Movies – Films

Superb  ****     Very Good  ***      Good **     Mediocre  *     Forget It   -

WHY NOT ?

I Love You Phillip Morris *1/2     Jim Carrey and Ewan McGregor play two men who fall in love in prison, when Carrey’s character is incarcerated for all sorts of embezzlements to keep up his high lifestyle. Based on a true story, the film loses us when it can’t decide if it’s a love story, a comic/thriller or an argument for a gay lifestyle. It’s neither fish nor fowl…

A Serious Man *1/2      The Coen brothers have perfected quirky, intelligent comedy with a twist of irreverence and violence in such films as Fargo, The Big Lebowski or O Brother, Where Art Thou? Here they seem to have gone back to the grim days of Barton Fink. This film should actually have been called A Stupid Man. For that is what their hero is, a simpleton who is not only bamboozled by his wife and children, but also by his colleagues, students, his synagogue and its rabbis. This looks like a bitter satire of the Cohn brothers’ own mid-American/Jewish background. It’s certainly frustrating and claustrophobic in its negativity.

AT YOUR OWN RISK

Verso *1/2   (vo French)     Seeing this Swiss film noir will have you believing that Geneva is a den of drug addicts, prostitutes and rampant crime. Dark, harsh and relentless, what is its raison d’être?

Whip It – Bliss *     Cute Drew Barrymore should stick to acting rather than directing. This roller derby flick is not worthy of your time or money.

Did you Hear about the Morgans? -     Hugh Grant announced a while ago that he wanted to give up acting; could be after he saw the end result of this film. It’s painful watching him as a caricature of himself – fawning, too obliging, with a constant frown and shoulders so scrunched, as though he’s trying to disappear into himself. Probably one of the worst films of any year. Make sure you don’t get sucked in by the ads and the fact that he and Sarah Jessica Parker (who has never looked so meager and charmless) make up the silly couple transplanted from Manhattan to Wyoming. It really all boils down to an embarrassing, formulaic script and hopeless direction. Just run the other way.

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Bonnie Au Cinema, Entertainment & Fun films, Hugh Grant, Jim Carrey, movies, Neptune Ingwersen

Movies – Films

Superb  ****     Very Good  ***      Good **     Mediocre  *     Forget It  -

WORTH YOUR WHILE

Mr. Nobody ***     This poetic, complex film by the Belgian Jaco Van Dormael is about the infinite possibilities of choices and consequences. It’s about a little boy having to decide between his divorcing parents and then having to choose between future partners. It’s about the certainty of love and the illusion of existence, about growing terribly old and about a surrealistic future where everything is planned for you. It is so full of imagination, sadness and humor that you are entranced while watching it, but might not recall its many wonders because of their very multitude… It’s simply a singular, almost hallucinatory experience.

Le Refuge ***  (vo French)     If you know François Ozon’s work, you wait for his next film like you wait for the latest Woody Allen. From his earliest success, Gouttes d’eau sur Pierres Brûlantes with Bernard Giraudeau to Sous le Sable (with Charlotte Rampling) or the joyous and quirky 8 Femmes (with most of France’s grandes dames) or the melancholy 5×2 and the naïve and surrealistic Ricky, they are all unique yet similar in their aesthetic quality, their intelligent scenarios and a certain thread of elegance. This latest does not disappoint. It’s an interlaced story of an addicted couple, an overdose death, a pregnant survivor and the gay brother who comes to stay with her in her idyllic refuge. But it’s also about possibilities that do not seem obvious. Ozon is a great actor’s director, studying their faces with fascination. Be on the lookout for his work.

Gainsbourg (vie Héroique) ***   (vo French)     The French have a knack for successful biopics, like La Môme, the two Chanel films and now this one about France’s bad boy, pre-grunge songwriter and musician, who had women falling all over him despite his less-than-attractive physique. Starting with his childhood, the film follows the precocious Lucien (he later changed his name to Serge) through his confrontation with anti-semeticism under German occupation, his early connection to women and his struggle to remain true to his artistic strain. All along, he is followed by a cartoonish alter-ego, who warns, guides and taunts him throughout his life. Eric Elmosnino is an amazing Gainsbourg look-alike, while Laetitia Casta becomes Brigitte Bardot, one of his many conquests, along with such lovelies as Juliette Gréco and his great love, Jane Birkin. A fascinating window into a controversial, bohemian character.

Coco Chanel and Igor Stravinsky ***  (vo French)     This is the third recent work about the life of Gabrielle Chanel, after a decent telefilm, with Shirley MacLaine as the older Chanel, then Coco avant Chanel by Anne Fontaine with Audrey Tautou and now this one about her little-known relationship with the avant-garde Russian composer. All are well done, showing different facets of her intense, productive life. This one by Jan Kounen, and starring Anna Mouglalis and Mads Mikkelsen, zeroes in on her time as a successful designer, wealthy enough to be able to invite the proud Stravinsky and his family to stay at her grand home outside Paris when he was struggling to make ends meet in the early 20s among fashionable Russian artists and émigrés such as Diaghilev, Nijinsky and others of the Art Deco era. It’s a peek into a moment of high artistic energy and the meeting (both sensual and creative) of two giants in their respective fields. It shows Chanel as an independent soul and a forerunner of women’s liberation, in her clothing designs as well as her daring choices and lifestyle.

Tales from the Golden Age **1/2     Strange how one can get such warm-hearted humor from repressed societies, but then that must be their release-valve. Here are small vignettes of life in Romania under the dictator Ceaucescu, illustrating the survival tactics of ordinary citizens versus the tragicomic hypocrisy of the regime. Touching, human and intelligent, but it goes on a bit too long.

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Clint Eastwood

Isn’t it refreshing to see that this month’s top films include veteran actresses and actors? – And that they are starring in roles featuring their mature ages?

In these “Must See Films” we find Meryll Streep (60), Morgan Freeman (73),  Alec Baldwin (52), Steve Martin (65), with Colin Firth (50), and George Clooney who at 49 is bringing maturity to his charm.   Will he manage to cultivate the same charm that Clint Eastwood oozes at 80?

It takes AgeEsteem on the part of these icons of cinema to “act their age” on the screen, and to become real role models for us.  Thank you!

Bonnie AgeEsteemers, Au Cinema, Entertainment & Fun AgeEsteem, Alex Baldwin, Clint Eastwood, Colin Firth, films, George Clooney, Meryll Streep, Morgan Freeman, role models, Steve Martin

Movies – Films

Superb  ****     Very Good  ***      Good **     Mediocre  *     Forget It   -

UNMISSABLES

Up In The Air ****     Suave, gliding through airports as though they were his home with his myriad privileged credit cards, George Clooney’s character flies around the country firing people for firms which don’t want to deal with the mess. He’s great at his job  and loves his unattached lifestyle.  Seamlessly directed by Jason Reitman (Thank You for Smoking and Juno), this deceptively subtle film is a metaphor for today’s modern, empty world – from a charged beginning to an uncertain end. Clooney is excellent, once again proving he’s not just a gorgeous guy. This is Oscar material all the way…

Brothers ****     Brodre, the gripping 2004 Danish film by Suzanne Bier has been transformed here into an American work and quite fittingly, as it concerns family tensions and the war in Afghanistan. With a strong cast including Natalie Portman, Jake Gyllenhaal, Tobey Maguire and Sam Shepard, directed by the Irish/American Jim Sheridan (of Oscar winners such as My Left Foot and In the Name of the Father), this has proven one fine import. The “good” brother goes off to war, while the bad-boy brother stays home and becomes close to the former’s wife and children. It’s austerely modern; it’s Greek tragedy and also Shakespearean. Won’t tell you more, just go see it. And rent the Danish film too.

A Single Man ***1/2     We’re terribly lucky this season – deluged with one fine film after the other. Here’s another one, amazingly polished by first-time director, Tom Ford, who is the highly successful men’s fashion designer. Being gay and stunning-looking himself, he has made a film about a teacher mourning the loss of his lover, set in the early 60s when homosexuality was still under wraps. The mood and look of the era are impeccably captured and Colin Firth, who has perfected the art of being contained and reserved, has never been so moving. And he’s never been so trim and well attired either, all due to Ford, of course. This is quite an aesthetic work of art by a newcomer to the field. But then the painter Julian Schnabel also traversed careers brilliantly, directing Basquiat, Before Night Falls and The Diving Bell and the Butterfly. Once an artist, always an artist.

Invictus ***1/2     “I am the master of my fate; I am the captain of my soul”. This quotation exemplifies the grandeur of Nelson Mandela’s life and his legacy for Africa (and in a smaller sense, the trajectory of director Clint Eastwood’s career). The film dwells mainly on Mandela’s efforts to unite his country behind its rugby team during the World Cup in 1994 and his strength and wisdom in going against the current. Morgan Freeman becomes Mandela and Eastwood does them both honor. From White Hunter, Black Heart and Bird to Bridges of Madison County and Letters from Iwo Jima, and now this tribute, Eastwood keeps proving his mastery of many genres, his understanding of diverse worlds and the control of his audience.

2 Brothers ***1/2  (vo Hebrew and English)  I’ve written this up before, but now it is finally being released in our area after garnering quite a few prizes in various festivals. It’s about two opposing brothers, this time in Israel. One is a peace activist living there and the other is a fanatic Orthodox Jew, who has moved back from New York. Their differences and struggles highlight the grave threat posed by the Orthodox community to peace in that region. Powerful and important, it is directed by Geneva-based Igaal Nidam.

It’s Complicated ***     Ah, to have a bit of fun in this sad and serious world! So here’s a film not to miss. First because it’s a love story about mature adults, second because it’s got such super actors as Meryl Streep and Alec Baldwin and third, because a good romantic comedy is a rare thing. But director Nancy Meyers is an expert at the entertaining ones – such as What Women Want and Something’s Gotta’ Give. It’s a delight for the eyes and for many a belly laugh and it all makes giddy sense until the ending, which I personally did not like. But that’s only me – you and others may well think it should end in such a modern, egalitarian way….

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Bonnie Au Cinema, Entertainment & Fun cinema, Clint Eastwood, films, George Clooney, Meryll Streep, Morgan Freeman, movies, Neptune Ingwersen

AgeEsteem touches people of ALL ages.

When a friend’s son was about to turn 16, he went through a terrible stage of insecurity.  He was convinced that no one liked him.  He didn’t feel a part of his peer group.  He wasn’t sure what he wanted to do or that he was even good at anything.

My reaction was to purchase a variety of cards and rummage through drawers at home to find more.  The end result was a real mix of styles and messages.  I then gave a stamped envelope and card to multiple friends and colleagues asking them to simply address the card in their own handwriting and to sign it with just their first name, or one that they thought would be fun to find on a card.  The outcome was a flood of 15 birthday cards.

A few weeks later I bumped into his mother and asked how her son’s birthday had turned out.  She explained it had gone very well.   Her son had received lots of cards, some from people he thought he knew; others he was less sure about.  He figured one of the girls at school whom he likes must have spread the word about his birthday.  His mother said that it had cut through his depressive mood to know friends cared.  He was feeling better about himself.

Did I ever let on that I was responsible?  Absolutely not!  This is one time when the mystery had to be lasting.

There are times when it is effective to remain anonymous, but not always.  It is for you to decide.

AgeEsteem is loving yourself at the age you are today so you can share love with others, either anonymously or openly.

Bonnie Across-generations, Life Stages - Ages 16, AgeEsteem, all ages, birthday cards, love, secret admirer

From your secret admirer

Have you ever received a an anonymous card or thank you note to tell you how much you are appreciated?  Has a bouquet of flowers been delivered with no signature, simply the message “From your secret admirer”?

I would agree that it is more fun to know who the person is. -  But there is excitement in not knowing.  We begin to think about those people we know who might be this admirer.  It prompts us to look at people around us differently.  Is HE the one?  Is SHE the one?

Suddenly we find ourselves deep in thought, remembering what we have done for others that may have spurred this note or gift.  We tune in to how people look at us and we listen more closely to the nuances in their speech when we are together.  It reminds us of past experiences and kindnesses given and received.

And all of this positive thinking has been sparked by a single note or gift that is not signed.

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Roses are red,

Violets are blue,

Love yourself,

And others will too!

Bonnie Holidays happy, love, love yourself, Valentine's Day

Sharing love enhances our age-esteem.

A tradition I have tried to keep over the years is to personally create the Valentine’s cards I send.  They usually are collages with hearts, feathers and papers of varying textures.  Each is a unique labor of love.  I send them through the post in an old fashioned handwritten, stamped envelope.

A year ago I declared a Valentine’s Day each week.  Once a year seems much too limiting for this positive expression of caring.

I caught this idea from Shirley Pollock who made it her job to send a note to someone each day.  Sometimes it was a thank you.  Other times she simply said she was thinking about you or hoped you were feeling better.  She expressed praise for something you had done or reminded you of one of your qualities that she admired.  Her notes were treasured by those who received them.  She made every day a Valentine’s Day!

My original goal was to send at least one special note each week. Over past months this has grown.  I now write several cards each week to let others know how special they are to me.   I find is that  focusing on relationships in this way makes positives excel and negatives disappear.

Why not make every day a Valentine’s Day and fill your heart with love?

Bonnie Holidays age-esteem, heart, love, Shirley Pollock, tradition, Valentine's Day

What a wonderful invention Valentine’s Day is!

It nudges us with encouragement  to express love.  On the 14th of February we step out of our regular routine to remind friends and family that we love them.  They are important to us.

Lacy cards with poems, bouquets of red roses, candies that say Be My Valentine, and heart shaped boxes filled with chocolates are just some of the ways we express our feelings to tell  people they’re special.

Letting others know that you are thinking of them and that you care is healthy for your AgeEsteem.  You focus on

• People who you love of all ages
• The blessings of friends and family
• Reaching out to others
• Renewing and strengthening contacts
• Creating or finding the right message
• Celebrating happiness

Bonnie Holidays AgeEsteem, love, reaching out, Valentine's Day

Meryl Streep

It’s so refreshing to have an actress who is not afraid to act her age.   Meryl Streep is an icon of AgeEsteem.  She glows from the inside, plays roles that make her seem real rather than beautiful (though beautiful she is!), appears in public looking like someone we would like to meet and sit down for coffee and laugh with rather than Ms Perfection Celebrity.   Her laughter alone captures your heart.

In the film It’s Complicated, she plays the role of a woman who has been left for a younger woman only to have her former husband fall in love with her once again ten years later.   She doesn’t try to dress or act younger, but flaunts her mature femininity and sexuality that is so attractive and appealing.  Somehow we almost feel sorry for her old husband who is unable to keep up with his younger wife and her son.

Great AgeEsteem lessons come out of It’s Complicated :

• If life is complicated, it is because we make it so.
• When we are blind sided by circumstances we gather our own internal forces and move forward.
• You are not the same person today that you were yesterday.
• Social life with friends and family is important.
• We are responsible for our own actions.
• Humor is delicious and healing.
• Having a purpose and loving what we do keeps us focused on positives.
• Values need to be taken seriously.
• Love is real at all ages.

Bonnie AgeEsteemers, Au Cinema AgeEsteem, It's Complicated, mature femininity, Meryl Streep, sexuality