Hieronder de recensies van vier films die de afgelopen week op dvd zijn verschenen. Van zwaar drama tot een ultiem feelgoodgevoel.

Annet Malherbe (links) en Eva van Wijdeven in De Laatste Dagen van Emma Blank

De Laatste Dagen van Emma Blank

• Regie: Alex van Warmerdam (De Noorderlingen, Ober)
• Met: Eva van Wijdeven, Gene Bervoets, Annet Malherbe, Marlies Heuer, Alex van Warmerdam, Gijs Naber
• Genre: Zwarte komedie
• Vergelijkbaar: Adams Aebler (2005), Ober (2006)

Emma Blank is in de war. Ze  is een sadist. Emma Blank is harteloos. Ze manifesteert zich als een hedendaagse Hitler tegenover haar personeel.

Gelukkig gaat Emma Blank binnenkort dood.

Hebberigheid

Emma Blank is naast alle bovenstaande dingen vooral de nieuwste creatie van Alex van Warmerdam. Deze absurdist bij uitstek vertelt met De Laatste Dagen van Emma Blank een bizar verhaal over hebberigheid van de hedendaagse mens. Marlies Heuer speelt deze Emma Blank, een rijke vrouw die haar personeel op dictatoriale wijze in het gareel houdt.

Hond

Dat personeel bestaat uit vijf personen: de loyale hoofdbutler Haneveld (Gene Bervoets), kokkin Bella (Annet Malherbe), het recalcitrante dienstmeisje Gonnie (Eva van Wijdeven) en klusjesman Meijer (Gijs Naber). Ik zei dat er vijf waren? Laten we Theo (Alex van Warmerdam) er ook maar bij rekenen. Uiteraard neemt de regisseur zelf de rol op zich van het meest bizarre lid van dit gezelschap. Hij speelt iemand die zich als een hond gedraagt. En dat is niet alleen een figure of speech.

De Laatste Dagen van Emma Blank ontwikkelt zich als een waar ensemblestuk met een even grimmige als mysterieuze sfeer. Op momenten hilarisch, maar ook verontrustend. Langzaam aan ontdek je als kijker hoe de vork precies in de steel zit. Er komt immers een moment dat het personeel zich tegen Emma Blank keert…

Dus: Bij vlagen hilarische kritiek op consumptiemaatschappij verpakt in absurdistisch jasje.

Beoordeling: ***

Sunshine Cleaning

• Regie: Christine Jeffs (Sylvia)
• Met: Amy Adams, Emily Blunt, Alan Arkin, Clifton Collins Jr, Steve Zahn
• Genre: Tragikomedie
• Vergelijkbaar: In Her Shoes (2005), Little Miss Sunshine (2006)

Elk jaar duiken er weer enkele positieve verrassingen op in filmwereld. Het gaat dan om kleine onafhankelijke feelgoodpareltjes van Amerikaanse makelij die toch het grote publiek weten te bereiken. De afgelopen jaren waren dat Garden State, Little Miss Sunshine en Juno. Dit jaar de beurt aan Sunshine Cleaning.

Wanneer de alleenstaande moeder Rose Lorkowski (Amy Adams) snel veel geld nodig heeft om de school van haar zoontje te betalen, begint ze samen met haar jongere, werkloze zus Norah (Emily Blunt) het schoonmaakbedrijf ‘Sunshine Cleaning’. Enige bijzondere aan deze onderneming is dat het om het schoonmaken van crime scenes gaat.

Tegenhanger

Het heeft Rose niet altijd meegezeten in haar leven. Na een glansrijke schoolcarrière, (cheerleader, daten met de quarterback, populairste meisje van de school) maakt ze nu de huizen van haar vroegere klasgenoten schoon en is ze een alleenstaande moeder. Daarnaast scharrelt ze af en toe in een motel met haar voormalige, inmiddels getrouwde, schoolliefde. Ook Norah haalt niet het maximale uit haar leven. Als de complete tegenhanger van haar zus doet zij niet veel meer dan op de bank hangen en ontslagen worden bij nietszeggende baantjes.

Bagage

Beide zussen delen nog eens wat extra bagage vanwege de tragische dood van hun moeder, enkele jaren geleden. Vader Joe Lorkowski (Alan Arkin) heeft vooral te lijden onder de zelfmoord van zijn vrouw. Om dat verdriet te verdrukken stort hij zich op een aantal tot mislukken gedoemde pogingen om snel rijk te worden met behulp van zijn kleinzoon Oscar.

De vergelijking met Little Miss Sunshine dringt zich al voor het kijken naar deze film op. Het woord ‘Sunshine’ zit in de titel, hetzelfde productieteam is aan het project verbonden en Alan Arkin blinkt opnieuw uit in een bijrol. Ook qua thematiek vertoont Sunshine Cleaning veel overeenkomst met het Oscarwinnende Little Miss Sunshine. Dit houdt in: boeiende en goed uitgewerkte personages in herkenbare situaties doorspekt met zwarte, doch frisse humor.

Dus: Heerlijke, frisse film met uitstekend acteerwerk. Typisch feelgood.

Beoordeling: ***

Kan Door Huid Heen

• Regie: Esther Rots
• Met: Rifka Lodeizen, Wim Opbrouck
• Genre: Drama
• Vergelijkbaar: Dancer in the Dark (2000), Secret Sunshine (2008)

 De 30-jarige Amsterdamse Marieke raakt in een zware depressie nadat zij in haar eigen appartement slachtoffer is geworden van een ernstig geweldsdelict. Ze vlucht hierop naar het platteland van Zeeland. Haar doel: met rust gelaten worden.

Toch lijkt Marieke (Rifka Lodeizen) er beetje bij beetje weer bovenop te komen. Ze ontmoet de aandoenlijke John (prachtrol van de Belg Wim Opbrouck) en lijkt weer zin in het leven te zien. Er is echter telkens weer die terugval. Het brengt Marieke tot twijfelachtige gedachten en weerzinwekkende daden.

De eerste lange speelfilm van regisseuse Esther Rots is meteen raak. Sterker nog, Kan Door Huid Heen is een rauw-op-je-dak-film die aanvoelt als een flinke stomp in de maagstreek. Naast de haast claustrofobische cameravoering valt ook het formidabele spel van Rifka Lodeizen op. Tijdens het afgelopen Nederlands Film Festival mocht zij dan ook volledig terecht een gouden kalf voor beste actrice ophalen.

Dus: Geweldig debuut van Esther Rots. Deprimerende en formidabele acteursfilm.

Beoordeling: ****

Towelhead

• Regie: Alan Ball (Six Feet Under, True Blood)
• Met: Summer Bishil, Peter Macdissi, Toni Collette, Aaron Eckhart, Maria Bello
• Genre: Coming-of-age
• Vergelijkbaar: American Beauy (1999), Juno (2007)

 De dertienjarige half-Libanese Jasira komt in Towelhead terecht in Amerikaans suburbia. Hier is het leven kalm, de mensen netjes en de gezinnen gelukkig. Althans, dat lijkt zo vanaf de buitenkant. Alan Ball, schrijver van American Beauty en de man achter de HBO-series Six Feet Under en True Blood, gaat geen taboe uit de weg. Hij doet er nog een vleugje inktzwarte humor bovenop ook.

Ball weet opnieuw te intrigeren door de kijker mee te nemen naar een nette buitenwijk, naar de schijnwerkelijkheid die achter de voordeur verdwijnt, zoals hij dat ook deed met American Beauty. Opnieuw is de ontluikende seksualiteit van een jong meisje een van de centrale onderwerpen. Daar omheen gaat Towelhead (alternatieve titel: Nothing is Private) ook over onderhuids rasicme, vooroordelen en emancipatie. Of een gebrek daar aan.

Zware onderwerpen voor een film die met het hele gewicht rust op de schouders van de achttienjairge actrice Summer Bishil. Zij lijkt de rol echter zonder al te grote problemen aan te kunnen en dat is zeer knap. Hoewel Towelhead de scherpte mist van American Beauty en de heerlijke melancholiek van Six Feet Under, bewijst Alan Ball een volwaardig speelfilmregisseur te zijn. Laten we hopen dat hij hier een vervolg aan kan geven.

Dus: Sympathiek coming-of-age drama dat lekker wegkijkt.

Beoordeling: ***

I love it when I randomly choose a movie on Netflix without knowing anything about it, and end up getting a winner.

That’s what happened tonight with BRICK. Similar to TOWELHEAD (see post ‘open love letter to Alan Ball, Ted Hope et.al), I started watching this one half-asleep with my dog in a couch coma. Also like ‘Towelhead’ I was gripped and sat up.

It reminded me of film noir in so many ways and I wanted to say that immediately in this post, but then got worried that I might be completely wrong and thought of as an idiot. However I just saw reviews that say it is updated noir, so I feel justified (which is kind of pathetic that I can’t blurt my opinions because opinions aren’t really right or wrong – but that’s my issue). BACK to topic…

The two films are vastly different, Towelhead is emotionally powerful and in my top three …but Brick just may be in my top ten and I was excited to learn all about writer/director Rian Johnson who also did The Brothers Bloom, which I also love. But Brick is definitely my favorite of the two and I couldn’t believe he and his family pretty much funded the whole thing.

IMDB lists it as a detective film, which short-sells it. It’s suspenseful, wicked dark comedy, twists and turns… but  also a bit of a love story.

What is it about leading men who would take a beating (several times over), risk their lives and go to any lengths to protect their love? Every action by this protagonist (Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who was great, by the way) was guided by his undying devotion to his Great Love.

Of course this protagonist is smarter and more insightful than any guy I ever knew in high school, but that’s what makes him so mc-dreamy.

DO NOT watch this movie if you are not prepared to pay full attention. It turns on a dime, moves at full throttle and is cleverly set in modern day American high school.  One of the coolest aspects  is also my only criticism; they speak at a rapid-fire pace (authentically teen) and with the colloquialisms it’s a different language. It take awhile to get your ear acclimated. I had to rewind a few times.

My fave actor was the ‘bad guy’ played by Lucas Haas. I got the biggest kick out of him; in classic ‘bad guy’ fashion he wears a black cape, carries a brass ducked-headed cane and drives a tricked out mini-van as his mother pours him some juice.

Johnson swept the film festival circuit and among the many ( Sundance) he got the Austin critics award too. I had a great time watching this movie.  Thumbs up.

Prologue: (SWINE FLU – DAY SEVEN.  FEVER:  100  MOOD: restless)

Tonight I fell in love. It’s the middle of the night, my fever is driving me nuts and my head is pounding, so I turned on HBO. I had no idea what I was watching because it was already a few minutes in, but I started halfheartedly paying attention. Almost immediately I’m wide awake and completely engaged.

This movie has perhaps replaced some of my all-time favorites. It’s sort of a coming of age story but much more…it reminded me of CRASH in a way. The writing is stellar, the acting is outstanding and I thought the editing was clever. I’m a gusher by nature but this time I mean it – this movie blew me away. It deals with race, hypocrisy, sex, desire, love, parenting – what real love means. I like that all the characters, despite sometimes doing dispicable things had (as in real life) redeeming qualities. No one (again as in real life) was/is black or white. It’s just a smart, smart movie.

The movie is called ‘Nothing is Private’ aka ‘Towelhead’, based on a novel by Alicia Erian.

(Synopsis) Against the backdrop of the first Gulf War, Jasira Maroun is 13, physically well developed but naïve and unable to say no. As puberty arrives, her mother sends her from Syracuse to Houston to her curt, up-tight, Lebanese-born father. Over the next few months, Jasira must navigate her father’s strict indifference, her discovery of sexual pleasure, the casual racism of a neighbor boy and her classmates, the sexual advances of the boy’s father, the proffered friendship of a pregnant neighbor, and her attraction to Thomas, an African-American classmate whom her father forbids her to see. Things happen to her, but can she take responsibility and control, or is tragedy inevitable?

It it has one of my all time favorite actresses who I would give my left arm to work with (and would also be invited to my all-celebrity dream dinner party) Toni Collette (photo below).

A young actress, Summer Bishil plays the lead and was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award and super-hottie Aaron Eckhart gives a great turn as the redneck neighbor. Peter MacDissi was also a powerhouse, playing the overbearing father. I’m shocked that Peter and Toni didn’t get nominated…they were wonderful.

So I’m thinking what IS this movie…who directed?   Who produced?  Who even cast this??  I looked it up and smiled because of course it had to be the genius Alan Ball, creator/writer of Six Feet Under, who wrote and directed.

In fact, I was so engaged, that I got up (in only my underwear) to get another Tylenol, and I stopped in my tracks in front of the TV (I didn’t want to miss anything) and I literally watched the rest of the movie standing in front of the television in my underwear like a three-year-old watching cartoons, and didn’t even realize it until after it was over!  Now THAT’S a film.

Alan, I didn’t know it was possible for me to love and admire you more than I already do – but I do. I’ll be thinking about this one for a long time.

POST SCRIPT:  I learned that Ted Hope, producer of this film has a great blog about film-making which any actor, director or student of film should check out: trulyfreefilm.blogspot.com

My new fave

Mais uma quarta-feira, mais um Top 5. E como somos wicked e politicamente incorretos, decidimos que o tema desta semana será “Filmes com pedofilia”, uma grande homenagem ao nosso querido diretor Roman Polanski. No fim das contas eu fico com pena do Roman… Vocês já viram como ficou a tal menina de 13 anos, ex-modelo, que ele sodomizou? Ficou assim. Exato. Tem que ter pena do cara. Ao invés de ter seu histórico amoroso marcado pela belíssima Sharon Tate, acabou manchado com essa donzela ai.

Sadismos a parte, vamos ao top 5 do dia, até porque hoje eu pretendo voltar a frequentar o Festival do Rio e assistir ao fofézimo “Adam”, que vai estreiar em dois meses, ou menos, mas eu não ligo. Esse Festival já relaxei… não vou conseguir ver muita coisa dia de semana mesmo não. E vamos que vamos com nosso 5º lugar…

5.  Sleepers (1996) de Barry Levinson

Quando eu vi esse filme eu era bem novinha, então obvimente fiquei bastante chocada ao ver o grupo de garotos que após uma brincadeira de mal gosto são mandados pra passar um ano num centro de detenção. E lá são abusados pelos oficiais do local, liderados por Sean Nokes (Kevin Bacon). Os garotos crescem e juram vingança contra os guardas. O elenco é top de lista: Além do Bacon, Robert de Niro, Dustin Hoffman, Brad Pitt, Billy Crudup, e jovem rebelde já falecido Brad Renfro (uma pena…). Não vejo ha muitos anos, mas lembro de ter achado muito bom.

4. Marcas do Silêncio (Bastard Out of Carolina, 1996) de Angelica Huston (também conhecida como Morticia Addams)

1996, o ano da pedofilia. Na verdade esse foi um filme feito para televisão, mas fez muito bafafá por trazer uma Jena Malone ainda muito novinha (a atriz tinha 12 anos, a personagem menos) sofrendo tudo quanto é abuso do padastro, interpretado por Ron Eldard. O filme é muito pesado, principalmente pela atuação da Jena, que é excelente e rendeu a atriz uma indicação ao Independent Spirit Awards. Pesaaaaaado… Entraria também no Top 5 “Filmes traumatizantes”, que era uma das opções de hoje.

3. Felicidade (Happiness, 1998) de Todd Solondz

Primeiro filme que choca não pelo trauma da pedofilia, mas pela maneira como o excêntrico Todd Solondz lida com a questão, no seu estilo humor negro. E não fosse o cacife e o histórico do diretor, duvido que um elenco desses (inclui Phillip Seymour Hoffman, John Lovitz, e Dylan Baker como o pedófilo) toparia fazer um filme desses. Se você não aceita o filme como uma crítica, vai se revoltar, xingar o Solondz e jurar nunca mais ver outro filme dele na vida. Mas esse é o espírito do cara: ou você aceita e enxerga o que há de crítico, ou desliga a televisão e parte pra sua “praia”.

2. Towelhead (2007) de Alan Ball

Escrito e dirigido pelo meu queridíssimo Alan Ball (Beleza Americana e True Blood) era claro que eu tinha fé que lá vinha “bomba”, no melhor sentido possível da palavra. E veio. O filme te deixa mareado, meio em cima do muro no assunto, não se sabe o limite de desejo sexual de uma menina e estupro, até praticamente o final, onde finalmente tudo fica claro… ou não. O que eu mais gostei do filme é que meu amigo Ball (rs) não acredita em pessoas boas ou pessoas más, então todo mundo é tudo. Todo mundo é gente como a gente, com sérios defeitos e também qualidades. Mesmo o lobo mau sabe se reconhecer pelo que é, e sabe ser uma bom lobo. Destaque pro elenco feroz encabeçado pela novata Summer Bishil, e os bons veteranos Aaron Eckhart, Maria Bello, e Toni Collette. Recomendadíssimo.

1. Mistérios da Carne (Mysterious Skin, 2004) de Gregg Araki

Obviamente esse ia ser o número 1. Assim como tenho certeza que vai ser medalha de ouro na listinha do meu wicked bro. Como diria nosso amigo Dennis, tem a melhor cena de pedofilia dos cinemas. E tem mesmo. O filme não tem nem o tom do Solondz, nem o tom do Alan Ball, é completamente diferente. É tratado de uma maneira perversa, que traumatiza, que choca, mas não esfrega na sua cara. Tudo é feito de maneira sutil, quase artística e infantil, mas serve ao propósito e arranca a medalha de ouro do nosso top desta quarta-feira.

E pra finalizar, menção honrosa pro curta mais fantástico que menciona pedofilia. Um elenco mais estelar que o mencionado nos filmes anteriores. E com uma direção que pega o Alan pelas Balls e mostra quem é que manda nessa p*rra. Só vendo pra crer. Com vocês: Ciranda! rs

As Summer comes to a close, I read furiously. I have to finish all the frivolous, indulgent books I’ve picked up over the warm months that will soon be abandoned in favor of heavy textbooks. And that includes my Teen Fiction collection. I’ve mentioned it before and I will say it again: I’m not ashamed of my little fascination with Teen Reads. However, when I’m reading on a break from classes at my university, I’m too embarassed to be caught with a fluffy teen read in my hand. Being somewhat of a book snob myself, I know people will judge me based on what I’m reading and I would like to maintain some shred of dignity around this institution. Therefore, I reached for “Towelhead” by Alicia Erian.

I discovered this little gem in the Teen Fiction section a couple months ago, but it’s sat on my shelf, just waiting to be read. I was attracted to the cover more than anything and the fact that it was being made into a movie enticed me further.

“Towelhead” is set in the early 90’s in Texas, with tensions high due to the war in the Middle East. 13-year-old Jasira moves to live with her strict Lebanese father after her mother’s boyfriend started paying more attention to Jasira than her mother. As a well-developed 13-year-old, Jasira struggles with the transition from childhood to young adulthood with a body superior to her peers. She attracts attention from all sorts of people; strangers classmates, her much-older, married neighbor (Mr. Vuoso), everyone except her parents it seems.

Jasira goes through a series of coming-of-age adventures. Despite some graphic and possibly disturbing encounters, Jasira’s story is told with such a charming, naive voice that the reader can look past the blatant sexuality.

Even though she acts and thinks just like every other 13-year-old, Jasira gives into the attention she is given from Mr. Vuoso and also, a particular boy at school. Besides these exploits, Jasira also faces racial discrimination, being called “Towelhead” amongst other names. The novel deals with all sorts of difficult issues that a 13-year-old should be ignorant to. She shouldn’t be worrying about her race or sexuality, yet Jasira does.

Besides being smart and charming, “Towelhead” has a unique story and point of view. It’s a refreshing and very different kind of novel. Readers won’t be able to compare this to anything they’ve read before, that’s for sure. PLUS – the movie version features Aaron Eckhart and who doesn’t want an excuse to watch a movie starring him!

Titolo originale: Towelhead

Regia: Alan Ball

Cast: Aaron Eckhart, Toni Collette, Maria Bello, Peter Macdissi, Summer Bishil, Chris Messina, Gemmenne De la Peña, Robert Baker, Eamonn Roche, Carrie Preston,  Chase Ellison, Irina Voronina,  Cleo King, Soledad St Hilaire, Eugene Jones III

Distribuzione: Videa- CDE, USA, 2007

Guarda il trailer

Tratto dal romanzo Beduina di Alicia Erian, il film racconta la storia di Jasira (Summer Bishil), tredicenne che vive con sua madre Gail (Maria Bello) di origine irlandese a Syracuse, nello Stato di New York.  Accortasi delle crescenti attenzioni che il compagno ha nei confronti della ragazzina, il cui corpo è in pieno sviluppo, la donna spedisce la figlia a Houston da sua padre, Rifat (Peter Macdissi) un uomo di origine libanese, dalle vedute molto rigide e ristrette. Repressa dal padre e irrisa ed emarginata a scuola, a Jasira non resta che la sua attività di baby sitter presso la famiglia Vuoso, i nuovi vicini di casa, Il capofamiglia Travis (Aaron Eckhart), riservista americano,  lega subito con lei, ma i loro rapporti sono destinati a cambiare, creando non pochi problemi e incertezze nella ragazza…

Questa bellissima pellicola segna l’esordio alla regia di Alan Ball,  premio Oscar per la sceneggiatura con American Beauty e autore di serie tv di successo come Six feet under e True Blood.

Il film racconta una storia complessa sotto vari punti di vista: in primis abbiamo una ragazzina di tredici anni, Jasira, emarginata per le sue origini medio-orientali, che sta vivendo la fase più delicata e più complicata per tutti i ragazzi, quella fase di transizione tra infanzia e adolescenza, nella quale il corpo cambia e non si sa ancora bene cosa fare, cosa sentire, cosa si sta diventando. A questo quadro così complesso va aggiunto anche il passaggio repentino della ragazza da una vita molto, forse troppo, permissiva con sua madre, a una vita fatta di limiti, divieti e tradizioni a lei sconosciute con suo padre, di fatto un padre-padrone che pensa solo alla facciata, a “salvaguardare l’onore di sua figlia” proibendole persino di utilizzare gli assorbenti interni, o arrivando a schiaffeggiarla per una mise che a suo avviso è troppo osè o impedendole di frequentare Thomas (Eugene Jones III), un suo compagno di scuola, perché di colore e pericoloso per il suo onore.

A questo mondo fatto di rifiuti, limiti, restrizioni, Jasira trova una piccola via di fuga quando si reca a fare da baby-sitter al figlio dei Vuoso. Durante uno dei pomeriggi trascorsi lì, scopre per caso le riviste per soli uomini di Travis, e ne resta affascinata. Guardando le foto nelle riviste scopre l’autoerotismo.

Questo suo essere un po’ bambina, un po’ donna, questa sua aria da Lolita inconsapevole attirano le attenzioni di Travis, che inizia a sedurla. Ciò provocherà conseguenze importanti su di lei e su quelli che la circondano. Non procederò oltre nella descrizione della trama per non rovinare la sorpresa a quanti andranno a vedere questa bella pellicola, ma vorrei solo aggiungere che ciò che si evince dalla storia è che Jasira capisce cosa attrae di sè uomini e coetanei, cosa indispettisce il suo rigido padre e tenta di utilizzarlo per essere accettata, per ricevere quell’affetto che in famiglia e altrove le viene negato.

Passiamo ora al cast, in primis alla bravissima ed esordiente Summer Bishil, in un ruolo decisamente non facile e pieno di ombre e ambiguità, che lei interpreta con una naturalezza notevole. I suoi occhi sono più efficaci delle parole. Inoltre molto bravo anch Aaron Eckhart nel ruolo di Travis, attratto sessualmente da Jasira, ma allo stesso tempo titubante ed  indeciso su cosa fare (a tal proposito c’è una scena molto bella ed intensa con lui che si guarda allo specchio). Infine da segnalare Toni Collette, nei panni di Melina, la vicina incinta che si accorge che qualcosa non va in Jasira, e cerca in tutti i modi di aiutarla.

In definitiva una pellicola ben realizzata, ricca di spunti e di temi scottanti ed attuali, raccontati senza fronzoli ma con garbo, e con un cast decisamente all’altezza.

Conclusione: Consigliatissimo.

Voto: 8.5

- Niente Velo per Jasira – 2009 – ♥♥♥ e 1\2-

di

Alan Ball

Alan Ball è una certezza nel mondo della sceneggiatura. Vanta un premio Oscar per lo shockante American Beauty e il fatto di essere il creatore di due ben fatte quanto famose serie televisive come Six Feet Under e True Blood. Ma questa volta si cimenta dietro la macchina da presa traendo la sua sceneggiatura dalle pagine del romanzo di Alicia Erian “Beduina” creando un film per molti aspetti paragonabile al celebre film di Sam Mendes (American Beauty) ma con l’intento più profondo si indagare le radici di una cultura americana che nasconde dietro al puritanesimo una sessualità che dall’ altra parte ostenta. La protagonista è la tredicenne Jasira che viene mandata a vivere dal padre-padrone libanese, perchè la madre americana non riesce a gestire lo sguardo interessato del suo compagno verso la giovane ragazza che è nel bel mezzo del suo sviluppo sessuale. Jasira non saprà gestire in maniera corretta le pulsioni espresse dal suo corpo perchè circondata da un mondo di adulti ambigui e potenzialmente pericolosi che invece sanno perfettamente come trarre vantaggi da lei. Ball partendo dal forte valore che gli Stati Uniti danno alla bellezza punta il dito con coraggio verso le contraddizioni della sua stessa nazione sia in campo sessuale, che in campo politico (il periodo è quello della controversa Guerra del Golfo per stanare Saddam Hussein). E non solo. Anche la discriminazione razziale celata dietro un “velo” di perbenismo o protezione sembra essere ancora uno dei grandi problemi della società americana secondo il regista.E le emozioni dello spettatore durante la visione di questo film anch’esse sono pervase da un senso di ambiguità che portano a domandarsi quali siano i reali confini di una società dominata dal sesso e dall’ apparire ma che non sa gestire con adeguati metodi educativi questa esigenza esterna imposta. La fotografia di Towelhead (questo è il titolo originale del film che tradotto letteralmente sta a significare una delle offese lanciate ai mediorientali: “teste di turbante”) è interamente pervasa da tonalità calde giallo-arancioni che rendono le atmosfere del film ancora più avvolgenti e immergendo lo spettatore in un disagio continuo. Soprattutto durante le scene di molestie messe in atto dall’ ambiguo riservista dell’ esercito americano, nonchè vicino di casa di Jasira, Mr. Vuoso (Aaron Eckhart). Il personaggio di Jasira vorrebbe rappresentare secondo Ball una metafora perfetta dell’ ipocrisia della società statunitense in continuo dilemma tra la sua apparente realtà fatta di prati perfettamente curati e villette a schiera e la sua indole multi-culturale e razzista. L’ esordiente protagonista Summer Bishil, facendosi forza del suo naturale sguardo intenso da mediorientale, gioca bene a far la lolita confusa ma consapevole e dà luce a una prova soddisfacente seppur a tratti un pò monocorde. Un finale catartico e pervaso dal senso di rinascita dalle proprie ceneri e dalla confessione delle violenze pedofile sembra tuttavia apparire molto surreale. Ma quando ci si ricorda che a dipingere il tutto è un regista grottesco e ironico come Alan Ball in grado di parlare del puritanesimo statunitense anche utilizzando i vampiri (True Blood) si comprende il senso della scelta speranzosa.

( Mia figlia è casta e pura..guai a chi la tocca)

( Perdità della verginità)

just finished watching the movie towelhead. i’m not sure i like it.

it’s quite graphic, sometimes unnecessarily so. at times i would cringe in awkwardness, hoping the movie would skip to a new scene. but no. the most uncomfortable scenes in the movie lasted the longest.

who knows, i’ll let it sit for a while. maybe i’ll grow to like it eventually. maybe not…

Towelhead

Towelhead is almost a female version of Running with Scissors.  Both deal with themes of homosexuality, abuse, and bizarre, unaware family members.  While the title of the film (and if I recall correctly, the preview I saw) suggests more of a theme of racism whereas the film centers around protagonist Jasira’s sexual discovery and abuse.  The characters surrounding Jasira are pretty interesting, including her father, who, when is he isn’t being racist or cruel to Jasira, is actually funny (as in we are laughing at him, not with).  Aaron Eckhart plays a difficult role as the scummy neighbor with a Texas accent that isn’t entirely there.  There’s her awkward black boyfriend Thomas, who while a bit of a sex-obsessed high school student, ultimately seems to be a decent person.  However, the real hero of the film is Jasira’s neighbor Melina and her husband Gil who shelter Jasira.  Overall, Towelhead is an interesting combination of family problems and abuse with some scattered bits of humor to lighten it up.

Bottle Shock

First off, I like Alan Rickman.  He has a great voice and is just perfect as a British wine connoisseur Steven Spurrier.  I was most interested in his story along with California vinter Jim Barrett (Bill Pullman).  However, much of the film is derailed with Chris Pine and Freddy Rodriguez’s love triangle with their wineyard’s intern.  This subplot is not new, interesting, and not entirely resolved even though it takes up a good chunk of the film.  The story of the Judgment of Paris though is a solid interpretation of theme of snooty Europeans being knocked down a peg by the down-to-earth Americans.  Judging by Chris Pine’s role in this and the following movie, he seems predisposed to playing arrogant douchebags who get beat up in bars.

Star Trek

Just in case you don't believe me that there are explosions, there is one on the poster.

When I first heard that JJ Abrams was going to be directing the new Star Trek movie, I was excited.  I love his work on Lost and Cloverfield, but after seeing the trailer, I wasn’t so sure.  Luckily, the trailer lowered my expectations enough to make the film somewhat enjoyable.  I know we don’t need another person on the internet complaining about Star Trek, but there was a lot of dumb stuff in the movie.  There are sword fights (why?  you realize you have phasers, right?), a villain with ridiculous intentions and motivations (along with an evil space ship that has an interior like something out of Galaxy Quest), and enough deux ex machina to have its own gravitational field.  And speaking of which, I don’t rightly understand the confusion about singularities that sometimes makes them destroy planets and sometimes allows people to travel through time.

The cast is decent, though it’s hard to tell through the explosions.  Chris Pine is clearly doing his own thing with Kirk, which is fine in itself, but I’m not sure his characterization gave him much more personality than “kind-of-a-dick”.  Karl Urban does a good impression of Bones and Sylar is spot-on with Spock.  Anton Yelchin and Simon Pegg are enjoyable comic relief as Chekov and Scotty respectively.  But why is Tyler Perry in this film?  Was he doing research for Tyler Perry’s Madea Joins Star Fleet? (Cracked has a good take-down of Tyler Perry here.)

Ideally, what I wanted in a new Star Trek film was a film taking place further in the future with a transitional cast from ST:TNG, with a series spinoff.  Obviously, that film doesn’t make nearly as much money as this one and I couldn’t guarantee that the plot would have been much better, but I would have liked it more.  Anyway, the plot to Star Trek basically undoes all Star Trek canon.  Since so much of the Federation beating back the Borg in ST:TNG and First Contact was so dependent on very specific set of extenuating circumstances which would not have happened due to all the changes in the timeline, I’m going to assume that a hundred years or so after Star Trek, the Borg came along and assimilated everyone.  The End.

Crank: High Voltage

I can’t begin to describe this film.  The plot is as enjoyably absurd as one could hope with a group of Chinese medics rescuing Chev Chelios (Jason Statham) who just fell out of a helicopter, stealing his heart, and plotting to steal his penis (yes, that happens and in the first five minutes no less).  As much as I joked about needing to see the first film for this to make sense, it actually did help to know some of the characters and events of the original Crank.  As over-the-top violent and misogynystic the first one was, this one was even more so – a not unimpressive feat.  Though the plot is (intentionally) ridiculous, the humor, effects, and tongue-in-cheek dialog are whip-smart.  I love that they kept the Google Maps transitions, too.

Crank is clearly setup now for a third entry, though I’m not quite sure what can be done to top Chev Chelios having to keep his adrenaline up and having to stay electrically charged.  Is he going to be on fire throughout Crank 3?  Does he have to kill someone every 10 seconds to stay alive?

Arbitrary song of the day: Nine Inch Nails – La Mer

“The mark of intelligence is having the capacity of holding two conflicting
ideas in your head at one time.”

A strong film, Towelhead (Nothing is Private) tells the story of Jasira, a Lebanese-American adolescent, as she encounters the harsh realities of racism, sexual confusion, abuse, and an over-bearing father. Summer Bishill’s performance was incredible and American Beauty director Alan Ball does a great job of telling a story as disturbing as this one. And yes, it’s very painful to watch.

Some might suggest the movie is too disturbing. And at times, you may wonder where all of it is going. I saw it differently. Teen angst is a story we see much of in today’s movies, but rarely do we get such an intense glimpse into the issues of growing up in a world as divided and confused as ours. And there’s are a lot of us who don’t even realize it’s divided. To those people — this movie’s for you. Watch this film and watch it intently.

- JD

I watched Alan Ball’s Towelhead last night and I’ve been wondering why I can’t get it out of my mind. 

If you haven’t seen it, Towelhead is the coming of age story of an adolescent girl (Jasira) who, though she is incidental to the lives of the people she is supposed to be important to, in the ways in which she is supposed to be important to them, is also their central focus as she embodies the female sexual power they all want to possess.  These people – her mother, father, mother’s boyfriend, her next door neighbor/pedophile/ letch, and her boyfriend – all attempt to expropriate her budding sexual agency.  They all represent the various ways in which women’s agency is stolen from them by patriarchal society — paternalism, forbidden fruit, the social construction of virginity, dirty sex, inter-gender sexual power threats, etc.   But ultimately, Jasira reappropriates her sexual vitality by recognizing that others have been naming her life for her and, in so doing, taking from her what is rightfully her own. 

The film was originally called Nothing is Private, even though it is based on the book Towelhead by Alicia Erian, and there was a good deal of controversy in the Middle Eastern community about the name of both the book and the film.  I haven’t read the book so can’t speak to it’s title, but for the film, I can’t help but think a title dealing with privacy issues might be more apropos.  The fact that there has been controversy about the naming of the film, rather than the content of the film, is ironic.  Race and ethnicity?  Touchy, touchy.  Patriarchal saturation and sexual subordination?  Whatever do you mean?  Funny, we can talk about racial inequality, but can’t even see the gender inequality when it hits us in the face, as it does in this film. 

And I can’t help but wonder how many people saw this film and immediately condemned Jasira for her normal, natural (and I mean natural in the correct use of the term, not a socially constructed use) sexual explorations.  How many people thought it was normal for the young boy to look at porn — actually just stare at porn, not old enough yet to know what to make of it — but abnormal (icky word) for Jasira to be intrigued and stimulated by it?  How many people blamed Jasira (you were right again, William Ryan) for just being sexual?  And how many of those people, including women — no, especially women — had the same feelings themselves when they were 13 years old?  Or had they been successfully indoctrinated enough into the good girl vs bad girl mentality to completely suppress those feelings and commit a little sexual agency hara-kiri on their own?  Do they resent Jasira for her lack of complacency and compliancy?

This is a film that I’d like to show in my women’s & gender studies classes, but I hesitate — it may be too graphic.  Is it?  Jasira is certainly an everyday she-ro.  What would her impact be on young women who are both thrilled and terrorized by their own emergent sexual energy?  I can only imagine empowerment. Maybe like Jasira they, too, could reclaim the blood they shed as their own.

See this film! http://wip.warnerbros.com/towelhead/  Do it for your daughters.  Do it for the girl you used to be.

Now, back to writing about beer …

After a long break due to the exhausted haze of motherhood I’ve been reading again. So far this year I’ve read:

Simmone Howell’s Everything Beautiful

When you hear a book is set in a Christian camp you get preconceived notions of happy, wholesome campers and God, but Simmone Howell’s second novel Everything Beautiful takes all those notions and tips them on their head.

Riley Rose is overweight and for the most content with her body image, even though she has self esteem issues these are more to do with the fallout from her mother’s death two years before.

I loved Riley. She’s a character you don’t see often. She’s an individual who’s comfortable being apart from everyone else. Everything Beautiful is book that resonates after the last chapter. It’s subtle, real and gritty. In the end it’s not about being saved by God, but rather about saving yourself and I loved that.

Alicia Erian’s Towelhead

I’ve heard about this book for a while and it’s been on my to read list. It’s such an engaging read, slightly disturbing but also really funny.

It sucks you in from the first line which is one of the best first line’s I’ve read:

‘My mother’s boyfriend got a crush on me, so she sent me to live with Daddy.’

As a parent this book also hit its mark because Jasira is so desperate to be loved due to her parent’s self-involvement and all her actions stem from this.

While the subject matter is disturbing the book is not written to sensationalise and shock. There is true empathy for Jasira’s plight and this is what makes it so readable.

L. M. Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables

I read these as a teenager and collected the whole series. Reading my journals as an adult I found all these quotes attributed to L. M. Montgomery and had to wrack my brains to remember who it was and why I wrote them.

I’m re-reading these because I want my daughter to read these books and have them be a part of her adolescence. Anne is impetuous, good hearted and her adventures are so wholesome, yet the novel still packs a punch and is relevant 100 years after it was first published.

This weekend was another super busy one, starting on Friday which I spent at art fairs – this time as a writer, not as an organizer, which was pretty rad. No, I didn’t get a job-job, but I do write occasionally and was writing reviews of two of the fairs, so I grabbed my camera and recorder (just like a spy!) and set out to VOLTA and the Armory Show. After spending many, many hours walking around, taking pictures, interviewing people, making notes and suffering from an overload of visual stimulation, I took a break and had a $13 sandwich that was not very good at VOLTA. 

Then I did it all again for a few more hours, until I was finally back home uploading pictures and transcribing my notes. For some reason I don’t get press passes when I go to these things (the peeps I write for haven’t given me any sort of press credential). That means that as I walk around asking exhibitors for interviews and they ask who I am writing for, I have no proof. I look really young, and I am pretty sure they think I am covering a story for a college newspaper or something. When in reality, I am a hard core, tough question-asking, looking under every rock, bad ass news reporter. (Ok, fine not really, but like I said, I do have a recorder).

I was exhausted when I got home, but I rallied. I had to, because my friend GW was coming over for a few tasty cocktails before we headed out to the  Queens Museum for an Armory VIP event. We took the train and a cab to get there – it is a bit out of the way – but with food, drinks and a tour of the installation led by the curators, it was a worthwhile trip. Also, some of the artists were in attendance, which is always a nice touch. MNH mostly hung out at the Panorama again. It’s pretty cute – every time we go there he immediately peels off to check it out, and I think, if left to his own devices, he could spend endless hours pouring over the model.

We didn’t stay for too long however, because I had to get up early the next day, and we still hadn’t had dinner. So we headed out to Flushing for soup dumplings – yes, I know I just ate them on Tuesday, but they are soup dumplings, and I wanted them again. My friend joined us for dinner, though she didn’t really take to the art of eating the dumpling, and stuck mostly with lo mein. Her loss, my gain – I ate way too many dumplings. Then, on something of a dare from MNH, I stuck an orange in my mouth and danced around like some scene that I don’t know from the Godfather, or so I was told, and then faked a heart attack and fell to the floor. My Oscar, please….   

Our trip home was really long, and we were all tired. But luckily for us, a guy with a guitar entered our subway car and serenaded us with some Neil Young. GW and I sang backup, quietly and then, FINALLY, we were home. I spent the next day writing while MNH went off to work. Once I sent my articles in I needed a break, so I climbed into bed with my laptop and watched Towelhead, which was an incredibly upsetting movie and did not put me in the partying mood. But, I rallied again, and got ready to meet friends at Daddy O’s. It turned out to be a really fun night too, a lot of people came out that I haven’t seen in a while, including my friend Strachs, whose birthday it is today! So a lot of fun was had  by all, and a lot of drinks were drunk. Like dirty vodka martinis. I’m not saying who drank them, I’m just saying…there were some martinis. I ended the night with a slice of delicious pepporoni pizza from Joe’s, and headed home.

Sunday was brunch day. We decided on Bubby’s in Tribeca, but I think that might be the last time I go there. Aside from the 1 hour wait, which you expect at that joint, they had run out of everything MNH wanted to eat, were super long with getting coffee to the table, and took forever to take our food orders. The food is ok, but definitely not worth all of that. Oh, but we did see Pacey from Dawson’s Creek, so that made it a little bit better, at least for me and my sister. The restaurant was buzzing with whispers of “Pacey” & “Dawson’s Creek” – I guess like me, they didn’t know his real name either. After brunch MNH and I walked around SoHo for a bit in the drizzly rain which was pretty romantic, I thought. Later on at home we ordered Chinese food and watched An Affair to Remember. That movie kills me. Then we went to bed and did the crossword puzzle, which has become a habit for us now, and one of my favorite ways to end a day, curled up with MNH.

So it was a long, lovely weekend. I hope yours was too. Anyone do anything fun?

Towelhead
★★★ / ★★★★

I had a difficult time digesting this film because even though there are elements I liked about it (such as the quiet chaos that happens in suburbia that of which focuses on an Arab-American main character), I thought the sexual scenes are graphic, especially when Summer Bishil plays a thirteen-year-old girl. Yes, it’s honest in its portrayal of sexual predators, blooming sexualities, and wanting to escape a home full emotional suppression but it just felt wrong to me. But at the same, I feel like it’s necessary to make, show, and watch films like these because they function like a mirror to our deluded society. Most people like to believe this idea of middle schoolers retaining their innocence, but in reality, kids do have sex at a young age nowadays (The thirteen-year-old father comes to mind.). Films like “Towelhead” reminds us what we choose to ignore and (maybe) eventually forget. I also liked this film’s portrayal of Bishil’s sexuality. I know a lot of people will assume that her character is a bisexual or lesbian, but argue that she is not. In my opinion, she is aroused by looking at the magazines of naked women because it’s what she is not: a person who is free to do whatever she wants and looking like a model (despite being heavily Photoshopped). Moreover, since that magazine is the first thing that awoken her sexual curiosity, it’s only natural that she keeps going back to it. Subtle messages like that forces me to give this film a recommendation because it’s trying to get its audiences to dig under the surface. Other good performances include Peter Macdissi as Bishil’s strict father, Toni Collette as the kind-hearted pregnant neighbor, and Matt Letscher as Collette’s wordly husband. I really enjoyed Collette and Letscher’s characters because I found a certain light in them that I otherwise couldn’t find in the other characters (with the exception of Bishil). Most of the time, I love films that push the envelop but I found it hard to love this one; I admire it but I don’t quite love it because it made me feel sick and disgusted. That said, I think it’s a powerful film because it’s able to get a negative intuitive reaction from me–a trait that I haven’t encountered in a long time.

Eric and I watched two babysitting-themed movies last weekend, Adventures in Babysitting and Towelhead. Although these movies are very different, let’s put that fact aside and just focus on what I’ve concluded about baby-sitters: 

-They can be really hot, and you may not want to leave your husband alone with them. 

-They may take your kids into the city without your permission, and put them in danger of being kidnapped, sliding down a building, or being forced to sing in a blues club. 

-It seems almost certain that they will look through your private stuff. 

-Once you’ve spent money on your outing, you have to come home and pay them. 

-They don’t seem to be interested in teaching your kid anything, instead they test all of the boundaries and then cover up the evidence. 

-They eat your food, sit on your couch, and watch your television. 

-One thing I discovered in both movies – it seems that when there’s a babysitter around, so is Playboy magazine. Odd. -K