The art of losing isn’t hard to master;
so many things seem filled with the intent to be lost that their loss is no disaster,

Lose something every day. Accept the fluster of lost door keys, the hour badly spent.
The art of losing isn’t hard to master.

Then practice losing farther, losing faster: places, and names, and where it was you meantto travel.
None of these will bring disaster.

I lost my mother’s watch. And look! my last, or next-to-last, of three beloved houses went.
The art of losing isn’t hard to master.

I lost two cities, lovely ones. And, vaster, some realms I owned, two rivers, a continent.
I miss them, but it wasn’t a disaster.

– Even losing you (the joking voice, a gesture I love) I shan’t have lied.
It’s evident the art of losing’s not too hard to master
though it may look like (Write it!) a disaster.

One Art – Elizabeth Bishop

Beberapa hari lalu saya pernah berkata seperti di bawah ini;

Hidup dalam penantian mungkin buruk. Lebih buruk lagi ketika terombang-ambing, mau bertahan atau menyerah saja. Mau yang lebih buruk lagi? Ketika yang kamu nanti tidak kunjung datang, tapi satu per satu yang kamu punya pergi. Capek gak sih?

Kamu boleh mencibir orang yang berhenti berharap & hidup “seadanya”, tinggalkan saja jika ia berpengaruh jelek untukmu… toh, satu lagi kehilangan cuma akan membuatnya makin terbiasa. Tidak usah sungkan atau merasa bertanggungjawab, ya?

Memang saya waktu itu sedikit gundah. Pernah kan, ketika keseharianmu berjalan biasa dan kamu sedang bersantai menikmati jeda istirahat, sekonyong-konyong kamu melihat ke belakang, ke hal-hal yang telah lepas darimu. Kamu tidak langsung terhenyak, namun satu pemikiran secara pelan tapi pasti terbentuk di otakmu, tentang semua kehilangan yang telah dan akan terjadi.

Kamu menanti sesuatu, yang dulu pernah (kamu kira) kamu miliki untuk kembali. Kamu menanti dengan penuh keyakinan. Selang waktu, tiba-tiba kamu sadar satu per satu yang kamu punya sekarang juga ikut pergi. Kamu lelah, kamu bimbang, bahkan kamu terlalu takut untuk menyerah. Kamu sudah terlalu biasa dengan keadaan tak pasti, dan juga kehilangan.

Memang kamu jadi belajar mensyukuri apa yang kamu punya sekarang, tapi tetap saja hatimu sakit mengingat mereka yang telah hilang. Pada akhirnya, seperti puisi yang tertulis di atas; Even losing you, it’s evident the art of losing’s not too hard to master though it may look like,  a disaster.

Losing you, it’s not too hard though it may look like a disaster, indeed.

“The Year My Parents Went on Vacation“, is directed by Cao Hamburger, and was produced in Brazil. The film is subtitled in English, and written in Portugese, Yiddish and Hebrew.

The movie takes place in Sao Paulo, during 1970 Brazil, when the country was run by military regime. The story line isn’t so much about the turbulence and military authority, as it is about Mauro, his coming-of-age, and the changes in his life that he encounters, and adjustments he must make, when his parents drop him off to stay with his Jewish grandfather.

Michel Joelsas, who plays 12-year old Mauro, is very good at conveying the lonely feelings of the boy, and also conveys the confusion he feels over the fact his parents are gone. He keeps asking about them, and is constantly told that they are on vacation. His life before his parents left revolved around soccer/football, and that facet of his life remains the same. In fact, the entire city population lives for the sport.

There are some humorous parts to the film, and many moments that display warmth and vibrancy. I especially enjoyed the portrayal of the Jewish community of Sao Paolo, and how we see how they adored soccer/football, as much as any other Brazilian citizen did, their passion about the game overflowing with vibrancy and exuberance, whether young or old, Orthodox Jews or not.

We are given snippets of daily life, from the apartments to the street noises, the traditions, and the food, and are given views of culture, both social and religious. The film is delightful, humorous, poignant, well-constructed and developed with social aspects, as well as historical perspectives. The cinematography is wonderful. “The Year My Parents Went on Vacation” is a film filled with humanity and acceptance. Cao Hamburger, himself, recognizes the degrees one goes through in order to feel part of their environment, due to his own background. “The Year My Parents Went on Vacation” is a brilliant reflection of his ability to infuse emotion and empathy, history and religion, within political and social confines.

I could go into more detail, but won’t, as I don’t want to give too much away.

I saw this film Saturday, and I highly recommend this film to everyone.

~~~~~~

Jew Wishes…Peace to you all.
© Copyright 2007 – All Rights Reserved – No permission is given or allowed to reuse my photography, book reviews, writings, or my poetry in any form/format without my expresss written consent/permission.

Nu het mooi weer wordt, zijn er opnieuw knappe films in de zalen! Mijn keuze valt op:

• The year my parents went on vacation: jaren ‘70 epos over Brazilië, voetbal en dictatuur - doet me denken aan la vità é bella. Cartoonsgenre film.
• Penelope met Christina Ricci, Reese Witherspoon & James McAvoy – een surreële film over een vervloekt meisje (varkensneus is het gevolg) die heel haar jonge leven wordt verstopt tot haar moeder beslist haar een man van hogere stand te zoeken. Eentje voor de dvdverhuur- kaskraker! 
• Funny Games U.S. van Michael Haneke met Naomi Watts: thriller remake over 2 summerboys die kwaadaardig sollen met een gezin. BBBRRRR, griezelig.
• Sex and the City – The movie: it says it all – ik kijk hier al een jaar naar uit!

* NEW! * The Band’s Visit (PG-13)  run time: 1h 29m  (subtitled)

Fri – Sat      1:00     3:15     5:30     7:40     9:45

Sun – Th      1:00     3:15     5:30     7:30     9:30

Alvin & the Chipmunks (PG)  run time: 1h 31m

Sat – Sun      12:00  ONLY

The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep (PG)  run time: 1h 52m

Sat – Sun      12:00  ONLY

The Year My Parents Went On Vacation (U)  run time: 1h 45m  (subtitled)

Fri – Sat      2:15     4:30     7:00     9:45

Sun – Th      2:15     4:30     7:00     9:30

There Will Be Blood (R)  run time: 2h 38m     OSCAR WINNER!

Fri – Sun      12:00     3:00     6:00     9:00

Mon – Th      2:00     5:00     8:00

Juno (PG-13)  run time: 1h 36m     OSCAR NOMINEE!

Fri – Sat      1:00     3:15     5:30     7:40     9:45

Sun – Th      1:00     3:15     5:30     7:30     9:30

Atonement (R)  run time: 2h 3m     OSCAR WINNER!

Fri – Th      2:15     7:00

In Bruges (R)  run time:  1h 41m

Fri – Sat      4:30     9:45

Sun – Th      4:30     9:30

We are located off the Southern State Parkway (exit 17 S) at:

350 Hempstead Avenue

Malverne, NY 11565                                                                                                                            

For more information call the theater during business hours at: 

516-599-9336 

The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep (PG)  run time: 1h 52m

Fri – Sun      12:30  ONLY

Alvin and the Chipmunks (PG)  run time:  1h 31m

Fri – Sun     12:30  ONLY

The Year My Parents Went on Vacation (U)  run time: 1h 45m   (subtitled)

Fri – Sat        2:15      4:30     7:00     9:45

Sun – Th       2:15      4:30     7:00     9:30

There Will Be Blood (R)  run time: 2h 38m

Fri – Sun       12:00     3:00     6:00     9:00

Mon - Th       2:00     5:00     8:00

In Bruges (R)  run time: 1h 41m

Fri – Sat        2:15     4:30     7:00     9:45

Sun – Th       2:15     4:30     7:00     9:30

Juno (PG-13)  run time: 1h 36m

Fri – Sat      1:00     3:15     5:30     7:40     9:45

Sun – Th     1:00     3:15     5:30     7:30     9:30

Atonement (R)  run time: 2h 3m

Fri – Th      4:30     7:00

Caramel (PG-13)  run time: 1h 32m   (subtitled)

Fri – Sat     2:40     9:45

Sun – Th    2:40     9:30

We are located off the Southern State Parkway (exit 17 S) at:

350 Hempstead Avenue

Malverne, NY 11565                                                                                                                            

For more information call the theater during business hours at: 

516-599-9336 

Jumper: Hayden Christiansen plays a guy who can teleport. He brings his girlfriend to all sorts of cool places and woos her. Samuel L. Jackson plays a guy who doesn’t want him to teleport. He gets angry and yells things like “Did you think you could teleport without any consequences?!?” That hot girl from that show I never watched is in it (Rachel Bilson). This is the biggest release of the weekend and is already getting some of the worst reviews. It’s playing at the Pavilion and the United Artists on Court Street.

Diary of the Dead: George A. Romero is back! At at almost 70, he’s still hungry for brains! Having given up on using the time of day at the beginning of the titles (Night, Dawn, Day) Romero made Land of the Dead in 2005 and now is making Diary. While I was hoping this would be a selection of readings from the diary of a sixteen year old zombie (Dear Diary, How do I get boys to like me? Eating their brains def doesn’t work!) it is instead the handy-cam chronicling of the end of days by a group of college filmmakers. While I honestly wasn’t that impressed with Land of the Dead, I’m still making this my pick of the week. This is playing at Village East Cinemas on Second Avenue in Manhattan, where there is a midnight show tonight.

                               Krang is an easy target for zombies.

The Spiderwick Chronicles: This basically looks like a Nickolodeon version of Pan’s Labyrinth, only it doesn’t take place during the Spanish Civil War, and there’s no guy with eyes on his hands. As a side note, I think that old Handy Eyes (I call him Handy Eyes) deserves a spin-off. Like his own sitcom on NBC. Don’t you think? Like Handy Eyes tries to make it in the big city? Or…or…or…as a glove model? His roommate is a jock who gives him a black handy eye every time they high five? Seriously, the possibilities are endless. Anyway, Spiderwick stars the actor from Finding Neverland as a kid who finds a magical world while living at his great uncle’s house. It’s playing at Court Street, Cobble Hill Cinemas and the Pavilion.

He’s Handy Eyes! His eyes are on his hands and it’s awesome! He’s Handy Eyes! On NBC Tonight After an All New Blossom!

Step Up 2 The Streets: In 2006, we were asked to step up. Now, only two years later, we’re being asked to Step Up 2 The Streets. Not “to” the streets, mind you. “2″ the streets. That’s even more hardcore. Who knows what we’ll be stepping up 2 next. Or stepping up 4? The possibilities are frightening. People dance in this movie. I’m assuming it has to do with an underdog who dances against an established dancer? It’s playing at the United Artists on Court Street and the Park Slope Pavilion.

Definitely, Maybe: This is the new romantic comedy with Ryan Reynolds and Abigail Breslin. Due to the rising star power of Little Miss Sunshine’s Abigail Breslin, I’d like to personally offer her the following advice:

Abbs- 

I get it. You’re cute. You’re precocious. You wore thick, oversized glasses and stole America’s heart. And now you’re huge. I’m here to warn you that you’re going to need an even stronger lens prescription because apparently you can’t see the crushing misery that lies ahead.

 Spawn of Krang and Handy Eyes. She got Krang’s size and Handy Eyes’ poor vision.

Cute child stars start to look weird. It’s true. Remember Jonathan Lipnicki? How about your brother Spencer Breslin? His last role was as an elf in The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause. Do you know how I know this? Because I, too, was once a star. Let’s just say that I was once considered for the part of “Boy” in an Osh Kosh B’Gosh commercial (yes, that Osh Kosh B’Gosh). And, in 1989, this young, talented red-headed buck placed second place in the Delaware Pinewood Derby. Sure, it was rigged, but that was the game. What came next? A picture on page seventeen of the Delaware Gazette. But that’s where it all went downhill. I lost my mansion and my respect. I even lost my Pinewood Derby trophy.

So beware, because fame and cuteness are fleeting. Your next two movies are Kit Kittredge: An American Girl (which is based on a line of dolls I think) and Nim’s Island, some sort of family adventure flick with Jodie Foster. My advice? Get a part in the next Rob Zombie movie. Or Quentin Tarantino. But that’s just one former star’s opinion. This is playing at the Pavilion.

The Year My Parents Went on Vacation: This was Brazil’s official submission to the Best Foreign Language Film category of the Academy Awards. Despite having not been chosen, it has won acclaim all over Europe as well as several film festival awards. It’s about a young boy from Brazil who is abandoned in a Jewish neighborhood in 1970, which also happens to be when the Brazilian soccer team is in the World Cup. This is playing at the Landmark Sunshine.

Other than these, In Bruges is opening at Cobble Hill Cinemas, and the midnight movie tomorrow at the Landmark Sunshine is Clockwork Orange. Happy Valentine’s Day!