"The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel" and The Week in Reviews

[I review the new movie "The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel," and the DVDs "Foxcatcher," "My Old Lady" and "The Longest Week."  The Book of the Week is a true crime opus, "Crane: Sex, Celebrity and my Father's Unsolved Murder," the story of "Hogan's Heroes" star Bob Crane's murder written by his son.  I also bring you up to date on "My 1001 Movies I Must See Before I Die Project" with Bernardo Bertolucci's "The Conformist," a film that inspired Francis Ford Coppola, Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg.]



The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

 

Everyone is right where we left them in 2012 at "The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel."

 

This sequel to 2012's "The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel" brings back most of the usual suspects who had moved to India for a cheap retirement, not realizing they were moving to a crumbling ruin run by young Sonny Kapour (Dev Patel). Despite their initial disappointment, they all bonded and decided they were right where they wanted to be (if you haven't seen the first film, you might want to.  It will make this one more enjoyable).

 

This time around the centerpiece of the film is the marriage of Sonny and Sunaina (Tina Desai) and Sonny's desire to acquire another hotel.

 

Evelyn (Judi Dench) and Douglas (Bill Nighy) are "not together but together," according to Evelyn; Norman (Ronald Pickup) still has a wandering eye and fancies himself a lothario but he and Carol (Diana Hardcastle) are still together; Madge (Celia Imrie) is still looking for a husband and now has two suitors; and Muriel (Maggie Smith) is still on her own co-managing the hotel with Sonny and helping him acquire The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel.

 

The film opens with Muriel and Sonny heading down Route 66 in a Mustang to meet with the head of the Evergreen Group (David Strathairn) in the United States to get the funds to buy the second hotel.  They are warned that an inspector will soon be coming to see the hotel. When they get back to Jaipur, two new guests arrive, Guy Chambers (Richard Gere) and Lavinia Beech (Tamsin Grieg).  Sonny immediately assumes Guy is "the guy" coming to inspect.  Is it a case of mistaken identity?

 

There are the usual twists and turns that are de rigeur in romantic comedies: Jean (Penelope Wilton) returns.  How will that affect Evelyn and Douglas, who so far have a very tentative courtship?  Who will Madge set her sights on?  Is Carol really cheating on Norman? Will Guy and Sonny's mother (Lillete Dubey) get together?  Who is the hotel inspector and will Sonny get his new hotel?

 

Anglophiles will love seeing all of these actors so familiar from British TV and films (two are from "Downton Abbey!") all in one place and trading quips and bon mots. 

 

Speaking of which, Maggie Smith displays a bit of Downton Abbey's Dowager here, but we will excuse her because irrasible "I don't tolerate any nonsense" characters are her forte and no matter what she does, she lights up the screen (see the review below for "My Old Lady"). Too bad she and Penelope Wilton (Isabel on "Downton") didn't get to trade insults here, though Wilton did get to utter the line “I couldn’t resist the chance to come back and visit the old crumbling ruins. And see how the hotel was doing as well.” 

 

Judi Dench is another one who never disappoints and plays nervous like no one else.  Bill Nighy is endearing, hiring a young kid to read into a device in his ear so he can remember the patter when he does his tour guide job ("First the knees go, then the words," he says).  Celia Imrie has that twinkle in her eyes and in her smile and what can I say, Richard Gere is still hot.  And if you like Bollywood dancing, it's got that too.

 

My one reservation is the obsequious side of Sonny, which I find to be a cringe-worthy stereotype and just plain annoying at times.

 

Will there be "The Third Exotic Marigold Hotel?"  This one certainly left some room for that.  Let's hope so.

 

This probably won't win any Best Picture Awards and in fact, the critics have not been kind, saying it didn't live up to the first one and there wasn't much of a plot. I am also not much of a fan of sequels, but people, especially those of a certain age, don't go to movies like this to be critics. They go to feel good, to feel happy, to just feel. The people in the audience when I saw the film seemed to be feeling good and having a great time. And seeing these veteran actors doing their thing in an exotic location will do the same for you.

 

Director John Madden and screenwriter Ol Parker (who also wrote the first one) reminds us that feelings of love, jealousy, betrayal, disappointment, longing and romance are not reserved for the young. 

 

Rosy the Reviewer says...finally, a movie for grownups.  No aliens, no serial killers, no teenage angst, just fabulous actors of a certain age, all having a jolly good time.  And you will too.

***DVDS***

You Might Have Missed

(And Some You Will Be Glad You Did)

Foxcatcher (2014)

 

The film version of the true life tragic relationship between two brothers who were Olympic Gold Medal wrestlers and the billionaire John E. DuPont.

NOTE:  If you don't know this true story, possible spoilers (though knowing the story will not ruin your enjoyment of the film).

Dupont was a spoiled rich kid with visions of grandeur who wanted desperately to be an athlete, but he wasn't good at anything.  Even all of the money in the world can't make you an Olympian if you don't have the gifts.  He took a turn as a Biathlete, but eventurally settled on coaching wrestling.  He was also mentally ill and in that case, money did help him with that. Lots of money can be a great cover-up. But why wrestling?  Never explained.  Likewise, the tragic ending.

DuPont seized on Mark Schultz (Channing Tatum), an Olympic Gold Medal winner in wrestling, who was floundering after his Olympic win. Mark is depicted as being alone, antisocial, detached and uncommunicative.  So he was poised to be recruited by DuPont who offered him a place to train for the World Championships and then gave him a team to coach.  But that wasn't enough.  DuPont wanted Mark's older brother, Dave (Mark Ruffalo), who was also an Olympic Gold Medal winning wrestler to get him to the 1988 Olympics in Seoul.  Where Mark was closed up, withdrawn and alone, Dave was gregarious and married with children. Dave also had his own ideas about how things should go and when DuPont demoted Mark and gave the team over to Dave, Mark couldn't handle it.

Did the shooting happen because DuPont was in love with Mark and blamed Dave for Mark leaving?  We will never know.  Dupont died in prison with the ignominious title of being the richest man ever to go to prison.

Steve Carell did an amazing job of not being Steve Carell.  His fake nose notwithstanding, none of his comedic mannerisms were in evidence here. Carell did a wonderful job portraying the eccentric DuPont, with awkward stares and long pauses so it's no wonder he was nominated for a Best Actor Oscar.  One wonders, though, why Tatum was not acknowledged. Tatum embraced the role of Mark and Mark's closed off world. His and Carrell's performances were the highlights of this film.  On the other hand, not sure why Mark Ruffalo got a Best Supporting Actor nod.  Vanessa Redgrave played DuPont's disapproving mother in a small, but regal role.

Directed by Bennett Miller, who directed the fabulous "Moneyball" and the wonderful character study "Capote," starring Philip Seymour Hoffman, and with a script script by Dan Futterman and E. Max Frye, the film captures the eerie quality of this strange, strange story and the acting is superb, but the film drags at times.  It would have been tighter at 90 minutes.

I see why this film was nominated for an Oscar for Best Makeup and Hair: Steve Carell and Channing Tatum were almost unrecognizable.

One can't help but compare this film with the book by Mark Schultz which I reviewed in January.  The book explained things a bit better, especially the relationship between Mark and Dave.  But as for why the story ended as it did, Mark didn't really understand what happened either. 

Rosy the Reviewer says...an ultimately unsatisfying story with wonderfully satisfying performances.



My Old Lady (2014)

Matthias Gold (Kevin Kline) has inherited a Paris apartment from his father only to discover it's not the windfall he had expected.

Matthias is almost 60 and when his father dies, he leaves Matthias an apartment in Paris and a watch.  Matthias hasn't done much with his life so this seems like a good thing.  He sells what little he has and moves to Paris only to discover that his apartment is a viager which is similar to our reverse mortgage in the U.S. except in France, it's a private contract where the buyer agrees to pay a monthly sum to the seller for as long as the seller lives with the idea that if the seller dies soon, it's a great deal.  But the low price reflects what a gamble it is if the person lives too long.

So Matthias arrives at the aforementioned apartment only to discover he has not only inherited the apartment, he has inherited the viager AND Madame Girard (Maggie Smith) who as per the contract can live there until she dies. HE owes HER 2400 euros per month until that happens. The good news is Madame Girard is 90; the bad news is her daughter, Chloe (Kristin Scott Thomas) also lives there and she will be damned if she is going to go quietly, even when her mother dies.  Fortunately for Matthias, Madame Girard lets him stay in the apartment.  She has her reasons which you can probably figure out as Matthias slowly pieces together his father's double life.  Chloe and Matthias hate each other on sight so, if you know much about movie clichés, you can probably figure out how that's going to turn out as well.

This was originally a play written by Israel Horovitz who has adapted it for the screen and directed.  You can tell it was originally a play because this film is very talkie.  However, I give it props for its story of mature adults.

Maggie Smith is great as usual - it's her movie - and she manages to avoid her Dowager mannerisms from "Downton Abbey."  Kristin Scott Thomas is also good but one wonders why she doesn't use a French accent here. Her screen mother was born in England but she was supposedly born in France so why doesn't she have a French accent especially since we know she is fluent in French in real life?  Then there is Kevin Kline.  I am usually a fan but he was over-acting like mad here.

So I have good news and bad news.

The good news:  Paris exteriors, Maggie Smith and an interesting idea that caters to the older crowd - Think "Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (see review above)."

The Bad news: Everything else.

Rosy the Reviewer says...how do you say "predictable" in French? But if you are a Maggie Smith fan, it's worth a look.

The Longest Week (2014)

Conrad Valmont (Jason Bateman) is almost 40.  He was born with a silver spoon in his mouth and lives a rich, though slightly dissolute life.  But when his parents decide to divorce, neither one wants to fund his lifestyle and he finds himself broke and out on the street.

While Conrad is riding the subway (horrors!) he sees a beautiful girl and she gives him her phone number.  He is instantly smitten.   Later, as in 13 minutes into this film, Conrad's best friend, Dylan (Billy Crudup) tells him about a girl named Beatrice (Olivia Wilde) who he likes -- guess what happens next?  I'm certainly not giving anything away by saying the rest of the film is all about who will get the girl. Hopeless romantic vs. romantically hopeless.  Let's just say Conrad's and Dylan's friendship is tested.

Written and directed by Peter Glanz, this film seems to want to be a Woody Allen film, right down to the New York setting, the jazz score and the feckless leading man, but it doesn't have the sharp Woody Allen dialogue and the Woody Allen laughs.  But if Woody Allen made a French film, this might be it and that's not necessarily a compliment.

Jason Bateman has made an adult career out of playing crabby jaded types ("Bad Words)."  Billy Crudup, who plays Dylan, has starred in some big movies, is a good actor and is a very handsome guy so one wonders why he has not hit the stratosphere of stardom like Tom Cruise or Bradley Cooper.  Olivia Wilde is a very appealing actress and actually seems like a Woody Allen muse. However, it bugged me that she wore fake eyelashes for the entire film even when she went to bed.  Jenny Slate who made her mark in "Obvious Child," is toned down here as Beatrice's sidekick. 

I like Jason Bateman, I like Billy Crudup, I like Olivia Wilde and I like Jenny Slate, so why didn't I like this film?

Rosy the Reviewer says...the movie is less than 90 minutes long but it felt like the longest week.

***My 1001 Movies I Must See Before I Die Project***

272 to go!

 

Have YOU seen this one?

 

The Conformist (1970)

 

Marcello Clerici (Jean-Louis Trintignant) embraces Mussolini's Fascist government.  When he joins the secret police he is tapped to go abroad to kill his old college professor who is now a leader in the antifascist movement.

Directed by famed director Bernardo Bertolucci who later brought us "Last Tango in Paris," "1900," "The Sheltering Sky" and "The Last Emperor," among other stellar films, here is an early film of extraordinary style and depth.  I couldn't help but think of "The Godfather" films watching this one and, indeed, Francis Ford Coppola as well as Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg have cited this film as a major influence and watching it, I could definitely see the influences.

Why it's a Must See:  "Bertolucci's film couldn't be more conspicuously immodest in its audacious use of style...Even more impressive is Vittorio Storaro's astounding cinematography...This is eye candy of the highest order, as undercover assassins and political intrigue have never looked so  stylish...[This film] is... a damning indictment of Fascist collaborators."
---"1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die

Rosy the Reviewer says...Seminal and mesmerizing.  If you liked "The Godfather" films, you need to see where they came from.
(In Italian with English subtitles)

***Book of the Week***

Crane: Sex, Celebrity, and My Father's Unsolved Murder by Robert Crane (2015)

 

 

Remember the TV show "Hogan's Heroes?" Actor Bob Crane starred but was later murdered in 1978.  This is his son's version of the story and his attempt to discover and reconcile what happened.

 

This story was the subject of a feature film in 2002 ("Auto Focus" starring Greg Kennear), but here is the personal take on the murder as Crane's eldest son weighs in.  Bob Crane was a wildly popular early morning radio DJ in Los Angeles when he was offered the opportunity to play the affable Colonel Hogan in what was to become the popular TV show "Hogan's Heroes."  But there was another side to Crane that no one would have guessed from his onscreen character - sex addiction - and his son pulls no punches in revealing his father's darker side. 

Crane's son, who wants to be called Robert Crane, not Bob Crane Jr. weaves his own story into his father's.  The younger Crane began writing for "Oui Magazine" and moved on to interviewing celebrities for "Playboy."  He became the personal assistant for actor John Candy.  When his father was murdered he was in his twenties and was called to identify the body.  He has been haunted by that scene and by the mystery of what really happened. Though the investigation over the years focused on a rather creepy super fan friend of Crane's and Crane's soon-to-be ex-wife the mystery remains unsolved.

 

Rosy the Reviewer says...Sex? Murder? Celebrity? I'm there!  But sadly, this didn't really bring it.

Thanks for Reading!

That's it for this week.

See you Tuesday for

 

"What Rosy the Reviewer Loves 
with 
A Rant About Fashion Mags"

 

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Check your local library for DVDs and books 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). 

 

 

Here is a quick link to get to all of them.  Choose the film you are interested in and then scroll down the list of reviewers to find "Rosy the Reviewer."
 

Or you can go directly to IMDB.  

 

Find the page for the movie, click on "Explore More" on the right side panel and then scroll down to "External Reviews."  Look for "Rosy the Reviewer" on the list. Or if you are using a mobile device, look for "Critics Reviews." Click on that and you will find me alphabetically under "Rosy the Reviewer."

 

 

 

    

 

Thank You Notes to My Dad

Last Sunday was my Dad's birthday. 

He would have been 107 had he lived.  He always said he would live to be a 100 and I think he would have had he not refused treatment for his treatable cancer.

With family members strewn all over the country and other family members no longer with us, I use birthdays as a time to remember the person.  But I also especially like to reflect on my parents and those who came before me.  I am a firm believer in the fact that you need to know where you have been to know who you are.

You know that bit that Jimmy Fallon does on the Tonight Show on Friday nights where he writes humorous thank you notes?  I thought I would celebrate my Dad's birthday by writing him some thank you notes.

Thank you, Dad...for your sense of humor.

I remember your silly jokes - usually silly knock-knock jokes.  Nothing off color. You would deliver the punch line and then chuckle at how funny you thought it was. You also had a sense of humor about yourself.  I think I got that from you.  And I remember lots of laughter.

And you always wanted to be a cowboy.

Thank you, Dad...for your musical talent.

You played trumpet in a dance band for most of your life, but you could also play almost any instrument and transcribed all of the music for the dance band you were in.  I had a brief stint in musical comedy so whatever musical talent I have came from you and has been passed on to my daughter.

Thank you, Dad...for being so smart and imaginative.

Whenever there was a problem or a need, you came up with a solution. You were an inventor of all kinds of things. Mom said you actually invented the "sippy cup" before it came out commercially. My sister was ready to drink out of a cup but needed something between the bottle and a cup and you invented a "sippy cup" for her. Mom always lamented your business sense, that you didn't patent it.


Thank you, Dad...for your positive attitude.

You were always a positive, upbeat influence which probably explains why I have always been drawn to positive people. Whenever we were sick or down, you knew just what to say, and people would come to you for advice. You delighted in all kinds of things from hats for my Mom, lamps for the house and your big passion, big American cars.  So many things delighted you and made you happy.  You would find out about something and exclaim, "Imagine that!"

Thank you, Dad...for your thoughtfulness and generosity.

If I made an offhand remark that I wanted a particular coat or if I admired something in a store window, I would probably get it as a gift at my next birthday or at Christmas.  You were really great that way and loved to surprise people.  When I would bring my children to visit, you would have baseball cards for my son or a doll for my daughter.  And you never let us leave without giving us "a couple of bucks."

Thank you, Dad...for being a great father.

• You were not just generous with money and gifts, you were generous with your time, attention and encouragement. 
• You were self sacrificing, so we could have a good life. Not to mention, you always let me have the car and would even walk to work if I promised my friends I could have the car.
• You were sensitive to our needs and wants.
• You helped to create a stable home.
• You encouraged your children to be what they wanted to be, to do what they needed to do. When I moved out to California right after college graduation, you gave me "a couple of bucks" and wished me well.  You didn't question it or try to stop me, despite how hard it must have been to know how far away I would be (though later you expressed admiration that I had the courage to do it). 
• You let me go to live my life and make my own mistakes.

and

Thank you, Dad...for your genes.

Because of you I am looking forward to a long life. 

Your Dad, who was born in 1874 (I can't believe my own grandfather was born in 1874) lived to be 98 and your mother 89, despite the fact she had diabetes all of her life and went blind in her 50's. My older sister and brother are still alive too (however, my Dad did not drink or smoke, so I might have screwed everything up with that).

And you live on, Dad, as those good genes are passed on from generation to generation. 

Here you are as a baby in 1908.

Here is your little grandson in 2014.

Over 100 years separate these two pictures and you died 22 years before this little grandson was born, yet you are still here.

You live on in the faces of those who came after you.

But you live on, too, as your gifts are passed on. You set an example for your children. Hopefully, we have your sense of humor, especially about ourselves, your talents, your smarts, your positive attitude, your thoughtfulness and generosity, your sensitivity and self sacrifice, that we too are good parents and pass it on.

  

As I think about my Dad, I can't help but think about myself as a parent now, knowing what I know. I certainly wish my Dad was still here so I could ask him some things. I wonder what he and my mother were thinking and feeling as their children went through all of the ups and downs of their lives. They were always there when I needed them but they let me live my life, warts and all.

As Bob Dylan said, "Take care of your memories.  For you cannot relive them."

I hope you will take some time to remember a loved one and where you came from.

Thanks for Reading!

See you Friday

when I will be reviewing

"The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel"

as well as some

DVD's to see or avoid

and the latest on

"My 1001 Movies I Must See Before

I Die Project."

If you enjoyed this post, feel free to click on the share buttons to share it on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and LinkedIn, email it to your friends and LIKE me on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/rosythereviewer

"Whiplash" and The Week in Reviews

[I review the movie "Whiplash" plus the DVDs "Before I Go To Sleep" and "White Bird in a Blizzard." The Book of the Week is "How To Grow Up" and I get you caught up on "My 1001 Movies I Must See Before I Die Project: A couple of silent films, "A Throw of Dice" and "Nosferatu (considered the scariest Dracula of them all)"]


Whiplash (2014)

An ambitious young drummer at a music conservatory encounters a cutthroat teacher.

 

Miles Teller, who has already made a name for himself in the teen-oriented films "The Spectacular Now," "Divergent," and "Insurgent," stars as Andrew, who lives to play the drums, in this much more adult-oriented effort. 

In his first year at an elite music academy in New York City, Andrew is noticed by Fletcher (J.K. Simmons in his 2015 Oscar winning Best Supporting Actor role), who invites Andrew to join his jazz ensemble, which is the top one at the school.  Turns out Fletcher is sadistic in his methods, pitting drummers against each other, verbally abusing them when they play out of tune and even hurling furniture. He is the Abby Lee Miller of the jazz school world.  But despite that, Andrew will do anything to impress Fletcher.  He practices the drums until his hands bleed.  Who knew that drumming could be so physical and painful? Unfortunately Andrew's single-mindedness starts turning him into Fletcher, mistreating his girlfriend and becoming antisocial.

  

Fletcher loses his job partly because of Andrew.  When Andrew and he meet again in a jazz club, Fletcher is unapologetic about his teaching methods.  He tells Andrew that to get the next Charlie Parker, he needs to push his students to be the best.  He says there are no two words in the English language more harmful than "Good job."

 

Fletcher is conducting a professional band in a "Showcase" for music bigwigs and asks Andrew to join him.  Andrew does not realize Fletcher has revenge on his mind, but Fletcher also does not realize who he is dealing with and just how much Andrew wants to make it.

 

Written and directed by Damien Chazelle, "Whiplash" is an apt title for this dazzling, fresh, and personal  film that is a jazz lover's dream.  It's the title of a jazz piece featured in the film, but it also characterizes Fletcher's "slave driver" approach to teaching and the blood and sweat Andrew subjects himself to as he strives for greatness. And the film asks the question, how far does one have to go to succeed? How much does it take? The film also has the longest drum solo in history, to me anyway.

J.K. Simmons has the craggiest face I have ever seen. He plays a ruthless teacher that one could argue the portrayal is a bit one note, but it's a bravura performance nevertheless. And Miles Teller is no slouch in this either. He is one talented young actor. We will be seeing more and more of him. He has two movies opening soon and three more in the can, as they say.  Paul Reiser makes an appearance as Andrew's rumpled and beleaguered Dad, a far cry from his "Mad About You" days. But that's a good thing that he can transition to drama with none of his "Mad" mannerisms in evidence.

If you were surprised that this film beat out "American Sniper" in the Sound Editing category for the Oscar this year, you won't be if you see this film.

Rosy the Reviewer says...a tight, engrossing film with an Oscar-winning performance, Oscar-winning sound editing and cool jazz.  What more could you ask?

 

 

***DVDS***

You Might Have Missed

(And Some You Will Be Glad You Did)

 

Before I Go To Sleep  (2014)

 

Because of a traumatic accident, Christine (Nicole Kidman) wakes up every day not remembering the day before or her life.

Every day Christine has to relearn her life only to forget it again each morning.  Her husband, Ben (Colin Firth) leaves notes around the house to help her. Each morning when Ben is at work, Christine gets a phone call from Dr. Nasch (Mark Strong), who each morning explains to her who he is and why he is calling.  Each morning he instructs her to find a box in her closet. 

Flashback to a few weeks before, when we learn that Dr. Nasch has given Christine a camera so she can record herself and tell herself what happened the day before. He tells Christine that her husband had been against him treating her and plants a seed that her husband is lying to her so she keeps the camera and her meetings with Dr. Nasch a secret.  Then, Christine starts having flashes of memory. Slowly we learn that Christine was attacked and left for dead in an industrial area.  Why was she in the industrial area near the airport?  Was she having an affair?  She is determined to find out what happened that night. We also learn that Christine and Ben had a son who died and that Ben divorced her four years ago.

The film started out really well with an interesting premise, but halfway through, it started to crumble a bit and the twist ending is far-fetched.  But if you can get over that, you will like it.

The critics were not particularly kind to this film, but I liked it even though I pretty much had it figured out six minutes in, but it's fast-moving and slickly produced.  It's part "Gaslight," part Lifetime movie.  I liked "Gaslight" and Lifetime Movies are a guilty pleasure, so I'm in.

Nicole Kidman does an admirable job but her hair looks awful in this movie so try not to let that distract you.  Though it's Nicole's movie, Colin Firth puts in a great performance of vulnerability and sensitivity.

Rosy the Reviewer says...it's the Lifetime Movie "Woman in Danger" formula, but, hey, I like Lifetime Movies and this one does it very well. 



White Bird in a Blizzard (2014)

A teen-aged girl's mother disappears without a trace.

It's 1988 and Katrina's (Shailene Woodley) mother has disappeared.  Katrina comes home from school to learn from her father (Christopher Meloni) that her mother is gone. Though she remembers her mother as loving and fun when she was little, now that Katrina is a teen, she hasn't been getting along with her mother so she seems unconcerned about her mother's disappearance.  She hangs with her friends Beth (Gabourey Sidibe) and Mickey (Mark Indelicato), has sex with her neighbor Phil (Shiloh Fernandez) and the creepy detective (Thomas Jane) looking into mother's disappearance. In flashbacks, we see that Katrina's mother, Eve (played by the beautiful Eva Green) was miserable in her marriage. She drinks, flirts with Phil, wears inappropriate clothing and treats her husband like crap.

Phil isn't very smart.  He massacres the English language with his malapropisms ("cut me some slacks," "vicious circus").  But Katrina likes it that Phil is simple and not very smart. Kat doesn't like to have to think about much except sex and getting high. Kat's Dad is a bit of a schmoe.

Shailene Woodley was in four films in 2014, two of which were block busters ("Divergent," "The Fault in Our Stars").  She's the hot young thing.  So one wonders when she had the time to film this one and why it wasn't promoted more, because this is as good as some of the other films Woodley has done. The acting was great, especially Woodley as you have never seen her (as in nude) and Green.

Angela Bassett competently plays Katrina's shrink in a small role, making me sad that more and more black actresses are relegated to supporting roles as co-workers, mentors, (Viola Davis in "The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby"), madams (Octavia Spencer in "Get on Up") mothers (Viola Davis in "Get on Up"), sidekicks and shrinks.  What's the deal, Hollywood?  Give these wonderful actresses some leading roles!

The whodunit is predictable.  Think "Dateline."  When the detective tells Katrina he thinks her Dad killed her mother, Katrina asks, then what did her Dad do with the body? The detective replies, "That's the big mystery."  DUH!  For one thing, GET A SEARCH WARRANT, DUDE! I had that figured out hours ago. But there is also a twist at the end that you will not see coming and which is really out there.

Based on the novel by Laura Kasischke and adapted and directed by Gregg Araki, despite some implausibilities, I liked this film. 

Even with its flaws, this film is an interesting study of growing up, how we view our parents and how, though they are the people we know the longest in our lives, we never really know them.

Rosy the Reviewer says...it's like a fictionalized version of "Dateline," but, hey, I LOVE Dateline!  So if you are a Dateline fan or if you are a Shailene Woodley fan, you will like this.
(Available streaming on Netflix or check your local public library).

 

 

***My 1001 Movies I Must See Before I Die Project***

 

 

273 to go!

 

A couple of classic silent films this week.

 

Have YOU seen these?

 

 

 

A Throw of Dice (1929)

 

 

 

Two rival kings, Ranjit and Sohan, are addicted to gambling and the same woman, Sunita.

 

Ranjit and Sohan are in love with Sunita, so Sohan plays dirty and frames Ranjit for the murder of Sunita's father.  Sohan also wants to take over Ranjit's kingdom so he rigs the dice in his favor and Ranjit loses his kingdom and becomes Sohan's slave in this 1920's silent film.

 

If you don't like subtitles, you probably won't like silent films, but silent films are always a good reminder to movie lovers, why there was a contingent who did NOT want the talkies.  There is a certain simplicity and suspension of disbelief in silent films that talkies can't rival, not to mention the "colorful" black and white.

 

Why it's a Must See: "One of [this film's) most striking elements is the naturalism of the performances, particularly compared with the declamatory style of much Western acting at that time.  Also noteworthy...cinematographer Emil Schunemann's stunning visuals...and an atmospheric score by Nitin Sawhney...it now ranks as one of the pinnacles of early cinema."

---"1001 Movies I Must See Before I Die"

 

Proves true the old adage, "A picture is worth a thousand words."

 

Rosy the Reviewer says...a lovely little 76 minutes.

(Available streaming on Netflix or check your local public library).

 

 

 

 

Nosferatu, a Symphony of Terror (1922)

 

 

The Bram Stoker novel of "Dracula" brought to the screen in 1922.

 

Estate agent Hutter is sent to Count Orlok's (Max Schreck) castle to help him buy a house in the village. While there, he realizes Count Orlok is more than just a Count, he is a demonic creature with his sights set on Hutter's wife, Ellen.  When a strange person with sharp teeth admires a picture of your wife and says, "What a lovely long neck," beware.

 

Why it's a Must See:  "[The reason this version of the Dracula story]...stands apart from most Dracula films...is the striking presence of star Max Schreck, whose surname translates to 'fear.' Schreck plays the eponymous vampire with an almost savage simplicity...[director F.W.] Murnau created some of cinema's most lasting and haunting imagery...He also introduced several vampire myths that fill not just other Dracula films but permeate popular culture as well."

---"1001 Movies I Must See Before I Die"

 

The film is restored in sepia and other colorful tones that belie the black and white we are used to in silent films and the subtitles are in color, giving the viewer the feeling one is watching a color film. The score is lush (it's like watching an opera) and despite the declamatory style of the acting so prevalent in those days, the film is quite mesmerizing.

 

Some have said this is the scariest of all of the Dracula films.  I am not sure about that. But Roger Ebert once said that it's all relative, so I would guess this film scared the pants off viewers in the 1920's.  Today?  Not so sure, but it's definitely creepy thanks to Schreck.  

 

Rosy the Reviewer says...ooooh, scary.

(Available streaming on Netflix or check your local public library).

 

***Book of the Week***

 

 

How To Grow Up: A Memoir by Michelle Tea (2015)

Tea shares her self-described "awkward stumble" towards the life of a real Grown-Up in this memoir that touches on everything from dating to alcoholism to Buddhism to IVF.

 

As an aspiring writer in San Francisco, at almost 40, Tea is still sharing a house with some twenty-somethings and a refrigerator that is a hazmat zone.  She is starting to question herself. Growing up poor, she never had much and didn't expect to have much until her writing took off and all of a sudden she had some much - as in money.  Should she treat herself to a real apartment for her 40th birthday?  Can a poor woman also love Barney's?

Tea defines an adult as "a person who can take care of herself, who comports herself with dignity, who has self-respect and respect for others, who is capable of dealing with reality and has managed to figure out, at least a little, how people do things -- like pay taxes and return phone calls."

She has a rocky road to adulthood and she humorously shares her ups and downs as she struggles with dating (she finally realized part of being grown up was not to date depressed people anymore), alcohol and drugs, no money and bad choices.

In a chapter on breaking up, she offers red flags that let you know when it's time to break up:

• When you ask if he really wants to be with you and the answer is "I don't know. "

       (According to Tea, there are only two answers to that question. Yes and no.
       "I don't know" gets filed under "no.")

• When one of you brings up having an open relationship
• When you fight all of the time
• When you are walking on eggshells most of the time

After a breakup, she says, "...go to Paris.  If you can't do that, go somewhere...  Find a place that reminds you that the world is so much bigger than your heart and whoever broke it this time around...take a drink if you can stand it. You're alive. That relationship was but one chapter in your long, long story, one little scene in your epic."

Along the way she also discovers Buddhism and meditation, which I loved because I have too.  It's quite astonishing when you realize that you are not your thoughts.  What?  I'm not?

"We love our minds so much in this culture...my opinions are super important and also witty and smart -- I think I will broadcast them all over the Internet! Our minds are everything. Our thoughts define us...But the more you sit back and experience how little control you have over your mind's rambling, [you realize it's] putting out sentiments that were harmful to me.  They were harmful because I believed them.  If I think it, it must be true, right?  But maybe I didn't have to believe in the things my mind insisted upon.  Maybe I'd be a little bit happier if I didn't... Sitting in meditation, you get to understand the nature of the mind...[that it is] more like a rambunctious toddler who wants everything and likes to pout and throw fits...[with] the tone and timbre, and validity of an Internet comment board, and [so in meditation] I treat them accordingly -- delete; ignore; I'll pray for you, you sad, angry person."

She also talks about becoming a "gym rat", her foray into the world of IVF and the importance of moisturizing.

Rosy the Reviewer says...She indeed has grown up and even those of us in the later parts of our lives can take something away from this.  And it's funny as hell.

 

 

 

Thanks for Reading!

That's it for this week.

See you Tuesday for

"Thank You Notes to My Dad"

 

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