Stealing Home

Katie Chandler, played by Jodi Foster, is absolutely one of my most favorite movie characters on the planet! I see myself in her, irreverent, bold, direct, loving, and rebellious. Unfortunately, she is met with a personal demise that makes her character a bit ironic, but maybe the world wasn't a place where such passion was capable, for Katie, anyway. I always like movies where young kids are acting out, smoking, drinking a little, even though it is unhealthy, it is HILARIOUS... and Stealing Home is no exception. Katie babysits Billy Wyatt from an early age, and their families' are close. Katie treats Billy like an adult when he is 10 years old and makes a big impression on him. Billy, as a grown man, must come home as he was designated in charge of Katie's ashes, and he must make the decision of where to lay them forever. While he travels home, via bus, he remembers all the times with Katie and growing up with his best friend Appleby, played by Jonathan Silverman. This is one of my all time favorite movies. I think the young Billy Wyatt is soooo gorgeous, and I like how the relationship between Katie and Billy ebbs and flows throughout the years. It is interesting, romantic, and enlightening. A true human bond is illustrated in a poetic manner.

I give it a 9.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KwxFIUjmwQQ

Dakota Skye

Dakota, the main character of the film, was born with a gift of being able to ascertain whether or not people are being truthful after they make a declaration. This "super power" becomes problematic for Dakota as she discovers that the whole world lies, and a result, becomes withdrawn, depressed and cynical. She is of high school age and has friends, but feels different. She dates an "older" guy, out of school, in a band, and regularly experiences his lies, but stays with him because they are adequately attracted to one another. She comes across a friend of her boyfriend's, who comes back to LA, after being in NYC and notices he never lies. She cannot fight her fascination with him as she has never met someone honest. This isn't a real mind bender.

I give it 3.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dqxP96T7HiM

Away We Go

The more I think about it, the more I enjoy Jeff Daniels,although his "pivotal" role was in Dumb and Dumber.. jus kiddin.. He is quite the actor and definitely great in the Squid and the Whale. He only had a small part in this, but when I see him, I enjoy him, he is sort of the William Hurt of this generation. Anyway, I LOVED this film. It was so well directed, subtle, simple, and the music was perfectly peaceful and appropriate. The story centers around a couple in their 30s who accidentally become pregnant and are forced to reconcile it emotionally. I enjoyed the pace of the story, and found it charming, interesting, and endearing. Allison Janney's cameo was hilarious! The main characters, played by John Krasinski, of THE OFFICE fame and Maya Rudolph of Saturday Night Live fame, had believable chemistry. Sam Mendes is a masterful director that knows how to create emotional impact so well. He is sensitive with character portrayal and somehow nails it EVERY TIME. The main characters, Burt, and a very pregnant Verona, travel around visiting their friends trying to find a place to settle down and raise their child; all the while reasoning, rationalizing, and figuring out how they are going to do it all.

I give it a 9.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dEp3NKG2U5U

The Living Matrix, A Film on the New Science of Healing

I loved this film as it inspires hope, understanding, education and belief that human potential is truly limitless. Similar to the documentary, Something Unknown, this film focuses on the new sciences and quantum physics surrounding our own ability to heal ourselves and others through the unified field of energy that surrounds all of us. This film has even go so far as to even suggest that memory is not something within our own brain but information encoded from the energetic field that surrounds all of us. These MDs, Ph.D.'s and Scientists have conducted countless experiments and tests to conclude that there is more to the human body than meets the eye. It is a combination of both mind and body, creating the mindbody all interconnected and should be treated as such. Intention and belief are two very strong indicators of healing and health and miracles happen all the time as a result. Our thoughts are just as important as how we treat our bodies nutritionally and physically. Everyone has the power to heal others and themselves. Beyond medicine, the placebo effect is extraordinary and is explained in depth, and it all makes sense. In the coming years, we will all witness a great change in medicine and how disease is treated. Every ailment is the result of the encoding of information, and disease is simply scrambled information. To know what I am talking about, you must watch this informative, thought provoking and intellectual film.

I give it a 10.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ne-I7JTXCbo

Strictly Sexual

This obviously low budget indie threw out some surprisingly honest, raw, direct, and thought provoking dialogue AT TIMES. I had very low expectations and occasionally found myself surprised at how my attention was kept. The premise was hilarious. Two women roommates in Los Angeles living in a house met two new LA transplant construction workers and let them live on the property in a cabana tent in exchange for sex slavery. The acting was a little off at times, but the dialogue as crass as it was, at times, was realistic, but woodenly delivered. Much of the psychological aspects made sense and you could see where the director wanted to go... but failed.. creating a low budget feel. The writer was onto something, and I could sense why they wrote the script, and why they wanted to make the film. It was rife with romantic nuances that typically don't get addressed.. sort of like French Cinema. I am sorry they missed the mark, because parts of it was funny and actually quite smart but the execution was lame.

I give it a 3.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vhw71DyXj4s

The Babysitters

I did not know what to expect at all when I began watching this film. At times, the music in the opening can determine whether or not I will like it. The opening, without the first scene told me I would find this interesting. Interesting it was... Sort of like Jawbreaker, Cruel Intentions and a combination of other teen films that were laced with debauchery, lack of a moral compass and a little bit of shock all rolled into one. The story centers around a mousy girl who babysits for Michael who is played by John Leguizamo, and Gail, Cynthia Nixon's character. Michael is a recovering addict and has a weird marriage as a result and likes the babysitter because she is young and doesn't have any thing over him. After becoming intimately involved, he pays her above and beyond babysitting fees to keep her quiet. Soon thereafter, this mousy quiet girl involves other friends because Michael cannot stop telling people about his experience and she becomes a madam of a teenage prostitution ring called the babysitters. Ironic title, but makes sense because the male characters in this film are quite despicable. This film is a bit of a car accident that you can't stop watching and the scene which created the denouement was perfect and equally disturbing. The last quote in this film is,"A unique detail in an otherwise ordinary life..." so fitting and downplayed... like the high school student who created the business.

I give it 6.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rt-OAyTcd_Q

Jump Tomorrow

I watched this film and thought, was this made in the 1970s??!! I couldn't place the decade of this film due to the crazy main character, George, from Nigeria with his horn rimmed glasses and smart attire. The music in the opening was crazy and fun, and I thought, what the heck is this?? I then wondered if it was an African film.. It was full of surprises and an artful and often times simple direction laced with absurd dancing, music and dialogue. I now realize that it is an English film (UK)and that makes some sense AND it was made in 2001. Straight forward, simple story of a chaste Nigerian about to participate in an arranged marriage but meets an idyllic, vivacious and provocative Brazilian who makes him rethink his future.

I give it a 3.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OSQQNN120Sg

Paris, je t'aime

This film wasn't great at all...I usually like unique vignette style films, but this one was abyssmal. Especially the short story of the mimes, UGH! Each little story illustrated a different form of love "happening" at that moment. The theory was interesting but the execution was awful. Cameo appearances by Steve Buschemi, that kid who played some character in Lord of the Rings, Elijah Wood, I think.. Maggie Gyllenhall as well. I get that the director was attempting to create an artful experience....but it sucked! It was pretentious and a failure.

I give it a 0.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LkrqtxogmME

Priceless

The French have a way with film and an ability to capture emotional nuances infrequently done in American cinema and this comedy was no exception. There is something distinct about the the way the French tell a love story. This film centered around a woman, played by the incomparable Audrey Tautou, who found herself bouncing from one wealthy man to the next to subsidize her preference for the finer things in life. She would frequent places where rich men hung out in provocative attire, charm them and take them for whatever she could get materially. Her life gets turned upside down when she meets a common man who pretends to be something he isn't to woo her. These two characters develop an unusual relationship to assist one another in garnering what it is they both need to survive separately, but suffice to say they find it hard to resist one another in the process. It is a morally driven tale of happiness or money... one must ultimately decide, and because I say moral... we know where this ends up... but the ride to the end is quite clever, sweet, and entertaining.

I give it a 6.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JAxFvLx5M8g

Something Unknown (is doing we don't know what)

What a thought provoking and unusually informative film about the UNKNOWN.. we all know I love irony, and this film attempts to explain the unexplainable. In my mind now, the quote mentioned at the end, Einstein, "The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and all science. He to whom this emotion is a stranger, who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead: his eyes are closed." This documentary provides the viewer with alternative ways of thinking about the mind, the brain and quantum physics. Explaining such phenomena is the ever interesting Charles Tart, and Larry Dossey, M.D., who I became aware of working with the great Dr. Henry Grayson. The film's title is a bit frivolous given the content. One might think that this is hokey because of the word psychic.. but these great new minds, and studiers of the brain and physics go much further. They are scientists who continually challenge new theories and have devoted their life's work to this mysterious phenomena. The message in this film is that human potential is infinite, that it is far beyond what we can see, feel and touch (Newtonian Science), that there is a very distinct spiritual element to existence which makes consciousness far more special and magical than what meets the eye. We would all be remiss in just believing that this is all there is because we are only aware of a small percentage of what the brain/mind can actually do. Our capabilities reach far beyond western science when it comes to healing and health. I am surprised there isn't so much more media to attempt to explain our infinite abilities. It is also difficult for me to believe that others wouldn't be open to this but easy to believe for me because people can be pretty lazy and accept status quo and not be desirous of betterment and change. They want to remain in a victim role, it is what is comfortable.. they don't want to be accountable... the crazy thing is... all they need to do is let the natural part of them shine, but remarkably the jaded emerges most triumphantly most of the time. I personally work to not let that part of human existence taint my views of others. We all want, need and desire the same thing, peace of mind...

I give this a 10.
http://vimeo.com/5566661

Charlie Bartlett

This film made me think of two others, Rushmore, and Harold and Maude because Charlie, like Max Fisher in Rushmore, and like Harold was misunderstood! An outcast who was smart, eccentric and creative, Charlie eventually won the hearts of everyone around him. It is always perfectly wonderful to be the different one because the world is comprised primarily of boring sheep! If it weren't for the Max Fishers, and the Charlie Bartletts, and the Harolds, everything would be gray, and without passion. The hilarious interaction between Charlie and his mother was so reminiscent of Harold and Maude to me.. but distinctly different, however, the dynamic was similar (if that makes sense!)... I am enamoured of the original and enjoy seeing passion no matter what form it takes.. it is refreshing. All hail these characters for they are what makes the world go round... Charlie Bartlett becomes a psychoanalyst of sorts for the kids in high school, meanwhile, he was kicked out of several private schools and typically had trouble making friends.. the irony.. so perfect and accurate.. people so quick to judge instead of appreciating people's differences! Imagine, if we all were the same what a boring world it would be...

I give it a 8 (on the principle of illustrating this important point)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WAKEKxS-I64