Wicked and Blitz

I saw the movies Wicked and Blitz over the weekend, so it was quite a few days of one-word movie titles.

I went in to Wicked with no expectations. I have not read the 1995 book or seen the musical. About all I knew about it is that it's about the Wicked Witch of the West (aka Elphaba) and her complicated relationship with Glinda the Good Witch. (Apologies to any and all Wicked fans if I screw up any of the details). The bottom line is that I enjoyed it. Both of the co-leads (Cynthia Erivo/Elphaba) and Ariana Grande/Glinda) are good. I especially enjoyed the humor that Grande brought to her performance. It's crazy to think I've been aware of her since 2010, when she was an 18-year-old on the Nickelodeon kids' show VicTORIous and played Cat Valentine, the airheaded friend of the show's main character Tori Vega (Victoria Justice). The show was apparently a star vehicle for Victoria Justice, but it is Ariana Grande--who was just a small part of the ensemble cast--who shot to fame and fortune. (I have no idea what Victoria Justice is doing now).

I need to stress that the only reason I ever watched VicTORIous was because our kids watched it. It was a show that they liked, along with other Nick shows iCarly and Drake & Josh.

Last night, we watched Blitz on Apple TV+. Blitz takes place during the Battle of Britain in World War II when Germany was bombing the hell out of London and other British cities. The movie follows a nine-year-old mixed race boy named George who, much to his dismay and protestations, is evacuated from his home in Stepney Green, London by his concerned mother Rita (played with steely determination by Saoirse Ronan). George loves his mother, his home, and his taciturn but loving grandfather Gerald (played by one of yours truly's rock heroes, Paul Weller of The Jam, in a rare acting role). 

George encounters consistent racism as a bi-racial kid growing up in early '40s Britain. He never knew his father, who was deported to Grenada before George's birth. His mother, grandfather, and modest home in Stepney Green are all he knows and loves, so he is understandably confused and angry when Rita puts him on the train to leave London. In the rural countryside outside of London, George jumps off the train and thus begins his Ulysses-like journey back to London, where he encounters numerous obstacles and people (with both good and bad intentions). 

Blitz has received mixed reviews, but I quite enjoyed it. There are likely many people who have no idea what happened in the actual blitzkrieg against Britain, and I hope this movie educates them in an entertaining way. It's also a good reminder that Allied nations, aka "the good guys," were not immune to racism and hatred. Yes, the movie lacks subtlety when addressing this, but there was likely little subtlety in racist attitudes in 1940s Britain.

I'd be remiss if I didn't mention one of my favorite scenes in the movie, which is the very first one: Gerald (Weller) is alone playing an upright piano in his parlor with his beloved tabby cat at his side. I instantly on board with this movie based on that opening scene.