Tuesday, January 21, 2014

J & J and movies and blogging

I've finally watched Julie & Julia and I quite liked it. True, it wasn't especially dramatic but it was fun to watch - the Julie segments were shot in Long Island City and I recognized some of the sights. Although Julie and her husband move there from Brooklyn because it's so much cheaper in Long Island City - clearly things have changed in LIC since 2002 when the movie is set.

But even better were the Julia segments, most of which are set in Paris in the 1950s, which was absolutely gorgeous. Tres bien.

And I agree with this Slate review which points out:
...the relationship at the heart of this movie—between a female mentor and pupil who never meet but who share a common passion and a drive to reinvent themselves—is one you don't often see depicted in the movies. Julie & Julia makes deboning a duck a feminist act and cooking a great meal a creative triumph. The stakes may not be as high as the kill-or-be-killed suspense of a summer action movie, but the sauces are way tastier.
Actually, has there ever been a movie about a female mentor and a pupil who never meet...? I'm going to hazard a no.

It was also fun to see another blogger depicted on the screen. Julie Powell started her blog in 2002 - I started mine in 2005. Obviously hers led to much greater success than this one... so far. I also agree with the Slate review which noted:
(I know it's supposed to be 2002, but haven't these people ever heard of hit counters?)
Or as we bloggers call them, web analytics.

Powell's story also shows up in the Cracked piece 6 'Based on a True Story' Movies with Unpleasant Epilogues which is fairly depressing but I did enjoy their imaginary sequel graphic.