Screen Gems

Friday night’s movie fix was an intriguing political mystery rare these days, The Ghost Writer (2010). It stars Ewan McGregor as the title character, hired to improve the memoir of an ex-British Prime Minister played by the perfectly cast Pierce Brosnan. Just as the project is undertaken, a scandal erupts involving the past use of torture of suspected terrorists. As the writer delves deeper, dark secrets emerge. What makes the film different from modern fare is its quiet mystery, slow pace. Fans of action might be bored. There is nothing in it that appeals to the adolescent. Roman Polanski directed and adapted the screenplay with Robert Harris, based on the latter’s novel The Ghost. Running time is a bit more than two hours, too long. Scenes should have been trimmed. 167,000+ users at IMDb have rated The Ghost Writer, forging to a consensus of 7.2 on a scale of ten. To my surprise, the film did okay at the box office, returning $60 million against a budget estimated at $45 million. It’s encouraging to know there are still folks out there who appreciate serious drama. Does it have a political bias? Yes, but there is much to offset it. The cast features many seasoned pros: Jon Bernthal, Jim Belushi, Timothy Hutton, Tom Wilkinson, Eli Wallach and Kim Cattrall, who I didn’t know is British. Olivia Williams is outstanding as the pol’s wife. Violence is minimal and there isn’t much profanity or sex. Here are the leads in character:

Born in London in 1968, Olivia Williams began her career on the stage. Her first three screen credits are Euro early ’90s television mysteries. She then landed a part in a TV movie of Jane Austen’s Emma. She has graced several significant films: Wes Anderson’s Rushmore (1998), The Sixth Sense (1999), Anna Karenina (2012). She has played Hera in the Jason and the Argonauts mini-series (2000), the author in Agatha Christie: A Life in Pictures (2004), the author in Miss Austen Regrets (2007), Ian Dury’s mom in Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll, Lady Churchill in Victoria & Abdul (2017) and Camilla Parker Bowles in five episodes of The Crown. Overall, there are 81 titles under her name at IMDb, including a guest shot on Friends. She’s a mom of two. Kudos. Here she is in character in The Ghost Writer, photo from GI:

Headline from foxnews.com: “Idaho governor signs law allowing firing squad executions.” Hardcore. The death penalty is the only conservative position I have trouble accepting, even though some fiends deserve it.

Bob Gorrell cartoon:

The floating book shop was rained out.

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