"Trainwreck" and the Week in Reviews

[I review the new movie "Trainwreck" and DVDs "The Duff" and "Inherent Vice."  The Book of the Week is "Living with Intent."  I also bring you up to date on "My 1001 Movies I Must See Before I Die Project" with the classic film "Love Me Tonight" and the 1980's thriller "Diva"]

A week's worth of comedies (well, almost all of them are comedies...I think)!





Trainwreck

Amy (Amy Schumer) is commitment phobic, has lots of drunken sex and never lets any man get too close...until she meets Aaron (Bill Hader).

When you are a little girl and your father sits you and your sister up on the hood of the car and gives you a long speech about monogamy and why he and Mommy are getting a divorce using your little dollies as a metaphor - "Would you want to have to play with the same doll for the rest of your life?" - and then has you repeat "Monogamy isn't realistic" over and over, you are not likely to grow up seeking long-term fulfilling relationships. 

So is it with our Amy when we see her 23 years later having sex and then telling the guy to leave because she can't bear to have him around in the morning. And don't even THINK about spooning.  However, Amy's sister, Kim (Brie Larson), must not have gotten the same message from their father because she is married with a baby on the way.  Both she and Amy are trying to find a nicer assisted living facility for their curmudgeon father, Gordon (Colin Quinn).  Amy is a Daddy's girl; Kim not so much.

Amy works for Dianna (an almost unrecognizable and very funny Tilda Swinton - who knew she could be funny? - playing a sort of mean Anna Wintour character) at S'Nuff, a men's magazine that delights in being outrageous, titillating and anti-woman. Dianna wants someone to research whether or not eating garlic makes semen taste different and one of Amy's colleagues pitches the idea of an article, "Are you gay or is she just boring?"  If you didn't get it from the title of the magazine, you get the idea here. 

Amy does have a "regular" boyfriend, a meathead bodybuilder (WWE wrestler John Cena), and they have a funny sex scene together where Amy wants him to talk dirty to her and all he can come up with are sports slogans like "There's no I in team" and "Winning's not everything, it's the only thing!"

Amy is assigned to interview an NBA sports doctor, Aaron Conners, something she is not pleased about because she hates sports. But when Amy is interviewing Aaron, and he asks her if she likes sports, she says she loves them. He then asks, "What's your favorite team?  She gulps and says The Orlando Blooms?

Amy Schumer wrote the entire script and it is very, very funny.  She is on a high right now with her TV show "Inside Amy Schumer," which is also very, very funny. Her acting is also right on point.  She is going to be very, very big, because she represents all of us ordinary gals - pretty but not so pretty that other girls would hate her, and a normal figure: not fat and not a skinny bitch either.  And a sweet face that belies what comes out of her mouth.

But the real revelation here is Bill Hader.  All SNL fans will remember his SNL characters: Stefon, Devon (One of "The Californians") and his takes on Clint Eastwood and Keith Morrison of "Dateline (you know, the guy with the creepy voice)," but there is no trace of any of that shtick here.  He plays it straight as a charming, good-hearted guy who is willing to put up with all of Amy's defenses and foibles because he loves her. He is completely believable and somebody we would all want to marry.

Speaking of SNL, ex-cast members abound: Along with Colin Quinn, Vanessa Bayer, Pete Davidson, and Tim Meadows all have roles.  It's like an SNL reunion.

This is the new face of rom-coms:  feminist, raunchy and real. I like it, but I know it's not for everyone.  After about 20 minutes of sex and F-bombs, two old ladies left the theatre. I could tell they were leaving for good because they had their purses.  I couldn't help but wonder, if you know anything about Amy Schumer, what did you expect and why are you here? But that's just me.

Women will enjoy Amy, but we also have the sports element here to get the guys.  I mean, LeBron James, Marv Albert and Amar'e Stoudemire are featured.  Very smart. 

And who knew LeBron was such a funny guy and good actor? He is portrayed as a cheapskate who never has money to pay the bill at a restaurant and who loves "Downton Abbey (along with his teammates)."

So this is a date movie with something for everybody.

Directed by Judd Apetow, whose films I haven't liked of late finding them very male-centric, but he is a good fit for Amy who is not your usual girly girl.  The  ending is a bit soft, but like I said, there is something for everybody here.

Maybe my slump is over.  I am finally seeing some funny films.

Rosy the Reviewer says...this joins Melissa McCarthy's "Spy" as one of the funniest comedies of the year.  I guess it takes "the girls" to finally give us some funny films.  Who says women aren't funny? 

 

***DVDS***

You Might Have Missed

(And Some You Will Be Glad You Did)

The DUFF  (2015)

 

A high school senior is perfectly happy until she finds out she is a DUFF - the "Designated Ugly Fat Friend" - of her two other prettier girlfriends.

OK, I knew you were going to ask, what is a 60-something doing watching a movie like this?  Well, I was in high school once.  And some things never change.  No matter how old you get, you can relate to this story which is as old as the end of time.

These days, teens may have cell phones, computers and social media, but they still must endure mean girls, bullying and low self esteem.  You didn't hear much about bullying back in the day and certainly we didn't have cyberbullying, but bullying still existed. We just didn't talk much about stuff in the "olden days," but that didn't mean it didn't exist.

Mae Whitman ("Parenthood") plays Bianca Piper, a perfectly nice-looking young girl. However, as is established at the outset by two boys in the school hallway, her best friends, Jess Harris (Skyler Samuels) and Casey Cordero (Bianca A. Santos), are decidedly much hotter. But they are nice girls. Jess is a kind girl who likes yoga and Casey is a soccer player. Our heroine, Bianca, has more esoteric tastes: "B" horror films and playing the violin. But these three have been besties for years. No one seems to be keeping score here.

Bianca also works on the school paper and is given the assignment of writing an article on what the homecoming dance means to her, but since it doesn't mean much, she declines. Bianca is also in love with Toby Tucker (Nick Eversman), but can't even muster the courage to speak to him.

Madison Morgan (Bella Thorne) is the hottest girl in school but also the meanest.  She wants to be a reality star so goes around school with her posse filming herself.  She has taken it upon herself to make Bianca's life a living hell.

Wesley Rush is Bianca's next-door-neighbor.  They have known each other forever and have a sort of love-hate relationship. Bianca treats him with disdain.  And I want to state right now, Bianca must be crazy because Robby Amell, who plays Wesley, is hot, hot, hot and I predict the next big thing. Sorry, I got a little excited there.  Anyway, whenever you have a love-hate relationship, you can pretty much figure out what's going to happen down the road.

When Wesley tells Bianca she is considered a DUFF, she is totally shocked.  Initially she "breaks up" with her girlfriends but in the end, you can guess...it's make-over time.  When Bianca overhears Wesley's teacher telling him if he doesn't get his grades up, he will not be able to play football, she offers to tutor him if he will help with her makeover and coach her on how to talk to Toby.

Bianca's mode of dress consists of crocs and pajama bottoms so Wesley takes Bianca clothes shopping so she will "send the right message."  One of Madison's friends sees Bianca modeling clothes for Wesley and kissing a store mannequin, pretending it's Toby, and she films it. The video goes viral and humiliates Bianca.  But, predictably, she gets her revenge by turning into a hottie!  But her own kind of hottie as she has an epiphany about being a DUFF and writes that article for the school newspaper.

The message here is that in the end everyone is somebody's DUFF because there is always going to be someone hotter, smarter, richer or something better than you, so don't obsess about it.  Be yourself, which is a good message for not just teens, but us all.

Mae Whitman is adorable as Bianca and I have already waxed poetic about Robby Amell.  He has mostly been on TV shows until now but I predict he will go far. He and Whitman have real chemistry so their scenes together are fun to watch. Speaking of fun to watch. Now I know why I watch movies aimed at high school girls. Hot high school boys! (Don't judge me!) Oh, the other young actors are also really good.

Rosy the Reviewer says...though predictable, a perfectly acceptable teen film that adults will also enjoy. 

 
  


Inherent Vice (2014)

 

It's 1970 and Larry "Doc" Sportello (Joaquin Phoenix), a P.I. and doper, investigates the disappearance of an old girlfriend.

Shasta Fey Hepworth (played by the beautiful Katherine Waterston, Sam's daughter), an old flame, visits Doc at his place on Gordita Beach.  She is having an affair with Mickey Wolfmann (Eric Roberts), a real estate developer.  She tells Doc that Mickey's wife, Sloane (Serena Scott Thomas, Kristin's younger sister) is having an affair and that Mickey's wife and her lover are planning on abducting Mickey and putting him in an insane asylum (I know I'm not being PC, but that's what they called it back in the 70's).

Meanwhile Tariq Khalill (Michael Kenneth Williams) hires Doc to find an ex-prison mate of his, Glenn Charlock. Glenn owes him money and just happens to be one of Wolfmann's bodyguards.

As if things weren't confusing enough, enter Hope Harlingen (Jena Malone), a former heroin addict who is looking for her husband, Coy (Owen Wilson).  He was presumed dead but Hope believes he is alive.  Coy finds Doc and tells him he is hiding out in Topanga Canyon fearing for his life because he is a police informant.  Coy just wants to get home to his wife and child.

Shasta disappears and Doc goes to a massage parlor and gets knocked out.  When he wakes up he is framed for the death of Glenn Charlock, who was supposed to be guarding Wolfman.  Now Wolfman is missing too.  From there we have drug smuggling, a ship called "The Golden Fang, and a cult and all kinds of other stuff that becomes murkier and murkier.

Director Paul Thomas Anderson, who directed "There Will Be Blood," "Boogie Nights" and "The Master," is at the helm here and adapted the script from Thomas Pynchon's novel.  This one has the grit of "Blood," the atmosphere of "Boogie" and the mystery of "Master," and when I say mystery, I mean not sure I got it.  But, hey, it's Thomas Pynchon.  I don't think we are supposed to get it.  It's all about the present experience. Toss in some vibes from "Pulp Fiction" and "Chinatown" and you have a murky but atmospheric comedy/drama that captures the psychedelic, drug infested world of L.A. in the early 70's.  The "Summer of Love" is well over.

Anderson has gathered together a line-up of A-list stars.  Phoenix can be a complete nut ball as he has shown on some past Letterman appearances.  But here he is perfect as the pot smoking Doc moving about in a pot infused world.  We also have Benicio Del Toro, Josh Brolin, Reese Witherspoon, Martin Short and other names rounding out the cast of strange characters.

Rosy the Reviewer says...I think I liked it.  See it, so you can tell me what it was about.  Or maybe I should have smoked some pot first.
 

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

300 to go!
(revised)

Love Me Tonight  (1932)

 

A Parisian tailor pretends to be a baron in order to collect a bill from an aristocrat and in so doing, falls in love with a princess.

Maurice Chevalier is Maurice, the tailor.  He can't seem to get Viscount Gilbert de Vareze (Charlie Ruggles) to pay his bill so he takes it upon himself to pay the Viscount a visit at his chateau. When he arrives he is mistaken for a baron and falls in love with the sexually frustrated Princess Jeanette played by Jeanette MacDonald (they sure weren't very imaginative with the characters' names), who is holed up in the chateau.

Why it's a Must See: "As with so many of the sadly underrated [of] Rouben Mamoulian's finest films...he makes the whole thing feel wonderfully relaxed, good-natured, and somehow perfect...what is really impressive about Love Me Tonight is how music, dance, dialogue, performance, décor, lighting, camera work, editing, and special effects are all combined to create a cogent whole in which each element serves narrative, characterization, and theme...in short, an enormously entertaining masterpiece."

Rouben Mamoulian directed this sophisticated musical, full of pre-code double entendres, comedy and romance. His directorial innovations were also a rarity for the 1930's: zoom lenses and slow motion camera techniques. Add the music of Rodgers and Hart music including the wonderful "Isn't It Romantic?" and you have a delightful romp that Leonard Maltin is quoted as saying "One of the best musicals ever made!"

Rosy the Reviewer says...I wouldn't go that far, but we just don't have anything like those Jeanette MacDonald musicals anymore...and I miss them.






Diva (1981)

A young French postal worker illegally tapes an American opera singer in concert who has never been recorded and finds himself being chased for the tape by Taiwanese bootleggers and at the same time becomes embroiled in a police corruption cover-up.

Jules (Frederick Andrei ), a young mail carrier, is infatuated with American opera singer, Cynthia Hawkins (Wilhelmenia Fernandez).  She has refused to be recorded and never heard the sound of her own voice. He tapes her performance illicitly and finds himself not only being hunted by Taiwanese bootleggers who want the tape, but corrupt cops who think he has a very different kind of tape, one linking a corrupt cop to running a prostitution ring.

Directed by Jean-Jacques Beineix, part of the Cinema Du Look Movement - films with a slick visual style that highlighted the marginalized French youth of the early 1980's - Beineix combined opera with gangsters, corrupt cops and hip arty types to create a stylish and vivid thriller.

Why it's a Must See: "Beineix draws on...1940's noir to create an entertaining and visually resplendent confection, whose artfulness and dynamic gives it a vibrancy and allure that has outlasted many other films from this period."

---1001 Movies I Must See Before I Die

 

Rosy the Reviewer says...Jules racing his moped through the Paris Metro is a chase scene not to be missed!

(In French with English subtitles)

***Book of the Week***

Living With Intent:   My Somewhat Messy Journey to Purpose, Peace and Joy by Mallika Chopra (2015)

A memoir and self-help book by Deepak Chopra's daughter.

I would imagine it's not easy being Deepak Chopra, with everyone looking to him for guidance and the meaning of life - even Oprah!  So you can imagine what it must be like for his daughter.

Here daughter Mallika shares her story, what it's like having a father like Deepak, what she learned from him and her own quest for meaning. It's part self-help book as she gives practical pointers on finding ones way back to a life of intention, but it's also the story of a regular woman, like most of us, who knows where she wants to get to but is having a hard time getting there. She struggles with reconciling her upbringing with her current situation:  soccer Mom, overscheduled and striving working woman and a wife with little time for her husband.  She continually beats herself up at what she feels are her shortcomings and doesn't take the time to see and be grateful for what she already has.

If you read my blog post last Tuesday, you will know that I feel that expressing gratitude is an important part of finding joy.  Mallika talks about gratitude, too. 

She eventually realizes that "gratefulness isn't just a worthy practice; it's also powerful medicine -- possibly even an antidote to my toxic mind-set.  There is a clear line connecting how our thoughts affect our emotions, our emotions affect our choices, and our choices shape our experiences."

And finally..."life suddenly seems so clear to me.  As you get older, you winnow your life down to the things that matter most: Spending time with loved ones.  Finding solace in simple rituals.  Nurturing your body and soul.  Those are the places where happiness lives...It's so easy to let the days slip by in a stream of distracted busyness, but we all need to find ways to somehow stitch simple pleasure into our busy days."

So how to live with intent? 

Chopra has come up with a mnemonic to help us do it:

I - Incubate
Quiet your mind to tap into your deepest intentions, see where this leads.

N - Notice
Become mindful of your thoughts and action and pay attention to what they tell you about what gives you meaning and a sense of purpose--and look for signs hat can point you toward your true path.

T - Trust
Have confidence in your inner knowing -- and in the messages the universe sends you -- and allow that knowledge to guide you forward.

E - Express
Write down your intentions; say them out loud or share them with others to fully embrace them and help you move ahead in your journey.

N - Nurture
Be gentle with yourself as you try to find your way.  Intention isn't always a straightforward path, just like life, and giving yourself opportunities to try -- and fail -- is often part of, and even crucial to, the process.

T - Take Action
Once you've identified an intent, or even multiple ones, don't sit and wait for it to magically manifest: instead take the practical steps that can make each become a reality.  It may be easiest to choose one intent first and set short-term goals to help you get started.

Rosy the Reviewer says...an accessible book that helps us to live with gratitude and intent.  Her Dad should be proud.

Thanks for Reading!

 

That's it for this week.

See you Tuesday for


"The Best Films of 2015 (So Far)!"

 

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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). 

 

 

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."

 

 

Things I Didn't Know I Needed

I have to admit I am highly susceptible to suggestions.

And it doesn't help that I am addicted to women's magazines.  My idea of a wonderful morning is waddling downstairs, having my morning OJ with a touch of Perrier and immersing myself in a stack of magazines.

But those magazines have all kinds of ads and articles trying to get me to buy or do things, shaming me if I haven't done my spring cleaning using this new miracle mop, admonishing me to moisturize with this new miracle formula and inspiring me to buy this new miracle bathing suit that promises to make me look ten pounds thinner.

If I didn't know I needed these things, I do now!

I know my susceptability is a problem, because when I am shamed, admonished and inspired to do something, I am driven to try it.

For example, a recent article was titled "Life requires a crisp white shirt!"

OMG, I thought, I didn't know that.  Do I have one?  And if I do, is it crisp enough?

When I am standing in line at the store, I know very well items are placed at checkout for impulse buying but I can't help it.

Gum.  Right.  I didn't realize I needed some gum. Need that minty, fresh breath.  Oh, look, what a cute little Beanie Baby. I need that!  "Summer Recipes 5 ingredients or less."  I think I need that (I have over 200 cookbooks at home).  Fourth of July plates are half off!  I never thought of 4th of July plates.  I need those!

You get the picture.

It all started with an ad for a Bikini trimmer.  What a nifty little thing, I thought.  I didn't know I needed that.  So I ordered it. But when it arrived, I realized I had not worn a bathing suit for almost 10 years and I didn't own a bikini!  And ow!  The damn thing hurt!

The View's "Must Have Monday" is like crack to me.  Every Monday, they showcase all kinds of items I didn't know I needed at huge discounts.  Today there was a $60 clothes steamer for $20, 32 makeup brushes, a curling iron that looked like a vibrator and a "legacy box."  I don't know what that is, but I now know that I need it.  I bought a purse from them once that I didn't know I needed.  It's still hanging on the chair in the kitchen.

My house is full of items I didn't know I needed.

• A librarian action figure that shushes you when you pull on her arm

• A sparkly sign that says "I'm so glam I sweat glitter."

• A "Dammit Doll" (it's a little stuffed doll that when you are mad you can whack the table with it and yell "dammit, dammit, dammit" instead of whacking Hubby)

• A creamer shaped like a cow (you pour the cream by holding its tail and the cream comes out it's mouth) - and I don't even put cream in my tea or coffee!

• Zebra print boots

• A collie

 

Our houses are all filled with stuff we didn't know we needed until suddenly we did!



But in the end, what is important is that I know the things I DO need.



I know I need my family.

 

That weekly phone call from my adult children and seeing the little grandkids

A cuddle with my dogs

 

Oh, yeah, and Hubby too.

 

I need friends, a creative outlet, to feel my life has meaning, time alone to appreciate what I have (and watch TV), healthy activities, wine.

So I guess it's OK to clutter our lives a bit with things we didn't know we needed as long as we also fill our lives with what we really need.

Oh, I just thought of something else I didn't know I needed.

Gratitude.

I didn't know how much being grateful for what I do have adds to my life. It puts things in perspective to look up at the sky or at a beautiful flower or at your children and give thanks for being alive.  No amount of stuff you didn't know you needed can replace that feeling.

Why don't you try it?

And ask yourself...

 
What do I really need?


Why not take some time today and every day to ask yourself that, to feel gratitude and say "thank you" to the universe for what you have.


But while we are on this topic.  I keep seeing ads for a pelvic surgical mesh transplant?  Do I need that?

 

See you Friday

for my review of the new movie 

 

"Trainwreck" 

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

"Amy" and The Week in Reviews

[I review the new movie "Amy," an extraordinary documentary about singer Amy Winehouse and the DVDs "Gett:  The Trial of Viviane Amsalem" and Kristen Wiig's "Welcome to Me." The Book of the Week is "After Perfect: A Daughter's Memoir."  I also bring you up to date on "My 1001 Movies I Must See Before I Die Project:" with Kurasawa's masterpiece "Throne of Blood"]

 
Amy

 

A documentary on the short life of singer Amy Winehouse, yet another member of the "27 Club."

If ever there was a film about someone who died and came back to tell her story in her own words, this is it. 

Using incredible footage of home movies, filmed interviews and performances, and using lyrics from her songs like subtitles to the film, Amy's life unfolds.  She's right there talking to you from the screen.  The film captures Amy's brash personality, but also her funny side, sweetness and heart.  You don't need to have been a Winehouse fan to be affected by this film.

The film begins with a home movie of Amy (age 14) at a friend's 13th birthday party.  As she sings "Happy Birthday," it is apparent she has an amazing, big voice. Growing up she loved jazz singers Tony Bennett, Dinah Washington and Sarah Vaughn.  

Amy's talent was recognized early and by the time she was 18, her career had started.  She moved out of the house at 18 because of "family issues," and so she could write songs and smoke weed all day (her words). She talks about suffering from depression as a young girl and says that picking up a guitar and writing music was a good antidote. She also liked to drink and was bulimic.  Not a good combo.

She met the love of her life, Blake Fielder, and the two of them weren't good for each other to say the least. He introduced her to crack and heroin.  But Amy's love for Fielder also seemed to be a drug for her. She had some hits in the U.K. but when Blake broke up with her to return to his girlfriend, that's when the album "Back to Black" was born, which led to Amy's incredible stardom. 




And a Grammy for "Rehab."




Unfortunately, Amy didn't really want fame.  Several times in the film she is heard saying that fame would drive her mad.  And so it did.  And as she fell, her meltdowns became the fodder for comedians' jokes and pictures for the tabloids and no one helped her.

What is it with musicians and the age of 27?  Winehouse joins Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison, Brian Jones and Kurt Cobain as yet another musician who didn't make it past 27 due to drug and alcohol abuse.

I can certainly see why Amy's family was not happy with this film, especially her Dad.  It paints a bleak picture of her Dad, who is seen as someone who didn't believe she needed rehab back before she hit it big, the point in the film being if she had gotten help before fame hit, she might have had a chance.  As she says in her song "Rehab," "My Daddy thinks I'm fine..." He is also seen as someone who kept her touring and recording even though it was obvious she was in bad shape.  Early in the film he also says Amy didn't seem to mind his divorcing her mother when Amy was nine.  Not too self aware, Dad.  In Amy's words, that's when all the bad stuff started for her.

Directed by Asif Kapadia ("Senna"), I see an Oscar in his future for Best Documentary.

There is a very poignant scene near the end of the film when Amy gets to sing a duet with her idol, Tony Bennett (which you can hear on his album "Duets II," where they sing "Body and Soul" together). She is nervous and adoring and he is sweet and charming to her.  But he knows her struggles and says in a voiceover "Life teaches you how to live it if you live long enough."

Sadly she didn't and we are robbed of what her gift might have looked like as she matured and now, in this documentary, forever young, she haunts us from her grave.

Rosy the Reviewer says...this is an extraordinary documentary, though a sad commentary on the price of fame on one too young to handle it and no one there to help her.

***DVDS***

You Might Have Missed

(And Some You Will Be Glad You Did)

But not this week!

Gett: The Trial of Viviane Amsalem (2014)

 

Viviane wants a divorce but in Israel, that is only possible if her husband consent and he does not want to let her go.

In Israel, there is no civil marriage or divorce. 

Marriage and divorce are legitimized in religious courts.  Only rabbis can legitimize a marriage or dissolve it and if there are no grounds, the husband makes the decision whether or not to grant his wife the divorce.  If he does, a "gett" is written that says "You are hereby permitted to all men," thus saying she is no longer married and free to marry again without the stigma of adultery. It is a physical act whereby the husband literally places the "gett" into his wife's hand, thus releasing her.  The husband needs no grounds for refusal and if he refuses the wife does not get her divorce.  And if a wife lives apart from her husband without a "gett," she is automatically treated as a lesser being.

Viviane (Ronit Elkabetz) has been trying to divorce her husband for three years and her husband Elisha will not agree.  No longer loving your husband is not grounds for a divorce in Israel.

Elisha holds all of the power.  For one and a half years, he didn't even show up for court.  The rabbis did not want to force him. The rabbis, whose main goal is to preserve the family, keep telling Viviane to move back home and try to work things out.  Viviane keeps returning to the court and is caught in a series of Kafka-esque Catch-22s.   It's a man's world.

As the years tick by, Viviane's appearance starts to change from a modest black dress with hair tied back to flowing hair, red dress and sandals, a physical representation of one of the problems in their marriage.  Elisha is very religious and Viviane is more secular.  And her transformation also shows her resolve to get this damn divorce!

Through a series of witnesses, Viviane's and Elisha's marriage unfolds and we see the hatred that can come of 20 years of marriage.  We hear about their fights and that Viviane sometimes yells and throws things. When Viviane testifies that "It's easy to blame the one who yells," she is speaking for every woman with a withholding and non-communicative husband.

Elisha's witnesses say he never laid a hand on her.  "He lets her go out alone." One witness for Elisha talks about his own wife when he says:  "Who cares if they are compatible?  Is my wife right for me?  Who cares?  I make her right for me and that's it.  No nonsense."

Is all we can expect from marriage that our husband doesn't raise a hand to us and lets us go out alone?

Reminiscent of the Palestinian film "A Separation," which won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Film in 2012 but more powerful, its an ironic reminder that despite the fact that Israel and most of the Arab nations are at war with each other, they hold one thing in common: subjugating women.

This is one of the most provocative films about the disintegration of a marriage ever.  

The film takes place completely in the courtroom and when I read that, I thought, that sounds kind of boring.  I almost didn't watch.  But I promise you, it is mesmerizing.  You won't be able to stop watching as you see what Viviane has to listen to and go through to get away from a man she no longer loves.  Think about it, ladies.  If you hated your husband or even decided this marriage wasn't for you, and you could not get a divorce unless three male judges and your husband said yes, what would you do?

This film is maddening and if you don't come away from it hating men, there is something wrong with you (even you men)!  A court of men deciding the fate of a woman, treating her as chattel. Grrrrr.

Ronit Elkabetz plays Viviane.  Her face is beautiful in its resolution to not be brought down.  Simon Abkarian as her husband Elisha is also wonderful, though you just want to slap him.  But I guess that's called good acting.  And Menashe Noy as Viviane's lawyer is also wonderful.

At the end, a deal is made between Viviane and her husband (and you won't guess what it is and just what she is willing to do to get away from this guy), and as the final shot shows her feet, clad in espadrilles, walking I'm not sure where, I cried.

Written and directed by Ronit and her brother Shlomi Elkabetz, this is the third film in a trilogy about Viviane and her marriage, and it is an extraordinary film.  (And you don't have to have seen the other two to appreciate this one).

Rosy the Reviewer says...one of the best films I have seen this year (and now I want to see the other two).
(In Hebrew, Arabic and French with English subtitles)

 

 

Welcome to Me (2014)

 

 

Alice Klieg (Kristen Wiig) worships Oprah and when she wins 86 million dollars in the lottery, she buys her own talk show.

Unfortunately, Alice has some mental issues (Borderline Personality Disorder) and takes meds for them.  She is a complete whack job who is on disability, keeps her TV on 24/7 (it's been on nonstop for 11 years) and talks in aphorisms and mnemonics, much like Gary Busey. 

When she appears on the news after winning the lottery, Alice starts to read a "written statement," but when she veers into the topic of masturbation, she is cut off.  With her winnings, she stops taking her meds and moves into a casino hotel. While sitting in the audience of an infomercial, she gets called up on stage and hijacks the show, once again talking about her life, and other inappropriate topics, including masturbation.

Joan Cusack and James Marsden star as producers of TV shows on one of those little stations no one watches, specializing in infomercials.  They need money because the infomercial that has been funding them so far is not doing as well as it once did.  So when Alice comes along and offers them 15 million to produce one hundred 2-hour talk shows for her, they agree, even though Alice says the show is going to be just her talking about herself. The show will be called "Welcome to Me." 

And talk about herself she does! Her show consists of her riding onto the stage in a swan boat and such strange topics as her making a meatloaf cake and spending air time eating it and acting out a scene with actors so she can publicly shame a woman who wronged her in high school.

Alice says all kinds of inappropriate things because she is a self-absorbed ego-maniac trying to manager her own mental illness and no one steps in to help her, not the producers of her show who are making money off of her and not even her long time therapist (Tim Robbins, who even when counseling her treats her like she is a pain in the ass).  However, when she spends one whole week neutering dogs, the producers know it's gone too far and shut the show down. Plus after all of those reenactments of remembered childhood slights where she calls out people by name, Alice has been served with numerous lawsuits for slander.

Alice finally has a breakdown, but when she recovers, she decides she wants to do one more show to end it with a big bang.

No one does awkward like Wiig and though she was great in "Hateship/Loveship" and "The Skeleton Twins," this film really highlights her acting ability. Despite Alice's narcissistic nature, Wiig is able to show a vulnerability so that no matter what cringeworthy antic Alice gets up to, you are on her side.

The screenplay by Eliot Laurence is original, funny and poignant at the same time, and Shira Piven has directed this film with a sensitivity to the character of Alice.

Rosy the Reviewer says...this is Wiig at her best.  See it!

 

 

 

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

 

254 To Go!

 

Throne of Blood  (1957)

 

A Samurai warrior in feudal Japan works, egged on by his wife, to fulfill a prophecy that he would be Lord of the castle, thus setting in motion a series of bloody, tragic events.

Two soldiers, Washizu (Toshiro Mifune) and Miki (Akira Kubo), encounter a witch in the forest.  The witch prophesizes that Washizu will this very day become head of the North Garrison and eventually become the Lord of the Spider Web's Castle.  He also prophesizes that Miki's son will rule after him.  Both laugh this off as impossible because they are both loyal to the current Lord.  But when Washizu indeed gets this promotion, he starts to envision himself Lord and goaded on by his wife, Asaji (Isuzu Yamada) he plots to kill the Great Lord and fulfill the prophecy. 

Akira Kurosawa is considered one of the most influential and important filmmakers in the history of cinema.  Here he adapts Shakespeare's "Macbeth" using a fusion of Noh theatre and Buddhist elements, complete with Kurasawa's adaption of Lady Macbeth's "Out damn spot" scene.

Why it's a Must See:  "Quite rightly, Akira Kurosawa's artfully chilling, formal and extremely close adaption of Macbeth is regarded as one of the most breathtaking screen versions of the play...and [Toshiro] Mifune...furthered his reputation as Japan's preeminent international star with this performance. Washizu's [Mifune's character] brilliantly staged death scene...is one of the great iconic images of world cinema."
---1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die

Kirosawa asks, "Why do people kill one another so often and throughout history? There is no satisfying conclusion to this film because as in Buddhist teachings, there is no answer to this question.

What people will do for power. Shakespeare wrote the original "Game of Thrones" script and here you have it feudal Japan style.

Rosy the Reviewer says....  A classic that should be part of your film repertoire.
(In Japanese with English subtitles)

***Book of the Week***

After Perfect: A Daughter's Memoir by Christine McDowell (2015 

 

When Christina's father was arrested as part of the fall-out from Jordan Belfort's ("The Wolf of Wall Street") illegal dealings, her seemingly perfect life falls apart.

This is one of those memoirs where when you think the person is down as far as she can go, she keeps going further and further down. And you have a hard time believing it can really be that bad in real life. Christina is a bit maddening because she keeps whining about what a perfect life she had and how she never had to learn to do anything for herself because her Dad took care of everything so she didn't need to take care of herself.  You just want to shake her and say, Get over it!  Learn some skills then!

If you like memoirs about losing it all and starting over - Gelsey Kirkland's "Dancing on my Grave" or MacKenzie Phillips' "High on Arrival" are more compelling.

Rosy the Reviewer says...difficult to care. 

Thanks for Reading!

 

That's it for this week.

See you Tuesday for

"Things I Didn't Know I Needed"

 

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