Jessica Chastain (Molly’s Game, Zero Dark Thirty) is attempting to become the second actress to win a Lead Actress Oscar and a Lead Actress Emmy in the same year. After just two episodes of the five-part HBO miniseries Scenes from a Marriage, Chastain seems like a shoo-in to win an Emmy for her role as Mira, a middle-aged wife, opposite Oscar Isaac. The latter encounters some of the most challenging struggles a married person might ever have. It’s a hard-hitting, riveting drama that could sweep awards season in the miniseries category. Chastain further showcases her acting prowess as Tammy Fay Baker, the televangelist and our protagonist in Michael Showalter’s (The Big Sick, Hello, My Name is Doris).
Category Archives: Michael Showalter
The Big Sick (2017)
I was all set to review this movie and talk about its major flaws before I did one thing first. I looked at other reviews and learned this film is based on a true story. So rather than belabor the point I wanted to make, I’ll reference it later in the review and discuss its merits and minor flaws. Before I begin, I’ll mention that I didn’t think Michael Showalter’s (Hello, My Name is Doris) The Big Sick was marketed well when released over the summer. First of all, the movie’s title, its poster, its actors, and even its plot could have made more sense. Through in that Judd Apatow’s name was attached to it, and you had the thought that this was a raunchy comedy, much in the mold of Trainwreck, This Is 40, The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Knocked Up, and a host of other movies he didn’t even direct but was affiliated with as a producer or screenwriter. The Big Sick felt out of place from the start. It took word of mouth for this movie to get noticed and appreciated by audiences (despite its 98% rating on Rotten Tomatoes).