BIG FISH 22 January 2009

Every time I see this movie, I am amazed by its artistry. The slow build to the intense emotion between father and son is masterful. Billy Crudup's tension is a beautiful foil to Arthur Finney's wide-eyed calm. And the idea that a traveling salesman's life is not only full of wonder, but magic and unexpected love, is comforting to someone who may be living what looks like a "typical" life, at least on the outside. There is priceless value in the life of a man with an open mind and an heart of infinite size. And let's not forget the fun of stunning conjoined twins who are friends with a peaceful giant who worked for a circus full of floating popcorn run by Danny DeVito whose right hand man is best known in America as Willy Wonka's OompaLoompa (much less be one the most beloved movie actors of all time in India). And a sweet love story played out in the bathtub between Finney and Jessica Lange! Thank you Film Club for BIG FISH.

UNBREAKABLE February 19, 2009

Thanks, Carol, for suggesting Unbreakable. Bruce Willis just sneaks up on you--he is so regular, flawed, just like every other boy from Jersey. And then you find yourself rooting for him-to get the girl, to catch the villain, to really BE unbreakable. Genius casting by M Night Shyamalan. And Samuel L. Jackson played it straight evil all the way through--but evil like it really is. He doesn't sound immoral, or crazy, or or even devious. He sounds lonely, desperate, aching for a connection. And..isn't that how evil starts--someone alone, yearning for something they are missing?
I loved the symbolic colors of green and purple, the allusions to the comic book heroes and villains, the intertwining, the SYMBIOSIS of dark and light, soft and hard, weak and strong. We all live so close to that which could destroy us...

IMITATION OF LIFE January 2009

Imitation of Life, the Blog, not the movie!!

I wonder if Will Shakespeare would have thought that Survivor was,in fact, reality? It is unscripted to a degree, but reality, no way. I am not sure he would appreciate the random plot development. I mean, someone like Shakespeare would have had to relinquish total control over every event and character. I don't think he could do that. His art was meant to imitate life, not BE life. Is Survivor imitating life or is it real life?? Help!
P.S. Attached photos: "Imitation of Life" is the cheesiest romantic drama ever made. But it was also groundbreaking in its direct treatment of the racial bigotry implicit in the era, and the tortured choices the characters made to escape it.