A High Wind in Jamaica/ A Travel Movie

When I travel, I like to go to the movies. I know some say, why go into a dark movie theater in another country – you may just as well be at home? But I think being at the movie theater in another country or state is a cultural experience. I remember being in Kingston, Jamaica and listening to the loud Jamaicans caterwauling throughout the film (of course, I can’t remember what movie it was). Or being in an outdoor theater in Germany with my sister in my Mom watching West Side Story dubbed in German – that was an unforgettable experience.

Lucky for me, I was just in Paris visiting my nephew who is studying there this year and of course I wanted to go to a movie. Nick, my nephew, has been enjoying some old classic American films this year which are surprisingly ubiquitous in Paris – the Parisians, I learned, love archetypal American movies, the more iconic the better: John Wayne, westerns etc. Nick and I found A High Wind in Jamaica at the La Filmoteque Quartier Latin. This film from 1965 (the year of my birth!) has Anthony Quinn as a pirate accidentally kidnapping a passel full of children – these children turn out to be bloodless heathens and the pirates end up being the dupes. It was entertaining but kinda hokey.

There were only a smattering of moviegoers at La Filmoteque Quartier Latin, a basement theater with the smell of thousands of movie goers, musty upholstered seats, and some other odor I couldn’t quite place. Nick said Parisians don’t eat and drink in the movies (How un-American!) – so we snuck in some French cookies, some petite buerres avec chocolate or some such thing – and sunk into the familiar yet different transporting world of being in a foreign movie theater – that’s my kind of travel!

Jane Eyre

According to Wikipedia, there have been 15 movie versions of Jane Eyre before the latest take on this classic Charlotte Bronte novel. There really didn't seem to be a need for another version but this addition with Mia Wasikowska as Jane and Michael Fassbender as Rochester manages to make this well known tale fresh. I love Mia Wasikowska (she was especially brilliant as Sophie, the tormented teenager in In Treatment)and she makes a great Jane, waifish with a direct and intense gaze. Fassbender as Rochester is good too, even funny in parts although a little too handsome for the part. This Jane Eyre seems scary and suspensful too -- there are moments when you start -- I even let out a gasp at one point. And, my least favorite part of the novel, when Jane is at Lowood School is happily short. So the 16th Jane Eyre is a worthy addition.

Four Movie Update

I’ve seen a lot of movies in the past month and have been delinquent about blogging about them. So here goes. I will start with the best and and with the least best.

Blue Valentine
When you hear about the premise of Blue Valentine, a depiction of the decline of a marriage, you think that does not sound fun. Of course, I wanted to see this movie from the start because it has Ryan Gosling, a great actor, but also, I kept hearing about how amazing this movie was. And it is amazing. The director switches back and forth between two marriages: the new and promising beginning and the ugly reality of a marriage beginning to fray. Gosling and Michelle Williams play Dean and Cindy, a married couple with a little girl of about 5 years old. Older Dean seems like he is desperately trying to hang onto his marriage while also having a playful and tender side to him – it’s hard to understand at first why his wife is seeming to sour on him. Cindy seems like the together one who reveals her intolerance of the goofy Dean and her deep insecurities. As the movie flashes back to the incipient stages of their life together a lot of what you first think about them begins to change. This director takes viewer on such an interesting journey – it’s hard to describe, especially without giving away some important plot points – but it’s a journey very much worth going on. Although Blue Valentine leaves you feeling depressed, it’s absolutely worth seeing. You can look at this movie from many different angles and see the characters from each of their points of view. I think it’s a remarkable little gem.


127 Hours
With a strategic bathroom break, I managed to get through 127 hours and actually enjoyed it – if enjoyed it is the word? With the –oh --so anticipated arm-lopping scene missed, I was able relish the great acting by James Franco and be amazed by the man he portrays, Aron Ralston. It’s hard to believe that a movie about a guy stuck in a canyon can be as compelling as 127 Hours, but it really is. I think a combination of the incredible story, the acting, and the amazing scenery makes this movie well worth watching. That desert in Utah seems like a pretty cool place to visit too.

True Grit
The best part of True Grit is Matt Damon who plays LaBoeuf, a doltish Texas Ranger. His character is the most surprising and interesting. Jeff Bridges plays Rooster Cogburn and he’s pretty funny, but often hard to understand. The spunky Mattie is played by Hailee Steinfeld who is very charming and fun to watch. True Grit is more violent than I thought it would be (I guess I should have figured since it is a Coen Brothers flick) but I still enjoyed it.

The Fighter
I resisted going to The Fighter because let’s face it, I don’t like to watch fight scenes. But after watching Melissa Leo at the Oscars and hearing about her memorable stint as the hard-edged but hilarious mother Alice, I had to know what this movie is all about. Alice, the mother of the two fighters, is a definitely a wack job; older brother Mickey is a drug-addled freak show, and younger brother Dickey is seriously deluded. Don’t even get me started on the nutty sisters. It is kind of like watching a movie that is not intended to be a comedy, but is very comic. I don’t think it’s a great movie, but it’s certainly something to see.

Somewhere
Sophia Coppola makes another paralysis inducing film that has us spying on a mundanity of a movie star as he sleep walks through fancy hotels. Her other film of this type is, of course, Lost in Translation which I liked. But this movie was really hard to sit through. (My reaction may have something to do with my friend I was with who though she tried her best to sit patiently through this movie, she did have the demeanor of someone who was being tortured). So if you’re up for some slow going – maybe you need to practice some meditation techniques, who knows, -- then you could try Somewhere. But you probably don’t want to.

Babies and Knight and Day

Babies – ooh those cute little babies with their cute little gurgles and cute little tootsies. A French film maker peeps into the world of four babies from four different countries. Two are from rural developing countries and two are from cities. The movie has no narration – rather a pleasant and friendly camera tells the story of these four beautiful babies. Pleasant, really is the word for this movie.

Knight and Day—forgettable. I saw it a few weeks ago, and I forgot about it – I had to check my Netflix account to remember what movie I saw. I think Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz were it in though.

The King's Speech and Oscar Best Pic Check

Despite being a bit slow in parts, I really liked The King’s Speech. I’ve been listening to some talk about how some critics don’t think it’s worthy of being nominated for best picture – some find it a bland biopic and not edgy enough to be cool. It is probably one of the safer choices for best picture, but I think it’s a worthy choice. The King’s Speech portrays King George VI (Colin Firth) whose brother abdicated to marry his love, the divorcee Wallis Simpson. The King, or Bertie, as he is called, suffers from a stuttering problem and his wife (known as the Queen Mum or Queen Elizabeth’s mother) searches for a new answer to his speech problems encountering Lionel Logue, an Australian speech therapist, who challenges the king by not only making him recite tongue twisters but by forcing him to face some of his past childhood indignities. I liked Geoffrey Rush’s Logue, but I though Colin Firth is so moving in this story. The scene where he breaks down in front of his wife is heartbreaking.

Oscar season is upon on us and while the Oscars is very imperfect awards show, I, dork that I am, assiduously follow all the buzz surrounding it. I think it’s dumb that there are now TEN nominated Oscar Best Pictures, but that doesn’t make me want to see ALL or most of them any less. The winner is usually a Best a serious film with big emotions and big stories. – we do big things – I must be channeling Obama. Anyway . . . Here’s my quick look at the other nominated pictures:

Black Swan – saw it, thought it was trying too hard
The Fighter – hope to see
Inception – action flick – so don’t want to see but maybe should get over it
The King’s Speech (see above)
The Kids Are All Right – saw it, loved it, don’t think it will win best picture, a little too snappy and cutsey (in parts)
127 Hours – want to see it, but yikes, do I really want to watch a guy getting his arm severed for two hours?
The Social Network – saw it, liked it a lot, best picture material? Not sure- I think it’s too snappy like Kids Are All Right but more serious
Toy Story 3 – won’t see it, heard it’s great, but animation is not my thing
True Grit – want to see it
Winter’s Bone – saw it, liked it for the great acting by the young new star Jennifer Lawrence and a spooky John Hawkes

Cairo Time and Howl

Cairo Time
A story about a woman (Patricia Clarkson) who travels to Cairo to visit her husband who works for the UN. When she gets there, he is in the Gaza Strip, so she tries to visit this ancient city on her own and then with the help of her husband's friend (Alexander Siddig) an Egyptian. I liked visiting the city by watching this movie, and I liked the portrayal of the woman alone in a foreign, challenging, city. But the movie moved so slowly that it took some effort to pay attention to.

Howl
James Franco is so interesting to watch that he makes this documentary-like film watchable. And this topic is interesting: the case against Lawrence Ferlinghetti's publishing of Allen Ginsberg's controversial poem "Howl". All of the dialogue, trial transcripts, letters, etc. from the film come from real life. In addition, the whole of "Howl" is read throughout the film. So if you want a literary dip into history, you might enjoy Howl.

Three movies: the good, the really bad, and the so-so

The Special Relationship

The Special Relationship is about the relationship between Tony Blair and Bill Clinton from when Blair started his campaign to when after Clinton left office. The two leaders interact through phone calls, dinners with the wives, and cabinet meetings. Dennis Quaid plays Clinton and not for the first time Michael Sheen plays Tony Blair. (He also played Blair in The Queen). These two 90s power brokers have a brotherly relationship where Clinton acts as big brother who feels free to hang on up on his little bro mid-sentence after offering some sage advice. When Blair rebels in the media and takes Clinton to task about the US’s involvement in Kosovo, the relationship becomes less trusting but does not seem to completely sever. The portrayal of the wives is also interesting --Hope Davis as Hilary gives a thoughtful performance. This political movie examines a key moment in history. It's interesting and well acted.

Robin Hood

Robin Hood has an original start with a realistic take on the Robin Hood myth. It even has a cute romantic relationship with Cate Blanchet as Maid Marian and Russell Crowe who have to marry for convenience—the two of them making a very smart and good looking couple. But somehow it went awry about half way through the movie. It seemed like the second half of the movie was one big extended vicious battle. Robin Hood should be more about clever comrades who are amazing marksmen having jovial fun in the woods, but this Robin Hood seemed like it was trying too hard to be different by showing the “real” Robin Hood. I think it just got too big for its britches.

Sex and the City II

As a fan of the TV show and since I kinda liked Sex and the City I, I wanted to see this movie but knew it was going to be dumb – but, believe me it was dumber than I could have imagined. Dumb dialogue with bad puns (esp. from Samantha – she actually said, “Laurence of my labia” ehhh. Ridiculous outfits. Cliched Arabs. Just dumb. It makes you wonder how some smart people ended up making a movie that dreadful.