Ten Movies You Should See by the Age of 14 and The Week in Reviews

[ I review the movies "Her," "Lee Daniels' The Butler," "Bless Me, Ultima," "Gangster Squad" and "Sunlight Jr.]

But first

 

Ten Movies You Should See by the Age of 14

In 2005, the British Film Institute (BFI) put out a list of the 50 films kids should see before the age of 14 in order to inspire parents and educators to take films as seriously as books and other kinds of art. 

The list was put together by 70 film producers, authors and critics, and the top ten were the films that received the most votes. 

Here are the top ten.

How many of these have you seen?

Spirited Away (2001)

This film registered the most votes and won a Best Animated Film Oscar in 2002.





Bicycle Thieves (1948)

Vittorio De Sica's classic Italian film about a man and his son searching for his stolen bicycle which he needs to earn a living.





E T The Extraterrestrial (1982)

E.T. Call home!





Kes (1969)

First Ken Loach film about a young working class British boy who spends his time training his pet falcon.  I am a big Ken Loach fan and can't believe I haven't seen this one, but it's now on my list.





Night of the Hunter (1955)

Charles Laughton's only directorial effort, Robert Mitchum plays a bad guy (what else?) who marries a gullible widow to  get his hands on her husband's money and in the meantime terrorizes her children.  A classic American thriller that would probably scare the pants off young kids.





400 Blows (1959)

Francois Truffaut's French New Wave film about a misunderstood young boy entering into a life of crime.




Show Me Love (1998)

Swedish film whose original Swedish title caused a bit of a stir about two young girls embarking on a romantic relationship.






Toy Story (1995)

Who doesn't love this film? 

I especially loved Toy Story 3, which might have been on this list if it had been made when this list was compiled.





Where is the Friend's Home (1987)

An Iranian film that tells the simple account of a conscientious schoolboy's quest to return his friend's notebook so the friend will not get in trouble.  The film has been seen as a metaphor for civil duty, loyalty and everyday heroics.





The Wizard of Oz (1939)

Who hasn't seen this classic film?

So what do you think?

 

Did they get it right?

 

What other films do you think belong in the top 10 of films kids should see by the age of 14?

I cannot find a similar list put out by the American Film Institute (AFI), but if they had, I wonder if their list would include as many "foreign" films as are on this list or as many with what I might call a "cosmopolitan" bent.

Also I am struck by the limited number of Disney animation films.

And what the hell?  Where is "Mary Poppins?"

Here is the complete list of all 50.

(All films in the top 10 are on DVD so check your local library.  They are also available through Netflix except "Where is the Friend's House?" which can be found at Amazon.com)

There are three on this list that I have not seen so I have requested them through my local library and added others to my Netflix queue.

***In Theatres Now***

Her

Theodore (Joaquin Phoenix) is grieving the breakup of his marriage and embarks on a "relationship" with his computer's artificially intelligent operating system (OS).

From the looks of this film, everyone in the immediate future will look like a nerd.  I have never seen so many buttoned up shirts and high-waisted trousers on men since the 1950's.

This is a touching and funny (didn't expect the funny part) look at human relationships and how technology can isolate us so much that we can fall in love with the voice on our computer (Think Hal from "2001, A Space Odyssey," but female and not sinister). 

Then we don't have to deal with the failings of humans, right? Theodore's operating system becomes his best friend, confidant, girlfriend and yes, lover. But what do you do if your computer crashes?

Makes me look at my computer in a whole new way.

Joaquin Phoenix should have gotten an Academy Award Best Actor nomination for this performance.  In most scenes,  he is acting alone to the sound of Scarlett Johansson's voice (she is also very good).  It is not an easy feat to act without another actor who is physically there and from whom you can draw energy.  And this is not the usual type of role for him either, nor does it indicate that crazy persona he took on a few years back.

Here's a little challenge:  The film is set in L.A. 
See if you can catch the other city that sometimes stands in for L.A. 
(I realized right away it wasn't L.A. I was close, but didn't get it right).

Rosy the Reviewer says...A strange, but original script (I always give props to originality), beautifully executed by writer/director Spike Jonze, who is nominated for an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay (the movie is nominated for Best Picture). 


                          

***DVDS***

You Might Have Missed

And Some You Should Be Glad You Did

(I see the bad ones so you don't have to)

Lee Daniels' The Butler (2013)

White House butler Cecil Gaines serves eight Presidents and is a witness to history.

Though I eagerly anticipated this film because of it's interesting concept, I was ultimately disappointed.  The production values bugged me and the whole thing was too earnest and heavy handed.  Though I loved Oprah.  I always love Oprah.

Lee Daniels directed "Precious." 

Rosy the Reviewer says...Ambitious film that is ultimately a disappointment. 

Bless Me, Ultima (2013)

Based on the Rodolfo Anaya novel which blends Catholocism and mysticism to tell a coming of age story set in the rural New Mexico of the 1940's.

The book is considered a classic of Chicano literature and has won many awards.  It has also been one of the most challenged books in the U.S due to scenes of violence and sexual references.  Christy Walton, one of the Walton heirs, set up a production company with the sole purpose of getting this film made.

Rosy the Reviewer says...family fare.  This is what I think of most family fare:  Zzzzzzz

Gangster Squad (2013)

It's 1949 and mobster Mickey Cohen is terrorizing L.A.

I didn't think I was going to like this film, but it's snappy dialogue, film noir production values (the blood and gore notwithstanding), and Sean Penn chewing up the scenery like mad, it was a lot of fun.  Nick Nolte appears to be improvising the part of a refrigerator.

Rosy the Reviewer says...if you don't take this one too seriously, you will enjoy it.  Think those old pulp fiction novels.





Sunlight Jr. (2013)

A convenience store (Sunlight Jr.) clerk and her paraplegic boyfriend, living hand to mouth in a motel, fall onto even harder times.

Here is the poster child for raising the minimum wage.  Crap happens when you are poor and crap is compounded upon crap.

Naomi Watts is known for "getting her kit off," a British term for taking off her clothes and this is no exception.

Rosy the Reviewer says...why Matt Dillon and Watts signed up for this thing, I am not sure, but there is no sunlight shining here.  For hardcore Matt Dillon and/or Naomi Watts fans only.

***Book of the Week***

Her (2013) by Christa Parravani

Not to be confused with the film of the same name, this is the true story of the close relationship between two twin sisters until one of them dies tragically. 

When her sister dies from a life of depression and excess, Christa tries to become her to her own detriment.

This is one of those memoirs that has so much bad stuff happen that it's almost unbelievable.

Rosy the Reviewer says...depressing and probably better understood by another twin.

***Musical Theatre***

Menopause the Musical

Ladies, it's all here:  the hot flashes, the mood swings, the incontinence, the insomnia, the antidepressants, the weight gain, the anger, the Mom issues, memory loss, wrinkles and yes, vibrators...all set to the tunes we grew up with sung by four women who meet by chance in Bloomingdales.

Here is a taste:

(To the tune of "The Lion Sleeps Tonight").

Weeeee.. We um baum baum away
Weeeee.. We um baum baum away
(Shes a witch, shes a witch,
shes a bitch, shes a bitch
Shes a witch, shes a witch,
shes a bitch, shes a bitch
Shes a witch, shes a witch,
shes a bitch, shes a bitch
Shes a witch, shes a witch,
shes a bitch, shes a bitch)

In the guestroom or on the sofa,
my husband sleeps at night;
In the guestroom or on the sofa
my husband sleeps at night...

(it goes on)

Other songs include:

"Puff, My God I'm Draggin" and "My Thighs (think "My Guy)."

And we got up on the stage and danced with the stars at the end.  I am always amazed at the talented people out there in the world we have never heard of. This is a first rate show.  See it if it comes your way.

Rosy the Reviewer says...to every husband and family member who was wondering what has come over their wife and mother, you need to see this so you can understand the "Change, Change, Change."

That's it for this week. 

See you Tuesday

for my

"Word a Day Project" 

 

Thanks for reading!

If you enjoyed this post, feel free to share it and/or email it to your friends.

Check your local library for DVDs and book mentioned.

10 Signs It Is Time To Lose Weight and How To Do It

Hubby has lost almost 20 pounds in the last two months.

I find that inspiring, but I have known for awhile that I need to go on a diet.

How do I know?

Here are some signs that it's time to lose some pounds:

• When you reach up into the cabinet over the stove, you burn your stomach on the pot simmering on the hot burner (This can happen. I have the scar to prove it).

• Your bathroom scale has cobwebs on it.

• You not only can't zip up your jeans, when you look down, you can't see your shoes.

• People ask you when the baby is due, despite the fact it would take an act of god for that to happen

• You get winded going out to the mailbox for the mail

• You are pen pals with Lane Bryant

• If someone parks too close to you, you can't get out of the car.  Heck, the other car doesn't even need to be that close.

• Your earrings are the only things that fit

• When you order two scoops of ice cream the pimply faced teenager asks, "Are you sure you want two?"

• The dogs refuse to go for walks, because they don't want to be seen in public with you.

So what will I do to lose the weight?

Diet tips from the professionals seem to include:

Eat breakfast
There is actually a difference of opinion on this.  Some diet books say breakfast is a must and others say don't worry about it. This is a hard one for me.  Number one, I am not hungry in the morning (I am not a morning person - just the smell of breakfast being made makes me bilious), and number 2, I have always felt once I start eating the floodgates will open and I won't stop.  I know that's not really true, but old habits die hard.

Drink lots of water
Some diet experts say that when we feel hunger, we are actually thirsty.  But I'm telling you, when I am hungry for a bowl of ice cream or a hamburger, water just doesn't cut it.

Cut down on nighttime snacks
Well, here is my Achilles heel.  I can go all day without eating but at night?  There is nothing like a nice bowl of popcorn or a glass or wine (or two) while watching "The Bachelor."

Avoid eating out
Again, a toughy.  For someone like me who is working her way through Seattle's fine dining restaurants from A-Z, it's difficult to eat leftovers at home before heading to the theatre or music venue.

Be physically active
I try to walk 10,000 steps per day, but I also like to watch TV.  Maybe I should watch TV while running in place.

Keep a food diary
I would do this if I could remember to do it.

Follow a prescribed diet
I have probably read every diet book ever written. 


The Adkins diet, originally popularized in the early 1970's, and touting cutting out almost all carbs, seems to be popular again.  I think I first tried this when was 12!

Other popular diet books include:



The Dukan Diet

I have several friends who have lost weight on this one.  Princess Kate used it before she married Prince William. (Like she needed to lose any weight.  Sheesh).  It's a low carb, low fat diet that is very restrictive early on, then morphs into one where you have "celebration" days. 
Since I like celebrating so much, I would probably overdo the celebration days.







Paleo Diet

This one is in vogue now touting the idea that if you eat like the caveman (or woman), you will be a slim and sexy caveman (or woman).  You can't have anything that wasn't available in prehistoric times. 
Do you think they had Haagen Dazs?








Flat Belly Diet

Those days are behind me, if you know what I mean.





Crazy Sexy Diet

Now you're talkin'! 





Skinny Bitch in the Kitchen

This is what I strive for - to be a skinny bitch.  Some might contend that I have the bitch part worked out already.  But if not, eating vegan would definitely do it.





French Women Don't Get Fat

Bully for them!  Talk about skinny bitches!





Gluten Free Girl Every Day

Originally designed for people who can't tolerate wheat, gluten-free eating has become a fad.  I don't like fads.





Neris and India's Idiot Proof Diet

This one looks promising considering it's audience.



All in all, I think the real key is finding a diet that becomes a way of life. 

If you give up everything you really enjoy, you set yourself up for failure.

Hubby is adhering to a modified Atkins diet and cutting out the booze on week days, which seems to work for him (though I will say, it's been my experience that men can lose weight more easily than women).

I will try to eat something in the morning to get my metabolism going (or just stay in bed until it's lunch time), cut down on empty calories such as wine (I can't tell you how difficult it was for me to break that to the wine-guzzling poodle), get some exercise every day and watch my portions.

And try not to beat myself up too much. 

After all, I should be grateful for this old body that has gotten me this far, even if it's less than svelte. 

Want to give me some diet advice?

 

Share your tips, successes
 and favorite diet books.

See you Friday for the Week in Reviews.

Thanks for reading!

If you enjoyed this post, feel free to share it and/or email it to your friends.

 

Check your local library for the books mentioned.

The Golden Globes, the Academy Award Nominations, and the Week in Reviews

[I review the movie "August, Osage County" and DVDs "Thanks for Sharing," "Renoir," "The Awakening" and "Adore."]

But first

It's Awards Season at the movies, and for movie lovers, that's our play-offs leading to our Super Bowl, the Academy Awards.

The Golden Globes were last Sunday and there were a few surprises.

The first surprise was how unfunny Tina Fey and Amy Poeller were compared to last year, other than the joke about George Clooney when describing "Gravity:"

"It's the story of how George Clooney would rather float away into space and die than spend one more minute with a woman his own age."

Jennifer Lawrence stole "American Hustle," but I was surprised she beat Lupita Nyong'o ("12 Years a Slave"). 

Love Jennifer Lawrence, hated her dress. 

But, Lupita Nyong'o had the best dress.

Another upset was Matthew McConaughey beating out Chiwetel Ejiofor for Best Actor in a Drama. I thought Ejiofor was a shoo-in for that.  Now I am wondering what the Academy will do. If he doesn't win, I won't have to learn how to pronounce or spell Chiwetel Ejiofor.

So glad Elizabeth Moss won for the mini-series "Top of the Lake."  She is probably better known for "Mad Men," but here she stars as a complicated New Zealand cop trying to find a missing girl. Her accent is so good I thought she was from New Zealand, but she was born in Los Angeles. I am watching it now on Netflix (streaming).  When it aired on television it was a critical success, but I don't think anyone saw it.  If you liked "Twin Peaks" or "The Killing,"  you will like this.

Highly recommended.

And then there's Jacqueline Bisset. 

Jackie, Jackie, Jackie.  One, I don't feel she didn't deserve that Golden Globe.  Though I loved "Dancing on the Edge,"

her part just wasn't that difficult an acting job.  Hubby said she won because she still looks so good. 


And two, her acceptance speech. What the hell?  Methinks she had been a tippling.

She stood on stage for a full 23 seconds before she said a word and then this is some of what she said:

I mean, does this make sense to you?

"I want to thank the people who've given me joy and there have been many. I say it like my mother ... she used to say 'Go to Hell and don't come back.
I believe, if you want to look good, you have to forgive everybody. You have to forgive everybody. It's the best beauty treatment. Forgiveness for yourself and for the others. I love my friends. I love my family."

Couldn't believe Woody Allen had written and directed 74 films in 48 years.  That is incredible that he not only directed that many, but WROTE that many.  His getting the Cecil B. DeMille award was well-deserved.  Some of my all-time favorite movies are Woody Allen films.

And I have to say, I not only called "12 Years a Slave" as Best Picture and Alfonso Cuaron ("Gravity") for Best Director, I did it BEFORE the nominations. 

And can I just say, why in hell don't people who are nominated and could win, prepare a speech?  There was so much bumbling around with the speeches I thought I was at amateur night at Toastmasters.

As for the Academy Award nominations (which were announced yesterday), few surprises, and I called almost all of them, except I can't believe Tom Hanks did not get nominated for "Captain Phillips," nor did the director, Paul Greengrass. "Captain Phillips" got screwed.  It was a great film.  As I said in my earlier blog "Oscar Predictions," what Tom Hanks did in the last few minutes of that film was acting at its finest. 

And why wasn't Emma Thompson nominated for "Saving Mr. Banks (which I reviewed in last Friday's blog)?"

However, I am glad to see Leonardo DiCaprio getting some props.  I think he is one of Hollywood's most underrated actors.

I had forgotten that up to 10 films can be nominated, so I only called five, but had I remembered, I would have called all of the films with the possible exception of "The Wolf of Wall Street."  But where was "Saving Mr. Banks," "Fruitvale Station," and "Inside Llewyn Davis?"

What did you think of the Golden Globes? 

Did they get it right?

Which Actors or Films were snubbed for Academy Awards?

***In Theatres Now***

August: Osage County 

A funeral brings a dysfunctional family back to Oklahoma.

The movie poster says it all.

Based on Tracy Letts' Pulitzer Prize winning play (2008), this film brings together an incredible cast:  Meryl Streep, Julia Roberts, Ewan McGregor, Benedict Cumberbatch, Chris Cooper, Juliette Lewis (good to see her back again), and more for two hours of dark comedy.  Letts also wrote the screenplay, and he deftly brought the visual aspect to what is basically a family getting together around a table to air their dirty laundry. 

As Tolstoy wrote in "Anna Karenina,"
"All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way."  And boy is this family unhappy.

I saw the Broadway touring company of the play a few years ago.  It starred Estelle Parsons as the irascible, drug-addicted mother.  She was in her 80's and running up and down the stairs of the set and she was fabulous.   But Meryl Streep is just magnificent in this film.  Glad to see she is nominated for an Oscar.

Rosy the Reviewer says...See this for the acting, especially Streep's performance. 
As Hubby said, "She is a National Treasure."

 

***DVDS***

You Might Have Missed

And Some You Should Be Glad You Did

(I see the bad ones so you don't have to)

Thanks for Sharing (2012)

Three men struggling with sex addiction.

This could be the poster child for AA, it's so earnest.  Not a huge Mark Ruffalo fan.  His acting puts me to sleep.

Rosy the Reviewer says...A formulaic film, but nonetheless entertaining.




Renoir (2012)

 

Set on the French Riviera in the summer of 1915, Jean Renoir -- son of the Impressionist painter, Pierre-Auguste -- returns home to convalesce after being wounded in World War I. Both father and son are enchanted by the artist's muse, Andree.

 

This film depicts the elder Renoir at the end of his life and son Jean, before he became the famous filmmaker.

 

 

Rosy the Reviewer says...See it for the cinematography and the gorgeous French countryside.  As beautiful as Renoir's paintings. (subtitles)

 

  

 

The Awakening (2011)

 

 



It's 1921 and ghost-hunter Florence Cathcart travels to a boy's boarding school to debunk ghost sightings there.

Rebecca Hall is a wonderful British actress who is underrated.  She has been in a ton of things, but has yet to break out as a big star ("The Town," "Parade's End"...).  She is rumored to star in the next "Pirate's of the Caribbean."  Perhaps that will bring her stardom.  She deserves it.

 

Rosy the Reviewer says...If you liked "The Sixth Sense," you will like this except this one is scarier.



Adore (2013)

 

Naomi Watts and Robin Wright star as best friends who fall in love with each other's young sons. 

 

Sounds kinky, but this is a really good film.  Filmed in Australia, Watts gets back to her Aussie roots while Wright does a good job with her Aussie accent.

 

Rosy the Reviewer says...gorgeous New South Wales scenery, gorgeous young men, gorgeous acting.  Adored it!

 

 

***Book of the Week***

 

Stitches: A handbook on Meaning, Hope and Repair by Anne LaMotte (2013)

 

 

 

Lamott strives to make sense of this crazy world of ours and how we put ourselves back together after devastation and loss.  Her solution?  You do it one stitch at a time.

 

To find meaning, Lamott says it is enough to search for it. 

"The search is the meaning, the search for beauty, love, kindness and restoration in this difficult, wired and often alien modern world."  That's helpful to hear as I search for that meaning in my retirement and the rest of my life.

 

Rosy the Reviewer says...When crap happens, you need books like this.  It is comforting.  Similar to Harold Kushner's "When Bad Things Happen to Good People."

 

 

 

That's it for this week.

 

See you Tuesday!

 

Thanks for reading!

If you enjoyed this post, feel free to share it and/or email it to your friends.

 

Check your local library for DVDs and book mentioned.



2014: The Year of the Baby Boomer and the Films, Books and Music We Loved

2014 is the year that the youngest of the Baby Boomer Generation (those of us born between 1946 and 1964) turns 50. 

     

      Baby Boomer Then                                               Baby Boomer Now

We are the so-called spoiled generation, because our parents wanted us to do better and have better than they did and had. 

We are also the "Sex, drugs and rock and roll" generation. 

As P.J. O'Rourke says in his article "How the Boomers (ruined) SAVED Everything,"

"The boomers can be scolded for promiscuous sex, profligate use of illegal intoxicants, and other behavior that didn't turn out to be healthy.  But somebody had to do the research." 

Since we have been running things, a case can be made that we have screwed things up for the next generation.  My son thinks so, anyway. But we have also given the world the PC, smart phones, the artificial heart, the Internet, DNA fingerprinting, Viagra and free shipping.

So other than being born between 1946 and 1964, what identifies us as Baby Boomers?

Some of us Baby Boomers

• Had a Pet Rock (I named mine Pooky)
• Had parents who talked endlessly about the depression and those starving children overseas who would supposedly gladly eat the food we didn't want to finish
• Were raised on Dr. Spock (DOCTOR Spock, not MISTER Spock)
• Watched Howdy Doody and "American Bandstand" on TV
• Didn't trust anyone over 30 (now we don't trust anyone over 90)
• Lived and breathed the Beatles, the British Invasion and all things rock & roll
• Got divorced (we pushed the divorce rate up to 50% - and I hepped)
• Ironed our hair (upside: long straight hair; downside: steam burns on your face)
• Got Tattoos
• Made out at drive-in movies
• Ate 15 cent hamburgers at McDonalds
• Joined consciousness raising groups
• Smoked lumpy joints with stems sticking out and seeds exploding in our faces (this one is Hubby's contribution)
• Thought we would live forever
• Tried to look like Cher (well, I did, anyway)

We were also greatly influenced by books, movies and albums (albums, remember those?)

This is what Erica Jong thinks are the ten essential Boomer Books:

"The Catcher in the Rye" by J.D. Salinger

 "The Fire Next Time" by James Baldwin            

"Catch-22"  by Joseph Heller                                  

"The Group" by Mary McCarthy

"Couples" by John Updike                                     

 "Portnoy's Complaint" by Philip Roth

"Whole Earth Catalog" by Stewart Brand              

"Sisterhood is Powerful" by Robin Morgan            

"The Female Eunuch" by Germaine Greer

"Fear of Flying" by Erica Jong

Not surprising that Erica is a bit heavy on sex and feminism here and includes her own book.  But "Fear of Flying" did greatly influence me.  However, I was more influenced by Kate Millet's "Sexual Politics" than the Robin Morgan or Germaine Greer books.

This is Oliver Stone's list of ten essential Boomer Movies:

"The Graduate"                                       "Easy Rider"

"A Clockwork Orange"                              "Jaws"

"The Godfather, I and II"                         "All the President's Men"

"Annie Hall"                                            "Apocalypse Now"

"Kramer vs. Kramer"                               "Reds"

Heavy on the masculine side, if you ask me, and he missed some big ones:  "A Hard Day's Night," "Woodstock" "Rebel Without a Cause" and "Dr. Zhivago."  Those left lasting impressions on me.

Music critic Nelson George weighs in on the ten essential boomer albums:

Bob Dylan, "Highway 61 Revisited"              Carole King, "Tapestry"

Marvin Gaye, "What's Going on?"                 Led Zeppelin, "Led Zeppelin IV"  

Rolling Stones, "Exile on Main St."               Stevie Wonder, "Innervisions"

Donna Summer, "Love to Love You Baby"    

"Saturday Night Fever" Soundtrack  

The Beatles, "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band"

Bob Marley & the Wailers, "Exodus"

Donna Summer?  What about Elvis?

So Baby Boomers. 

What do you think? 

Did they get it right?

Were these the ESSENTIAL books, films and music that shaped your Boomer years?

What are your favorite Baby Boomer memories that you will take with you to the nursing home?

See you Friday for a follow-up on the Golden Globes and the Academy Award nominations and my Week in Reviews.

Check your local library for the books, movies and music listed. 

 

Jong's, Stone's and George's lists from The AARP Magazine December 2013/January 2014.

Thanks for reading!

 

If you enjoyed this post, feel free to share it and/or email it to your friends.