By Susan Granger
Special to WestportNow
“Professor Marston & the Wonder Women” is the most kinky, provocative comic-book superhero ‘origin’ story — and it’s true.
It begins with a public burning of “Wonder Woman” comics and the stern interrogation of Harvard psychologist Dr. William Moulton Marston (Luke Evans) by Josette Frank (Connie Britton) of the Child Study Association of America, who grills him about his subversive obsession with bondage, which Marston maintains symbolizes his motivational theory.
Flash back to when Marston and his even-more-erudite wife, Elizabeth Holloway Marston (Rebecca Hall), were fascinated by human behavior, specifically the manipulative dynamics of his DISC theory (dominance-inducement-submission-compliance).
“Are you normal? What is normal?” Marston quizzes Radcliffe undergrads, noting, “Men’s minds are far too limited, That’s why we need women.”
While testing their new invention (a.k.a. the lie detector), they become besotted by a student, Olive Byrne (Bella Heathcote), the daughter of suffragette Ethel Byrne and niece of birth control pioneer Margaret Sanger. Open-minded Olive hides the Marstons in her sorority so they can observe ritualized hazing.
When Olive moves in, she enjoys sexual relations with both Marstons, which, not surprisingly, leads their expulsion from Harvard. After moving to Rye, New York, their daring threesome continues, as both women bear William’s children while continuing their penchant for costumed S&M role-playing.
In the 1940s, William starts writing stories, incorporating his psychological theories into the composite character of Wonder Woman/Diana Prince, a liberated role model with radical sexual subtext that intrigues comic book publisher E.C. Gaines (Oliver Platt).
Obsessed with the inherent eroticism, Angela Robinson directs from her own heavy-handed script, eliciting surprisingly memorable performances from the trifecta, particularly multifaceted Rebecca Hall — and the timing is perfect since “Wonder Woman” is the pop culture hit of 2017.
If you want to know more, read Jill Lapore’s “The Secret History of Wonder Woman” and David Hadju’s “The Ten-Cent Plague: The Great Comic Book Scare and How It Changed America.”
On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “Professor Marston & the Wonder Women” is an intriguing, unconventional 8, propelled by the feminist superpower.
“Stronger” is the inspiring, true story of 28 year-old Jeff Bauman (Jake Gyllenhaal), who lost both his legs in the infamous 2013 Boston Marathon bombings.
Bauman was a spectator, waiting at the finish line for his ex-girlfriend, Erin Hurley (Tatiana Maslany), who was running for charity. They’d broken up and he was hoping they’d get back together.
He was standing right next to where one of the terrorists had planted a pressure-cooker bomb. It blew off both his legs at the knee. Both Bauman and his cowboy hat-wearing rescuer, Carlos Arredondo (Carlos Sanz), became the symbols of “Boston Strong,” thrust into the spotlight by the media.
Discovering that her son was a double-amputee, Bauman’s overprotective mother Patty (Miranda Richardson) was devastated, turning to cigarettes and booze, while his father (Clancy Brown), uncle (Lenny Clarke) and the rest of his working-class family yelled, cursed and traded insults.
Although Bauman vowed to do whatever it takes to walk again, during the ensuing months of agonizing rehabilitation, he was forced to deal with seemingly insurmountable mental and physical hurdles, many thrust on him because he’d become famous.
At a Boston Bruins Stanley Cup game, when Erin pushes him out onto the ice in his wheelchair to wave the American flag, the ensuing noise and chaos give him a panic attack.
Based on a memoir by Bauman and Brett Witter, it’s scripted by John Pollono and directed by David Gordon Green, who focus on relationships and conclude with footage of the real Jeff and Erin.
Although Jake Gyllenhaal delivers a memorable performance, it’s too bad that a disabled actor wasn’t given the chance. Years ago, William Wyler cast Harold Russell, who lost his hands in a training accident during World War II, as a veteran in “The Best Years of Our Lives,” and he won a Best Supporting Actor Oscar.
On the Granger Gauge, “Stronger” is a steadfast 7, revealing the faith it takes to survive this ordeal.
Although “Blade Runner 2049” cost $150+ million and brings back Harrison Ford (albeit not until too late), French/Canadian director Denis Villenueve’s gamble to revive the franchise hasn’t paid off.
First, it’s relevant that Ridley Scott’s 1982’s neo-noir thriller wasn’t a big box-office success. Second, it’s 35 years later, and many hardcore sci-fi fans who were dazzled by the original aren’t around anymore.
Set three decades into the future, the ominously bleak, dystopian Los Angeles cityscape with its constant rain and neon-lit grime is stunning.
After an upgraded Nexus 9 replicant LAPD Officer “K” (Ryan Gosling) hunts down and kills an outdated Nexus 8, Sapper Morton (Dave Bautista), he stumbles across a secret that his steely supervisor, Lt. Joshi (Robin Wright) fears will destroy the delicate balance between replicants and humans.
It seems that a previous generation of replicants were able to reproduce — and there’s a child out there to prove it: the offspring of the android Rachael (Sean Young) and Det. Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford).
Creepy robot-manufacturer Niander Wallace (Jared Leto) with his replicant Luv (Sally Hoecks) are determined to discover how the Tyrell Corporation (from the first film) made its androids capable of procreation, so he can use that technology to increase replicant production.
In the interim, “K” has embedded memories, giving him the illusion of human experience. While enduring his existential crisis, “K” has a compliant AI companion, a hologram aptly named Joi (Ana de Armas), whom he thinks he “loves.” Which poses the essential question: “Do machines have feelings?”
Riffing on Philip K. Dick’s characters from “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?” co-screenwriters Hampton Fancher and Michael Green support Denis Villenueve’s vision which consistently emphasizes the gritty style/production design over the slow-paced story.
On the Granger Gauge, “Blade Runner 2049” is a visually striking, surreal 6, perhaps earning cinematographer Roger A. Deakins his 14th Oscar nomination and first Academy Award.
(Editor’s Note: Westport resident Susan Granger grew up in Hollywood, studied journalism with Pierre Salinger at Mills College, and graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with highest honors in journalism. In addition to writing for newspapers and magazines, she has been on radio/television as an anchorwoman and movie/drama critic for many years. See her reviews at www.susangranger.com.)
