👯 “They told me you were stupid”

This week: Marilyn Monroe, dinosaurs, and British game shows.

First of all: I’m sorry to inform you that today is not Friday. I’m sending the newsletter out a day early because tomorrow, I’m going to be making a big announcement on my social media accounts and the BumbleCast newsletter.

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“I can be smart when it's important, but most men don't like it.”

This week, my girlfriend and I watched Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, a delightful Marilyn Monroe and Jane Russell musical comedy from 1953; not counting Monroe’s small role in All About Eve, this is the first movie I’ve seen starring either actor, and I really liked it.

It’s fast paced, surprisingly risqué, has an excellent script, and almost all of the songs are winners, even if they’re sporadically placed and not really crucial to the story. Watching this film, it really struck me how distorted Monroe’s legacy had become by the time it had reached me, after being filtered through decades of jokes and impressions.

In my mind, Monroe was foremost a sexy model, the one who (allegedly) slept with JFK and married Joe DiMaggio. All of which are fine biographical details, but good acting was not on the résumé. However, her performance in this movie is not a fluke, or an airhead “playing herself.” It’s an amazing actor co-leading a picture in a demanding and extremely funny role.

I’m mad at myself for lazily and incorrectly assuming that Monroe would be phoning it in or otherwise not up to the task. I was reminded of how I felt listening to Dolly Parton’s America a couple years ago, which confronts the fact that Parton decided to let herself become a punchline to some and a larger-than-life character to all, while simultaneously creating some of the finest music of the 20th Century.

Don’t make my mistake; watch and enjoy this movie, please! It’s streaming on DirecTV and TCM, and available to rent for $4 on most of the big platforms. ★★★★

Other stuff I’ve watched recently

Jurassic Park ★★★★★ - This is the Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band of Steven Spielberg’s oeuvre. It may not be my absolute favorite of his works, but it’s a wildly ambitious technological marvel and thrill ride that deserves every bit of the acclaim it has attracted. Fun and scary and brilliantly designed, in everything from the sets to the CGI dinos. On Peacock.

Only Connect ★★★★½ - I am enamored with this aggressively smart British game show, which some law-disregarding good soul has uploaded to YouTube. It’s difficult (especially for non-Brits), but well-designed, well-edited, well-hosted, and SO creative. On YouTube (for now, at least).

WandaVision (Episodes 1 & 2) ★★★★ - One of the weirdest things to come out of the MCU to date, and I am here for it. I don’t yet understand what’s really going on in this show, but it’s creepy and funny and consistently entertaining, and you can see Elizabeth Olsen and Paul Bettany relishing the opportunity to actually act instead of just running to the next CGI battle. On Disney+.

Toy Story that Time Forgot ★★★½ - This made-for-TV Toy Story special from 2014 is much funnier than its predecessor, Toy Story Of Terror, thanks in large part to its star Kristin Schaal, who plays the triceratops Trixie. Alas, it’s constrained by the need to insert commercial breaks and wrap up the story in a TV-friendly 20 minutes, which disrupts a good premise with fun characters. On Disney+.

The Lost World: Jurassic Park ★★★ - The skillful production designers did no wrong in this sequel, and much of the horror of the first movie is retained, with a couple good set pieces. But the humor, wit, story, and thematic weight all pale by comparison. One of Spielberg’s lesser, more skippable works. On Peacock.

Men in Black II ★★★ - Despite some entertaining scenes, this slight sequel feels more like a backdoor pilot to a TV series that didn’t happen than a proper movie. Or maybe it was just a cash-grab, taking advantage of improvements in CGI and Will Smith’s infinite well of charisma. On Starz, DirecTV, and Sling TV.

P.S.

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