sepulchered

I like Baldwin but he's so far out of his depth here it's shockingly bad. He asks nothing viewers haven't heard about his guests multiple times before and his level of offering insight into his world over the guests is maddeningly lengthy. Some of the guests look near bemused at how they get to listen to him drone on and have nothing to do but listen him. And, his level of blowing smoke is boundless to the point that even his stars look like they're wondering if this is in fact a first date.

Claire Foy has hit the big time playing her Madge QII and you can't help but feel this movie banked on that - let alone her Dragon Tattooed blockbuster version. As with most all these types of story, you have to allay criticism to see where things will go in hopefully gaining the reward by end of things making sense or, conversely, realizing there can be no solid answer and seeing it as fair play. Unfortunately, the story veers off the road of making sense in cuckoo land and decides to firmly stay there; in an assumed attempt to have the viewer go, oh yeah of course it's a psychological mess because it's a tale about people making you nuts. No. This will just leave you feeling crazed at wasting your time. If you love Foy and feel any time with her is well spent, crack on with this. If, however, you want to see her producing in a worthy tale then avoid.

There's the cause and case for not just feminism but equality for all and this gets somewhat mired down by McGowan's self-importance. Her supposed honesty turns out to be just her views on what she feels is right, who is wrong and little justification beyond what either drifts or, alternately, shoots off tangentially. Yes it's easy to be in the right when you've been a victim who can keep pointing to it but to then use that as a base for all manner of supposed deep and justified positions; on whatever springs to mind, in thought and fed out in art, then becomes watered down and up for legitimate critique and ultimately sad. I'm not sure whether some of the current 'in your face' movements will be of aid or detriment to feminism and women in the long run but I am fairly sure that McGowan's overly emotive show ultimately will not be. Mixing personal truths and events with art in a supposed activism can all too often lead to something, how ever well intentioned, arriving at what can be seen as a quest for self-recognition, justification for the 'way you are' and pretentiousness. Keep oft repeating that patriarchal society and/or the lower percentile (!) are the ills will only get you so far before the/your point becomes labored and denigrates the good that this show presumably aimed at. A case in point being Yoko Ono, who had the massive fame and support of John Lennon, but ultimately her feminist art and views drifted into what were seen by many as nonsensical ravings. McGowan clearly didn't take note that she needed to be rather more substantive than a victim who spoke out with fame, at least in part from it, and righteous intent. Therapeutic this is not.