Lovely, Still was released in 2010 and stars Martin Landau and Ellen Burstyn as old people in love. It’s a romantic movie, and then some. My advice is for you to watch the first half, then turn it off. The next day start over from the beginning and watch it all the way through. Then wait a few days and go through it one more time. That’s what I did.
The whole purpose of entertainment is to manipulate people. They take some tired, grumpy person who spent all day at work, and manipulate them into smiling, laughing, maybe crying or feeling genuine surprise. The less you notice being manipulated, the better it is. Think of the wonder you had at the magician because you couldn’t even imagine a way he could have pulled off that trick.
Movies always try to manipulate us. They only show us certain scenes, and from certain angles. Almost all the boring stuff gets trimmed out. Everything you see on the screen is only for effect. That’s part of the fun.
Martin Landau was in my favorite Hitchcock movie, North by Northwest. He played the guy carrying the gun. (I was going to use the word gunsel, but then I looked it up and changed my mind. And then I thought about it and changed my mind again. And then I just gave up on it.) He was in the first three seasons of Mission: Impossible as the scary looking guy who often wore masks. He played the commander of the moon base on Space: 1999, which people tell me is not as bad as I recall. And he had a remarkable performance as Bela Lugosi in Ed Wood. He’s in his 80s now. He plays an old man so well! His smile is so uplifting. The movie is pretty much from his point of view, and he does a great job in every single scene.
My memories of Ellen Burstyn are fewer. I recall The Exorcist, and Same Time, Next Year. I’m still planning on seeing Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore. Amazon keeps suggesting I buy Requiem for a Dream, but I just can’t bring myself to do it. In real life, she’s only five years younger than Landau. Her face is just as beautiful as his. Nobody else could have pulled off this role. Looking through Landau’s eyes, you fall in love with her too.
The photography is great. The whole “in love at Christmastime” vibe is pretty awesome. The music is swell. And how many movies take place in Omaha?
