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canadian release date: 26-march-2010
writers: erin cressida wilson, anne fontaine
director: atom egoyan
starring: julianne moore, amanda seyfried, liam neeson
fun fact! j/d attended a foley class taught by andy malcolm (one of this movie's foley artists). pretty snazzy!
it's a fact.
we're both so happy to be returning to movie reviews - the return of game of thrones has been deliciously overwhelming, and, let's face it, the last movie we watched was pretty bad. this one looks much more promising, however, in terms of ushering us back in to the fold of films and snarking and drinking and gifs and shit. so yeah. watch it with us after the jump!
j/d: and here we are, doing a movie again. huzzah! siblings kinda sucked, so we're jumping right back into canadian independent(ish) things…for some reason...
r/r: i am beyond stoked for this. atom egoyan is one of my favourite directors, and i adored erin cressida wilson's work in secretary. eek!
r/r: it's lovely to watch chloe try to assess the situation, to learn about catherine and what she is seeking.
catherine chokes on her drink.
"what's your name?"
"it's chloe."
"okay."
j/d: catherine gets flustered by their emotional attachment, and decides the money, which is in the envelope, is a good way to break the conversation. she wants to do it one more time though, just to see what he does.
j/d: now there's some awkward conversations about whether chloe is clean, but she's got tests. all the tests!
and catherine wants to see results! now she's driving home upset and thinking about allan gardens. she gets home, and showers up, removing the showerhead even… y'know, to get 'clean.' in the fantasy of david and chloe she creates while jerking it, things are a bit different, and fairly in the vein of titanic. humourous, given when we're watching this.
j/d: catherine's on the way home. exxxxcept, that's not home that the beck taxi takes her to. she's back at the hotel, and tearing chloe away from a date.
j/d: quick aside, from all the hotness, in terms of onscreen girl-girl sex scenes, this one has a stamp of approval for realism.
j/d: and now we're outside again. yorkville at night + christmas = well, super gorgeous, but not compared to that last scene.
r/r: in the taxi back from the hotel, chloe rests her head on catherine's shoulder. oh, it's sad, really...from a certain (albeit deliberately selective) angle, this is the story of two women who fall in love despite class and social and familial circumstances, and who desperately try to reconcile their desires with their lives...a fantastic lesbian romantic dramady. and i wish they'd have a chance to run away together and make it happen, dealing with all the brutal fallout but finding ecstasy in living their newfound freedom. aaaaaaanyway. i know that it's not what the film calls for, and it's not what the author intended. but i still think the seeds and more are present within the film! and i wish i could see them realized, fruiting through to harvest.
j/d: chloe and catherine are in a cab, catherine's getting dropped off and pretending she lives in a sliiiightly different area. this is a cute, sincere scene where catherine asks chloe not to see david again. chloe's trying to give catherine the hair pin again. apparently it used to be her mother's, and she wants catherine to have it. she dropped it on purpose the first time, you see. she needed to talk to catherine. the empathy one feels for chloe here is huge.
j/d: ha! michael is told to go to his room, and we continue not to give a fuck about most things he has to say slash do.
j/d: intensity. no resolution, and catherine sleeps in one of the many gorgeous glass rooms in this fucking modern castle up near eglinton (i don't know)
j/d: soooo, i guess he didn't bone her, and now catherine is in shit
because she had her mid life crisis fling. blah blah temptation.
blah blah marriage. blah blah.
r/r: "it wasn't a fling." I KNEW IT!
j/d: outside, catherine discloses more information about chloe.
she is coming clean, but apparently none of it ever happened,
which makes this chloe lady crazy, which means she always
knows what to say, just like in the intro. still at the cafe, by the way.
r/r: poor liam neeson...his character often seems so tense and overcome by grief in this film, in a way that resonates not at all with david, but intensely so with neeson himself.
r/r: "i think i'm nineteen and then i look in the mirror and im this -- person, who doesn't know how to seduce you!"
such a nakedly honest scene...i wonder about those feelings, and i hope never to have to reconcile them (as unlikely as that is). how powerful it is, to give us so much to contemplate, fear, and accept.
j/d: i don't entirely empathize with these movies about middle aged
couples, and i don't entirely ever hope to, other than to have an
enduring relationship at that point. i mean, all this shit you succumb
to is the equivalent of mid-life high school crap. why bother?
r/r: maybe it's important to be best friends during, and possibly before becoming and being lovers who wish to maintain a life-long sexual and emotional relationship. i've passionately felt so, but i recognize that i can't really say, as i am yet young, and planning a child-free life.
j/d any way, now they're kissing and a streetcar goes by (again!) and all is well.
j/d: meanwhile! david is having a meeting about boring curriculum crap.
j/d: catherine comes home! shishi!
j/d: she goes to her bedroom to get changed. shes getting dressed and realizes her bed
isn't empty. michael has fallen asleep there.
"michael?"
"shit, shit!"
"michael, get out of here."
"come on let's go!" he urges chloe
j/d: and we cut to allan gardens, which is gorgeous, and now haunted by chloe, which is funny because executive producer IVAN REITMAN.
j/d: this film heavily features locales that i frequent on an almost daily basis, and as such is surreal and cool. it's odd to remember people who work at stores in the background of scenes while shit's going down, but hey - it's cool, 'cause i love toronto.
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blah blah, coarse language, nudity, mature themes, blah blah E1 Entertainment and cloudcorp errr Studio Canal.(don't forget the Montecito Picture Company.)
r/r: haha, this music is very egoyan. hello, amanda seyfried. i like the camera work here a lot, as well as the settings/props (especially the curtains, or whatever those hanging folds of sheer black fabric may be, and the black chandelier)
j/d: okay, now they tell us all this again on a black screen, before cutting to amanda seyfried, who is chloe, getting dressed. lots of dangly expensive things and sheer black. it's quite sexy. now a voiceover. she tells us about how she's good with words. she's pretty hot, so i miss the getting whole quote thing. oops. i'm not huge on voiceovers any way. but i do like monologues - shit! wow.
r/r: wow. she looks amazing. there's a lot to be said for watching a beautiful person dress them self - particularly a beautiful femme person. fuck, the lotion even.
j/d: hey, i like nail polish.
j/d: ooh, the obscurity of the mirror. good job, mr.egoyan
r/r: interesting to open with a monologue. "it's part of my job to know where to place my hand. my lips. my tongue. my leg. and even my thoughts. what kind of pressure. for how long, and when to stop. i can become your first kiss, or a torn-out image from a playboy magazine you found when you were nine years old. am i your secretary? am i your daughter? maybe i'm your seventh-grade math teacher you always hated. all i know is that if i do it just right, i can become your living,b reathing, unflinching dream. and then, i can actually disappear."
j/d: okay, she's leaving in the morning (afternoon) with some white old silverfox, beck taxis and green p parking abound.
r/r: julianne moore, creeping with vicious desolation from above. her office is pretty incredible - is that yorkville? drink just in case! - as is amanda seyfried's coat! and now drink for beck taxi!
j/d: so just to clarify, chloe is a sex worker… but like, an all-star sex worker. the gretzky of sex workers.
r/r: julianne moore, creeping with vicious desolation from above. her office is pretty incredible - is that yorkville? drink just in case! - as is amanda seyfried's coat! and now drink for beck taxi!
j/d: so just to clarify, chloe is a sex worker… but like, an all-star sex worker. the gretzky of sex workers.
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r/r: yay, her assistant is a brown woman i've seen on some sort of commercial (and actually, from her name i would guess she's ismaili)! just a few minutes in, and we've already got one speaking character who is a poc!
j/d: dr.stewart, (moore) is wistfully checking out chloe's departure from silverfox out the window. her last appointment is here, we're informed. but she's distracted. her office is nice. nice and white. doctor style. whatever style, i wish i had an office like that (but i'd settle for any office) just no creepy white horse painting.
r/r: i'm unclear as to the ethnicity of the third woman in this scene - the nurse or technician, i suppose?
j/d: now we're dealing with a patient. she's a dancer who uses no contraception and has never had an orgasm, barely ever had sex. being a doctor must be rough
r/r: how wonderful to have a doctor one could speak to about such things! julianne moore comes across as sympathetic, but detached - perhaps distracted, perhaps gently disdainful. it's difficult to say, because julianne moore is a master.
j/d: here's liam neeson! he's charming to his students, i gather. intense! it seems one of the students might be in to him… after all, they'd like to take him to dinner. how brave. but it's his birthday! they're singing! noice.
r/r: liam neeson is a toothy professor! well, maybe just when he's smiling. i wonder where he teaches.
r/r: ye gods, that house! what the hellllll, it is immensely beautiful! and beautifully immense. fucking architecture in egoyan films - don't get me started on that triangle house!
i covet this so fucking much. (link)
j/d: now we're home at the stewart/stewart's home, at a party presumably for liams bday. this house is modern and gorgeous, like juliane moore. she's changed her dress 25 times. liam neeson is late. the son is here, and he's not tomas dekker… he's michael. he runs off, and apparently he's got a girlfriend and that's good and stuff
r/r: of course she has well over twenty-five beautiful party dresses. and why not? she's a fucking fox, and mad rich.
j/d: sometimes… at night, i drive around looking for this house… ha, kidding. i have no car.
j/d: wow, lots of people at this party. i take it this is a popular family. any way, the doctor makes the rounds, speaking to the many guests. one of these people is a work colleague of the doctor, and he's a bit of a pervy douche.
j/d: wow, lots of people at this party. i take it this is a popular family. any way, the doctor makes the rounds, speaking to the many guests. one of these people is a work colleague of the doctor, and he's a bit of a pervy douche.
r/r: AAAAAH JASPER GODDAMNED FUCKING DALE
ain't that the p-p-p-pistol! (link)
r/r: thus upping the avonlea - egoyan connection by another point!
why can't i recall any others? there must be more! oh well. but i could have sworn victor garber...well, all right.
r/r: that woman's straight bangs make her look like jeanne beker!
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r/r: that's also an unnecessarily yucky thing to say - your vicarious glee over her son receiving a hypothetical blowjob is boring and off-putting. but hey, is that blonde woman in some kind of canadian comedy troupe? either way, don't bang your colleagues, jasper dale.
r/r: that red dress with her red hair, my goodness. lipstick is the perfect match, and the unpainted nails a hint of mystery. such a beautiful woman.
j/d: the phone rings!!!
j/d: oh man, the professor is gonna be a bit late! he missed his flight. the excrement! the air conditioning. the next flight isn't for two hours! he missed his bday party, he missed his wife, and all to party with these kids! ha! i bet they make him feel young again!
j/d: oh man, the professor is gonna be a bit late! he missed his flight. the excrement! the air conditioning. the next flight isn't for two hours! he missed his bday party, he missed his wife, and all to party with these kids! ha! i bet they make him feel young again!
r/r: dun dun dun! sexy young student lurks in the back of the shot beside a decidedly american-looking taxi.
j/d: "looks like the surprise is on us" aww, what a nice lady. so they're going to party anyway, cause, what the hell, everyone is a rockstar, right? this is toronto, yo.
r/r: she's keeping the party going? i don't imagine people will stick around very long, what with the awkward and all.
sure do take their lives into their hands, what with the weather and all. (link)
j/d: oh, wait. no party, she's crying in the bathroom, washing up at the end of another toronto gyno doctor party. so much glass in this house. i'd always feel like i was being watched (it also apparently makes most of the on-set recording difficult)
r/r: so many mirror shots! multiple views, uncomfortable truths - though jeff winger would insist we tell the majority of our lies before the bathroom mirror.
r/r: damn, i would feel pretty uncomfortable walking around my boyfriend's house while he still lived at home, without having received permission to stay the night. particularly since julianne moore's character seems pretty hard.
j/d: oh no, the son's girlfriend is still there! the doctor says she has to go home, which is met with a door slam.
j/d: it's morning. the house is big and square and red on the outside.
the professor is home! he's shaving with his electric razor, and putting a shirt on. seems weird.
j/d: it's morning. the house is big and square and red on the outside.
the professor is home! he's shaving with his electric razor, and putting a shirt on. seems weird.
r/r: yikes, he didn't wake her?
r/r: i should start calling her catherine.
j/d: they discuss the surprise party, it's a little sad. they seem disconnected. it works, i guess, given the idea of the movie.
j/d: "i'll be late again tonight. more boring curriculum crap."
he likes his job.
j/d: "i'll be late again tonight. more boring curriculum crap."
he likes his job.
r/r: no kiss, no...nothing, really. they could have done this over the phone.
r/r: gorgeous winterlight pouring in through windows. my goodness, how i covet.
j/d: it's morning. the girlfriend is still there, in her underwear. she says good morning to his mom who 'saw her naked' the girlfriend claims to have just gotten here. it's all pretty funny, and michael says 'dad knows'… y'know, this sounds super old school, like one of those episodes of a black and white… i don't know what i'm taking about. all i know is my parents sucked.
r/r: ay! just like i said before - and with panties and an open shirt? and then michael goes out to talk to her in his boxer briefs? oh, dad knows. i guess that makes it less weird.
r/r: aww, michael protects anna. anna assures catherine that they use condoms, but it doesn't seem to be helping their case.
r/r: parental power struggles. ugh. so glad to be avoiding it.
j/d: ha! now xMiranda has texted the Prof. the Doc is pissed, and we're inside a theatre that i believe is attached to the ROM. Definitely is! there's that sexy dino-home out the window.
r/r:
i don't like people playin' on my phone! (link)
r/r: the rom! you can see the crystal gallery through the window, how gorgeous.
how gorgeous! drink, my friends!
j/d: dinner time for the prof and doctor, with her colleague (frank) now. his date rocks a cute 90's kinder-whore thing. the professor chats up the waitress using drinks.
r/r: the blonde woman has a frothy, lingerie-inspired babydoll i kind of dig. ditto to the black velvet ribbon around her neck.
r/r: the colouring of the waitress with whom liam neeson is flirting is so, so similar to julianne moore's! i mean catherine's. shit. i'm not good at this!
j/d: catherine's in the bathroom, letting her hair down on frank's advice.
r/r: i wonder what restaurant this is? the wallpaper in the bathroom is lovely, if a little expected.
j/d: this restaurant is so nice i've clearly never eaten there.
j/d: now she's in a stall, and there's a lady crying next to her. she offers help, and surprise, it's chloe - she needs toilet paper. 'men are such assholes' 'yep' no bechdel test win there.
r/r: i wonder what restaurant this is? the wallpaper in the bathroom is lovely, if a little expected.
j/d: this restaurant is so nice i've clearly never eaten there.
j/d: now she's in a stall, and there's a lady crying next to her. she offers help, and surprise, it's chloe - she needs toilet paper. 'men are such assholes' 'yep' no bechdel test win there.
r/r: it's sweet that catherine asks how she can help.
i don't have a square to spare!
r/r: oh god the shoes
i die
so pretty
j/d: i quite like practically all of the wardrobe in this movie.
r/r: hahaha chloe's outfit is perfect with the bathroom's colour scheme! how funny! and i really love her dress. she looks incredible, fragile and predatory and clumsy and ethereal.
j/d: chloe tries to give catherine the hairpin we saw in the opening montage
"i think you dropped this.
"no it's not mine"
"'take it anyway"
"why?"
"'cause i want you to have it."
"i have to get back to my husband."
r/r: hahaha chloe's outfit is perfect with the bathroom's colour scheme! how funny! and i really love her dress. she looks incredible, fragile and predatory and clumsy and ethereal.
j/d: chloe tries to give catherine the hairpin we saw in the opening montage
"i think you dropped this.
"no it's not mine"
"'take it anyway"
"why?"
"'cause i want you to have it."
"i have to get back to my husband."
r/r: julianne moore has such lovely eyelashes, and expressive eyes. shes one of my favourite actresses.
j/d: okay, it's a nice hotel, so they're playing 'spot the hooker.' what a bunch of fuckers. the conversation turns to questions about sex workers. frank claims 'it's not a habit.' but he likes to pay.
r/r: "we're playing spot the hooker." frank is so charming, isn't he?
r/r: "well, they are normal people." go liam neeson!
"i don't know how normal they are." fuck off, frankie. or is it the judgement you get off on?
r/r: chloe leaves the washroom and walks back to her table. she sits down and resumes interacting with aman we presume to be her client, while making eye contact with catherine. catherine finds it hard to break away. she's intrigued, perhaps disgusted, perhaps enchanted, but unable to process or express the disquieting sensations she's feeling.
j/d: catherine gets all introspective as chloe leaves the bathroom, fade and we're in the car on the way home debating flirting or being friendly. here's a conversation i've heard a bunch of times. ha, now she's questioning him about missing his flight.
"what difference does it make if i missed by mistake or intentionally?"
this gets rough, he lies about drinks and things.
"what difference does it make if i missed by mistake or intentionally?"
this gets rough, he lies about drinks and things.
r/r: oh man, yorkville again! this is so exciting, it's so near to where we live. also, i like the wardrobe - the coat colour is interesting and vivid, without being unthinkably obvious.
j/d: we're in yorkville again now with choe, beside a restaurant i thiiiink i've been to. it's beside amber, y'know? any way, catherine's watching her from the office again.
j/d: she's heading back to that hotel, one assumes for more work.
r/r: catherine knows her, has noticed her - have they both longed to meet each other, or at the very least, wondered about the other's life?
j/d: evening now, and catherine's off work. she heads into the hotel bar, where chloe is, looking smoldery as heck.
j/d: she's heading back to that hotel, one assumes for more work.
r/r: catherine knows her, has noticed her - have they both longed to meet each other, or at the very least, wondered about the other's life?
j/d: evening now, and catherine's off work. she heads into the hotel bar, where chloe is, looking smoldery as heck.
r/r: and now they're meeting for a drink! i'm telling you, i like where this is going.
j/d: catherine's at the bar, ordering chardonnay. chloe sidles up.
"do you wanna buy me a drink?"
any day, lady.
"do you wanna buy me a drink?"
any day, lady.
j/d: they settle on another chardonnay for chloe.
"i don't normally meet with women. couples, yes. but single women…"
oooh, so catherine called her.
r/r: "you choose his women for him?" hotttt.oooh, so catherine called her.
j/d: "i think my husband would like you."
"you choose his women for him?"catherine chokes on her drink.
"what's your name?"
"it's chloe."
j/d: catherine says she thinks the professor is cheating, and wants to see what he'd do if chloe offered herself.
"most of my clients are married"
"he's not the client."
"most of my clients are married"
"he's not the client."
r/r: catherine's incessantly clamped jaw is so characterizing in this scene! love it. and the thickness in her voice as she nearly growls "he's not the client."
r/r: cafe diplomatico - is that a real place? i want to go to there (mostly because of this movie, but hey).
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j/d: now we're at cafe diplomatico, which is apparently on college street. essentially though, catherine tells chloe how to seduce the professor (david) by pretending to be a student. (an interpreter)
j/d: so, the first encounter and the set up and cut together, and it allows for a fairly creative and unique way of illustrating what happens here.
r/r: the open, apologetic request for sugar is a marvellous contrast to her still, burning eyes; and her slow, measured steps. i am really impressed, and not because we saw most of one boob earlier.
j/d: now catherine's getting some money.
j/d: so, the first encounter and the set up and cut together, and it allows for a fairly creative and unique way of illustrating what happens here.
r/r: the open, apologetic request for sugar is a marvellous contrast to her still, burning eyes; and her slow, measured steps. i am really impressed, and not because we saw most of one boob earlier.
j/d: now catherine's getting some money.
r/r: both of their outfits are great so far, pretty much every time. i love chloe's dressed-down, makeup-free look.
j/d: later; catherine meets up with chloe to discuss what happened. catherine almost doesn't recognize chloe, due to her 'student' look. okay, now we recount what happens. he's there. she's there. she wants sugar. he walks over to her and asks about him. she explains she's a student. wants to be a japanese interpreter. he asks her to say something. she blushes. chloe says nothing happened. catherine says but he approached her, a pretty girl in a cafe. chloe says he was just being friendly.
"he's cute."
"he's cute."
r/r: woo, ttc bus in the background! drinky drink drink.
clowny clown clown.
j/d: now some questioning about how chloe lives her life.
"how do you do this?"
you've got no right to know these things catherine.
"i try to find something to love in everybody. even if it's a small thing."
fair enough. if only we could all do that.
"how do you do this?"
you've got no right to know these things catherine.
"i try to find something to love in everybody. even if it's a small thing."
fair enough. if only we could all do that.
r/r: i have trouble typing in this scene as it becomes more emotional - their eyes and faces are too compelling.
"how do you do this?"
"i try to find something to love in everybody. even if it's a small thing. something about the way someone smiles. there's always something. there has to be. i try to make myself generous, and, i do things i don't want to do. i think about what not to criticize. but the strangest things come back to me.
"like?"
"you."
"me?"
"yeah. yeah, people like you walk into my life." and how the 'people like you' feels like a deflection from actually saying something true about what she feels about catherine, in her life and out of it. soooo interesting.
j/d: these are some gorgeous ladies, being all emotional - other movies Y U NO COPY?
j/d: buses keep going by in the background. it's a little distracting. i wonder what street this is. oh right, college.
r/r: "i don't want to stop, okay?" j/d: buses keep going by in the background. it's a little distracting. i wonder what street this is. oh right, college.
"okay."
j/d: catherine gets flustered by their emotional attachment, and decides the money, which is in the envelope, is a good way to break the conversation. she wants to do it one more time though, just to see what he does.
j/d: cut to david, in his study, laughing at IM convos. i know for a fact skype is no good news. well, actually, loads of good news.
r/r: oh, skype is sometimes the best news. oh, well, not for this kid. poor michael. your mom bummed anna out. haha, and now she got caught creeping! dear moms of teenagers: quit being creepy. sincerely, ...pretty much a movie!
j/d: ooh, good. the son is getting emotional and needs his girlfriend to see him face to face. apparently she's breaking up with him? she doesn't want to feel tied down. that's too bad, they seemed pretty close early, with the nakedness, and the late nights, and him knowing her name.
j/d: catherine walks in and he freaks out. so she goes to talk to david, asking about who he's on with, yadda, yadda. so many ubiquitous macs.
"i don't know what bothers me more, that he's sleeping with her or that he isn't."
lady, back off the sex. people fuck.
r/r: michael's in therapy? that's an interesting thing to just drop like that, and not bring up again.
"i don't know what bothers me more, that he's sleeping with her or that he isn't."
lady, back off the sex. people fuck.
r/r: michael's in therapy? that's an interesting thing to just drop like that, and not bring up again.
j/d: alright, now david admits to knowing all about the girlfriend, as michael said, and david tries to get her to drink some scotch. she has a headache, but he advises an advil or TWO. y'know, that's how to deal with women-folk.
r/r: ooh la la, is that the birthday scotch?
i love scotch. scotchy scotch scotch. (link)
j/d: he thanks her for the scotch, and the party. they have some cute intimate moments, then get melancholy about airports and gates and blah blah. dude's a lightweight. that scotch hit him fast. catherine blames airport security. topical.
r/r: this is a sweet conversation...in the real world i would hope it could lead to a reconciliation, but in the narrative world, i want more dramaaaaaa
haha
j/d: dude's office is quite grand, y'know?
j/d: catherine goes for the kiss, but he drinks his scotch and goes on about the 30 papers he has to read and grade, and y'know… go away, wife.
j/d: catherine goes for the kiss, but he drinks his scotch and goes on about the 30 papers he has to read and grade, and y'know… go away, wife.
r/r: "i've got like 30 papers to read, and..."
i got like, no sleep last night. (link)
look out, catherine! that girl madeleine might be the next hallie lowenthal!
seriously guys, i'll try to make this the last my so-called life reference. deal? (link)
j/d: she's picking out some clothes.
j/d: now wandering around her glass house. watching the son talk about the gf in the backyard - with dad! oooh, they're close. they're talking about how david and catherine met. i just like the area around their home.
j/d: now wandering around her glass house. watching the son talk about the gf in the backyard - with dad! oooh, they're close. they're talking about how david and catherine met. i just like the area around their home.
r/r: awww, he's asking about his parents' love and relationship? asking his dad to tell him over again the story of how they met, and how he felt (though his request for same is a bit over-expository)
j/d: chloe messages catherine. 'meet me at the rivoli.'
j/d: a streetcar goes by. (we're drinking for all things toronto) aaaand, here's the rivoli. woo. Toronto indie bands paint the sound ("heey, they're amazing") hey, egoyan hasn't pissed me off with music yet.
j/d: a streetcar goes by. (we're drinking for all things toronto) aaaand, here's the rivoli. woo. Toronto indie bands paint the sound ("heey, they're amazing") hey, egoyan hasn't pissed me off with music yet.
r/r: drink for the rivoli!
j/d: catherine tries to call it all off, but it's too late. chloe's done it. they had a picnic, kind of. so not chloe starts telling all the details about how it went down, and possible kisses ('he asked if he could kiss me') apparently he was hesitant, but then asked if there was a place for them to kiss where nobody could see them. they went over the allan gardens, the big green house, and well, obviously things got hot. chloe asks if catherine wants her to stop telling about it, but catherine doesn't.
r/r: yeah, see? reconciliation! until chloe reveals that she "already saw him" and they had a picnic lunch with sandwiches they bought. chloe and catherine have coffee while snow falls outside, and chloe tells catherine how david wanted to kiss her, but feared he could not, so she took him to allan gardens. if i'm not mistaken, that place used to be a bathhouse.
r/r: it looks really pretty inside! we should go there. "i love allan gardens. it's always so warm. and the air just feels so beautiful. it's like you're suddenly in a different country. i know there's a place in the back, where they keep tools and stuff."
j/d: so anyway, they walk in, and chloe loves allan gardens. it's so warm and the air feels so beautiful. she knows there's a place in the back, where they keep tools and stuff.
(wait, is there, really? that would be good to know.)
(wait, is there, really? that would be good to know.)
j/d: so, they're hovering there, and she can feel he's excited through his pants.
j/d: catherine says thats enough. things get a little, umm, crabby, but hey, chloe didn't know. it's snowing on queen street. the streetcars are well captured.
j/d: catherine says thats enough. things get a little, umm, crabby, but hey, chloe didn't know. it's snowing on queen street. the streetcars are well captured.
r/r: and that was a ttc streetcar! so you should drink again. um, and maybe also for that shitty car-horn soundbite.
j/d: "i shouldn't have involved you in this. i made a mistake"
catherine leaves in an huff, hitting some cars as she tries to drive off. she's attempting to reconcile with the dude in the baby blue el camino that she bumpered when chloe, riding her bike in the winter, beefs it, like 3 metres away.
catherine leaves in an huff, hitting some cars as she tries to drive off. she's attempting to reconcile with the dude in the baby blue el camino that she bumpered when chloe, riding her bike in the winter, beefs it, like 3 metres away.
r/r: how many coats does chloe have? hahaha beefs it
r/r: hey wait, that's neon! are they on queen west, or are there many locations?
j/d: a wild catherine doctor bag appears to heal chloe up. who doesn't want her stockings cut, so she pulls them down, and things get sexy to clean up this little knee scrape… didn't she fall down? aren't they torn?
j/d: a bandaid is here, and chloe doesn't want a scar. i like her nail polish, and uuuh, that's the scene?
j/d: a bandaid is here, and chloe doesn't want a scar. i like her nail polish, and uuuh, that's the scene?
r/r: chloe elects to take off her nylons, rather than have catherine cut them off, despite the massive hole. she treats an uncomfortably transfixed catherine to the sight of her rolling them down her thighs, and smoothing the static from her skin with her fingers. it is clear she wants catherine to watch her. catherine dresses the wound, and the tension between the maternal and the erotic is very compelling, fairly sexy and a little gross. art movies!
j/d: they go out for drinks after (across from club monaco) and chloe's telling her what happened now, in fairly graphic details. hands down pants, etc. her dress is quite nice in the flashback. oooh, the lengths people go to know their husbands.
j/d: so he didn't want to come, cause he had to go to work, so she kept going? but she bit his tongue, and he came just then apparently, in her hand. but he had to go to work, so he walked away. what a douchehammer.
j/d: so he didn't want to come, cause he had to go to work, so she kept going? but she bit his tongue, and he came just then apparently, in her hand. but he had to go to work, so he walked away. what a douchehammer.
r/r: catherine's face when chloe says "and then i bit his tongue"...!! haha and then she deflects with questions - albeit necessary ones - about std and hiv tests. i guess she would know, being a gyno.
(link)
r/r: this scene is really interesting - we see what catherine is imagining, but not what she's feeling in regard to it - is she imagining she's chloe? is she imagining she's david? is she imagining herself a totally seperate voyeur? her hand pressed to the shower glass, his hand to the window - she connects with him through this masturbatory exploration, but chloe is the conduit that allows for them to meet.
also, nice.
j/d: orgasms all around, aaaand it's bed time! (david's awake and looks pensive.)
j/d: next day, chloe's at catherine's office.
j/d: next day, chloe's at catherine's office.
r/r: chloe is presumptuous, and barely unable to contain her glee!
r/r: shishishi, michael is here! is it awkward if i confess he reminds me of mrs. frisby?
(link)
j/d: michael is too. he's umm, excited by all of this. aaand, i think chloe is too. michael has a recital soon.
j/d: "your mom is doctor stewart?"
"my mother's your gynaecologist?"
j/d: "your mom is doctor stewart?"
"my mother's your gynaecologist?"
r/r: "your mom is dr. stewart?"
"my mother's your gynaecologist...?" hahaha
r/r: and then chloe follows him to talk about catherine with him...to learn more about her. michael is uncomfortable, and likely more than a little attracted to her.
j/d: sooo, now chloe turns to kind of making a pass at michael, who it's been implied for the entire movie is a fragile teen, and umm, his girlfriend who put out just broke up with him. he's going to like chloe, i'd bet. she introduces herself, and finds out he's a musician. she wishes she had lessons. michael likes classical, and chloe likes bands. bands like 'raised by swans.' she thinks michael would like them, really like them. sooo, the day is over and catherine is trying to leave and chloe is there with her 'full workup'. things are awkward at the office. chloe wants to talk and the doc was shooing her off til michael showed up. she doesn't want her and michael to talk. chloe tells catherine that today is the day. this afternoon. after lunch. shishi, now she needs to be a parent. man, having kids and trying to have sex? life would be rough.
r/r: haha, 'cause that doesn't make it look weird, running into your office with hot young blonde at the first sight of your son! best case scenario, he'll think she's setting them up. and even that would be pretty awkward.
r/r: aww, she left a good luck note in the jacket!
hey! how long has that been there? (link)
obviously, michael doesn't care.
j/d: so now cathrine's out having lunch with some friends, i guess, or something. again at one of these fancypants toronto restaurants i can't go to. they're talking about getting divorces. she's obviously distracted, chloe sends her a text. windsor arms room 210. her friends notice she's sketched. think she's effin around. but umm, yeah she's going to meet chloe well her friends are all, 'you're having an affair!'. she passes it off as a pregnant patient.
r/r: her friends are excited for her to have an affair? and from where came this ready excuse about panicking over every cramp because one is terrified of motherhood? that seemed also quite transparent. like it or not, catherine, this is some sort of affair.
j/d: now we're at the hotel, (circa 1905) and catherine's heading upstairs to chloe's room. she walks in after a nice walkaround of the hotel.
r/r: wow, lovely hotel.
r/r: wow, lovely hotel.
r/r: again, so many mirrors.
r/r: BAM. FUCK.
j/d: the bed is unkempt! something has happened here. chloe is naked (wow), we see via a mirror, and well, here's a bathrobe, to be a spoil sport. catherine doesn't want chloe to be on the bed, just in a chair. so now we're waiting to here what happens.
r/r: a deliberate, fully nude revelation - she employs behaviour that, from a man, would seem obviously forward, even predatory. she locks eyes with catherine, pausing before putting on a bathrobe and coming to speak to her.
j/d: they met in the park again. this time he didn't bring sandwiches. they checked into this room. he put on the news and pretended to be interested. she sat down next to him. he turned and looked at her. kissed her. whispered let's fuck.
j/d: catherine is upset, but david couldn't get it up. he was embarrassed, and chloe was wicked nice about it. chloe asks catherine if all this is turning her on.
j/d: catherine is upset, but david couldn't get it up. he was embarrassed, and chloe was wicked nice about it. chloe asks catherine if all this is turning her on.
r/r: she makes sure catherine can visualize it "at that point, he was fully dressed, i was completely naked."
at this, catherine drops her gaze, her face heavy with subdued feeling. chloe asks, "is this turning you on?"
j/d: she keeps talking and explaining how david stayed dressed, stood near the bench that catherine is sitting on and had chloe go down on him. but then she sneezes. there's some doctor advice, before catherine asks if he came in her mouth, but apparently they fucked with a condom. it's fairly explicit, and catherine seems to like it a fair deal.
r/r: as chloe continues to speak, catherine grips the wooden vanity, drags one high-heeled foot up the back of the other calf.
j/d: maaan, egoyan loves him some mirror shots.
r/r: chloe presents these highly charged erotic situations and visuals with respect to her own body, but she is careful to present david's age and lack of stamina as a counterpoint to this. it may well be that catherine seeks david from chloe's stories, but the erotic element that burns within them is purely chloe.
j/d: so, catherine tries to pay chloe now, and chloe seems a little aloof, but then she gets naked again only to get dressed.. catherine's going over their room service tray, drinking some chardonnay that was left over. chloe's a bit sick. the ladies leave the room together. catherine asks about chloe's perfume, but it's a lotion. chloe rubs some on catherine's hand as she talks about her previous days with david and how fantastic their relationship was. it's kind of sad (as it a good undercurrent of this film)
r/r: chloe presents these highly charged erotic situations and visuals with respect to her own body, but she is careful to present david's age and lack of stamina as a counterpoint to this. it may well be that catherine seeks david from chloe's stories, but the erotic element that burns within them is purely chloe.
j/d: so, catherine tries to pay chloe now, and chloe seems a little aloof, but then she gets naked again only to get dressed.. catherine's going over their room service tray, drinking some chardonnay that was left over. chloe's a bit sick. the ladies leave the room together. catherine asks about chloe's perfume, but it's a lotion. chloe rubs some on catherine's hand as she talks about her previous days with david and how fantastic their relationship was. it's kind of sad (as it a good undercurrent of this film)
r/r: payment is awkward. chloe disrobes again, to hastily dress without a bra (as seen blurrily in the mirror behind catherine). catherine observes the sandwich with a single bite missing, the two glasses of (likely chardonnay - chloe does her homework)
r/r: catherine's hands are clamped to her crossed elbows. "what kind of perfume is that?" she's almost in tears with her mingled desires, jealousy and sadness. she throws their (her and david's) love back in chloe's face. it's an understandable gesture, brittle and bitter.
j/d: as they're departing chloe tells catherine that david claims this is the first time he's ever done this. catherine is quite sad, doesn't know whether to leave or 'just go hang myself' chloe comforts her. it's a little, well, confusing. but hey, chloe is nice. oops, now chloe kisses catherine, who bails.
r/r: finally, chloe kisses catherine! and catherine panics, running away to the transitional strains of moonlight sonata.
oh, don't tell me you didn't play this shit.
j/d: hey, it's michael's recital - moonlight sonata, the ever emotive piece for every film. there it is. hey egoyan, fuck you. slc punk did it first. (potentially with the same audio sample) if this kid did play, he could play mad. funny they've invested in a house with such poor acoustics. glass everywhere. ewww, harmonics and feedback.
j/d: michael has rocked the theatre next to the ROM. woo! michael. standing o, etc.
j/d: michael has rocked the theatre next to the ROM. woo! michael. standing o, etc.
r/r: at michael's recital, david and catherine sit apart. but they both face each other with blame in their hearts.
j/d: at the reception afterwards, catherine finds david who's talking to a waitress and congratulates her on her beautiful son. they have a cute moment. he's perplexed about the lotion, chloe's lotion.
r/r: oh, come on, catherine...
if he doesn't recognize the smell, that is a huge red flag that you might be wrong.
j/d: professor stewart is called away.
r/r: madeleine is here, along with all her attending insinuations of infidelity! poor girl, probably just thought she might be earning a mentor.
j/d: catherine leaves. for being in canada, there's a lot of fake wood here in toronto. but daaamn, do i love the new ROM.
r/r: woo, drink for the rom again! and that taxi's probably a beck. oh yes, yes it is!r/r: madeleine is here, along with all her attending insinuations of infidelity! poor girl, probably just thought she might be earning a mentor.
j/d: catherine leaves. for being in canada, there's a lot of fake wood here in toronto. but daaamn, do i love the new ROM.
j/d: catherine's on the way home. exxxxcept, that's not home that the beck taxi takes her to. she's back at the hotel, and tearing chloe away from a date.
r/r: what is that hotel? my cod, the room. that blue light.
r/r: "how does he do it?"
"what?"
"tou-touch you."
touch-a touch-a touch-a touch me! (link)
j/d: uh oh, they're in a room. and catherine is undressing chloe. asking chloe 'how does he do it… t-touch you?'
it's the sort of thing i'd reeeeally find hot if it wasn't a little bit sad. as such, it's only sorta hot.
it's the sort of thing i'd reeeeally find hot if it wasn't a little bit sad. as such, it's only sorta hot.
r/r: catherine cannot handle what she's done in coming here, not to mention what it is she wants. chloe takes the lead, having now been gifted with the pretense she's been searching for (as implied in the opening monologue)
j/d: so, here they go, with chloe illustrating 'how he touches her'
j/d: hey, there's that mirror again, quickly.
r/r: it's so rare to see this type of honest and graphic dramatic sex scene in a north american movie. there's so much ambiguity, but so much clear tension and passion as well! really terrific work. actually, that goes for every erotic scene in this movie - they each have been integral to the story.
j/d: hey, there's that mirror again, quickly.
r/r: it's so rare to see this type of honest and graphic dramatic sex scene in a north american movie. there's so much ambiguity, but so much clear tension and passion as well! really terrific work. actually, that goes for every erotic scene in this movie - they each have been integral to the story.
j/d: and now we're outside again. yorkville at night + christmas = well, super gorgeous, but not compared to that last scene.
r/r: in the taxi back from the hotel, chloe rests her head on catherine's shoulder. oh, it's sad, really...from a certain (albeit deliberately selective) angle, this is the story of two women who fall in love despite class and social and familial circumstances, and who desperately try to reconcile their desires with their lives...a fantastic lesbian romantic dramady. and i wish they'd have a chance to run away together and make it happen, dealing with all the brutal fallout but finding ecstasy in living their newfound freedom. aaaaaaanyway. i know that it's not what the film calls for, and it's not what the author intended. but i still think the seeds and more are present within the film! and i wish i could see them realized, fruiting through to harvest.
j/d: chloe and catherine are in a cab, catherine's getting dropped off and pretending she lives in a sliiiightly different area. this is a cute, sincere scene where catherine asks chloe not to see david again. chloe's trying to give catherine the hair pin again. apparently it used to be her mother's, and she wants catherine to have it. she dropped it on purpose the first time, you see. she needed to talk to catherine. the empathy one feels for chloe here is huge.
r/r: "please don't see my husband again." and chloe's all "fuck your husband! i want you!" only, you know, not out loud.
j/d: "do you want to see me again?"
"well, i'll see you again when i see you on the street, right?"
"see me on the street?"
rough, catherine. you brought her into your world.
catherine bails, and the beck taxi is gone.
"well, i'll see you again when i see you on the street, right?"
"see me on the street?"
rough, catherine. you brought her into your world.
catherine bails, and the beck taxi is gone.
r/r: the dialogue here is painful and excellent. "you'll see me on the street?" "i didn't mean it that way..that came out wrong."
j/d: this film is particularly nuanced, and has about as many levels as super mario world 2, i'd wager.
but much more toronto, and amanda seyfried, so it's better.
but much more toronto, and amanda seyfried, so it's better.
(link)
j/d: i love that house. so modular, and modern, and angles. oooh, i love angles.
r/r: man, their front door, even! so pretty.
j/d: so david's there, and it's throwdown time.
"who is it?"
he knows she's fucking around.
"are you in love?"
she asks if it would make a difference, and the throw down is on!
"who is it?"
he knows she's fucking around.
"are you in love?"
she asks if it would make a difference, and the throw down is on!
r/r: hahahaha "you're a lot more discreet with your women" - that's right catherine! way to confess!
i'm queen / catherine / i'm elegant and supreme (link)
j/d: poor liam neeson is so upset in this movie, and he can't accurately express anger even when pushing a woman.
r/r: michael is a part of the family! and he has issues enough to be in therapy - why aren't either of you being there for him? stop pushing him away!
j/d: intensity. no resolution, and catherine sleeps in one of the many gorgeous glass rooms in this fucking modern castle up near eglinton (i don't know)
j/d: morning, sirens. hard times. work, catherine. vaginas. she was held up at the hospital, but she's okay. urgent calls from mrs. beatrice and carmicheal, and chloe has left like, 10 messages for her. oooh, here's the crazy lady twist that happens too late. she emails catherine some rather incriminating photos from bed. she's nuts, in a super sexy way. catherine calls chloe, who was in the waiting room the whole time with flowers.
r/r: fuck, chloe. threats are not the way to a lady's heart. and really...i don't know how conspicuous those are? they look more like you broke into her house and posed with her unconscious body, you felonious creep!
r/r: chloe is here, with lilies galore! we've seen this coat before, but i think it is around the fourth of the movie.
coat of many colours by joan brunner (link)
j/d: "smell them!"
"what are you doing?"
i like the movie so much more from this point forward.
j/d: catherine realizes she's fucked up and can't use people like chum, and as a result is tearing apart.
chloe liked last night, and appears to be hooked.
"yeah, i liked it too. i can't say that i didn't," catherine admits.
woo, lady sex.
r/r: yeah, watch this scene and tell me there's nothing between them on catherine's side. i don't believe it, even if she has to. and if she has to, i accept that! but i...no, no i don't. she doesn't have to believe, to accept, to belittle chloe in order to distance herself from her feelings and the enormity of the steps she has begun to take!
j/d: so, now catherine offers more money to make this go away. ha! doctors.
j/d: "it's not about money."
"you accepted money from me, so when did this not become about money?"
HA! doctors.
j/d: aww, chloe says this isn't business. it's real. catherine says it was. tears are shed
and sex workers kicked to the curb. shit, catherine. dump david for the new model.
"what are you doing?"
i like the movie so much more from this point forward.
j/d: catherine realizes she's fucked up and can't use people like chum, and as a result is tearing apart.
chloe liked last night, and appears to be hooked.
"yeah, i liked it too. i can't say that i didn't," catherine admits.
woo, lady sex.
r/r: yeah, watch this scene and tell me there's nothing between them on catherine's side. i don't believe it, even if she has to. and if she has to, i accept that! but i...no, no i don't. she doesn't have to believe, to accept, to belittle chloe in order to distance herself from her feelings and the enormity of the steps she has begun to take!
j/d: so, now catherine offers more money to make this go away. ha! doctors.
j/d: "it's not about money."
"you accepted money from me, so when did this not become about money?"
HA! doctors.
j/d: aww, chloe says this isn't business. it's real. catherine says it was. tears are shed
and sex workers kicked to the curb. shit, catherine. dump david for the new model.
r/r: see here's the thing - in that lesbian romantic dramedy, whatever happens here has been weeeelllll beneath the level of psychotic shit that gets passed off as romance in your average hete-romantic comedy. i could easily see a rewrite that allowed for this to be true within chloe!
j/d: chloe's booted out and her crazy eyes flash crazy. she knows what to do.
r/r: ooh, that spooky eye contact...i'm turned to molten rock.
j/d: canada! toronto! an outdoor hockey game! (man, it's spelled stewart! - retroactive edits)
r/r: haha, of course they play hockey!
j/d: chloe is stalking the stewart lad, who's playing some outdoor hockey over at rosedale
(sponsored by home depot and your toronto maple leafs)
(sponsored by home depot and your toronto maple leafs)
r/r: her voice in this scene...very raw, very real.
j/d: she drops off a cd for michael, who conveniently has a penalty, but inconvenienty
has downloaded all their albums.
"i hate the internet." chloe tells him, after lamenting that he didn't download the case
or the artwork, or the blah blah blah… they discuss online social networking,
and they might actually be at dufferin park.
has downloaded all their albums.
"i hate the internet." chloe tells him, after lamenting that he didn't download the case
or the artwork, or the blah blah blah… they discuss online social networking,
and they might actually be at dufferin park.
r/r: "i like that picture of your mom."
"there's not a picture of my mom there."
"isn't she in the background when you're getting that award?"
"yeah but she's, she's out of focus."
"(laughing) yeah, she is. i notice everything. i'll see ya."
j/d: creepy. almost as creepy as these early 90's pens knockoffs herr stewart wears against some obviously superfluous marlies shirts.
j/d: yes, chloe is creepy. oooh, catherine is home and calling michael. some music plays. i like it.
it's probably this fucking raised by whatever band. oooh man, catherine recognizes the tunes
and is freaking out on michael who genuinely feels good, because a girl talked to him.
it's probably this fucking raised by whatever band. oooh man, catherine recognizes the tunes
and is freaking out on michael who genuinely feels good, because a girl talked to him.
r/r: ha, now catherine freaks out over michael listening to raised by swans, certain that chloe is there.
j/d: catherine calls chloe, still by the rom (which i see every day) telling her not to call david. but david called chloe! it wasn't about sexy though. it was something emotional. vulnerable. they're meeting, catherine and chloe, at the cafe diplomatico, which we've already established is a real thing, and on college street.
r/r: oh, chloe. you know exactly how to hurt her...how to get her to need you. it's terribly sad.
j/d: david's here. they're having a throwdown. another streetcar. anyway catherine and david are setting records straight about new york, etc. he didn't want a birthday. another day closer to retirement. so he stayed, and had another drink. or three. fucking dudes and retirement. but catherine spent months on scheduling this party, thousands on cakes and caterers, and david's screwing 18 year olds?
he says he's not.
he says he's not.
r/r: heeeere's chloe!
(link)
and david doesn't recognize or know her at all.
fatality (link).
j/d: chloe shows up, and david doesn't even recognize her!
"what? what is it? who is that girl?"
another streetcar whizzes by (yeah, right, ttc. unless of course, this is the once per hour that multiple cars whiz past), and she's gone.
"she's nobody. its over."
because she had her mid life crisis fling. blah blah temptation.
blah blah marriage. blah blah.
r/r: "it wasn't a fling." I KNEW IT!
she is coming clean, but apparently none of it ever happened,
which makes this chloe lady crazy, which means she always
knows what to say, just like in the intro. still at the cafe, by the way.
r/r: poor liam neeson...his character often seems so tense and overcome by grief in this film, in a way that resonates not at all with david, but intensely so with neeson himself.
j/d: catherine and david discuss how knowing about his affair
made her feel closer to him, and that he's getting more attractive
with age while she feels invisible and old. really the dialogue here is quite
good. she reveals she slept with chloe (her and david made love
3 times a day, then every day, then once a week, then michael
showed up)
r/r: they would have us so dread and fear middle and further age...but surely we must be more vital, more necessary than these things would imply? cod, i hope so.made her feel closer to him, and that he's getting more attractive
with age while she feels invisible and old. really the dialogue here is quite
good. she reveals she slept with chloe (her and david made love
3 times a day, then every day, then once a week, then michael
showed up)
r/r: "i think i'm nineteen and then i look in the mirror and im this -- person, who doesn't know how to seduce you!"
such a nakedly honest scene...i wonder about those feelings, and i hope never to have to reconcile them (as unlikely as that is). how powerful it is, to give us so much to contemplate, fear, and accept.
j/d: i don't entirely empathize with these movies about middle aged
couples, and i don't entirely ever hope to, other than to have an
enduring relationship at that point. i mean, all this shit you succumb
to is the equivalent of mid-life high school crap. why bother?
r/r: maybe it's important to be best friends during, and possibly before becoming and being lovers who wish to maintain a life-long sexual and emotional relationship. i've passionately felt so, but i recognize that i can't really say, as i am yet young, and planning a child-free life.
j/d any way, now they're kissing and a streetcar goes by (again!) and all is well.
r/r: chloe prowls, wolf-like in the trees. she's too much to resist, especially for a sweet pup like michael.
j/d: aaand now chloe is walking through the back lot of the stewart-stead,
smelling the air and being creepy hot.
michael is playing some guitar inside. potentially some song related to
something we discussed earlier. we've taken a few breaks.
r/r: how fascinating that through the bulk of these conversations which result in/are the result of emotional upheaval where long-term relationships are concerned are highlighted by mass-transit vehicles in the background. what does this imply, we wonder? with filmmakers like these, we give the benefit of the doubt, such that everything is interpreted as a considered decision...but that does not necessarily lead us closer to a confident interpretation. and yet, we doubt they could get the ttc to co-operate.
smelling the air and being creepy hot.
michael is playing some guitar inside. potentially some song related to
something we discussed earlier. we've taken a few breaks.
r/r: how fascinating that through the bulk of these conversations which result in/are the result of emotional upheaval where long-term relationships are concerned are highlighted by mass-transit vehicles in the background. what does this imply, we wonder? with filmmakers like these, we give the benefit of the doubt, such that everything is interpreted as a considered decision...but that does not necessarily lead us closer to a confident interpretation. and yet, we doubt they could get the ttc to co-operate.
j/d: anyway, michael sees chloe lurking outside, and decides the best idea
would be to let her in.
"so show me around the house," she tells him.
yes m'am errr… so he does it.
would be to let her in.
"so show me around the house," she tells him.
yes m'am errr… so he does it.
r/r: oh shit, hair down. bringing out the big guns, a la nineties teen movies.
(link)
j/d quick cut. david needs to get back to the school, and it's royal taxi
and their guitar hero font! not beck.
and their guitar hero font! not beck.
(link)
j/d: meanwhile! chloe wants to see the parents' bedroom. michael agrees, cause why the hell not? chloe finds that there hair pin, and starts playing with it. michael wants to know what she's doing, and what she's doing is taking off the very few clothes she's wearing to be gorge-i mean progress the plot.
r/r: it's interesting; i'm sure that, even had catherine's motivations been identically bereft of sexual desire (not that i'm complacent with that reading), i'm almost certain he'd not have reached the same acceptance so soon had chloe been a man. it's interesting how women's queer sexuality is set up as destabilizing, tittilating, and ultimately acceptable (because women are intrinsically more fluid and less threatening than men, don'tcha know)
i'm the german ethel merman, don'tcha know! (link)
j/d: so now they're (chloe and michael) fucking, and chloe's looking around the room for traces of catherine, and away from the boy. it's funny, him pulling her to him 'look at me, look at me, look at me,' and her coming as she stares down a perfectly arranged row of shoes.
r/r: the music in this scene is so intersting - so narrative! michael keeps half-ordering, half-begging chloe to look at him as they each near orgasm - her in particular, but hers only comes as her rocking gaze settles in catherines closet, ultimately fixing on the lineup of her immaculately stored shoes.
j/d: catherine comes home! shishi!
j/d: she goes to her bedroom to get changed. shes getting dressed and realizes her bed
isn't empty. michael has fallen asleep there.
"michael?"
"shit, shit!"
"michael, get out of here."
"come on let's go!" he urges chloe
r/r: oh fuck, cath shows up and michael freaks, trying to get chloe out of there, in his mind to protect her from his mother, but chloe doesn't move from the bed or make any effort to cover her body.
"you think that, that you can buy me, and i'm just going to go away, just like that? you think you can put money in my hand and i would, i would go and take, take care of myself?"
j/d: "michael, michael, i don't want you to hear this," catherine tells him.
she pushes him out and there's a throwdown. chloe explains to catherine
that people aren't her devices for her wills.
that people aren't her devices for her wills.
j/d: catherine offers to drive chloe home, and chloe tries to initiate some business
r/r: "i felt you in him - his eyes, and the tiny little things that he does. i - i actually think that he could be a good boy, for me to start dating"
ahahah chloe
j/d: shit gets real, and chloe's still trying to get stuff going with catherine. poor thing.
j/d: now they have a breakdown, and chloe is upset about opening up to
catherine and saving her marriage. it's really quite sad. poor chloe.
"you made me fall in love with you!"
catherine and saving her marriage. it's really quite sad. poor chloe.
"you made me fall in love with you!"
r/r: "i'm sorry i misled you."
"no you're not.
"excuse me?"
"no you're not sorry. you shared your secrets with me! we made our own little world together. and you didn't say no to anything about me and you made me fall in love with you!
you wouldn't have your husband back if it wasn't for me!
how can you be doing this to me? how am i worth nothing to you?"
j/d: there's a struggle where chloe asks how she can be worth nothing to catherine and she gets cut up by the hair pin, then either rubs her blood all over catherine's neck or cuts her too before convincing her to kiss her.
r/r: that cut is...unbelievable. as in, i do not believe it, because it is unrealistically rendered.
michael, get back!
j/d: so catherine kisses her briefly and sees michael out of the corner of her eye. frightened, she pushes chloe who falls through the beautiful window but catches the frame. there's a brief moment of pause and she lets go.
r/r: wait, no. no no no. that...what is wrong with your very expensive house that the window just collapses like that? but anyway, i guess chloe gets what she was seeking. it's important to note that she does let go of the frame by choice, or so it seems. and now she really has disappeared, just as she suggested at the opeing...except for how she lingers within catherine. and possibly michael, but whatever.
j/d: we flash to the hotel room that chloe and catherine slept together in, then back to their house where the cops and paramedics are sorting things out. everyone is sad, and it's pretty rough. michael's brain is broken.
j/d: some time later there's a party? and michael is staring out to where chloe fell in their backyard, but his parents eye him all parental-y and things seem fine before a random lady talkes to catherine who spins around to greet her… with the hair pin in her bun!!!
r/r: a graduation party? the separation, the confusion between catherine and michael...the gulf between catherine and david. she is wearing chloe's hair-piece. AND TALKING TO A BLACK WOMAN, YEAH! BRINGING OUR POC WITH SPEAKING ROLES TOTAL UP TO TWO.
OUCH.
i ain't afraid of no chloe. (link)
r/r: what a beautifully ambiguous ending. what statement is catherine making by wearing the comb? what to make of the distance between her and each member of her family? where can they go from here? ugh, what a spectacular place to leave us off. i love, love, love it.
j/d: hey, you know what? i like this movie, outside of all the sexy times, which are obviously sexy, it's a creative little ditty. it explores interpersonal relationships and the confines of perspective as well as perception all while showcasing a pretty little city. there's a fair amount of suspense, and at times things almost veer into the realm of hitchcock.
the end is an interesting turn to take, and certainly in some ways fits the manic frailty of the titular character - i'm just not sure it was the most logical step to take. either way, i like it (but i already said that).
the end is an interesting turn to take, and certainly in some ways fits the manic frailty of the titular character - i'm just not sure it was the most logical step to take. either way, i like it (but i already said that).
r/r: i agree! it's really a movie i could watch over and over, teasing out the ambiguities of each character. however: the trope of queer women being insane and/or dying/killing themselves is well worn out in cinema. and furthermore (see below),
poc character (speaking) count: 2
background poc count (approximated) : 22
so not...not so great, canada. even if attempting to demonstrate how racially stratified certain income level/professions are within our very diverse city, i have only "boo-urns!" to say to you.
i was saying boo-urns (link).
our verdict?
...pretty much a movie!
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