A Day in the Life of a TV Addict: The Reality Show Continues (And The Week in Reviews)

[I review movies "Divergent," "Homefront," "CBGB" and foreign films "My Joy," "Silent Souls" and "Twice Born," plus get all literary with my "Book of the Week."]

But first

I have to confess. 

I am hopelessly addicted to television. 

I confessed my addiction in an earlier blog ("Confessions of a TV Addict"), and I have to admit I haven't gotten any better.  In fact, now that I am retired, it's a monkey on my back that I am having trouble getting off.

Last Tuesday's blog ("What Do Librarian's Really Do?") showed a typical day when I was working. 

Now that I am retired, my day looks more like this
 (depending what's on TV, of course):


6:00 am 
Zzzzzzzzz
(Hubby gets up; not me)
        
7:00 am 
Zzzzzzzz
(Hubby starts work; not me.  I'm retired)
             
8:00 am  
Zzzzzzzz

9:00 am  
Zzzzzzzz

10:00 am 
I arise

(Hey, I was up late watching Jimmy Fallon on The Tonight Show and Seth Meyers on Late Night).  Jimmy is killing it, by the way.  Reminds me of the old days when Johnny was on.  The jury is still out on Seth).

 

11:00 am 
Watch "The View"  and drink my tea.

("The View" comes on at 10am here,  but I have it on TIVO.  I don't watch any TV programs in real time.  I'm a very sophisticated TV person).

There are a lot of people who hate on "The View (mostly men)," but this show was the first talk show to have several hosts and inspire discussion. For 17 years, the "ladies," a changing cast of characters over the years, have sat around a table and talked about "hot topics." 

Today we have copy cats: "The Talk," a decided lesser version, Fox News shows, NFL pregame shows, etc.  Yes, even the current sports shows copied it.  I love Barbara Walters, even though she interrupts Whoopi too much, which I can tell irritates Whoopi (and I love Whoopi), but that's half the fun. Not a fan of Jenny, but at least she's better than Elisabeth Hasselbeck.

The show is on point with the issues of the day - and they discuss serious issues: what's in the news, books, films, social mores - but it's also fun. 

Seriously, though, Barbara Walters retires next month and again, no matter what you think of her, you have to give her credit for breaking that glass ceiling for women broadcasters.  She has been in the business for 50 years! I will miss her.

And if I hear one more man say it's a bunch of caterwauling, I will spit (I don't actually spit, but you know what I mean).  One man's idea of caterwauling is another woman's judgment of the inanity of men talking about sports.

Isolation is a big problem for the aging.  Having "The View" as part of my routine keeps me from feeling isolated (so there).

Noon
Try to act like I don't really want to watch more TV. 

Do something productive like fold laundry or work on my blog.  But hey, I can do that with the TV on.

I will just watch one.

3:00pm. 
Sigh.  Couldn't resist watching "Ru Paul's Drag Race" and The Real World Reunion and the time got away from me.  Better start thinking about what to fix for dinner.

4:00pm. 
Still thinking about what to fix for dinner while watching the latest Real Housewives of Atlanta episode. 

5:00pm 
Happy Hour with Hubby.  Have to think of something to talk about besides TV.  But first I will just check in with "Ellen."  She is always fun and where else do you think I find those cute cat videos that I post on Facebook? 

6:00pm 
Fixing a recipe I saw on "The Chew."  Didn't turn out very well.  I was distracted while wondering what was on TV tonight.

7:00pm
I think I will try to avoid TV for awhile and watch a DVD instead.
(see below)

9:00pm
That DVD was kind of a downer. 

I need a pick me up.  And nothing picks me up more than "Dance Moms."  It's like three glasses of wine without the wine.  It's that relaxing.  The wine-guzzling poodle enjoys it too.

10:00pm
"Dateline "has a really juicy murder story tonight.  I love true crime.  Just as long as it doesn't involve me!  Keith Morrison is my favorite.  When he narrates, it is just so intense and funny.  He makes everything sound so diabolical. Hubby even gets a kick out of him.

11:00pm
Should really go to bed, but I will just stay up for Jimmy's monologue, then I will definitely, for sure,  go to bed.

1:00am 
Yawn

Well I am actually exaggerating a bit. 

I'm not quite that bad.  But I definitely love TV, and it is my drug of choice when it comes to relaxing.  And I do watch "Downton Abbey" too so I can be highbrow with the rest of you.

I would say that perhaps one day a week might resemble that scenario.  That's my "day off."  Hubby says every day is a day off for a retiree, but I disagree.

Being retired is hard work.  It's hard work trying to be relevant, busy, happy, productive, energetic, optimistic, meaningful.  It makes me tired just typing all of that.

In my own defense, what's wrong with a little TV if I find it relaxing?  I have the wine guzzling poodle on my lap and communing with a pet is supposed to be helpful to old folks like me.  I don't think I should have to be apologetic about it - do you hear me TV snobs?  (I hope this is helpful to my other TV addict brethren).

In this hectic world, I think whatever relaxes you is fine, whether it's meditation or a sporting event, hiking or an episode of "Celebrity Wife Swap."  Who am I to judge?  Who is anyone to judge?

And speaking of meditation, where one works on living a deliberate life, it's important to try to let go of judgment. Buddhists believe that judgment is just a recipe for suffering (you can see I am learning some stuff). Sat chit ananda.
Despite my TV addiction, I still manage to volunteer, exercise, read, attend concerts and the theatre, write this blog, meditate and try to live a meaningful life.

And now that I am retired I have all of the time in the world to try to be meaningful.

Now I am going to watch just one teensy, tiny little episode of House Hunters International (ooh, they are in London!), and then I promise I will go to the gym.

I wonder what the new Lifetime movie is going to be.

Now on to

The Week in Reviews

***In Theatres Now***

Divergent

Tris (Shailene Woodley) doesn't fit neatly into one of the five factions (Abnegation, for the selfless; Amity, for the peaceful; Candor, for the honest; Dauntless, for the brave; and Erudite, for the Intelligent) by which her dystopian society has divided its people to keep order. 

Everyone tests into one of those groups unless you are "Divergent," meaning you have the traits of more than one group.  Divergents are feared and the Erudites set out to eliminate them. What will our heroine do?  Girl power, of course.

Based on the young adult novel by Veronica Roth, this is the most popular teen series since "The Hunger Games."

As I predicted when I reviewed "The Spectacular Now," Woodley is ready to take over Jennifer Lawrence's crown as teen movie heroine.  Speaking of "The Spectacular Now," Miles Teller, who starred with Shailene in that film is also in this one, but in a lesser role and he is not her love interest.  But I predict we will see more of him.

However, all in all, this film was a disappointment.  I am all for leading ladies who kick major butt, but the film is too long and too melodramatic.  I wanted to fast forward during some of the parts and then realized I wasn't at home with my TIVO.  I was in the movie theatre. However, watch for Theo James to emerge as the next big heartthrob

(Another Rosy the Reviewer prediction). 

The film ends with our heroine saying something along the lines of "We will have to fight again."  Do I hear a sequel calling?  Duh.

In closing, answer me this. Note the movie poster above?  Tattoos figure prominently, but why is the poster of a GUY when the movie is all about a GIRL?!

Rosy the Reviewer says...teenage girls will probably eat this up, especially if they love the book, and if you liked "The Hunger Games," you will like this, because it's practically the same movie.

***DVDS***

You Might Have Missed

And Some You Should Be Glad You Did

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

Silent Souls (2010)

Two men take a road trip to cremate the wife of one of the men.

This Russian film is a mere 78 minutes, but draws you in to this strange odyssey that explores the customs of the Merjan people.

This film is not for everyone.  It's slow moving and there is not much dialogue, but it's beautiful to watch and secrets are revealed.

If you watch this film, you will know why I would *not* want to be the actress playing the dead wife! (subtitles)

Rosy the Reviewer says...for the serious film enthusiast.

My Joy (2010)

A few days in the life of a Russian truck driver that turn into a nightmare.

There has never been a more ironic title as Georgi goes on a road trip and makes a series of "wrong turns" that lead him into some gut wrenching situations.  This bleak landscape of story is a grim commentary on Russia's social order.

This is the first "fiction" film for documentarian Sergei Loznitsa, and it is apparent in the shooting of this film.  It has a documentary feel as Georgi takes this horrendous road trip. (subtitles)


Rosy the Reviewer says...gruesome and haunting.  This one will stay with you.

Twice Born (2012)

A single mother (Cruz) and her teenage son travel to Sarajevo to ultimately relive the horrors of the Bosnian War.

Penelope Cruz manages to look middle aged and very young as a series of flashbacks tell the story of her falling in love with Diego (Emile Hirsch), finding out she is sterile and then arranging to have a surrogate carry Diego's child, all with the Bosnian War as a backdrop.

War is terrible in all cases, but I have always found the Bosnian conflict to be particularly gruesome with all of the raping and torturing of women that went on.

Though the story is engrossing, I found the whole thing a bit overwrought and melodramatic and the production values limited. (in English and with subtitles)

If you are interested in this period in history, a particular favorite of mine is "Shot Through the Heart (1998 TV movie)," where two friends, one a Serb, one a Muslim, find themselves on different sides of the conflict.  See that one if you can find it.

Rosy the Reviewer says...Disappointing, but see it for Cruz's performance.

Homefront (2013)

After his wife dies, an ex-DEA undercover agent moves to a small town with his young daughter to live a quiet life.  Guess what?  Revenge comes calling.  Doesn't it always?

Sylvester Stallone wrote the screenplay, but there is nothing new here.  It's all been done many times before.  I saw how this was all going to play out within the first five minutes.

Our hero (Jason Statham) tries to get out of the law enforcement biz, but his past finds him (he just can't seem to avoid meth labs), and he is forced to "do something."  Lots of gratuitous blood, gore and violence, and the bad are really bad and the good are really good.  No acting awards are going to be given out here despite the presence of James Franco, Kate Bosworth and Wynona Ryder. What heck were they doing in this thing?  Jason's Northern England accent is also in evidence with no explanation.   Those kinds of things bother me.

Rosy the Reviewer says...if you are a fan of Jason's "Transporter" films, then you might like this (there is one car chase), but I just thought it was a cartoon. 





CBGB (2013)

Docudrama about CBGB, the famous New York City nightclub that helped start the punk rock phenomenon.

Bet you didn't know what CBGB stood for:  Country, Bluegrass and Blues.  That is what owner Hilly Kristal (played by Alan Rickman, of whom I am a big fan and not just for "Harry Potter"), a heretofore failed business owner, meant to showcase in this seedy club in the Bowery when he opened it in 1973.  Instead, it became the launching pad for over 50,000 bands.  Yes, you heard me.  Blondie, Talking Heads, The Ramones, Patti Smith and The Police all got their start in Hilly Kristal's club. 

Kristal was honored by The Talking Heads when they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.  CBGB closed in 2006.

Fun enactments of the bands and a great score.

CBGB's filthy interior, especially its disgusting restroom, was legendary.

Rosy the Reviewer says...this one is now on my list of favorite rock films.  See it! 

***Book of the Week***

Trip to Echo Spring: On Writer's and Drinking 

by Olivia Laing (2014)

Laing explores the relationship of alcohol to the lives and careers of writers F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway, Tennessee Williams, John Cheever, John Berryman and Raymond Carver.

Coming from an alcoholic family herself, British born Laing travels to America to explore the haunts of these writers and try to make sense of the fact that they were raging alcoholics and yet they wrote some of the greatest masterpieces of literature. 

Is there a link between creativity and alcoholism?

All had personal neuroses such as panic attacks, shyness, insecurities...but were those a product of the alcoholism or did the alcohol assuage those problems? 

The title is taken from Tennessee Williams' play "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" where Big Daddy asks Brick, "Where you goin?" to which Brick replies "I'm takin' a little short trip to Echo Spring," referring to his nickname for the liquor cabinet and the brand of bourbon it contained.

Laing not only explores the relationship of alcohol to these writers, but to their relationships with one another.  Several were drinking buddies.  Some overcame their addiction and recovered. Some did not.

If you need an introduction to any or all of these writers, some of the greatest of American authors, then this is an excellent start.  Laing uses examples of their writings to illustrate their gifts and her points, and the fact that her examples speak to her personally give them even more depth.

.

Rosy the Reviewer says... Not sure Laing answered her own questions, but this is a fascinating analysis of the price of creativity.  Highly recommended.

That's it for this week.

See you Tuesday for

"The Joys of Stair Walking"

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.

Note:  Next time you are wondering whether or not to watch a particular film, check out my reviews on IMDB (The International Movie Database).

If I reviewed a movie, you can now find my reviews there too.

When you get there, click on "Explore More" on the right side panel and then scroll down to "External Reviews."  Click on that and you will find me alphabetically under Rosy the Reviewer.

What Do Librarians Really Do? The Reality Show

Over the course of my 40 years as a librarian, mostly in public libraries, I can't tell you how many times people would ask me, "What do librarians DO exactly?"

My daughter is a newly minted librarian and just recently, someone asked her that same question. 

I also got "I bet you read a lot of books," "You don't look like a librarian," and "Shhhhhh."

Each to which I would reply, "I wish," "What are librarians supposed to look like?" and "Sigh."

The reality of what librarians do is what others do who manage people, projects and buildings, who work with the public and solve problems.

Librarians no longer sport buns with pencils stuck in them, double tread floor gripper shoes and sweater clips, nor do they shush people, because public libraries, these days, are lively places. 

Well some do, but in general, librarians look like anyone else in a professional job - they are young, old and in between.  They are fashionable, usually well-read, hip and knowledgeable about everything from pop culture to the classics.  And they are not reading on the job, especially those dirty books supposedly kept behind the counter.

I have been retired for almost a year, but I still dream I am at work.

It's like watching a reality show.
Doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo....

 

 

8:30am

I arrive at work looking smashing in my little suit, jaunty hat, snappy red purse, hoop earrings, makeup and designer shoes (that's what a librarian looks like).


I know what you are thinking here.  I look young.  I told you this was a dream.

 

I am immediately apprised by another staff member that the toilet in the ladies' room is stopped up. I grab the plunger and head for the restroom hoping my Manolo Blahnicks won't get wet (just dreaming again about the Manolos - the reality is librarians don't make enough to afford designer shoes, but, hey, we aren't in this for the money).

8:40am 
Toilet fixed - just needed to be flushed. C'mon, people.   

Head to my office to check email. Check today's schedule to make sure we are covered. Looks good. 
Uh oh.
A staff member calls in sick. Call subs - no one available. 

Redo schedule.

9:30am 
Finish email. 

Start working on some new computer classes I am going to teach - "Job Hunting on the Internet" and "Internet Resources for Changing Careers."  It's the times. Also sending out press releases for next week's programs.

Receive a call from the local newspaper about our basic computer classes.

"You mean there are people who don't know how to use a computer?" she asks. I tell her about the hundreds of students we have helped so far, many of them seniors and people whose native language is not English. So the answer is, yes, there are many people who don't know how to use a computer or, believe it or not, don't own one. 

I meet with a staff member to do some brainstorming on how to deal with the kids who have pizza delivered to the library to eat while they are doing their homework. (We allow food, but having pizza delivered is a bit much and people complain about the smell).

10:00am. 
Open the library. 

First question of the day. 

The customer wants a photograph of Mary Magdalene.  He is doing a painting and wants to be sure to get the colors of her clothes right.  I have to gently explain there weren't any cameras back in her day, but I could probably find him an artist's rendering.  He isn't convinced.

10:10am 
Help a customer set up a free email account so he can apply for a job.

10:20am 
Help that same customer send his resume to an employer.

10:25am
Help that same customer get back onto the computer because he turned it off by mistake.

10:27am 
Help that same customer get back on the computer because he turned it off by mistake again.

10:30am
 Answer the phone and find phone numbers for local low income housing.

10:40am 
Young girl wants to know how to take care of her pet snail.  She has it with her.

 

I don't want to ask. I find some information on what snails eat. (decaying plants work).

Any books about fairies or princesses? She jumps up and down when I produce several.
(Fairies and princesses are hot topics, so I keep a list of titles in the drawer at the Information Desk because libraries don't usually have special sections devoted to Princesses and Fairies - probably should).

10:50am 
Children's librarian reminds me she has an appointment at the school. 

Redo the schedule.

11:00am 
A woman wants Prince Harry's phone number and then remarks that she just can't understand why Queen Elizabeth would build Windsor Castle so close to Heathrow Airport. (Huh?)

 

11:20am 
Had been approached by a teacher from the local community college who wanted me to come to her ESL class to do a presentation about library resources in languages other than English and our ESL and citizenship classes.  So I leave the library to make this lunchtime presentation.

2:00pm. 
Return from presentation.  Back in my office. Receive call from staff member. Family emergency. Can't make her evening shift. Look for some substitutes.

Redo the schedule.

2:35pm 
Alerted by staff that the toilet in the ladies' room is stopped up again. This time it's full of toilet seat covers and someone also has stolen all of the toilet paper. The toilet paper gets stolen repeatedly.  Is there a shortage of toilet paper out there? Leave office to investigate. Grab plunger. (Didn't learn this in library school).

2:40pm 
Back in my office. 

Staff reports that a woman is lying on her back in the restroom.  Go to investigate wondering if I am going to have to do CPR. Turns out she is doing back exercises. Told her she was alarming customers so should work on her back outside. She will probably alarm customers outside the library as well.  Her eyes were spinning.

2:45pm 
A library customer alerts me to the fact that an elderly gentleman is outside asking how to get home. We bring him in. He tells me he had walked all the way from his home (several miles) and couldn't remember how to get back. I ask him if it's OK for me to call a policeman to take him home. He agrees. An officer arrives and is very kind to the gentleman. 

Wonder if that could be me one day.

2:50pm 
Back in office. Shut door.

3:00pm 
A customer knocks on my door.  She wants to complain about the drinking fountain.  The water is not shooting up high enough.  She has complained about this before and I have reported it to maintenance.  The answer is that perhaps she is not pushing on the bar hard enough.  We go out to look at it together and I show her that it appears to be working well.  Then she says the water tastes funny.  Sigh.

3:30pm 
Make some headway on administrative tasks. 

Back out in the library. Working with the collection - pulling outdated and shabby materials so shelves will look inviting.

A customer asks me what I am doing.  When I explain that we keep track of how many times a book has gone out and remove well-read and well-worn materials, she picks up a book that is literally falling apart and smells of cat pee and says, "You are not going to get rid of this, are you?" 

Thank goodness, I am approached by several young customers looking for homework help so I excuse myself. Find needed materials and tell them about the live Homework Help on our website.

4:00pm 
Back on the Information Desk.

A woman approaches looking for a book, can't remember the title or the author, but she knows it has a green cover.  I ask her what it's about.  She can't remember.  She just knows it was really good and had a woman in it. (Reference librarians are good but these kinds of questions are tough - and common!)

4:10pm 
A woman comes to the desk and says she needs the name of a song she can't get out of her head.  Can she hum it for me?  I don't have a good feeling about this one.

A regular (he comes in every day) corners me to complain about what another customer is looking at on the computer.  He does this every day and since we have privacy screens on the computers, it takes effort to see what others are looking at.  I want to say "It's a free country so if you are worried about what other people are looking at, don't look," but I don't.  I just nod, acknowledge him and explain that we don't monitor what adults are looking at unless we discover they are doing something illegal.  He leaves.  See you tomorrow.

4:15pm
Another regular customer comes up to me.  She always asks who was kicked off of "Dancing with the Stars" last night and then wants to talk about it (fortunately, being the Reality TV Queen that I am, I know this one off the top of my head).  Lonely people come to the library.  Social work is part of the job.

4:30pm 
A group of teens enter the library, laughing and talking and head for the Teen Room.  I want to say "Shhhhh," but I can't promote that stereotype.  Instead,  I smile at the cat ears and pink net tutu one of the teens is wearing with her Doc Martens.  Hope they don't order pizza.

Work on some questions that require some research and get ready to pass the torch to the evening staff.
 
5:00pm

Is it 5:00 already? 

Forgot to have lunch... Evening shift staff arrives. Everything seems to be running smoothly. Getting ready to head home...

Staff member reports that the toilet... Sigh...

And then I wake up and remember I am retired. 

There are some things I miss about my old reality and some things I don't.

My new reality includes an appointment with the TV for some real reality shows.

Have any library "dreams" to share?

 

See you Friday for

 

"A Day in the Life of a TV Addict: 

The Reality Show Continues..."

 

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

 

15 Must See Documentaries and The Week in Reviews

[I review "The Grand Budapest Hotel" as well as DVDs "The Past," "The Great Beauty" and "Diana."  The Book of the Week is "Leggy Blonde."]  


BUT FIRST...

Documentaries are one of my favorite film genres. 

I guess that falls into line with my preferring to read nonfiction over fiction.

There is something about truth being stranger than fiction.

There are so many great documentaries out there, it is difficult to choose just 15, but these are the ones that either affected me personally or were just so effecting, I never forgot them.

Try something different this weekend.  Watch a documentary.  I guarantee you they are as exciting and riveting as feature films.

I have included some trailers so you can see for yourself along with my usual trenchant comments.

 

1. 56 Up (The Up Series)

Director Michael Apted has followed 14 British children since 1964 in a series of films that started with "7 Up," then every seven years after that culminating in the current title, "56 Up."  This is a fascinating study in class and free will.

The aim of the series is stated at the beginning of "7 Up," the first in the series as:

"Why do we bring these children together? Because we want to get a glimpse of England in the year 2000. The shop steward and the executive of the year 2000 are now seven years old."





This latest catches you up and gives you some background, but if you want the full story of each child, see all eight in the series.

Why it's a must see: "Give me the child until he is seven and I will give you the man." 
Is this true?  This series debates class consciousness and destiny.





2.  Grey Gardens (1975)

There was quite a scandal when it was discovered that Jackie Kennedy's socialite aunt and cousin, Edith Beale and her daughter "Little Edie" were living in squalor in East Hampton, New York. 

This film gives us a glimpse into their lives and some possible reasons why they descended into a kind of madness. Little Edie was known for wearing eccentric "costumes," such as sweaters as headdresses.

A stage musical has been made from their story, as well as an HBO film starring Drew Barrymore and Jessica Lange.





Why it's a must see...it's touching, eccentric, and poignant, and in 2010 this film was selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the U.S. National Film Registry as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant."






3.  51 Birch St. (2005)


After the death of his mother, a son discovers her many secrets.

Why it's a must see...a case study in how we never really know our parents and how each of us just "wants to be known."




4.  Project Nim (2012)

Can a primate raised in close contact with humans learn our language?





Why it's a must see...yes, but at what cost?  A tear jerker, especially for animal lovers.






5.  Who Killed the Electric Car? (2006)

In the mid-1990's there was a perfectly good electric car being manufactured.  What happened?

The automobile manufacturers, the oil industry, the California government and others....that's what happened.

Why it's a must see...if it were not for this film, we would never have known why we are not driving around electric cars.




6.  Elaine Stritch Shoot Me (2013)


She is not a household name but she should be. 

Stritch is an 89 year old actress who made her stage debut in 1944.  She is the grande dame of theatre. She has won countless awards and lived a flamboyant life.




Why it's a must see...Because you need to know who she is.





7.  Searching for Sugarman (2013)

This film is a mystery as well as a documentary. 

What happened to the singer known as Rodriguez, an American who never had fame in the U.S. but was a national treasure to South Africans?  Supposedly he committed suicide on stage.




Why it's a must see...it won the Academy Award for Best Documentary in 2012 and is an engrossing, powerful film.





8.  Grizzly Man (2005)

Director Werner Herzog chronicles the life and death of bear lover Timothy Treadwell, who spent 13 summers communing with and filming the bears in Katmai National Park and Preserve in Alaska until he and his girlfriend were killed by the bears. 

Treadwell's video camera was found and his last images were on it, including the sounds of the bear attack. Thankfully, that piece is not included in the film, though it shows Herzog listening to it, clearly disturbed and asking that it be destroyed.

Why it's a must see...the story of an obsession gone terribly wrong told by an expert filmmaker. 
You won't be able to take your eyes off this film.



9.  Woodstock (1970)

The Big Mama of all rock festivals. 

The culmination of the Summer of Love and Hubby was there.

Why it's a must see...because we will probably never see anything like this ever again.  It's the benchmark of concert movies.



10.  Night and Fog (1955)

Directed by French director Alain Resnais, it shows the Nazi death camps ten years after liberation along with stock footage. 

It's graphic and frightening and if you have ever doubted that the holocaust ever happened, you need to see this film. 

Why it's a must see...so this kind of thing will never happen again. 
I saw this film in college and I have never forgotten it.




11.  Dreams of a Life (2011)

Joyce Vincent was found in her London flat surrounded by Christmas presents and with her TV on three years after she had died unnoticed. 

She was young, sociable, did not do drugs, and had no history of mental illness.





Why it's a must see...how does something like this happen?
A cautionary tale to look after your family and friends.



12.  Roger and Me (1989)

Then burgeoning filmmaker Michael Moore explores the negative impact of General Motors closing its plants in his home town of Flint, Michigan, and goes in search of then CEO Roger Smith.

Dejected by his failure to bring Smith to Flint, Moore proclaims that "as we neared the end of the 20th century", as the rich got richer and the poor got poorer, "it was truly the dawn of a new era." After the credits, the film displays the message "This film cannot be shown within the city of Flint", followed by "All the movie theatres have closed."

Michael Moore went on to produce films "Fahrenheit 9/11," "Bowling for Columbine," "Sicko" and other controversial documentary films.





Why it's a must see...this is the film that started it all for Michael Moore...and it's really funny.




13.  Monterey Pop (1968)

If Woodstock was the Big Mama of concert films, this one was the baby. 

This started it all covering the Monterey Pop Festival of 1967.




Why it's a must see...Mama Cass of The Mamas and Papas seeing Janis Joplin for the first time and mouthing "Wow," and Jimi Hendrix setting his guitar on fire.  Classic rock moments.





14.  Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills (1996)

A hideous murder of three little boys, a false confession and three teens go to prison. 

Did they do it?  The film was followed by two sequels: Paradise Lost 2: Revelations and Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory.

False confessions are not anomalies.




Why it's a must see...a scary portrait of what can happen if you have a bad reputation or lack mental capability to deal with the police.





15.  Gimme Shelter (1970)

Chronicles the last weeks of The Rolling Stones' 1969 US tour which culminated in the disastrous Altamont Free Concert.

Why it's a must see...The end of The Summer of Love.  The Party's Over.

 

What is your favorite documentary?

 

 

Now on to

 

The Week in Reviews

 

 

 

 

 

The Grand Budapest Hotel

 

 

 

The story of Gustave H. renowned concierge at the Grand Budapest Hotel and his Lobby Boy, Zero.

It seems everyone wants to work with writer/director Wes Anderson:  Ralph Fiennes, F. Murray Abraham, Bill Murray, Jason Schwartzman, Edward Norton, Tilda Swinton, Adrien Brody, Willem Defoe, Jeff Goldbloom, Harvey Keitel, Owen Wilson, Tom Wilkinson, Bob Balaban and Fisher Stevens (did you know Stevens was once married to Michelle Pfeiffer?) are all in this (did I leave anyone out?) and many of whom are Wes Anderson regulars.

Anderson has written and directed "The Royal Tanenbaums," "Rushmore" and "Fantastic Mr. Fox" and others, but pulls out all the stops in this beautifully crafted, stylish and hilarious comedy, which has all of the elements of a French farce.

This is Ralph Fiennes as you have never seen him, as in really, really funny.  He is at once the charming, refined concierge, but delivering lines like this when he finds himself in a prison fight:

Zero:  What happened?

M. Gustave: What happened, my dear Zero, is I beat the living shit out of a sniveling little runt called Pinky Bandinski. You should take a long look at his ugly mug this morning. He's actually become a dear friend.

And what will become a classic:  "Keep your hands off my lobby boy!"

Rosy the Reviewer says...This is a wonderful romp that you don't want to miss. Best film of 2014 so far.

***DVDS***

You Might Have Missed

And Some You Should Be Glad You Did

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

 

 

The Past (2013) [subtitles]

 

 

From the Asghar Farhadi, the director of "A Separation," which won last year's Academy Award for Best Foreign Film, this French-Iranian film is another study of a relationship collapsing. 

This time Ahmad, who has apparently deserted his wife, Marie, has returned from Iran to get a divorce from Marie (Berenice Bejo), who is already living with another man, Samir, and his son, Fouad. Marie's daughter is acting out and Ahmad tries to help, only to uncover some devastating secrets.

You may remember Bejo from "The Artist," for which she was nominated for Best Supporting Actress by the Golden Globes, Screen Actor's Guild and the Academy Awards.  Here she plays a complicated woman juggling many roles - soon-to-be ex-wife, soon to be wife, mother, soon to be step-mother.

Farhadi's gift is his ability to create something extraordinary out of the seemingly ordinary lives of his characters.  Here he weaves his character's  pasts together to reminds us that our pasts lead us to our present.

Rosy the Reviewer says...a mature and engrossing look at complicated relationships.  Recommended.




The Great Beauty (2013) [subtitles]

 

Italian Journalist Jep Gambardella turns 65 and reflects on his past - his lost love, his lost youth and life.

 

If films epitomize the phrase, "A picture is worth a thousand words," then this Academy Award winner for Best Foreign Film this year delivers to a certain extent.  It's beautiful to look at.  It's a love letter in pictures to Rome.  But the thousand words...not sure.

But as for the story itself, though reminiscent of Fellini's "La Dolce Vita (1960)," I found it unapproachable, often incoherent and indulgent. Maybe it's because I don't like the decadence of the very rich even in satire. In 1960 it was new; today it's tired.

 

The major bone I have to pick is -
why did this film need to be almost two and a half hours long?  If I wanted to spend two and a half hours listening to the phlegmatic conversations of the decadent rich, I would watch Fox News. 

I watch a lot of movies and get through some slow metaphoric ones with ease, but this one is not only slow and metaphoric, but opaque.

Excuse me, but Best Foreign Film of 2013? Yes, it's very arty, but self consciously so. Pretentious even. 

I liked "Broken Circle Breakdown (also nominated)" better, as well as "The Past (which wasn't even nominated -see above)."

If you have two and a half hours to spare, OK, it's beautiful to look at, but if you can actually figure out what this was about, let me know. 
I found this ultimately disappointing. 

And there will be those who find meaning here and it would definitely stir debate, but I just found it blah, blah, blah.

 

Rosy the Reviewer says...Yawn. 




Diana (2013)

This film concentrates on the last two years of Princess Diana's life and her supposed ill-fated love affair with Pakistani heart surgeon Hasnat Khan after her separation from Prince Charles.

If you have been a regular reader of my blog, it's no surprise that I am a huge fan of Princess Diana and was devastated by her death.  So I wanted to love this film.  It was respectful and included her influence in banning land mines and other good works, but it failed to capture Diana's luminescence - why it was she was the "Most Famous Woman in the World," the most beloved.  In trying to portray "Diana in love," she came across as a lonely manipulator.

Naomi Watts had many of Diana's mannerisms down and wore some of the classic clothes, but she played much too old. Hard as I tried, I couldn't believe her as Diana, though it was a serious and respectful portrayal on her part. The script didn't help, though, with melodramatic lines, such as surgeon Khan saying, "You don't perform the operation, it performs you" and Diana saying, "Now that I've been loved, I don't feel lonely anymore."

According to this account, Diana and Hasnat had recently broken up due to his family's disapproval and his desire to concentrate on his career and not be married to the most famous woman in the world.  However, the implication here was that it wasn't entirely over between them, and Diana was just using Dodi Fayed to make Hasnat jealous.  In fact, in the film, while at the Ritz before the fateful car ride, Diana is hoping that Hasnat will phone her.  As she leaves her hotel suite, we hear the phone ringing.  A cheap shot for us to think that if he had called sooner she wouldn't have died. 

On the positive side, many of my fave British actors are in evidence: Douglas Hodge as butler Paul Burrell and Juliet Stevenson and Geraldine James as her friends, though in small parts.  Naveen Andrews who made such a splash in "The English Patient" stars as Hasnat Khan, but as dashing as he was in "The English Patient," Diana's attraction to him doesn't play.

Rosy the Reviewer says...a notch above a Lifetime Movie.  Much as I have a penchant for Lifetime Movies, though, Diana deserved more.  But it still made me cry remembering it all.

 

***Book of the Week***

 

 

 Leggy Blonde by Aviva Drescher (2014)

 

Real Housewives of New York City Aviva Drescher shares her story.

I have already confessed my addiction to Bravo's Real Housewives franchise and my predilection for juicy celebrity memoirs (even quasi-celebrity) on my blog "My Guilty Pleasures," so I won't apologize or get into that here. 

To me, it's fun to read about someone who I am also watching on television, and it's a bonus when the book turns out to be better and more illuminating than expected.  And it's timely as the storyline on the show right now includes a fight between Aviva and Carole about who wrote their books (both claim they did not have ghost writers).

But Housewives aside, that aspect of Drescher's life only takes up one chapter. 

The rest of the book talks about her unusual, though privileged, childhood (her parents were interesting characters, to say the least), her losing a foot in a childhood accident and how she coped with it, her fears, her career choices and her marriages, all told in a candid and self-deprecating way.  Up until now, she was not one of my favorite characters on RHONY.  In fact, I thought she was a pain in the ass.  But now, I have renewed respect for her.

Rosy the Reviewer says...if you watch "The Real Housewives of NYC" you will enjoy this.  And if you have had to cope with the loss of a limb or panic attacks, hypochondria, or have a fear of Jacuzzis, you might also like this.

That's it for this week.

 

See you Tuesday for

"Librarians:  The Reality Show"

 

Note:  Next time you are wondering whether or not to watch a particular film, check out my reviews on IMDB (The International Movie Database).

If I reviewed a movie, you can now find my reviews there too.

When you get there, click on "Explore More" on the right side panel and then scroll down to "External Reviews."  Click on that and you will find me alphabetically under Rosy the Reviewer.

 

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Check your local library for DVDs and book mentioned.