Don't read this of you (a) have not yet seen "Revolutionary Road," and (b) you plan to do so and therefore don't want to know what happens. You need to NOT KNOW A THING about this movie if you want to see it.
(pause)
You're still reading, hmm? Okay, here we go.
1) First of all, I may never feel happiness again. What happened to Sam Mendes, that he always makes these maudlin movies? (He produced "The Kite Runner" and directed "American Beauty," another tale of suburban idealism gone wrong.)
2) I need to know exactly what happened with the rubber tube, the pot, and the chaos that ensued with her capillaries bleeding everywhere.
Is it possible to perform your own abortion by filling the ladyparts with hot water? If so, why don't women do this instead of going to the doctor?
3) I didn't enjoy Leondardo DiCaprio's performance. He overacted and seemed like a little kid playing dress-up, and it's not just because of the way he looks, it's more his demeanor. He kept slipping into this persona like he was pretending to be Jack Nicholson pretending to be a salesman. Although I love Jack Nicholson and believe he can do no wrong so the comparison is unfortunate. Kate Winslet, however, was stellar. The scene at the beach, where she's wearing huge sunglasses that covered up most of her face, yet you still knew what she was thinking from what you could see of her expressions...that's bad-ass.
4) What are other Desperate Housewive movies, with women who are trapped in their own lives, and kill/try to kill themselves to escape? So far I can think of two:
- Kate Winslet in "Revolutionary Road"
- Julianne Moore in "The Hours"
I assumed that the procedure she tried to do was pretty unsafe, especially after a certain point of pregnancy, which is why people go to doctors instead nowadays.
Posted by: Tara Williams | February 07, 2009 at 07:05 AM
I didn't ever see the movie, but I read the wiki entry, so no spoiler.
The idea of death by self-abortion just did not seem appealing to me to go spend $10 to see.
I didn't know if they actually carried through the idea in the movie. the wiki entry made it seem like it was justin the book
Posted by: mfl | February 07, 2009 at 03:30 PM
Try "Far from Heaven". Its Julianne Moore as a 1950's housewife and Dennis Quaid as her closeted gay husband. Its really kind of fabulous.
Posted by: Stan Salas | February 08, 2009 at 05:20 PM
Yes! Forgot "Far From Heaven." Poor Julianne Moore was having quite a hard time with her suburban life for a while, wasn't she?
Posted by: Dan Renzi | February 08, 2009 at 05:35 PM
'far from heaven' was an homage to the films made by douglas sirk and/or ross hunter...check out 'madame x' or 'imitation of life'...one of the greatest movies about suburban angst (although it features a male protagonist) is 'the swimmer' based on the story by john cheever...
Posted by: scooterzz | February 09, 2009 at 11:50 AM
I saw this last night also Dan. It really is one that stays with you. I agree with the Kate/Leo acting nous. She has aged better than him too. He has a weird fat person caught in a thin persons body.
I just knew there would be bloody on the skirt - I could barely look!
Posted by: Bruce | February 10, 2009 at 03:39 AM
Vera Drake, starring an AMAZING Imelda Staunton, is a movie that deals entirely with a lady that performs abortions this way in 1950s Britain.
The movie is excellent, and she's wonderful in it (though the subject matter is a little heavy).
Posted by: Rudy | February 11, 2009 at 01:37 PM
Two words for desperate preggies out there:
Fenugreek and mugwort.
Boil some water. When it reaches a complete boil take a half teaspooon full of fenugreek seeds and two tablespoons of either mugwort leaves (best) or motherwort leaves (second best.)
Allow these to boil for two minutes to release the herbal essence.
Simmer for another eight minutes.
Drink it as a tea. Liquid volume should be about a half mug of liquid.
Do this again in 12 hours. And (optional) do it one more time the next day.
You will have your period, generally within 48 hours.
The exception is if you are coming off of using a hormone based form of birth control. Then you should be prepared to have a surgical ab * rt *on if necessary. But this is a safe, minimalist yet effective way to um, make sure that your period arrives when you want it to. Works best if you're just a few days to few weeks "late."
Pass this info around. It may save the life of a young woman you know. I've used this recipe many times, my friends have used it many times, it's safe.
Posted by: methisisme | February 17, 2009 at 08:13 PM