Wednesday, August 02, 2006
Movies I have watched in my Down Time
1. Victoria and Albert. It was a miniseries, so, not a movie, but a TV movie. This means low expecations. But with a cast that included Diana Rigg, David Suchet (of Poirot fame), and Nigel Hawthorne, I thought I could wade through the dross of untested actors. And it was not dross! It was a solid story, with fine characterization, and lots and lots of good ol' romance. Victoria is portrayed as nervous, but decisive, full of youthful vitality, but later, devoted and more peaceful. Albert is portrayed as an intellectual, who has a hard time assuming a role in the back seat; most of his story is a battle between resentment and duty. And there's a very interesting conflict as Albert asks Victoria to treat him as a husband, and not as a private object of her adoration. Because, if anything, you learn that she adored him, but was not blinded by him. Much to admire.
2. Like Something God Made. Another TV movie, but this time an HBO TV movie, which means a TV movie with cussing! Still low expectations. Mos Def (he's so gentle in his roles - I love that) plays a bright young carpenter accepted as a janitor into the service of Alan Rickman (curfuffle a'beat goes my heart), a Southern doctor experimenting on heart surgeries. Eventually, the doctor is moved to Johns Hopkins University, where he performs the very first human heart surgery on a blue baby. Meanwhile, Mos Def is struggling to be accepted as a black man in the research medical profession; eventually, surgical procedures he developed allowed him to gain recognition. He would become an honorary doctor and head of the research labs at Johns Hopkins. It's an inspiring story - based on a true story. Mos Def, like a mentioned previously, is a gentle actor, and softly, quietly portrays a stubborn man with a passion for science, but also for his own dignity. And Alan Rickman, whose Southern accent is sticky (just as his German accent was interesting in Die Hard), is brilliant in his portrayal of a man so interested in science, he sees no color blocking collaboration with his assistant. However, there is jealousy that develops over his assistant's surgical skill, that makes for interesting conflict. It was excellent, and there was only one scene with an F-bomb, where Alan Rickman's doctor gets mad at Mos Def's assistant for something trivial, and the assistant walks out, saying he is not to be treated that way. The doctor realizes he needs to keep his assistant, so he begins to treat him with civility. An interesting scene, where I'd say the cussing was a useful tool.
3. Everything is Illuminated. Directed by Liev Schrieber, and starring The Hobbit. A beautiful story about a young man who collects compulsively articles from his families history, who receives a picture from a dying grandmother of his grandfather as a young man and a girl who was not his grandmother. He had heard a story that this young girl saved his grandfather, who was a Jew, from being killed by the Nazis. He begins a journey, narrated by a young Ukrainian whose family business is to take rich, American Jews on tours to find information about dead relatives. The young Ukrainian, his own grandfather, The Hobbit, and a demented dog begin the journey, and find out interesting things about each other, such as The Hobbit does not eat meat, which the Ukrainians have a hard time believing ("Not even sausage?"). The grandfather is foul-mouthed and seems to be on a journey himself; you occasionally see flashbacks of his own past, and begin to infer that he has some memories repressed about the Nazi killings. The young Ukrainian is hilarious, and is fluent in English, with some very key words mixed up ("Did you repose?" "Did I what?" "You know" - makes sleeping gesture" - "repose?" Points to dog. "She is in repose right now."). Eventually, they do find the information they were looking for - and another collector - and then, tragedy, without explanation. A touching, simple movie. Go Liev!
4. Born into Brothels. I soooooooooo did not like the Oscar-winning documentary. It ran like a Save the Children ad. I kept saying to myself, "If only I could pay $22 a month, I could send that prostitute's son to college!" A young woman photographer lives in brothels in Calcutta, becomes close to the children there (because most of the women are married! Their husbands are pimping them out). She teaches a photography class, hoping to self-actualize the children. She then sells the pictures internationally, to make money to send the kids to private schools. Only some go to school. One of the children becomes an outright success, and travels the world because of his pictures. The young woman has started her own organization and school in India to teach photography to underprivileged children. And I want to give her money to help the kids. But I don't admire her film-making abilities. The documentary tried to be chronological as well as topical to each child, which made somewhat of a mess. And it addressed none of the issues that MUST be important to the children involving their own parents and their occupations (well, for one child - the very talented one - because his father was a hash addict, and then his mother was set on fire by her pimp, but these are just cursory details in a side story about getting the kid a passport). I read up on reactions to the documentary - most Indian natives are furious. They hate the idea of Western imperialism and interference still making way in India. Did the woman do good? Yes, she helped about seven children. Did she draw attention to the bigger problem of children living in brothels? Yes, she made an Oscar-winning film about it. Will there be a lasting impact? If her school stays afloat, but the American public conscious will let this slide, will say "it's not my problem; I'd rather isolate myself than correct injustice." Thought-provoking documentary, not well-made.
2. Like Something God Made. Another TV movie, but this time an HBO TV movie, which means a TV movie with cussing! Still low expectations. Mos Def (he's so gentle in his roles - I love that) plays a bright young carpenter accepted as a janitor into the service of Alan Rickman (curfuffle a'beat goes my heart), a Southern doctor experimenting on heart surgeries. Eventually, the doctor is moved to Johns Hopkins University, where he performs the very first human heart surgery on a blue baby. Meanwhile, Mos Def is struggling to be accepted as a black man in the research medical profession; eventually, surgical procedures he developed allowed him to gain recognition. He would become an honorary doctor and head of the research labs at Johns Hopkins. It's an inspiring story - based on a true story. Mos Def, like a mentioned previously, is a gentle actor, and softly, quietly portrays a stubborn man with a passion for science, but also for his own dignity. And Alan Rickman, whose Southern accent is sticky (just as his German accent was interesting in Die Hard), is brilliant in his portrayal of a man so interested in science, he sees no color blocking collaboration with his assistant. However, there is jealousy that develops over his assistant's surgical skill, that makes for interesting conflict. It was excellent, and there was only one scene with an F-bomb, where Alan Rickman's doctor gets mad at Mos Def's assistant for something trivial, and the assistant walks out, saying he is not to be treated that way. The doctor realizes he needs to keep his assistant, so he begins to treat him with civility. An interesting scene, where I'd say the cussing was a useful tool.
3. Everything is Illuminated. Directed by Liev Schrieber, and starring The Hobbit. A beautiful story about a young man who collects compulsively articles from his families history, who receives a picture from a dying grandmother of his grandfather as a young man and a girl who was not his grandmother. He had heard a story that this young girl saved his grandfather, who was a Jew, from being killed by the Nazis. He begins a journey, narrated by a young Ukrainian whose family business is to take rich, American Jews on tours to find information about dead relatives. The young Ukrainian, his own grandfather, The Hobbit, and a demented dog begin the journey, and find out interesting things about each other, such as The Hobbit does not eat meat, which the Ukrainians have a hard time believing ("Not even sausage?"). The grandfather is foul-mouthed and seems to be on a journey himself; you occasionally see flashbacks of his own past, and begin to infer that he has some memories repressed about the Nazi killings. The young Ukrainian is hilarious, and is fluent in English, with some very key words mixed up ("Did you repose?" "Did I what?" "You know" - makes sleeping gesture" - "repose?" Points to dog. "She is in repose right now."). Eventually, they do find the information they were looking for - and another collector - and then, tragedy, without explanation. A touching, simple movie. Go Liev!
4. Born into Brothels. I soooooooooo did not like the Oscar-winning documentary. It ran like a Save the Children ad. I kept saying to myself, "If only I could pay $22 a month, I could send that prostitute's son to college!" A young woman photographer lives in brothels in Calcutta, becomes close to the children there (because most of the women are married! Their husbands are pimping them out). She teaches a photography class, hoping to self-actualize the children. She then sells the pictures internationally, to make money to send the kids to private schools. Only some go to school. One of the children becomes an outright success, and travels the world because of his pictures. The young woman has started her own organization and school in India to teach photography to underprivileged children. And I want to give her money to help the kids. But I don't admire her film-making abilities. The documentary tried to be chronological as well as topical to each child, which made somewhat of a mess. And it addressed none of the issues that MUST be important to the children involving their own parents and their occupations (well, for one child - the very talented one - because his father was a hash addict, and then his mother was set on fire by her pimp, but these are just cursory details in a side story about getting the kid a passport). I read up on reactions to the documentary - most Indian natives are furious. They hate the idea of Western imperialism and interference still making way in India. Did the woman do good? Yes, she helped about seven children. Did she draw attention to the bigger problem of children living in brothels? Yes, she made an Oscar-winning film about it. Will there be a lasting impact? If her school stays afloat, but the American public conscious will let this slide, will say "it's not my problem; I'd rather isolate myself than correct injustice." Thought-provoking documentary, not well-made.
