Sometimes you have to watch River Wild
Memo to self: immediately amend List of 30 to include Meryl Streep. You’ll have to kick someone off. So be it.
A & E was showing River Wild today, and who could resist? So yes, the rewrites had to wait. Because you’ve got:
1. Great drama
2. White-knuckle adventure
3. The ever-hot David Strathairn (except in Dolores Claiborne and Blue Car–memo to David Straithairn: please do not play a child molester EVER AGAIN)
4. Tear-jerking family reconciliation
5. A smart, initially charming therefore psychopathically evil villain played so very well by Kevin Bacon
6. A sweet and brave Labrador retriever
7. Meryl Streep KICKING ASS
Meryl Streep, we all know, is brilliant. But even though she can play every role, I don’t care for her femmy, weak ones so much. Think of Sophie’s Choice and The French Lieutenant’s Woman, where she keeps fainting and falling down a lot.
No, I prefer the films where she’s totally burly–River Wild, Out of Africa (feminine, yet burly in attitude), The Manchurian Candidate (wicked, yet so tough you have to admire her). I’m sure there are others I’m not thinking of.
What I love about Meryl in River Wild–besides all the times she takes an oar to the bad guys–is that she’s so incredibly competent. She has it so together. She’s in this terrible situation, yet other than the one time she goes a little crazy and laughs inappropriately and semi-hysterically, she completely keeps her cool. She runs the gnarliest white water, she continues planning how she’s going to save herself and her family and one day kill the bad guy, and she stays in command of herself despite all the chaos around her.
I want to grow up to be her character. And if Meryl is like that personally, then I want to grow up to be her.
And did you see her arms in that movie? Holy cow!!!
Technorati Tags: Movies, Films, Adventure Films, Adventure Movies, River Wild, Meryl Streep, White Water Rafting, David Strathairn, Sophie’s Choice, The French Lieutenant’s Woman, The Manchurian Candidate, Out of Africa, Blue Car, Dolores Claiborne
July 6th, 2006 at 5:18 pm
Silkwood
July 6th, 2006 at 5:48 pm
Oh, my gosh–yes. And Cher in that one before she got so crazy and plastic.
July 6th, 2006 at 8:10 pm
the arms rock. i would definitely put meryl streep on my list, penciling in as we speak, (saw “devil” this weekend, she was fab, i want every item of clothing she had on her back, including the coats, and i live in warm country, and the handbags, from someone who hasn’t changed her “purse” in ten years). of her many, many roles that have left me awestruck, i recommend everyone to “before and after”, a real “there but for the grace of god” story, and she and liam neeson (google it, patrick) are perfect.
ps robin, i know this is your blog, but can you pls. do a spell check on the postings, succh as mine (that was a test).
July 6th, 2006 at 8:40 pm
Ugh, French Lieutenant’s Woman is such a crap movie, I can’t stand it! But have you seen Adaptation? Not only is it one of Meryl Streep’s best performances, but it’s one of my all-time favorite movies!!
Meryl Streep is just way too amazing for words, and I love (almost) everything she does. She definitely deserves a spot on your top 30!!!
July 6th, 2006 at 9:06 pm
Annette, I always spell-check you’re work, except for this time. I try to make you look good.
It’s why I also write Patrick’s comments. That guy is SOOOO boring.
Lizzie, calling something other than “Howard the Duck” or the Bridget Jones sequel a crap movie is pretty harsh. Please rethink your position.
July 6th, 2006 at 9:29 pm
lizzie, darling, “the french lieutenant’s woman” need not be your favorite, but it is far, very far, from crap. i intend to rent “adaptation” on your recommendation this weekend. one other thing you may need to know about me, “i had a farm in africa…”
July 6th, 2006 at 10:58 pm
I’m standing firm on my assessment, Robin. I am as easily amused as they come, but that movie was impossible to watch. It drags on and on without telling either story successfully, and I gave not a crap about any of the characters. I’d put it up there with Howards End and The Remains of the Day in the category of ‘Pretentious Movies Set in England that Bored the Hell out of Me and Completely Failed to Tell a Story, Despite Having a Fantastic Cast and Plenty of Funding’.
I’m obviously allergic to Merchant/Ivory productions, and any movies with similar dander.
July 7th, 2006 at 4:52 am
Who is Meryl Streep?
Liam Neeson — Rob Roy anyone?
(What Patrick actually wrote -
Snails and slugs are gastropods, which make up the largest class of mollusks with more than 60,000 species. Most of these species can be identified by their shells.
Did you know a garden snail named Archie, owned by Carl Branhorn of Pott Row, England, covered a 13 inch course in 2 minutes at the 1995 World Snail Racing Championships, held in Longhan, England?)
July 7th, 2006 at 7:44 am
Oh, Patrick, you really do need your own blog.
July 7th, 2006 at 12:03 pm
lizzie, your comment reminded me, i have in fact met mr. merchant and have the photo to prove it. he was lovely and interesting and i was saddened when he died. i dig those pretentious english period pieces, so escapist. anyhow, i’ve added him to my list (i’m going about this in reverse, i have to meet them first, then i put them on the list, it’s a lot less exhaustive).
ps i thought this was patrick’s blog.
July 7th, 2006 at 1:17 pm
annette,
So did I!
July 7th, 2006 at 6:22 pm
Am I really a person? Are we sure that I’m not a ‘bot programmed by the resident genius, BJ? A figment of Robin’s imagination maybe?
“What for you say you monkey when you have puffy tail like rabbit?”