Movies, Mom & Me

1. Who's watched:  G
2. Mentions:  none
3. Commentary:  I rented this, fell in love with it as the ultimate in political instruction and purchased a copy for myself as a reminder of what I'll be up against if I ever decide to enter into politics (which I may) and how to give as good as I get. Although this movie is, of course, a broad satire, it is also a case of a no holds barred portrayal of reality being the satire. It isn't that I haven't been aware that much of politics is froth...it's that this movie made me realize that one can't beat the influence of froth unless one understands it and, as well, is willing to occasionally decorate one's priorities with froth. And, no, Mom never watched it. I made the choice not to show it to her. I was concerned that the speaking was so fast and furious that she would get lost in the shuffle. I now think I may have underestimated her ability to understand the point of this movie, and enjoy it. Maybe I'll do better next life.

Labels: me-favorite, political, satire

# posted by gail @ 18:09    0 comments    email......this post

1. Who's watched:  M & G
2. Mentions:  none
3. Commentary:  Ah! This movie is a buried treat! I knew nothing about it when I spotted it at Costco. The play from which it is adapted continues to be produced and, apparently, over the last few years, has been considered especially timely: check out this link for proof. I purchased it solely on the strength of it being yet another Tracy/Hepburn movie. When Mom and I enthusiastically cracked the case that afternoon and watched the movie, we were both blown away! Aside from the fact that I can't believe this movie isn't more well known, it's extremely timely. It talks about political and economic issues with which we are still struggling; it suggests the possibility of not only a European Union but a World Union with a World Currency; it discusses the problems of corporate industry and talks about the relationship between management and unions...and, of course, it deals heavily with political corruption by lobbyists and business. It's story line includes a sub-story which is a frank exploration of marriage versus mistresses and the "sacrifices" wives and husbands appear to be obliged to make when one of them becomes involved in politics. It is yet another one of Frank Capra's movies and is clearly identifiable as one. And, it was made in 1948!
     Mom and I were both wowed by this movie and wondered why it isn't considered among the Tracy/Hepburn classics, or among Capra's classics. We watched it multiple times before Mom died. I've watched it a couple of times since.

Labels: drama, me-favorite, political, presidential, tracy-hepburn

# posted by gail @ 16:49    0 comments    email......this post

1. Who's watched:  G
2. Mentions:  none
3. Commentary:  I had wanted to watch this movie ever since it came out and somehow never got the chance. I never mentioned it to anyone, but I thought of it often. When we joined a rental service I put it in my queue but there were always so many other, much lighter movies that I placed before it because, somehow, I knew this wasn't a film Mom would want to watch. Then, during the spring of 2008 when Mom was in the hospital an rehab, out of the blue MFS sent me a copy of this movie...even though I'm sure I never mentioned my interest in it to her...it's become, since, a symbol of our psychic link.
     This movie is frenetic, tragic and gorgeous, all at the same time. Ostensibly the story of what addiction (to a variety of "things", including dreams) can do to a person. It's wonderfully acted and so succinctly imagined, written, produced, directed and portrayed that, after one scene in which one of the characters sexually compromises herself for drugs, MFS told me she felt like she needed to take a shower after the scene. It's true: The movie throws the grime of desperation right through the screen at you. There's something in this movie to make anyone, everyone feel dirty. The desperation never lets up; it's like watching a family version of Titus Andronicus. Which, of course, thrills me. I don't know why I'm attracted to such spot-on portrayals of the dregs of life, but I am, and this one is a masterpiece. I've watched it three times since I've received it. I'll watch it again. I've even created the category of "tragedy" for it, because, oddly, despite my attraction to tragedy, except for some of the video adaptations of Shakespeare's plays, we have no other relentless tragedies. I think I held off while Mom was alive because I suspected that I wouldn't be able to watch them, much. I was right...but, (cackling deleriously and rubbing hands together) THE SCREEN IS MINE, ALL MINE, NOW...

Labels: audio-visual, drama, dream, film-art, haunting, me-favorite, tragedy, violence

# posted by gail @ 14:56    0 comments    email......this post

1. Who's watched:  M & G
2. Mentions:  none
3. Commentary:  I'm truly surprised that I never mentioned this movie in the journals because, after I'd first seen it, the year it was released, I was mesmerized by it and talked it up to everyone who would listen, rented it endlessly and forced relatives to watch it with me, etc. I've often tried to explain why this movie has such a hold over me. Luckily, Mom always enjoyed it, as she does most big country-spectacle-epics. The acting is poor to fair to good to very occasionally excellent (usually the minor characters ring in the excellence in acting); the story is, well, the father-son story at the base of it is reasonably interesting but predictable; but the whole business about bears and the fall...it resonates with my own interest in bears and the fact that I've always been unreasonably proud of being a fall baby and feel "special" because of that accident of birth timing. I tend to feel as though I am in a dream when I watch this movie. Weird, I know. But, I expect to unreasonably love this movie for the rest of my life. I was lucky that Mom enjoyed it, too, I think it was like reading a sprawling novel, for her, thus she indulged my need to watch this at least once a year, if not more.

Labels: action, adventure, drama, dream, haunting, me-favorite, period, spectacle, violence, war

# posted by gail @ 14:33    0 comments    email......this post

1. Who's watched:  M & G
2. Mentions:  *1*
3. Commentary:  Despite the unresounding reception Mom gave this film when we first watched it, after some extensive wrangling I finally obtained a copy of it, solely because I wanted to watch it again, and again, and probably again. After a second watching of it, Mom warmed to it. It's a subtle movie, restrained acting in display of a restrained household...which is part of its magic. Judi Densch and Billy Connolly are wonderful in it.

Labels: biography, drama, historical, me-favorite, period, political, royals

# posted by gail @ 13:57    0 comments    email......this post

1. Who's watched:  M & G
2. Mentions:  *1*
3. Commentary:  My initial interest in this movie was that Robert Downey, Jr., plays the title character. I've never been disappointed with his work, even loved and admired some of it, and I couldn't imagine him playing a super hero. "Must really need the money," I thought, but I went for it, anyway. Perfect casting, I decided, just perfect, and good super hero story, too, good enough for me to want to own it after having rented it (and, I don't have a yen to own many super hero movies, although I try to watch as many as possible). Even though I purchased this movie some weeks before Mom's death and we both watched it (she wasn't thrilled with it), after Mom's death I found myself watching this movie several times...introducing it to relatives then watching it more on my own. I can't explain why, but it has provided me with inexplicable comfort since my mother's death. And, LOVE the suit...

Labels: action, adventure, drama, fantasy, me-favorite, science-fiction, suspense, violence

# posted by gail @ 16:00    0 comments    email......this post

1. Who's watched:  M & G
2. Mentions:  *1*
3. Commentary:  Yes, Mom and I watched this movie a long time ago, when it first came out in video. Remembering how Mom enjoyed it (whether or not she believed in angels, I never asked her this, despite her interest in this movie and the Touched by an Angel series), when I noticed it on TV during our channel surfing episodes, if nothing else looked more interesting to her, I'd click into it. I watched the entire movie once. Although I was (an remain) impressed with the visualization of how the angels in the movie exist on earth, since I'd seen Wings of Desire long prior to watching this movie, became interested in this movie because I enjoyed the former and was sorely disappointed that the remake was sooooo much different than the movie upon which it was based, after my first watching, I subsequently paid little attention to it, except, I must mention, the panoramic shots of angels, which I continued to admire.
       Then, Mom died, and, well, the rest of the story of my relationship to this movie and why I decided to purchase a copy of it is contained in the link up there in the Mentions section. And, yes, I'm still embarrassed by my late-realized attraction to certain scenes in this movie. It is, for instance, with some chagrin that I'm labeling (below) this movie in the "spiritual" category. Objectively, it's not, really, but I have to say, reluctantly, that the effect of the angel-vision scenes on me after my mother's death is emotional-spiritual (probably the "emotional" aspect is more important than the "spiritual" aspect).

Labels: drama, fantasy, haunting, me-favorite, romance, spiritual

# posted by gail @ 12:24    0 comments    email......this post

1. Who's watched:  M & G
2. Mentions:  None
3. Commentary:  I was reminded of this movie when I heard that James Brown died early Christmas morning last year. The "Feel Good" song will forever be linked with this movie, for me, because it was perfect "song" casting. And, this movie will forever be a touchstone movie for me.
     It is the acute portrayal of a man with whom I was in love and involved for many years, until his death by suicide in a mental hospital, to which he had voluntarily committed himself because of, well, a bout of suicidal depression. He was the same age as Mr. Jones at his death. He was, in fact, like Mr. Jones in every respect, including delusions of being able to fly, except that his raw talent was not in music but in graphic art. When I saw the movie, by accident, actually, the year after it was released (it ended up on TV, as I recall) I was astonished at the portrayal. I have, since then, used it as the dictionary to which I refer when my former, dead lover comes up in conversation.
     The day James Brown died I remembered the movie and decided I wanted it in our collection. For reference. Cheap DVD on Amazon. I noticed, over and over, as I found myself reading the comments (which I almost never do), everyone else's story with this movie is the same as mine. It describes, perfectly, someone they love. As well, everyone had problems with the trajectory of the relationship between psychiatrist and patient and what it implies about "love conquers all". If you've loved one of these extraordinary people who has succeeded in taking his or or her own life, you know that love is not enough. The problem wasn't lack of love, or the type of love you offered.
     I can now afford to be lax about this problem with the movie. When I watched the movie again, with Mom, this time, I was once again electrified, from the very beginning, by Richard Gere's performance. If Ralph had lived to see this movie (he died in November, 1993) he would have danced gleefully and chanted, "That's me, that's me!"
     I'm not going to come out with of vote of grandeur for this movie that it doesn't posses. For some reason, though, because this movie exists, it is a comfort to those of us who have our Ralphs.

Labels: drama, me-favorite, romance

# posted by gail @ 11:16    0 comments    email......this post

1. Who's watched:  G
2. Mentions:  None
3. Commentary:  This is one of what I consider to be Peter Weir's more mysterious movies. Every time he does a movie about obvious political conflict, I come away with a sense that the big picture is disastrously easy to miss in the detail of living politically.
       I never think of this movie when Mom and I are deciding what to watch together. I expect she will never see it, simply because I don't think of it, even when we have a Peter Weir fest, which we do about once a year. I think she would find Linda Hunt's performance entertaining and noteworthy, but in a Samuel Johnson kind of way. Otherwise, I don't think she would find the story at all involving. Although I may be wrong. If I ever discover that I am, I will certainly update this report.

Labels: adventure, drama, historical, me-favorite, political, war, weir

# posted by gail @ 17:56    0 comments    email......this post

1. Who's watched:  M & G
2. Mentions:  None
3. Commentary:  The first time my mother watched this she said, enthusiastically, that she enjoyed it. The second time I watched it in her presence, she paid no attention to it. The third time, not too long ago, she stared at the screen in a daze but insisted on sticking with it, then announced at the end that "...it doesn't seem to have much of a point." In some ways, I consider this movie a barometer of my mother's mental acuity on the day she happens to see it.
       This is, by the way, one of my favorite Weir movies.

Labels: drama, fantasy, me-favorite, satire, weir

# posted by gail @ 13:00    0 comments    email......this post

1. Who's watched:  M & G
2. Mentions:  *1*
3. Commentary:  The above comment pretty much says it all.

Labels: drama, dream, me-favorite

# posted by gail @ 13:19    0 comments    email......this post

1. Who's watched:  M & G
2. Mentions:  *1*
3. Commentary:  I think this is the first Bette Davis movie I watched with attention, and it will remain my all time favorite of hers, edging out Now, Voyager only because I saw this one first. I love the presentation of the story; I love the way Davis plays the part; I love all the supporting characters, including Eve. Addison DeWitt strikes exactly the right tone, from beginning to end. It's funny, in the review to which I connect in the title, much mention is made of Marilyn Monroe's bit part, how her legendary luminosity is evident in this movie, how she steals all her scenes and how this appearance pre-figures her stardom. When she is in scene with Davis, though, I only have eyes for Davis. Monroe's luminosity may have drawing power, but it doesn't compare to Davis', which, I suppose, could be compared to that of a black hole, sucking viewers in beyond the power of a nascent star.
       Mom, of course, loves this movie because it features Bette Davis.

Labels: drama, me-favorite

# posted by gail @ 13:12    0 comments    email......this post

1. Who's watched:  M & G
2. Mentions:  none
3. Commentary:  I'm surprised that I haven't mentioned this movie in the journal. It made such an impression on me that I bought it the same day I rented and watched it. This is yet another movie that doesn't mention caregiving but is about caregiving. Although the detail is specific, the caregiver daughter shares an unusual talent for math with the father, the extent to which the caregiver comes to identify with the care recipient is not dependent on a shared talent. Watching the movie continues to give me goose flesh. My mother and I are not linked by an unusual talent but we are, now, linked by concern and proximity as well as a very dynamic love. I was also impressed by the relationship between the two daughters, how it spoke of the other daughter's relationship with her father...some subtle things were said about why certain people take over the care of their parent and others don't. As well, I certainly know the feeling of not needing to have someone take care of me but the fear that one (or more) of my sisters will feel the need to "care" for me. This movie is the second in my "library" of films that show an interest in caregiving, the first being Marvin's Room.

Labels: caregiver, drama, me-favorite

# posted by gail @ 09:03    0 comments    email......this post

1. Who's watched:  M (half) & G (all)
2. Mentions:  *1*
3. Commentary:  Well, I'm thrilled with this movie. It engaged me from the very beginning and entranced me to the very end. I bought the DVD immediately after seeing it so I could watch the special features and would have many chances to watch the movie again. It engaged Mom, too, but I guess I started it too late, she decided to take a nap about halfway through, then, remembering that it didn't keep her from taking a nap, has refused to watch it since, even though she watched the special features with me. I think I'll pop it on her by surprise. It's not as though she's unfamiliar with the subject or prey to what are considered the standard female predilections against fire arms. She used to be a crack shot and a gunnery instructor in the Navy, after all.

Labels: drama, haunting, me-favorite, political, violence, war

# posted by gail @ 22:30    0 comments    email......this post

1. Who's watched:  M & G
2. Mentions:  *1*
3. Commentary:  This movie causes both Mom & me to swoon. I'm pleased we finally own a copy. It's a "mood movie" for me: When I'm in the mood to watch it, nothing can take it's place and when we didn't own it I hungered for it when I wanted to see it.

Labels: biography, drama, haunting, historical, me-favorite, political, royals, spectacle

# posted by gail @ 17:12    0 comments    email......this post

1. Who's watched:  M & G
2. Mentions:  None
3. Commentary:  I used to be a Shakespeare snob. Up until the late 70's when I took a college course in Shakespeare I just didn't get what was interesting or important about Shakespeare's plays despite the fact that I'd studied two of them in high school. The course I took finally opened up the language and the structure for me. The class took place as these BBC plays were being broadcast on PBS and was recommended by the instructor. I bought a television just to see them. I get it, now. Although I have some other favorite productions of some of these plays: Laurence Fishburne's portrayal of Othello, for instance, and my favorite version of Hamlet is the production starring Richard Burton and Hume Cronyn, the vocals for which I have on record album, these BBC productions are excellent and do not disappoint. I hope to obtain the entire collection, since I've seen the entire collection.
     When I queue up these plays Mom tries her best but I think she's where I was before I took that course and, as well, she has trouble with British accents. It's easy for her to get bored and switch to her tabloids or take a nap.

Labels: buddy, drama, haunting, me-favorite, period, romance, royals, tragedy, TV, violence

# posted by gail @ 17:08    0 comments    email......this post

1. Who's watched:  M & G
2. Mentions:  None
3. Commentary:  I have, for a long time, been shy about mentioning my adoration for this movie. Something about the way it's put together from the beginning. Something about its nonmusical musical quality. Something about its datedness, which was dated when it was made and thus makes it a period piece. Something about the coarse vulnerability of the characters. Something about the title song. Mom likes watching it because it's a dance movie. That's good enough for me.

Labels: drama, me-favorite, musical, period

# posted by gail @ 17:05    0 comments    email......this post

1. Who's watched:  M & G
2. Mentions:  *1* *2*
3. Commentary:  This movie has an hypnotic effect on me. Aside from enjoying the super hero theory postulated in the movie and loving the way the father/son relationship is portrayed, I have a strong response to its technique, including the choice of shots, film editing, the way the story unfolds, the direction of the understated performances...every time I watch it I discover something new. It is, so far, my favorite Shyamalan movie. Mom likes its atmosphere but finds the story disturbing although she sticks with it when I watch it.

Labels: drama, fantasy, haunting, me-favorite, mystery, suspense, violence

# posted by gail @ 17:04    0 comments    email......this post

1. Who's watched:  M & G
2. Mentions:  *1*
3. Commentary:  I absolutely had to own this movie. Read the mention linked above to see why. Mom tolerates me when I watch it and usually reads her tabloids. I think it's too quiet for her.

Labels: caregiver, drama, me-favorite

# posted by gail @ 17:03    0 comments    email......this post

1. Who's watched:  G
2. Mentions:  None
3. Commentary:  What can I say? The Coen Brothers. Jeff Bridges. John Goodman. John Turturro. Steve Buscemi. The characterizations are over-the-top excellent. The humor is right up my alley. I can watch this one in whole or in part and never get tired of it. This is my definitive Up in Smoke movie.

Labels: buddy, me-favorite, satire

# posted by gail @ 17:01    0 comments    email......this post

1. Who's watched:  M & G
2. Mentions:  *1* *2*
3. Commentary:  Another favorite of mine. I love luxuriating in Maggie Smith's performance in this HBO movie. I love the ambiance of the voice over. I enjoy the story. Mom has liked this movie on and off. She has to be in the mood for it.

Labels: drama, dream, me-favorite, TV

# posted by gail @ 16:59    0 comments    email......this post

1. Who's watched:  M & G
2. Mentions:  *1*
3. Commentary:  Although the story is pleasant enough and I enjoy the romantic comedy no matter how many times I see it, this movie is a hallmark for me because I lived in Seattle when it was being filmed, saw it during its first run in Seattle and watch it more for its ability to transport me back to Seattle than anything else. Mom enjoys the story.

Labels: comedy, me-favorite, romance

# posted by gail @ 16:57    0 comments    email......this post

1. Who's watched:  M & G
2. Mentions:  *1* *2*
3. Commentary:  I've watched this movie three times, once, the first, on TCM. Mom and I continue to be transfixed by this movie, especially the clothes and the in-color fashion sequence. Joan Crawford is a riot as the seductress. The opening credits alone are worth seeing over and over.
     This movie is a part of the Joan Crawford Collection.

Labels: collection, me-favorite, romance, satire

# posted by gail @ 02:34    0 comments    email......this post

1. Who's watched:  M & G
2. Mentions:  *1*
3. Commentary:  Each of us had seen this at least once before we acquired it. Both of us are fascinated by the emotional violence in the film.
     This movie is a part of the Joan Crawford Collection.

Labels: collection, drama, me-favorite, mystery

# posted by gail @ 02:24    0 comments    email......this post

1. Who's watched:  M & G
2. Mentions:  None
3. Commentary:  I'm truly surprised I've never mentioned this film in the journal. Since I saw it in the theater I've rented it for both of us to watch. We are both always delighted with it. My mother consistently snorts her ironic disapproval during the scenes in which De Marco talks about women. At one point, the first time she saw it, she rolled her eyes and said, "Oh, brother!" By the end, though, she is always won over. This is one of those movies that makes me wonder which I enjoy more; watching the movie or watching my mother watch the movie.

Labels: dramedy, me-favorite, romance

# posted by gail @ 02:19    0 comments    email......this post

1. Who's watched:  M & G
2. Mentions:  *1* *2*
3. Commentary:  I saw this movie in the theater when it first came out strictly on the strength of my familiarity with Derek Jacobi, Emma Thompson and Kenneth Branagh. I fell in love with all of it: The story, the presentation, the delightful performance by Andy Garcia, the suspense, there isn't an aspect of it I don't love. I've rented it and shown it to Mom a couple of times. She is always entranced. I believe it was this movie the watching of which brought out the police on a noise ordinance complaint. It is worth it.

Labels: me-favorite, mystery

# posted by gail @ 02:18    0 comments    email......this post

1. Who's watched:  G
2. Mentions:  None
3. Commentary:  This is part of that "Meryl Streep" set. I was pleased about this addition because I love this movie. It's one I've done instant replay in order to cull quotes from it.

Labels: drama, me-favorite, satire

# posted by gail @ 07:29    0 comments    email......this post

1. Who's watched:  M & G, avidly
2. Mentions:  *1* *2* *3* *4*
3. Commentary:  I've talked quite a bit about this series and my mother's and my interest(s; separate, mostly) in it.
     Aside from that, if you're eschewing this series because of the language, sexuality and violence, you're missing a great production on many levels, not the least of which is its take on American History and the American Character.
       My mother goes back and forth in her feelings about this series. Sometimes it fascinates her. Sometimes it repulses her. At this point I feel we will continue to collect the seasons.

Labels: drama, historical, me-favorite, TV, violence

# posted by gail @ 07:27    0 comments    email......this post

1. Who's watched:  G
2. Mentions:  None
3. Commentary:  I originally watched this movie some years ago when I was self-studying war. I've watched it since when I desperately need to be reminded of everyone's essential humanity and of the root of all conflict.

Labels: drama, haunting, historical, me-favorite, political, war

# posted by gail @ 07:23    0 comments    email......this post

1. Who's watched:  G
2. Mentions:  *1* *2*
3. Commentary:  Now, this is my idea of a comedy! I laughed and laughed all the way through this thing, and then was stunned at the end! I never think to watch this movie when Mom's awake. I don't know if she'd like it or not. She surprised me with her devotion to My Dinner with Andre so, you never know. If she ever sees it, I'll be sure to report.

Labels: animated, dream, fantasy, film-art, me-favorite, satire

# posted by gail @ 07:22    0 comments    email......this post

1. Who's watched:  M & G
2. Mentions:  *1*
3. Commentary:  I wasn't sure if Mom would like this movie, even though it is one of my three favorite education movies. I needn't have worried. She got it, and she enjoyed it, although she prefers education movies like Stand and Deliver (the link to this movie, by the way, is to a site which details the fate of Jaime Escalante's legendary high school calculus program). She even said, "I've known teachers like that."

Labels: drama, me-favorite, period, political

# posted by gail @ 15:13    0 comments    email......this post

1. Who's watched:  G
2. Mentions:  None
3. Commentary:  This one is my treat, one of my trance movies. I don't know if Mom will ever see this movie. I think it would bore her. She does not find representations of the internal flights of one's mind interesting, not even if a story centers around them. She is a "what did they do", not a "what were they thinking" person. I think this is because she is such a quick study in regards to picking up on what people are thinking...but, considers that what a person is thinking is absolutely no excuse for bad behavior.

Labels: drama, dream, film-art, me-favorite, mystery

# posted by gail @ 15:12    0 comments    email......this post

1. Who's watched:  M & G
2. Mentions:  *1*
3. Commentary:  Mom doesn't remember this movie from watching to watching, but, each viewing rivets her, nonetheless. Her memory of WWII and her service in the Navy snap to attention in frequent spasms throughout the movie.
       Me? It's one of my all time favorites, not just for performance, or other film-making qualities, but I often think of this movie when I meditate on the subject of Conflict.

Labels: biography, historical, me-favorite, war

# posted by gail @ 10:31    0 comments    email......this post

1. Who's watched:  M & G
2. Mentions:  *1* *2* *3* *4* *5*
3. Commentary:  I know, I should be ashamed of how much I love this show. There's a lot of stuff involved: The time period; living on Guam when it first aired; knowing someone who became an instant and serious devotee of the series and what it represented, etc.
       I'm not sure why my mother likes it, but I know she does. It has an hypnotic effect on both of us.
       Although each of us, separately and together, have watched many episodes of this series many times, neither of us had seen the pilot, so that was a treat.
       I think, too, one of the reasons we bond over this series is that both of us have a bit of the monk in us.
       I know the story behind the series and know that, in some serious ways, its existence is a travesty to Bruce Lee, the man and the force. I keep this in mind when I watch it.
       My mother is not concerned with politically tainted considerations. She just likes the shows. She mistakes David Carradine for his father. Interesting, because I think they look nothing alike, nor do they act alike, especially in this series. At some point his father is in the series, playing and itinerant preacher. His brother Robert plays the preacher's mute sidekick, Sunny Jim. Another brother, Keith, plays Kwai Chang Caine as a teenage aspirant.

Labels: me-favorite, TV, western

# posted by gail @ 01:58    0 comments    email......this post

1. Who's watched:  M & G
2. Mentions:  *1*
3. Commentary:  This movie has haunted me since I saw it when it was first released. My mother has watched it a couple of times with me. She likes the background digideroo music, the otherworldliness of the movie...but she's not interested in trying to make sense of it. Neither am I, so we just watch it in awe on a fairly frequent basis.

Labels: drama, dream, fantasy, haunting, me-favorite, mystery, weir

# posted by gail @ 20:34    0 comments    email......this post

1. Who's watched:  M & G
2. Mentions:  *1*
3. Commentary:  I'm sure you'll be surprised to know that my mother (and, thus, me) had a very successful experience with this movie. I continue to use it as a meditation on conflict. Often, when I'm using it for this, Mom will sit down and watch it from wherever it is when she notices I'm playing it.

Labels: documentary, haunting, historical, me-favorite, war

# posted by gail @ 20:33    0 comments    email......this post

1. Who's watched:  G
2. Mentions:  None
3. Commentary:  I am also a devotee of Ben Kingsley's work. I find his portrayal in this movie thrilling. I'm sure my mother would ask, when it was over, "Now, what exactly was the point to that?!?" So, I don't imagine I'll ever invite her to watch it, nor will she express interest in it.

Labels: drama, dream, me-favorite, violence

# posted by gail @ 19:15    0 comments    email......this post

1. Who's watched:  M & G
2. Mentions:  *1*
3. Commentary:  This is one of my very favorite movies. It is one of my mother's least favorite movies. She watched it once when some friends were visiting, one of them noticed I had the movie and wanted to watch it. The visit became a Scarface Fest. When the movie was over my mother turned to me and said, "I don't know why you like watching all that blood-letting, girl!" Neither do I.

Labels: action, drama, me-favorite, period, violence

# posted by gail @ 19:13    3 comments    email......this post

1. Who's watched:  M & G (G many times)
2. Mentions:  *1* *2*
3. Commentary:  Another movie for which I have an unreasonable love which my mother tolerates. All I can say is, the scene where Noodles stirs his coffee? Devastates me every time.
       I don't think my mother gets the garbage truck scene, although she gets the rape scene and doesn't like it.

Labels: drama, dream, me-favorite, period, violence

# posted by gail @ 15:04    0 comments    email......this post

1. Who's watched:  M & G, many times
2. Mentions:  *1*
3. Commentary:  Okay, I don't know whether to be ashamed or not to say that I not only love this movie, I am in love with it. It has the ability to both soothe and encourage me. So, we watch it a lot. I know my mother enjoys it and sticks with it every time. I don't know if she has the same kind of gut reactions to it that I do. Fairly recently, toward the end of the holiday season, I watched this movie on dvd in the evening with Mom then turned right around and watched the entire movie again on cable. My mother did not stay up for the cable viewing.

Labels: Christmas, comedy, me-favorite, romance

# posted by gail @ 15:00    0 comments    email......this post

1. Who's watched:  M & G
2. Mentions:  *1*
3. Commentary:  We even had, the second time we watched it, a Watching Lawrence of Arabia party. Very successful.
       Both my mother and I are surprised at the things we learn about my father knowing that this movie was one of his two favorite movies, the other being Khartoum. He and I saw Khartoum together, a very memorable event, one I'll probably remember as though I'm going through it when I'm old and mentally creative. It happened in Honolulu, probably 1966, the year the movie came out, and involved a long evening stroll along the Ala Wai.
       I have, however, had no desire to see that one again. Lawrence of Arabia, though, sometimes I put the disc in and zone out on it for a half hour or so. My mother doesn't do this, but she enjoys the movie.

Labels: adventure, biography, dad-favorite, drama, historical, me-favorite, political, war

# posted by gail @ 14:58    0 comments    email......this post

1. Who's watched:  M & G
2. Mentions:  None
3. Commentary:  This movie is one of a trilogy of graphic expeditions. You can read more about the trilogy and the individual films at the link provided. They are visually provocative to watch. I've seen all three at least once, own two, and I can't say that the films provoke within me what the Navajo words that entitle each episode 'mean'. This has its frenetic moments but it is so well put together that when you have just about had enough visual speed, it slows down and your mind begins to make sense of what it's seeing, again.
       Of the two we own Mom stayed with this one the longest. She had absolutely no patience for the second one, Powaqqatsi.
       Of the three, this one is my favorite. It is like an animated coffee table book that makes you think and feel. Of the three it is the most active.

Labels: dream, film-art, me-favorite, political, spectacle

# posted by gail @ 14:57    0 comments    email......this post

1. Who's watched:  M & G
2. Mentions:  None
3. Commentary:  Blew me away when I was watching this movie on cable, one evening, late, Mom awoke within the first 15 minutes of the movie, I decided to keep it on because I really wanted to see it again and she was riveted. She even likes the end of it, which leads me to believe that she understands the real power of this movie: That it isn't a dirge for the female spirit, but a celebration of it. She has even been heard to mutter, during the semi scene, "Good for them!"
       I actually didn't consider owning this movie until, a couple of times after the above mentioned viewing, when I exclaimed that it was "on", again, Mom always has wanted to watch it.

Labels: action, adventure, dream, me-favorite, suspense

# posted by gail @ 10:49    0 comments    email......this post

1. Who's watched:  G
2. Mentions:  None
3. Commentary:  This is a recent purchase, and I haven't watched it, yet, since it arrived. Mom has not seen it and probably would find it boring, distracting, and distract me.
       This movie is one of my Haunting Movies. I was bound to own it at some point. I continue to focus on the scene in which the character played by Danny Aeillo quotes, damn, someone, about the nature of angels.

Labels: drama, fantasy, haunting, me-favorite, suspense

# posted by gail @ 08:37    0 comments    email......this post

1. Who's watched:  M & G
2. Mentions:  None
3. Commentary:  This is one of those subtle, quiet movies that I love and Mom endures. I've only watched it with her once. At the end of the movie she said, "Why did they go to the Grand Canyon?"
       So, I started to explain in my best 'student of film' answer and realized that she thought something eye catching was going to happen at the Grand Canyon, like in Thelma & Louise but thought she'd missed it. "No," I said, "you didn't miss any of the movie. The Grand Canyon is a metaphor."
       "Oh," she said, with that ironic side glance that tells me she's thinking, "This is one of those movies you have to work at. No thanks."

Labels: drama, me-favorite

# posted by gail @ 08:30    0 comments    email......this post

1. Who's watched: M & G
2. Mentions: None
3. Commentary: My devotion to this movie is one of my dirty little movie secrets. This is why my mother has seen it. Aside from owning the dvd, whenever it appears on network or cable, abridged or unabridged, if we're watching TV we're watching this movie. My mother tolerates it, watches it from the corner of her eye, occasionally comments on The Day of the Dead scenes and patiently waits for it to be over.

Labels: drama, me-favorite, violence

# posted by gail @ 09:40    0 comments    email......this post

1. Who's watched: M & G, both more than once
2. Mentions: *1* *2*
3. Commentary: Mom 'caught' me watching this the afternoon I purchased it when she was napping. I was surprised that she was as seduced by it as I am.

Labels: animated, biography, dramedy, film-art, me-favorite

# posted by gail @ 09:38    0 comments    email......this post

1. Who's watched: G
2. Mentions: None
3. Commentary: I've watched this at least three times since I bought it when we first purchased our DVD player. Although it fascinates me and I would probably watch it more if I lived alone, I will probably, also, out of respect for her intellect and her interest in movies, spring this one on her some evening when I am well prepared.

Labels: me-favorite, romance, satire

# posted by gail @ 09:37    0 comments    email......this post

1. Who's watched: Was recently given to me as a gift by someone who thought I'd love it; finally watched over a year after we received it
2. Mentions: None
3. Commentary: I trust the person's judgment who gave it to me, but I haven't yet seen it. I'm trying to watch it alone and prepare myself before I spring it on Mom. Update: We both finally watched this movie when we had nothing better to do one rainy Sunday afternoon. I think I enjoyed it more than Mom, I was charmed, but she stayed with it, despite the French-with-English-subtitles, and smiled broadly at many of the inventions. It's become one of my favorites. I love the fable atmosphere, the cartoon-like directing and filming, the inventiveness of the character, and especially love that the characterizations are not nearly as simple as one would expect from a broadly drawn canvas. On my second watching, a few days after our first watching, I paid no attention to the subtitles and simply let myself float with the screen. Absolutely magical.

Labels: comedy, dream, me-favorite

# posted by gail @ 09:36    0 comments    email......this post