Movies, Mom & Me

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:  none
3. Commentary:  This is another excellent series produced by the same people who brought us Planet Earth. I have a preference for nature shows that explore water environments and this one stacks up very well. Unlike March of the Penguins, it lives up to its hype, even if you're a regular watcher of the variety of channels that frequently host animal and geographical specials. While I have tended, over the years, to become a bit jaded in the company of Animal-Vegetable-Mineral programs, seeing as how we view so many of them, this one, like Planet Earth, engages me, every episode, every time, and, because of my sub- an unconscious veering toward water videos, adds an extra "dreamy" dimension for me.

Labels: documentary, dream, film-art, political, science, shared-favorite, TV

# posted by gail @ 12:08    0 comments    email......this post

1. Who's watched:  M & G
2. Mentions:  None specific to this season
3. Commentary:  We now have completed our collection of Northern Exposure seasons. This last season was, for many people, the most confusing. It's definitely the season I love the most, because of the many, many dream and fantasy sequences. I remember when this season first aired. Lots of people were put off by the appearance of the new doctor and his wife. The show stayed on its wide, every winding track, though, and the final episode was a credit to the entire series.
       This is not Mom's favorite season, because she has trouble following all the dream and fantasy sequences. She watched it through like the moose-trooper she is, though, and I'm sure we'll watch all these episodes again and again.

Labels: dramedy, dream, fantasy, haunting, TV

# posted by gail @ 02:09    0 comments    email......this post

1. Who's watched:  M & G
2. Mentions:  *1* *2*
3. Commentary:  Again, another movie in which the "mentions" say it all; except for an update: We've watched this movie a couple more times since I purchased it. Each time, I question Mom on her one preferred memory. Each time, she comes up with a variety of memories but still can't decide which she'd keep and which she'd allow to be blocked.
     One other thing: I noticed, when I received our purchased copy, which came in a DVD case with, you know, the usual info sleeve, that my interpretation of the movie, that one relives their chosen memory for eternity, is exactly the way the sellers of the movie to the U.S. interpret it. Here is the specific part of the cover blurb: "With the help of dedicated caseworkers, each soul is given three days to choose one cherished memory from their life that they will relive for eternity." Interesting that the English subtitles for the movie don't exactly explain this. Makes me wish I was fluent in Japanese, so I could tell if the original script for the movie suggests this. I wonder if this interpretation is strictly a U.S. cultural interpretation or if the movie is meant to communicate this and does so in the Japanese dialogue. Comments from anyone who is fluent in both Japanese and English in regard to this mystery would be welcome.

Labels: drama, dream, fantasy, film-art, haunting, shared-favorite, spiritual

# posted by gail @ 18:10    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:  None
3. Commentary:  I'm surprised I've made no mention of this movie in any of my journals. This is one of those movies that we watch every time we can catch it on a television channel, which is why I snatched it up when I ran across a copy of it. We both hone into this movie as though we're having a dream. I'm glad we finally got a copy of it because when it was on TV I used to have a hell of a time getting Mom to go to the bathroom during a playing of it. Now, I can stop the movie when I notice she looks like she'd better hit the toilet. [Her joke is that you can tell when someone needs to go to the bathroom when you can see waves crashing in their eyes...which is almost the truth with my mother.]

Labels: drama, dream, period, political

# posted by gail @ 22:26    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:  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:  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:  This series is our church. We watch episodes of it often, reverentially and alertly. The music has a tendency to blur the experience for Mom, but the stories and cosmopolitan view snap her out of it. We have been known to lose entire afternoons and evenings to episodes of this series. In a way, I consider it the essence of the spirit that keeps Mom around.

Labels: documentary, dream, science, spectacle, TV

# posted by gail @ 01:56    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:  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 (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* *2* *3* *4* *5* *6*
3. Commentary:  This is a sort of "grahsshoppah" movie, for me, but of a somewhat more serious vein, like listening to Alan Watts tapes.
       Mom enjoys the movie, as well, as adult religio-spiritual fairy tale. We actually view this movie, or parts of it, a lot.

Labels: drama, dream, shared-favorite, spiritual

# posted by gail @ 14:59    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:  M & G
2. Mentions:  None
3. Commentary:  I think this movie may have been one of the last I saw in the theatre alone. It is a dream of a movie for me. As well, I like, and have watched a fair amount, of Indian cinema. I'm surprised that this is the only one I own. I look forward to watching it, with or without Mom. From what I remember, I think she'll be transfixed. Sort of an Indian Sex and the City.
   UPDATE 2/24/06:  For lack of anything better to do that interested Mom, I decided to pull out this movie and view it with her, her first viewing of it. She, too, was entranced by the color and composition of the movie, the dancing and the stylized movements (which actually cause the movie to be more like theater than a movie) and the music. Although there is some full female nudity in it and obvious suggestions of sex (both of which actually make this movie less than a true East Indian cinema), she enjoyed it immensely and was transported back to Guam, primarily because that is where she became familiar with East Indian customs and clothing. We talked about Guam, and a store called Radhi's, which shared a space with Eileen Kershaw's. She remembered the sari material she'd bought which I'd transformed into a table cloth and the rich, stunning Asian fabric selections at Radhi's. At one point, when Maya was explaining to Tara how to seduce her husband, essentially telling her that it was simple, I laughed and said, "See, Mom? Men are easy in every culture."
       She laughed and added, "Men have always been easy and always will be."
       Such a woman!

Labels: drama, dream, erotic, period, romance, royals

# posted by gail @ 08:38    0 comments    email......this post

1. Who's watched:  M & G
2. Mentions:  None
3. Commentary:  I rented this movie a couple of weeks ago just to undergird my decision to purchase it. Mom was thoroughly bored, so bored that she wandered around looking for things to do, at one point, while doing crosswords, asked, "Is that thing still on?!?", so my viewing was highly distracted.
       No matter. Martial Arts movies of all stripes are another of my guilty movie pleasures. I am particularly fascinated with the use of color in this movie. I am approaching it rather more as though it were a Little Buddha movie, rather than a "guilty pleasure" movie. I like the idea of the telling of stories being the subject as well as the discipline of the movie. I find the depiction of the 'heroine', as well, thoughtfully complex.

Labels: action, drama, dream, period, political, spectacle, suspense

# posted by gail @ 08:32    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