BLONDE Movie Review -- Breakfast All Day
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- čas přidán 15. 09. 2022
- Ana de Armas gives a spectacular performance as Marilyn Monroe in "Blonde." That much is certain. But the rest of writer-director Andrew Dominik's beautiful and often brutal film left us feeling conflicted. Christy and Alonso work through all of it in our lengthy review. Co-starring Bobby Cannavale, Adrien Brody, Julianne Nicholson, Xavier Samuel and Evan Williams. In theaters starting Sept. 16 and debuting on Netflix Sept. 28.
#blonde #marilynmonroe #anadearmas
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Great review guys keep up the awesome work
Thank you so much for your support, Charlie, we really appreciate it!
You guys nailed it. What really irks me is that Norma Jeane/Marilyn's victimhood is the least interesting aspect about her. She was a survivor. My goodness, she rose from an unimaginably horrific childhood and forged perhaps the greatest career in movies of all time. If she was male, we'd be focused on that Horatio Alger story, not that she died naked and alone. But Andrew Dominik, who has little to no respect for her work, invents her as a completely pliant, hapless victim. She was so much more. What a missed opportunity to shed new light on one of the most enduring artists of the 20th century.
I personally think Hollywood still hasn't done its part when it comes to dealing with what happened to women in the industry like Norma Jeane. Once Weinstein went away I feel like a lot of supposed 'supporters' of the MeToo movement wiped their hands & said "We did it! We solved abuse of power!". For them it isn't a movement, it's a trend. Dominik says that the (temporary) popularization of the MeToo movement is the only reason he was able to get this film made & that isn't hard to believe.
You mention the threesome & how the approach to that scene, as well as what it represents, should've been the approach of the overall film. I disagree. The reality is that her having a healthy sexual experience with partners who understand her is a footnote in an otherwise traumatic life. Acting as if it's anything other than a fleeting moment would only serve to trivialize her trauma. It would be dishonest. That scene shows us what her life should've been, before showing us what it ultimately was.
Blonde is playing in a similar sandbox that Star 80 played in & while Fosse's film is superior, I do think Blonde is successful as a wakeup call that indicts the industry, the media, & audiences all of whom were wrapped up in the idea of who this woman was, rather than who she actually was. An unflinching look at abuse of power & a grim reminder that it's a systemic issue, rather than a 'few bad apples' issue.
Thanks, Jake.
The bit about Joan of Arc and the spectacle of seeing a woman burned at the stake is a great analogy. This is why I'm subscribed to y'all.
Thank you for hanging out with us! Alonso is a smarty 😄
@@BreakfastAllDay I loved Alonso's reference to how (during the production code era) the DeMille epics threw sex in audiences' faces, claiming it's immoral, but let's watch it for another 15 minutes- ha ha, and so spot on! As for "Blonde," I don't want to see Marilyn exploited yet again so I might pass, even if Ana's work appears to be must-see.
@@slc2466 Thanks for your thoughts and kind words!
I think he was trying to put us in her shoes and show us the world from her perspective. That's why it's so chaotic and switches around so much. That was the life of Marilyn Monroe.
i THINK HE WAS TRYING TO EXPLOITE HER AND HE SUCCEEDED.
Exactly. It was meant to be heavy and sad because that’s what her life was.
It must be wonderful to be such an authority on how Marilyn felt and what she thought. To most people she's a bit of an enigma, lucky you!
@@reneelasswell790 her diaries, journals and well documented interviews and conversations provide a lot of insight. Some light diving into the internet can also provide a lot of information. Like how much Jane Russell was offered for GPB’s. Marilyn discussed that in an interview.
@@jonathanschell964 Gee, I wasn't aware there was much published about Marilyn. Thanks! Get over yourself.
This movie is beautifully daunting and emotionally exhausting, some of the imagery is unforgettable, I'm thinking of the Niagara Falls transition, the flurry of embers in the night sky in the beginning or the leering crowds in black-and-white, its sensual but more often lurid yet haunting and poetic, it could have been edited down a bit for sure, but wow what a visual feast. I think this will be nominated for many awards definitely best actress.
Well, from what I’ve read Marilyn’s life was a horror show. The horror, sadly was a part of it. If your gonna do a movie about Titanic, you got to show people drowning.
😬
but her life wasn’t all horror. This film reduces her and defines her entire life as a tragedy. That is fucked up.
It's been done. Over and over. No one has had anything new to say about it.
@@CharlizeQuin Totally agree.
I don't recall Titanic being a great success due to the drowning scenes. The selling point was really the two leads and the epic scenes of the ship breaking in two.
Blonde is a horror movie. If people view it as such I think they’ll appreciate it far more. It’s not a biopic. People have said/complained that it’s brutal to watch… that’s kinda the point. Her life was brutal and she was brutalised in so many ways. Not depicting that would have been a disservice. We can’t pretend she wasn’t taken advantage of, or that the way she was exploited can be presented as PG.
I think Andrew Dominik is trying to let the audience experience what it’s like to be Norma Jeane, and to do that properly you need to focus on the trauma and the abuse she experienced, which in many ways underpinned her life to the end. Focusing on the positives in her life, to the extent there were any, would not take the audience under the surface.
I’m glad Alonso referenced The Assassination of Jesse James, Dominik’s other film about the perils of fame and celebrity. Blonde is like a companion piece to that.
Ana de Arma gives an incredible performance, the cinematography is amazing and it has a great score. I give it 7/10, maybe an 8. The more I think about it the more I like it.
Well put! I agree 💯
Exactly what I also think and how I viewed the movie for the first time watching it. It was clearly a psychological horror/thriller.
i think people who think the movie is exploitive and can't bear to watch it are the ones who DO romanticise her life as the glamorous Hollywood superstar.
absolutely! This is what happened to Marilyn, and I wish people would look past the name Marilyn and into what she endured, which destroyed her, making her mentally ill - a borderline. That is fact.
[Spoilers abound] There still has to be a point to the brutality and there doesn't seem to be one, beyond simply horror for horror's sake. That seems to be doing her a disservice, especially considering a lot of the brutality depicted on screen was just made up (no evidence of a forced abortion or presidential rape for example). The film even has her best friend brutalise her by pretending to be her father. Yes she did endure a lot of horrors in her real life but there was clearly more to her than just that. She lifted herself out of poverty, lifted herself out degradation by the studio system, started her own production company and made herself an icon - but the film isn't interested in any of that. It just seems to want to make her a victim.
@@robbieshand6139 no horror there. The movie is about the woman 'Norma Jean Baker', she had borderline personality disorder, plus other mental disorders. One gets a very good look at what borderline IS when children are traumatised and the trauma continues...That's what the video is about.
Great to see you guys together again! Loved your reviews for years on What the Flick. Totally assumed you all went your separate ways, so it was a pleasant surprise to see you two reviewing a film together!
So glad you found us! What the Flick got canceled a little over four years ago, and we've been here doing this as Breakfast All Day ever since. Hope you'll stick around.
I haven't seen the movie, but I notice that one of the things bother the critics is the sadness present in the story, the horror, and I think that was part of Marilyn's life. Her life was tragic, no magic. Also, I believe this story is based on a novel, fictional. But maybe no to far away from the truth.
The Joyce Carol Oates novel?
Correct
Everything I have read and heard about this picture feels like what if Lars Von Trier had made a Marilyn biopic. The theme of tortured woman has always been a go to for him. Great review!
Thank you Jeremy! That is a good analogy.
Yes! Was missing my 'What The Flick?' for years now - glad I found you! LOVE the Cinerama ratio to showcase the two of you!
SO happy you found us! Hope you stick around.
Yeah, I don't know what is up w the CZcams algorithm. YT keeps pushing certain creators on me nonstop that I never asked for, and meanwhile people I used to follow for years just disappear. WTFlick used to make 100s of thousands of views and now they're down to hundreds.
@@cariboubearmalachy1174 Well WTF doesn't exist anymore because it got canceled. We've been here the past four years and we're glad you found us!
@@BreakfastAllDay I plan to as a subscriber ! I'm a content creator, too, by the way. You can click my channel and see... new release this October!
It's about the obsessions of the writer, the screenwriter, and the director. Not about Marilyn Monroe who rose from abuse and obscurity to the highest heights and then crashed which is the real story. But you can't take away her success or great contributions to the moving image.
What works really well is the fact that he makes us understand how much we are holding on to the idea we have about her.
Whatever our idea might be!
This movie is a masterpiece!
Definitely explores our fascination with the idea of her.
The great part about this movie Blonde is how Ana Celia de Armas Caso played Marilyn Monroe's miserable and vulnerable side so truthfully. However the essence of Marilyn is that she was a miserably happy little girl moving from fostering homes to homes, and these miserable childhood experience had let her to grow up become a happily miserable and vulnerable woman who was always able to deliver her charmingly and cheerfully sexy symbol character with her famous wiggly and curving body walk that have made her a golden comedy sensation of all time on and off the screen!
It's sad that Blonde only portrayed Marilyn s miserable and vulnerable side who always needs someone's rescue, yet fail to deliver the crucial characters of Marilyn who was actually a very strong, intelligent and independent woman who are always able to bring men and audiences enormous happiness with her sweet angelic smile face and wiggly curving body walk.
In conclusion, watching Blonde, is like watching a messy Jigsaw puzzle, don't know how to put together as a complete portray of Marilyn Monroe!
As an abuse and trauma survivor the way they did the movie is exactly how i would do a movie about myself. I would want to stab you with my torment and pain over and over again to suffer just as i did. It probably is the pain that she saw in reflection of her life. Its not happy because the happy side is our fake personification of her. She died of pills because she couldnt take the pain. You couldnt take 3 hours of this? Well...this was her entire life!
Thank you for your thoughts.
How the hell do you know? Were you in her head, living her life? It is sad that you suffered pain and want others to feel the same way. A far more normal response is to NOT want others to experiece the pain you felt, to spare them. Stop wallowing and try living.
@@reneelasswell790 A person who is hurt will want to hurt others.. it requires a lot alot of work in order to heal a traumatized person
@@thebicycleman8062 I think that is a sad and fairly shallow perspective. Taking trauma and using your experience to help others is very healing itself. Trying to perpetuate your hurt by wanting others to feel it as well is so destructive.
@@reneelasswell790 I wasn't stating my opinion or perspective, I was jus stating a fact of the symptoms of hard trauma
I feel like Pablo Larrain could make a great movie out of a certain time period of Monroe’s life. He did it so well with “Jackie” and “Spencer,” taking two figures and bringing them more down to scale, I think there’s an interesting story to be told somewhere about a particular event with Marilyn Monroe.
Your right Pablo would have been a great choice to direct this and your right Jackie and Spencer were great films. He would have done a good job here.
That and Pablo treated both Diana and Jackie like they were human beings
Never saw Jackie. I thought Princess Diana came off as pretty unsympathetic in Spencer. She just came off as selfish to me. In Blonde, It was much easier to make sense of Monroe’s tragedy and to be sad for her.
I agree with you at all. Blonde didn't work for me at all but I could see Larrain doing a better movie.
This film is not about Marilyn Monroe's suffering. It's about watching her suffer. Pure sadism.
I don't understand the appeal of this movie. Why would I want to watch a movie where Monroe is repeatedly abused and victimized? Based on the review, it feels as if it's just a form of torture porn. How is the movie's point of view/story any different from a Dateline or Investigation Discovery murder show?
She was abused..
@@pglanville I get that, but if that's the only thing the movie appears to focus on, what is the reason for the movie to exist? To wallow in her abuse?
@@cmleidi No, it’s to put you, the audience, in her shoes. To show you what it was really like for her, or something approximating it.
There's a point, right, when folks who make movie criticism their life's work when they can come at a film 50 times more jaded about a trope, or a theme, or a plot line, than any other mere audience member is gonna do. Y'all can't watch a movie about Marilyn Monroe without seeing all the other movies about her superimposed.
I think what Alonso's talking about in the comparison with a passion play is maybe a little dated? A little bit a part of a more stable, cumulative culture than the one we're currently surviving? This cultural moment presents us with a kinda terrifying Great Forgetting of the Obvious. When wretched people in power are getting away with saying the quiet part out loud and we all need to, perhaps, be reminded that Marilyn Monroe was a human person. That she was a rape survivor and she, absolutely, never had a chance against the forces that destroyed her. Y'all have seen that story before, but this culture, today, maybe needs to be reminded - or, y'know, Gen-Zers need to get the story for the first time.
Human person
My generation is fucking awful. To soft.
Christy is my favorite blonde.
Aww thanks 😊
Watch the film for yourselves. I loved it. The actors, set design, hair and makeup. I love how I wasn’t allowed to get comfortable with how Norma/Marilyn’s life unfolds. We should never be comfortable with the level of abuse she suffered. It also exposes difficult themes that are still at the forefront of social issues. Female reproductive health, mental illness, pay inequality, the dehumanization of public figures, etc. It’s ludicrous these issues still persist so many years after her death. That’s why they are repeated in the movie.
This review is so spot on I have so much Marilyn Monroe around my house I even commissioned the painting of her because I love her so much but this movie really upset me it is almost like the Director hated her or all he cared about was the sensationalism he didn’t care about the woman inside and she had moments of levity in her life it wasn’t all misery for her I’m very disappointed but Anna did amazingly well and she really did bring justice to the woman but the Director shat all over that
Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
I’m all for honest bio pics that show how tough life can be but Jesus did they really went ahead and exploited Marylin’s image here all the way to the end.
I like the director and looks like an interesting film. Oddly this review has made me more curious. I've know people who idolise her even here in Europe, I never understood why. I've read articles talking about how she was a genius, other saying her acting was bad/mediocre and being 'passed' around by the Kennedys. Not sure what to believe. She often crosses the line between 'myth' and 'reality'.
From what little I know, I have not seen all her films, but she was pretty good actress and she was a student of the fame Actors Studio, but she had issues. From reports from those that worked with her she often looked to her acting coach for approval. I suspect she was a vary complex woman but we like to keep our stories simple and just slap her with the tragic tale of the evil of Hollywood.
@@stephennootens916 true. probably why there's so many 'narratives' built around her life and figure
I think watching Blonde today and immersing your mindset with this movie and understanding it’s trauma and glamour. I have always admired The both of you and your insight on films. I thought about you said Christy and does film itself love Marilyn? I think it does by showing us her humanity, innocence, joy and optimism. Ana De Armas embodies all those traits throughout the film. From the opening 15 minutes of this film to that first with that Hollywood executive, She is hopeful and excited. Despite the cruelty that she is met with from the people in her life. I enjoyed your review. I hope you both have a great day and weekend!👍🏽👍🏽😎
Honestly,I dont think that modern film discourse is ready or used to a movie like this. I see so many people struggling to articulate or even wrap their mind around thus movie.
We tried 😔
@@BreakfastAllDay you guys are some of the best ones(always have been).
I wouldn't be watching if I wasn't confident that the What The Flick crew have the critical chops to tackle Blonde.
I have read some really great praises(Bilge Ebiri) abd takedowns(Esther Zucker) of Blonde but do many reviewers are so out of their depth cause they are usee to "movie is 6/10 its fine" or "Worst/Vest movoe ever"
hey when you do your next retro review would you have ben join your discucction I would like to know his thoughts on action films
You guys just compared this to two of the most horrifying movies ever to me, that are one and dones for me (though I am a fan of both). Do I really need to mentally prepare myself that much and is it worth that level of torture?
It's challenging.
This sounds like that Stone’s movie The Doors. That movie is HARD to watch.
One thing I found really distracting is the fact that the actress playing her sounds absolutely nothing like the real Marilyn. It's not just her movies. You can find interviews online of her where you can hear her real voice. That breathy, seductive one the actress does in here is absolutely nothing like.
Saw it last night in SF with a q&a including the lead hair and makeup women. Unfortunately, we couldn't ask all the questions you're asking too. But it was fascinating to hear about lipstick considerations that can be filmed in B&W and/or color, how to reshape Ana's eyes to more of Marilyn's eyes, the recreations of all those historical poses for magazine shots, and even Dan Butler's combover. There was even a bit about the Diamonds pink dress and its lipstick and needing to take the Technicolor angle into consideration. Really made me gain a whole new appreciation of the hair & makeup departments.
I loved the scene about Chekov. Haven't liked Adrien so much in a long time. And Ana was just amazing. Though I'd seen her before, I wasn't really aware of her until Knives Out but she knocked my socks off then too.
I did not think I'd last all 2:46 of it but I did. The guy in front of me walked out at about an hour.
All that granular technical stuff is so interesting!
Everyblonde everywhere all at once
Idk, with biopics you have to go in knowing that it’s mostly stagey. Last year’s Spencer was so offensive/exploitative imo to Diana but it was well made
Biopics are strange that way. If you want to know someone, it’s always best to read about them.
This has a lot of the hallucinatory elements of Spencer or Jackie, it just seems more sadistic.
I absolutely agree with you. Biopics tend to be one-sided, unless it's also an epic like Lawrence of Arabia and Lincoln.
This depiction reminds me a bit of gaspar noe's "Lux Aeterna" that came out few years ago, which kind of explores the "joan of arc" aspect you mentioned in the video
This genre of movies that depict the toxic nature of fame and prevalent misogyny exp by such actresses either go over board on 1 particular aspect and forget to be cohesive or they try to jam in the various "moments" into a 2 hour montage without capturing the weight of the world they lived in
Very true, thanks!
Also anybody notice her beauty mark changes during the movie? I don’t think this was a mistake. It seemed to be done on purpose
Probably!
The film made my skin crawl. They portray Marilyn's degradation by their gratuitous degradation of Ana.
As a Gen z, and an avid lover of history, I really couldn't get behind this movie since it was so fictitious. If I was looking at it from the perspective of a work of art, sure, it's pretty and gruesome etc. (nothing I haven't seen replicated in history, but sure, visually stunning, Ana's strong acting etc) But I've experienced far greater storytelling in other works I've read/watched that have done a better job at showing the horrifying capabilities humanity has at its lowest moments. I could barely get through Blonde. It's similar to how I could never watch Euphoria. It's frustrating how content made nowadays is so graphic with nudity and so eager to show me how beautifully tragic drugs and assault is. Storytelling nowadays feels like it's all about showing and not too much telling. Like, what the hell is the point?? I've studied the Roman Empire, the atrocities of their culture, studied art and war and I'm frustrated that with all our technology and movie making capabilities, what's been coming out in theaters lately feels hallow and more explorative than ever. Despite all our supposed progress we're all too willing to sit back and let Hollywood be "cutting edge" and "in ur face about real tragedy" when I doubt it's sincerely fixed it's ways. It's bread and circuses 2.0. I'm not just trying to be a young cynic here either, I just think this movie did nothing new and I'm tired lol
I honestly love this movie…. I feel it puts us in the shoes of Marilyn & shows her thought process. It also shows us what she was going through in Hollywood being the most influential & sexiest women to walk this earth basically…… I understand that you feel that this movie exploits her but honestly watching this made me realize how hard it was for her …. Growing up without a father & having a schizophrenic mother….. All she really wanted was love but once she became a movie star people told her they loved her all the time but it was really just lust….. Time & time again she was let down by men & hated by most women. They basically told the ugly truth of her life and a lot of you can’t handle that.. you all want to see the good her but why can’t we see the bad too?
I completely agree.. I enjoyed it. I'd like to see people review this film again in 5 /10 years time. People are very sensitive at the moment.
This is a movie displaying what it's like to have borderline personality disorder. I am a mental health counselor but now work as a spiritual reader and have counseled many narcissists and borderlines. I do not have any empathy for narcissists because instead of trying to work through the pain and understanding what they're doing they don't usually get helped and nor can they be helped but borderlines have a high rate of being able to work through their issues If they get help because they internalize their pain rather than constantly blame others for it like narcissists. I refuse to work with narcissists. She was unfortunately the victim of many narcissistic predatory men and never got the help she needed. Mental health professionals and other people need to stop stigmatizing Borderlines and give this disorder more compassion. It has the highest rate of suicide for a reason.
Oh wow, thanks for sharing that, Naomi.
"A goddess and a sacrifice" really sums it up!
Alonso has a way with words always.
@@BreakfastAllDay You all do! :) But what caught my ear this time around was that there is a school of philosophical anthropology that stresses the connections between gods (or kings as their representatives) and sacrifices. And then there is, as was pointed out here also, the Christian Passion narrative.
Re: "the talking fetus" - thought of it very much as Norma suffering from the anxiety to become her mother? The whole section of the film about Norma paints her almost entirely as a victim of abuse and neglect, so the antenatal anxiety becomes another (literal) voice that reminds her of her childhood.
Agree with the review, though!
Interesting analysys, thanks Dhruv!
This is a sad and depressing horror movie. It's in the same genre as torture porn. This is The Patriarchy as Freddy Krueger, Jason Vorhees, Michael Myers, Pinhead, Ghostface, Jigsaw and Chucky.
Very true.
It's a horror movie, you can't look at it as a biopic. It's a beautifully shot horror. The director with the Seven Year Itch scene was showing what we think is beautiful as a horror for her, the watchers in one scene have distorted faces. The sex scenes are designed to make us feel uncomfortable, if people go crazy at a 1 minute rape scene, how do you think Marilyn felt going through it?
Thanks John.
I wish they showed more of her social life as well cause for a 3hour movie they could have added how she related with others more than the topless Senes
If they did I feel the audience would have appreciated it more .
The repetition of that dress scene is a stroke of genius.
It shows how people are addicted to her.
To the idea of her.
How much they want this scene to happen and how they can’t stop just like a drug they can’t quit!
That scene is glorious at the beginning and the repetition makes it so tragic, so sad, so dramatic and so so hopeless.
Like a loop that WE keep her in for eternity.
She just can’t escape it!
She can’t Escape our gaze and our eyes!
I can’t praise this movie enough…
Wonderful scene.
Glad you enjoyed it so much.
I read an interview with Andrew Dominik recently where he was quoted as saying, "Who WOULDN'T want to see an NC17 movie about Marilyn Monroe?" which really rubbed me the wrong way. I think you may be on to something when you talk about how much he respects Marilyn as a person.
Hmm, good point.
I was a fan of What The Flick and now this channel. Do you think Ana will be nominated for an Oscar for this?
We're so thrilled that you found us! Quite possibly, although the movie is so divisive, so that could be a challenge.
I didn’t like how De Armas did not capture Monroe’s beautiful voice. I am Cuban- American, but voices are important. Elvis’ movie had Butler who captured everything. She was also a wonderful comedian and it is sad not to see this.
Thanks for your thoughts Nina!
I haven't seen a trailer, but the way the two of you describe aspect ratio changes, frame rates, color, style, I feel numb.
I am far from a prude, but it was very harsh and kinda gross. I would've liked more balance. Marilyn must have had some good things happen to her. Didn't she experience some happiness? De Armas was very good. Her performance was very believable and she often resembled Marilyn.
MISSED HER TIME IN NEW YORK WITH HER BUDDIES THAT COUPLE SHE LIVED WITH... AND HER TRIP TO MEXICO WHERE SHE SHOPPED FOR FURNITURE... THAT FAMOUS WOOL SWEATER IN THE BEACH IS ONLY MADE IN TINY ANCIENT OTOMI TOWNS IN CENTRAL MEXICO... SHE WAS THERE
Oh wow.
Come on she was a trauma based MKULTRA.
Steven Arroyo who was an astrologer picked her up in LA as a cabbie and drove her out to Malibu. They started talking and he said "Im going to move to New York City but I am worried it is such a big city and I don't know anyone there so I am afraid I will be lonely." She with Neptune conjunct her ascendant replied "Every city is lonely when you don't know who you are."
She gets out of the cab and disappears into the fog.
They got her from birth.
Why did one of the twins hurt her with those father letters? That was just awful and she died after reading that letter. So these twins who are fictitious in real life are somehow connected to her death. I also think JFK was also behind the scenes destroying her life. You guys nailed this review.
A movie that shames and humiliates the most iconic actress in Hollywood history making her look completely spineless. The worst part is that she IS NOT here to defend herself. Shame on everyone who took part in making this disgusting movie.
What more does de Armas have to do to win an AA?
Why does she have to win an academy award. Is she owed one??? Shes a good actress but there are many actress's more deserving like Amy Adams.
Yeah.... and I think the same thing is happening to Princess Diana. A LOT of movies/tv series about her life and death. I think Ana de Armas was amazing in this, but it´s such a difficult movie to watch, and sooooo long.
I was super excited for your review on this! Can't wait to see it as I love Dominiks work.
Thanks for watching! Let us know what you think of the film.
People don't know what it's like to be depressed . Not on a mass scale. They show the horror anxiety and fear of it. So It does have empathy but it's got a touch of gasper noe and David lynch to it. Not something everyone could digest. I liked it tbh. Think people were expecting the sadness to be compartmentalized. Have a sad ending not a marathon of depression . Which is what it went for.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Stephen.
Loved the film and I think the critics are missing the point. It was a horror film about celebrity, abuse and childhood trauma. Not a fact checked bio film. “Art is a lie that makes us realize the truth”. Pablo Picasso
It really created a perspective for me to understand why such a Star was so miserable in her personal life
The film was great minus all the vulgar scenes. The producer scene, threesome scene, the theater fingering, the random unnecessary topless scenes, JFK BJ and assault. It was all a bit much and felt a woman director would've handled a little better. The actress did amazing with what she was given. She seems to be exploited as well.
“Exploration of the idea of her”
How many feminists can digest this sentence?
I would love to see Camille Paglias review on this movie.
I think this movie victimised her rather than celebrate her genius as a beauty icon. Marilyn loved and hated her self, she was intelligent and capable.
It would have been nice to show us her involvement with the mob
I feel this movie is trying to demystify Marilyn. It was a horror show.
Good point, Patrick!
The film was in black in white during the public moments in her life and the scenes in color are her more intimate moments with one exception and that’s the premier of gentlemen prefer blondes.
Not sure about that ... she's in b/w at home with Joe DiMaggio and by herself in her dressing room.
@@BreakfastAllDay I figured it out finally. The film constantly recreates famous photographs of Marilyn Monroe. Dominick uses these photographs as windows into Monroe’s life and depending on the ratio of the photograph on which the scene is based and if the photograph is in color or black in white is what determines how each scene looks. It’s like we are seeing the story through her photographs brought to life. It also is a constant reminder to the audience that we really only know this woman through media coverage.
MM is an icon
thanks for the review. A lot of reviewers are just dismissing this movie. I liked it overall and I think it's very chaotic just to put us in her shoes.
Thanks, we tried to engage with it. It's complicated!
It's a movie that I won't view again but in the moment of watching it I enjoyed the art of it and the great acting. I'm sure this film will receive some nomination nods for costume design and for the set pieces. There may even be a nom for best actress. I thought the actress was amazing.
Having said all that I don't give it more than a 7.
*No spoilers here.*
BLONDE is about how Marilyn Monroe's sex symbol status caused people (mostly men) to not take her seriously as an actress or even as a person... but hey, you don't need me to tell you that. The movie makes that very clear early on, but for some reason, it constantly goes back to that point. The situations are different, but the context is the same. However, the repetitiveness and the shallow approach to this real-life figure don't overshadow Ana de Armas, Adrien Brody and Xavier Samuel's performances. Nick Cave and Warren Ellis' music score is good, but the song selections are jarring. I understand that some of them are happy and upbeat as a contrast to the tragedy happening on the screen, but there's a right way and a wrong way to do that. There are times where Andrew Dominik's directing choices feel inspired and creative, and also times where they feel pretentious and distracting. There are times where the dialogue he wrote is dramatically entertaining, and also times where it's unintentionally funny. Many people thought that the scenes where Marilyn imagines the fetus she's carrying were anti-abortion propaganda. I couldn't see it from that point of view... because I was too concentrated on how silly it all looked! And when the fetus talked to her, I started laughing!
5/10
I find it so strange that many reviewers are harping on the fact that the movie treats Monroe “as badly” as she was treated in real life, as if she is still alive and being actually tortured on film or something… Saving Private Ryan looked great visually, but left me feeling strange because of how badly it treated its characters on the beach!
It's because exploits&fictionalized marlyn character and norman jean life
Fabricating major events in the movie and will probably leave a lot of people with a false perspective of who she was and what her life was like.
The revelation at the ending was so cruel it made the whole thing 10x more depressing.😢
I was on the fence about seeing this (and renewing my Netflix subscription). Based on your review, I’m going to pass on this. Thank you!
Understandable!
that would be your absolote biggest loss to pass on this - It is a masterpiece both cinematically and emotionally
I'm not super interested in seeing yet another Monroe bio about her tragedy. Same with Judy Garland. These women were brilliant and I hate that all we ever see is their suffering.
That's a lot of what this is! Thanks, Dan.
And the aspect ratio changes toomuch !!, After lucy in the sky i can't tolerate it
I’ve heard it compared to STAR80.
Which is also an upsetting re-examination of a horrible tru-life event.
For sure.
I'm conflicted here. As a person that doesn't grow in her eras, i feel this movie's trying to recreated that famous fame and symbols around her character but keep us stay in the outside, in her skin that is Marilyn Monroe, not Norma. And all that graphics scene is important to relives that symbols of her during that time.
But what i finds it beautiful, is that we occasionally see that Norma personality raging in the inside, and the movies left us open to interpret her character. But the movie stay in the style of all the old media portraying her at that times.
This movie's playing a bad guy, for the reason of inviting those who truly cares to discover her on a more personal level. And those who don't, to let them stay on the fake layers that is Marilyn
So many aspects of this movie are totally oscar-worthy, but wouldn't be surprised if the screenplay was nominated at the razzies.
screw the oscar - it lost its value
So sad everyone in here thinks Marilyn should be defined by all her FICTIONALIZED pain and none of her actual strengths. No wonder all of Marilyn fans hate this movie.
She shouldn't be defined be her pain alone, real or fictionalized, exactly.
If you ever had a forced abortion which happens to this day, traumatizing abortion, experienced sexual trauma and parental abuse -you can most probably relate to this movie. Please note: I’m totally pro women’s choice! Just seeing that this movie is about many things that wasn’t under her direct choice.
Great film. Ana de Armas is perfection.
why are so many people in the comments changing what they said in the video? they didnt say that the movie was bad because it showed too much abuse and trauma they said it was bad because they showed it and never made a point of it
Thanks Connor.
Not Andrew Ford Alonso, Robert Ford.
Sometimes we make mistakes!
I think that this film shows how Norma Jean/Marilyn was abused by men and how that type male behaviour should not be embraced.
I seen long movies before the Batman was 3 hours and it felt shorter than this this movie was artistically incredible honor the Ana de Arms was the best she's ever been but the artistic film style the chaos the back and forth between color and black and white the different film ratios really confused me and treat me but the film exploits itself and the worst way for no reason
I thought the 7 year itch scene was exactly what it seems. An attempt to make you feel as uncomfortable with the male gaze as women often are. BUT the movie hits the same beat repeatedly. I was IG scrilling through most until the... presidential job.
Ha, good point.
The film was ok but I particularly liked the way her beauty spot had the ability to move from ABOVE her mouth on the left cheek to BELOW her mouth - see around 1:55:00 (Tony Curtis) and around 1:57:00 (in the car)
Good catch!
this is the contender for the most divisive movie of the year, some people will call it a masterpiece of its time and others will think it is gross and exploitative
Maybe it's both?
@@BreakfastAllDay good point
I don't know if I will like it or not because I haven't seen the movie yet but I know I will only watch it once and never again
@@opinionsnotfacts Ha, same!
@@opinionsnotfacts Well, I watched it twice in a space of four days. I found it provocative but noteworthy on first viewing, remarkable on second viewing.
It would seem that no one told Ana de Armas that although her acting is undisputed, she would be stigmatized forever especially by the distasteful, to say the least, scene with JFK. Ana in Mexico City🌺🌺🌺
Thanks for your thoughts, Ana.
Ana incredible, Marilyn's sad story made me cry, and especially Ana's performance😪
She was incredible, it's true.
I think... that the movie wanted to put us in the male gaze... to see the real cruelty plainly ... like the photographer did sort of... this is what is felt to me at least... I think the director did not wanted to show compession for her ... he just wanted to show us how much she suffered and how beautifil she was...
Entering a movie just wanting to get to a specific place is bad - it will take away from the experience.. jus sit back no expectation n let the director and actors take u wherever they want
Oh we didn't have specific expectations. We never do -- or at least we try not to. Alonso in particular avoids trailers for this reason.
@@BreakfastAllDay When you say "where are we going with this" implies you are expecting a certain destination to fullfill your expectation.. It is only when you have a certain expectation is when you would say something like "where are we going with this" - Bcoz u r kind of wanting it to land somewhere u r expecting or familiar with.. When a movie implements "repitition" to a certain theme it is for a purpose that can only be appreciated if u let go of your expectations, and then you wouldnt say "where are we going" and all the other concerns you expressed in the video..
Like for example all the jarred black and white and aspect ratios - you are again trying to force it back into your expectation of "is this to differentiate marlyn vs norma" or whatever else you and your co host said.. Thats a good example of how thinkin that way made you MISS THE POINT - The point WAS to make it JARRING and RANDOM as that WAS how Norma experienced her life. It was drugged and patchy and in and out of different places and situations. Thats how the director make you walk thru her shoes. Hope you understood my point and how it would of made you experience the movie differently.. thanks and great review!
I think the critics hate the movie because they want to see her from the fake happy perspective.
Not at all. Complexity is interesting. This seems to wallow in the sadistic treatment of her. Thanks for watching.
Christy, you don't need so much filter on your camera.
No filter, just makeup and lighting. But thanks ...?
Marilyn monroe dated the Kennedy brothers the movie forgot to add that.
There's a scene with JFK.
Why does this get NC 17 and no Tarantino movie gets more than R?? Makes absolutely no sense
Has to be the fellatio scene.
I loved this movie. I'm sorry. I said it. After watching this and Spencer, I kinda feel like the psychological horror/drama approach to mentally distressed figures is a great way to go.
Never apologize for liking what you like!
Did this movie deserve the Razzie for Worst Picture? I don't think so, based on the parts I've seen.
The Razzies are irrelevant. There's a lot that's wrong with Blonde, but it does many things well, starting with Ana de Armas' performance. Thanks for your comment, Sidarth!
@@BreakfastAllDay Hillbilly Elegy had bad reviews and Razzie nominations as well, but I thought it was good, despite some noticeable script issues. I feel like some critics and awards people have an agenda
I think from my personal experience of living with someone who put this woman on a pedestal is this , Hollywood gave her a new face with plastic surgery , she became a blonde , she had a career in silly movies , she tried very hard to fit into the intelligent conversations and spurned a good man , joe for the playwrights and the intellectual people , she was a country girl who was burned up and destroyed
FOR GOD SAKE WATCH the friends that all say she was like this movie!!!!
It’ll probably be for me like “Pleasure”. For that 🎥: I’m glad I watched it, it’s well done, it’s well acted, I can say it’s good, but I’ll never watch again. “Blonde” is one I wanna see but I’ll probably never watch again
Ha good point.