Certified Copy

March 26.

I had really high expectations for Certified Copy. The French movie set in Tuscany starring Juliette Binoche got rave reviews everywhere I looked. So as the main characters - Binoche, an apparent single mother running an antique shop in small town Italy and William Shimell an art historian and author - have an uncomfortable meeting, full of strange bickering, I wasn't sure what I thought of it.

And then, when the pair started acted as a married couple, but not in a cute, fun way - in a strange sad way, I was actually less uncomfortable but still confused. This couple seemed to truly be married ... I think.

So in the end I wasn't sure what I thought. The conversation was interesting, the scenery and camera angles were gorgeous and interesting. But the story. What had happened? Were they married? Were they strangers? I don't know.

A few days later, I was talking to a coworker about the film and we had similar reactions. But as we talked about it, we both began to appreciate what we saw more and more. There are so many questions. About what happened, sure, but also about the way people speak to each other and why. And there's no denying that the storytelling was like nothing I've ever seen before. So, now I feel like I need to watch this movie again, and that it could be a movie I love, but for now ...

Rating: Like

A Room with a View

April 11.

I caught the Masterpiece Theatre version of E.M. Forster's "A Room with a View" on PBS. (I heart PBS) I had, of course, heard of the book, but hadn't read it or seen any of the film adaptations.

I could tell the story, about a British girl living in Edwardian England and visiting Florence, Italy, was something I should love, but the movie didn't quite work. I've seen many Masterpiece Theatre movies and always loved them. Masterpiece's "Pride and Prejudice" may be the best adaptation of that story. But, this one felt rushed and not complete.

I read that there is an Oscar-nominated version starring Helena Bonham Carter from the 80s, so, I added that to my Netflix queue. I hope that version does a better job of telling the whole story. Maybe I'll have to skip the movies and pick up the book.