HBO Max Season 1 review: ‘JULIA’ cooks up drama and delight.

JULIA

JULIA is inspired by Julia Child’s extraordinary life and her long-running television series, “The French Chef,” which pioneered the modern cooking show. Through Julia’s life and her singular joie de vivre, the series explores a pivotal time in American history – the emergence of public television as a new social institution, feminism and the women’s movement, the nature of celebrity and America’s cultural evolution. At its heart, the series is a portrait of a loving marriage with a shifting power dynamic.


Before finishing the screeners, I told friends they had to start the new HBO series “Julia.” The most common response I received was, “Didn’t they do a movie on this?” To be honest, the answer is “kind of!” Have we seen this story before? Yes. Do I care? NO! 

Witty and full of complex cultural commentary, HBO’s “Julia” is an absolute joy. Exploring Julia Child‘s iconic rise with a sharp eye on how it fits into the rapid societal change of the midcentury period, “Julia” succeeds in presenting complex ideas while keeping the show fun. The series is a visual feast of charming period settings, costumes, and sumptuous footage of Julia’s home cooking, recipe creation, and inspirational fine dining. An example is a luxe scene where Julia and her editor Judith strategize in a crowded Boston bar — the only women in sight– dirty martinis in one hand and casually finishing a dozen icy oysters each with the other. Ultimately the chef brings out two whole Maine lobsters served on a large plate accompanied only by ramekins of melted golden butter just at the resolution of their brainstorming– perfection. 

 While the series naturally focuses on Julia’s story and the unique power dynamics shifting within her marriage,  I  found the character studies on the tribe of women that made up her inner circle most fascinating. Fiona Glascott, Brittany Bradford, and Bebe Neuwirth shine in showcasing their own stories as they build the iconic culinary brand together. 

While “Julia” doesn’t shy away from issues you expect for a series set in this period (i.e. egregious workplace sexism), I was intrigued when they also made room to explore more complex ideas about what Julia Child’s success means within the feminist agenda. Despite her own accomplishments, what does it mean to build an empire by motivating homemakers to prepare more elaborate home-cooked meals than ever and raising the bar for what it means to be an ideal wife? Late-breaking cameos from iconic figures of the time play a unique role in bringing many of these factors to light in a way that is bold to incorporate into essentially a tribute piece. 

 My recommendation: Mix yourself a proper cocktail, add a flourish whether the drink deserves one or not, and watch this series.

The eight-episode Max Original comedy series, JULIA is now available to stream in full.


Cast: The eight-episode series stars Sarah Lancashire as Julia, David Hyde Pierce, Bebe Neuwirth, Brittany Bradford, Fran Kranz, and Fiona Glascott. Guest stars include Isabella Rossellini, Judith Light, Robert Joy, Erin Neufer, Jefferson Mays, James Cromwell, and Adriane Lenox.


About HBO Max:

HBO Max is WarnerMedia’s direct-to-consumer offering with 10,000 hours of curated premium content. HBO Max offers powerhouse programming for everyone in the home, bringing together HBO, a robust slate of new original series, key third-party licensed programs, and movies, and fan favorites from WarnerMedia’s rich library including Warner Bros., New Line, DC, CNN, TNT, TBS, truTV, Turner Classic Movies, Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, Crunchyroll, Rooster Teeth, Looney Tunes and more. #HBOMax #WarnerMedia

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New Featurette for ‘Joy’ Debuts

JOY poster

“A Life of Joy” Featurette has been released by 20th Century Fox and we have it for you below!

Based loosely on the life and rise of inventor and home shopping star Joy Mangano, the genre-blurring story of JOY follows the wild path of a hard-working but half-broken family and the young girl who ultimately becomes its shining matriarch and leader in her own right. Driven to create, but also to take care of those around her, Joy experiences betrayal, treachery, the loss of innocence and the scars of love as she finds the steel and the belief to follow her once-suppressed dreams. The result is an emotional and human comedy about a woman’s rise – navigating the unforgiving world of commerce, the chaos of family and the mysteries of inspiration while finding an unyielding source of happiness.

The dramedy stars Jennifer Lawrence, Robert De Niro, Edgar Ramirez, Diane Ladd, Virginia Madsen, Isabella Rossellini, Elisabeth Röhm and Bradley Cooper.

JOY opens everywhere Christmas Day

New York Film Festival 53 Review: ‘Ingrid Bergman- In Her Own Words’

NYFF 53 bannerIngrid Bergman In Her Own Words-1While Ingrid Bergman is undoubtedly one of the most iconic faces in film history, her personal life may be an enigma to the average movie goer. In the NYFF53 documentary, INGRID BERGMAN IN HER OWN WORDS, filmmaker Stig Björkman brings her world to life with diary entries, intimate sit down interviews with her children, letters to close confidants, and home movies shot by Bergman herself.Ingrid Bergman In Her Own Words-2

Bergman kept a diary starting at a very early age, chronicling her thoughts and dreams. Oftentimes, revealing her innermost fears and personal downfalls, what is perhaps the most surprising is just how beautiful her words are on each page. The way she writes is almost poetic, incredibly articulate and profound. Bergman admits she was no saint when it came to the men in her life but was never ashamed of her love affairs outside of marriages. The love for her children was always evident. Interestingly enough, once her first affair became public knowledge, it was the US that was most personally offended. Early versions of the main stream media we have come to love and hate today, labeled her a woman to be boycotted. This was the catalyst for Bergman’s departure from the US, moving from country to country, transforming in her personal and professional life as the years rolled by. Even in the ever changing landscape, Ingrid’s talent and joy for life never waned.Ingrid Bergman In Her Own Words-5

What I found to be most interesting about this film is just how charming Bergman was. If you take a step back from her actions as a parent and wife, your initial reaction may be to judge her, yet somehow all is forgiven. There is definitely something to be explored in her relationship with both her father and the camera itself. It is the precursor to almost every life choice she made. Stig Björkman does an amazing job stitching together memories and exploring the effect she had on all who came in contact with her. INGRID BERGMAN IN HER OWN WORDS in a must see.

  • Directed By Stig Björkman
  • 2015
  • Sweden
  • Swedish and English with English subtitles
  • DCP
  • 114 minutes

This is a lovingly crafted film about one of the cinema’s most luminous and enchanting presences, composed from her letters and diaries (extracts of which are read by Alicia Vikander), the memories of her children (Pia Lindström and Isabella, Ingrid, and Roberto Rossellini), and a few close friends and colleagues (including Liv Ullmann and Sigourney Weaver), photographs, and moments from thousands of feet of Super-8 and 16mm footage shot by Bergman herself throughout the years. Stig Björkman’s focus is not on Bergman the star but on Bergman the woman and mother: orphaned at 13, drawn to acting on the stage and then on film, sailing for Hollywood at 24 and then leaving it all behind for a new and different life with Roberto Rossellini. Ingrid Bergman in Her Own Words is, finally, a self-portrait of a truly independent woman. A Rialto Pictures release.

Showtimes

MONDAY, OCTOBER 5

6:00 PM

Buy Tickets

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 6

8:30 PM

Standby Only

Trailer for David O. Russell’s ‘Joy’ Has Arrived!

Joy

20th Century Fox has released the trailer for the new David O. Russell film Joy starring stars Jennifer Lawrence, Robert De Niro, Edgar Ramirez, Diane Ladd, Virginia Madsen, Isabella Rossellini, Elisabeth Röhm and Bradley Cooper.

Joy is the wild story of a family across four generations centered on the girl who becomes the woman who founds a business dynasty and becomes a matriarch in her own right. Betrayal, treachery, the loss of innocence and the scars of love, pave the road in this intense emotional and human comedy about becoming a true boss of family and enterprise facing a world of unforgiving commerce. Allies become adversaries and adversaries become allies, both inside and outside the family, as Joy’s inner life and fierce imagination carry her through the storm she faces. Like David O. Russell’s previous films, Joy defies genre to tell a story of family, loyalty, and love.

Joy opens in theaters on Christmas Day