THE LIVES OF OTHERS (2007) AA

DO NOT MISS THIS MOVIE
In German with subtitles.
ACADEMY AWARD WINNER Foriegn Film 2006

This is not a fun movie. In the same category as Brave New World and Nineteen Eighty Four by Orwell. A must see for High school and College students.

The screenplay transports you to East Berlin, in November 1984. Takes place five years before the downfall of the former East-German totalitarian government.

Real characters with varied personalities. Will keep you on the edge of your seats.

TELL ME YOU LOVE ME (2007 - 2008) A

Background . . . from Internet sources
Tell Me You Love Me is a television drama series that HBO began broadcasting in the fall of  2007.   It  was picked up by HBO for a second season. The first episode only attracted a total of about 910,000 viewers -- far fewer than what the network had been pulling for previous series such as Rome, Deadwood, and even the ill-fated John from Cincinnati. A month after its debut, HBO claimed the show had drawn a total of 3.1 million viewers across seven broadcasts.

The drama series revolves around three couples and their problems concerning intimacy in their relationships. All the couples are undergoing marital therapy. It general, the therapy is one dimensional. That is, it has not gone into the couples' personal problems that underlie the relationship issues. Individual therapy would probably be needed for that next step.

The couples seek the help of therapist, Dr. May Foster, who herself has relationship issues with her partner. Of all the personalities developed, I am least fond of her partner. Don't trust was he says. But then again, I don't know him that well.

The series gained early publicity because of its extremely realistic depictions of sexual penetration, oral sex, masturbation and ejaculation. Despite persistent rumors, and a notable lack of comment on the matter from either HBO or the production team, the sex scenes were finally confirmed as simulated by several individuals intimately connected with the show. Whether real or simulated, the series shows sex in many forms.

My View
This is, by far, one of the best TV dramas that deal with REAL adult relationship problems. In Thirtysomething we saw fewer (and less detailed) relationship issues being brought up and more day-to-day living experiences depicted.

If your marriage or relationship is in trouble . . . and you don't want to deal with the painful issues involved . . . then you will immediately dislike this series . . . out of self-protection. In addition, if you are the type of person that would rather "party" (whatever that means) than enter into an intimate discussion that brings you closer to other people, this series is not for you. It will be scary. But you will probably say "it's boring".

The part of the experience of watching that I'm taken with has to do with discovering the infinite variety of things people can do to themselves, and others, that screw up their lives. The series also makes for an excellent conversation piece between people who watch, and then second guess the actions the couples take in their lives. It allows people to share a common experience, discuss it, and come closer. And last but not least, it allows people to openly discuss sex . . . which is always a good lead into the real thing.

AFTER THE WEDDING (2007) B+

Foreign; Denmark; 
Subtitles

Gentle movie about a man who want to control others lives. Somewhat contrived plot, but excellent characterization of people you will like. I am biased toward the Danes and this movie supports my feeling that they are wonderful people. 

Too bad it is so dark and cold in Scandinavia . . . it's one of my favorite places in the summer. It's worthwhile to view this movie just to see how others express love by touch and hugs.

BEFORE THE DEVIL KNOWS YOUR DEAD (2007) D

From an Irish wedding toast:
"May you live as long as you want,
And never want as long as you live.
May your glass be ever full.
May the roof over your head be always strong.
And may you be in heaven half an hour before the devil knows you're dead."

The last line of this toast says so much. It toasts the hypocrisy of certain guilt ridden cultures that can't deal with reality . . . and then compensate by joking about (or toasting) their misdeeds.

The church demands you be a good provider . . . and you flaunt it. The church demands you don't practice birth control . . . but you do. The church demands that you be subservient to your husband . . . and he beats you.

But this movie is not about hypocrisy. It's a formula movie about a family that goes a little astray. By little I mean, where son's kill parents and parents kill their children.

Unfortunately, from the first scene to the last I could not "get into it". It opens to sex (doggie style), to probably show lack of intimacy between the couple. The last scene shows a man walking into blinding light. The movie is as empty as the ending. The director helped me from getting emotionally involved by including, gratuitous sex, "artsy" lighting and multiple flashbacks that pulled me in and out of the story,

The characters were never fully formed, but we do know that they have standard human problems. Greed, lust, insecurity. The director and writers get a F- for trying to show that the children's emotional growth may have been stunted in childhood because their father, Albert Finney, could not express love and favored one kid over the others. GIVE ME A BREAK.

THE UNKNOWN SOLDIER (2007) B (Foreign)

Foreign (German) Documentary

A real "feel good " movie. Too depressing to give it an A.

Mostly From Netflix: This documentary focuses on a controversial exhibition that was shown in Germany in the late 1990s and early 2000s, It challenged the traditional German belief that the regular army didn't participate in atrocities perpetrated by the SS. The movie explores the appalling crimes committed during this period, and takes a close look at some of the newly revealed transgressions of the regular German army, including the killing of 2 to 3 million Russian POW's.

WW comments: What the movie didn't deal with was the next question. When you put together an army designed to kill and maim, can you contain the killing and maiming to only other soldiers with uniforms . . . from the other side. Moreover, because the German regular army committed these atrocities, does that mean only the Germans are bad guys . . . or can Americans, Brits, Russians,Israelis and others, given the same situation, commit similar crimes. I KNOW THE ANSWER. THAT'S WHY I DON"T WEAR A LAPEL PIN. Ever hear about General Sherman's march to the sea?

THE COLOR OF FREEDOM (2007) B

Movie about the relationship between a South African prison employee and Nelson Mandela, who he guarded during more than the 20 years of Mandela's imprisonment under apartheid. 

Somewhat of a documentary describing the relationship between the whites and others during that period of history. One more piece of evidence that puts an additional nail in the coffin of the concept of man's innate love for other men.

Often times difficult to understand because the actors spoke in South African English. At least that language is little more understandable than Australian English.
If you rent the DVD put on subtitles.

LARS AND THE REAL GIRL (2007) WELL BELOW F

Sandy and I went to this god-awful movie instead of Gone Baby Gone, Rendition or Elizabeth:The Golden Age because, 1) it had been rated B, B+ by Yahoo Movie Reviews, 2) it was leaving our local theater in a few days and 3) one of my daughters asked me my opinion about it. Now she has some explaining to do.

If you want to spend time with the inmates of a mental institution, this movie is for you. In this movie the institution was a lovable town, with lovable people in the Lawrence Welk area of the US of A. This movie was not funny like One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest. The most egregious aspect of the movie was that the critics thought this may be a comedy. Yea! Like laughing at person who has Parkinson's Disease or Cerebral Palsy

This was the review from Yahoo with my comments in italics.

Yahoo: Lars Lindstrom is a lovable introvert whose emotional baggage has kept him from fully embracing life.

Warren: Lovable introvert? Emotional Baggage? Fully embracing life? This guy is a full blown psychotic who could easily be dangerous to himself and others, For those not familiar with psychotics, here's a definition. "Psychotic disorders are severe mental disorders that cause abnormal thinking and perceptions. People with psychoses lose touch with reality. Two of the main symptoms are delusions and hallucinations."

Yahoo: After years of what is almost solitude, he invites Bianca, a friend he met on the Internet to visit him. He introduces Bianca to his brother Gus and his wife Karen and they are stunned. They don't know what to say to Lars or Bianca--because she is a life-size doll, not a real person and he is treating her as though she is alive. They consult the family doctor Dagmar who explains this is a delusion he's created--for what reason she doesn't yet know but they should all go along with it.

Warren: I understand that his family and friends don't want to upset him, but when he thinks this anatomically correct porno doll is dying and they call 911 and she is treated in a hospital and then released . . . that is going a little too far. I wonder if she had insurance coverage. This is sick stuff. If Mel Brooks put this together we would understand. In this case we are supposed to sympathize with this delusional man and his support system . . . which is the whole crazy town he lives in.

Yahoo: What follows is an emotional journey for Lars and the people around him.

Warren: Some journey!! First the doll is ill, then dies and then they bury the doll in a cemetery after going to a church service . . . and we are told that this means Lars is getting better because he is giving up a portion of his delusions. After the burial he then goes off into the sunset with a moronic girl who has had the hots for Lars for many years. If I was this girls father I would quickly get her to the nearest mental heath facility.

BLACK BOOK (2007) B+

Unfortunately, catastrophes like wars create human situations unlike any other, From these wars comes books and stories that are sometimes hard to believe. This movie is based on a true story of Jewish women that infiltrates the Gestapo for the Dutch resistance movement. Set in the fall of 1944, in Holland, it includes people who sell out others for money.

Well done, real and painful as you would expect. Without diminishing the unbelievable aspects of human emotion and survival depicted, the movie does not get an A because it's similar to the ten's of millions of other stories to come out of the horror of war.

Foreign Movie Review: OWL AND THE SPARROW (2007) AA

Watching this movie, filmed in Vietnam, gave me new insight into a world where we recently fought an absolutely futile war about nothing.

It centers around the backwardness of the county in some areas, such as child labor, and some positive aspects of human relationships in that country.  The lead is a very young girl who refuses to surrender her optimism despite difficult circumstances.
I plan to show this film in a few weeks to group that are interested in Foreign Movies.

The young girl, Thuy is an orphan who, after the death of her parents, has been sent to live with her uncle Tran. Tran runs a company that processes bamboo, and he puts Thuy to work in his factory, where's she puts in long hours and is treated poorly by her uncle and his associates. Convinced life has better things to offer, Thuy runs away to Saigon, and she soon makes friends with a handful of plucky fellow orphans who survive on the street and look out for one another. Thuy supports herself by selling flowers, and during her rounds she meets, a friendly zookeeper. The story progress to a happy ending.

Others reviews:
• Owl and the Sparrow is a beautifully composed romance from Vietnam.
• Owl and the Sparrow is yet one more film that preaches the importance of opening your heart and reaching out to those around you.

• Sentimental without being cloying, the film is a charmer
• A captivating and engrossing drama brimming with genuine warmth and tenderness as well as a charismatic, radiant and heartfelt performance by newcomer Pham Thi Han

THE DIVING BELL AND THE BUTTERFLY (2007) C-

Foreign: French

From Netflix: In 1995, author and Elle magazine editor Jean-Dominique Bauby suffered a stroke that put him in a coma; he awakened mute and completely paralyzed. (This movie is an) adaptation of Bauby's autobiography, which he dictated by blinking . . . (and is) his poignant film about the strength of the human spirit.

From Warren: I should have known better. The moment I saw the words" the strength of the human spirit", I should have known Sandy and I were going to be in very serious trouble. This movie should have been labeled as a documentary about poor souls and the very old and enfeebled people who are severely handicapped, and have to be ministered to by others for the rest of their lives. The story is as old as the hills and carries along cliches such as "Live life to the fullest" (how do you do this?), "Keep a stiff upper lip", etc., etc. The truth of the matter is that if your are severely handicapped, you are SCREWED. Especially if you don't have the money buy people to minister to you night and day. In that case you are DOUBLY SCREWED.

My belief is that we cheer these people on (such as Richard Reeves) because we are so, so happy not to be in their shoes (if they can still wear shoes). Also during and after wars we applaud and publicly revere the handicapped soldiers as a cover for our stupidity for creating the war in the first place.

Half way into the film I was tempted to shut it down because It was so predicable and boring. PS Sandy fell asleep during the movie.

Movie Review: AMEN (2002) AA

Very special movie about an EXTREMELY controversial Issue. It raises questions about the Catholic Church's failure to speak out against the Holocaust even though they knew exactly what was happening. I gave it an AA rating mainly because of the seriousness of the issues discussed.  The story, taken from actual events, is based on the 1963 play "The Deputy" by Rolf Hochhuth.

By the way, the British . . . Churchill, the Americans . . . Roosevelt, and US State Department plus the press, such as the NY Times . . . did very little to save the Jews in Europe from destruction by either military action or through the media. 
Edited From Promotional Material:
In the movie two systems are engaged in a monumental struggle: the Natzi killing machine versus an almost non-existent Vatican and Allied diplomacy effort to diminish the killing.

In the movie, two men are struggling from the inside: On one side, Kurt Gerstein, a real-life chemist and SS officer who supplies the death camps with zyklon B. He tirelessly denounces the genocide against the Jews and attempts to alert the Allies as well as the Pope, German people and their churches of their murderous policy. Kurt does this at his own risk, and at the risk his family's welfare and safety. 
 On the other side is Ricardo Fontana, a young Jesuit, a fictitious character who represents all the priests who were determined to struggle against Nazi savagery, many of them paying for their courage with their lives.  Countless priests, some known, others anonymous, were simply not content to live with the silence of their church's hierarchy regarding the Natzi killing machine.

What the film does best, is point out the moral deficiencies of both the church and the political leaders to do anything to halt the Holocaust. It shows with certainty that both Pius XII and the American's both knew the Holocaust was taking place.. The Pope feared the Communists more than he did Hitler's regime, and his prayers without actions seemed to make him out to be the ultimate religious hypocrite. The movie brings nothing new to the table about the Holocaust, but puts another nail down in the argument that the world could have acted but didn't because of indifference. It is sad to say that the reason so many died during the Holocaust is because as the film claims, there were so few who tried to do anything. The lessons are there for both the Church and America to learn something about themselves that still hasn't changed. The church is still in denial about its covering up of pedophile priests and America continues it's own form of empire building that conveniently ignores human rights whenever it wants to. 

From Wikipedia:
The Deputy,  is a controversial 1963 play by Rolf Hochhuth  which portrayed Pope Pius XII as having failed to take action or speak out against the Holocaust. It has been translated into more than twenty languages.The play's implicit censure of a venerable controversial  pope has led to numerous counterattacks, of which one of the latest is the 2007 allegation that Hochhuth was the dupe of a KGB disinformation campaign . The Encyclopedia Britannica  assesses the play as "a drama that presented a critical, unhistorical picture of Pius XII"^[ and Hochhuth's depiction of the pope having been indifferent to the Natzi genocide as "lacking credible substantiation".

JUNO (2007) A & F

Juno received two ratings because many people will see it as a lovely fairy tale (the A rating) and others will see it as a blatant
propaganda piece for the Right-To-Life Movement (the F rating). This is the most important movie of the year. It should be shown, and maturely discussed, at all high school sex education classes.

JUNO: THE FAIRY TALE A
(This version of the movie is primarily for people who are young at
heart and still believe in the tooth fairy.)

In this movie a young, sweet, lovable, adorable and bright 16 year old girl becomes pregnant while satisfying her boyfriends need for a sexual experience. The culture in her society is ambivalent toward sex between teen age boys and girls that leads to unplanned pregnancies . . . so they are not to blame for being irresponsible.  (In this culture the words blame and responsibility were outlawed some years ago).

She tells her girlfriends, mom and dad about her condition and then
after a very short visit to an unfriendly, ugly and horrible Women's
Center that specializes in terminating unwanted pregnancies, she
decides to carry the pregnancy to term.

Without thinking too much about the consequences of carrying the baby
to term, she find a married thirtysomething couple (from a Pennysaver
ad), who live in an upscale suburban home (similar to Dix Hills in
Long Island) . . . and who are more than willing to adopt her child.

With no forethought, the girl and her fantastic Dad agree that she
will have nothing to do with the child after it is born. Finding and
selecting this lovely couple and making these decisions was easy as
pie . . . and only took a few hours of her and her wonderful and
understanding Dad's precious time. Another option, such as keeping the
child with her mother and fathers help, never enters any ones mind.

The movie also deals with her relationship with the soon-to-be
teen-aged father . . . a wonderful and loving young lad who plays the
guitar. During the gestation period he is more than willing comfort
JUNO in his bed room with the door closed. His understanding mom has no
problem with that arrangement. The 16 year old girl ultimately realizes she has
found true love with this understanding and maturing fellow, and
showers him with a gift of hundreds of Pez candies. He may only be 15
years old.

Ultimately she gives birth and turns over the baby to the
thirtysometing woman. (Unfortunately the couple divorces before the
baby was born). The movie ends with the promise that the young father
and Juno, this sweet, lovable, adorable and bright girl, will live
happily ever after.

I was so happy for everyone after I left the theater. I felt so good
after seeing all these wonderful and sweet and understanding people on
the screen.

VERSION 2
JUNO: CONDONING IRRESPONSIBILITY    F
(This movie is primarily for people who remember from High School that
"Animal Farm " was not about pigs and horses).

Sandy is my wife and movie companion. Because I am an outspoken type
of person I always ask her how she feels about the movie before I
express my views. For this movie the first words out of her mouth
were, "This movie strongly supports the Pro Life and Anti-Abortionist's movement".

I agree with Sandy 100%. The movie does a magnificent job of conning
people who want to believe that the situation depicted in the movie is
about a loving family in Kansas . . . in the same small town where Dorothy was sucked
into the funnel of a tornado.

The story starts with underage empty-headed kids doing sexual favors
for each other . . . which produces a human embryo . . . and ends with
the baby's adoption by a single young women (who may not be mentally stable). The narrative treats this event as just another casual day in the life of the
families involved. As if bringing a baby into this world is something
that is just another daily happening. The treatment of the pregnancy
and subsequent adoption is unbelievably irresponsible and childlike.

What follows are just some of the glaring faults of this propaganda piece.

• From the outset, the totally irresponsible act by the two teenagers
is NEVER DISCUSSED by the parents with the boy and the girl. (They had
unprotected sex even though the sex act was thought out ahead of
time). The parents just casually accept their actions. No remorse. No
learning. No nothing. A no-fault pregnancy. Will they do it again .
. . and this time to sell the baby? Who knows. No regrets by anyone!! 
TOTAL CHILD AND PARENTAL IRRESPONSIBILITY . . . that's the subtext of this movie.
But just maybe having a baby was OK for the parents as long as JUNO
gave it away. This way the parents don't have to take anyresponsibility for the child.

• Selecting potential parents from an ad in the Pennysaver without
even the minimal check of the background of the people is MADNESS.
Especially when the future parent appear "wired". The girls father
goes along with this. The babys father is never even involved in these
decisions. (Is that legal?). Then giving the baby to a single mother
on a whim. Real Creepy.

* The one sided presentation of the receptionist in Women's Clinic as
unfeeling is as biased as you can get.

• But the worst part . . . and this is what the pro-lifers never
mention when they push their agenda, (listen to Dr. Laura on the radio), is the
TOTAL NEGLECT of the emotional effect on the girl (and possibly the
boy and their families ) of carrying a baby to term and then giving it
away for adoption. Does anyone know of any case where this can be done with no
residual feeling by the natural parents and grandparents for the
child?

There is no discounting the emotional effects of an abortion. But
these subjects are what the movie should have been about but are NEVER
DISCUSSED in an mature and intelligent manner. Rather they are
glossed over in the pro lifer's rush to show that live birth and
adoption is the way to go.

At the end, the movie shows the teenagers playing the guitar and
living happily ever after. GIVE ME A BREAK!!! A reprehensible F is
the correct rating for JUNO.