A Certain Point of View: Writing, Film and Stuff

Book Club (2018) Directed by: Bill Holderman Written by: Bill Holderman and Erin Simms Starring: Diane Keaton, Jane Fonda, Candice Bergen, Mary Steenburgen, Craig T. Nelson, Andy Garcia, Don Johnson,  Richard Dreyfuss, Ed Begley Jr., Wallace Shawn, Alicia Silverstone, Katie Aselton Sharon: If women our age were meant to have sex God wouldn't do what he does to our bodies. Vivian: Speak for yourself. Sharon: Well, that was not God, that was Dr. Nazaria. Q: What do you get when you put a first-time director, four legendary leading ladies, a supporting cast of A-list actors, and a somewhat flimsy plot centered on four friends who end up dissecting a trashy "mommy porn" trilogy of novels together? A: A sometimes unbelievable but nevertheless watchable romantic comedy about friendship, drinking lots of wine, and lots of bawdy dialogue delivered by a quartet of talented actresses. three of whom have earned Academy Awards. The premise of Bill Holderman and E...

One of director Rob Reiner's best films is 1987's “The Princess Bride,” a witty-yet-sweet comedy/fantasy written by two-time Academy Award-winning screenwriter William Goldman, who adapted his own novel about the beautiful maiden Buttercup (Robin Wright) who lives in the faraway land of Florin and whose true love, a young farmboy named Westley (Cary Elwes), goes off to sea to seek his fortune, telling Buttercup that he would come back for her. But when Buttercup learns that Westley's ship has been attacked by the Dread Pirate Roberts she swears she will never love anyone again, an oath she keeps even when she accepts a marriage proposal from Florin's Prince Humperdinck (Chris Sarandon), a handsome yet shady fellow who probably could give Machiavelli some lessons in, well, Machiavellian diplomacy. Humperdinck’s scheme is simple: take over as King of Florin as soon as his father passes away, get bethroded to a beautiful engaging commoner, then stage her kid...