British critic Mark Kermode just posted his written review of Blonde on The Guardian today. He is now unquestionably my very favorite movie critic, although Mick Lasalle isn't too far behind him in my opinion. Mark give the movie a 4 out of 5 star rating. What I like most about Mark is that fact that he seems impervious to the critical consensus of other critics. He does not seem to mind be an outlier at all. I just love that quality. Once again, I have to thank forum member @GillyT for turning me onto Kermode & Mayo's fantastic movie podcast reviews. Shifting back and forth from monochrome to colour in ever-changing screen sizes, Blonde draws heavily on iconic images of its subject in the same way that Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis seemed to breathe life into familiar still pictures. There’s something genuinely uncanny about the way Dominik places De Armas in Monroe’s shoes, reproducing well-rehearsed movie scenes in a manner that sometimes left me wondering whether this was archive or invention, memory or make-believe. Blonde review – a hellish vision of Marilyn and her monsters
People are comparing this to Elvis, but it seems to follow equally in the footsteps of the "famous female biopic as artistic horror film" sub-genre; Jackie, Spencer, come to mind...I'm sure there have been others I'm forgetting.
I just found this fantastic speech by film critic Mark Kermode, which absolutely solidifies for me why I just love his humor, intelligence and humbleness. He says that while he was once picked in a British poll as the most trusted movie critic in the country, he also noted only 4% of the pollsters actually trusted his opinion on movies, Lol. In this speech he makes the case that critics are not important at all to a film's success, but word of mouth is huge. He also outlines what makes a film great. It is emotional connection that is critical to making a great movie. I just love the fact that Mark thinks the greatest movie of all time is The Exorcist. Not the greatest horror film of all time, but the greatest film of all time. Why, because it scarred the living hell out of him, Lol. He also defends It's A Wonderful Life as a truly great film. Why, because it reached him in an emotional way. I always try to watch It's A Wonderful Life once a year around Christmas time. It is also one of my top ten films of all time. I think my forum friend and film expert @Chris DeVoe will really appreciate this speech, as well as @GillyT, if she has not seen it already. What makes a great film? Mark Kermode, Film Critic - YouTube
It turns out, they're not actually making as much money as they might have. Her surviving family claimed her New York vacation home as her primary residence in order to avoid California's estate taxes. But they screwed themselves in the future, because by doing so they avoided California's much more aggressive personality rights. Appeals Court Rules Marilyn Monroe’s Persona Belongs to Public, Not Her Estate – The Hollywood Reporter
It's all corporate, man. What do Shaq, Forever 21, and Elvis have in common? Wall Street is about to find out Authentic Brands Group may not be a household name in the US, but many of its properties are. Marilyn Monroe, Forever 21, Muhammad Ali, Sports Illustrated, Elvis Presley, Juicy Couture, and Shaquille O’Neal are just a few of the more than 30 names and brands for which the company holds the intellectual property rights. In 2020, that portfolio generated more than $10 billion in merchandise sales globally, contributing to ABG’s $489 million in revenue for the year, it said in a prospectus to list on the New York Stock Exchange filed last week with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). ABG, however, didn’t directly produce any of those products. “We don’t manage stores, inventory, or supply chains,” stated the company’s founder and CEO, Jamie Salter, in its SEC filing. “We don’t manufacture anything. We are a licensing business and are purely focused on brand identity and marketing.”
Unfortunately, my two favorite movie critics listed above do not agree on Blonde. Mark Kermode thinks it is a good to great movie, if you don't consider it a biopic. Both film critics praise Ana de Armas in her role as Marilyn, but Mick LaSalle think it is ruined by its darkness and negativity. In the interests of impartiality before I actually see this film, here is the link to Mr. LaSalle's review of Blonde below. Review: Ana de Armas may be great as Marilyn Monroe, but ...
I have a tough time imagining that any straight biopic of Marilyn Monroe's live would be anything other than depressing.
i think for me, I don't think there would be anything in the film I haven't read, seen, or heard about many times already since being a child and forward.
I just watched my week with Marylin. The problem with these films is they can't get someone as beautiful as the star.
Not incriminating to Marilyn, who played the role she was forced to by the studio system, but definitely incriminating to the people who used and abused her.
That review surprisingly didn't convince me not to see the film. But it does sound like it isn't leavened with any of the positive events of her life, like her work with Bunny Yeager (somebody who definitely deserves her own biopic.)
no review would make want or not want to see a movie that I am interested in seeing...I like Marilyn and the lead actress that's enough for me... curious on the job she does...yea.
We are all in agreement. Besides, I think Mark Kermode beats Mick LaSalle until proven otherwise by the three of us, Lol. The one thing everybody seems to agree on is that Ana de Armas is sensational as Marilyn. That fact alone makes the movie worth watching in my opinion. The cinematography looks gorgeous as well. Now that makes two great reasons to give the movie a look.
The only appeal for me is de Armas but I’m not sure she’s enough. Marilyn led an interesting life and I’d be interested in a film about that but I don’t think this fictionalized account of said life is for me.
That review did nothing for me, except to say someone needs to put away their runaway train of thought. "Worse still are the grotesque intra-uterine visions of doctors that owe a debt to the demonic delirium of Rosemary’s Baby (Roman Polanski’s Repulsion also casts a long shadow) or to the abortive abortion scene from David Cronenberg’s The Fly crossed with the imagined unborn-baby-talk of Alice Lowe’s antenatal slasher Prevenge." So basically what I"m getting from all these reviews is: It's a crappy, overly melodramatic exploitive celebrity biopic. What a big surprise.!
True, the more photos I look at of de Armas posing as Marilyn, you can see she doesn't have the same fabulously strong and chiseled features that make Marilyn so iconic looking. De Armas is a like a cuter, cheaper version. Monroe was like a Rosie The Riveter, strong, All-American icon. Very 40s and 50s look. And I mean, how hard its it pretending to be MM? There are like a half a million drag queens who can pull of that sultry, whispery act. Same said of Elvis' corn mush-mouthed hair brushing gestures. Or the Han Solo imitator! Lol. What a life...
