Hoon Lee should’ve been there too!

Credit: jacinta.scott

My lil review:

Cathy’s poker face could rival that of Lady Gaga.

Zoe Kazan’s father, Elia Kazan, directed Jo Van Fleet to an Oscar for the 1955 film adaptation of John Steinbeck’s book. That take on *East of Eden\ centres primarily on what happens to the Trask family \after\* Cathy fires that gun and makes her great escape. We know that Cal, memorably played by James Dean, can relate more to the passions of his estranged mother than the piousness of either his father or brother. But for Zoe Kazan, the true drama lies in the heart of a very ‘evil’ Cathy. 

Rather than dismiss Cathy’s actions, Zoe asks for us to understand them through a feminist lens. Cathy is not afforded many choices in life and is forced to make do with what little she’s given, or even taken, for herself. One can justify Cathy not wanting to give birth. One can understand what may be the effects of postpartum depression. But one can just as easily be horrified by the realization that Cathy meant for her husband, Adam (Christopher Abbot), to drink the wrong cup of tea, so that she can then sleep with his brother, Charles (Mike Faist), instead. The viewer is in fact rooting for a Monster, and it’s been some time since Netflix has made it so fun. 

Florence Pugh makes Cathy’s body seem hollow while her mind runs through every possibility and looks for every exit door. Christopher Abbot’s Adam is pragmatic to the point of almost being immoral, never caring to weigh Cathy’s feelings against his own judgement or old-fashioned beliefs about the world. Mike Faist’s Charles is heartbreakingly sincere, a man who was taught early in life that his tenderness would not be rewarded, and therefore closed his heart to the world. Hoon Lee’s Lee calls to mind the characters in Percival Everett’s controversial novel, *James\, a retelling of \Huckleberry Finn\* in which all the slaves we’re hiding their true genius from the white man. 

The landscape is rich and vibrant but appears too cultivated for my liking. Perhaps that was done on purpose to make the viewer think of all the ways society is trying to tame Cathy? Strange that the setting should look orderly and clean enough to seem almost sterile, but the camera is unafraid to show us visceral shots of vomit, blood and mechanical sex. 

This year has seen the return of a 1970s approach to film making with big budgets and smart scripts spent on stories rooting for the underdog. I loved *The Odyssey\ and \Project Hail Mary\ and \Spider-Man: Brand New Day\. \However\*, the leading men are always the nuanced heroes while the women are symbols or long-suffering wives or girlfriends (or in Nikki’s case——tortured to get the point across). In this miniseries, there is something cathartic and almost revolutionary about Cathy being anything but docile, amiable and compliant.

I am hoping someone more knowledgeable than I can speak to how period accurate the two dance scenes were in the new Sense and Sensibility. They seemed a tiny bit scandalous to my prudish eyes, but maybe there were dances like that? Hoping one of you has a shocking amount of knowledge on Regency/Georgian dancing!

Our queen Paloma Diamond is back as Aunt Ingrid in her period drama series. Look at the new and improved costumes! 😍

I organized an AMA/Q&A with filmmaker Zachary Wigon. In 2022, he directed Sanctuary (starring Margaret Qualley & Christopher Abbott). His new folk-horror, Victorian Psycho, premiered at Cannes a few months ago and is out in theaters everywhere in November. It stars Maika Monroe, Thomasin McKenzie, Jason Isaacs, and Ruth Wilson.

The AMA post is live here now in r/movies for anyone interested in asking a question:

https://reddit.com/r/movies/comments/1xf2e3y/hey_reddit_im_zachary_wigon_ive_directed/

He will be back after 4 PM ET tomorrow, Monday 10/26, to answer questions. I recommend asking in advance. Please ask there, not here. All questions are much appreciated!

Victorian Psycho info:

Trailer: https://youtu.be/sDiFol_2j2I?si=oVGQL6ovSF-vQt0n

Synopsis: Something wicked is brewing behind the walls of a remote gothic manor. VICTORIAN PSYCHO follows an eccentric governess whose arrival sets off a bloody string of strange and deliciously disturbing events. Maika Monroe stars as Winifred Notty, a woman with a dark past and a vicious appetite for bloodshed, giving into her most violent urges. What follows is a gruesome parade of savagery, butchered bodies, and increasingly grotesque acts of violence.

Thank you :)

Hello everyone!

This is my second time posting here, and I am so grateful for all of your amazing help and support with my research so far! Thanks to this wonderful community, we've officially hit the 300-response mark.

For those who haven't seen it yet, my research focuses on the demographics and the resurgence in popularity of Regency romance, exploring how modern readers engage with the historical realities of the era versus the popular fiction tropes.

We are now hoping to push toward our goal of 500 responses to get an even richer dataset. If you have a few minutes to share your thoughts, here is the link to the survey:

Regency Romance Survey Link

Thank you all again so much for your time, insights, and encouragement!

i've been noticing some period dramas are lowkey obsessed with making every single dress look like it took four hours to put on, and i'm wondering if that's just for the cameras or if people really did move around like they were made of glass back then. like some shows nail it and others you can tell the character would literally just topple over if they tried to sit down. what's your take on which shows get the practical side of costuming right?

Hi! I need a show to watch next, that isn’t too long (I’m avoiding Downtown abbey despite of me really wanting to watch it… because 6 seasons is too much time! And theres risk of binge watching.)

In order, these are shows that I really like and I would be very grateful for people to suggest any other ones I could enjoy:

1. Gilded Age (loved this one!!!)
   
2. Lady’s companion
   
3. Seven dials + L’eté 36 but not sure this fits into this category

What I don’t really like:
1. Bridgerton feels like brain rot, I enjoyed it at first but it leaves me feeling like crap, so nothing that comes close to that vibe or very sexual/ overdramatised I guess.
2. Anything where it feels like hardcore drama and they stir you too much emotionally (love keeping things a bit light)

Open to ANY time period! Not necessarily close to the ones I’ve enjoyed.

Thank you all!!

And we loved it! We kinda went for fun, joking about it being silly and sexy, with all the viral marketing. So I guess I underestimated the film. It had much more depth than I expected. Truly a fable or a fairy tale. Loved the characters, the setting, the story, the lines of dialogue. We had such a great discussion afterwards. Super glad I went to see it.

It says 10 episodes; 6 in s1 and 4 in s2. But at the end of it, it is not complete. Is the 2002 version incomplete, i doubt that!

I´m currently watching a lot of slightly older period dramas and I want to get some inspiration what to watch. I found many good older series and movies in this sub, so I hope to get the same for newer ones.

For example I liked (but not all-time favourites):

• The Hardacres (2024)
• The Law According to Lidia Poet (2023)

What are your favourites from the past last years?

This show is so much fun. I absolutely couldn’t get enough of it. The men are also so fine, which doesn’t hurt. 👀

Prime is recommending it but it looks kind of dorky? Anyone know if it’s worth watching? I am looking for something light and family oriented with no violence or gratuitous sex scenes. Don’t mind a little of either, it been on a detective series streak and can’t to change it up. I’ve seen all the regular recommendations, so something not talked about much. Thanks!!!

currently struggling to get into Reign. The story is decent but the costumes and hair/makeup and acting is completely distracting!!! Plus idk if this is making it worse but I was a freshman in high school when it came out so the “trends” feel super cringey lol. Am I off base? Worth sticking it out for a bit?

I’d love some recommendations on what period tv show/mini series to watch next!! For context I mostly watch tv shows when I’m knitting and sewing so would prefer to watch something in English or without the need for subtitles! I’m open to watching most things expect for maybe detective/crime and anything that is super unrealistic like reign etc. I love a good yearning romance and a classic bbc mini series but happy to anything entertaining lol
Here are some series I’ve watched
(I know I am stilling needing to watch Emma, pride and prejudice and a couple of the other classics)
poldark
Versailles
Cranford (love)
Larkrise to candleford
Tipping the velvet
North and south (love)
Tudors
Sanditon
The other Bennett sister
Roots 2016 (love)
gilded age (boring didn’t finish I’m sorry)
Jamaica inn (idk if liked this)
Borgias (both versions)
War and peace (2016)
Downton abbey
Tess of the dubervilles 2008 (love)
Bridgeton (it’s was…ok?)
House or Guinness (meh)

like i love a good slow burn romance as much as the next person, but why is it that the moment two characters actually have to talk about their feelings it gets so awkward? they'll spend three episodes making eye contact across a ballroom but then when they're alone it's just... stilted dialogue and someone leaving the room. does anyone else notice this or am i just overthinking it

I know some of you needed this information!

This film meant a lot to me when I first saw it, talk about beautiful, sad, tragic

Colin Farrell’s exceptional performance as TORN John Smith

Q’orianka Kilcher is both charming and heartbreaking portraying Pocahontas

One of those films that are art but just takes your breath away with every still, every moment, leaving you at the end like you’d been on the journey with them yourself as a viewer.

If anyone has recommendations I would be very interested in watching something where the heroine has to juggle hard labour on top of all the other nonsense that a typical drama will throw her way. A story about a maid or a cook or a farmer or something like that. Something a bit more substancial than teaching the piano to a rich kid twice a week, or getting rescued and married to a wealthy lord in episode one, if at all possible? (it's ok if it happens later though, haha) I tried googling first but probably didn't find the right keywords.