July 20, 2008 11:16 AM
Summer DVD round up - six new, one old
Movies are a favorite family activity around here, although our choices are more often off-the-beaten path and multi-cultural. I read a lot of reviews to come up with ideas on what to see – raning from Plugged In (for a bit of moral compass) to Rotten Tomatoes (for artistic merit).
Here are some things I’ve watched so far this summer with various family groupings. Since I've got a lot going on with packing, these are just some short, personal observations - not so much a formal review as though we were having coffee and chatting. You can fill in the blanks by checking PI or RT for more thoughts.
All available on DVD:
Lars and the Real Girl
A grieving young man, unable to connect with people after the death of his parents, finally finds hope in the form of a full-size plastic doll, which he treats with complete dignity and respect because – as he tells his brother and sister-in-law – she’s religious and old-fashioned. So convincing is his love for her, that his small town friends and neighbors put aside their skepticism and begin to lavish her with love too. It is that love – and the careful low-key ministration of a compassionate therapist which finally enable him to deal with his grief and find his way back to health.
Hmmm. Putting the plot down like that just doesn’t capture the incredible sweetness and light of this movie. What sounds like a completely implausible situation becomes completely real because of the impeccable casting and direction. This is a gem and my teens loved it too, saying they would love to see it again.
Water
Set in India circa 1930, this film focuses on a house of widows, but frequently references the political rumblings of Ghandi’s attempts to awaken and enlighten his countrymen to the injustices of British rule and their own cruel customs – like the one that would condemn an 8-year-old girl to an arranged marriage with a 50-year-old man, who in short order leaves her widow – condemning her to a life of exile, poverty and exploitation.
This was a heavy movie which I watched alone. The only part I found inauthentic was the casting of the costar and romantic lead with a gorgeous European-looking woman rather than a more authentic-looking Indian woman. I found it very distracting and wondered how Indian women felt about it.
This was a movie meant to deliver a political message regarding the plight of the 40 million shunned and impoverished widows currently suffering under the old law. Deepa Mehta, the woman director, was denounced and religious riots shut down production several times.
The Great Debaters
Tripp and I watched this movie, based on the true story of a pre-civil rights era debate team from a small black college who worked hard to end up debating at Harvard. Denzel Washington plays the college professor who moonlights as a community organizer. His counterfoil is a handsome young black student who also lives two lives – only his second life is destructive to himself and those around him. The film falters at the literary/philosophical contrast that could be drawn by these two men’s differing responses to racism by presenting both as equally valid responses – while one involves personal risk for the sake of others, and the second is just personal risk to fulfill the desire to escape.
This film had an HBO feel about it. The costumes were too perfect and the cast was too beautiful. Again, the two women cast as leads were very thin, fashionable and light-skinned with Anglo features. That women of other races are held to the standards of beauty of Caucasian not only in American movies but in foreign ones is a problem. I would rather see people who look real.
Not a waste of time by any means, but not a must-see either. On the other hand, the preview/trailer on the DVD is for Akeelah and the Bee, which reminded me how much I loved that and would love to see it again. Why not rent that one instead?
Be Kind Rewind
I read a review that raved about this, prompting me to watch it one day with my kids. A fantastic tale set in the blighted inner city, in which the owner of a shop renting VHS tapes leaves the store in the care of a young man ( the excellent Mos Def) with a crazy friend (Jack Black). When Black’s shenanigans end in the entire stock being demagnetized, the friends team up to dub the blank tapes with their own remakes of old favorites like Ghostbusters, Robobcop, and Driving Miss Daisy. The results are mildly amusing, though I didn’t find myself laughing out loud, just smiling and chuckling now and then.
The kids and I thought this was not a waste of time, but not worth a second time around.
Bella
Watched this with Sophia and Maddy. Here the female lead is very believable looking, which means she can by Everywoman. The male lead is impossibly beautiful, but that’s because he was a Hispanic superstar/high roller who committed his life to Christ and set about changing his career path to reflect the deeper values he now holds - see Eduardo Verastegui: The Man Behind Bella . This film is a movie about unwanted pregnancy and the fear of a woman alone. It is also about a fatal mistake that in the blink of an eye can change lives forever. And it is about choices, redemption and hope.
Because of its pro-life message it was panned by the critics. When it comes to movies with an agenda, American critics love those that agree with their own, but reject those that don’t – which is why a movie about India’s mistreatment of widows receives acclaim while one with a prolife theme is panned simply for being pro-life.
This movie painted a loving portrait of the Mexican family in America - very appealing.
Persepolis
Zach was out when the rest of the family watched this unusual film. He has been put on notice by his sisters that it is a must-see. I rented this based on Rotten Tomatoes 96% rating and its recommendation:
Concensus: Persepolis is an emotionally powerful, dramatically enthralling autobiographical gem. The film's simple black-and-white images are effective and bold, helping to place the focus on the poignant and sometimes heartbreaking coming of age story. Marjane Satrapi's bestselling graphic novel springs to life and flourishes on film, making Persepolis not only one of the year's best animated films, but one of the year's best films overall.Persepolis tells the story of Iranian revolution – from the perspective of a little girl living an everyday life in the midst of staggering political changes. Because I love this angle to studying other cultures, I count this unusual movie as a gem. The only strange note was that since she eventually went into exile, the movie is in French rather than Farsi, which would have made it sound more authentic.
With subtitles – and if you think you don’t like subtitles, all I can say is that making peace with them will open up many new worlds through movies. When my children were too young to read, I simply held them on my lap and quietly read them aloud as we watched together.
Brother Sun, Sister Moon
This 1972 classic by Franco Zefirelli – where every scene is like a painting – has been a favorite of mine since I first saw it in a church basement in San Francisco. It was 1977 and I was a wasted drug addict, but I somehow ended up there for a showing by a group of hippies who used to travel the country in a school bus showing the movine to spread the Gospel. Though I did not begin my recovery until 1980, I consider it one of the early seeds God planted to show me a path to redemption and hope.
In 1983, Tripp and I had been married for a few months, I was pregnant with Josh and we were already separated. At Easter, I invited him to see a showing at the Parkside Theater on Taraval Street in San Francisco. We cried together afterwards and were reconciled. Though we still had lots of painful struggles to go through – as two emotional cripples trying to make a new start and build a better family than we had known – we never separated again.
Over the years, this movie has continued to speak to us and our children – different things as we grow and bring more to the experience of watching it. With some of us recently converted to Catholicism, we wanted to watch it from this perspective. It still takes my breath away.
Brother Sun, Sister Moon tells the story of Francis of Assisi – of his selflessness and boundless love for Christ as well as for "the least of these," and of his Christ-like humility in the face of adversity. At a time when the church was in desperate need of reformation, it also illustrates the constant need for reformation in our individual hearts.
With music by Donovan, you can see the hippie, free-spirit appeal. But this movie has played a large part in the Curtis Family history and still speaks to our hearts today.
My favorite of the new releases is Lars and the Real Girl, followed by Persepolis.
Last night we started the John Adams HBO series. And also on our must-see-again list is The Mission. Will report back on these soon.
Feel free to add your comments and recommendations!
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Comments
I also loved Persepolis, but Iranians speak Farsi, not Arabic, because Iranians aren't ethnic Arabs. There's a scene in the graphic novels in which the main character admits that she prefers praying in Farsi to Arabic, even if the Qu'ran is in Arabic, because it seems odd to talk to God in a foreign language.
[Note from Barbara - thank you for catching that. I didn't finish that sentence because I went to ask my husband about that and he said Farsi, but I forgot to change it]
Posted by: AE | July 20, 2008 2:05 PM
You must add The Winslow Boy to your list if you haven't already. Excellent David Mamet film and such a compelling tale of honesty and doing the right thing for the right reasons no matter the cost. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0155388/
Posted by: Janice | July 20, 2008 5:34 PM
Gone Baby Gone
YOU. MUST. SEE. THIS. MOVIE.
This movie, which at first glance seems to just be another dark film about the tragedy of the exploitation of children, is really a compelling story that explores the themes of right and wrong. Is the church always right? Do the ends justify the means? Are you willing to do what is right even if it is hard, unpopular, and may very well cause you to lose everything?
Gone Baby Gone is produced/directed by Ben Affleck and stars his brother, Casey Affleck, and Morgan Freeman.
A note of caution: this movie is rated R for a reason. Some of the language is terrible. The two main characters live together but are not married (no sex scenes, though). There is drug dealing/using. A child is molested/killed (off camera).
Ultimately, though, this is a story of a man willing to do the right thing no matter the cost. It is an adult only movie (I'd say 21 and older). I hope that some of your readers who as a general rule do not watch R rated movies would consider seeing this one.
Posted by: Anna | July 20, 2008 6:43 PM
Barbara, you must have read my mind! Now that spring and summer sports are over (finally), we have a little more time and I am craving movie nights, and I want a list of little gems to watch during weeks of recovery from an upcoming surgery. So, I was planning to e-mail and ask for recommendations.
Last week, during a self-imposed day of rest after 10hrs.(!) of swim finals, my girls insisted that we re-watch Singing in the Rain. My 11 yr. old very athletic, "very boy" son had never watched it. He really liked it! After one viewing, he can quote whole scenes. The dancing and humor impressed him. He thinks High School Musical is pitiful compared to Singing in the Rain.
So, what are some other old classics in the same genre as Singing? I just love old movies, my girls like musical types, and I want to see what my son thinks of another really good movie similar to Singing.
Just as we believe that our children should read classics (books), we want them to see (movie) the classics, too. Maybe you could start a list of must see movies.
Husband and I did prop our eyelids up one night in the last month and watch The Pursuit of Happyness. I thought they were successful in conveying emotion. It was a little intense for me--I wanted to go to the local homeless shelter in the middle of the night and start helping folks. I'll probably show it to my two oldest children. Such a good visual of what happens every day in America, but how determination and hard work can really make a difference.
Posted by: von | July 21, 2008 9:14 PM
