Julie Johnson on DVD
In 2001, a film version of Wendy Hammond's play Julie Johnson was made starring Lili Taylor and Courtney Love. The film was never released theatrically but did play some festivals and won a couple of awards, including "Best Lesbian Feature" at the Philidelphia Gay & Lesbian Festival and "Best Actress: Courtney Love" at LA's Outfest. Finally, the film was rescued by here! TV and has made it's way onto DVD. Julie Johnson is not a perfect movie, but the performances are strong.
Lili Taylor plays the title character, a housewife who never graduated high school but secretly harbors a passion and talent for science. As Julie's best friend Claire, Love gets to play the girl next door (in New Jersey, no less) who finds herself in an unexpected relationship with Taylor's character. The movie is about self-realization and passion, it's about sacrifice and self-preservation, it's about life.
I have always thought that Courtney Love is a fantastic actress, when she is not creating tabloid headlines or mauling herself onstage. A little self-realization goes a long way. From 1986 to 1996, Love made five movies that went largely unnoticed, with the exception of Sid and Nancy in which she has a very small role, eclipsed by the genius of Chloe Webb and Gary Oldman. Then, she starred in The People vs. Larry Flynt opposite Woody Harrelson and Edward Norton. It was a breakout performance that seemed to get her nowhere in the film industry. She made the ensemble comedy 200 Cigarettes, and returned to Milos Forman (who directed Larry Flynt) as Andy Kaufman's girlfriend in 1999's Man On The Moon. Then came the unreleased Beat, where Love played Joan Vollmer who got shot in the head by Keifer Sutherland's William Burroughs, and Julie Johnson. Two unreleased films, back to back, do not bode well for anyone's film career, especially when you follow it up with a movie like Trapped, with Kevin Bacon and Charlize Theron. Trapped is a fairly crappy movie that ends with a plane chasing an SUV down the freeway. Not my kind of drama. Now, they say Love will star as Linda Lovelace in a biopic. I hope not. There was talk of the Scottish play being produced by Luc Besson, with Love as Lady Macbeth. That I would like to see. Hmmmm..... Deep Throat or Shakespeare? What is a girl to do?
Come back to the silver screen, Courtney Love, Courtney Love!
Lili Taylor plays the title character, a housewife who never graduated high school but secretly harbors a passion and talent for science. As Julie's best friend Claire, Love gets to play the girl next door (in New Jersey, no less) who finds herself in an unexpected relationship with Taylor's character. The movie is about self-realization and passion, it's about sacrifice and self-preservation, it's about life.I have always thought that Courtney Love is a fantastic actress, when she is not creating tabloid headlines or mauling herself onstage. A little self-realization goes a long way. From 1986 to 1996, Love made five movies that went largely unnoticed, with the exception of Sid and Nancy in which she has a very small role, eclipsed by the genius of Chloe Webb and Gary Oldman. Then, she starred in The People vs. Larry Flynt opposite Woody Harrelson and Edward Norton. It was a breakout performance that seemed to get her nowhere in the film industry. She made the ensemble comedy 200 Cigarettes, and returned to Milos Forman (who directed Larry Flynt) as Andy Kaufman's girlfriend in 1999's Man On The Moon. Then came the unreleased Beat, where Love played Joan Vollmer who got shot in the head by Keifer Sutherland's William Burroughs, and Julie Johnson. Two unreleased films, back to back, do not bode well for anyone's film career, especially when you follow it up with a movie like Trapped, with Kevin Bacon and Charlize Theron. Trapped is a fairly crappy movie that ends with a plane chasing an SUV down the freeway. Not my kind of drama. Now, they say Love will star as Linda Lovelace in a biopic. I hope not. There was talk of the Scottish play being produced by Luc Besson, with Love as Lady Macbeth. That I would like to see. Hmmmm..... Deep Throat or Shakespeare? What is a girl to do?
Come back to the silver screen, Courtney Love, Courtney Love!
