MOVIE PREVIEWS
BLONDE
Rated: NC-17
Release Date: 09/28/2022
Production Company: Netflix

Cast:
Ana de Armas, Adrien Brody, Bobby Cannavale, Xavier Samuel and Julianne Nicholson.

Crew:
Director: Andrew Dominik. Producers: Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Tracy Landon, and Scott Robertson. Executive Producer: Christina Oh. Screenwriters: Andrew Dominik and Joyce Carol Oates (Novel: "Blonde"). Cinematographer:Chayse Irvin.
Plot:
"Loneliness was tough
The toughest role you ever played
Hollywood created a superstar
And pain was the price you paid
And even when you died
Oh, the press still hounded you
All the papers had to say
Was that Marilyn was found in the nude."

"Candle In The Wind"--Elton John, 1973

By: Lana K. Wilson-Combs

There have been several films, documentaries and even songs about Hollywood icon Marilyn Monroe. The latest movie is "Blonde" and it is currently streaming on "Netflix."

"Blonde," from director/screenwriter Andrew Dominik ("Killing Them Softly"), is an adaptation of Joyce Carol Oates’ 2000 novel of the same name.

The movie, much like Monroe's life, is dark, gritty, and depressing. Yet, "Blonde," which earns its NC-17 Rating, is also fascinating largely because of the superb performance from Ana de Armas ("The Gray Man") who plays the sexy, blonde bombshell Norma Jeane/Marilyn Monroe.

It will be interesting to see if de Armas is shown any awards consideration, particularly an Oscar nomination for "Best Actress," or if "Blonde" might be too much to make the cut.

In a recent interview with The New Yorker, Joyce Carol Oates discussed her book and the movie and stated that she didn’t “have any particular feelings” about the rating but added that “the real things that happened to Marilyn Monroe are much worse than anything in the movie, Oates said. “It’s not a feel-good movie. Many films about Marilyn Monroe are kind of upbeat and have a lot of music and singing. She’s very beautiful and sweet. This one is probably closer to what she actually experienced. The last few days of her life were brutal."

"Blonde" doesn't shy away from much of that brutality either, which starts with the frightening relationship young Norma Jeane (a striking, Lily Fisher, TV's "General Hospital") had with her mentally unstable mother Gladys (a dynamic Julianne Nicholson, "Weird: The Al Yankovic Story").

Her mother informs Norma Jeane that the picture hanging on the bedroom wall is of her father. Norma Jeane is hopeful that one day he will visit her. Then a fire breaks out near their home forcing them to evacuate. However, when Gladys tries to explain to a police officer that she's headed to see someone who is special, it gets her nowhere and she has to turn around and leave.

Gladys nearly drowns little Norma Jeane in their bathtub, but fortunately the kid manages to get away and runs to a neighbor Miss Flynn (Sara Paxton, "Barbarian") for help. That leads to the next phase of heartache that Norma Jeane endures since Miss Flynn and her husband decide to take her to an orphanage.

Time passes and now an adult, Norma Jeane (de Armas) is still looking for happiness and someone to cling too. Her gorgeous looks don't go unnoticed. She gets a bit of work as a model and slowly is introduced to the right/wrong people including a studio exec that "breaks" her into show business.

It is one of many forms of abuses that Monroe endures throughout her life. There are the sexcapades with men like Cass (Xavier Samuels, "Elvis") and Eddie (Evan Williams, TV's "Westworld"), who are the sons of Charlie Chaplin and Edward G. Robinson. There is also the big affair with John F. Kennedy, referred to here as “The President." He is played by Caspar Phillipson, (TV's "The Orchestra").

"Blonde" also dives deep into Monroe's tumultuous marriages to baseball star, Joe DiMaggio, (an excellent Bobby Cannavale, TV's "Human Resources") and playwright Arthur Miller, (another star turn from Adrien Brody, "See How They Run").

"Blonde," which clocks in at a hefty 166 minutes long is a shocking movie. Despite its excessive length, which is my only complaint regarding it, "Blonde" is an exceptionally well made, artistic endeavor. Andrew Dominik captures Monroe's life in graphic detail transitioning between stylish color and black-and-white, imagery which makes this film even more powerful and riveting.

"Blonde" is currently streaming on Netflix.

Editor's Note: Be sure to catch my N2Entertainment.net movie talk segment on the Kitty O'Neal Show Fridays now at 5:17 p.m. and 6:47 p.m. on radio station KFBK 93.1 FM and 1530 AM.

Look At This Trailer For "BLONDE"

Lana K. Wilson-Combs is a member of the Broadcast Film Critics Association (BFCA), The American Film Institute (AFI), and a Nominating Committee Voting Member for the NAACP Image Awards.

OLD SCHOOL VIDEO PICK OF THE MONTH

<b>MAHOGANY</b> Title: MAHOGANY
Year Released: 1975
Running Time: 109
Production Company: Paramount Pictures
Director: Berry Gordy, Tony Richardson and Jack Wormser
Director of Photography: David Watkin
Screenwriter: John Byrum and Toni Amber
Author: Lana K. Wilson-Combs

REVIEW: DIANA ROSS AND BILLY DEE WILLIAMS DAZZLE IN "MAHOGANY"

Do you know where you're going to?
Do you like the things that life is showing you? Where are you going to?
Do you know?
Do you get what you're hoping for? When you look behind you, there's no open doors. What are you hoping for? Do you know? "Theme from Mahogany...
  MOVIE TRIVIA
 
The "Theme From Mahogany (Do You Know Where You're Going To)" was sung by Diana Ross in the 1975 movie "Mahogany." But, who initially recorded the song in 1973?
"Roberta Flack"
"Natalie Cole"
"Deniece Williams"
"Thelma Houston"