LIFESTYLES

At the Movies with Don & Joyce

Posted 8/19/20

THE BURNT ORANGE HERESY

***½ (Don)

****(Joyce)

Stylish Thriller

We haven’t reviewed a new movie in nearly five months and ironically our return to the Warwick Showcase found …

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LIFESTYLES

At the Movies with Don & Joyce

Posted

THE BURNT ORANGE HERESY

***½ (Don)

****(Joyce)

Stylish Thriller

We haven’t reviewed a new movie in nearly five months and ironically our return to the Warwick Showcase found us slightly disagreeing on this stylish thriller that was made in 2019 and finally released for the theatres.

Claes Bang and Elizabeth Debicki (two unfamiliar names) star as Jerome and Berenice. He is an art critic and lecturer, and she is a schoolteacher on vacation in Milan, where they meet and have an immediate affair.

Jerome is invited to the posh home of an art collector (Mick Jagger) who promises an interview with a famous reclusive artist (Donald Sutherland) if he will steal one of his rare paintings.

I thought that the plot moved a bit too slowly and pretentiously until its hasty, provocative conclusion, while Joyce was caught up with its intellectual style, and enjoyed the complexity of the characters.

Jagger was surprisingly good as the wealthy art collector, especially in his closing scene, while Sutherland was his usual enthralling self as the aging artist.

Scenes of the Italian countryside are inviting, and the acting was excellent. The ending may be a bit overwhelming, but Joyce liked it more than I did.

Note: The Showcase has taken all the necessary precautions, including assigned seats, which proved to be a bit of overkill with only six people in the large theatre.

Ushers told us that attendance has been very slow. Hopefully, at least one blockbuster movie will help.

THE CROWN (Netflix)

***** I know that “The Crown” has been around for a while, but I’m just getting caught up on old Netflix series.

I am fascinated by the history, knowing that a bit of poetic license has been mixed in. The hour-long segments are spellbinding, the action is first rate, especially John Lithgow as Churchill, and the sets and background are very realistic. I followed that up by watching Helen Mirren as Queen Elizabeth in last year’s hit movie “The Queen” on Netflix. Excellent movie and performances!

RUSTIC DRIVE-IN

We ventured north on Route 146 in North Smithfield last week to the Rustic Drive-In to watch what was supposed to be the opening of the Rhode Island International Film Festival. Rain caused its postponement to the last day of the festival.

We had spent many hours at the old Shipyard Drive-In back in the ’60s and ’70s, and found that some things were just as we remembered them, while others had changed.

The biggest change was the price – $27 a carload. If you bring four people, $8 apiece is reasonable. Do kids still hide in the trunk?

The old speakers that you hung on your car window and sometimes forget and tried to drive off with are gone. The sound comes over your FM radio.

The snack bar is still there, but the dollar popcorn and sodas are now $7 and $3.

Rustic has three screens showing double features, so you have your choice of six movies. No screen switching is allowed.

Pandemic rules include leaving one space between vehicles and wearing your mask if your windows are open or you are sitting outside your car or in a truck bed.

Social distancing and mask wearing are required at the snack bar.

And please, turn your head and tail lights off! We had a guy in front of us whose brake lights kept going on and off. Not sure what he was doing.

movies, entertainment

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