My Reviews- TV, Movies, Restaurants and Whatever Else I Feel Like Talking About!

Mini Movie Reviews

2010-11-11T10:47:00.000-08:00

Cavite-2006
This indie thriller has some good points, but some big bad points too. First of all just to much POV camera action. Also, it is SO hard to believe that you just can't get into it so much. It is good for the tension it creates as a young man goes home to the Philippines and because a pawn in a terror plot. 2.5 of 5 stars.

The Lost City-2005
Some will say that this movie is too sentimental. But there is heart to it and you can see it is a labor of love for Andy Garcia. A tale of Havana before Castro, Garcia show no partiality to the Bautista regime the proceeded Castro, except maybe that they allowed more beauty. It is a film that I very much liked, because it had so much heart. 4.5 stars of 5.

The Secret of Kells- 2009
An animated film of mythic Ireland, the movie is magical and mysterious. The faeries do inhabit the land as orthodoxy tries to change how people live. The animation is equally magical. It was nominated for best animated feature and did not win the Oscar...but it came close in my mind. 4 of 5 stars.

Yentl- 1983
Barbra's labor of love here, a film she spent years trying to make. She stars in and directs this musical film about a young woman who so much wants to learn of god, she defies all convention and acts as a man to learn the Talmud. It is a very moving story and sometimes very funny, as Barbra can be. 4 of 5 stars.

The Irish Tenors- 2000
This concert that was originally on PBS has two concerts from the Irish Tenors. I enjoyed the first much more than the second. The beautifully sung Irish songs and ballads are touching, and the feeling that the tenors imbue in each selection is very moving. 4 of 5 stars.

TV Season- Update

2010-10-22T21:28:00.000-07:00

This season sucks for new shows. I dropped No Ordinary Family, it was very ordinary. Only tow new shoes made it to my list, the ass kicking shows, Hawaii Five 0, and Nikita.

Everything else has been BORING and bad.

Of my old shoes...Chuck should be done this season and Parenthood may not make it through the season.

Still enjoying Modern Family and Cougar Town, and also Community. 30 Rock has improved over last season. Any of those "old shows" I would still miss. Fringe has also been quite good this season.

But overall, the season blows on network.

Mad Men finished its fourth season, and it is still just mind blowing. The enigma that is Don Draper continues to impress, and John Hamm is great in the role. As usual, an impressive season, and the show will be missed...A LOT!

More Mini Movie Reviews

2010-10-22T20:33:00.000-07:00

Cirque de Freak: The Vampire's Assistant- 2009
Definitely a movie based on a tween book series. Not that it is all bad, actually somewhat interesting...but if they had been able to adult it up, it would have been much better. 3 of 5 stars.

Obsessed- 2009
Critics did not like this erotic thriller, but I liked it. Beyonce kicks some serious white slut ass as a wife whose husband is hit on by a Fatal Attraction type. She takes matters into her own hands eventually. Ali Larter is great as the conniving slut, and it is a fun, escapist movie. 4 of 5.

American Gun- 2002
This movie is a thoughtful piece on the life of a gun, who were the owners, how it travelled. the ultimate destination remains a surprise to the end, though you think you know. James Coburn is very good in one of his last roles. 4 out of 5 stars.

Amistad- 1997
Hard to believe I had never seen this Steven Spielberg directed historical saga. The journey of the shit, The Amistad, a slaver, is disputed all the way to the Supreme Court, with ex-president John Quincey Adams arguing the case. Great cast with Anthony Hopkins as Adams, and Morgan Freeman in a great role as an ex-slave. Not as good as Schindler's List, but very good. 5 of 5 stars.

The Secret in Their Eyes-2010
The winner of best foreign film these past Oscars, this is a fantastic Argentinian movie. Part detective story, a few parts love story, with a bit of film noir thrown in, it is really a enjoyable piece of film viewing. The two leads are perfect, and the ending is a bit unexpected, but almost inevitable. Really really good movie. Highly recommended! 5 of 5.

5 Mini Movie Reviews

2010-10-20T08:34:00.000-07:00

So close to being caught up!

2012- 2009
This movie reminded me of those old disaster movies of the week that used to be around--The Towering Inferno, the Posieden Adventure, Airport. this was ALL those old movies rolled into one! LOL! And it weasn't bad, but for spending so damn much money making it, it wasn't good either. Still, a somewhat fun distraction. 3.5 out of 5.

Passengers- 2008
A like Anne Hathaway quite a bit, but even she can't save this movie...she saves it from being a total stinker though. The plot is something along the lines of "I see dead people," and is apparent early on, andjust plods the rest of the way, trying to convince you it is clever. 2.5 of 5, and that is because of Hathaway.

Drag Me to Hell- 2009
A friend of mine loves horror movies and thinks this is a great B movie. It is a B movie, but I was not as enamored of it. While at time suspenseful, it also was at times pretty dumb. 3 of 5.

Savior- 1998
This movie starts off a bit slow, but pays off big time as it gets rolling. Dennis Quaid stars as a military liason who loses his wife and kid in a terrorist bombing and joins the French Foreign Legion. He starts regaining his ideals and humanity when he saves a pregnant Serbian woman from being killed. Their journey together is moving and dangerous. 4 of 5.

Seraphine- 2008
I can't recommend this fabulous movie enough. The true story of an artist who spent most of her life as a working drudge, cleaning lady, washing woman etc., while finding time to still make her own paints, and then do spectacular work. The movie grows and grows on you, and it is really quite special. 5 of 5 for this French film.

More Minis

2010-10-19T11:00:00.000-07:00

Beyond Rangoon- 1994
Despite Patricia Arquette's acting being a bit stilted, this was still a good movie because of the subject matter. Arquette plays an American woman caught in Burma during a political crackdown on protests, a Burma that has no free press and no way to tell the story of the brutality of the regime. Her escape to Thailand along with many Burmese in fear of their lives is harrowing and compelling. 4 of 5 stars.

Ajami- 2009
This nominee for best foreign film is quite good. Telling a few stories of the lives of Palestinians, and the confusing arragnements they must make to try to live a normal life---arrangements with family heads, tribal leaders, other clans, neighborhood gangs and the overriding presence of Israel, the story can be confusing. But that goes hand in hand with the confusion many of the characters feel. 4 of 5 stars.

Last Holiday-2006
It is not a great film, but very humorous, and I tell you, Queen Latifah has old movie star charm. She can bring it! It shines from her. She makes this film better than pedestrian. 4 out of 5 stars.

Underworld: Evolution- 2006
This is a terrible film...how Kate Beckinsale got caught in this dog, I don't know. The acting? Bad. The lines? Bad. the plot? Terrible. The special effects? Laughable. 1 star out of 5...and barely that.

Firewall- 2006
Ehhhh...very so-so. Really, Harrison Ford has to give up the action hero gig. It is just becoming ludicrous. The story was barely passable, but the acting was OK. Skip it unless you have run out of other options. 3 of 5.

Movies- More Mini Reviews

2010-10-17T20:54:00.000-07:00

Catching Up---

A Prophet- 2009
A Prophet is a good movie, nominated for best foreign film at the Oscars, but it took me awhile to get into it and figure out who everyone was. After that it caught on. But patience is needed. 4 of 5

The African Queen- 1951
A film by the legendary John Huston, this movie, a classic remains such in its BluRay release. Bogie is in a great role here, and Hepburn is the symbol for strong women before the age of women's lib. The film is a classic for a good reason, it is just great! I has seen parts of the film before, seeing the whole thing, just not at once. It was great seeing it all as one piece. 5 of 5 easily.

Night of the Iguana- 1964
Another just terrific John Huston film. Starring Richard Burton and Ava Gardner and set on a peninsula off Puerto Vallarta, this film is funny, and the acting is stellar. Burton is a defrocked minister leading a religious tour group in Mexico. As he comes to the end of his line he pulls the bus into an inn run by an old friend, Gardner. And the fireworks begin! 5 of 5, again, easily!

Winter Passing- 2006
This is an odd film, where everything does not quite work, but what does work, works really well. A daughter comes home to her hermit-like author father (can you say JD Salinger) trying to get his hidden works published for some quick cash. But he has some other agendas in mind, and new friends who now occupy his house. Strange but pretty good 3.5 of of 5.

Prime-2005
This film was marketed as more of a comedy, but it turns pretty damn serious and so it is unexpected. It is good, but not great. As usual Meryl is great, but the plot, of a shrink whose patient starts going out with her son, is not strong. Uma is Uma!!! 3.5 out of 5.

Movies- More Mini Reviews

2010-10-17T10:17:00.000-07:00

It's Complicated- 2009
While there are many things I liked about It's Complicated, I did not like that the characters had no insight into themselves, or each other. I did like that it showed somewhat older people with passion! That is refreshing from the young and perfect in much of Hollywood. And it was funny. But I could not help thinking, "C'mon, how is she falling for that?!?!" 4 of 5 stars.

The Producers- 2005
Felt a little too much like the play at some points, meaning that in screen it was a bit stilted. BUT, the stars are fabulous, who woulda know Matthew Broderick was quite such a song and dance man. And UMA! Va va VOOOOOM! Despite the play like tendencies, still a fun evening watching this musical. 4 of 5.

The Merchant of Venice- 2004
Al Pacino as Shylock?? Whoever came up with that casting should be knighted. He was a PERFECT Shylock! And he plays the role with his heart. This movie was a great take on the Bard's classic play, and I ended up feeling like Shylock was the hero, and the others were assho*&s. 4 of 5 stars.

The Invention of Lying- 2009
I think Ricky Gervais is just out and out funny. And this movie, which he also directed, is a great vehicle for him. Set in a world where there are no untruths, everybody says what they are thinking, you realize how nice filters are. Some great lines, including Jennifer Garner, as she answers the door for their date, as she chides him for being early. She says, "I was just masturbating." His response, "That makes me think of your vagina." I was rolling! Me too Ricky! LMAO! 4.5 of 5 stars.

The Informant!- 2009
This movie was just lame. Matt Damon played it as well as he could, but the whole plot was just uninteresting. I could barely keep watching it. 1.5 out of 5.

Movies- Minis

2010-10-16T08:23:00.000-07:00

More minis---starting to catch up!

Che- 2008
I have heard it was a labor of love for Benicio del Toro, and Che needs to be because it is long, with the second half feeling longer than the first. The first are of his Cuban exploits, and the second, his acts in Bolivia trying to overthrow that government. While both are good, and make excellent companion pieces, if you only have time for one, take the first. 4 of 5 stars.

Cyber Wars- 2006
Unwatchable...terrible, could not watch the whole thing. 1 out of 5.

Pandorum- 2009
It is not a bad sci-fi/horror film, but it wasn't great either. Finding themselves the only ones around as they come out of suspended animation, two astronauts have to discover how their ship has been taken over by aliens. 3 out of 5.

The White Countess- 2005
There are a lot of faults you can find with The White Countess, but if you just let it sweep you along, it works. The acting of the late Natasha Richardson and Ralph Fiennes help this film get through some bad plotting. A historical, romantic saga that gets to the heart. 4 out of 5.

Date Night- 2010
You know the pairing of Steve Carrell and Tina Fey could either be very good, or turn very bad. Luckily it turned very good in this very funny, and surprisingly endearing comedy. As a married couple who are trying to make time for each other, the movie lets both shine in their own peculiar way. 5 out of 5 stars.

Movies- Minis

2010-10-15T07:59:00.000-07:00

Amelia- 2009
A biopic of Amelia Earhart, the movie is pretty tepid. I think Hilary Swank is pretty good, but the script left a lot to be desired, including some fire...all in all it plays it too safe, unlike Earhart herself. 3 of 5 stars.

Chloe-2009
An erotic thriller, this one was pretty good and pretty steamy (and I mean that in a good way!). Julianne Moore thinks her hubby (Liam Neeson) is cheating so hires a call girl to "test" him and his loyalty to their marriage. What ensues is deceit, but where those lies originate is the question. 4 of 5.

Little Fish- 2006
I love Kate Blanchett, and she of course was good in her role as an ex-junkie trying to turn her life around. But the rest of the acting fell way behind, and the script itself could not keep up with the star. 3 out of 5.

A Single Man- 2009
The movie received several, well-deserved Oscar nominations. Colin Firth is his best here, and Julianne Moore is top of the line too. Firth is a man dejected by the death of his lover, and though he puts on a good outward appearance, he is dying inside. Touching and very moving, the film is not dreary, and sometimes very funny. 4 of 5.

Nixon- 1995
Another Oliver Stone mega-size film of a politician. But Nixon has always been an intrigue and a cypher...balancing between brilliance and abject darkness. And while Anthony Hopkins does not imitate Nixon, somehow he captures so much of that essence that it is scary. Brilliant delving into the mind of a paranoid man. It is the stuff of literature, the fatal flaw that does in a powerful man. 5 of 5.

Spread- 2009
This Ashton Kutcher starring vehicle turned out to be pretty good. Erotic, he plays a man who uses his sexuality with women to get a nice lifestyle...he has nothing if not for that. But what happens when that goes away. Anne Heche is also hot as the cougar who takes him in. STEAMY! 4 of 5

Movies- More Mini Movie Reviews

2010-10-15T07:41:00.000-07:00

The White Ribbon- 2009
A nominee for best foreign film, The White Ribbon is a film about power and fear. But sometimes it is too subtle for its own good, and needed to be a bit more forthcoming sooner in the movie. 4 of 5 stars.

Body of Lies- 2008
Really good cast, with Leonardo DiCaprio and Russell Crowe, the movie feels like a "been there done that" sorta thing. Nothing really original here, and sometimes goes a bit far on the believability front. If you are going to be gritty, you have to have some basis in believability. 3 of 5.

Bee Season- 2005
What a dud! Richard Gere plays a total crap head father who does so much harm to his kids while thinking himself this loving, supportive man...it is just a bad movie over all, I got sick of him and it. 2 of 5.

JFK: Special Edition- 1991
I had never seen this movie from Oliver Stone and had wanted to. The special edition made it even longer, but it was worth the ride. While I don't know if I believe Stone's version of the events, I certainly do not believe the Mitchell Report either. A load of crap that they hoped all would buy. Kevin Costner is excellent in this intriguing and thoughtful film. 4 of 5 stars.

The Girlfriend Experience- 2009
Shot in about 2 weeks with a measly $2 million budget, this is an pretty good movie. Very explicit, starring real life porn star Sasha Grey (and she does an excellent job) as a high class call girl, it is an exploration of sex, love and how it is hard to keep the two apart always. 4 stars out of 5.

Movies- More Movie Minis

2010-10-14T10:04:00.000-07:00

The Godfather Part III- 1990
The worst of the Godfather trilogy...but that is not too damning. Because the worst of the Godfather is still a great movie. Some people complained about Sofia Coppola, but seeing it again, I thought she was fine. Some people complained about the pope subplot. Again, it worked for me. 4.5 of 5.

I Love You, Man- 2009
This is a funny movie about a guy who is getting married, but realizes he has no close male friends to be in his wedding party. So he goes searching for a best friend. Paul Rudd is very funny here. 4 out of 5.

Burma VJ- 2008
Nominated for best documentary, this film focuses on the people who report, illegally, on the activities of repression inside of Burma. They are not objective, but they are telling the truth. The repression of the dictatorial state is horrible. And that these brave people still try to tell it is a testament to the need for a free press.

Waiting...- 2005
A tepid comedy about the food service industry, particularly the chain restaurant business. Though you can see that Ryan Reynolds is a budding star, the movie is so-so. 3 of 5 stars.

Incendiary- 2008
An unexpected film for me...I thought it would be more mainstream, but it feels VERY indie. MIchelle Williams is very good as a woman who lost her husband and son in a terrorist attack while she was having an affair. The emotional toll is strong. 4 of 5 stars.

Movies- More Minis

2010-10-13T09:26:00.000-07:00

Two Lovers- 2008
A good but somewhat quirky drama about a man who is trying to decide between two women who are opposites...one offers a safe and secure alternative, the other a wild ride. Joaquin Phoenix and Gwyneth Paltrow star in the film. 4 of 5 stars.

Invictus- 2009
Morgan Freeman as Nelson Mandela...you cannot lose with that casting, now can you? Invictus is a really good movie about South Africa trying to heal the huge wounds caused by apartheid, and how their rugby team was part of that healing process. Freeman and Matt Damon both received Oscar noms for their roles here. 4.5 star out of 5.

The Godfather, Part II- 1974
The best of the trilogy and easily one of the top 20 films ever made. With De Niro playing a young Victor Corleone juxtaposed against the current story of Al Pacino's Michael Corleone taking over the family business, the movie is so good, it seems perfect!
It won best picture, best director and best actor for De Niro. All of which are richly deserved. Perhaps Pacino's best, most nuanced role. 5 of 5 stars. Dammit...6 of 5 stars!!!!

Easy Virtue-2008
I thought I would like this light-hearted romp through stuffy British nobles. But what starts as farce becomes drama, with no buffer. The film just devolves as a result. 2.5 stars out of 5.

The Last Station- 2009
The film is about Tolstoy's last year of life, and the strife that his belief system causes with his wife. Acting greats Christopher Plummer and Helen Mirren star as the Tolstoys, and James McAvoy is Tolstoy's assistant who sees nobility in both of them. 4 of 5 stars.

Movies- Even More Mini Reviews

2010-10-12T19:58:00.001-07:00

I told you all I was behind on these!

Cinema Paradiso- 1988
I had always heard of this classic, but never had seen it....Now I know why it is spoken of with such reverence. Beautiful, touching, funny, heart warming, heart breaking, and simply wonderful. It is one of the best films I have seen. It is about a young boy who befriends a cinema projectionist, but really, it is about life. 5 of 5.

Everything is Illuminated- 2005
A bit strange, and strangely touching. A movie about how the past forms the present. Starring Elijah Wood in a very un-hobbit like role. 4 of 5 stars.

Sherlock Holmes- 2009
I am one who actually really liked this re-imagining of the Sherlock Holmes legend...and the bringing in of the darker parts of the Holmes stories...such as he was a drug addict. And hell, anything with Robert Downey Jr. in it automatically gets another star...he is that good! 4 of 5.

Paradise Now- 2005
While it does not try to justify suicide bombers, it does try to explain the process by which young men become these weapons of fundimentalism. Following two young men who are going to become bombers, the movie treads a fine line...but it works and gives thoughtful people pause. 4 of 5 stars.

The Godfather- 1972
Damn...I had forgotten how good this movie was! Brando was perfect. Pacino? Forget about it! Wow. No wonder it won the Oscar for best film. One of the best pieces of film making ever! 5 of 5. Wish I could give it more! Re-watch if you haven't seen it for a long time! GREAT movie!

Movies- More Mini Reviews

2010-10-12T13:10:00.000-07:00

Dreamer: Inspired by a True Story- 2005
I'm not easily a sucker for these types of movies, kids and horses don't usually do it for me. But this one is really damn good, partially because of Dakota Fanning, who delivers just a terrific performance. Backing her up are Kurt Russell. Elizabeth Shue and Kris Kristoffersson, who act their hearts out in this flick. This is a terrific movie. 5 of 5 stars.

The Color Purple- 1985
I had not seen this since it first came out in theaters in 1985, and I wanted to see how it had aged. It is has aged pretty damn well. One of the first big films by then little knows Steven Spielberg, you can see him not quite as adept as he later became. But this one hits you right in the solar plexus emotionally, and it remains a film icon. Great performances by Whoopi and Oprah. 5 of 5 stars.

In the Mix- 2005
A vehicle to show start power to the singer Usher, this movie is pretty ordinary. Though he has appeal, the plot is poor, and the rest of the actors don't do a great job. Usher should stick to singing I think. 3 of 5.

Buffalo Boy- 2004
I usually really like this type of foreign film, about a young man in Vietnam trying to save his buffalo from the floods and ends up on a journey that is formative. But this one seemed to lack emotional resonance and dragged. 3 of 5 stars.

Weeds: Season 5- 2009
The show has gotten pretty bizarre, and though still entertaining, it is getting darker and darker. The season finale, though, blew my mind! Not sure where they go from here, but I hope it may lighten up just a bit. 4 of 5 stars.

Movies- Mini Reviews

2010-10-12T07:16:00.000-07:00

A few more minis:

Nine-2009
This may have been a great play, but it just did not translate well to the screen. They tried, especially with the all star cast, or which Penelope Cruz (sigh) was nominated for best supporting actress, but no emotion came through, no empathy. It felt empty.
3 of 5 stars.

The Messenger-2009
A moving story of two service men who have the job of telling families that their loved one died while in service to their country. The bond that grows between the two is touching as is the job they must do. Woody Harrelson was nominated for best supporting actor for his role, and though he did not win, he really was fantastic. 4 of 5 stars.

Network-1976
I had not seen this film since I took a film class at Mesa in the early 80s! Still entertaining, and still prophetic of what was to come, especially of how corporations take over coercive elements and make them part of the corporate structure. Also prophetic about how media would become entertainment. Still love the "I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take it anymore!" scenes. 4 of 5 stars.

Extract-2009
Starring Ben Affleck and Jason Bateman, this little comedy was funny and fairly well done. It did not get much play in the media, but Bateman always seems to deliver. 4 of 5 stars.

Game 6- 2005
It tries...it really does...it tries to be meaningful and insightful, and to use baseball as a metaphor for life...but it just is depressing. You want to shake some of these people, especially star Michael Keaton and wake them up...or at least score some anti-depressants for them! 3 of 5.

Movie- Mini Reviews

2010-10-11T09:25:00.000-07:00

More minis:

A Serious Man- 2009
A very different movie for the Coen brothers, this movie was really odd, about a man who longed to be good, serious and a decent person, but keeps being stymied. Very odd, but in a strange way, satisfying. Nominated for best picture and did not win. 4 of 5 stars.

King Kong- 2005
This was the movie that made my friend Sharon think I should be Jack Black for Halloween! LOL! Big, boisterous, this Peter Jackson remake of the classic story was not as bad as critics said. Should have been a bit shorter though...longer is not always better Mr. Jackson! (That's what she said!) 4 out of 5 stars.

House of Wax- 2005
Seriously, I don't know why I put this in my queue. Maybe to see just how bad Paris Hilton is---this schlock horror movie lives down to its reputation. Short on scares and even shorter on acting. Not even good for Halloween. 2 out of 5 stars.

Avatar- 2009
Holy crap what an amazing movie! I don't understand that people said it did not have a storyline. Must have seen a different movie than me! And the visuals...WOW WOW and WOW!!! Nominated for best picture among other, it did not win. Maybe he should have won best director though. 5 out of 5 stars!

9- 2009
This animated feature, co-produced by Tim Burton is a dystopian nightmare of a future, with humans eliminated from Earth, but our own doing. Really good animation and story. 4 of 5 stars.

Crazy Heart- 2009
Jeff Bridges totally deserved to win best actor here, and I am glad he did. That the song writers made these new songs seem like tried and true classics is a tribute to them and the creators of the film. Excellent movie. Excellent performance by Bridges. 5 of 5 stars!

Movies- Several Mini Reviews

2010-10-11T09:11:00.000-07:00

I am WAY behind on my movie reviews, so I will do several ultra mini reviews and see how far I get:

The Lovely Bones-2009
Hard book to make into a movie-but they did a credible job. Stanley Tucci was nominated for best supporting actor, and though creepy, did not deserve a win, and he did not get it. 4 stars out of 5.

Public Enemies- 2009
Johnny Depp did a excellent John Dillinger, and the movie did a nice job showing the changing culture in America, that at first idolized the outlaws, but then demonized them. 4 stars out of 5.

Get Rich or Die Tryin'- 2005
A showcase for 50 Cent, the movie is mediocre at best. Take a pass. 2.5 stars out of 5.

Sugar- 2008
Very good baseball movie, and also good in broader sense of showing how immigrants can get too caught up in the American dream, and without a good balance, don't always see the down side of it. 4 out of 5 stars.

Serenity-2005
The follow up to the fantastic Firefly series, this movie delivered for fans of the show. Don't know if general viewers would enjoy it as much, but I did! 5 stars!

New TV Season- Update, Undercovers

2010-10-04T07:50:00.001-07:00

Another week and another BORING episode of Undercovers! And after two episode I am dropping the new series. Despite a very attractive cast, great settings and really good production values...it still is a yawn-fest, so it is gone.

So far I have only picked up two shows, Hawaii Five-0 and Nikita, with the jury still being out on No Ordinary Family (though I am leaning no). That is not very many shows, way under my norm.

A returning show having terrible ratings is Parenthood, and I feel like it may be dropped if it continues to flounder.

New TV Season- No Ordinary Family

2010-10-01T10:05:00.000-07:00

No Ordinary Family debuted this week on ABC, and it could be a pretty good show. It has a Heroes touch to it, but much lighter and not as sinister. The premise is that this ordinary family, husband, wife and two kids go on a vacation and their small plane goes down in a storm. They crash into this lake, that is eerily green. When they get back home they each discover they have enhanced abilities...strength, speed, telepathy and computer like brain.

What keeps this from being just like Heroes is the family aspect of it. The show tries to keep the family relationships and turmoils on par with the super hero stuff. It is a really fine balance, and I don't know if they can keep it up. But I am willing to go along for a few episodes and find out before I make a decision.

BTW- Running Wilde is now off my viewing list. Second episode did not make me laugh at all, just a few smiles. There is too much other stuff on to keep it.

New Tv Season- Fringe

2010-09-25T17:12:00.000-07:00

The first episode continued the fantastic second half from last year...this series has REALLY hit its stride with a great over-arching story line that meshes well with also episodic shows. All the actors really hit full stride also last year, and started this year very well, with Anna Torv playing herself and her doppleganger from "over there."

Mythic story-telling, tender moments (especially when Torv shows vulnerability) and excellent scripts, I hope Fringe will have a great season!

New TV Season- NBC Thursday Comedies

2010-09-25T17:05:00.001-07:00

Well, Parks and REc is not back till mid-season, I have no interest in Outsourced, and have decided to cut The Office from my viewing schedule, so the only Thursday night comedies from NBC right now are Community and 30 Rock.

Community, in its first season had ups and downs, it started strong, sputtered and then was terrific in its second half. And the premiere continued that trend of the second half. A funny and smart first episode, with a guest shot by Betty White (jeez, is she in frickin' everything now? C'mon Betty, even old people can be over-exposed---on the other hand, she does not have that long to earn anymore---More power to her!!!!) Community is the NBC sitcom I look most forward to nowadays.

As for 30 Rock. It still makes me laugh, and I feel it is trying to bit a bit less smarmy and self-satisified as it premiered. It is trying to get back to funny, not just tongue in cheek funny, and I think it is a good idea. It was a good first episode, and it was funny to see the relaxed Jack, with the scruffy beard and long hair! I think and hope 30 Rock will make a big comeback from what I thought was a mediocre season last year.

New TV Season-Undercovers

2010-09-25T11:00:00.000-07:00

Well, I was underwhelmed by Undercovers. I know NBC put in a lot of hype on this one, and it looks great. Obviously they spent a lot on the pilot filming in Spain and Paris, but while sleek and fun, it was not that great.

The cast too looks great, I mean the two leads are both HOT! And they have pretty good chemistry as husband and wife, but there is still a little something lacking there.

I will give it a couple of more episodes, but if it does not improve, it is gone from my watching list.

New TV Season- Modern Family/Cougar Town

2010-09-25T10:55:00.001-07:00

Well, the premiere was not as funny as some episodes have been, but it was still pretty darn good. Manny busts me up, and Gloria not liking the girls he is seeing was funny!

I hope the second season of my favorite comedy continues its success.

Cougar Town made a nice transformation in its first season, starting off a bit week and really getting into its groove halfway through the season. This group of friends that is really family, that love to drink ("Hey there alkies", the son often says) and that are all still nervous about what life has to bring became better and better, with silliness and sweetness.

The first episode started the season off strong, and it is still one of the most enjoyable shows.

New TV Season-Running Wilde

2010-09-22T17:32:00.000-07:00

Running Wilde is a show that I will probably need at least three episodes to decide on. I liked the first episode, it made me laugh.
But I can also see where it could be a show that does not allow for much growth at all.

Starring Will Arnett and the lovely Keri Russell, the show was created by the people who made Arrested Development. But it may not have the ooomph the latter show had.

I will keep you appraised as to its final disposition, but all I can say truthfully right now is that the first episode made us both laugh. It could go very downhill from there.

New TV Season- Chase

2010-09-22T17:30:00.000-07:00

Chase is bad! When I can't even watch the premier episode all the way through, you know it is not good at all.

Bad bad bad bad bad bad bad!!!

I can't even give this my usual 3 episodes to make a decision. Don't need to. It is BAD!

BAD!

New TV Season

2010-09-22T17:14:00.000-07:00

Hawaii Five-O!

My comments about remakes! Another show is playing me for a fool this season. The new, re-imganied Hawaii Five-O is pretty good! OK, maybe even better than that.

They give a good reason for this squad to be around, above and beyond the regular PD----they have great characters, and very good actors paling the roles. They have an over-arching story line, but not one that will get in the way of each single episode being enjoyed. And hell, how can you have a better set than Oahu?

The squad has four people in it right now, and I think they may need to add a couple of more at least to make it more interesting, but they started out great.

And I am glad they kept the theme music!! That is classic!

New TV Season-Chuck

2010-09-22T17:11:00.000-07:00

Chuck returns!

It has been one of my favorite series, so I was a bit underwhelmed by the first half of the season premier...it seemed to have lost a bit of juice. But, I tried to stay patient, and was rewarded with a much better second half of the show.

We will see how the new season plays out...I have a feeling that this may be the last for Chuck Bartowski and crew....but I hope at least if it is, the network will let it go out with style.

I hope the season is more like the second half of the first episode, and not the first half.

New TV Season-Nikita

2010-09-22T17:05:00.000-07:00

I am not a huge fan of remakes, and Nikita is a remake of a TV show, which was a remake of an American movie, which was a remake of an European movie.

Buuuuuttt. It is pretty damn good!

It follows the usual story line of all the Nikitas, but the actors and set up are really well done. Maggie Q stars as Nikita, and does a great job being deadly and sexy all at once, and she really holds this thing together.

But a couple of twists on the usual story make Nikita even better than its predecessors....namely, she is actively going after Division, the agency that made her what she is, trying to disrupt every important assignment they have. And she has a mole inside division that is helping her out. Both these add to the tension and make the show fun to watch.

I have seen two episodes, and really liked both of them...I mean it is not Mad Men, but it is fun. I will give it another, but I think this is going on my list.

New TV Season

2010-08-28T08:52:00.000-07:00

The new TV season is rapidly approaching...and I will not list all the new shows I am going to try out yet. But I have made the decision to drop some of my old shows for a variety of reasons. The three shows I am dropping are: Two and a Half Men, The Office and Medium.

Two and a Half Men is going to have a hard time with Charlie Sheen's problems, and really, he is the reason I watch the show. The character of Alan just cannot be the whole show. It is still amusing, but so many set-ups on the show have already been done, that it is is much less funny than it used to be, relying even more on sexual innuendo for laughs.

The Office is one of those shows that even at its best, could be hit or miss. When it kept Michael and Dwight on a leash, it was funniest, but too often it just lets those two be stupid, beyond any reason. Too often the last two seasons it is just painful to watch.

And you know you aren't enjoying the show when you feel like fast forwarding through much of it...Medium makes me feel like that nowadays. Again, so long in the tooth, so many plots are being re-hashed. Still like the characters, but tired of the set-up.

So three veteran show are being dropped. As we get closer to the season I will talk about my new shows, and those returning that I am still watching.

TV on Netflix-Firefly

2010-08-25T08:28:00.000-07:00

I will admit that I did not watch Firefly when it came to TV in 2002. Not only did it air in opposition to another show already on my schedule, but I watched the 2nd or 3rd episode and did not think it was that great!

But oh crap, was I wrong or what? Firefly was a tremendous show, good in almost every way TV can be good...which is probably why it did not survive. Good story lines that had complex ideas beneath, great characters, good overarching plot, great production values, great cast...it was a damn good show.

Firefly is set about 500 years in the future...there is not even an Earth anymore, and humans have moved far out into space, populating other planets and systems, all ruled by the Alliance. There was a war that the Alliance won, and the captain of the small cargo ship, Serenity (a firefly class ship), fought against the Alliance, and lost.

Now he and his crew fly in the outer worlds, worlds not quite fully dominated by the Alliance, and ship cargo....some might say, smuggle cargo, for various employers.

In addition to Nathan Fillion as Captain Malcolm Reynolds, the crew is his first officer (and fellow rebel), Zoe, played by the luscious Gina Torres, her husband the pilot, a mercenary to supply the muscle, played with wild abandon by Adam Baldwin, and a childlike engineer, Kaylee. They also act as the the delivery ship for a contractor going from world to world...a high class call girl named Morena. At one stop they are joined by a preacher, who becomes the cook, and a doctor and his strange sister. This sister, played by Summer Glau, is the key to the story, as it seems the Alliance is looking for her.

Most episodes are self-contained, but the show is better watching it in continuity as the themes and stories build nicely.

There are not good comparisons to Firefly. Some say it is like Star Wars. Only if Star Wars were gritty and its characters were all less noble than Han Solo, though there are some similarities between the Alliance and the Empire. Some say it is like Star Trek, but only if James Kirk felt like the Federation was an unholy bureaucratic system, that was run by corporations to the detriment of human freedom, and decided to drop out of it.

While those comparison don't hold, the series is as good as any sci-fi out there, and as good as any TV out there. Firely was a winner all the way around.

At least that is my opinion.

Movie-Wendy and Lucy

2010-08-24T12:43:00.000-07:00

Michelle Williams is perfect in this small Indie movie, Wendy and Lucy (2008). She is Wendy, a young woman in an old car and with precious few dollars, driving across country trying to get to Alaska, to a high paying canning job. But the bad things are OK, because of the friend with her, Lucy, her dog.

But her car gives out and then Lucy disappears, and Wendy is frantic, heart-broken and despairing. This film, though short (only 80 minutes) is long on emotion and creates empathy between the viewer and Wendy. She is just struggling, like so many people are nowadays, and though she has a plan, it all goes awry.

Where is her family? Who are her friends? Some of these questions get answered a bit, but we know for sure that Lucy is the world to her, and as she desperately tries to find her friend, her realization about her own life, and how precarious it is, dawns on her.

Williams is so good here, not overplaying or milking the role, but playing so true, so organically, that every word and thought rings true. You feel that she is holding on pretty well as the movie begins, despite the lack of money. But as she loses her car and especially Lucy, she knows must make some choices, choices that are more for Lucy's good than her own.

This is a very good film. Quiet, but sure of itself, as is William's performance. The film is right for the time we live in, and right for the despair that can be just around the corner. It is also right in the feeling between and owner and her beloved pooch. The movie is right in so many ways, it is well worth a viewing.

At least that is my opinion.

Movie- The Burning Plain

2010-08-24T11:34:00.000-07:00

A well acted and somewhat intriguing movie, The Burning Plain (2008) takes a bit of time to come together as it weaves 4 seemingly separate stories into one movie with a storyline that coalesces as you get further into it. In other words, it takes a bit of patience.

Luckily there are some really good actors here to keep you hooked in while waiting for it to all come together. Kim Basinger is good, but Charlize Theron is even better. She plays wounded characters so well, as here she plays a restaurant manager who seems to have her life together, but for the multiple one-night stands she has.

I like the movie, but do not go into it expecting the answers to be laid at your feet. They are not, and even as the story lines are resolved, you need to think a bit about the relationships to get the full picture. INtriguing, well acted and well told, A Burning Plain is an adult movie, a movie that talks of past pain and the effect that has on present life.

At least that is my opinion.

Movie- Capote

2010-08-24T11:18:00.000-07:00

Capote (2005) is one of those movies that I probably should have seen long ago...I had heard about the great performances and all, but it was never that compelling to move it up in my queue...there were always other movies that just seemed a little more interesting.

Now I remember Truman Capote. My grandmother never missed an episode of the old Merv Griffen Show, and Capote was a fairly regular guest there. And even as a kid, I always thought..."Wow, is he weird!"

The movie is good, and Philip Seymour Hoffman's portrayal of Capote seems spot on, not only in his voice and mannerisms, but in his seemingly sociopathic urge to get the book In Cold Blood written, no matter who he uses and hurts, and no matter what lies he has to tell. And I think this is the heart of the portrayal...because this charming man is almost as terrible as the killer he pursues and writes about. I can't help thinking, if Capote did not have his writing, he would have been much like the killer.

I think Capote was a very good movie, but it certainly did not make me like Truman Capote at all, not that is was supposed to. And I am glad I never moved it up in my queue. I still think what I thought when I used to watch him on Merv Griffen..."Wow, is he weird."

That, at least, is my opinion.

Movie- Domino

2010-08-14T09:06:00.000-07:00

Tony Scott directs this action flick in a frenetic, fast-paced style, that could have honestly used fewer quick flashes, and more characterization. Scott seems to be in a schizophrenic dive bomb and his quick cuts make Domino (2005) seem intensely artificial and just hard to watch.

Telling the (true-ish) story of Domino Harvey (played by Keira Knightley) a young woman who decides to become a bounty hunter, the film would seem to have a lot going for it, with Knightly and Mickey Rourke in big roles. But Tony Scott so over-directs and edits that it is not very good and more than a little bit of a mess.

Pass on this one.

At least that is my opinion,

TV-Mad Men

2010-08-12T13:41:00.000-07:00

What a wonderfully written and acted show is Mad Men! And this season has started off strongly...it starts a year after we left them in an amazing season concluding episode. The new agency is coming along...not quite big yet, not quite rich, and showing some fractures in leadership. Especially Don Draper is showing some fractures...he looks good in the office, but he shows worse for the wear outside it, and doesn't seem to be holding together as well as he did when he had his secret intact. Could this be Dick Whitman filling in the cracks of the eroding Don Draper?

One scene that stood out was of Don and his hooker in bed, and Don practically begs her to slap him...Don Draper, a sub? Who woulda thought that? But Dick Whitman well could be...

Don is not holding up his end in the office either...he is acting like the creative director, not a partner, and that comes back to haunt him. And Peggy,as always, is one that pretty much shoves it in his face that people are there because of him...he needs to start realizing that and acting in a manner consistent with that.

This last episode, I call it "The Corruption of Layne," showed Don as a man very fallible, and also as a man who cares so much for certain people in his life. Jon Hamm plays all the parts of Don Draper perfectly...much like Peggy, sometimes we love him and other times we think he is a piece of shit.

And Betty's life is not all roses. The problem with Betty was never Don. She is a mess, and takes it all out on Sally, probably the worst case of emotional abuse by mother to daughter that we have seen on a TV show. Seriously, Sally may just find a kitchen knife one night and let Betty have it! Betty will NEVER be happy with a man...I think she is incapable of it.

Mad Men keeps up its remarkable reputation. It is my favorite drama on TV. If you have not seen it I recommend getting previous seasons on DVD and catch up on its mythos...you will not be sorry.

Movie- Happy-Go-Lucky

2010-08-05T07:42:00.000-07:00

Poppy Cross is an unforgettable character, a woman who is constantly upbeat, seemingly always happy. But you get the feeling, by small glimpses and conversations, that Poppy feels the despair all around her. And she knows she can either be happy, or she will be crippled by sadness.

Happy-Go-Lucky (2008) stars Sally Hawkins as Poppy, and she does a great job. As Poppy tries to learn how to drive, she meets Scott, the driving instructor who is terse, angry and mean. Her opposite almost completely. But Poppy will not change, and seems to see Scott as a challenge...can she get him to mellow out a bit?

As we see Poppy going through her daily life, as a teacher and with her girlfriends, we keep getting the glimpses of Poppy's choice to be happy. She is not dumb, she knows the crap that goes on around her, the child in her class being abused, the tragedies that plague our everyday lives. But she has chosen being happy, not out of ignorance or stupidity, but because she does not want to become like Scott. The two are like distorted reflections of each other.

Scott though, goes beyond the breaking point, and it leads to a confrontation between the two...a confrontation that is sad and scary and disturbing. But it confirms what choices Poppy has made on how to deal with life.

Poppy is a character that could easily be badly played, but Hawkins makes her heroic. And so makes the movie much more than a silly bit of fluff. Poppy will be remembered by anyone who watches this film. Remembered--- and appreciated for the choices she makes.

At least that is my opinion.

Movie- Guys and Dolls

2010-08-04T08:23:00.000-07:00

I love some of the music in Guys and Dolls, I love musicals, and I think Sinatra is the bomb. So I thought I would love Guys and Dolls (1955), one of those good old, epic, classic musicals. Eh---not so much.

Guys and Dolls cost a fortune to make back in the '50s. And it is extravagant...a huge cast and big sets. However, the main players are either miscast...Marlon Brando as a singing, heart-of-gold thug? Or their dialogue and the way they were made to enunciate was so bad---Sinatra always saying "I do not," or "it shall not be, "...no contractions, just stilted language---was so bad it made me wince.

Yes, I enjoyed the couple of songs, Guys and Dolls and Luck Be a Lady, but even those I wanted to go back and just listen to Old Blue Eyes sing solo, of Buble, or any of a number of other singers.

Sometimes an old musical is simply dated and stilted. This was one of those times.

I'll go watch My Fair Lady again.

At least that is my opinion.

Movie- The Weatherman

2010-08-04T08:08:00.000-07:00

The Weatherman (2005) just did not do it for me. Instead of insightful, it felt dopey. Instead of offering an underdog, it offered a dumb, vacuous hero, one more interested in outward appearances than any substantial characteristic. NIcholas Cage plays Dave Spritz, a Chicago weatherman (not meteorologist, he would have to make an effort to be that) who is pretty much reviled by everyone. And the thing is, I can't really blame them.

People throw food at him as he is walking on the sidewalk. His family, ex-wife and daughter don't think much of him, and his father even less.

Now Dave does try to make changes here. But he is played so doggedly down in the dumps by Cage, that I never felt he really grew at all, even though he tried to make some facile appearances of growth.

I will admit to not being a big Cage fan...most of the time he just annoys me, so maybe it played into how I felt about this movie.

I would not recommend this film unless you were on a long flight...even then I may opt for a book.

At least that is my opinion.

Movie-Fantastic Mr. Fox

2010-08-03T10:21:00.001-07:00

Fantastic Mr. Fox was nominated for the best animated feature Oscar. It did not win.

What a wonderful animated film we get with Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009), based on the Roald Dahl book. About a fox who tries to become domesticated---not tame but settling down with a family and getting a real job (reporter) instead of raiding farms. But you can't keep a good fox down, and much to his wife's displeasure he goes on raids. And he is really good at it, so good that three big farmers (corporate type farmers) try all they can to get Mr. Fox.

This tale is filled with wit, and adult humor. It is not in any way a strictly kid's movie, though I suspect some kids will enjoy it. The parts of Mr. and Mrs. Fox are played by George Clooney and Meryl Streep, very adult actors...and Clooney stays in adult role as his voice acting carries the cast. He is as adult here as in Up In the Air.

The farmers are trying to kill Mr. Fox, and they even destroy the tree Mr. Fox and many other animals use as home to get him...they are willing to rape and destroy anything to get Mr. Fox and protect ALL their profits...again, a very adult theme. As is the marriage between the two foxes, and Mr. Fox's relationship with his son.

The movie is funny, and also has its own bit of tension as the farmers are trying to kill the hero.

The stop action animation is not what we are used to in this time of computer animation, but it works VERY well for this story. IN fact, I think any other kind of animation would have made the movie less pleasing.

The supporting cast of characters is fine too, with the Mr. Possum especially standing out.

Fantastic Mr. Fox is unique in so many ways, and is just a fine film overall. Funny and thoughtful, dealing with adult themes and having great animation, it was very worthy of its nomination.

At least that is my opinion.

Movie-The Thing About My Folks

2010-08-01T20:34:00.000-07:00

Ben is going about his life with his wife and kid in the city, when his doorbell rings unexpectedly. Its his dad, Sam, who just has shown up. No, nothing is wrong says dad. But it turns out, his wife has left him.

So begins The Thing About My Folks (2005). Paul Reiser plays the son and the tremendous Peter Falk plays Sam. And the two end up on a road trip together that is at times campy, and other times so real, that it is uncomfortable.

Falk is just amazing here, and Reiser seems to let himself not get caught up in ego, but seems content to just play off Falk. There is scene on the road with the two, where Ben is accusing Sam of somehow neglecting his wife and family. And he sounds convincing. Until Sam chimes in. "Bullshit!" he say. And we start to see his sacrifices, his temptations and his morality.

This film is filled with light moments and profound moments. And I didn't go much for the ending. But the part (and it is most of the movie) with Falk and Reiser...pure gold. And there are other scenes, like the conference call among the siblings, that is just SO real, it is difficult not to laugh at ourselves.

It was written by Reiser, and you can only think he was so grateful that Falk played this part. Really one of those unknown, unheralded movies that is much better than its publicity.

At least that is my opinion.

Movie- Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist

2010-08-01T12:03:00.000-07:00

Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist (2008) is a fun movie, a nice distraction. It is one of those that is amusing, but not laugh out loud funny most of the time, and has a few gross out scenes, but not too many. All in all...average.

The thing it has going for it are the stars Michael Cera (I still miss Arrested Development) and Kat Dennings, both very likable. They start out faking a romance, start disliking each other, and end up together, all the while trying to find a misplaced friend.

It was better than I thought it would be...too many of this genre end up disappointing. But not for the laughs however, it was better because of the tender side the two leads showed.

At least that is my opinion.

Movie- Proof

2010-07-31T20:54:00.000-07:00

OK...a movie about a Math professor trying to create the ultimate proof for his theories. Sounds exciting huh? I did not think so, but it had three excellent actors in it, so I took a shot.

Starring Gwyneth Paltrow, Anthony Hopkins and Jake Gyllenhaal, Proof (2005) less about math than family dynamics. Paltrow is the daughter of a just deceased, legendary mathematician (Hopkins). At a young age he created the most famous proof of all time. But he has gone quietly mad.

Gyllenhaal is a former student of the great man, and wants to help both him and his daughter. But when a new proof turns up, it effects all of them. Did the great man create it, did his daughter? What is the price of madness on the family who loves the insane? How far will a family member go to protect the reputation and dignity of a loved one.

Proof runs like a very good play...dramatic and strong, the three characters, interact and play off each other so well. It is intriguing and deep, and the characters are all flawed, including Hope Davis as the "other" sister. But it also is a touching movie about family ties...intellectual ties and respect.

Proof proves me wrong in my first judgement about it. It is a very good movie, serious drama.

At least that is my opinion.

Play- Young Frankenstein

2010-07-31T20:38:00.000-07:00

We travelled to Hollywood to see Mel Brooks' musical, Young Frankenstein, playing at the Pantages Theater.

First of all I have to say something about the venue---What a fantastic theater! Built in 1930 as a movie house, it has been converted to live theater. It has hosted the Oscars for many years, the Emmys also. And a few years ago it was the home of Disney's, The Lion King. To prepare for that production it underwent a 10 million dollar renovation and it is simply put, BEAUTIFUL!

It is a fantastic place to see a play.

And it made a great show even better.

And Young Frankenstein is a great show! I expected it to be howlingly funny. It is Mel Brooks for crying out loud! And the source material is classic (I may need to buy the movie now). But I did not expect the singing and music to be as great as it was, and certainly did not expect the dance numbers to blow me out of the water!

The production values on this were superb too. There were some lighting effects that had the audience gasping! Everything was spot on and perfect.

And did I mention funny? I was laughing from the first lines to the last! Gasping for air at times. They preserved some of the classic movie moments---"Put the candle back,"--- and added so much more that is right for a stage production. It seems that Mel Brooks may be perfectionist, because this was just about perfect.

We both really enjoyed Young Frankenstein, one of the best stage productions we have seen. And we enjoyed the Pantages also...we may make more trips to see plays there, just because it is such a great venue!

At least that is my opinion. So there you go Frau Blucher! What knockers! Too damn funny!

Movie- An Education

2010-07-31T20:15:00.000-07:00

An Education received major Oscar nominations in two categories, for Best Picture and for Best Actress for new-comer Carey Mulligan. It won in neither category.

Very stylish, and a little creepy, An Education (2008) showcased newcomer Carey Mulligan as a 17 year young woman in 1960's London, seduced by an older man. Jenny (Mulligan) is very willfully seduced however, by the incredibly charming Peter (portrayed by the very underrated Peter Sarsgaard). Peter is so charming he charms Jenny's very protective and rather conservative parents even, easily talking them into letting her go to Paris with him! He is that charming.

He wants to teach Jenny about art and music and fine food and culture. And boy, she wants to learn. She takes to the life like a fish to water. She loves the opportunity to learn about these things, and with her parent's blessing too!

But Peter seems to good to be true, and she seems to know it, even before he shows it openly. She knows it, but goes along with the ride anyway, because she is just waiting to be seduced. Peter is a crud really, despite his charm and affluence, he is a man who loves to teach young girls about life, and is love with the idea of being in love. He just does not know how to really be.

And Jenny? She takes as much of the good off this cad, and tries to imbue herself with that, and her life be filled with the fine food and music, while shedding off the garbage that Peter has also.

Carey Mulligan is great in this. She is the living, breathing emblem of youth...ready to seize the day, and yet able to recover from the hazards the come with the seizing, something that seems to be lost as we grow older. I for one feel every seize I make! But she embodies the youthful spirit in a very organic, non-acted way. She is so wonderfully alive.

And Skarsgaard? Another great acting job by him...he is at first this dream man...but we soon realize he is his own dream man too, and Skarsgaard portrays it just that way.

An Education is at times light-hearted and youthful, but also shows what fades away with youth. It is a simple and complex movie, both at the same time. And it is a lovely movie too.

At least that is my opinion.

Movie- Zack and Miri Make a Porno

2010-07-26T12:21:00.000-07:00

Seth Rogen in a Kevin Smith film. That sounds a little dangerous actually. But in Zack and Miri Make a Porno (2008) is is more sweet then sordid, despite the title.

Longtime friends Zack and Miri have never had really successful lives, and things are going downhill fast from that starting point. So when a YouTube video of Miri in her big underwear makes a huge splash, they come upon the idea to make an amateur porn movie, starring, among others, themselves.

There is some of the usual sophomoric humor and gutter talk that you would expect in a movie like this. But the sweetness comes between Zack (Rogan) and Miri (Elizabeth Banks). You feel the two have always had a thing for each other, despite vehement denials, and that the process of trying to find a way to get by, whether it was via porn making or not, brings them to the realization that their denials ring quite hollow.

I won't go so far as to say this is an excellent movie, but it was not too shabby either. If you tale out the gross sight gags and potty mouths, even leaving the porno in, it is a kinda sweet love story. Kinda a chick flick on X.

At least that is my opinion.

Book- Life and Fate

2010-07-26T08:52:00.000-07:00

Life and Fate is a big book...I mean BIG. Not only is it long, nearly 900 pages, but it is Russian long...with a cast that could rival War and Peace, it has dozens, if not 100s of characters. And all go by several Russian names, so it is tough to keep track of who is who, and what family are they from. AND, it is big thematically. Vasily Grossman encompasses all of life and all of fate, and also a lot of war and peace into this novel.

The main story of the novel is the defense of Stalingrad in World War II. But the characters are divided into many different units and families, so this main story is diffuse in many ways. But it illustrates the appalling conditions the defenders of Stalingrad dealt with. This battle was certainly one of the most decisive of the war, and with the USSR pushing back Hitler's Nazi forces, it left the Germans much weakened. Perhaps it was the lynch pin that won the war for the Allied Forces.

But the theme of the novel is much deeper. Grossman, who had been a pro-Communist writer was now deeply anti-Stalin. He recognized and illustrates in this work, that Stalin and Hitler were about the same. While still believing in many aspects of socialism and communism, he expresses the feeling that Stalin has betrayed the revolution that Lenin brought to life, and betrayed Russia also.

Some of the characters feel that betrayal personally, as they, loyal followers, are brought into the prisons themselves, and treated as enemies of the state. Many of these scenes are deeply disturbing as you can see the crushing blows of a despotic state.

Grossman also fully makes us see that by the USSR taking good people out of the fight against the Nazis, for petty or made up "political" crimes, Stalin was making it much harder to defend the Russian homeland against the Nazi invaders. In fact, it seems that Grossman is saying that this kind of arrest almost lost the war to the Nazis. But he also seems to conclude, what would be the difference...both leaders are the same, they do not allow for the individual rights of a man.

Life and Fate was a long read, and is not for the impatient. It is much like War and Peace in many ways. But Grossman's overall theme tops any individual's story line confusion. It is a big big book, with big ideas and a bigger heart. It is intellectual and sharp, but is written with an undeniable love of a homeland, and a despair as to where that homeland is heading.

Social Commentary- Are We Really a Christian Nation?

2010-07-24T21:04:00.000-07:00

Since the primary elections, and with the general election coming up, I have been hearing about god, and Christianity and how Christian a nation we are. But, quite frankly, it smacks of bullshit.

Now let put a disclaimer right here. I don't describe myself as a Christian. I was raised VERY Catholic. But my faith today is not bounded by precepts of Christianity, and I don't believe in all the Christian ideals. One day I will describe my beliefs in this blog, but now is not the time. But I did want to let anyone reading this know that.

Looking at the question of Christianess, I take from the bible, Matthew 25:40. One of the verses of the bible I believe is actually holy. It goes like this: for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.' 37 Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see thee hungry and feed thee, or thirsty and give thee drink? 38 And when did we see thee a stranger and welcome thee, or naked and clothe thee? 39 And when did we see thee sick or in prison and visit thee?' 40 And the King will answer them, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me.'

Whatsoever you did to the least of my brethren, so you did unto me.

When Jesus says this, he says specifically, to the "LEAST" of my brothers. Not those who are clean, and nice, and who we would normally invite for cocktails. He is talking about those who are downtrodden, and dirty and need help. And he is talking about those who need jobs, and who need health care and who NEED help. Those are the least of his brethren.

So how can we call ourselves Christian when we make policies that try to prevent those in need from coming to our country? Are not those people the least of our brethren and the least of Christ's? When we turn away those who are living in poverty and are desperate, how are we living up to Christ's words, and how can we claim to be Christian if we support those policies?

How can we claim to be feeding Christ, when we refuse to feed those who are in need? Because how we treat those 'least of his brothers, so we treat him.' So we are telling CHRIST JESUS, stay out of our country, you are not good enough to be here...you do not belong with us, you Christ, are taking away an American job...you Christ are abusing our health care system...You JESUS are taking advantage of our education! Do we want to treat Christ that way? We are every time we treat the least of his brethren that way...

Hmm..Christ, if he does not have a job with health benefits, does not deserve health care. Christ does not deserve respect and dignity, and because he is looking for work, to help his family, he should be deported. YES---if you are a Christian, every time you treat, or support treating a brown skinned person like that---you are treating Christ like that! Every time you say that this country should not be inclusive, you are excluding Jesus, your savior. That is his words folks, not mine!

And every time we help someone, every time we support treating people humanely,every time we offer comfort to those who need it...so we are treating Christ.

So I ask you, are we a Christian country?

For the most part I would say no, the policies of our nation are not one that offer food to the least of Christ's brethren, we do not offer our cities and hearts to those trying to help themselves.

And don't even get me started on turning the other cheek...that is a whole other blog post!

At least that is my opinion.

Movie-All About Steve

2010-07-14T16:23:00.000-07:00

And we go from Sandra Bullock...sorry...Ms. Bullock, winning an Oscar in The Blind Side, to her winning a Razzie in the dismal, All About Steve (2009).

How can a movie with two such likable stars as Bullock and Bradley Cooper (three if you count Thomas Hayden Church...but I don't) go so terribly, horribly wrong? But you can't stop watching the damn thing...you think, "Hell, this had GOT to get better. It has Sandra Bullock in it!" And you keep thinking that until the credits start rolling. Ironically, that is WHEN it starts getting better!

The plot? Ugh...Ms. Bullock is a weird woman who lives with her parents and gets set up on a blind date with Cooper. She tries to man-rape him in his van, and then stalks him as he covers stories for his national news network. All side plots and secondary stories in this movie are equally as yucky (YES---I used 'yucky' in a review---I am not Ebert). It is a terribly sick feeling watching these two actors going through the paces in this piece of dreck film.

And you realize, they are not infallible! They make some crappy choices too (I won't talk about Jesse James here)! Somehow in reading this script, they saw a good idea? Wow, even I would know crap when I see it. And somehow, it is kinda therapeutic. It makes your own choices seem better, I don't care that it did land me in the ER, at least I didn't act in All About Steve!!! So what if I am divorced and broke, if I addicted to coke and Mars bars. I DID NOT ACT IN ALL ABOUT STEVE!!!! Hahahahahahaha!

I LOVE Sandra, and I love that she came and accepted her Razzie in person. But please, PLEASE don't do something like this again!!!!! (OK, I am talking about JJ again here)!

All About Steve---go ahead and see it...I dare you.

At least that is my opinion!

Movie-The Blind Side

2010-07-14T10:28:00.000-07:00

The Blind Side was nominated for a couple of big Oscars, including best picture and best actress for Sandra Bullock. Sandra (she like me to call her Sandy, but I prefer to be more formal in my blog) won for best actress.

It is hard to dislike The Blind Side (2009) in any way. It is sympathetic, warm-hearted, a good sports film and a learning lesson with strong moral content. And yet...yet I could not like it as much as many others did...even though it is based on a true story. For me, there is something almost too fairy-tale about it, too innocent and too predictable.

Most people know the plot---Sandy (ooops, I mean Sandra) plays Leigh Anne, a well-to-do woman with a great husband, kids and the perfect life. She finds a large young black teenager in need of a hand, takes him home and he becomes part of the family, while becoming a huge football star. She defends him like a tigress, and holds her family together through ups and downs.

I think REALLY good performances held this movie together when it could have been a little saccharine. Starting with Sandy, and Tim McGraw who plays her husband, and Quinton Aaron, who plays Micheal Oher, the teenager, the cast is without blemish, great.

But the way Leigh Anne is able to overcome Michael's difficult past, with simple phrases and pop psychology grated a bit, and seemed far too simple for complex emotional problems. And while admirable enough that they succeeded, it sends a message that all these problems may be solved by good humor, love and a little grit. And that is not true.

If I take this a one tale about one family it works well, The Blind Side works well. If I take it in a larger context, it starts showing fault lines. And try as I might, I can't ignore the larger context where grit does not always cut it. Love does not always win out over deep emotional problems, and a scrappy woman can't solve the problems of the inner city.

At least, that is my opinion. And for that, Sandy now wants me to refer to her as Ms. Bullock.

Movie- The Princess and the Frog

2010-07-11T19:15:00.000-07:00

The Princess and the Frog was Oscar nominated for Best Animated Feature. It did not win.

The Princess and the Frog (2009) is a Disney animated feature that lives up to the considerable reputation Disney has, but does not surpass it it in any way. It is a good film, but not great and does not open any new ground for Disney (except maybe the princess is black).

A standard story line, very good animation, engaging characters if somewhat forgettable, it is a rags to riches story, a story of a young woman in search of her life (and that means a prince so many times...not sure about that message). Very nice music and a good setting in New Orleans and environs. BUT---it was not great.

The Princess and the Frog should appeal to many kids and parents. It is nice, it is appealing, but it is not great.

At least that is my opinion.

Movie- Food Inc.

2010-07-08T20:46:00.000-07:00

Food Inc. was nominated as best Documentary Feature Film at the Oscars. It did not win.

Food Inc. (2008) may not make you change your eating habits, but it will make you think about what you are putting in your mouth, that is sure.

Ever since I took a food handling management class for one of the many jobs I held at the Zoo, I have been aware of the troubles of our food industry. The teacher told us of some of the differences in the USA's food processing industry and Canada's. Whoa. Troubling!

So I was not unprepared for much of the info that Food Inc. presented. But even so, I am buying a lot more from Farmer's Market's, and a lot more organic. Because our food processing industry really sucks. And there are laws that the industry has on the books that may make it illegal for me to even say that! Seriously. The film documents a mother who lost a child to food borne illness, and she has become a lobbyist for better controls on the food industry, but even she, who had to endure the death of her young child, has to be careful of what she says. Hell, even the almighty Oprah was sued by the food industry for saying bad things about them!

Food Inc. is disturbing in so many ways: That in America (the richest country in the world) we have such lax standards, and so little enforcement in the food processing industry, That we allow such corporate policies and need for excess profits to endanger our lives and health, That we have laws that limit our free speech so stringently that seem to defy our Constitution...it is all very VERY disturbing.

But we can make changes....and that is the thrill of this film...organic, local, sustainable...those are not just buzz words. We can bring things back into our control. We can reclaim the potential of fresh, real wholesome food. We don't have to eat steroided, corn fed, mass produced, diseased animals and plants.

While Food Inc. did not get the Oscar, it has had an amazing effect on the people who have watched it. It is an important film and should be watched. REally, it SHOULD be watched!!

At least that is my opinion. Unless of course I am sued by the food industry. At that point I may need to change it

Movie-The Secret Life of Bees

2010-07-07T09:10:00.000-07:00

OK---I will admit it---I was very prepared to not like The Secret Life of Bees. It seemed...well...maybe not a chick flick...but like a Lifetime movie that just is all sentiment with incessant violins in the background.

I am not too proud to admit I was wrong. And the main reason I was wrong was the cast. With Dakota Fanning starring as Lily, a 14-year-old girl who runs away from her father and their farm, and Queen Latifah as the woman who allows her to stay in her house, the cast is simply overpowering. Jennifer Hudson, Alicia Keyes and the rest of the supporting cast is so good, that any questions you may have about the plot while watching the film simply melt into the background.

Set in the 1960s in the South, Lily finds a warm and comforting home with Ms. August (Latifah) a woman who seems to be part angel. No one in the area bothers the black women who live in this huge house and take care of the bees that make the best honey in the South. And while that seems unbelievable, the acting of Latifah and the others seems to render it a moot point, because the story is about family and love...most especially about the family you choose.

There are many ups and downs in Lily's journey to find out who her mother was, and who she is. But the strength of the characters, and the actors who play them, really shine through what might otherwise be little more than the Lifetime movie I worried about.

The Secret Life of Bees (2008) was excellent.

At least that is my opinion.

Movie-Corpse Bride

2010-07-05T12:38:00.000-07:00

I have wanted to see Corpse Bride ever since it came out, but never have gotten around to it. But it finally got to the top of my Netflix queue, and I am glad I liked it very much---it would have sucked to not like it after waiting for so long it.

The movie is VERY Tim Burton---bizarre, weird, a little creepy, but with great humor and warmth too. A young man Victor, from a noveau-riche family is set to marry a young woman, Victoria from a titled, but very poor family. Both families win in this deal, and the happiness of the two young people is not really taken into consideration. But Victor does like Victoria very much, and the felling is mutual.

However, Victor gets trapped in the underworld where another woman has her sights set on him. She is the title character, Corpse Bride. Now she is not unattractive (you know, despite seeing the bones of her jaw through her decaying skin), nor does she seem a bad sort of dead person. But Victor really wants to get back to his real bride to be, and Corpse Bride...she is pretty unrelenting in getting her man.

Burton has his two main actors doing the voice work in this animated feature. Both Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter do a nice job. And the animation is wonderful. The scene where Victor gets to the underworld bar reminds of the very best of Disney, though with a more ghoulish bent to it.

But what Burton does best is take a very twisted situation and imbue it with warmth and emotion. So while all the weird stuff is happening, we are having our senses counter-balanced by emotion. And he plays that very effectively here once again.

Corpse Bride is better than his previous animated work, A Nightmare Before Christmas, and reminds us again that there is no one like Burton working in the movies. He is unique. I used to feel very so-so towards his work, but seeing his films over the years make me respect, admire and like his work much more.

Does Victor escape from the underworld to wed Victoria? With Burton you can never be sure of the ending...but the journey inn Corpse Bride is great fun- visually, thematically and just as good story-telling.

At least that is my opinion.

Movie- The Taking of Pelham 123

2010-07-03T09:16:00.000-07:00

Now this is how to make a good action thriller! The Taking of Pelham 123 (2009) is a remake of an older movie, but more than a remake, it is an update and a re-imagining.

The basic concept is the same, a group of terrorists take charge of some subway cars, holds the people hostage and will kill them all and cause a lot more damage unless he gets massive amounts of money from New York City.

But updates in technology and threat factors make the old plot a little weak, and so many subplots are thrown in here. But the subplots which at first seem a bit random, come strongly into play by the time the movie has finished.

Denzel Washington is the star, and plays Walter Garber, a subway dispatcher who is coincidentally (?) on duty when the subways cars are taken hostage. He is the first to talk with the kidnapper and tries to do the best he can to get information from the head kidnapper named Ryder, played very evilly by John Travolta.

Both stars get into their roles, and what emerges from their dialogues is quite fascinating...Garber is not just a dispatcher, he is sharp, but also has had some troubles at work. Ryder is not as smart as he thinks, and gives lots of clues, if only someone will take note....Garber does.

The update in tech also works well here, adding another dimension. The laptop left on in the subway car, the camera running, the use of cell phones, the tech for bombs, all have been skillfully woven in by director Tony Scott. Scott seems to love working with Washington, having made four films with the star (and another coming out this year)---and the collaboration works. Washington takes roles the could be somewhat flat, and adds layers to them, and Scott weaves much more for the actor to sink his teeth into---the scene where Washington is forced into an admission particularly stands out.

Travolta seems to relish playing the bad guy here, he really goes to town with Ryder, and it is fun watching him.

This was a nail-biting ride, and I thought one of the better of its genre.

At least that's my opinion.

Movie-Up in the Air

2010-07-02T17:02:00.001-07:00

Up in the Air was nominated for several major Oscar's, including best picture, best actor for George Clooney, and both Vera Farmiga and Anna Kendrick for best supporting actress. It did not win any of them.

Up in the Air (2009) is an amazingly topical film, dealing with layoffs and a bad economy. And I think some of the praise it got was due to that, but I think some critics also found it too topical, and it may have hurt the film for awards. But the film, because of, and despite its topicality, is really good.

George Clooney is what used to be called a hatchet man...a professional layer-offer. He travels from company to company firing people, telling them they no longer have a job, no longer are useful members of society. He comes in because it inconveniences the owners or management to have to face the people who work their asses off for them, themselves.

Clooney's Ryan is really good at what he does, and he tries to help people maintain their dignity at this terribly undignified time in their lives. So he is taken aback when the company he works for tries to change the way he does his work...they are trying to doing it remotely...via teleconference.

For me, what impresses in the movie is that it seems to question the whole fabric of work ethic. It has an underlying question of why? Why do we become our jobs...why must we feel that we are worthless if we are fired...it wasn't our fault much of the time. Downsizing, outsourcing, profit margins...all that makes the worker just a number. Why are so many people not considered useful members of society just because they got cut for the bottom line?

In short, the movie talks about the dehumanization that corporate America seems to force down our throats.

Clooney is great as Ryan...as Clooney is great as most everything he does. The story of his company is intriguing, and his love story with with so excellent Vera Farmiga is well written, adult and shattering. But the crux of the movie is the questions of why...not just why these people are out of work, but why is work the most important thing to so many...why does work make us cry, and hurt and love and have heartbreak...all over a job.

I don't think Up in the Air was the best picture this year...but it was damn good one, and braver than many gave it credit for. Many saw it as only a topical film, but it was much more than that.

At least that is my opinion.

I'm BACK!

2010-07-02T15:50:00.000-07:00

OK my friends, after a long hiatus I am back to blogging.

A lot of things got in the way of my blogging...life itself sometimes made it hard to be creative and think about something to say concerning the movies I watch, the books I read, the restaurants I try.

But much of that has cleared up now that I am retired, and I have a lot to catch up on.

I hope to continue with all that, but will be adding some more of my way of seeing the world---thoughts about social, political and other events. And usually I will offend someone. Most of you who read my blogs know that I am very liberal, radical! LOL!
And I seem to be getting more so all the time. If I offend you...tough biscuits! No where in our laws does it say that you have the privilege of never being offended.

But to get my writing wings back under me, I will start with some reviews. I hope to get at least a few a day posted.

It is good to be back, especially under these circumstances.

Moive-Precious: Based on the Novel "Push" by Saffire

2010-05-03T19:05:00.000-07:00

This movie was nominated for several Academy Awards. It won one for Mo'Nique as best supporting actress.

OK, let me just start by saying the title of the movie is ridiculous. Just dumb! So I will just refer to it as Precious from here on out.

As terrible as the title is, the movie Precious is a tour d' force for all involved. But it is not in any way, shape or form a feel good movie. It is dark and deals with many people most of us would rather not know at all.

Gabourey Sidibe stars as Precious (2009), a girl who lives with her terribly abusive mother (Mo'Nique), and lives a life that is harrowing in the extreme. At 16 she has a baby of her own, who is being raised by her grandmother, and child with Down Syndrome. She lives in a dark place, both literally and psychically.

She gets a small chance, as she is encouraged to attend an alternative school in the inner city. Though she seems barely literate, she has never had a chance to be anything more. The school is a release for her, but the horror in her life goes on, and we learn how she became pregnant and got to where she is now.

Both Sidibe and Mo'Nique are amazing. But there are many other roles that bear attention, including a Mariah Carey role that is pivotal to one of the most heart wrenching, ugly scenes that I have ever seen in a movie.

Mo'Nique's role is one of the darkest I have seen, and it is one that you will not forget, even while you may wish to. This person is really one of the most disgusting people EVER on screen. And yet, and yet, you see for a moment, as a mere glimpse into her soul, how she became that. It does not make you think she is any less disgusting, but makes you feel even more people are.

Precious is a movie that sticks with you for a long time. It takes no easy outs, and gives us no easy fulfillment or reward. It makes us earn every bit of respect we have for the cast and filmmakers. A gut wrenching success of a movie.

Movie-Jarhead

2010-05-03T18:48:00.000-07:00

Made in 2005, Jarhead seems to me a pre-cursor for the Academy Award winning The Hurt Locker.

While Jarhead deals with a different Iraqi war, there are great similarities between the two films, both dealing with the internal fight that goes on in a soldier, as much as the external fight he is involved in.

Starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Jamie Foxx, among others, the film redefined Gyllenhaal as a hunk. And it also boasted his dramatic prowess, as he plays a Marine sniper, Anthony Swofford, going to the Middle East to push back Saddam Hussein's invasion of Kuwait. His mental state, from utter boredom to utter terror are played very well by Gyllenhaal. And his reaction, as well as those of the men around him, illustrate a toll not often accounted for in wars, the toll on the minds and souls of those who participate in the killing and destruction.

It is a movie about war, sure, but more about what happens to the soldiers in the war. The tension at times is unbearable, and not just in the few times the movie depicts fighting. But the tension of the boredom and loneliness and being out of normal society.

The Hurt Locker got it even better, and I think it owes a debt of gratitude to jarhead for that. But Jarhead tells a story as compelling and maybe a mite more personal. It is a very good movie, and Gyllenhaal was very good in it.

TV- Parenthood and V

2010-04-26T19:54:00.001-07:00

A couple of notes on the TV front--

Parenthood came on mid-seasonand is on our viewing list. Sure it can be campy at times, and pull on the heart strings a little to tightly. But, it is is a nice mix of humor and drama, that comes from any extended family, and while you know it is a bit campy, you find yourself tearing up anyway. Plus it stars both Peter Krause and Lauren Graham, either one of which is a reason to try a show...both together, Forget about it!

As to V. Loved the first 4 shows, but ever since it has been back it has bored me silly! I find myself wanting to fast forward through the whole show, so after a couple of eps like that, I said no more. It is off my list. I have heard rating are struggling, so it may not be long for TV land anyway.

Movie-Nothing But the Truth

2010-04-26T19:27:00.000-07:00

Nothing But the Truth (2008) is a first rate thriller, with strong political and social overtones that really leave asking questions about the freedoms we may no longer enjoy.

Starring Matt Dillon and Kate Beckinsale, the movie shows how the freedoms protected in the Constitution may not be as sacrosanct as we think, and certainly we are not being fully protected.

Beckinsale is reporter Rachel Armstrong, who names an undercover CIA operative in her paper. The plot of this is very much like the Valerie Plame incident, where the operative is about being hung out to dry because of her husband upsetting the current administration. But the plot takes a different turn, not exploring that territory (though there should be a movie about that) but instead follows what happens to the reporter as she is prosecuted by a relentless government prosecutor, played by Dillon.

He forces her to testify to a Grand Jury, and when she refuses to yield the source of her information, goes after her with the fullest force of the government. What I liked about this is it shows how Grand Juries actually work....no lawyer, you have very few legal options or recourse, the normal legal system is circumvented with Grand Juries. And I could not help but think how un-American this use of a Grand Jury seemed to be...reminiscent of the Star Chamber, or a Tsar's court.

Rachel refuses to yield, and is jailed...for years. She loses her husband and child. She almost loses her life in a prison brawl. But still she refuses to give up her source. And the prosecutor does not care one iota...he wants the name. Never mind that the Constitution and case law over the years provides for the freedom of the press...new laws have circumvented that also!

Rachel is finally released by the judge who thinks that it will not do any good to keep her in prison, but Dillon finds another way to re-arrest her and she finally gives in. She tells who told her the identity of the CIA agent. It is a shocking conclusion, and you feel such compassion for Rachel when you find out.

The movie will make you examine the freedoms we say we have, the freedoms you say makes us America....are they still there? Do those freedoms no longer apply to us?

Nothing But the Truth does not answer all these questions, but that it raises them while making an entertaining movie, is an pretty nice piece of work. The acting, production values are all top notch, but the script and the underlying social commentary is what makes this movie excellent.

Movie-The Cove

2010-04-25T08:51:00.000-07:00

The Cove was nominated for Best Documentary film, and won that Oscar.

The Cove (2009) is one of the reasons I love documentaries, you learn about things, important things, that you just never knew about before. And in this case, what I learned was so troubling, so sickening, that I don't think I can go back to certain behaviors.

The Cove is about a Japanese town of Taijii, that just loves its dolphins. As you drive through Taijii, there are cute dolphin symbols everywhere...they make the dolphin the town icon. But Taijii is not a town bent on preserving dolphins or studying their behavior, or letting people see them in their natural environment.

No Taijii captures dolphins for use in entertainment. And when you see how they capture these very smart animals it will break your heart. Taijii does this all in the open, attracting tourists to see the roundup. But Taijii does not stop there. Because only a certain number of dolphins are to be taken for that industry. The rest of the animals are rounded up and brought around the corner, to an area not open to any sightseers, or anyone else.

This is the cove, the cove of death. As hundreds of dolphins are brutally murdered, in panic they try to flee, but are so confused by the slaughter around them. The sea water in the cove becomes bright red with the blood of these beautiful, smart, magnificent creatures. But the are stabbed again and again to bring them to death, they scream as they are in so much pain...

Taijii protects these secrets of their industry. With brute force they protect it, using death treats and physical intimidation to stave off any interlopers. The Cove is also about the team that broke these secrets, that created this film. It is about these few people who used spy tactics to find out what takes place in the cove, and show us the brutality of it.

The film also explores the push from the dolphin meat industry to make its product acceptable to the masses...never mind that
dolphin meat contains huge levels of poisons gathered from the species being at the top of the food chain in increasingly poisoned oceans. The levels of mercury alone are alarming and dangerous yet the industry tried to get the meat into school children lunches.

SeaWorld has claimed that what is said in the film, that they buy animals from Taijii, is not true. But I know that I can't go there anymore, not after seeing this movie. I am not advocating anyone else take this course of action, but it is something I can't return to.

The Cove is searing, and you will remember it. It is sad and heart-breaking. And it is a magnificent piece of documentary film.

Movie- The Hurt Locker

2010-04-24T09:06:00.000-07:00

The Hurt Locker was nominated for several Oscars and won two big ones, Best Director for Kathryn Bigelow and Best Picture, among others.

When I was a teenager I watched a PBS series called Danger UXB (and later rewatched it on Netflix). It was set in Britain in WWII and as bombs rained down on London, not all exploded. A team would come and disarm the bomb, the UneXploded Bomb (hence the title). It was a risky job.

The Hurt Locker (2009) takes that concept even further, because the bombs being disarmed are in enemy territory, where anyone could be shooting at you as you disarm it. The story takes place in Iraq, with a team that takes apart roadside bombs. It is intense, and highly charged, and watching it is nail-biting and tense.

In the first scene, a major character is killed, and the risk becomes very apparent. But Bigelow also paints this picture as one that frays on the nerves of the soldiers who do this job...the daily risks tear apart their psyches, leaving room for little more than shells, trying hard to hold onto their humanity. But each job, each bomb safely disposed of, seems to take more of them bit by bit.

The Hurt Locker was a very moving movie amidst all the tension. But I did not think it was as good as some critics. There seemed to be a bit more emphasis on visual style than was really needed. The story itself was tension filled enough, and the filming style added to it, but sometimes overshadowed the story.

The acting was terrific, all the men showing the tensions and loss of self that would come out of putting yourself in this peril.

The Hurt Locker was a really good movie, but I think it missed "great" by the tiniest of margins.

Some Thoughts

2010-04-11T19:26:00.000-07:00

I am going to start making some observations about life, politics, issues, random pet peeves, in my Some Thoughts sections.

There were a lot of people who were mightily upset about Floatopia a month or so ago, the floating liquor fest that skirted the beach booze ban by floating rafts and drinking in the water.

Besides the issue of the beach booze ban being pretty much a crock of shit anyway, these people complained that Floatopia found a loophole in the law and was exploiting it. No duh!

And why shouldn't they, as ordinary citizens do what corporations and politicians do all the time, not obey the spirit of the law, but use high priced lawyers to find ways around it.

Take health car reform. Now you may not agree with it, I will save that argument for another post. But it passed. And within two weeks, reports came out the insurance companies were finding ways around it, so not to insure kids. So it is a big damn surprise when young people fine a way around the beach booze ban huh?

You think this is unusual? This is status quo!!!! A few years ago, Congress decided to try to regulate cable companies, and passed some laws governing rates. (It seemed a big deal at the time OK). The cable companies immediately started finding ways to increase their rates, skirting the specific language in the law, so they could keep getting the profit margin they had set, out of the consumer.

Really, Floatopia was exploiting loopholes? What an effing surprise...these people see it done every day, by companies and corporations.

And take campaign financing laws. Sure, the politicians say that the system for elections is broken, and pass a law or two to try and look like they are fixing it. But they also build in loopholes into the law so they can just keep on doing business without losing a buck. They may have to term the money they get a bit differently, but they still get it, and we get the short end!

So---why is there any outrage or surprise that people are finding ways around a bad law ( I will discuss that in a future post too)? Because the example they get teaches us all to disobey the spirit of the law any way we can. In fact, it teaches us to get around the law EVERY way we can, just like these leading companies, corporations and politicians.

So save the outrage, grab a beer, swim out to a raft and take a drink. Because that is what THEY do every day...why shouldn't the little guy?!

Movie- Thunderbolt

2010-04-11T19:20:00.000-07:00

Thunderbolt (1995) is an older Jackie Chan movie, one where he actually fights, instead of just defending himself, and I have to admit, I think I preferred those movies to his newer ones. The man had moves!

It is a pretty so-so movie, with stilted dialogue and a ludicrous plot. Buuuuut, the choreographed fights were fun and showed Jackie in fine form.

Again---only so-so---but I have trouble resisting Chan movies.

2 Magazines

2010-04-11T18:58:00.001-07:00

Two Nat Geos to talk about, since I am not getting Playboy anymore...at least for a bit.

The February issue gave me a lot of thought with the lead article about polygamy in America. While I am not personally a fan of polygamy (I mean really, one wife is challenging enough!!! Personally I like strong willed women...more than one would bowl me the hell over!). But why are there laws against it, especially when it is integral to a religion? Would we make law prohibiting lent? Or stopping Jews from being Kosher? Now I don't think that this is a black and white issue. Many of these women are from a culture that does not allow them a lot of independent alternatives, but we don't make laws prohibiting women from other cultures doing as the culture prescribes them to do. The article is fair, and it makes you ask questions. It makes you question the status quo. And that is what good writing does, and why I continue to read Nat Geo.

A couple of other good articles--- New Vision for the Hubble---that Hubble space telescope is simply amazing, breathtaking and awe inspiring. That there is that much space, with countless suns and worlds, in many other millions of galaxies. Well, we are not that significant in the face of all that, are we? And of course the article about the chimps of the Congo...ones that have never seen man before...how closely related we are to them, and yet we rain destruction on primates all over the globe. Their curiosity about us shows them to be intelligent, self-aware beings. We need to preserve that.

The March issue is equally thought-provoking, with an excellent article on wolves, titled Wolf Wars. So many people want these animals dead, for so many reasons. And yet when they come back to their natural habitat, it restores nature, restores the balance. The main reason people want them dead is purely economic...but there has to be some place where money is not the most important issue. It makes me wonder why these cattle men get to make these decisions, why there are not others who can have a say. Again, a provocative article, and thought provoking.

The other two very intriguing articles were about Peru's Nasca Lines...just intense freakiness. No, UFOs did not make them (probably), but the origins of the lines are becoming clearer, and it is fascinating. Also the photo story on carnivorous plants...Whoa...totally cool...the images are so good.

I always learn from nat Geo, am constantly amazed by the world we live on and the universe around us. No one entertains and educates better than Nat Geo.

Movie-The Ultimate Lesbian Short Film Festival

2010-03-22T19:00:00.000-07:00

Many reviewers have written about this collection of short films , complaining about the production quality or the acting. And yes, while The Ultimate Lesbian Short Film Festival (2005) does not rank with the Hollywood blockbusters on production values, or even acting (though it is better than most Keanu Reeves fare for sure) the films in this collection have something many larger budget films lack.

Every film here has a message and loads of heart. And that goes a long way to forgiving the production faults...these are not people who have huge budgets to do their work...so they do the best they can in filming and sets. But they do excel in making short films that make you pause, think and examine the point of view presented. And that is something many Hollywood films lack.

Movie- Inglourious Basterds

2010-03-21T16:02:00.000-07:00

Inglourious Basterds had multiple nominations in this year's Oscars--- Best Picture, Best Director and Best Supporting Actor. Christoph Waltz won for Best Supporting Actor.

Let me just say...I did not expect to like Inglourious Basterds. I am not one of those Quentin Tarantino lovers, who think anything he does is gold...in fact, there are many of his films that I am not really that fond of. Also, I could take or leave Brad Pitt. So this movie did not have a ton of appeal for me.

Ooooops. I was wrong! OK, I admitted it.

Inglorious Basterds (2009) was an excellent film. Yes, it had the trademark Tarantino gore...but it is set in the time of war, and the gore that it fictionalizes is nothing compared to the gore that really happened, especially that set in motion by the Nazis and Hitler.

Basterds is set in a fictional world, where a group of American soldiers went into Germany spreading terror among the Nazis by their cruelty and disregard for any conventions. They ravaged Nazis, because to them, as Jews, all Nazis deserved it. Now you have to remember, this is a Tarantino reflected world. It is not true life, and does not pretend to be. It is more if a comic book version of The Dirty Dozen. Good guys and bad are CLEARLY delineated, and there is no question about who is the hero and who is evil.

And the amazing thing is that this works...a world where Hitler is killed by a team of bloodthirsty, but ultimately heroic Americans? Who isn't into that? The movie is really beyond description, but involves a movie theater, Hitler dying at the hands of the team, underground fighters, scalps, a bat (baseball) and the amazing, menacing Christoph Waltz, who brings the term "urbane terror" to life as the Nazi officer who hunts Jews.

Waltz brings a jittery-ness to every scene he is in. He is menace personified, but surrounded by a charm of a man of the world. He really, more than Pitt, brings this movie to another level.

Pitt is fine in his lead role, but nothing to write home about, and the other actors in the team are mostly interchangeable. But the cast is only a sidebar for Tarantino...it is about this story that keeps lunging forward, a story that is so not real, and yet somehow makes us want it to be real. It is a movie that really does defy most real description, but engages at basic, visceral level. I don't think it is one of those movies that makes you ponder overmuch, but it gives one hell of a ride while watching.

2 Magazines

2010-03-21T11:38:00.000-07:00

OK...I will admit to one of my MANY addictions---I LOVE the year end issues of People and Entertainment Weekly. Probably because they have lists---Best Books, Best Movies, Best TV Shows...etc. But I have these issues every year. The In Memoriam section is always interesting, and this year, wow, we lost a lot and biggies too.

Both magazines can be read in a flash, and they are fun respite from my usual reading...and they give me ideas for movies and shows I may not always have heard of. So, of all the OCDs I have, this one I will keep. Glad it only once a year though!

Book- A Single Pebble

2010-03-21T10:31:00.000-07:00

The last couple of books I have read by John Hersey were both disappointments, really not his best stuff. But with A Single Pebble he again is lyrical and clear, subtle and bold in his writing. It was a really good book, and I would really recommend it.

A Single Pebble tells the story of an American engineer who goes to China in the 1920s to figure out how to dam up the Yangtze River. He is the narrator of his own story, told from a large span of years, he is old now. And the sense of his nostalgia is palpable, as is also his sense of disdain for the young arrogant man he once was.

To survey the river he has to travel upriver by Chinese junk, hauled by ropes on the shore by a crew 40. It is a perilous journey for these men, called trackers. Led by the fearless and wild head tracker, who keeps the march going by his songs, the young engineer is first impatient with the slowness of the journey, and then gets lost in the timelessness of it. His first thoughts are of making the journey easier through locks and canals, but his ideas are morphed through events of the long journey upriver...the dangers and skills of the trackers, the acceptance of the crew to their fate.

This is a journey of self discovery for the young engineer, but the discoveries are meted out over his lifetime. His understanding of the journey gets stronger as he gets older. And Hersey writes well that melancholy, that sense of wonders past. He is lyrical and poetic, and never rushed, but never slow. He creates tension as the flow of the river becomes greater, and his words and cadence feel much like the river.

This is a very good little book, one of my favorite of Hersey's...it has moments that I will not forget and it is a book that is not easily shoved to the back of your mind.

2 Magazines

2010-03-21T09:38:00.000-07:00

The January issue of National Geographic had an astonishing article in it about bionics...Wow! What seemed like science fiction only a decade ago now is at our doorstep as fact. The linking of man and machine is used right now to help people who have lost sight and limbs, but the implications of other uses are also a bit terrifying. The science has come so far making arms that link directly into the nerves and the brain, with more and more sophisticated movement and dynamics. Incredible! And what they are doing for sight! Holy crap! As usual, the rest of the articles were entertaining and educational...The expose of wildlife trafficking was a great piece of investigative journalism and worth the Geographic's resources. And the images were heart-rending.

The January-February issue of Playboy is my last for a bit. I let my subscription lag for various reasons. But it was an excellent issue! the interview with Sean Combs was so-so, but the article about "The Singularity" actually meshed well with the Nat Geo article about bionics. There is much that is imagined about how far humans can adapt science to create better humans, but there is much that is real too. Tara Reid's pictorial was good, but highly airbrushed...still, she looked pretty good. The fiction by Dennis Lehane was fantastic. "Animal Rescue," was just outright a great short story. The expose about the man who conned the Pentagon was enlightening and frightening at how easily our government can be totally conned when manned by paranoids.There was other excellent fiction and articles. I am glad I am going out on a high note with this magazine.

The Andrew Awards- Best Foreign Film, 2008

2010-03-20T10:22:00.000-07:00

With Revanche I have finally seen all the nominees for best foreign film in 2008, as chosen by Oscar voters. They had their best, and so do I---the Andrew Awards have returned!!! (I know, you are ALL so excited!)

The nominees are: The Baader-Meinhof Complex from Germany, The Class from France, Departures from Japan, Revanche from Austria and Waltz with Bashir from Israel. The Oscars chose Departures. We will talk about my choice---

First, let's get rid of a couple off the bat. Hated The Class...pretentious, over-acted and self important, it was not the least inspiring. The Baader-Meinhof Complex was interesting, but ultimately could not get over the fact that its protagonists are terrorists with little to no good qualities, and the film-makers seemed not to realize that.

This leaves three very good movies. I just posted the review of Revanche, and while it was really good, it did not come up as high as Bashir and Departures. So it is between those two.

Waltz With Bashir was really the front runner for best foreign film according to most reports before the Oscars. that was because many non-Oscar voters had seen it, and few of those people had seen Departures. But the Oscar voters got it right, and the Andrew Award for best foreign film in 2008 is: Departures!

I can't say anything bad at all about Waltzing With Bashir...it was an amazing film. But Departures was beautiful...haunting and lyrical, funny and sad, it talks about death, and the death rites that our modern world seems to be abandoning, as we are abandoning our elderly. It talks about the respect the dead in our families deserve, and the after effects of death...a subject that touches everyone of us at some point.

The 2008 Andre Awards are done-- Here is the synopsis:
Best Picture: Milk
Best Actor: Sean Penn, Milk
Best Actress: Kate Winslet, The Reader
Best Supporting Actor: Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight
Best Supporting Actress: Marisa Tomei, The Wrestler
Best Director: Steven Daldry, The Reader
Best Foreign Film: Departures, Japan
Best Animated Film: Wall-E
Best Documentary: Man on Wire

The 2009 awards will be starting to post soon, as soon as I finish one category it will go up!

Movie- Gomorrah

2010-03-20T09:58:00.000-07:00

Taking place in the slums of Naples, Gomorrah (2008) is a really gritty look at how the Camorra crime syndicate, the Mafia, effects people in many walks of life. While the mob has been glamorized in many ways, rich, tough men who hang out in strip clubs and big houses, this shows probably a truer picture of what the life is like. Yes they are tough brutal men...but they are ugly, not really so rich, and make life terrible for many.

Gomorrah follows several stories: two young men think they can make a name for themselves and take out the local mob, a tailor who creates designer knock-offs for the mob and decides he can get away with helping the new Chinese gang, a delivery man for the mob...all these tales intertwine to create a picture of thugs, of heartless thugs who have no loyalty and enforce a code that benefits only them. It is a grim picture of no future, and life that is cheap and disposable.

I thought Gomorrah was a nice counterpart to the Godfather films and the Sopranos. While all those are fantastic, I think they do not show the down and dirty side of things. The slums that are increased because of the crime syndicate, the hopeless despair placed on people already living on the edge, the poverty that makes children captive to caprice and not free to grow. This is the mob in its grimmer reality.

Yes they are tough men. But they are not wearing designer suits, they do not have beautiful homes. They are smelly, obese old men, losing a war that they started. Such is the world that Gomorrah recreates.

Movie- Revanche

2010-03-20T08:24:00.000-07:00

Revanche was nominated for best foreign film for the 2008 Oscars (held in 2009). It did not win.

Set in Vienna, Tamara works as a hooker in a brothel. Working there also is Alex, a handyman/ bouncer/ janitor. the two fall in love, though that is something they need to keep secret to not run afoul of the pimp who seems to own Tamara and run the brothel.

The two plan their escape and a new life, but run into some snags that hit on a visceral and emotional level, and Alex must now start his new life alone, while seeking some measure of revenge.

But his revenge is not against just one man, though his ire is focused on that one man, but is more against the world that caused he and Tamara to be caught in this web of vice, a world that does not offer many choices when someone tires to get away from it. It also a self-loathing that moves Alex, that stems from the bad choices he made, that stems from his inability to protect Tamara, and act a human.

Alex no longer resides in Vienna, but in a rural area, with his grandfather. The scenes do contrast the grit of the rough Vienna Alex knew and the cleanliness of the countryside. This mirrors the corruption of Alex, and his want to become better, which puts him at odds with his own vengeance. The settings mirror the battle raging in Alex.

Revanche (2008) is a movie with many layers, but it is also very human and entertaining. It is after watching it that you get a sense of the filmmakers skill, but watching it you enjoy the humanity of the characters. The acting by Johannes Krisch as Alex and Irina Potapenko as Tamara is top notch, as is the supporting cast. All in all an excellent movie, and one that I will remember.

Movie- Oliver Twist

2010-03-18T19:34:00.000-07:00

Yet another remake of Oliver Twist, this 2005 edition by Roman Polanski gets many things right. And while that may be so, there is underlying lack of heart, like Polanski was getting so involved in creating his characters true to the original, he forgot that Oliver is the one we should really care about. Instead the title character seems to be merely a fulcrum for the other characters to balance on, and the other actors to perform their roles.

Now it is hard to get really excited about this work, because Oliver Twist has been made at least 12 times since the movie business began. It has been a silent, a couple of animated, TV mini-series and a musical. So what does this version bring?

Well, Ben Kingsley as Fagin is pretty good. And there is a richness to the settings...you can feel the griminess of London in that era...it was a dirty, stinking place, where people emptied their chamberpots onto the sidewalks from the upper windows, and woe to those who walked below. That is all wonderfully captured.

While Oliver is certainly sympathetic, somehow he comes across as merely being carried by events, not the catalyst to events. Things happen to him, he does not make the events go, and that is a problem of heart. Oliver Twist, like many Dickens characters, is good, but can be plucky and make choices that influence those around him. And you feel here he has little influence.

This is a good movie, and I enjoyed it. But it is not great, for all the care that was taken to create it.

Book- A Glance Away

2010-03-18T15:50:00.000-07:00

A Glance Away by John Edgar Wideman was not a book I was at all engaged in, or liked very much. It was a book whose characters I cared not at all about, and actually found them pretty pathetic. It is a book that came out of the 60s and 70s, and though I like those eras, some of the literature featuring characters that cannot communicate or change and who make their own damn lives miserable just leaves me cold.

This book features two characters, Eddie, who I have a bit more sympathy for, is a young black man back to his urban home from a rehab stint in the South. And while I could be OK with Eddie being an addict, his inability to deal with an overbearing mother, or even have the slightest ability to say one word that would make the situation better, just evokes nothing but contempt and derision from me, especially as he knows how he could make this situation and his life better.

The other character is Robert, a middle-aged queen, a professor who has devolved into alcoholism and pretended literary aspirations. Really he does not write at all, is scared to go into his classroom and feels like life has taken a dump on him. Guess what Robert, THAT is life! Get over yourself and your little petty difficulties...they are not that overwhelming! They can be pretty easily solved, at least many of them. But he is just wallowing in self-pity for supposed injustices.

There is a bit of plot where these two meet, but most of the book is examining the two psyches of the men. And quite frankly, neither psyche in very interesting. I am glad it was a short book.

Movie- District 9

2010-03-18T13:26:00.000-07:00

District 9 was up for an Oscar as best picture. It did not win.

The premise of District 9 (2009) seems like your basic sci-fi feature film. Aliens are marooned on earth, with their large craft permanently parked over Johannesburg, South Africa. The bug like aliens are stranded, and at first earth welcomes them, but then humanity, being fickle as we are, starts to turn against them. And this is where the concept of District 9 gets interesting.

The aliens, though obviously sentient beings, with great technology, are rounded up and made to live in a shanty town. They for years have established their own culture here, when the government decides to round them up again, and give them even more inhospitable land to live on, all perfectly legal of course, done with laws and regulations and all that. In charge of this move is bureaucrat Wikus, and man so consumed by dotting the i and crossing the t that he loses sight of what is happening.

Now the social content of this movie is pretty plain to see. And the setting is not a coincidence, because it reminds us of apartheid, and Native Americans, and gays and dozens of other ethnic or racial groups done in by the laws of the majority. And while I applaud this social relevance in a sci-fi movie, I also felt like they hit us over the head with it too often and too hard. A couple of times I even said, "OK OK, I get it!" as I was watching it.

It gets even more interesting as Wikus, the persecutor of the prawns (as the aliens are nicknamed) starts turning into one in a real sci-fi twist. He becomes one of the persecuted.

District 9 was a good movie, and that is was really an unknown, and did so well, still makes us feel we are not the captives of the studio marketing machines. But really, if the Oscars had not expanded the best picture category to 10 nominees, would this film even be considered on any one's short list? It seemed like the Academy was screaming, "We are so cool, look at what kind of film we now have nominated."

I can say the creators of the film were able to fuse the sci-fi with social relevance pretty well, and it was fun watching it. And it was a great step out of the dark that scvi-fi sometimes dwells in. But I would never seriously think it a contender for best picture.

Movie- Dim Sum

2010-03-18T08:53:00.000-07:00

Dim Sum: A Little Bit of Heart is an indie movie from 1985, set in San Francisco's Chinatown. It tells the story of an elder daughter who gives up her own life to take care of her widowed mother, as the culture of that era/locale dictated good daughters do.

The thing about Dim Sum is that it shows the daughter, Geraldine, not as a prisoner of a system, but as someone who genuinely loves her mother and does not know any other way to express it other than being in this co-dependent relationship. And the mother wants Geraldine to settle down and get married, but makes her guilty with the thought of leaving her alone.

It is a quiet and reflective film about the mix of human emotions, and the ties that bind us together, but can break us as individuals.

Movie- Up

2010-03-06T10:23:00.000-08:00

Up is nominated for two major Oscars---as a Best Picture nominee and as Best Animated Feature.

This animated Pixar film shows why the studio is still the leading light in animation. Up (2009) is not just an amazing animated film, (though the animation is truly great) Up (2009) is a movie written with pathos, sincerity, humor and an understanding of human regrets and love. And that is why it is nominated for Best Picture along with Best Animated Feature.

Telling the story of an old man, Carl, who just wants to live out his the rest of his life in peace, secluded in the home where he and his late wife had lived their lives in happiness. Around him are going up high rises, and the developer wants his property too, but Carl refuses to sell...there are to many memories in the house for him to let it go.

The beginning of this movie is so understanding of what a person clings to, what a person needs after a lifetime with someone, and then being left alone. Carl and his wife had known each other since childhood, and a sequence showing their life together was beautifully created. Maybe more touching to me, since Sharlynn and I have known each other all our lives, and some of the scenes reminded us of our life.

But Carl knows the time is coming where he will be forced to leave, so he takes matters into his own hands, ties thousands of balloons to his house, fills them with helium and sets off for and adventure he and his wife always wanted to take. Carl has a guest though, in Russell, a Scout who is on the front porch when the house ascends.

The story of their adventure is fun, with allies and villains. The dogs are especially funny, with the word "squirrel" distracting even the most viscous of them.

But the underlying message of them film is that life is an adventure. Even if we live it without travelling all over the world, without climbing the Alps or risking life and limb to explore the Arctic or dive from the world's highest peak. Everyday life is a sort of heroism...plodding to work to care for your family, having kids, making your moments of remembrance true and sweet, caring for each other...all this is adventure and living, and brave.

Up is a movie the works on many levels---it is funny, with great animation, an adventure and good for adults and kids. But the story, the script is what makes this movie. The human emotions are very real, very empathetic and and very true. Up is a very good movie.

Oscars!!!

2010-02-28T10:06:00.001-08:00

It is that time of year when I stack up the Oscar nominated films at the top of my Netflix queue. Much to my surprise, I have already seen a few of them.

I have seen Up and District 9 in the best movie category (and am watching Inglourious Basterds right now). And soon getting The Hurt Locker. I have seen Julie & Julia where Meryl Streep is nominated as best actress. And in the animation category, not only Up but Coraline too.

I always look forward to seeing not only the main nominated films, but the best foreign, animated and documentary films as well.

Movie- The World

2010-02-28T09:33:00.000-08:00

A slow moving film, though not quite boring, The World (2004) is about a Chinese amusement park, that has replicas of many of the globe's landmarks---The Eiffel Tower, the great pyramids, NY City etc---called The World. It focuses on a few workers there and the mundanity of the lives they lead working in such a place, for low wages and no room for promotion (unless you sleep with management).

It is not a film that moves quickly, and there is good and bad in that. The movie has the time to explore the workers lives in more depth, and it is not emotionally manipulative at all, letting the few times of emotion be very real. However, it is also at times hard to keep interest, because really, how exciting are our lives, if someone filmed us eating our meals and going through our day to day stuff?

The place where The World is filmed has to be a real tourist attraction, and seeing it is interesting and amusing. You can imagine the tourists visiting the Leaning Tower of Pisa and the Sphinx all in a few hours. But that does not save this movie from being almost, though not quite, boring.

TV-Heroes Finale

2010-02-28T08:37:00.000-08:00

Why am I still watching this show???

Heroes had fallen so far from what it was I am giving up on it at last. The finale was tedious and slack, with so little awe, that I just went away wondering why it is still on. The storyline petered out long before the final hour, and it just came unglued.

Now you have always had to suspend belief a bit to enjoy the show, but it was such a fun ride, I was willing to do that. But the gaps in this unenergized series now glare as bright as a nova. Just sad.

NBC is doing so badly that they will probably bring Heroes back next season, though on any other network it would be gone. My idea would be to do away with almost everyone and come up with a new cast of characters leaving in one or two of the old ones. Maybe that would help it regain its energy, ideas and fun. Barring that, I will not be watching anymore.

Book- Death of the Fox

2010-02-28T08:18:00.000-08:00

A book about the reign of Elizabeth I and her trusted ally Sir Walter Raleigh, Death of the Fox was a book that I thought I would like more, but I did not enjoy it nearly as much as I wanted to.

Historical fiction in one of the genres that is the equivalent of baked pasta for me...it is the comfort food of books. And I love the Elizabethan era. But George Garrett tells the story of the rise, fortunes and final downfall of Raleigh in a disjointed, oblique way, and I must admit, it did not grab hold of me until almost the end of the over 700 page book.

Now Garrett is doing more than just telling Raleigh's story, he is trying to show how England was in that time, and how much it advanced during the reign of Elizabeth I. In doing so he uses many different narrative voices, and this is where he lost me. Because some of these voices are first person, but seem to belong to disembodied beings, I had no idea where the narrative was emanating from, or why that voice took over the narrative.

While he does succeed in illustrating England, he would have grabbed me more by sticking to the story of Raleigh, because that story in and of itself is fascinating. How he rose to be the most trusted advisor to the queen, but after her death he was not at all trusted by her successor, James (of course James hardly trusted anyone). I would have liked to see more of the relationship of Elizabeth and Raleigh, instead of getting too few and too only hinted at views, of their relationship.

While I was looking forward to that baked pasta, it seems like it was subbed for with tofu. And while good for you, I really wanted it to be comfort food. Death of the Fox did not do that.

Movie- Cote d'Azur

2010-02-28T08:10:00.000-08:00

Cote d'Azur (2005) is a fun little European sex romp as a family of four arrives at their vacation home in France. The daughter immediately takes off on a motorcycle with her leather clad boyfriend. The son hangs out with his gay friend while deciding if he is gay or not (he's not), the mother's lover shows up for frequent quickies, and the father tidies up the place while deciding if he is gay (he is).

While not remarkable, it is light and fun, with some unexpected turns. Cote d'Azur is a nice diversion.

Movie- Tony Takitani

2010-02-23T19:59:00.000-08:00

Tony Takitani (2004) was a boring movie. While visually it had a bit of appeal, the story was dull, the plot plodded and most everything else was medicocre. It was not a film I would ever try to see again. I would watch reality shows before rewatching this.

I won't even describe it anymore, it is THAT boring.

Restaurant-Chopstix

2010-02-23T19:45:00.001-08:00

For years, decades in fact, Sharlynn and I would rely on Noodle House of Otomayan. the small place on Convoy that would reliably serve up Japanese noodle soups, and from about 1982- 2003 we would go there and order two Nabeyaki Udons and an order of gyoza, and be so happy and full and pay less than $20.

And when it closed, there was a void....not only from nostalgia (I remember driving back from a trip the two of us took to SF in about 1984 and stopping there for dinner), but a void of good noodle soup.

We may have found the closest replacement yet for that establishment, which closed when the family choose to retire. And it right across the street from where our former place used to be. It is Chopstix at 4633 Convoy, a small, no frills place, that makes really good Nabeyaki Udon and gyoza, so reminiscent of our old haunt. And best of all, two bowls of the noodle soup and an order of gyoza came to under $20!!!!

Chopstix has nice menu of Japanese food and soups. It is not expensive, but hardy, as Japanese country cooking is and it was nice that they served the tempura shrimp on the side, so you could put it in the broth when you wanted to, and it would not get prematurely soggy.

While not at all fancy, Chopstix was deeply satisfying...and I do not think it was just nostalgia!

TV on Netflix- True Blood, Season 1

2010-02-21T15:10:00.000-08:00

Alright, I have quite a few people I know who LOVE LOVE LOVE True Blood (2008). My niece, my friends Kelli and Sharon among others. And while I liked True Blood, I was not drawn into it as those people were. Nor was I drawn into like I was those other HBO shows of The Sopranos and Six Feet Under. True Blood, while quite good, did not reach those heights of sublime television.

It is original TV, I will give it that. Adding to the vampire mythos (which seems to be rampant right now), True Blood's main character is Sookie Sackhouse, a waitress at a bar in in an out of the way Parish of Louisiana. Sookie is a bit unusual before any vamps appear on the scene...she can read minds.

In True Blood's world, vampires can now exist without drinking blood from humans...they can survive on a synthetic blood, called True Blood. So vamps are now trying to "come out" and be part of society, at least many are. And Bill Compton walks into Sookies' bar and orders True Blood from her, and instantly there is chemistry.

Sookie is played by Anna Paquin who does a nice job. But all the acting is sometimes a bit wooden...maybe that is the vibe they are going for, but it does not always work for me. And while I like the idea of the vampires and all, there are way too many supernatural beings popping up in this series. Sam is a changeling Sookie can read minds, Bill an others are vamps, and we get the idea in Season 2 there will be even more strange creatures. I wish they had stuck to one or two, the vamps and a mind reader, that would not stretch my credulity so far.

One of things I did not like about it was how much it hit you over the head with the idea that the prejudice humans show to vampires is quite like that which heterosexuals show to homosexuals, or that whites showed to blacks for decades (yes I know it still occurs, but I am talking pre-civil rights era). I would like that point (an it is valid) to be a little more subtle, instead of hitting me over the head almost every episode. Yes, I almost scream, I get it, really I do, now shut UP!

Yes, I will continue to watch True Blood, I did actually like it. But it is not one of those where I am waiting with bated breath for the next season to come out.

The extras on the DVD series were great...ads for True Blood, PSA's both for against vampires, all of which were quite funny.

Movie- The Beautiful Country

2010-02-21T14:43:00.000-08:00

The Beautiful Country (2004) is a moving film, dealing with a lot of things sub-textually, while not distracting, but being organically part of the plot.

The film's main character is Binh, living in the country with relatives, but an outcast in Vietnam, because he is half American, fathered during the Vietnam War. A young man now, Binh will be put out of his relative's house as she remarries, so he asks about his mother in Saigon. And as he finds some leads, he sets off with almost nothing to find her.

One of the sub-texts is that of the effects of war, not just the death, suffering and destruction that occur during the war, but the long term after effects, such as many children without fathers, rejected in their own land. War does not stop its destruction at the end of the fighting.

Binh finds his mother, and they are joyfully reunited, but the joy is short lived, as Binh cannot seem to fit in, and a tragedy occurs that sets him on an even longer journey, that of finding his father in America.

The journey is difficult with more tragedy in its wake. As Binh finds a woman to share his journey, and loses his small brother to illness on it. And the themes of this movie come out even more, the theme of assumptions vs. reality. The woman, played excellently by Ling Bai, should be considered a bad person. But Binh sees more, goes past the assumptions so many others have of her, and at least for a time, finds love.

Another place where theme and plot mesh perfectly is in the telling of the immigrant experience, which has not appreciably changed since my ancestors came over from Ireland and Italy. It is people seeking something better in this country, whether it is knowledge, or freedom or simply an economic opportunity. And in this, Binh's tale is timeless.

The theme of assumptions vs. reality come together again as Binh does find his father, played heart wrenchingly by Nick Nolte. Because all this time, both Binh and his mother thought the man she had wed just abandoned her, but the truth is far more tragic, and oh so human.

The Beautiful Country is an excellent film, where theme and plot overlie each perfectly, adding to each other in an intrinsic way.
It is a film that plays out in your head long after you have watched it. It is sad and warm and a lovingly crafted movie.

Movie- The House Bunny

2010-02-15T20:11:00.001-08:00

So The House Bunny is NOT in the same class as Citizen Kane...hell, the House Bunny is not in the same class as The Hangover. That being said, it really is not terrible either.

Starring Anna Faris as the Playboy bunny who gets kicked out of the mansion (via nefarious plans of a rival bunny), the movie is about perceptions, misconceptions and judgments.

Shelley (Faris) has to find a new place to live when she gets kicked out, and she finds a college with a wayward sorority that is about to lose its charter. The girls are misfits, and do not fit in, but Shelley can help. She starts making them up, starts putting on events and starts teaching them how to be social, not social misfits. And it is a lesson these girls sorely need.

But Shelley becomes too good a teacher, and the girls start becoming vacuous airheads, where formerly they held at least some intelligence, despite their anti-personas. So where is the line?

I think that question is what redeems this flick. It asks for a compromise, not selling the sorority sisters out to some mindless sex appeal, but not ignoring the idea that you also have to have some social skills and make the most of the appearance you do have, to make it in this world. And The House Bunny answers that in a reasonable manner...and while it may be a bit predictable, it is also kinda fun.

Faris is fine in the titular role, and the appearance of Hef and the original Girls Next Door adds to the authenticity of the film. All in all a fun and entertaining movie, if much less than a great movie. But who can watch Citizen Kane every night?!

Movie- Departures

2010-02-15T16:53:00.001-08:00

Departures, from Japan, was nominated for an Oscar last year and won in the Best Foreign Film category.

Wow! What a great movie! Departures (2008) was a fantastic movie out of Japan, and deserves all the honors it can get. It is sad, funny, thoughtful and intense. About Daigo, a cellist in an orchestra who suddenly finds himself out of work. He and his wife return to his hometown in the country, and he stumbles upon a new career, that of a nakanshi, one who prepares the dead for burial.

Daigo is not comfortable with this new job, but he watches his mentor, who prepares the dead with ritual and care...he treats the dead with dignity and reverence, and maybe love. And as Daigo watches this, he becomes more caring too...not just about the dead, but about the living.

The line between death and life is so slim...and it is really evoked in this fantastic film. The ritual they use to prepare the dead, helps to both blur that line, and to make it secure...to let the living be alive, yet accepting of the death of the loved one, and to be able to express their sorrow and sadness.

Daigo does not come easily into this career, and it does not come without some costs...but he does make the calling his own. His story, with his wife, and father who abandoned him, makes a nice counterpoint to the story of his new vocation. But they are also very intertwined...like life and death.

This movie was excellent. Some reviewers felt a bit manipulated with their emotions, but I did not feel that way at all...we are discussing death here. It cannot help but be emotional. Death is an emotional time. But I did not feel like the movie took advantage of this unnecessarily at all. Departures felt true and heartfelt, but not like overblown melodrama. It is a movie well worth watching.

Moive-Thumbsucker

2010-02-15T16:41:00.000-08:00

OK, this movie was better than how it sounds on paper. Thumbsucker (2005) is about Justin, a sixteen (or so) year old, who still sucks his thumb when under stress.

Yes, it is his crutch, and that is what this movie is about, crutches. Because his father ridicules him, and others mock him, Justin finds a way to get off his thumb, via doctor's prescription, but soon finds he has another crutch,,, maybe a more socially acceptable one, but ultimately a more harmful one in a Ritalin like prescription.

While this movie is not GREAT, it does offer some thought into what crutches we find acceptable and what we do not. If someone takes prescribed sleeping pills every night, does that make him less dependent that the guy who smokes out at night to help him sleep? These are the kinds of questions the movie makes us ask. And it goes even deeper.

Do we use as a crutch our own behavior...maybe uncommunicativeness, to help us cope with pain in the past, with unfulfilled dreams perhaps? Do we love food because of the comfort it gives, the stability? Do we work ourselves to death to avoid having real feelings or admit that the we are in a bad relationship?

Thumbsucker is a thoughtful film, maybe a bit light on actual story. But the questions it poses are legitimate, and it may do us well to consider them. Maybe a thumb is not so bad after all.

Moive-Quantum of Solace

2010-02-13T10:42:00.000-08:00

The newest James Bond feature film and the second movie to star Daniel Craig, Quantum of Solace (2008) did not garner as many rave revues as Casino Royale. But I think it continued to add to the Bond mythos, and accentuate why Craig was a great choice to play Bond.

One of the things that started in Casino and continued in Quantum is the dis-use of gadgets. This Bond is skilled at driving, fighting and many other things, but he does not rely on gadgets that can do ridiculous things, and I like that. He is tougher and moodier than some Bonds before him, and maybe not quite as refined--- he is just learning how he likes his martinis. But after all, he is a killer.

Quantum is pulse pounding action. I watched it on my new BluRay, and from the opening car chase and foot chase scenes, which shook the couch, I was exhausted! I think some critics did not like it because it has too much action, but that was OK to me...not all the films need to have the brooding of Casino, and this film continued to create Bond, to evolve him from Casino to this. And continued to show that Bond does not trust anyone, and is a force and a law unto himself.

Quantum was good, and it was fun. the chase scenes were amazingly choreographed, and as usual, the women were HOT! Daniel Craig can stay as Bond as long as he wants as far as I am concerned.

Visit to Long Beach

2010-02-13T10:21:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago we took a drive up to Long Beach to see our friends Paul and Wendy. The move to Long Beach was fairly recent for them, going from Huntington Beach, to LB. We had planned to see them earlier, but with family crisis, we just did not make it.

The drive was fairly easy, but finding their place was bit more challenging. The are deep in an enclave that is really nice, with some huge, multi-million dollar homes right around them. They have a guest house, at the back of a bigger house, and it is very cute, designed in a very Frank Lloyd Wright style.

Their location is excellent, just a 5 minute walk from the town center, where there is a street loaded with restaurants, bars and unique shops (not the usual tourist crap). And just a 5 minute jog from the beach. We walked down to one restaurant, had an excellent lunch, walked the streets window shopping, stopped for a huge brownie at a pastry shop, stopped for another drink, and headed back.

It was fun hanging out and seeing where they live. And visiting with the two dachshunds, Frankie and Beans. They have since made two trips down here for dim sum and poker night, so we need to make another drive up there soon. There is a sushi bar that looked REALLY good that we will have to try!

Movie-The Hangover

2010-02-11T07:00:00.000-08:00

Many times movies like The Hangover (2009) disappoint me. But I am happy to say that The Hangover did not...this was a very funny, and smartly written movie. Starring Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Zach Galifianakis and Justin Bartha as four men who take a trip to Vegas for a bachelor party, the movie stays away (mostly) from the usual cliches, and in fact, pokes fun at them.

The guys are in Vegas, and we see them having toast before they hit the town. We next see them waking up in their completely trashed suite the next morning, not remembering a damn thing that happened the night before. Now the usual movie of this sort would just go to flashbacks right here, but not The Hangover. The men wake up to clues all around them...a live chicken, a tiger in the bathroom, a missing tooth and a baby in the closet. As they realize that the groom to be is missing, they set off in search of him, and the car that is brought to them is a police car. "What the hell did we do last night?" And they follow the clues to get some answers. And we follow in hilarious lockstep with them.

Galifianakas plays the soon to be brother-in-law misanthrope. And he is brilliant in the role. The other three men are quite good too (and Sharlynn REALLY enjoyed watching Bradley Cooper. An excellent performance by Heather Graham, the stripper that is so honest about who she is, that we get past that she just uses stripping to hook up for her escorting practice.

The journey the guys make to find their friend is not straight forward...they find pieces of their story in non linear fashion, and work to put it all together. And the effect is just plain funny. I think the movie will go down as a comic classic of this decade. And it has so many funny throwaway lines, that it will also be one of the most quoted movies for some time:

“Whose baby is that?”
“Check its collar or something.”

Stu: “Am I missing a tooth?

Alan: I’m sure you get this a lot, but is this really Ceasar’s Palace?
Hotel Clerk: What do you mean?
Alan: Did Ceasar really live here?
Hotel Clerk: No
Alan: Didn’t think so

Doug: I always wondered why they were called roofies. Cause you're more likely to end up on the floor than the roof. They should call em groundies.
Alan Garner: Or rapies.

and so many others.

The Hangover is smart and damn funny. It is a movie I will buy, as I think it will keep me laughing well into my 80s.

2 Magazines

2010-02-06T09:14:00.000-08:00

The December National Geographic was a fascinating mix of the exploration of the galaxy, and the brutality that continues on our own world. The article "Are We Alone" searches the cosmos for earth like planets. And the search is getting more and more precise and instuments get more finely tuned. I do believe that we will find a few earth like planets in my lifetime, and maybe even sign of life on another world. It is not science fiction, it is statistics, the laws of probability and science. But we have much still to learn on our own world, as "The Other Tibet" illustrates. The repression in Tibet by China shows that mankind is probably not ready for the discovery that we are not a unique planet, the other forms of life do exist. We will probably find that another reason to commit atrocities against each other. And the article on the Hazda people, modern day hunter-gatherers, really shows the despite our progress in many areas, we still lack a serenity that these "primitive" people seem to have mastered.

The December issue of Playboy had some good articles. The interview with James Cameron, that I read before the debut of Avatar was especially revealing...he had little doubt that it would be a huge success, and he was VERY correct. I have to admit, Chelsea Handler makes me laugh, and she is HOT! Her guide to surviving the holidays with family made me laugh out loud. With advise like "An inebriated guest is an entertaining guest--an abundance of booze makes everybody a little less critical of the terrible food they are being served." I LIKE her! And while I personally am not a fan of Vladimir Nabokov, I recognize that he is one of the literary giants of the 20th century, and for Playboy to get an exclusive preview of his last novel, that has been in a vault for many years, is a testament to how literary this magazine is. It has, and continues, to publish short fiction from some of the greatest writers around.

Movie- Valkyrie

2010-02-02T19:26:00.000-08:00

I had heard some unfavorable reviews of Valkyrie (2008) when it hit theaters, and I am not a big Tom Cruise fan to begin with, so it was with a fair amount of caution that I watched Valkyrie, not expecting too much.

And it is good that I went in with low expectations, because that way, the movie did exceed them. The story is powerful and true, and the filming is really nicely done. It is about the close success of an assassination of Adolph Hitler and coup of his government...the closest anyone came to stopping the Nazi horror, before Hitler ended his own life and ended the dreams of the Third Reich.

A group of military officers were the driving force of this coup, and relied mostly on Col. Claus von Stauffenberg (Cruise), a man loyal to Germany and the army, not necessarily to the Nazis or Hitler. He comes into the group of assassins as a hero of the Reich having been injured in Africa and losing an eye and part of a hand. But he sees the road Germany is going down, knows that they will lose the war, and cannot stand to see what it will have to endure because of the atrocities committed. So he joins, and eventually leads the cabal.

Now the story has some power, and like I said, it is suitably filmed, but it lacks something also. It seems to be lacking a tension that would be suitable. While glossy, it is not nitty gritty very much, and I think this is needed also. Cruise does not help this lack, because though he does an adequate job, he has no nit nor grit to him. Also lacking...the German language. It really seems like more authenticity could be had here by having this film in German, at least mostly.

Valkyrie exceeded my expectations, but my expectations were really low. I don't know if that is a good thing or bad, and feel much the same about this film.

TV Season- Chuck

2010-02-01T19:37:00.000-08:00

I am so glad Chuck is back on the air. One of the few bright spots in NBC's lineup, Chuck is by turns funny, action-packed, sexy, touching and romantic. How it does all these things, and all pretty damn well, is beyond me. But it does.

And this is not last year's Chuck either. With last year's finale changing the game, Chuck is no longer just the dopey guy with the Intersect in his head that can flash on things and provide info. Oh no, the new Intersect in his head still has him flashing, but gives him the abilities to do many things, like kick ass in a fight, and play Flamenco guitar (I know, that sounds strange, but it worked in the episode).

The show makes me laugh more than many straight comedies, and the sexiness is provided in large part by Yvonne Strahovski, who plays Chuck's CIA handler, Sarah Walker. She had a scene with another HOOOOT female spy changing into their undercover HOOOOT clothes....STEAM-Y!

The one thing that Chuck could lose is the Buy More gang. They are a real distraction to the meat of the show, and while absurd, are rarely funny. My idea would be to have Chuck run the Nerd Herd computer division of the Buy More off site. And Morgan could still be in at as liason for the main store to Chuck. Get rid of Buy More except in VERY small doses...keep Morgan...all is good.

Zachery Levi is perfect as the imperfect Chuck, who wants to be a spy, but has a heart too big to be cold blooded.

This should be a show NBC builds around...but knowing their track record, the will cancel it and replace it with the newest Knight Rider.

Movie- Seven Pounds

2010-01-31T16:56:00.000-08:00

Will Smith can surprise you, you think a movie won't be that good, and somehow he can make it be good. Not quite like Robert Downey Jr., but he has a talent for finding projects that suit him and make him and it, better.

And so I think Seven Pounds (2007)is better than the material really is. It is about an IRS agent who starts helping a few people, giving them some breaks on their taxes and helping them do better in their lives. He especially is interested in helping the almost dying Rosario Dawson (really, what guy would not be?). But his character has issues, you can tell something is motivating him to do this, but that is a slow reveal.

Smith is engaging, as always, and Dawson is too, as always. But despite that, the film feels mawkish, as it tries too hard to evoke feeling in the audience. It seems to force us to feel sooooo sad for the dying Dawson, and even the surprise ending seems too forced. And the reasons for Smith's actions, while tragic, don't seem to be enough to force this kind of reaction in his character.

I can't say that I disliked Seven Pounds...the actors are too personable and too good looking to really dislike it. But, I don't think it was genuine and heartfelt either. It felt too much like a studio idea, rather than a creative idea. Sometimes that works, sometimes no. But they were very lucky to have Smith and Dawson attached to this, otherwise it could have been a real bomb.

Movie-Junebug

2010-01-31T14:30:00.000-08:00

A movie about an odd and repressed family, Junebug (2005) was a showcase for Amy Adams, whose role here really propelled her to stardom.

Madeleine and George are newly married, after a very short courtship, and are crazy about each other. She is an art gallery owner and goes to see a startling new artist in the south. It happens that this artist is also in the same town as George's family, and George (very reluctantly) agrees to turn the working trip into an opportunity for Madeleine to meet his family for the first time.

Now this family is not quite sure how to react to Madeleine, with her European/New York/Artsy manners (she greets each family member with a kiss on each cheek), and while they are used to their own odd manners, they are not accepting of another person's. Accept for Ashely, brother George's very pregnant wife, played by Adams.

Ashely is in permanent wonderment of the world, and cannot see things in a negative light...it simply seems to be contrary to who she is. George is a jerk to all the family, maybe most especially to Ashely, and yet she always sees him in a positive way. She is a ray of sunshine. But you get the feeling that she has to be this way to survive this family to which she now belongs. If she does not live in this manner, she will be consumed by the oddness and darkness that this family gives out.

And Madeleine and George go through their own self realization. Madeleine realizes that their courtship was so fast, she does not know much about George's past....like how much religion seems to be a part of his life. He too realizes that Madeleine will NEVER get the whole bible belt family values thing. She is who he met in New York, and she won't see the world differently. The interesting thing that is shown is what this means to the marriage.

Junebug is sometimes hard to watch, as people are constantly letting each other down and have no ways to pass the barriers that separate experiences have given them. Communication does not seem to be a solution, for they have no vocabulary for this, as embodied by George's taciturn father.

But it is an amazing movie, made more so by Adams' performance. Watch this and you will understand why she is one of the most in demand actresses right now.

Movie-Asylum

2010-01-31T14:19:00.000-08:00

Asylum (2005) is a psychologically twisted movie about twisted psyches.

Starring the late Natasha Richardson as the wife of a shrink taking a new post in mental hospital, the movie is about obsession and lust, as she falls for one of the patients and has a torrid affair with him. Despite being caught and ruining her husband's potential promotions, she continues her affair even after the inmate escapes.

She leaves all behind, including her son, to follow him. And though he at first seems "normal," he was in the hospital for good reasons as soon becomes apparent as he beats her. But her obsession is so strong, clinical even, she still defends him and tries to help him.

Asylum is not a great movie...at some points becoming a bit unbelievable as hospital authorities try to cover their tracks. But Richardson's performance is very brave and makes her loss feel greater. She bares all emotionally and physically. And it is an interesting treatment of sexual obsession.

Movie- The Secrets

2010-01-31T09:56:00.000-08:00

The Secrets (2007) is an Israeli film the presents a very un-orthodox set of views. It is about Naomi, from an orthodox family, who has sat at her father's side learning the holy books. It is commonly acknowledged that if she were a man, she would be a highly regarded Talmud scholar. But being a woman, in her society, it means she needs to find a husband, keep her views to herself, and have lots of children. Naomi in very unhappily engaged, and puts that on hold to go to an all women's seminary in Safed.

Here she meets other young women,some of whom are truly spiritual, and some of whom are merely put into the seminary to keep them out of trouble. And she develops a friendship with one girl in particular, Michelle, a rebellious girl who wants to live her life outside of the proscribed box.

They are sent to provide charity to an ill French woman, and decide to try to help this dying woman find spiritual peace. But doing so, they study Kabbala, and that is strictly forbidden. But they feel there is a higher calling than the laws given to them by man. Naomi finds justification for her actions in the holy books, and the two proceed to heal this ill woman, so she can dye in peace with God.

So already there are many aspects that go against traditional orthodox thinking. But the film even goes one farther, developing the relationship between Naomi and Michelle, into one of intimacy and love. But Michelle is less a rebel than she thinks, and Naomi, who again finds justification for her actions in the holy words, is more of a rebel than anyone believes.

This film is very well done...thoughtful and artistic, it is about freedom and love, about God and man. It is a notch below some production standards of mainstream American films, but the storyline and the acting more than make up for it. The actresses that play Naomi and MIchelle (Ania Bukstein and Michal Shtamler) are excellent as is most of the supporting cast. The Secrets is a very good movie.