Great August Stream: Amy Tan and Audrey Hepburn
I’ve never been a huge Amy Tan fan, especially when I realized she was not the author of the fantastic Commander Toad series. (That’s Jane Yolen.)
No, Amy Tan wrote The Joy Luck Club, which is famous for having a movie made about it featuring every Asian actor working in Hollywood in the 1990s. I kid, but seriously. Big cast.
Anyway, Amy Tan: Unintended Memoir is a documentary about her life that was pretty interesting. Not as much about the life of a writer as I would’ve liked, but it was definitely something. I give it a 3 out of 5. On the AHF scale, I rate it 2/3. It is a well-made movie with a lot of heart but not one I have any great desire to see again.
A few days later, I finally watched Audrey, a biopic on Audrey Hepburn that featured many of her living descendants and close family friends. Not as great as I’m making it sound. It was a pretty straightforward look at her life. That said, I could appreciate it for what it was. I did enjoy learning more about one of my favorite actresses. I’ll admit, most of my admiration for Hepburn comes from the fact I’ve had a crush on her since high school.
Now I have even more reasons to admire her. She accomplished a lot in her life, especially after leaving Hollywood to work for UNICEF. I always thought UNICEF had something to do with the UN, but I guess I was wrong. They’re older than the UN.
Audrey Hepburn was a true American hero. At least I think she was American. Not sure what her naturalization status was at the end of her life, when she was living in Switzerland.
4 out of 5 stars, though only a 2/3 on the AHF scale. I don’t have any real desire to see it again, but it is well-made and I could tell everyone put in a lot of work.
Stay tuned, we’re almost at the finish line. The next movie I plan to watch is The Hidden Fortress by Akira Kurosawa. Probably watch that tonight or tomorrow. Then that’s it! No more Netflix and no more HBO Max. Just me, my kindle, and a stack of books just so high that I promised myself I’d read.
