and hopelessness makes people easy prey for charismatic hate cults that isolate them from their friends and family and gradually lure them into committing unspeakably evil deeds.
Where it scratches is the Luvvie clichés, particularly around Brexit (leave evil/stay holy) and simplifying – some might say glossing over – some of the very complex cultural issues surrounding issues like grooming gangs.