by Kristen B.
I love going to the movies, sitting in the dark with a tub of popcorn, having a communal moment with a bunch of strangers I will never talk to. I also enjoy watching at home, via DVD or a streaming service, with a big bowl of popcorn (a theme!). My viewing tastes are almost as eclectic as my reading ones: artsy emotional films that wring your heart, thrillers full of car chases and gun fights, animation that leaves a hopeful smile on your face, book adaptations, and grand fantasy epics. Tell me a compelling story, and I am a happy human.
I will see ANYTHING in which Frances McDormand has a role, of any sort or size. She can probably lay claim to most of those film genres listed above. She is a marvelous character actor, disappearing into whatever persona she chooses to inhabit – from a French nun to a pregnant police officer to a mother grieving her missing daughter. I cannot say I’ve seen everything she’s been in because, holy moly, that woman has an immense body of work – including being the voice of God in the Good Omens series. But here’s a quick look at some favorites:
The Coen Brothers movies defy categorization, and she’s a favorite of theirs, understandable given that she’s married to Joel Coen. Two movies immediately come to mind:
Fargo: Where she plays Margie, the whip-smart local police detective who is investigating what appears to be a random murder. The movie spools into a convoluted tangle of a tale that puts lie to the adage that truth is stranger than fiction. While there might be some real life behind this movie, it’s mostly fiction.
Burn After Reading: The Russians? This movie immediately entered my family’s lexicon of jokes and silly sayings. It might have the most DC vibe of all the Coen Brothers’ movies, and so be a little more relatable to those of us who live in the DMV. A mysterious cache of what appears to be important information pulls gym rats (McDormand and Brad Pitt), the CIA, and a plethora of cameo roles into a darkly funny send-up of the world of international espionage and politics.
Emotional Wringer
McDormand won the Oscar for Best Actress for her role in Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. She plays a distraught and deeply angry mother who rents three roadside billboards to draw attention to her daughter’s unsolved rape and murder. She is, quite literally, willing to burn down her life and the town to get answers.
Artsy, Feel-good
Of all of Wes Anderson’s perfectly composed films, Moonrise Kingdom is probably my favorite. The setting of summer camp on a New England island pairs deliciously with the young lovers Sam and Suzy (as deeply romantic as only 12-year-olds can be), who run away looking for the perfect place to live in harmony. McDormand plays Suzy’s mom, among the many, many stars who inhabit this odd corner of the world. This movie has everything: local theater, police, scouts, dancing on the beach, a lighthouse in a hurricane, and Ed Norton wearing knee socks.
Fun and Funny
Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day, which co-stars two other favorite actors, Amy Adams and Ciaran Hinds, is one of those movies that I will always be willing to watch. In London on the eve of World War II, McDormand plays the strict governess who has become a social secretary to a wealthy, beautiful socialite involved with three men. Romance and shenanigans ensue for the entire cast. (based on a book)
Children’s Story
In an old house in Paris that was covered in vines, lived twelve little girls in two straight lines, the youngest of whom was Madeline.
If you aren’t familiar with Ludwig Bemelmans lovely, rhyming series of stories for children, you might want to start there. Miss Clavel runs the French Catholic boarding school, where Madeline is the fiercest and funniest of orphans destined to steal hearts everywhere. McDormand plays the straight-faced and exasperated nun in a film that runs rampant through the major tourist attractions of Paris. It’s a lot of fun for children and their grownups, each of whom can identify perfectly with their generation’s main character.
Kristen B. is a devoted bookworm lucky enough to work as the graphic designer for HCLS. She likes to read, stitch, dance, and watch baseball (but not all at the same time).
CHAPTER CHATS 