Page 14 - aruba-today-20201211

Friday 11 december 2020 people & Arts
A14

Review: Streep invites us on a pleasing, meandering ride

By JOCELYN NOVECK thing to behold.
AP National Writer As for Streep, she's never
It's safe to say this isn't a less than compelling, and
great time for the cruise a last-minute twist to the
ship industry. story makes you want to
Given that obvious fact, go back and analyze her
Cunard is likely to be scenes again, for hints.
thrilled that a new movie But there's one laugh-out-
has come out which takes loud moment that's classic
place — or 90 percent of Streep, when she's speak-
it — on the Queen Mary ing with a mass-market
2, with its gleaming dining thriller writer on board. She
rooms, sparkling ocean asks him, at dinner, how
views, disco nights and af- long it takes to write one
ternoon teas. of his books, but hesitates
In fact, one of the most in- just a nanosecond before
teresting things about Ste- saying "books," and flits her
ven Soderbergh's "Let Them This image released by HBO Max shows Meryl Streep, left, and Lucas Hedges in a scene from "Let fingers just so — a devastat-
All Talk," a clever and ab- Them All Talk." ingly dismissive gesture, ex-
sorbing film that feels, alas, Associated Press ecuted with perfect econ-
a little unfinished and a omy.
touch too improvisational, tantalizing tidbit from the What's not clear is why ex- can spy on Alice from afar. The costumes by Ellen Miro-
is not its plot nor its impec- film's production notes: In actly Alice has asked along This isn't a very convinc- jnick have a wonderfully
cable pedigree — it stars order not to disturb paying her friends, Susan (Wiest) ing plot point, but it allows lived-in feel, perhaps be-
Meryl Streep, Dianne Wiest customers, the ship made and Roberta (Bergen), for a potential romance cause they were selected
and Candice Bergen — participating in the film one since it's been decades between Karen and the from the actors' own clos-
but the glimpse it affords us of the daily activity choic- since she's seen them. Why younger Tyler. ets. It will surprise nobody to
of a luxury "crossing." es. As in: Trivia contest on now? If the dialogue sounds un- learn Streep has lots of gor-
Think "Titanic," but without Deck 4, or Movie-making Roberta has a suspicion. practiced, that's because it geous, voluminous scarves.
the sinking. Or the class with Meryl on Deck 2! She's been carrying a is. The screenplay by Debo- They're lovely to look at —
struggle. Or the raft/door Streep is perfectly cast as grudge for years because rah Eisenberg is more an as is Alice's luxurious, two-
that Leo somehow couldn't Alice, who won a Pulitzer for she's certain Alice co-opt- extended outline; the ac- story suite. But we also envy
fit on. one of her novels but is so ed details of her messy mar- tors themselves largely im- the real passengers min-
But we digress. What you self-doubting, she criticizes riage in her novel, "You Al- provised. While that allows gling over drinks or tea. It's
need to know is that a people for complimenting ways/You Never." And now for some refreshing sponta- not just the luxury. It's the
crossing from New York to it. Alice has just won anoth- Roberta, who's divorced neity, it doesn't always work fact that they can travel at
Southampton, England, er coveted award, but tells and fallen on hard times as well as it should. all. Sigh.
takes seven days, and so her literary agent Karen (an as a lingerie saleswoman, The actors, of course, are Eventually, the movie does
"Let Them All Talk," about a excellent Gemma Chan) suspects Alice wants to use pros. Bergen is terrific at seem to get where it's go-
successful yet insecure nov- that she's unable to fly. her life again, in a sequel. hostility bubbling under- ing. A scene between Al-
elist traveling to London to Karen suggests traveling by Actually, nobody's sure neath a thin veneer of ice and Roberta touches
accept a prize, was mostly ship instead. Alice agrees, whether Alice is writing a good manners, and she upon issues of literary own-
filmed in one week in 2019. as long as she can bring sequel — only that she's has a lot more to work with ership and artistic license
Soderbergh, who relishes guests — two old college writing something. Karen is than Wiest, who's some- that haven't yet been fully
such challenges, appar- buddies and her nephew, so nervous about the new what wasted as a soft-spo- mined. It's a bit late in the
ently did his editing in the Tyler (Lucas Hedges, en- book, she secretly books ken peacemaker. Bergen's game. But the ride has
ship's bar at night. Another gaging as always.) passage on the ship so she angry glare alone is some- been pleasant.q

Time magazine names BTS its Entertainer of the Year

become such a global their flashy No. 1 hit "Dy- NBC special at 10 p.m. EST,
phenomenon that Time namite." The song in No- are: President-elect Joe
magazine named the vember brought BTS its first Biden, President Donald
South Korean group its 2020 Grammy nomination. Trump, front-line health-
Entertainer of the Year. "There are times when I'm care workers and Dr. An-
The magazine announced still taken aback by all the thony Fauci, and the racial
the honor for the seven- unimaginable things that justice movement.q
member K-pop boy band are happening," BTS mem-
on Thursday, hours before a ber Suga told Time for an Solution Sudoku
prime-time special that will interview that accompa- 12/11 Difficulty Level
culminate with the naming nied the announcement. 9 5 3 1 6 8 2 4 7
of Time's Person of the Year. "But I ask myself, Who's go- 6 1 4 2 7 5 3 8 9
The magazine cited BTS' ing to do this, if not us?"
massive global presence Time also announced Thurs- 7 2 8 4 3 9 5 1 6
amid the pandemic, in- day the selection of Los 2020 Conceptis Puzzles, Dist. by King Features Syndicate, Inc. 4 8 7 5 2 1 6 9 3
BTS attends the 2019 Variety's Hitmakers Brunch at Soho House cluding leveraging their Angeles Lakers star LeBron 1 3 9 7 4 6 8 5 2
in West Hollywood, Calif. on Dec. 7, 2019. massive fan base to sup- James as its Athlete of the 5 6 2 8 9 3 4 7 1
Associated Press port causes like Black Lives Year. 3 4 6 9 5 7 1 2 8
Matter. The group has be- The shortlist for Time's Per- 2 9 1 3 8 4 7 6 5
By The Associated Press had more than just a "Dy- come a staple of recent son of the Year, which will 8 7 5 6 1 2 9 3 4
NEW YORK (AP) — BTS has namite" year — they've awards shows, performing be announced during an Puzzle on Page 13