"While We're Young" and The Week in Reviews

[I review the new movie "While We're Young" and DVDs "The Informers" and "Maps to the Stars."  The Book of the Week is "Burnt Toast Makes You Sing Good."  I also bring you up to date on "My 1001 Movies I Must See Before I Die Project:  "Killer of Sheep"]

 

While We're Young

A forty-something couple in a contented rut meet a twenty-something couple, who invigorate their lives and relationship.

Is it really in our forties that we start having regrets and worshiping at the altar of youth?  It seems so from this movie about Josh (Ben Stiller) and Cornelia (Naomi Watts), a childless married couple in their mid-forties who for the most part are content with the choices they have made, though the burdens of mid-life (arthritic knees and lack of spontaneity) are making them feel old. That is, they are content until they meet hipster couple, Jamie (Adam Driver, who you may recognize from the TV series "Girls" - he is a hot commodity right now) and Darby (Amanda Seyfried) whose twenty-something enthusiasm and all things retro make Josh and Cornelia question their contentment.

Josh is a documentary filmmaker and Cornelia is a producer. Her Dad is Leslie Breitbart (Charles Grodin - I remember when HE was young!), a successful documentarian, and though Josh has had one successful film, he has been working on another for the last 10 years. Josh and Cornelia decided not to have children, but now all of their friends have kids and they don't seem to fit in anymore. 

While teaching a filmmaking class, Josh is approached by Jamie and Darby who are "monitoring" his class, something Josh points out is impossible since it's a continuing education class, as in it costs money. Jamie is also a documentary filmmaker and a free spirit and flatters his way into Josh's life.  Right away they go out to dinner where Jamie has no problem letting Josh pay (red flag right there), and Josh is taken with Jamie's and Darby's original enthusiasms for walking through subway tunnels at night, making their own ice cream and furniture, collecting VHS tapes and eschewing technology.  Where Josh is obsessed with finishing his film and gaining the success of Cornelia's more successful father, Josh is impressed that Jamie, despite also being a documentarian, seems to not care about success as a pursuit.  Both Josh and Cornelia fall under Jamie's and Darby's spell of youthful hipster coolness and are invigorated by it.

However, Josh is a purist when it comes to documentary filmmaking.  He believes it all must be truthful.  Jamie, on the other hand, is a little more fluid with the truth, which tests their friendship. In fact, we realize that the different generations have very different ways of looking at things and Josh realizes he "can't go home again."  He can't be young again and he can't be a member of the Millennials. Shades of "All About Eve" abound here as well as an exploration of getting older, our obsession with youth, and the gap, and resentment even, between the generations.  And it's funny!

Ben Stiller has made a career out of playing neurotic and hapless schmoes and his deadpan face is funny all by itself.  He reminds me of a younger Woody Allen when he was acting.  I now forgive Ben for the egregious third installment of "Night at the Museum."  Naomi Watts is always good and not afraid to give a role her all, which she does here, especially when accompanying Darby to a hip hop class.  It's a great ensemble cast with Driver and Seyfried holding their own and Peter Yarrow of "Peter, Paul and Mary" fame playing a cameo.

Writer/Director Noah Baumbach, with whom Stiller has collaborated before ("Greenberg") has made some funny yet thoughtful movies before, most notably "The Squid and the Whale" and "Frances Ha."  This is his most accessible and humorous film yet.

Rosy the Reviewer says...whether you are 25 or 75, you will get this film and enjoy it.

 

***DVDS***

You Might Have Missed

(And Some You Will Be Glad You Did)

 

It's Hollywood Week!

 

The Informers (2008)

 

 

Brett Easton Ellis' take on the decadence of Hollywood in the 1980's.

Everyone in L.A. is an actor, even the bellman who says that to make it in Hollywood, you have to do "terrible things."  And that's what inevitably happens. Unfortunately, this film is one of those terrible things.

We have fathers seducing their son's girlfriends, sham marriages, sham friends, a disease that has yet to be named and cocaine as a panacea - all in interweaving stories.

Brett Easton Ellis wrote the screenplay which is based on his 1994 collection of linked short stories so you would think that the screenplay at least would make sense, but it doesn't. You might remember his "Less Than Zero."  This one is sorta like that but not as good. 

It's Los Angeles, 1983 and you know what that means:  Decadence with a capital "D."

Billy Bob Thornton is a movie executive, Wynona Ryder is his girlfriend, Kim Basinger his estranged wife.  Sad that Kim has never lived up to her potential, despite her Oscar.  Here we have her lusting after the pool boy. 

An almost unrecognizable Mickey Rourke makes an appearance (with vestiges of his early foray into plastic surgery) as a redneck, the Bellman's Uncle, who indeed tries to get our Bellman to do something terrible. 

Lots 'o drugs, lots 'o sex, lots 'o boobs that are so full of implants that they don't move, lots 'o entitled twenty-somethings and no one cares about anything.  And you won't care about any of this either.

This is all gritty hopeless trashy stuff and it's not even trashy enough to be good trash.

Rosy the Reviewer says...sad commentary when the best part of a movie are the clothes. Loved the 80's clothes, hated this movie.




Maps to the Stars (2014)

A grasping therapist father, a spoiled child star son, a disfigured psychotic daughter and unhappy wife. Stir in some incest and you have your typical Hollywood family, David Cronenberg-style.

John Cusack stars as Dr. Stafford Weiss, a successful therapist with his own cult status TV show called "Hour of Personal Power," who won't forgive his own mentally ill daughter, Agatha (Mia Wasikowska) who was disfigured in a fire, for being mentally ill and whose son, Benjy (Evan Bird), is an insufferable child star (aren't they all?).

Julianne Moore goes back to her early over the top roles as a nutty, spoiled actress, Havana Segrand, who takes her clothes off a lot (we've forgotten that she did that a lot in the old days) who is worried that she is getting old.  Her own mother was a star but died young and now they are making a film of her life and Havana wants to play her mother.  (See "Still Alice" before you see this or you might have a tough time with "Alice").

The film begins with Agatha taking the bus to LA and hiring a limo when she gets there (at first, we don't know who she is, where she came from or why she is here).  And if you wondered what ever happened to Robert Pattinson after the Twilight movies, here he plays an American limo driver, Jerome, who is also a screenwriter (everyone in Hollywood is hoping for a job in show business), who picks Agatha up. He tells Agatha he might convert to Scientology as "a career move." Agatha appears to be star struck when she asks Jerome for a map of the stars' homes.

But Agatha takes Jerome to a burned out ruin.  She has clearly been here before.  Agatha also gets a job as Havana's personal assistant (Havana calls a PA a "chore whore") and her story unfolds.

Benjy is 13 and already has been to rehab. His attitude and image threatens his "Bad Babysitter" series.  He is one troubled and jaded kid.  He goes to visit a little girl fan in the hospital to help his image and is disappointed to find out she doesn't have AIDS, only cancer.  When she dies, he is haunted by her ghost.

Stafford is not happy that Agatha is back.  He is haunted by her and what she knows.

Everyone is haunted  by their past and has something to hide.

I have always been a big fan of Cronenberg.  No matter the topic and no matter how over the top, I find his films mesmerizing and often enjoyable, but sometimes in a train wreck sort of way.  You know how you know you shouldn't look at a train wreck but you just can't resist?  "Eastern Promises" and "A Dangerous Method" were mesmerizing and enjoyable.  "Dead Ringers" and "M. Butterfly" were mesmerizing train wrecks but still enjoyable.  "Cosmopolis" and "Naked Lunch" were just train wrecks.

Here is has directed a biting satire written by Bruce Wagner that focuses on Hollywood and fame and those who seek it: child stars, aging actresses, and everyone else.  And it falls into the mesmerizing enjoyable train wreck category, despite the usual things that make it a Cronenberg film: strange story, sex, frontal nudity, some disgusting scenes and blood.

Though maps to the homes of the stars is a tourist draw in Hollywood and serves as a metaphor here, this film should not be confused with the 1997 film "Star Maps," where selling maps to the stars' homes was a front for child prostitution.  Here it serves as a metaphor for the road map needed to navigate the crazy world of Hollywood stardom.  And then there is fire, a metaphor for wiping away all of that crazy Hollywood sin.

The last twenty minutes of this film is cringe worthy but nobody does cringe worthy like Cronenberg so enjoy.

Rosy the Reviewer says...typical Cronenberg.  Incest, blood, crazy characters, lots of huh? moments...I liked it!

 

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

 

266 To Go!

Killer of Sheep (1978)

It's 1970 Watts and Stan (Henry G. Sanders) is an unexceptional man who works in a slaughterhouse to support his family. 

 

Written and directed by Charles Burnett, this film arrived on the scene during the Blaxploitation era of "Shaft," "Foxy Brown" and "Sweet Sweetback's Badasssss Song" and before Spike Lee.  And it's influences on Lee are apparent. 

 

Considered a masterpiece of African American filmmaking, it was chosen for the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress and named one of the 100 Essential Films of the National Society of Film Critics, and tells the story of a family going about their hardscrabble lives, accepting their lots with quiet resignation, and without giving up their values. It's an unsparing slice of life that shows how, no matter how difficult one's life is, it is still possible to find some beauty and moments to savor. Unlike many films on the "black experience," this probably is more true to life as most people, no matter what their race, live quiet, routine, predictable and often hard lives.

 

However, despite the accolades now, no one saw it in 1977. Filmed by Burnett for under $10,000 as his masters' thesis at UCLA, the film was little seen, mostly because he could not get the rights to the songs used in his soundtrack.  However, in 2007 UCLA restored the film, secured the rights to the music in the soundtrack and released the film (for more information on that journey click here).  And the soundtrack really is amazing.

The actors all seem to be amateurs, or people caught in a documentary, except for Sanders, who went on to have a successful acting career, most recently in the acclaimed "Whiplash."  He only got the role because the original actor chosen couldn't get parole.

 

Why it's a Must See:  "Shot in raw black-and-white stock... [this film] is astonishing for being an American film in which black characters are not metaphors for something or someone else...Burnett's camera pierces behind facades and public personas of American blackness to show the human beings beneath them...Burnett slows things down, peels back layers, creates settings that are purposely banal...He takes your breath away by not trying to take your breath away, but not trying to dazzle or overwhelm...with a weighty political treatise---and yet his film is an example of the most radical, subversive art.  It forces you to question all else you've seen or heard about blackness; it forces you to see and hear in all new ways."

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

 

If you are looking for a fast-moving action film or one that is plot heavy, this is not for you.  But if you value a leisurely pace that highlights small, real moments, such as a husband and wife sharing a slow dance in their living room to the Dinah Washington song "This Bitter Earth," and if you seek insight into the real lives of ordinary working class African Americans, then you will appreciate this film.

 

Rosy the Reviewer says...the soundtrack to this film is astonishing and reason enough to see it.

***Book of the Week***

 

Burnt Toast Makes You Sing Good 

by Kathleen Finn (2014)

 

 

Flinn shares her family history --- with recipes!

 

Ever since Frances Mayes shared recipes as she took us on a journey of Tuscany in her "Under the Tuscan Sun," we have been awash in travel books, books about remodeling houses in Europe and memoirs -- all with recipes.  And this book is no exception.

 

Similar to Kate Christenson's "Blue Plate Special," which I reviewed in 2013, Flinn recounts anecdotes of her peripatetic family as they move from the Midwest to open a restaurant in San Francisco and then to Florida interspersed with recipes that help define her family: "Uncle Clarence's Divine Cornflake crusted Fried Chicken, " "Grandpa Charles' Spicy Chili" and her grandmother's special cinnamon rolls.

Rosy the Reviewer says...if you like Ruth Reichl's books or memoirs featuring eccentric families spiked with recipes, this is for you (though I liked Kate Christenson's book better).

 

 

Thanks for Reading!

That's it for this week.

See you Tuesday for


"My Top 10 Movie Scenes
of All Time"

 

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.

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."

 

 

How You Know You Are Not Just GETTING Old, You Are Already There!

 

 

I've written about "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly of Getting Old"  and I've listed "10 Signs You are Getting Old," and "The Good and Bad News About Aging."

But those posts were about GETTING old. 

How do you know when you have actually gotten there?

When you are really once and for all OLD?

Well, my peeps, I am here to tell you.

You know you are old when...

You still write checks, especially at the grocery store.
And I hate to tell you this.  No one writes checks anymore.  Only old folks.  And NO ONE likes waiting in line for you to write that check.  OLD!

You have a landline.
Practically everyone is using their cell phone for everything. Again, OLD!

You still do your taxes by hand on paper forms and mail them in.
But not before going to the library and giving the librarians a hard time about their now having all of the forms you need (The IRS doesn't even send libraries all of those forms anymore).  OLD!

And speaking of libraries, you think libraries are only about books. 
Or worse yet, you think libraries should only HAVE books, when libraries are providing a wealth of materials, Internet access and classes, not just for children and young people, but for the likes of old folks too! Materials and services that can change your life. If you didn't know or appreciate that, OLD!

Your ears have gotten really big.
I just saw Ringo Starr on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon and his ears were gy-normous!  OLD!

You still subscribe to a print newspaper. 
Remember those?  If you do, OLD!

When you text, you use your index finger to poke out the message. 
Oh?  Text?  Not sure what I am talking about?  OLD!

For you guys out there, when you go to take a pee, you pull down your fly and reach in and can't find your little soldier! 
Because you put your underpants on backwards!  OLD!

You don't know how to use the Internet and are proud of that because you think the Internet would try to steal your identity. 
Or worse yet, you don't use Facebook because you think it would steal your soul.  And you think that Tinder is all about booty calls. 
Well, you are right about Tinder...

You think a selfie is something people do in private behind closed doors. 

And for you ladies, you think it's OK to stop wearing make-up, to wear a stained sweat suit all day and ride the motorized cart at the supermarket even though you can walk perfectly well. 
You've given up on yourself and that's about as OLD as you can get.

But you know what?

I know I'm old.  And I am guilty of some of the above (except for the one about underpants - Hubby has to claim that one- and the one about giving up on myself)!

 

But big ears and putting your underpants on backwards notwithstanding,

what does it really mean to be OLD?

 



You may have lost your hair, have wrinkles, gained weight, feel rickety, but it's all good. 

"Old" is not a bad word.  It means you have made it this far. 

Think of the "crone," from the goddess standpoint, or the wizard for men.

Whether you think "old" is 55 or 85, the longer you live, the more you are becoming an old soul, and what you have gained is wisdom. You know some stuff.

You know what happiness is.
It's not success, it's not money, it's not accolades.
Happiness is a state you can create for yourself through gratitude. It's appreciating that what most people equate with happiness is overrated.
Happiness is that small still voice within that says...I am content.

You know that getting old is not just an age.  It's a state of mind that we have control over.
We may be old but we don't have to be or feel old.
 
It's being self-aware and knowing yourself.  No matter what state you are in, it's being glad you got this far.

And if you live to be OLD, you get to live to be a part of all of this:

 

 

 

 



 

And that's not just getting OLD, that's getting happy.

 

 

 

 

Thanks for Reading!

 

See you Friday

for my review of the new movie 

 

"While We're Young"

(apropos, right?)

 

and

 

The Week in Reviews

 

(What to See or Read and What to 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


 



 

Al Pacino's new movie "Danny Collins" and The Week in Reviews

[I review the new movie "Danny Collins" and DVDs "A Most Violent Year" and "Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb."  The Book of the Week is Sophia Loren's memoir "Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow."   I also bring you up to date on "My 1001 Movies I Must See Before I Die Project: "The Decline of the American Empire"]

 Danny Collins

 

Danny Collins (Al Pacino) is a hugely successful rock star but jaded and aging.  When he discovers a letter written to him 40 years ago from John Lennon he is inspired to change his life.

Based on a true story (sort of...a bit), the film begins with Danny, a serious young singer/songwriter being interviewed by an editor of "Chime Magazine."  He is just starting his career and the editor tells him he is going to be BIG.  The young Danny looks horrified at the prospect.  You see, Danny is serious about his "art."

Fast forward 40 years and Danny indeed became BIG, but now he is playing big arenas and just singing what everyone wants to hear.  He hasn't written anything in 30 years.  He drinks, snorts cocaine, has a girlfriend half his age and drives a fancy sports car...all of the trappings of fame... but he's not happy.

It's his birthday and his manager, Frank Grubman (Christopher Plummer) presents him with a gift, a framed letter that had been sent to Danny 40 years before from John Lennon. Lennon had read the interview with Danny in "Chime Magazine" and sent a letter of encouragement to Danny, telling him not to worry about fame and fortune being a detriment to his talent.  Lennon included his home phone number telling him to call him. Unfortunately the letter was sent in care of the magazine and was waylaid by the editor, who thought he could sell it to a collector, which he did, and there it stayed until Frank presented it to Danny on his birthday, thus creating the catalyst for Danny to want to go back to his roots. He can't help but think what his career might have been like had he gotten that letter 40 years ago and called John Lennon.

Danny abandons the big house, the young girlfriend and his upcoming tour and moves into a suburban New Jersey Hilton Hotel to find, Tom, the son he has never met (Bobby Cannavale), and along the way Tom's wife (Jennifer Garner) and hyperactive daughter, Hope (Giselle Eisenberg).  He also forges a relationship with the manager of the Hilton, Mary (Annette Bening).
 

There is nothing like Al Pacino chewing the scenery, and in this he doesn't disappoint, but in a good way.  Pacino hasn't done much since his bravura TV performance as Phil Spector, but Pacino is BACK!  Here he puts in an Academy Award worthy performance that is natural, nuanced and laid-back.  It's a quieter performance than we have come to expect from him and it is wonderful to behold.  It's too bad this film was released so early in the year, though, as it could be forgotten when Oscar nomination time rolls around.

Christopher Plummer also could get a nod with his fatherly role as Danny's manager, adviser and loyal friend.  He gets most of the good lines. Benning is a good foil for Pacino and displays her usual warmth and charm.  Cannavale is usually associated with thugs and mobsters, but here does a great turn as the son who can't quite get over the fact that his Dad didn't seem to take much of an interest in him growing up. Jennifer Garner has a small part as Tom's wife, but she has a warm, affecting quality that she brings to her roles. 

But despite the fact I usually find children in films annoying because they are too often little wise-cracking savants that don't seem to be real children, little Gisele Eisenberg, playing a child with an almost debilitating ADHD that figures prominently in the plot, is a stand-out - funny and real.

Written and directed by Dan Fogelman, "Danny Collins" sometimes verges on sentimentality, but not quite.  But sentimentality is OK, because this is the story of a man of a certain age trying to go back in time to capture something that was lost.  When you do that, it's often a sentimental journey. And add to that the film's score using John Lennon's songs, I challenge anyone alive in the 70's to not feel sentimental.

If I had one complaint, it's a very minor one. The product placement here was pretty blatant. Hilton Hotels must be very happy and Mercedes got quite a pitch too.  But like I said, a minor blip in what was a wonderful movie experience.

Rosy the Reviewer says...The best movie I have seen so far this year. Don't miss it!

***DVDS***

You Might Have Missed

(And Some You Will Be Glad You Did)

 

A Most Violent Year (2014)

 

 

It's 1981, statistically the most dangerous and crime-ridden year in New York City history and Abel Morales (Oscar Isaac) fights to save his oil business from poachers. 

 

Abel Morales is an immigrant to the U.S. and wants to run a legitimate business.  He runs an oil business that he bought from his wife's father, a less than legitimate guy.  He is in the midst of securing a large property of oil storage containers that will significantly expand his business, when one of his oil trucks is kidnapped.  More and more, his trucks are getting nicked and unsavory types are prowling around his property.  He wants to know who is behind it. When he goes to complain to the D.A. he finds out he is under investigation for possible illegal accounting practices. All of this turmoil is hurting his chances to get that property he needs and he only has three days.

 

The film explores the dangers inherent in doing business, not just in this "most violent year," but any time. However, I couldn't stop thinking about what a strange little film this was.  It was well-written and directed by J.C. Chador, but I had a hard time caring about the oil wars of 1981.  I know it was a metaphor about how hard it can be to do business and how our values are often compromised to succeed, but it was also a very minor little slice of life.

Oscar Isaac seemed to come out of nowhere to get Oscar buzz for his fine performance in "Inside Llewyn Davis." Now he's everywhere ("Two Faces of January," "X-Men: Apocalypse" and the new upcoming "Star Wars:Episode VIII.)"  He puts in a fine performance here too.

 

David Oyelowo plays Lawrence who is investigating Morales and Jessica Chastain plays Morales' hard as nails wife who shows her true colors later in the film.  Chastain was nominated for a Golden Globe for this performance and it was deserved.  She is another actor who seems to be everywhere these days and can be counted on for a great performance.

 

 Rosy the Reviewer says...See it for the acting.

 

Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb (2014)

 

Larry (Ben Stiller) is back for a third installment of this franchise, this time traveling to the British Museum to try to save "the magic."

After two other movies, Larry is now completely comfortable with everything in the museum coming alive at night.  In fact, he's so comfortable that the museum is now holding programs at night for the public showcasing it and making big money.  But on one particular fund-raising night where everything is scripted for a huge spectacle, something happens.  The Egyptian tablet that is the source of the "magic," i.e. everything coming alive at night, also seems to be cursed. It is deteriorating and causing the exhibits to go nuts.  Ben and his friends travel to England to the British Museum to try to find the answer.

Everyone is back:  the crazy monkey, Jed, the cowboy (Owen Wilson), Octavius, the gladiator (Steve Coogan), Attila (Patrick Gallagher), Sacajawea (Mizuo Peck) and Robin Williams as Teddy Roosevelt, sadly in his last role and Ricky Gervais as the museum manager.

Rebel Wilson plays the guard at the British Museum and she adds her usual raunchy fat girl humor and Dan Stevens, once again stepping out of his Matthew Crawley role, plays Sir Lancelot, a "knight in shining armor."  We've also got Ben Kingsley, Hugh Jackman, Andrea Martin, Dick Van Dyke and a cameo from Mickey Rooney, also his last film role.  You would think with all of that star power this film would indeed be magical.

Sorry.  The magic has died.

Ben Stiller's deadpan reactions usually make me laugh but they are not as much in evidence here as he plays it straight, and though Wilson and Coogan are funny and the fight inside the Escher painting was original, none of that nor the all-star cast are enough to save this sad attempt at comedy.

What is it about sequels?  Exhibits in a museum coming to life was funny in the first movie, but how many times can you work that premise?  Two sequels later it's not funny anymore.

Rosy the Reviewer says...this should have been called "Night at the Museum: The Curse of the Sequel."  The magic has indeed died and these exhibits need to stay asleep.

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

 

 

267 To Go!

The Decline of the American Empire  (1986)

 

Four male French-Canadian academics are preparing a meal while talking about sex.  In the meantime, their female guests are working out at a gym, and, guess what?  They are talking about sex too.

Why its a Must See:  "...in a radio interview, one of the women asks whether the 'frantic drive for personal happiness' is 'linked to the decline of the American empire.' Atcand's film ironically explores this question. All the characters are hell-bent on finding happiness; yet everyone is frustrated and desperate...This, Arcand hints, is the fallout of a society where sexual gratification is elevated over all other values...[This film] is at once bleak and funny; we may not like these people, but they're ceaselessly fascinating to watch."

---1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die

 

I wouldn't go that far.  The idea was a good one, but not very well executed. Right, I didn't like these people, and in fact, at times, I found this film quite offensive.  The characters reminded me of "The Real Housewives," --- even the men!  Except "The Real Housewives" don't even talk about sex as much as these folks. Could be my age, but I find endless discussions about sex boring, whether it's on film or in real life, so I have to disagree that this was "fascinating to watch."

 

It's also all very 80's with the Mom jeans, the headbands, the big glasses and the shoulder pads and doesn't translate well to the 21st century.  I felt like I was in an Olivia Newton-John music video.

Rosy the Reviewer says...I could have slept easily in my grave without seeing this one.

(In French with English subtitles)

 

***Book of the Week***

 

Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow: My Life by Sophia Loren (2014)

 

 

 Loren finally tells her story.

Born in 1934 and growing up in poverty in war-torn Naples, Loren overcame her nickname of "Toothpick" to become one of the screen's most beautiful and voluptuous actresses.  Raised by a single mother, she was able to travel to Rome after winning a beauty contest and through hard work and perseverance, she rose quickly to stardom in Italian cinema.  From there she was discovered by Hollywood and went on to have an acting career that spanned six decades and included two Academy Awards.

Loren comes off just as you would expect her to.  She is confident of her beauty, her accomplishments and herself.  But she pulls no punches.  She shares the story of her love affair with Cary Grant, her difficult pregnancies, her 17 days in jail and the difficulties she and husband Carlo Ponti had getting their marriage recognized in Italy.

Rosy the Reviewer says...a satisfying autobiography from a screen legend.

Thanks for Reading!

That's it for this week.

See you Tuesday for

"How You Know You Are Not Just Getting Old,

You Are Already There!"

 

 

If you enjoyed this post, feel free to click on the share buttons to share it on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn (or copy and paste it there or on your fave social media site), email it to your friends and LIKE me on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/rosythereviewer.

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). 

 

Find the page for the movie, click on "Explore More" on the right side panel and then scroll down to "External Reviews" and click on that. Then 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."