Cover of Shenandoah

The Virginia farmer acted by James Stewart in Shenandoah (1965) has every intention of keeping himself and his family neutral in the War Between The States, but abundant gloom descends after Yankee soldiers make a costly mistake, etc.  It is impossible to buy much of what James Lee Barrett‘s script proffers us, such as a group of Johnny Rebs escaping from Yanks on a wharf (ineptly directed by Andrew V. McLaglen.)  There are some gripping and pleasurable moments, though, just not enough of them.

Human relations can get so loathsome.  In last night’s Jane the Virgin, a very pregnant Petra treated Jane condescendingly, bitchily, before the unexpected childbearing, and Paolo (Ana De la Reguera), who seemed so sane at first, continued to keep Rogelio captive in a non-dingy locked apartment.  And then we hear that Xiomara has invited into the family’s lives a man who represents “bad luck.”  The telenovela problems and antics were strong—the episode was teeming with them.  Here’s one of the antics: Petra named her two newborn daughters Elsa and Anna, which names are from the animated movie, Frozen, though Petra didn’t know that.

I’ve been waiting for something meaningful to happen on Jane, as it has before, and last night something somewhat meaningful did.  Jane imagined, with images on the screen, what it would have been like had she never broken up with Michael.  She sees that human relations in this case would have been quite nice.

Human relations can get so loathsome.  In last night’s Jane the Virgin, a very pregnant Petra treated Jane condescendingly, bitchily, before the unexpected childbearing, and Paolo (Ana De la Reguera), who seemed so sane at first, continued to keep Rogelio captive in a non-dingy locked apartment.  And then we hear that Xiomara has invited into the family’s lives a man who represents “bad luck.”  The telenovela problems and antics were strong—the episode was teeming with them.  Here’s one of the antics: Petra named her two newborn daughters Elsa and Anna, which names are from the animated movie, Frozen, though Petra didn’t know that.

I’ve been waiting for something meaningful to happen on Jane, as it has before, and last night something somewhat meaningful did.  Jane imagined, with images on the screen, what it would have been like had she never broken up with Michael.  She sees that human relations in this case would have been quite nice.

Directed by Marielle Heller, The Diary of a Teenage Girl (2015) is morally detached from its depiction of sexual indulgence, and, in the end, mildly stupid.  An unconvincing paean to self-esteem, in fact.

No sale.