Displaying items by tag: Kiernan Shipka

THE LAST SHOWGIRL

US, 1984, 88 minutes, Colour.

Pamela Anderson, Billy Lourd, Kiernan Shipka, Brenda Song, Dave Bautista, Jamie Lee Curtis.

Directed by Gia Coppola.

While The Last Showgirl is a story of a Las Vegas show closing down (fewer coming to the spectacles, more a new popularity of circuses), it provides a fine comeback for Pamela Anderson, a varied career with Playboy, Baywatch, her relationships in the public eye, but her later championing of environmentally friendly products.

The film has been directed by Gia Coppola, the project has quite a number of the Coppola clan involved. She is a granddaughter of Francis Ford, niece of Sophia, cousin of Nicolas Cage and Jason Schwartzman (who has a role here) and the screenwriter is married to a cousin.

In many ways this is a familiar story, and many audiences who have had experiences of being fired, terminated, will resonate. Pamela Anderson plays Shelley, 57, who has danced in the show for 30 years, devoting her life to it – and in rather moving speech to her estranged daughter, she explains how important this has been for her, the show, the costumes, the dancing, even if she is only one out of 80 in the ensemble, smiling and happy to be entertaining the audience. Which is not enough for her daughter giving rise to some emotional confrontations.

Shelley also explains why this is the job she has loved for so long, even as she regrets the consequent neglect of her daughter growing up, that she is one of the regular people doing the best they can with the tools they have.

A lot of the action takes place in the dressing room, leaving some of the spectacle of the show until the later part of the film. In the dressing room interactions, Shelley has become something of a mother figure, to Jody (Kioernan Shipkin) who has left home and alienated her mother. And there is a good friend, Annette, former dancer, now aged, heavily made up, something of a fright wig, working in the gambling pit, played by Jamie Lee Curtis – and a long dance sequence that she choreographed. The daughter is played by Billy Lourd (daughter of Carrie Fisher which means that she brings a lot of experience to the role of the daughter of a showbiz personality).

A pleasant surprise is the casting of Dave Bautista, not in an action show, but as the organiser of the girls, getting them on stage at the right time, reticent in his own way, a friend for Shelley.

A sympathetic portrait of one of the regular people – facing age, jobless, with the possibility for a different future and renewing relationships.

1. A showgirl in Las Vegas story? The background of the shows, the popularity, decline, audiences, change in sensibilities? The effect on the long-time showgirls?
2. A star vehicle for Pamela Anderson, audience knowledge of her career, personal story? Her nominations for awards?
3. Audience response to Las Vegas, favourable, life and style, criticisms? The casinos, the familiar exteriors, the streets, the interiors, the gambling areas, the shows? Costumes and decor? The dressing rooms, behind-the-scenes, the management, control of the action, lighting…?
4. Shelley and her story, the opening, the close-ups, her age, the audition, lying about her age, the music? And the return to this sequence as the show was closing?
5. Shelley, 57, 30 years as a dancer, her long speech explaining to her daughter her love for the show, what it meant, the glamour, the costumes, the impact for the audience? Hannah and her criticism, the showgirls being one of 80, not individuals, and her mother’s choice of this way of life while neglecting her in her growing up?
6. Shelley’s explanation of ordinary regular people, doing what they can with the tools that they have? Audience sympathy and understanding for her?
7. The background of the of the girls, their age, Jody and her age, her family, separations, seeing Shelley as something of a mother figure? Friendships, clashes, reliance? Especially with the show closing? Mary Anne, age and background, age, auditions, bond with Shelley?
8. Eddie, a different role for Dave Bautista, his long-time with the show, relationship with the girls, timing, his announcements, the show going on? The conversations with Shelley? The realisation that he was Hannah’s father, but nobody knowing, his admiration for Shelley but her not responding to him except as a friend and professionally? The invitation to the dinner, the conversation, the past, the tensions, Shelley leaving?
9. Hannah, her life, her mother, with the other family, moving to choose and, visiting her mother, her hard attitude, yet wanting to understand, the discussion about the commitment to the show compared with commitment to family, her eventually seen the show, her dismissing the show, her mother just wonder amongst 80? Her later returning, seeking out her mother, some kind of understanding, and needs for her mother, reconciliation?
10. The friendship with an net, her being a shadow dancer, age, gambling habit, in the pit, finance, her make-up and dress, the bonding and chats with Shelley, and the significance of the long dance sequence and her costume?
11. The repeat of the audition sequence, Shelley and her dance, explaining she was a dancer, her answering back to the man auditioning, her defiance?
12. Sequences her partner bird in Las Vegas, her posture, the dance movements?
13. The film keeping the show and the dance and the staging until later, the emphasis on the costumes, elaborate, their weight, the dances and the poison movement?
14. The film showing the end of the show business era, and its effect on those concerned? And the challenge for the committed Shelley to imagine a different way of life and future?

SWEETHEARTS

US, 2024, 98 minutes, Colour.

Kiernan Shipka, Nico Hiraga, Caleb Hearon, Ava DMary, Charlie Hall, Tramell Tillman, Christine Taylor.

Directed by Jordan Weiss.

Sweethearts can be described as a young adult comedy. However, it does not proceed in the way that might have been anticipated in the trailer or the advertisements. In one sense, it might be considered somewhat counter-cultural.

The intended audience is young adults who can identify with the characters and the situations but may well be of interest to parents concerned about their young adult children and their relationships and choices.

Kernan Shipka Jamie and Nico Hir poagartrays Ben. They have a special relationship, Besties, a relationship of friendship from school days. Jamie has a boyfriend and Ben has a girlfriend. There are a number of party sequences in which we can understand Jamie and Ben, their friendship, the attraction, but more platonic. The whole lot of entanglements with the behaviour of Claire and Simon, and their suspicions, and Jamie and Ben planning to break their relationship with each of them.

A different turn comes into the film with the introduction of the character, Palmer, Caleb Hearon, was been living overseas in Paris, returns, friendship with Jamie and Ben.

With Palmer, there is the introduction of the gay theme, identity, acceptance, Palmer finding the coach in the town also to be gay and introducing him to a bowling club where the whole team is gay. Happy ending for Palmer.

There is quite a range of supporting characters, young characters roommates to pressurise, past crushes who are imposing, obnoxious people on a bus… Christine Taylor appears as Ben’s mother.

After a range of episodes, travels, Jamie and Ben agree to break up, Jamie being the last to discover that Ben has had plans to go to Copenhagen for studies. But, they remain friends.

When Ben finishes in Copenhagen, he returns home, encounters Jamie…

One might say an interesting friendship and Platonic relationship between two young adults rather than just sexual experiences. There are references to When Harry met Sally.

RED ONE

US, 2024, 125 minutes, Colour.

Dwayne Johnson, Chris Evans, Lucy Liu, J.K.Simmons, Bonnie Hunt, Kristofer Hivju, Kiernan Shipka.

Directed by Jake Kasdan.

Most films about Santa Claus require quite a suspension of disbelief - except for the littlies. But, this one even more disbelief than usual for those who say they don’t believe in Santa Claus. Most of us!

Santa, the Red One, though initially seen enjoying himself meeting all the children at a Philadelphia shopping mall, is suddenly whisked away in a super-powered sleigh, the sturdiest reindeers you have seen, to an extraordinary mythological North Pole, then the victim of a vast conspiracy, his abduction, an evil which determined to take his place on Christmas Eve rounds and imprisoning forever those on the “Naughty List”!

Not exactly the scenario we might have been expecting for Dwayne Johnson and Chris Evans.

This is a piece of Christmas entertainment for older children (of whatever age!). The mythological story of the abduction, draining Santa Claus of his energies, the manufacturing of imprisoning it globes to be distributed on Christmas Eve to trap those naughty, is played out as the equivalent of a high-powered action show. Plenty of action – but always with its heart in the right place but not necessarily all those fighting fists.

Dwayne Johnson is obviously enjoying himself as Cal,  Santa’s long time bodyguard, for several centuries, in fact. And, J.K.Simmons as Santa is enjoying himself even more. He even has bodybuilding sessions at the gym with Dwayne Johnson. As for Chris Evans, we don’t like him at the start, arrogant, mean minded (even snatching a lollipop from a baby in a pram). He has all kinds of tech skills, he is hired out to break into high-class systems, enabling the witch to abduct Santa. And he has a young son who rather idolises him but is disappointed in him.

In fact, there are quite a lot of pauses in the film for Dwayne Johnson to give moralising lessons for the young audience, basically to be good.

So, lots of fantasy, lots of action sequences, particularly enjoyable are those where Cal’s powers enable him to go into miniature form at a moments notice and then reverse, very handy for battling and tricking hefty opponents.

Lucy Liu appears as the director for mythological operations. There is also the Krampus and his ogre-like warriors, Mrs Claus (Bonnie Hunt) a range of elves and a huge benign polar bear key staff-member at the North Pole.

Director, Jake Kasdan, has made the Jumanji films so he is at home with fantasy blends of realism and imagination. Audiences seem to be enjoying the red One – and best to avoid reading reviews by critics who think that this kind of thing is beneath them!

1. Red One, code for Santa Claus?
2. The tone of the film? Christmas film? Santa Claus film? Variations on the theme? Not for the youngest audiences, four boys, for children (of all age)?
3. Audience suspension of disbelief, belief in Santa Claus, Christmas Eve, the North Pole preparing all the gifts, travelling around the world, the deliveries, happy children? Variations on this theme?
4. The opening, the children, the gifts, Jack as very sceptical – and audiences discovering at the end that the young sceptical Jack was the older Jack of the action?
5. Santa Claus, at the mall, enjoying talking with the children, his personality, Cal present as his bodyguard, the intrusive man, the children waiting? Santa, ready to go to the North Pole, the reindeer and their size, the super sleigh, moving through space and time? The dome at the North Pole?
6. Expectations of life at the North Pole, the elves, the polar bear, Santa Claus’s wife, the preparation of the gifts, almost Christmas Eve? Santa, going to the gym, exercise, push-ups, weights… Cal retiring?
7. The witch, her pleasant appearance, her ugly appearance, her henchmen, her plan, abducting Santa, the deception of the break and the dome, keeping him at the North Pole, draining his energy? Her work, creating the globes, their finally worked in, miniaturising and capturing people? The intention to rid the world of naughty children, imprisoning them? Creating a better world?
8. The introduction to Jack, his age, careless, his skills, supervision, taking the lollipop from the baby, visiting his son, the complaint of his wife, phone calls, to take him to meetings? His age, devotion to his father, the disappointments?
9. Cal, the experience of the abduction, Zoe, her being in charge, the various meetings, the plans, the ruining of Christmas?
10. Cal, his personality, the guard for centuries, putting in his letter of resignation, becoming involved, tracking down Jack, the interchanges, hearing about Jack’s son? Knowledge of the witch, Jack identifying the contacts for the plan, going to the resort, the interrogation of the contact, his fears, the arrival of the monsters, icy, transforming others into ice? The humour of the fight sequences, Cal and his being miniaturised? The toy cars and other aspects of the shop, from miniature to full-size, driving away?
11. The visit to Germany, the Krampus, Santa Claus’ brother, the revolt, the ogres, the fight sequences in the slaps? Jack and Cal escaping?
12. Going to the North Pole, the buildup to the confrontation, the witch and her success, the mass production of the globes, trapping both Jack and Dylan? The talk, Jack being good and kind, the breaking of the glass?
13. The witch, preparing all the globes, the sleigh, getting ready to go?
14. The arrival of the Krampus, the witch his ex-wife, his decision to be on the side of good?
15. The fights, the sabotage of the sleigh, the breaking of the globes? Confrontation with the large witch, miniature fight? Her being imprisoned in a globe?
16. Finding Santa, resuscitating him, going on his rounds, the speed and the possibility of delivering all the gifts everywhere in the world on the one night!
17. Jack, the bonding with his son, and the revelation of the sceptical young Jack? Cal and his decision to stay on guard in Santa Claus?