The Whestone 6/6/23
The Whetstone
A weekly newsletter where Maddie Weiner hones her thoughts about media and culture. Movies, books, television, music, and more.
Summer is here and that means Shakespeare in the Park! This summer I'm going to do my best to catch every Kentucky Shakespeare performance - I saw A Midsummer Night's Dream, a Shakespeare play that's very important to me, on Friday and had a great time (big fan of Lysander and Demetrius in particular). I've only ever gone to Shakespeare in the Park a handful of times, but - I'll be honest with you, since this is my newsletter, lol - now that I'm directing I figured it would be a good way to check out the local talent for future reference. I'd really like to go to more performances/plays/etc. for that reason, but right now I can only really do that if they're free of charge!
PAUL NEWMAN AND JOANNE WOODWARD
Speaking of actors, I'm suddenly in a Zone - and by Zone I mean a pattern of synchronicity, or maybe subconscious awareness, where one chooses at (what feels like) random to watch or read or learn about something that they then can't escape from - I'm suddenly in a Zone of The Method, and especially two of its greatest proponents, Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward. You may recall my mentioning my excitement about the Criterion Channel's June series on Method acting - part of the reason I was excited about it was because I had started watching The Last Movie Stars on (shudder) Max, Ethan Hawke's docuseries on Newman and Woodward.
The Last Movie Stars.
I'd be lying if I said I didn't start watching it because I was feeling nostalgic about Wildcat (which I've heard may premiere at the Berlin Film Festival, although that's just a rumor) and the two projects have overlapping casts. It's a fascinating series, and it definitely picqued my interest when it comes to Method acting. Lo and behold, Criterion adds this series!
My old coworkers 🥲
I watched the interview between Ethan Hawke, Vincent D'Onofrio and Isaac Butler (which made me really want to read Butler's book and also all of Stanislavsky's books) and I watched Rachel, Rachel, directed by Paul Newman in 1968 and starring Joanne Woodward. RE: the interview, I wish there was a way to convey to people that Method acting is NOT what Daniel Day-Lewis does, or what Leonardo diCaprio does, or what Christian Bale does, or what J*red L*to thinks he does. There needs to be another term for that immersive acting method where you live in character, but it's not Method acting! As they say in the interview, Method acting is a specific set of techniques used to activate real emotion in yourself and your scene partners, using memory and imagination. NOT sleeping outside.
Rachel, Rachel.
RE: Rachel, Rachel, this is a movie where Paul Newman said "I'm married to the most talented actress in Hollywood and I'm going to direct this movie to show everyone that fact," and boy, was he right. Woodward plays a 35-year-old school teacher who lives with her aging widowed mother in her childhood home (the second floor of the funeral home her late father ran). She has a chance encounter with a childhood friend and their summer fling changes her stagnant life. Stories of women seizing life definitely speak to me, but I think her brilliant performance will speak to anyone who watches it.
This Week I'm...
WATCHING: L'Innocent
I watched Louis Garrel's new film L'Innocent (streaming on the Criterion Channel) - it's a sweet little genre hybrid, romantic comedy + family drama + heist film. It's one of the better new releases I've seen lately - winter and spring are just such a dry season for good new movies, aren't they? But we're finally starting to get a new crop!
READING: Blood, Sweat & Chrome
I finished reading Kyle Buchanan's book Blood, Sweat & Chrome: The Wild and True Story of Mad Max: Fury Road, which is primarily made up of interviews with as many cast and crew members that Buchanan could get his hands on. If you are at all interested in what goes into the making of a film, I highly recommend this book, as it is really the most extreme example of the production scenario. The production went through an unbelievable number of challenges to get this movie made over the course of more than 17 years. It's a wild ride, and the ultimate success of the production and of the movie brought me to tears by the end of the book.
LISTENING: Romantic Piano by Gia Margaret
Romantic piano? Don't mind if I do!
Links:
Trailers: Bottoms (NSFW), new trailer for Talk To Me (NSFW)
Gemma Gracewood's interview with Jane Campion for the 20th anniversary of her film In the Cut (Letterboxd)
Palehound's new lyric video for "My Evil", which is not only a great song but also a shot-for-shot remake of the title sequence from The Sopranos
A really insightful Twitter thread about The Shining
John Paul Brammer's latest takedown of AI "art" (Substack)