Good Girl..
Kidman goes head to head with Dickinson
Goodness me what one short week can mean in Hollywood. 13 Oscar nominations - 13!! - for Emilia Pérez and the pile-on from all quarters has been EPIC. For the record, I one hundred percent stand by my 5 Star review I loved this film and Zoe Saldaña must win an Oscar for it but by crikey the campaign marketing team behind this French cartel musical will be freaking TF out. First thing I’ll say - which is a lesson for life full stop: you don’t get to have an opinion on the quality - or lack there-of - of a movie - if you HAVEN’T SEEN IT.
The film took another massive hit a few days back after a journalist unearthed several racist tweets from Best Actress and first Trans nominee Karla Sofía Gascón, tweets which her co-star Saldaña immediately distanced herself from. It’ll be interesting to see how this plays out over the next few weeks but it’s certainly a damage-control situation.
Anyway - onwards and upwards, let’s talk BABYGIRL!
NEW RELEASE
BABYGIRL (R16)
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Nicole Kidman is fearless, let me say that now. Telling such an intentionally provocative story plumbing the depths of not just female sexuality through the female lens but through the eyes of a powerhouse woman in her fifties is the kind of filmmaking we need. And while Babygirl wasn’t the 5 Star home-run experience I wanted it to be, there is simply so much to savour here.
Kidman is Romy, a driven, successful, wealthy CEO. Fulfilled in her job, happy in her marriage, generous and present as a mother to her two girls. But from the opening moments of the film, the aching void of her inner sexuality is unmistakable.
Enter, stage left, Samuel the intern. Sam has treats (seems he’s a dog whisperer) and it’s soon very clear he has treats for Romy. Problematic segway I know, there is much to chew on in this story when it comes to power-balances, sexual politics, office politics, gender politics and the dietary benefits of a big glass of milk. Rising British star Harris Dickinson inhabits the fringes of it all just perfectly, anyone with a social media account will understand the appeal of a slow dancing Dickinson, Nicole is only human.
Romy’s story will unravel, of course it will, but there are some palpably precious little moments in that, particularly around her relationship with her elder daughter Isabel; I loved their open forgiving dynamic and young actor Esther McGregor is quietly mesmerising. Antonio Banderas is her husband Jacob, somewhat and very deliberately in the background for the most part but inhabiting that space with purpose.
So yes, big tick for the themes of Babygirl and all and any conversations that spring from it, especially around our perceptions of ageing and desire; I’ve thought a lot about all those things since I saw it. I guess for me, the film did feel more of an exploration of erotism, rather than an emotional and human experience of it an audience member, the voyeur I guess in many ways, but that was more than enough for me.
THE FEELS: I felt seen and also empowered by the unflinching delivery and remain as ever in awe of Kidman.
THE HOOK: Good Girl.
NEW RELEASE
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Sing Sing has been out for a while and this week I finally got to see Colman Domingo’s stunning Oscar-nominated performance as Divine G Whitfield, the real life kingpin of the “Rehabilitation through the Arts” program at Sing Sing prison. Following the euphoric adoration of Euphoria fans, Domingo became the talk of the town since last year’s Oscar nod for Rustin (and, alongside his screen craft, his notable and frankly divinely fashion forward red carpet suiting and booting!) and he does not disappoint here. The fact Domingo is surrounded by real inmates, with a break-out performance from Clarence “Divine Eye” Maclin, a graduate of the program, is really special.
THE FEELS: There’s such an authentic and genuinely heart-warming and heart-breaking quality to this film and definitely worthy of a big screen watch.
THE HOOK: Domingo really does drive this home and you need to see the Oscar-worthiness of that.
MY LUDICROUSLY CAPACIOUS BAG OF BINGE-A-BILITY
Hands up who loved the long-running series This Is Us (yep me too). Stirling K Brown steps up to Leading Man in this new Hulu show Paradise from the same people behind This Is Us. I don’t wanna say too much, the first EP will set it all up for you - but three in I am loving it. Skeleton storyline: Brown plays the President’s top security officer when everything goes to hell in a hand basket. Lots of intrigue against the backdrop of an excellent premise.
Still not a hundy on this one but I am definitely sticking with it. White Lotus break-out Leo Woodall is mis-cast as a maths genius at Cambridge who may hold the key to the end of the world. It’s kinda feeling like Good Will Hunting meets the Da Vinci Code at this point and I shall report back once we are deeper in!
THE WEEKLY TIPS AND DIPS INTO THE KR ARCHIVE
There are too many Kidman classics to choose from, but if you fancy a trip into her archive my picks are Van Sant’s To Die For (free on TVNZ+), her iconic pairing with national treasure Sam Neill in Dead Calm (can’t find on streaming - anyone got a DVD they can share around? ;)) and her more recent series Expats (Prime Video NZ).
For Harris, get a taste of small but perfectly formed Brit indie Scrapper (NeonNZ), of course you MUST watch him in the deliriously delicious Triangle of Sadness (rent on AppleTV) then binge him in Disney series Murder at the End of the World (Disney+)
GUEST STARRING…
She’s here, she’s there, she’s every f**king where KATE RODGER!
Jesse is back after his summer break yay! Stoked to natter with him this week, I missed our chats. Here we go into Babygirl in some depth as well as talk Oscars and the Emilia Pérez blowback.
THE COMMENTS SECTION
Congrats to all the winners of free tickets to see Babygirl and thanks for subscribing to my wee newsletter and for entering - let me know what you think of the film! With some luck there will be more giveaways to come ;)
If you have any burning questions or hot takes to share on what you’ve been watching simply jump into the comments or Chat for a rant and rave, I’m here for you…
Farewell for now FilmFreaks and remember, stupid is as stupid does.
KRxx
Love this BBGIRL review and thoughts! xxx
To Die For was where I first realised how well Kidman could act. Recommend