This week was a good movie week starting with Madame X (1966) starring Lana Turner. What a tear jerker! Notwithstanding the rather incredulous plot, Lana Turner was riveting. Glamorous, lonely and well-married, she made a few bad life decisions and wound up drunk and desperate in Mexico only to be re-united in the most ironic and unfortunate way with the son she ran away from decades earlier. I couldn't stop watching her. And what about that jewelry and those fabulous dresses! This movie is a sumptuous mid-century period piece right down to the color of Lana's hair.
And then there was Payment on Demand (1951) starring Bette Davis. The movie was about a divorce told in flashbacks apparently as a sort of cautionary tale about overly ambitious wives. Was it dated? Yes and no. I boo-hooed over this when the unhappy divorcee cried at her daughter's wedding. Bette had a few lines that really resonated even if they were a bit old-fashioned as she mused about her lost identity and bemoaned her own ambition. But, hey, her husband went along for the ride, didn't he? It has been my unfortunate experience and observation that what attracts a couple in the first place is often what drives them apart in the end. At any rate, Bette Davis can smirk and smoke a cigarette like no one else. I loved this movie.
And - the week's movie sleeper! A Netflix documentary about ZZ Top! ZZ Top: That Little Ole Band from Texas (2020) was so much fun. Heartwarming actually. The way Frank Beard pronounces the word, "baby," tells you everything you need to know about these guys. Even if you don't think you love this band, watch the movie and you will.
