Tuesday 13 October 2009:

Oh the pain!

In the immortal words of that great scientist, humanitarian and space traveller, Dr Zachary Smith, “Oh the pain, the pain of it all.”

I discovered that the painkillers I have been taking like tic tacs, although they have been giving me enormous relief from the never ending ache of the throbbing and sometimes stabbing ‘bum tumour’ pain, have also been making me constipated.

Now normally, as those that have read previous posts would know, I would pray for some measure of constipation to help prevent the oft mentioned ‘issues’ but, and this time it’s a big but, they have made it near impossible for me to pass: a stool, movement, take a dump or have a pooh. Combine this with the tumour, that I’m now convinced is the size of a small rockmelon, ‘me nether regions’ have not been a very pleasant area to be around. Oh shush, I know they’ve NEVER been one of the great tourist attractions of NSW however…

So I stopped taking them, the tablets that is, for a few days in the hope of clearing the backlog; I was beginning to feel a little like Elvis Presley in his latter years, while there was definitely some movement there was also a great deal of pain.

Poor Richard, as the pain increased I found myself getting very grumpy, some may say down right snappy and at one stage I heard myself saying to him when he asked what I wanted for dinner, “Look I’m in no mood to make any decisions at the moment just choose the result that will cause me the least irritation.”

Really, it’s a no win situation for him.

Being the practical coward that I am, last night I made an executive decision and popped a panadeine forte, a glass (or two) of wine and I felt much better. In fact for the first time in two days I again felt like eating.

I decided I would let the poor nurses at St. Vincent’s deal with any unforseen ‘issues’ relating to my bowels.

I have given up any idea of avoiding wearing adult nappies and have resigned myself to at least two weeks of dressing like Lenny Savage from the movie ‘The Savages’, that should have a few of you running to IMDb to check out the reference.

I also, in what some may say is a rash move, made the decision to get my hair cut off (#1), to avoid ‘bed hair’ for the two weeks or so that I will be in hospital. I’ve done my nails – fingers and toes – so I guess I am just about ready for check-in on Thursday at 06:30.

I have been doing the rounds and saying hello and goodbye to various groups of friends, promising them all I would see them again in a week or so.

I had my final meeting with the ‘Writer’s Group’ I belong to, rushed out to Rose Bay to see Bruce A and then back into town for coffee with Hugo, it’s been non-stop, a veritable whirlwind.

I’ve prepaid as many bills as I can, put a load of washing through for the cleaner on Friday all that’s left is to get to the bank and take out a little cash for ‘incidentals’ and coffee with Simon G tomorrow at two.

Really, when I think about it, I’ll be glad of the rest.

Wednesday, 14 October 2009:

Just as a side note to all the bits about pain killers and constipation let me just add that Tom Yum soup and Red Curry Chicken from ‘The Thai Princess’ on Crown St.

But before I go – one last thing, well two really but:

Richard Lyle

The good thing is that by the time most of you read this I will be knocked out and breathing through a tube, the bad thing is by the time you read this I will be knocked out and breathing through a tube.

So, let’s talk about friends and what that whole ball of wax all means for me.

So often we… I take all my friends for granted and never tell them just how much I appreciate everything that they do for me; usually unasked.

Most of my friends I met during the 1980’s and we have stayed close ever since. I have a large number or close acquaintances but my core group is very small. I have no idea if this is normal, average or abnormal – it’s just the way it is.

I have no idea if I’m a good friend, I hope so but I can’t be sure.

My relationships are complex yet surprisingly simple. I know that makes no sense but hang in there.

I will always find it hard to express, in person, how grateful I am for all the friendships that I have kept through the last thirty years. No matter what I have done they have remained loyal and steadfast and each one in their own way loves me, as I do them.

I don’t have many close relationships. I have probably six maybe seven VERY close pals and to each of them I say thank you for all your support through out these years.

We decided, a while ago, that there is probably very little we could do to each other that would cause us to ever really have a major falling out. We all know each other too well.

We are not an emotionally touchy feely, open group like Rachel, Phoebe, Chandler etc. we are probably closer to Jerry, George, Kramer, and Elaine, this is the reason I can write this now, knowing that I will be under anaesthetic when it is read and we need never mention it again.

In fact a couple of these ‘pals of mine’ subscribe to no Blog, FaceBook or social networking site and will probably only hear about this piece of scribbling second hand, if at all, saving all of us a lot of embarrassment.

This is NOT my last will and testament by the way; this is just me saying ‘ta very much.’  

Richard Lyle I have known since the early 80’s and have lived in his home, on and off for probably fifteen or more years. He has been a source of constant irritation and support for me and me for him. We are the very modern, model of George and Martha (think Burton and Taylor), or more correctly perhaps George and Mildred, we snap, snarl and bicker; each night we sit with our own bottle of wine, separated by a couch and an armchair, arguing over who should choose what to watch on TV. HE likes DIY shows… I don’t, luckily we both like Glee. We play games and I don’t mean Trivial Pursuit, we are co-dependant and yet we are best friends. We have travelled together; New York, Bali, Thailand, Fiji, Malaysia, Noosa and even to exotic Canberra.

Thomas Burge

For some reason or another we make good housemates, well I think we do anyway. If I ever needed anything he would provide; this is a source of great comfort and also a huge irritation to me because I hate to be dependant. I am unable or unwilling to thank him in person and so I’m using this Blog to do it.

This speaks volumes about me.

Thomas Burge has been and probably always will be the great romantic love of my life. We shared almost ten turbulent years together and managed, as the romantic section of the relationship ran its natural course, to stay very close friends. I value his honesty and love. With him and from him I learn so much even now, hopefully he has learned something from me as well; I know we will always be, in someway, connected.

Although I have other people in my life that I want to mention here by name, I know they would be horrified, yes that’s you: H.S., L.O., E.D., M.B., G.D., you all now who you are, so let me just say, “Thank you for putting up with me and staying with me through the years.”

See you all on the other side – I mean of the operation, not the ‘ever after.’

I really enjoyed ‘The Savages’ , written and directed by Tamara Jenkins. You can tell it’s an independent movie because it deals with death in an intelligent way without resorting to cheap sentiment.

This quite an achievement because the family centred storyline has plenty of potential for mawkish clichès.  An estranged son and daughter have to decide what to do with their dying father.

The movie is simply a humane and honest study of ordinary characters faced with mundane but emotional stressful choices. It centres mainly on Wendy Savage  (Laura Linney) and her brother Jon (Philip Seymour Hoffman)  made believable by the brilliance of these two actors.

They are two flawed and fragile personalities who try to put on a front of being in control and successful but really flailing around trying to get their lives on track.

The absence of parental guidance is a key theme coupled with strong hints of the father physically  abused them when they were children. The full extent of this violence is not spelled out and the father (Philip Bosco), suffering from dementia, is portrayed a tough character but far from being a monster.

These are normal disfunctional lives and my admiration for Philip Seymour Hoffman grows with every film I see of his. He’s one of those actors that seems so natural in the varied roles he chooses.

He is particularly gifted at showing a kind of dignified vulnerabilty and one of those few  actors who convince you that it takes a special strength for men to cry in public and he’s a great role model to prove that the damage to be done by indoctrinating kids with the ‘boy’s don’t cry’ message.

Hollywood would have made a pig’s ear of this storyline. I feel sure, for example, that they  would have set up some over the top death bed scene. Here he passes away while the son and daughter are sleeping. “Is that it?” asks Wendy. “Yes”, replies Jon.

Sometimes, death, like life, can be painfully banal.

Another interview about the early years of the show, this time it’s Peter Purves talking to Mark Ayres about William Hartnell, who was apparently a fan of curries! Purves obviously got on well with Hartnell and sheds some light on his ‘irascibility’; it’s also notable that Purves is very knowledgeable about not only ‘Doctor Who’ but British TV and acting in general. This is another transcript, from an interview conducted by Mark Ayres that you can find here.

Q: ‘The Savages’ was your swansong as Steven, and also the last of your missing stories, coincidentally. How do you look back on your time as Steven?

A: More fondly as time has gone by. When I left… I was unhappy to leave it, actually, I didn’t particularly want it to stop there, but the policy of the programme had changed and they’d decided that they were not going to keep the companions onboard for longer than a year, or so I understand. In fact I think they did the same with Jackie as they did with me, they didn’t keep her much longer, I think she only did one more serial after I left, and I think Michael Craze who took over from me only did a year, but then Frazer came and I think he stayed much longer, I think he stayed about three years, something like that.

But now I remember it quite fondly. The things that I didn’t like about it, when I’ve more recently gone to the occasional convention – as you well know, I don’t like them, I don’t go to very many, in fact I’m not going to go to any more, I’ve finally determined that I can’t be bothered to be honest, it sounds awful but I just don’t like looking backwards all that much. But I have seen a number of clips that I hadn’t like when I made them, and I’ve seen them since and thought “Oh, that wasn’t so bad”. In particular ‘The Gunfighters’, which I always hated, deep down I had this sort of passionate dislike for it. I really hated it when we made it, I don’t know why, because now when I’ve seen it, it really is quite good, it has some things, it’s got a certain charm, it’s very quirky, it’s very odd.

But in general I have some very fond memories of the show, I mean I loved the people that I worked with, some very nice people, nice directors. Bill, I got on with like a dream, I was one of the few people who seemed… I loved Jackie, I thought she was splended, I loved Maureen O’Brien, directors like Dougie Camfield, I mean really nice people, so yes, I think “fondly” is probably the fairest way of describing it. And the historical stories were the ones I liked best, we did ‘The Massacre’, which was a wonderful story written by John Lucarotti, we did ‘The Myth Makers’ which was based on Troy, these were wonderful historical, or mythical stories. We did the invasion of the Vikings coming in to Northern England, but that was sci-fi as well because that was ‘The Time Meddler’. But the historical ones I liked, the mechanical ones I didn’t, I wasn’t fussed about the gadgets and I wasn’t fussed about the Daleks and the Mechanoids and so on, they didn’t interest me a great deal.

Q: That’s heresy!

A: Oh, I’m sure! It is heresy, and I’m a heretic.

Q: Talking earlier, you said you were trained in rep, which is just the best training an actor can get.

A: I think it probably was. I didn’t go to drama school, but I was lucky enough to be asked to join a repertory company in the north of England, in Barrow-in-Furness.

Q: And it stood you in good stead, I’d imagine, for ‘Doctor Who’, which was pretty much round the year, wasn’t it?

A: It was. I can’t remember how many weeks off we had, maybe ten, but it was a weekly thing, I did 44 episodes, so that’s eight weeks off in the year.

Q: A bit like a weekly rep in itself.

A: In itself it was, but only half an hour long. Plays could be as long as two hours. Then you really could struggle, it depended how big the part was. It was comparatively easy for me in that respect, but it was a new medium for me, I’d done a few television plays, I’d played bit parts in all the series that people got involved with back in the 60’s, you know ‘Z Cars’, ‘Red Cap’, ‘Court Martial’, ‘Gideon’s Way’, ‘The Saint’, you played in all those here and there, ‘Z Cars’ was the big one. I even did an episode of ‘World of Wooster’ with Ian Carmichael, that was about 1964, something frightening like that.

Q: I’d have thought that stood you in good stead for ‘Blue Peter’.

A: Certainly. ‘Blue Peter’ we did live, without an autocue, half an hour a week, ten past five, full rehearsed, vision mixer cutting on words, it was scary stuff, we had to be very precise.

Q: So as a work experience you look back on it with a great deal of affection, obviously.

A: Oh yeah, and when you consider, there were only three channels, and BBC2 hadn’t been going that long, and if you got a job in a regular series you were a very lucky person. I’ve always considered myself to be a lucky person in that respect. I’m not saying I don’t feel I deserved the part, and again following on with ‘Blue Peter’ and ‘Kickstart’ and ‘Crufts’ and all these things that have been part of my life, but again I’ve always felt that I was lucky and it wasn’t a god-given right. Maybe I was good enough, I like to believe I was, but no it’s a tough old business to succeed in so if you get your head above the parapet you’ve not done too badly.

Q: Looking back on ‘The Savages’ a little bit, did you think that was a fitting leaving for Steven?

A: Oh, I loved it. Chris Barry directed it, and Christopher was an absolutely lovely man – is a lovely man – and I thoroughly enjoyed working on that one. I always thought it gave the opportunity for Steven to come back, I always thought it would be rather nice if they did a follow-up serial at some point where the TARDIS comes back to the planet where Steven was left in charge and he’d really screwed it up. Gone egomaniac, whatever, just gone way over the top and, you know, been a very bad Emperor, King, I can’t remember what they left me there as, I was definitely the boss man. Anyway, I thought it could be really funny if he’d screwed up the lives of the people there and the Doctor had to come and put it all right, that could have been a good thing.

I haven’t done any proper acting in years. I’d love to.

Q: I was going to say, have you been tempted?

A: I’ve been tempted, but no-one offers. It’s just one of those things, and if someone offered me a part, I’d take it. But it just doesn’t happen. I’m known as myself, and I’ve had a very nice and successful career. I’ve presented all these different shows, and I’m proud to have done that. I presented all the BBC’s darts coverage for about seven years, and odd little bits. We did a show called ‘Driver of the Year’ for three years, very interesting series, it’s never really varied. But the acting career hasn’t really been there, but of course going away and doing a short tour of something tends not to be as lucrative as doing a bit of telly, so one tends to do the telly. But as I say, if I was offered some acting, I’d seriously consider it.

Q: Tell me about William Hartnell. You got on with him very well.

A: Oh, I got on with him extremely well. He liked me immensely, I don’t know why, but he was very generous to me, always gave me little acting tips. He’d been around a long time, had Bill, and he’d had some successes and some failures, very honest about things that had worked for him and things that hadn’t and invariably he, you know, I think he just enjoyed the company, and at lunchtime when we broke and he’d take me over to Bertorelli’s for lunch, invariably he would pay. My wife and I repaid him at the time, you know, we used to invite him round for a curry or something, he liked his Indian food as well. But he was just very friendly and nice with me, he confided in me, he told me the things he was happy with, the things he wasn’t happy with. I watched him being truly irascible with so many people, and think “Oh Bill, please no”. It wasn’t my place to say “I don’t think you should do that, Bill”, but he didn’t suffer fools gladly, if he felt that people were not up to the level required, or not doing the job seriously or properly then he would get at them.

The problem was at this time he was not terribly well. He was reaching a point where his memory was going as well, so he was making mistakes and that made him even more angry, he hated the fact, he knew he was making mistakes and he didn’t like it. So there were reasons behind the cussedness and the awkwardness. There were one or two directors he got on with so well, I mean he always loved Dougie Camfield, he thought Dougie was one of the greatest directors and he may well have been. And he got on extremely well with Paddy Russell, who directed ‘The Massacre’, but he could be awkward, I watched him being awkward. He stepped out of line many times but he stepped in line a lot of times.

Q: He’d done some terrific work, I mean ‘Brighton Rock’…

A: He was a great actor, no question. I mean he created definitive characters. His sergeant in ‘Carry On Sergeant’, those sort of comedy roles. And funnily enough he didn’t have the greatest sense of humour in that respect, he wasn’t a comedy actor, but he was an actor who played comedy with truth, and so it was funny, it worked. I had a lot of time for Bill. He did ‘This Sporting Life’, wonderful part, which he claimed got him the part in ‘Doctor Who’, Sydney Newman suggested… I think he auditioned several times for it, or was seen several times for it before he got the part. But it was actually his performance in ‘This Sporting Life’ that won them over.

Q: You were saying about his irascibility, that he wasn’t very well and he was making mistakes. It’s interesting, I think, that he turns that into part of his character, the irascibility, you can actually see it sometimes.

A: I think that’s true. I think more than anything, though, the quirkiness, the sort of “Hmm hmm”, all these little bits that no-one would have ever scripted, were him thinking, trying to work out where to go next. But it was all part of a character, it was consistent, I just think it got a little bit more, a little bit less controlled, as he became less able to remember his lines properly.

Q: But he did define that character.

A: For me he’s the only Doctor. Isn’t that awful? I mean, far better actors than he have played it, but for me that was the character, the original character was the Doctor and it’ll never be anyone else for me. Patrick Troughton I think is probably a far finer actor than Bill ever was, but because he followed Bill directly, for me he could never really be the Doctor. And Jon was just a totally different character, Jon Pertwee, whom I knew very well, I was a friend of his, and I enjoyed some of what he did as the Doctor, but he was never the Doctor. And the same with Colin Baker, I directed him, very nice, we got on extremely well, but again that’s not the Doctor. The nearest, for me, is Sylvester, Sylvester McCoy, he has that total quirky oddness about him.

Q: A slight dangerousness to the performance as well.

A: Yes. Yeah, well that’s true, I mean Sylvester came through the Ken Campbell school of acting and that way, if it’s not dangerous it’s not worth doing, which I suppose is a very interesting way of looking at things. That’s possibly why I see him in a similar sort of vein.

Q: You have to remember William Hartnell, he laid the foundations for a character that, 43 years later, is still going stronger than ever.

A: I just find that remarkable, I mean none of us had any idea. Although when I joined it had done 80 episodes, I did 44, so 120-odd episodes it had done by the time I left the serial, and that was in 1966. Scary.

The savages: ‘estranged siblings re-onnect as they take care of their ailing father in this Oscar-nominated black comedy’… only it’s not really a black comedy, just plain old grim. Only laughed at one part of this film, the rest of the ‘funnies’ were predictable or potty humour. Couldn’t believe Chris “Hitman” Partlow (from The Wire) played a care worker – casting FAIL! Laura Linney looked like a total milf for the duration. It was well-shot, and brilliantly acted – can’t really go wrong with Seymour-Hoffman. As a drama it ticks a few boxes, although it is a tough watch. However, it just doesn’t cut it as the Todd Solondz-esqué black comedy it was marketed as. Ignore the critics!

Score: 4/10

A cousin to 2006’s Away from Her (reviewed previously on this site), The Savages (PC rating: 4/5) deals with the suffering and ambiguity of caring for the elderly and the infirm, although here the focus shifts to the children, rather than the spouse. And that, as it turns out, makes for quite a different film, for while Away from Her is a mild, meditative movie, The Savages is more wry and ironic, observing how the children (played by arguably the two best actors in film today, Laura Linney and Philip Seymour Hoffman) struggle to move forward, even as their father’s illness forces them to look backward. In the process, it becomes clear that writer-director Tamara Jenkins does not want the story to drift into melodrama–an understandable concern–and yet her reluctance to dig into the weighty questions thrown up by the film’s plot ultimately makes The Savages less memorable than its Canadian relative.

The Savages is the type of film people don’t actually enjoy, but rave about nonetheless. Now, I’m not saying here that it isn’t well written (it is) nor well acted (it is), but that it is akin to watching a poignant painting dry.  The film is unnervingly slow and one wonders if anything valuable will come about from the painstakingly placed strokes. To writer/director Tamara Jenkins’s credit, something does evolve. And to her further credit, that something is pretty close to truth. That is, we should unabashedly do the things we love, go after the people we love, and fight hard for grace.

This said, one may question why I’m not more enthralled about this film; honestly, it’s because I didn’t enjoy it very much. Yes, life is hard and full of angst, but when I watch a movie I generally want to be pulled into a world where that truth is perhaps a little less evident.

Cara Bijak Melacak Jejak Selingkuh

Apa yang akan Anda lakukan jika orang yang selama ini dicintai dicurigai berselingkuh? Apakah Anda akan marah-marah? Pasrah? Atau ingin lebih dulu membuktikannya? Jika Anda bijak, tentu Anda lebih memilih cara nomor tiga. Lantas, bagaimana jika memang pasangan Anda sudah terbukti selingkuh?

Film “The Other Man” bisa menjadi salah satu kunci jawabannya. Film drama ini diangkat dari cerita pendek karya pengarang asal Jerman, Bernhard Schlink. Schilink memang dikenal sebagai pengarang yang handal dalam meramu tema sederhana menjadi cerita yang menarik dan menegangkan. Apalagi setelah cerita pendek ini dikemas dalam cerita layar lebar, maka cerita “The Other Man” semakin kuat, menyentuh, sekaligus menegangkan. Sang sutradara, Richard Eyre berhasil menyatukan kekuatan cerita dengan akting para bintang film berkaliber dunia. Mereka adalah Liam Neeson (‘Schindler’s List,’ ‘Les Miserables’ ‘Kinsey’, ‘Kingdom of Heaven’), Antonio Banderas (Interview With Vampire, Phildelphia, Desperado, Legend of Zorro,) dan Laura Linney (‘Love Actually,’ ‘Mystic River,’ The Savages’) Ketiga pemeran utama ini tampil total memainkan tokoh yang terlibat dalam kisah cinta segitiga yang dibungkus dalam konflik perselingkuhan.

“The Other Man” berkisah tentang sepasang suami-istri: Peter (Liam Neeson) dan Lisa (Laura Linney). Hampir selama 20 tahun, kehidupan rumah tangga mereka selalu tampak harmonis. Dari hasil pernikahannya, Peter dan Lisa dikarunai putri tunggal, Abigail, yang mulai beranjak dewasa.

Peter adalah penguasaha di bidang software komputer. Sedangkan Lisa berkarier sebagai desainer sepatu terkenal, yang menuntut dirinya harus berpergian ke luar negeri. Meskipun sama-sama sibuk, keduanya berusaha hidup sebagai keluarga yang harmonis. Namun sayang, usaha pasangan ini untuk menjalani rumah tangga yang harmonis harus terbentur oleh perselingkuhan. Dan yang menjadi korban selingkuh adalah Peter.

Peter mencurigai Lisa berselingkuh dengan seorang lelaki yang tak dikenal setelah dia menemukan secuil kertas bertuliskan “Lake Como” yang terselip pada sepatu Lisa. Sementara Lisa sendiri sudah pergi ke kota Milan, Italy, dengan alasan suatu acara. Peter pun penasaran untuk melacak lebih mendalam rahasia “Lake Como,” yang menurut kata hatinya berkaitan erat dengan kepergian Lisa ke Milan. Semula Peter meminta saran kepada anaknya, Abigail tentang dugaannya ini. Namun karena hubungan ayah dan anak ini selalu tak akur, Peter dan Abigail malah jadi sering berdebat. Peter pun akhirnya nekad menyusul Lisa ke Milan untuk membuktikan kecurigaannya terhadap Lisa.

Bak seorang detektif, sampai di Milan, Peter berusaha mencari data dan fakta seputar keberadaan Lisa dan lelaki selingkuhannya. Di kota ini, Peter pun mendapat gelagat tak enak. Dia bertemu dengan Ralph (Antonio Banderas). Peter dan Ralph sempat bertatap muka dan bahkan bermain catur dalam satu meja. Dari obrolannya, Peter berhasil memancing Ralph sehingga dia secara tak sadar mengakui berpacaran dengan Lisa. Apa tindakan Peter selanjutnya? Apakah langsung mendamprat atau terus melandeni Ralph dalam sebuah obrolan? Tak pelak, inilah film drama yang mengungkap liku-liku perselingkuhan dalam kehidupan rumah tangga dengan cara yang halus. Akting Neeson dan Banderas patut diacungi jempol. Nesson berhasil menguasai karakter Peter yang sabar, penasaran, dan berlapang dada dalam menghadapi Lisa yang dianggap sudah berkhianat. Demikian pula juga Banderas. Dia berhasil memerankan tokoh Ralph, yang santai, perlente, dan juga pandai bersilat lidah. Konflik di antara dua tokoh ini begitu halus digambarkan dalam dialog-dialog cerdas dan sesekali jenaka.

Meskipun film ini mengangkat masalah perselingkuhan, “The Other Man” tidak terjebak pada stereotipe realitas masalah selingkuh yang selama ini terjadi di masyarakat pada umumnya. Selingkuh memang bisa sangat menyakitkan, sehingga bisa menimbulkan pertengkaran dan perkelahian. Tapi situasi tersebut tak berlaku dalam film “The Other Man.” Ketegangan karena perselingkuhan tak melulu harus diwarnai dengan caci maki, sumpah-serapah atau main damprat tangan. Ketegangan karena perselingkuhan bisa dibangun dengan dialog dan kekuatan karakter pemainnya, yang tampil seperti tanpa mengeluarkan emosi berlebihan.

Jadi, apakah Anda bisa melakukannya seperti tokoh dalam film “The Other Man” jika pasangan Anda selingkuh? Jika belum bisa, tonton dulu film ini mulai 8 Juli 2009, serentak di Blitzmegaplex. (Senimata)

Genre : Drama
Pemain : Liam Nesson, Antonio Banderas, Laura Linney, Romola Garai, etc
Sutradara/Skenario : Richard Eyre
Produksi : Rainmark Films

Crew & Production:
Michael Drever – Producer
Haris Zambarloukos BSC – Director of Photography
Tariq Anwar – Editor
Gemma Jackson – Production Designe
Phoebe de Gave – Costume Designer

Sales, Distribution Rights Contact :

Oky Zayyd
Platinum Pictures Indonesia
Jl. Raya Gunung Sahari 44 No. A8
Jakarta Pusat
Tel : 021 625 4374
Hp : 021 9299 5700
Email : film.publisher@gmail.com
Website : www.senimata.wordpress.com

Publicity & Media Centre Contact :

Yogira
Senimata Kreasi Komunika
Jl. Durma IV No 1 Turangga
Bandung
Tel : 022 70 2920
Hp : 0817 650 9940
Email : film.publisher@gmail.com
Website : www.senimata.wordpress.com

The Savages – 2007

Direção: Tamara Jenkins  – Figurino: David Robinson

Para quem gosta de filmes de familia;}

I haven’t bought any DVDs in a long time, mostly because I have a majority of the films worth buying on DVD (some are worth buying, but I have seen them so many times, why bother). Also, I’ve been enlarging my library, so naturally my stack of ‘books to read’ is getting sky high.

But, since MovieStop is the best thing ever, and if you buy 3 used DVDs you get 1 for free, here is what I picked up:

‘The General‘ – Well, this one was new, but it was only $4.99. What a steal. This Buster Keaton classic should be seen by everyone.

‘Cloverfield‘ – Which was surprisingly good for $7.99.

‘Margot at the Wedding‘ – An indie favorite of mine which I have wanted for a long time but couldn’t find for under $20. $9.99.

‘The Savages‘ – I had this on my computer, but this is truly a great film. Again, one that should be seen by everyone. $9.99.

‘Gosford Park‘ – This one was for free since it was the cheapest. Not the most amazing film, but very a very interesting period piece. $5.99 (or, free).

I’ll probably write about these soon, and the new X-Men Origins when I see it.

Once

This is my “movies to watch” list that I’ve been adding to and checking off for quite a while. My great idea was to add brief reviews on the ones I see, as I see them, so that someone, somewhere might heed my advice and avoid wasting time and money on a lousy film. Also, I wanted this list to remind me what movies I still need to see.

While a good amount of the movies I watch could go either way, there are some that I think are just plain terrible (Bottle Shock comes to mind), and some that just have that perfect amount of humor, sweetness, sadness and even soundtrack (e.g., Once).

The list of movies, both in theaters and on DVD, with the short and sweet rundown, after the jump.

• A Christmas Tale
• All the Real Girls
• Amelie
• An Education
• Apres Vois
• Avenue Montaigne
• The Band’s Visit

Bottle Shock

Bottle Shock – I wanted this to be good, but it was quite possibly the worst movie I’ve ever seen, which is a shame, because it really did have so much potential. Not even Alan Rickman could save it – and he sure did try. Loosely based on the true story of the Judgement of Paris in 1976, when California wine beat out French wine in a blind tasting, this “comedy” wasn’t funny, gave me no reason to care about any of the characters, and focused more on pretty scenic images than an actual plotline. 

• Boy A
• Burn After Reading – It definitely had its funny moments, and I see that the Coen brothers were trying to make a point out of pointlessness, but I just wish that the plot had gone somewhere. 
• Chasing Amy – I think I had built this movie up as being this great comedic classic, but its dirty jokes/language was a bit much and I was left with that “meh” feeling after it was over.
• Choke – I wrote a review on this here. A great film.
• The Class
• Coraline
• The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
• Definitely, Maybe – A surprisingly cute, sweet romantic comedy with a great cast – Ryan Reynolds, Abigail Breslin, Elizabeth Banks, Isla Fisher and Rachel Weisz. It’s no “When Harry Met Sally,” but it’s worth seeing, on DVD.

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (le scaphandre et le papillon) - Although completely in French, American Julian Schnabel directed this beautiful true story of French Elle editor Jean-Dominique Bauby, who after suffering a stroke in 1995 became completely paralyzed, except for his left eye, which he used to literally blink out his memoir. Known as “locked-in syndrome,” Bauby’s condition left him unable to move, but freed his mind to his memories and imagination. Not your typical heartwarming film, The Diving Bell doesn’t turn Bauby into someone to be pitied or put on a pedestal, his humanity – flaws, humor and all – are always quite evident.

• Doubt – A thought-provoking film that leaves you more questions than answers. And really, can you go wrong with Philip Seymour Hoffman and Meryl Streep?
• The Duchess of Langeais
• Fay Grim
• Flight of the Red Balloon
• Frost/Nixon

Ghost Town

Ghost Town – A genuinely laugh-out-loud funny romantic comedy with Greg Kinnear, Tea Leoni and Ricky Gervais. And Kristen Wiighad a hilarious little part as the surgeon.

• Hamlet 2
• Hannah Takes the Stairs
• Happy-Go-Lucky
• Heartbeat Detector
• I Served the King of England
• In Search of a Midnight Kiss
• Jar City
• Kinky Boots
• La France

Lars and the Real Girl

Lars and the Real Girl – I love this film. It’s sweet, funny, awkward at times, and every single major and minor actor did a great job. Gosh this is a good movie. I might have to go home and watch it again right now!

• The Last Mistress (une vieille maîtresse) – Wasn’t too impressed with this film. While it was definitely intriguing, and humorous at times, it was a little too French for me.
• La Vie en Rose
• Love Me if You Dare
• Love Songs

Man on Wire

Man on Wire – Who knew a documentary could be so interesting, funny and exciting at the same time? The story of Philippe Petit illegally crossing a wire from New York’s twin towers in 1974 is more like Ocean’s 11 than a PBS special. It’s a crazy, nerve wrecking story that you have to see to believe.

• Milk – Sean Penn as gay activist Harvey Milk did an amazing job in this film. Really well done.
• Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day – Cute movie. And Amy Adams is adorable as usual.
• Mister Lonely – This movie is strange. And sad. And really strange. What’s disappointing is that you get attached to some of the characters, but then the plot starts getting fuzzy. On the upside, the soundtrack is pretty awesome.
• Next Stop Wonderland
• Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist
• Nights and Weekends
• Once – Oh man, I love this movie. Everything about it. Dubbed a “modern-day musical,” the music perfectly fits each scene and the soundtrack is the kind you listen to over and over again. But more importantly, thanks to the camera style and the fact that the main actors were actually musicians, the two main protagonists interact so freely and relaxed, it’s as if you’re watching two real people just living their lives. A beautiful, sweet, funny film.

Persepolis

Persepolis – This was a lot more depressing than the previews portrayed, but a good movie nonetheless. I didn’t love it, but I thought it was really well done. A vivid look into the life of the film’s writer and director, Marjane Satrapi, as she grows up during war in Iran.

• Pineapple Express – A funny stoner/action movie with a LOT of violence. Seth Rogen plays his typical type of character, but James Franco was hilarious.
• Rachel Getting Married
• The Reader
• Revolutionary Road
• Role Models – From Clueless to Wet Hot American Summer, Paul Rudd can do no wrong. And in this movie, he is really in his element. Especially in his scenes with Seann William Scott, where you get the feeling they are just having a good time bickering with each other.
• Savage Grace

The Savages

The Savages – With two amazing actors – Laura Linney and Philip Seymour Hoffman – this movie takes a sweet and funny (two things I usually go for) look at age and family. It’s difficult at times, but really, really good.

• Slumdog Millionaire – Yes, this was a good movie. Do I understand why it’s so outrageously popular? No. Romantic, funny at times, but at the heart of it is the very real, very sad reality of the poverty in India. I enjoyed it as a whole, but it was hard to watch.
• Smart People – This movie tried way too hard to be funny and smart (pun intended), but it just lacked any substance. I wasn’t impressed at all with the story or the characters, and had that “meh” feeling at the end of it.
• Snow Angels – I can’t say this was a bad movie, the actors did an amazing job and the story was well put together. However, it was so depressing from start to finish, that I don’t think I could bring myself to watch it again.
• Sunshine Cleaning
• Synecdoche, New York
• Tell No One
• Tropic Thunder – Great cast, funny movie. Really, one of Tom Cruise’s greatest roles. I didn’t even recognize him at first! One of my favorite comedies though? Not so much.
• Trouble the Water

Two Days in Paris

Two Days in Paris – I love that Julie Delpy – who wrote, directed and starred in the movie – cast her real parents as her parents in the film. Her and Adam Goldberg work great together, and this is a hilarious look at how blase the French can be.

• Two Lovers
• Venus
• The Visitor – This is an example of how a movie can be sad, but still hopeful. It’s very eye-opening about illegal immigrants, specifically, in New York.
• W. – I liked this movie, and Josh Brolin was dead-on. Thandie Newton as Condoleeza Rice, however? Super annoying. I also felt like too many Bush stories were crammed into the movie, and I would have liked to see less of the political scenes and more of the personal interactions, such as further development into his relationship with Laura.

The Wackness

The Wackness – This film is mostly a look at the relationship between Josh Peck’s character and his psychotherapist, played perfectly by Ben Kingsley, who he trades pot for sessions with. I think the cast did an amazing job, and the soundtrack and the cinematography really captured New York in the summer of 1994.

• Water Lilies
• Wordplay
• Young @ Heart
• Zack and Miri Make a Porno – Definitely not as funny as I thought it would be.

If there’s one sure thing this Oscar season, it’s that Heath Ledger will earn a posthumous award as Best Supporting Actor for his riveting performance in The Dark Knight. Ledger will win, and he should. Fomenting perpetual anarchy, the Joker stirs a writhing undercurrent of menace that deepens and darkens director Christopher Nolan’s vision. This is the kind of scenery-chewing, compelling villain that typically earns the Best Actor Prize (see Daniel Day-Lewis, Denzel Washington, and Anthony Hopkins, for starters).

For a Ledger performance at the opposite end of the spectrum, look no further than his previously nominated turn in Brokeback Mountain, a character as restrained as the Joker is wild. Equally compelling is his devastating appearance in Monster’s Ball—a brief but tragic supporting role. In a less depressing but nuanced performance, Ledger embodies celebrity itself in Todd Haynes’ prismatic Dylan deconstruction, I’m Not There. For a fine but grim sleeper with a strong Ledger turn, try the Australian heroin drama, Candy. And to sample the actor’s lighter side, flash back to his breakout role in 10 Things I Hate About You.

Upon Ledger’s passing, he left an unfinished performance in Terry Gilliam’s Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus. For a sampling of this actor-director team, check out The Brothers Grimm, a not-always-successful dark fairy tale, but one that shows Ledger in a more amusing light than many of his signature roles.

With Ledger the clear favorite, we have to offer a shout-out to the other Supporting Actor nominees:

Philip Seymour Hoffman picked up his third Oscar nomination for Doubt. Some of our favorite Hoffman films include: Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead, The Savages, Synecdoche, New York, and his Best Actor-winning role in Capote.

Josh Brolin: Though Brolin should have been nominated last year for No Country for Old Men, we’re pleased to see him earn a nod for his subtle, studied performance in Milk. Other favorite Brolin roles: American Gangster, The Dead Girl, and Flirting with Disaster. Look how far he’s come since The Goonies!

Michael Shannon’s brief but biting turn in Revolutionary Road offers a dark-comic counterpoint to an otherwise relentlessly bleak marital drama. Shannon also excels in Bug and the forthcoming The Missing Person.

And finally, the man who had his Best Year Ever, Robert Downey, Jr. Though Tropic Thunder itself is uneven, RDJ’s portrayal of a white Australian actor playing a black American is nothing short of brilliant. Our Downey favorites include: Charlie Bartlett, Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang, Soapdish, Wonder Boys, Zodiac, and his previously Oscar-nominated turn as Chaplin, recently re-released on DVD. Oh yeah, and a little thing called Iron Man.

- Mary K.

I have two new films (or at least, new to me) that I’ve come to love over the past month:

Il y a longtemps que je t’aime – Lovely and sad, a throw-back to French New Wave films of the 1960s (very much the art-house drama, with a focus on similarities between the now-normal “dysfunctional family” relationship and the dysfunctional way we interact with society as a whole). Kristen Scott Thomas has never failed to make a film better by her mere presence on-screen. Her performance as Juliette is superb in this, and Elsa Zylberstein does an excellent turn as Juliette’s sister Lea.

The Savages – The humour is a bit forced at times, but the film on the whole is enjoyable. As the plot follows two adult siblings trying to come to terms with their father’s dementia, they come to terms with how each of them is living in a bit of unreality, too. I was a bit off-put by how the characters didn’t want to care for their father directly, but preferred to put him in a ‘nursing home’ and lied to him in the process of trying to get him situated in one. And after all that … I still liked this movie. Loads and loads. Huh. Philip Seymour Hoffman was actually better than expected. Laura Linney? Quite good, too.

… and I’ve been watching The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Runner repeatedly as well. If you haven’t seen it, read the short story first, and then watch the film. Brilliant stuff.

So … cinematherapy. Wa-hoo.

Music isn’t doing it for me at moment. Nor painting. Not much at all, really. Perhaps in a few months … but this is good for now.

At least it’s still raining outside … lovely!

I’ve been meaning to watch this movie forever, and now I finally have.
One of the best films I’ve seen in a while. And that “best” often seems to imply some kind of spectacularity, being blown away or subjected to a fireworks of emotions and action…

But this one stays firmly under the radar. It’s mostly quite unspectacular, there are no beautiful people or shiny cars in the movie and it’s mostly set in Buffalo, NY. But in all this bleakness, in this foggy greyness of an upstate winter we catch a glimpse into the messed up lives of both brother and sister Savage literally woken up by the news that their father’s starting to lose it.

Neither Jon (professor of literature played by Philipp Seymour Hoffmann) nor Wendy (an unpublished NYC playwright played by Laura Tinney) have it together. Both lead lives that border on the pathetic. Both live mostly alone and estranged from their father. How they pick up their demented and wheelchair-bound father from the Arizona cookie cutter home where he’d been living with his girlfriend, till she died and left him nothing, and how Jon and Wendy team up to find him a place in a sober Buffalo nursing home which he takes for a hotel at first (“Tip the girl!”), all of this would be depressing and unbearable to watch if one didn’t suspect that that’s what most of us will be going through at some point. Probably first as the children of our parents, and then, as the incontinent and confused old farts spending their not-so-golden years before it’s time to quietly bow out. The father’s pain in his lucid moments, the children’s messed-up-ness with their own lives and their realization that not only is their father about to die soon, but that their own lives need some serious steering around to find new hope and, well, a life to speak of.

The film manages to convey all these impressions without the slightest cheap tearjerking or stereotypical sob scenes. Despite everything, the quiet tragedy yields the odd unexpected comical moment. And as for the main characters, the actors don’t act them, they are those people. And all that’s what makes this film so wonderful, human, touching, sad and effortlessly real.

The usual info on the movie can be found at IMDB.

I’ve had a rather eventful past couple of days, I’d say.
But first… the weekend.
Friday: Colby and I decided to go out for a night of casual fun. (we didn’t even worry about how we looked. ha) and we saw Knowing. Wonderful movie… up until the end. I’d hate to ruin it for you. But… the ending sucks. After that we walked to our faveee restaurant, Nonna’s, and ate our usual, lasagna, with extraaa cheese :] Upon returning to M-town, we watched A Clockwork Orange (one of my favorite movies). I’m really not too sure if Colby really liked it, but he didn’t dislike it, I’m sure. Haha.
Saturday: Colby came over YET again, and we watched Donnie Darko, which is FANTASTIC. The last time I’d seen was in like.. 7th grade, so it was quite fun getting to watch it again, with my best friend this time. And.. I’m pretty sure he liked this movie.

As for today… I came home from school a bit early (I haven’t been feeling the best), and I watched The Savages. SUCH a wonderful little movie. So so so good! You should definitely watch it if you get the chance.
Right now, I’m finalizing some prom plans with friends (!!!) and thinking about what I’m going to do with my night, now that I’ve watched the only movie I have, that I hadn’t seen yet. Darn.

Rent it now. For reals.

lovelovelove, hay.

p.s. Happy Earth Day!!
Keep it Green, yo.

SOUNDTRACK: DEPECHE MODE-Black Celebration (1986).

Since the previous entry was all about The Smiths, I include Depeche Mode in this entry as the other big album that influenced my appreciation for college rock (or just British music, apparently).

My friend Garry, in addition to playing me The Smiths, also played me Black Celebration.  At the time I either didn’t like or didn’t know about Depeche Mode.  But I was really struck by this album.

DIGRESSION: It would only be years later that I would call them Daypatch Commode thanks to the Dead Milkmen!  Incidentally, “Instant Club Hit (You’ll Dance to Anything)” become something of a namechecking song to know go British bands back in college.  “You’ll dance to anything by…Book of Love… The Smiths…Public Image Limited…”

The thing that most impressed me about Black Celebration was the way the tracks…not necessarily melded together…but that they had all kinds of effects and things that sort of linked them.  It’s most noticeable on the first three tracks, or with the ticking clock that links “Stripped” to “Here in The House.”  It’s a little thing that adds a nice continuity to the disc, and was something I hadn’t really heard before.

But even beyond that, the sounds were totally new to me.  There’s all kinds of sound effects thrown in and experimentations that simply didn’t happen in the metal I enjoyed.  And the keyboards weren’t Top 40ish, they weren’t sounds that I didn’t like, they were just new.  There’s even moments that sound straight out of Phillip Glass.  The tracks were certainly downers, and yet there was something angelic about them.

Or maybe angelic’s not the right word…pretentious comes to mind.  There’s something so archly British about Dave Gahan’s singing voice on this disc…quite different from the heroin addict voice on Violater and later.

  “Black Celebration” has, at one point a cool whirling sound effects that plays with stereo in a way you wouldn’t expect from this kind of band.  And, as is Gore’s speciality, it is upbeat musically, yet clearly a downer lyrically.  ”Fly on the Windscreen-Final” has the obviously unhappy lyric of “Death is everywhere” and yet again, musically it remains somewhat upbeat.  

Martin Gore also sings a lot on this disc, which helps to balance out the tone (even though at this stage he doesn’t sound radically different than Gahan). “A Question of Lust” is a delicate ballad, while “A Question of Time” shows the way of their more rocking songs later on.  The disc also features the fantastic “Stripped,” which has been covered like half a dozen times.  (Although DM’s is still the best version).

The disc also has a couple of short tracks (from under 2 minutes to just under 3 minutes).  These tracks seem somewhat less fleshed out than the rest of the disc, which may be why the disc isn’t as popular as their other ones (I just learned).  They act more like interstitials between songs rather than songs themselves.

Evidently the American release included “But Not Tonight” the one majorly upbeat track on the disc.  I’m not sure why it was excluded elsewhere (although it really doesn’t fit thematically), but it does add a happy note to a dark disc.

I’ve enjoyed Depeche Mode ever since, and has been quite pleasantly surprised by the rocking tone they have taken in the last few years.

[READ: April 9, 2009] “The Color of Shadows”

There was some interesting synchronicity in reading this story when I did as we had just watched The Savages a few nights before. The Savages stars Phillip Seymour Hoffman and Laura Linney as siblings whose father is placed in a nursing home, and how they deal with the emotional strain this causes.

“The Color of Shadows” concerns a man named Paul who is in the unfortunate position of having to put his Aunt in a nursing home.  And what made this story so good was that this main plot point was in no way the most moving part of the story.

Because of an incident when he was young, Paul’s Aunt has basically raised him since he was a child. There is a brief but thorough backstory about Paul and his mother.  There’s also a side story about the secret that Paul has kept from his aunt;  although it’s quite possible she already knows.  (A flashback reveals a great scene in which his Aunt thinks he is someone else and reveals more than she intends).   This secret plays no part in the plot of the story except to add wonderful depth to the characters and their relationship.

What was most fascinating to me about this story was that the death of his Aunt was not the saddest moment.  As the story comes to a close we realize that even though this woman who raised him was no longer with him, there was far more loss in his life that that.

A really wonderfully moving story.

I have not read any Colm Tóibín before (even though I have a collection of his stories). My friend Ailish had recommended him to me many years ago, but I never had the time to read him.  After this story, I’m sorry that I never made the time to read him.

I was also fascinated to read a story about elderecare in Ireland. Although there’s no reason I should have imagined they didn’t have nursing homes there, I’ve never really heard about nursing homes in other countries. And I suppose it was unsurprising to hear that they sound like they are exactly the same as in America.  I do wonder why, though, it doesn’t seem to be a topic of stories or films very much (or do I just choose not to indulge in this topic all that much).

For ease of searching I include: Toibin.

So not many posts have been made here lately so I will hopefully try to make quick posts every once in a while with big features taking me longer to write and coming less frequently.  Here I will catch up and share my thoughts on what I’ve been watching, playing, and listening to lately.

As you can tell from my last post, I’ve been listening to a lot of Coheed and Cambria, mostly the audio from Neverender.  While that’s all well and good I’ve also been checking out the latest from The Decemberists and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs.  At first I thought It’s Blitz, the latest album from YYY, was not that great because I thought they were simply trying to be more hip, but after listening to it again it will hold up later on.  I’m very impressed with The Hazards of Love, the latest from The Decemberists, and it just gets me that much more pumped to go see them in June at The National in Richmond.  The entire album is one of the most cohesive works I’ve heard in a while and many of the songs hold up by themselves quite well.  What I mean by cohesiveness is that you start the album and you can’t even really tell when it’s switched from one song to the next because it all seems like one giant, yet still incredibly enjoyable, song.  this might bother me if I cared to know what song I’m listening to but this is one of the few albums I would much rather prefer to listen to from start to finish, rather than on random or picking and choosing.  This all makes sense since Hazards is supposed to be telling a story.  One of my favorite songs (which is actually more like two different parts of the story in one song) is The Wanting Comes In Waves/Repaid, follow the link to have a listen.

I’ve also been listening to a lot of Clipse and Jay Z.  On the Jay Z front, there has been much inspiration to go back and listen to essentially almost all his albums.  While I haven’t gone through and listened to them all yet, being able to go back and listen to his earlier stuff has been great since I’ve never really gotten into him that much before.  Clipse, the hip-hop duo from Norfolk, VA,  is just phenominal and I have recently been listening to their earlier album Lord Willin’ (album art above) which might not be the best of their albums but includes some amazing songs, such as my favorite song atm: Grindin.  It’s strange that I like Clipse so much because much of their lyrics are about cocaine and other drugs, and I first found out about them through The Hood Internet (if you haven’t listened to some of their good mash-ups, such as the new Beastie Boys vs. Matt and Kim: Good Ol’ Fashion Rump Shaker

Games I’ve been playing lately include some dabblings in Mass Effect, which hasn’t gotten me very far yet, and mostly just been getting in levels here and there of Henry Hatsworth in the Puzzling Adventure, which is still fun but a lot harder then I was expecting.

Huge list of movies viewed recently: Vicky Cristina Barcelona; The Savages; Synecdoche, New York; The Squid and The Whale; Man on Wire and Cocaine Cowboys. Vicky Cristina Barcelona was pretty good, but made me confused about life and love, probably not intentionally though. The Savages was pretty good, but extremely sad, which I was unprepared for.  Synecdoche, New York was very strange and somewhat hard to follow since I kept thinking that different parts of the movie were taking place at different points in time, if you don’t mind watching people go insane then definitely check it out.  The Squid and The Whale was pretty enjoyable and I thought Jeff Daniels did an excellent job in it, but the ending came too soon, making for a short movie. Man on Wire was excellent and incredibly interesting to watch how this guy felt the need to do something completely balls-to-the-wall crazy, yet incredibly inspiring.  Cocaine Cowboys was another interesting movie just to see the background of the cocaine wars that took place in Miami during the early ’80s, highly recommended if that would interest you.

2007: The Savages di Tamara Jenkins

“Tamara Jenkins ha scritto col cuore e la testa, senza che mai la retorica offuschi la vista. Una lezione di umanità” (La Stampa), “…un film notevole” (L‘Unità), “…il talento della Jenkins sta nella sua abilità di narratrice, nel delineare magnificamente i personaggi” (Il Manifesto), “…un bel film, magnificamente interpretato” (Repubblica).

Raramente l’entusiasmo della critica è stato così giustificato.
Tamara Jenkins, formatasi al Sundance Institute, e con un curriculum di tutto rispetto in campo teatrale a New York, al suo quinto film firma il suo capolavoro. Un vero e proprio piccolo gioiello questo La famiglia Savage, che giustamente ha mietuto premi e nomination un po’ ovunque.
Apprezzabile che sia un’americana ad affrontare temi impopolari come la morte, la vecchiaia, la solitudine, la depressione… veri e propri tabù per una società che fa dell’apparenza della felicità dell’ottimismo a tutti i costi i propri idoli. La regista affronta il tutto con un equilibrio, una misura, una discrezione encomiabili, rifuggendo dal sentimentalismo e dal sensazionalismo.
Psicologie approfondite al massimo, personaggi profondamente umani in cui è impossibile non riconoscersi, ritratto sincero ed emozionante di esistenze complesse e contraddittorie… e quindi vere.
Una sceneggiatura che brilla per sensibilità e intelligenza (che coinvolge e non consente un attimo di distrazione), una regia completamente al servizio della storia narrata (senza inutili virtuosismi), una prestazione attoriale da dieci e lode che vede l’illustre trio (Laura Linney, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Philip Bosco) gareggiare in una eccezionale gara di bravura.
Un film che invita alla riflessione, un film che -nonostante i temi affrontati- lancia un credibile e verosimile messaggio positivo.

Pubblicato su Cineocchio
tuttelerecensioni

Regia: Tamara Jenkins
Sceneggiatura: Tamara Jenkins
Cast: Laura Linney, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Philip Bosco, Peter Friedman, Gbenga Akinnagbe, Cara Seymour, David Zayas, Guy Boyd, Margo Martindale, Salem Ludwig, Debra Monk, Hal Blankenship, Sidné Anderson, Michael Blackson, Joan Jaffe, Tonye Patano, Alyssa Waldrip
Paese: USA 2007
Genere: Drammatico
Durata: 113’
Uscita Italia: 25 Gennaio 2008
Uscita USA: 28 Novembre 2007
Trama:
I due fratelli Savage hanno costruito a fatica un bozzolo protettivo attorno alle proprie vite complicate. Ma ecco arrivare una telefonata, da cui apprendono che il padre Lenny, così a lungo temuto ed evitato, sta lentamente sprofondando nella demenza ed essi sono gli unici a poterlo aiutare.
Note:
Il film è stato premiato agli AFI Awards, al Flanders International Film Festival, al Ft. Lauderdale International Film Festival, agli Independent Spirit Awards. Premi inoltre dal San Francisco Film Critics Circle, dai Sant Jordi Awards, dalla National Society of Film Critics, dalla Los Angeles Film Critics Association.

After my last post I had to take some time to withdraw.  That’s when solitude can work as a soothing balm, allowing the personal space for reflection.  Whether sudden or expected, young or old, death affects us all.  And some strike a deeper chord.

A couple of days ago I got hold of The Savages on DVD.  I thought I was late in watching this highly acclaimed indie film,  and writing a review two years after its release.  But watching it, I was surprised by the coincidence;  for alas, it’s about death and aging.  It’s ever timely now.  I wouldn’t have appreciated it as much if I’d seen it then.  For now, I’ve the first-hand experience of caring for two aging parents, and with my mother being in the early stage of Alzheimer.  Two years ago I would not have imagined this scenario.  But as those who have cared for the old can attest, two months can make a lot of difference.

As baby boomers begin to pass the turnstile into midlife, they now have to face the hard fact about their parents, and preparing for the ultimate to befall.  Herein lies the story of  The Savages.

Wendy Savage (Laura Linney, Best Actress Emmy for John Adams, 2008; Love Actually, 2003) and her brother Jon (Philip Seymour Hoffman, Oscar Best Actor for Capote, 2005) live miles apart.  Their childhood home had been dysfunctional.  Their mother left them when they were still young, their father was neglectful and abusive.  Now as adults, they both have trouble committing to intimate relationships.  Jon teaches theater at the University of Buffalo, while Wendy is a struggling playwright, working as a temp to make ends meet in NYC.  Living apart from each other and their father, both strive to carve out some sort of meaningful existence with their life.  Now they are brought back together by the tie of responsibility, reluctantly,  in the caring for their ailing father (Philip Bosco).   An old man who is afflicted with Parkinson’s related dementia, Lenny Savage is still fiery and intimidating.

Among the acclaims the film has garnered (AFI movie of the year, Golden Globes, Independent Spirit Awards…) are two Oscar nominations, one for Laura Linney for Best Actress, the other for Tamara Jenkins’s  Original Screenplay.  Both deserve the recognition hands down.  Unlike Sarah Polley’s impressive film Away From Her (2006) with Julie Christie as an Alzheimer stricken wife,  The Savages looks at dementia and death from the point of view of the son and daughter, and delicately explores their conflicting emotions of having to care for an estranged father.  The rebuilding of sibling relationship has also proven to be difficult, yet through the process, both find the experience to be worthwhile.

The Savages is classified as a comedy.  The script is smart and funny.  But it is dark and deadpan humor that marks its appeal.  The reality of human failings is handled with care and sensitivity.  Linney, Hoffman, and Bosco form a dynamic trio in portraying the tension of love hate emotions among family members.  Despite the past failings of their father and their present perplexities of how best to care for him, the siblings know where their duty lies.  Screenwriter and director Tamara Jenkins has effectively explored the issues without sentimentality and imbued humor at the appropriate moments.  As with all of life’s predicaments, a little dash of humor can offer the most direct perspective into our shared humanity.

The special features offer insights into the making of the film and into the mind of the screenwriter and director Tamara Jenkins.  Of all the subject matters, she chose the caring of our aging parents.  I’ve appreciated her intent: “The idea was to make you realize that you’re not alone,  that you’re part of the human race, that we’re all going through this together.”  She’s done a great job in doing just that.

~ ~ ~ Ripples

(photo source:  mtv.com)

I’ve been on a movie kick lately and here is a quote from a movie called “The Savages” that really just made me greatful for the resurrection and the hope of eternity with Jesus.  The backdrop is a middle age brother and sister dealing with the fact that their father is no longer capable of taking care of himself, he has dementia and his life is coming to an end.  During his life he never really took care of them and now they are struggling with what to do with him.  I have edited the original to make it more family friendly but be forewarned that it is still quite graphic.

Jon Savage: Dad’s not the one that has a problem with the Valley View. There’s nothing wrong with Dad’s situation. Dad’s situation is fine. He’s never gonna adjust to it if we keep yanking him outta there. And, actually, this upward mobility fixation of yours, it’s counterproductive and, frankly, pretty selfish. Because it’s not about Dad, it’s about you and your guilt. That’s what these places prey upon.
Wendy Savage: I happen to think it’s nicer here.
Jon Savage: Of course you do, because you are the consumer they want to target. You are the guilty demographic. The landscaping, the neighborhoods of care; they’re not for the residents, they’re for the relatives. People like you and me who don’t want to admit to what’s really going on here.
Wendy Savage: Which is what, Jon?
Jon Savage: People are dying, Wendy! Right inside that beautiful building right now, it’s a %&#ing horror show! And all this wellness propaganda and the landscaping, it’s just there to obscure the miserable fact that people die! And death is gaseous and gruesome and it’s filled with %$#! and piss and rotten stink!

There is nothing beautiful about death.  We can try to romanticize it and ignore it but in the end we have to deal with those statements that call it for what it is — ugly and gruesome.  Thank God we have a Savior who’s alive.  I love the fact that the book of Acts says that Jesus presented himself to the disciples ALIVE!!!  Jesus conquered the grave and extends his very life to us and one day we will walk in incorruption just as he, right this very moment, is incorruptible!

1 Corinthians 15: 16-19  For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised; and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins.  Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished.  If we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are of all men most to be pitied.

1 Corinthians 15: 54-57  So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.”
“ O Death, where is your sting?
O Hades, where is your victory?”
The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law.  But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.