A horror story for real life. You’re watching Beyond The Trailer’s review of Still Alice...
Alzheimer’s disease only happens to old people! Or does it? On the one hand, thanks
to the Baby Boomer generation, getting older is being redefined - where suddenly, people
in their fifties, sixties and even seventies don’t seem that different from the rest
of us. Then there’s early-onset Alzheimer’s, where the disease takes hold before the age
of sixty-five. While that only accounts for ten percent or less of all Alzheimer’s cases,
it’s still out there, lurking. In fact, as the big two - cancer and AIDS - become
more and more manageable, Hollywood is beginning to turn an eye towards these other illnesses
which are no less devastating - and flourishing as we continue to live longer. So Still Alice,
based on the best selling first novel by neuroscientist Lisa Genova, tells the story of Dr Alice Howland
- a professor at Columbia who’s married with three older children, only to discover
she’s been diagnosed with early onset Alzheimers. Julianne Moore, fifty-four, stars and Still
Alice has contributed to a boffo year for the actress. She’s double nominated at the
Golden Globes for Still Alice and David Cronenberg’s Maps to the Stars - winning for this movie
Alice - plus she also co-starred as President Coin in The Hunger Games Mockingjay Part 1.
She’s been nominated four times for an Oscar, but never won - which could really help her
chances this year. It’s also interesting to see director-writer duo Richard Glatzer
and Wash Westmoreland - who are also married - go from Lifetime’s first feature The Last
of Robin Hood to a film that’s a strong awards contender - at least for Moore’s
turn. But hey, still, all these nominations are sure to help the pair move forward with
their next feature. Not bad considering Westmoreland’s first big hit was the gay porn film Naked
Highway, which swept the porn awards circuit way back in 1997. See? You never know where
life is going to take you, and Still Alice shows it can take you places that are both
wonderful, for Westmoreland...and terrifying, for Moore’s Dr
Alice Howland...