Movie Pleasures from 2014

In 2014 I became obsessed with watching as many movies as I could and reached over 330.  Naturally I tried to pick movies I would get some enjoyment out of and mostly succeeded, however there were a lot of time fillers and a few duds.  The ones listed below were ones I enjoyed the most and might give some of you a laugh, maybe a cry or a sigh of contentment.

"200 pounds Beauty" from South Korea.  was my most enjoyable movie--the characters were likeable, and the story had a moral about the superficiality of appearance and social skills.  Both the music and humor were well done.   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QJMkP69ua0c

"About Time" had an interesting dialogue and likeable characters.  We all wonder what if something in our past had been different would the outcome be different.  Using fantasy, this movie explored many options that were very simple, but very consequential.

"Enough Said"-got a lot of laughs from improbable circumstances, but struck me with human vulnerabilities.  James Gandolfino is often shown as a brute, but here he was very human and very well complemented by Julia Louis-Dreyfuss.

"The Place Beyond the Pines" had a confusing trailer and I didn't look forward to the movie.  However it was a masterpiece of plotting and acting.   As in real life dissimilar events do connect.

"Prisoners" had good reviews and turned out to live up to them.  A psychological thriller with director Denis Villeneuve who I wrote about elsewhere as a Quebec artist.

"Gravity" was really a one woman show of Sandra Bullock although technically I understand it didn't qualify for some feminist category.  Directed by Alfonso Cuarón.

Some other outstanding English language movies from my notes included "12 Years a Slave," "Her," "Captain Phillips," "Saving Mr. Banks" and "Frozen."


"The Hunt" with Mads Mikkelsen also got great reviews and lived up to them.  Directed by Thomas Vinterberg.  I now expect to see quality from Denmark.  Here is 2014 posting about Mads http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2014/05/mads-mikkelsen-helping-denmark.html

Another favorite Danish director, Susanne Bier did "All You Need is Love" with Pierce Brosnan and Trine Dyrhol who I had seen in two other Danish movies to good effect.  Kim Bodnia who I had seen in "The Bridge" as a likeable character is a despicable husband in this movie.   It was ok, but for me a highlight was one of my all time favorite songs by Ricchi e Poveri.

I have fallen in love with Bollywood, but the truth is they not only hit some of my longings, they turn out so many movies some of them have to be especially good
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"Queen" was one of the best Bollywood offered allowing Kangana Ranaut to really shine" as a jilted bride who decides to go on her honeymoon (to Paris and Amsterdam) alone.  She is better known for glamorous roles http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2014/07/kangana-ranaut.html "Gangster" was another good vehicle for Kangana

Decided I can like Akshay Kumar who previously mostly had seen in movies I didn't like.  "Holiday"and  "Special 26" changed that.  He apparently is friends with and has campaigned with Stephen and Laureen Harper, but I will even forgive that.
 "Mardaani" a crime movie giving former romantic lead, Rani Mukerji a new life.   More on Rani at: http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2014/11/rani-mukerji-maturing-actress.html

" 2 States"  was one of most enjoyable of the year. and you can read more at http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2014/07/2-states-new-favorite.html

 Jolly LLB" paired off Arshad Warsi and Boman Irani to great comic effect (saw another one with the two also very funny).  "Hasee toh Phasee" was enjoyable with upcoming star Parineeti Chopra and Sidharth Malhotra. Another enjoyable film that won international acclaim was "The Lunch Box."

Classic movies are supposed to be the ones that set the standards.  We get spoiled by color, modern special effects, sexual standards and don't always appreciate older movies.  The real essence is a story and perhaps secondarily an emotion.  I watched a Buster Keaton movie after a Jackie Chan special feature credited Keaton for inspiration.  On one special feature for Buster Keaton were descriptions of how he created fantastic scenes, but very simply.  Other classics watched included "That Hamilton Woman" (watched by Winston Churchill over 80 times and by me 4 times) Olivia de Havilland in "The Heiress," "The Best Years of Our Lives"   "Here Comes Mr Jordan," "Ben Hur"   Jack Benny in  "To Be or not to B,". Humphrey Bogart in "Dark Passage."   Remembering Glenn Ford as someone I used to watch with my father I re watched some and found a few I had missed.  One of my most popular blogs you can link to further down.

I was able to check out a few horse oriented movies.  "The Man from Snowy River"  was family entertainment with great horse action in Australia.  "The Horse Boy" helped me appreciate an important role for horses in the future.

I enjoyed a number of Chinese movies which are complicated by the fact of at least two languages and a few countries One favorite was "Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale."  For others check  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2014/08/chinese-cinema-is-peek-into-their_1.html

Korean   Aside from my favorite of the year I enjoyed "The King and the Clown" and "Happy Life".    The link includes other Korean movies seen in previous years  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2014/04/a-slice-of-korean-cinema.html

French Canadian movies have kept Canada in the international movie spotlight.  Now more than ever Quebec directors are making their mark in English movies.  Denis Villeneuve had two English hits, "Prisoners" and "Enemy."  Philippe Falardeau directed "The Good Lie"  Jean-Marc Vallée did "Dallas Buyers Club."  Ken Scott had two of his French films brought to English versions , "Starbuck" and "The Grand Seduction."  to find out more about how they got to where they are:  http://www.johnfdavidson.com/2014/09/french-canadian-films-are-world-class.html



Dutch movies are not well known in North America, but I stumbled on a few really good ones, such as"Black Book" and "Twin Sisters.  You can read about more of them at http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2014/11/dutch-movies-are-hidden-gems.html





One Russian movie,  "The Return" got my attention.  Well worth a watch.
"Dancer in the Dark" from 2000 was another very enjoyable watch.



Paraguay with no reputation and little money produced  "7 Boxes"  Not glamorous, but an interesting story with interesting characters told really well.  Next year I hope to discover more gems from unexpected places.

Suggested by Thom Ernst on Fresh Air that sad movies are beloved by many and you can check some out at http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2014/08/the-power-of-sad-movies.html    and also a ghost movie project at:  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2014/12/my-favorite-ghost-movies.html


The most basic thing about a movie is the story.  It is difficult to tell an original story, but it is possible to see human interactions from different perspectives.  Stories boil down to relationships.  How well are they told.  I know there have been a lot of movies covered, but I actually saw many more and some of them would have an appeal to large numbers of people--maybe you.  Send me your favorite movies to look over for my next list.  Check out movie thoughts on 2013:  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2013/12/movies-worth-sharing-from-2013.html

2 States--a new favorite

How do you really measure a movie?  There are all sorts of schemes to do a comparative measurement,  but they are all subject to a personal bias individually or collectively.  We all enjoy different things by which I mean not only that different people enjoy different things, but that each one of us enjoys different things.

So far this year I have watched over 150 movies, many of which were very good and satisfied to some degree different aspects of my psychological needs.  People like to be happy, like to be scared, like to cry, like to laugh, some even like to think--at different often unpredictable times. Two movies this year have really left a feeling of enjoyment--"200 Pounds Beauty" and "About Time".  It really is some sort of chemistry and admittedly not everyone would get the same reaction.  Another movie, "2 States" recently viewed  has left a similar feeling.

In this case I had a few expectations which can be dangerously unrealistic.  Chetan Bhagat has earned my respect by the one book I read and a few earlier movies that have been tied to him.  Shankar Ehsaan Loy are my favorite music composers.  Words and music.  I also have a visual side, but that is the unexpected bonus.

Chetan's name first came to my attention in relation to the movie "3 Idiots", but the producers and even Aamir Khan distanced themselves from him.  Most observers readily give Chetan credit for inspiring the movie if nothing else and it has become one of my favorites.  Bookwise I have so far only been able to read "One Night@the Call Centre" which was very imaginative and was able to see the movie adaptation which was enjoyable.  "Kai Po Che!" was another very good movie where Chetan was credited.  "2 States" is supposed to be biographical as was "3 Idiots."  Humour is definitely one of his tools, but so is a realistic view of humans as individual and in relationships.  I have written about Chetan elsewhere and now follow him on Facebook.  More details at:  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2011/10/chetan-bhgat-new-discovery-for-me.html

Shankar Ehsaan Loy have also been covered in numerous blogs of mine.  They have such a range in a number of movies such as "Kal Ho Naa Ho" "Rock On" "Dil Chatha Hai" "Lakshya" "Karthik Calling Karthik" Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara."   A lot of good movies enhanced by their music and a few saved.  Three guys that bring different things to the table--a playback singer, a guitarist and a keyboardist brought together for radio jingles.

I started with Bollywood and discovered there is more depth than weird music and dancing (although us Westerners can get addicted if we allow ourselves).  Indians do have a different perspective, but in the most important aspects of being human they are the same.  A country that big and with their long history contains a lot of insight and have their own unique ideas of beauty.

I have also watched a number of Tamil movies which are different from Bollywood and one can appreciate a few differences--as a distant observer it is something like Italy where the money is made in the north and southerners seem to enjoy life more.  In India as with Italy there are racial (the south tends to be darker skinned) and cultural (one newspaper carrier parent pointed out the food in the south tends to be spicier) differences.  There is an underlying unity partly brought about in part in Italy by Garibaldi (one of my heroes).  In India one of the unifying factors would be Gandhi (another one of my heroes) and perhaps a reaction to British (and other) colonizers.

"2 States" (based on Chetan's courtship and marriage has the usual plot;  boy meets girl, they fall in love and their parents object.  Overcoming the obstacles is the whole point.  The main protagonist, Krish resembles Chetan in his education following engineering to a business school all the time proclaiming he wants to be a writer.  He is not sure what he wants to write about, but he wants to be realistic.  The dialogue is excellent.  In India they award dialogue writers as well as those responsible for the story.

The music was enjoyable. with music to express great joy, and great despair.  Bollywood has a long tradition of dancing which is expected by a large part of their audience.  The dancing might distract Westerners, but if you loosen up you will appreciate dancing is fun.

Binod Pradman award winning cinematographer provided a sight for sore eyes.  Instead of the usual Mumbai settings we viewed some sights of Delhi, Ahmedebad and Chennai (formerly known as Madras). 

Alia Bhatt has been on a roll this year with a few hits, one of which I had recently seen.  Her father Manesh Bhatt is a well known producer, director and screen writer and I am sure the connection helped, but she has also obviously learned a few things including picking good scripts with good crew and the subtleties of acting.  I am more impressed by her acting (Highway) than looks (she is definitely more than ok, but not outstanding in my opinion)  Amitra Singh,  Revathy, Ronit Roy and Shivkumar Subramaniam veteran actors as unhappy parents added dramatic realism.  Arjun Kapoor  played the leading man as I might imagine Chetan to have been in his college days.

Lots of other movies are worthy of your time and at different times some will hit the right nerve.  This is my latest experience where an appreciation of art and emotional response tied together almost perfectly.   Looking forward to more.  

A SLICE OF KOREAN CINEMA

Several years ago I developed an interest in Bollywood and before that European movies, but when my son taught English in Seoul I decided to expand my interests again and watched a few Korean movies.  There is an adjustment not only for subtitles, but for culture.  It is not hard to appreciate some of the creativity and a unique perspective.

My first acquaintance with Korean films tested my violence tolerance.  Realism is pervasive in a majority of Korean films.  By that I mean you get a good dose of blood and torture in bleak environments. The photo to the left is about a totally different genre so you won't be overwhelmed with the violence found in many of the better known Korean movies.

"Silmido" released in 2003 was the first Korean film to sell 10 million tickets.  A very violent story of condemned  prisoners assembled and trained for an assassination and then abandoned when the assassination became politically untenable.  It dealt with relations towards North Korea.

"JSA" dealt directly with the border (which my son visited and like other tourists was able to straddle his feet on either side).  Another violent movie, but one that showed North Koreans weren't necessarily all "bad." Suspenseful.

"Chaser" got my attention from a Roger Ebert review who referred to a chase scene on foot.  The protagonist was a detective turned pimp trying to uncover a brutal murderer of his "girls."  This one generated a lot of tension.

"Mother" at first didn't impress me, but slowly I realized there was much more to this movie.  Although mostly filmed in grubby conditions it turned out to be more sophisticated.  Joon-ho Bong, was the director

"Memories of Murder" is a gruesome murder mystery based on serial killings. Another well done mystery directed by Joon-ho Bong

All of the above are well done and if you can tolerate a fairly high level of violence you might enjoy them as much as any alternative.  Some others I did enjoy included "Silenced" and "Lady Vengeance", which will be remade in Hollywood. But there is more to Korean movies.

"The Housemaid" originally filmed in 1960 and remade in 2006 is called an "erotic" thriller that made an impression at the Cannes Festival.  Suspenseful and with some social context it will stun you.

"The Gifted Hand" was released in 2013 (I saw on an Air New Zealand flight) has some violence, but also a little science fiction, fantasy and mystery.

"Masquerade" was a period piece.  In Korean history there was a period of 15 days not accounted for, but in which some laws were reversed for the benefit of lower and middle class people.  Story suggested the king hid away while a commoner ruled and made things a little better.  It reminded me of "A Royal Affair" and of course "The Prince and the Pauper"  There are a few Korean cultural details that you will remember.

"Poetry" is about a mother having to deal with a violent act committed by her son and although not well educated develops an interest in poetry.  There is an unusual sexual episode included, not at all what you might expect because it involves a middle aged woman with an invalid.  It is not kinky, but is integral to the story.

On a lighter vein I watched  "After the Banquet," a sort of romantic comedy with a young girl looking for her real father at a college reunion.  Of course there are a few men who logically could have been and they are in different circumstances.

"The Happy Life" is joyous for the most part with a big musical component.  A group of 40 year old men under trying domestic circumstances rejoin as rock band members and are led by the son of one of the original members who had died. They each have a unique marital or family difficulty, but in the end triumph with their music.

The most recent Korean film for me was "Finding Mr Destiny" which originally had been and was about a stage musical.  A typical, but well done enjoyable romantic comedy with likeable characters.

My most enjoyable film for this project  was "200 Pounds Beauty" pictured at the top.  As I write this at the end of April it is my most enjoyable of any movie seen so far this year.  A lot of quirks in it, but essentially a romantic comedy with a very likeable heroine (in dual roles).   Ah-jung Kim is delightful as both the 200 pounder and the beautiful Jenny.  The underlying message is don't judge people by their appearance.  A great song "Maria"-.  about 2:30 into clip http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QJMkP69ua0c

To gain a different perspective on Koreans I also watched "Never for Ever" an American movie.  Vera Farmiga. played a white women married into a Korean Christian family that found it very difficult to cope with her husband's infertility.  She stumbles on an undocumented immigrant to help impregnate her and eventually they become attached.  That male role was played by Jung-woo Ha who was prominent in "The Chaser"

We all have different tastes, but if you like a little different perspective you can find something to your liking in Korean cinema.

"Crooked Arrows" brings back memories of lacrosse

Having watched quite a number of sports movies over the years the general theme is that of an underdog overcoming tremendous obstacles (always against an arrogant champion) to win the grand prize at the last second.  "Crooked Arrows" follows that pattern.  Sports movies are full of cliches, ordinary acting, but also exciting action and "Crooked Arrows" was not much different.  Originally I reserved it at the library, but saw so many negative reviews I cancelled it.  I recently spotted it on shelf when looking for a time filler.  Glad, as it brought back some memories.

The special features were as interesting as the movie.  I never played lacrosse, but for a few years I followed it very closely.  I always fancied myself an appreciator of native culture and the special features reminded me of that connection.

The Oshawa Green Gaels came to town when I was in high school and very involved with track and basketball.  I didn't know how unique they were for a few years, but their excitement registered strongly with me.  They believed in the importance of fitness that allowed them to execute a fast break style like the Boston Celtics.  One of my favourite players was John Davis who was a phenomenal scorer.  As years went by some of my school mates joined, such as Charlie Marlowe, Joe Krasnjy and Larry Lloyd.  A particular favorite was Gaylord Powless and years later I met a sister and brother at a party hosted by my friends Bob and Adrianne Stone.  Bob had joined me in watching many of the games.

In another blog I told the story of hitch-hiking (http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2012/02/hitch-hiking-memories.html) and looking for a place to stay overnight near Huntsville.  Picked up by one fellow I rambled on about some of my interests and it turned out he was a Green Gael who played on a few of their championship teams.  He told me this very casually, but more importantly found a cheap place for me to spend the night in his home town of Dwight.

A prime reason for their success was Jim Bishop who was an advocate for fitness.  He recruited players who could execute his fast break strategy.  Eventually he went on to be involved with the Detroit Red Wings of the NHL and also to help start a pro lacrosse league.   His team, the Green Gaels won the Minto Cup, the Junior lacrosse championship for Canada 7 times and had been voted Canada's top amateur team a few times.

The Green Gaels eventually became boring, not because they lost any skill, but because they won so many games often by lopsided scores that there was little dramatic tension in most of their games. There was still excitement at how they could work a fast break and the skills of all the players.

After a few years of watching the Junior Green Gaels I watched the senior Brooklin Redmen and saw  what most people see about lacrosse.  Although demanding a high level of skill it can be rougher than hockey.  These games tended to be lower scoring, but in some ways just as exciting.

I moved and went to university and got away from lacrosse except reading newspaper reports.  After a few job changes I found myself working for the Etobicoke Guardian in the circulation department.  One of the teams they covered was the Etobicoke Eclipse, a lacrosse team and I saw a chance to use one of their games in a sales contest.  At the time I was writing a newsletter and had developed a crossword puzzle that encouraged my carriers to find the answers in the newspaper and also the newsletter itself.  I got the sports reporter, Howard Berger to agree to put one of the answers in his column.  At the game I had arranged to have a photo to be taken with one of the top players and a contest winner.  The Eclipse chosen was Adam Oates who went onto to be a prominent hockey player for the Boston Bruins.

Part of the Oshawa Green Gaels' success came from the involvement of Gaylord Powless who learned his lacrosse in Oshweken, a Mohawk reservation near Brantford.  Gaylord was honoured as Canadian Indian athlete of the year at least once.  In "Crooked Arrows" the main tribe associated with lacrosse was Onadaga in upstate New York, another branch of the Six Nations.  I became aware they consider themselves a sovereign nation and lacrosse was a sacred game.  The movie showed a concept of lacrosse having almost a religious meaning for the players.  

"Crooked Arrows"would be enjoyable if you either like lacrosse or would like to understand native American culture (really both sides of Canadian/American border). For me it was personal.

SPECIAL FEATURES AND THE DISTRACTED VIEWER

This post amounts to a bit of a confession, but I bet many of you can identify with some of my activities.

Are you a victim of multi tasking? Multi tasking is a modern pandemic. Too many options and an inability to be satisfied as long as you think something else might be more satisfying.

Do you love reading books? watching movies?  surfing the net? eating? music? sports?  Do you have obligations such as chores?  How about all the hassles of making a living?  So many things you want to do and so many others expected of you.  How can you squeeze it all in?

In a previous blog I noted that it really is impossible to do two things at the same time to a high quality. I used the example of eating and playing music.  I stick to the basic idea that you cannot appreciate eating and listening to music to the ideal maximum at the same time.  But they go well together.  Anyway heard someone suggest the multi tasking helps you get through a lot of boring tasks easier so I am using that as a rationale.

The addiction is hard to give up even when you realize for each task you attempt you are missing something.  I love watching movies and sometimes do so when I am doing household chores or writing blogs, or surfing the net or even working and to be honest I know I am missing something.

Can movies be confusing?--sometimes deliberately and sometimes not.  Have you ever had trouble sorting out the characters?  Or figuring out the plot?  Are we watching a flashback or a flashback of a flashback? Or an imaginary projection?  Or how come so many people think this is an exceptional movie?  If so, we are on the same page which may not be  the page we are supposed to be on.

As a parent of young children I remember having to wait with my young son before going to school.  I got into the habit of watching a movie with him on tape, stopping it as we had to leave for school and continuing the next day.  It is true you get more out of something if you finish it before taking on another task, but it is better to make use of little bits of time the world provides.  In order to watch as many movies as I do, I watch many of them in snatches and often while doing something else.  Along the way I developed the habits I live with today.

I had heard about special features, but for awhile thought of them as merely gimmicks to increase sales.  At a family function talking with my cousin Linda and her husband Derek I explored the idea of special features.  I got inspired to check them out and came to appreciate some of the benefits.

Director commentaries can clear up a lot of confusion.  Also help you to appreciate some details that otherwise would get overlooked.  Featuring details helps you understand.  Some details I never appreciated were with costumes and makeup, but nevertheless felt the effects of efforts made.  A friend of mine, Shawn Hagerman took a film course in university and loved to tell about mistakes his university prof  pointed out in class. One I remember was from "The Graduate" where the characters drive over a bridge in actuality the opposite direction to the supposed--it wasn't the truth, but it wasn't a mistake either.  Lots of movies change details and make all sorts of alterations so that the story will be more understandable or more enjoyable.

Casting is often discussed.  The world is becoming more intertwined with actors crossing national and even linguistic boundaries every day.  Mads Mikkleson, Marion Cotillard, Anupam Kher, Kristen Scott Thomas, Bruno Ganz have been spotted speaking several languages.  I watched Jodie Foster in a French movie.

Music is a feature that adds to my movie enjoyment.  Composers have the problem of having to follow the visual presentation and help set the mood.  One feature on the Three Colors series really demonstrated how music can be very integral to a film.  Another feature showed a composer who collected a variety of sounds to use in movies as a sort of special effect. I watch a lot of Bollywood movies on DVD and have found many have a feature just devoted to song, sometimes following them in sequence reminds me of the movie.  More interesting are features devoted to the making of a song or a general discussion by the composers--I watched my favorites, Shankar Ehsaan Loy on a number of their movie projects.

I should add that I don't like a movie to be overwhelming with special effects, but obviously they can enhance your enjoyment.  I realize that most of what you watch is not what it seems, but the illusion makes the movie better.  Its the overwhelming exaggerations that can get tiring.

Watching the special features is not a short cut, but they can help deepen your understanding.  Hopefully you don't get too distracted.

A few thoughts on Roger Ebert

Roger, the well known movie reviewer and a prolific writer died yesterday after lengthy medical complications.  I did not have any personal contact and only have read a small portion of what he wrote, but he had a positive impact on me and millions of others.

I like to think I write movie reviews, but my goal is really to give a little different perspective and maybe a nudge.  Roger looked at movies in much more depth and consequently his perspective was more detailed than I aspire to. 

My local paper, The Hamilton Spectator carried his reviews and I found myself checking them as almost the first thing to read and learned to value his judgments.  I discovered his website and caught many items not covered in local papers.  Barrack Obama commented that if Roger didn't like a movie he was honest about it, but also strong in his praise of movies he did like.  His credibility was very important in drawing attention to worthy movies that otherwise couldn't attract attention.

Twitter has opened up a lot of doors.  Twitter is criticized for being full of trivial time wasting information.  Roger would sympathize with that view and tried to send only messages that he thought worth somebody's effort to read, most often with links to something meatier.  In one article he explained his philosophy on twitter.  I flagged it, but checking today it is not available.  As I remember he did feel Twitter was a useful way to get your messages out to a broader audience, but would be more effective if only used when you had something worthwhile to tell the world.  He wasn't one of those who sat by the Twitter feed, but rather somebody who worked out what he wanted to say and used some technical service to spread the tweets throughout the day.  His political and philosophical views were similar to mine, but his were better articulated.  Reflecting his ability to write Roger was the first film critic to win a Pulitzer Prize.

On his website were a lot of movie reviews of course, but some of them were by correspondents and he seemed fond of using people from different parts of the world with their own unique perspectives. Like many reviewers he liked doing a year end summary of his favorite movies.  One year he had two lists--one of the commercially released American movies and another of foreign art movies.  As someone who attended a lot of festivals he was well aware of movies that were essentially inaccessible to most Americans (and Canadians).  What most of us see are reviews of movies that are playing near our home town.

He didn't just attend festivals he supported them.  The Toronto International Film Festival (known as TIFF) gained a lot of credibility with his presence and his praise.  Festivals are where he would encounter not only foreign movies, but also independent movies (those not made and distributed by major studios).  His support enabled not only the movies to be more accessible, but to make movie lovers more aware of them.

I read his book "Life Itself."  He had a life that may have been focused on movies, but he had a broader view.  Went through a period of alcohol abuse and towards the end had more than his share of physical challenges.  He persevered with the encouragement of his wife Chaz and kept doing what he enjoyed and felt gave his life some meaning.  Movies are important and he made us think about them in more depth.

My three Persian experiences

One of the wonders of the modern world is you have access to the rest of the world that even the richest people did not have a few decades ago.  Often we either fear or look down upon those from other parts of the world.  I like to think I am above all that, but really nobody is.  My recent experiences are only a glimpse.

Iran is in the news and generally not viewed positively.  Iran is not just a government, but also people and a culture.

"A Separation" won the Academy Award for best Foreign Film and was declared by Roger Ebert as best film of 2011.  A North American can read a lot into the movie finding political meaning, but what I got was that the Iranians are not that much different, while they do have some unique qualities.   The focus is ultimately on a couple that have separated over the issue of leaving their country to give their daughter a better future against the husband's need to care for his father who has Alzheimer's.  It gets complicated with a miscarriage to a caretaker and the accusation that the husband caused it.  There is a bit of a mystery, but more importantly there is a clash between classes and tension within two marriages involving children.  And the real mystery at the very end.

Most of the film takes place indoors with settings not all that strange to our North American sensibilities.  Traffic looks familiar.  Well worth watching.

"Persian Fire" by Tom Holland was recommended by David Frum.  Basically it gets down to East vs West at a critical time when the world could have developed in a much different way than it did.  The focus is on the Greeks, but the author does explain a lot of Persian history and culture.  I found myself checking Wikipedia to further my understanding.

Some of the things I learned included trousers coming from Persian horsemen, a concept of good and evil, the Magi of the New Testament were Persian, the word Paradise is derived from Persia.  They were very fond of gardens.  We read about the Roman Empire, the British Empire, but are unaware of the Persian Empire.

Rayhoon Persian Eatery was brought to my attention through work.  I am familiar and attracted to a variety of "ethnic foods" including Italian and Ukrainian through my marriage, Moroccan through my sister, Asian  (Indian, Chinese and Thai) through good fortune.  I decided it is not fair to sell something I wouldn't buy, so I bought myself a visit to Rayhoon's with my wife.  We loved it. Great service, great food.  Fortunately we had very helpful advice from a waitress that gave us good choices.  She was right, their ice cream is different and I am glad I tried it.


If you live anywhere near Burlington Ontario you should check out their website www.rayhooneatery.com/  Make sure you check the reviews as they will help you order.

Four French Comedies

Many of the things in life that I enjoy the most were ones that I stumbled on.  They were there when I was looking for something else.  Is that true for you?  These new things went on to change what I was looking for.  Over the past two years or so I have stumbled on four French comedies that made me feel so good I want to share the pleasure.  Don't let your hang-ups about subtitles or notions of French movies deter you from considering these movies, especially if you like to laugh and can appreciate some subtleties.

The first was The Valet.  I had actually seen two of the cast members before--Kristin Scott Thomas was known for The English Patient and Daniel Autieul I had seen in a French drama, Jean de Florette," I very much enjoyed.  I learned from the director's commentary that Kristin Scott Thomas had married a French doctor and split her time between English and French scripts.  The star was Gad Elmaleh who was very good at playing a lovable loser who of course gets the girl in the end, but has a very interesting side trip along the way.  In this film you like most of the characters, but not so much the one played by Daniel Auteuil, nevertheless he makes it work.

The second was Priceless.  Audrey Tautou was as I said in another blog "priceless"  But she was only half of the stars.  My previously discovered Gad Elmaleh shared top billing, playing a nervy ordinary hotel worker.  The two were wonderful together, mis-fitted in the beginning, then rivals with some friendly coaching, then finally what you were hoping for.  Basically you like the main characters and hope they can see the value in one another.

"I do" (prete-moi ta main) wasn't what I was looking for.  The writeups seemed interesting.  One of the stars I had seen recently in a totally differently role.  Charlotte Gainsbourg had played a mother in an Australian movie, called "The Tree."  Here she played a totally different character and very well.  Alain Chabat played a typical happy bachelor avoiding any thoughts of marriage.  His family plays a key role in the movie as his mother and sisters spoil him, but at one point demand he get married so his wife can do all the things that spoil him.  He schemes to fool them hiring the sister of a business associate who schemes to get as much money for the venture as possible.  The idea is the family will like the chosen one, but she will dump him. You know how it is going to end (actually it is very funny and a twist on the beginning), but there are lots of laughs and plot twists along the pathway.




A more recent movie with a lot of laughs was "Heartbreaker" with Romain Duris and Johnny Depp's wife Vanessa Paradis.  Romain had a reputation as a serious actor and I had never seen Vanessa before but both were impressive in a comedy.  Romain plays a character that specializes in breaking up relationships with the help of his sister and her husband.  They are very slick, but of course they eventually run into a situation where the hero gets emotionally involved.  You will also appreciate that Johnny Depp has excellent taste.  A character who played a sort of buffoon brother in law in "Heartbreaker" is the leading man, opposite a favorite of mine, Audrey Tautou. in a movie I look forward to seeing, 'Delicacy"

I am looking forward to discovering more French comedies.  These are all relatively in good taste, but very clever.  When you suspend your skepticism that is normal when watching a movie your intelligence is not insulted and you will just glide along.  At least I did.

MOVIES I ENJOYED IN 2011

Talk of the Oscars will soon be starting and like everyone else I have a few thoughts on what movies I think should be recognized. A few confessions right up front. I love foreign movies and probably have a bias. I don't go to many movies as they are released, waiting til the ones that look good are available through DVD. I have learned of many interesting movies from reading lists and hope that my list might help you select an enjoyable movie.

I do see a lot of movies, (over 160 in 2011) most of which are screened through reviews (another bias, but I do think justified). I look at critics (eg Rotten Tomatoes), but also regular viewer (eg. IMDB). I can't escape that each of us has a different perspective and when deciding which movies to pursue you need to allow for the bias and prejudices of whoever is pontificating. The movies listed are all ones that I personally viewed in 2011, but were not necessarily made or shown in theatres.

Also I find it demeaning to rank movies and dissect them down to a number. Although I am guilty of it, I don't think it necessary for the purposes of this list. Some movies I will just list and others will give some details. I enjoyed many movies, but narrowed the top performances to this list

Top English speaking movies released in 2011 that I liked.

"The King's Speech"--an unusual topic that illustrates how important some things we take for granted can be.

"The Help"--hard not to laugh, hard not to appreciate the hypocrisy.

other English language movies I liked in 2011, but released before.

"Temple Grandin"--showing the value of all human beings even those autistic

"Wallander", 2nd season--I have come to love the Swedish novelist, Henning Mankell--BBC showed good respect in the tv mini series

"The Next Three Days", starring Russell Crowe--directed by Paul Haggis, based on French movie the trailer made me think an action movie, actually very clever

"Inside Job"--a documentary explaining the corruption and self serving that led to 2008 financial disaster--demonstrates absolute need for regulation

"Millions", an English film shown at Hamilton Film Festival--masquerading as a kids film

"The Englishman's Boy"--made for Canadian tv based on book by Guy Van der Haege--well written and hits home how Hollywood did commercialize history

Now for foreign language films starting with Europe

German film "Anti-bodies" action suspense, well done

"Un Prophete", an award winner, very brutal, but an excellent study in power

"L'Appartement", a French film with a layered plot also well done

"Cell 211" from Spain was brutal, but very impressive.

I enjoyed more Euoprean movies including a few French comedies, Danish films and a few more German.

Moving to Asia, mostly Bollywood

The best of the Bollywood lot for 2011 was "Zindagi Ni Milegi Dobara"--set mostly in Spain with a fair amount of English dialogue--really a road trip with three guys with a little romance and dramatic tension thrown in--very pleasant music, great acting, well put together Hrithik Roshan, Farhan Akhtar, Abhay Deol, Katrina Kaif and Kalki Koechlin.

"Mod" was a fairly good movie released in 2011 that led me to checking out movies by Nagesh Kukunoor, a low budget director, writer and occasional actor. Better ones were "Aayshaein", "Iqbal", "Three Walls", and "Dor" which were all superb movies. I watched a few of his lesser ones.

Some other Bollywood classics I enjoyed in 2011 included, "Kuch Kuch Hota Hai" (beautiful romance well put together), "Hey Ram" (covering Gandhi's assassination), "Lakshya" (patriotic and coming of age movie),

"Munna Bhai" and "Lago Raho Munna Bhai" together provided the best laughs in Bollywood--in the second one the ghost (or facsimile) of Gandhi is used in a humorous but thoughtful manner

"Udaan" about a father son conflict

"Once Upon a Warrior," actually in the Telegu language, picked up by Disney World, a delightful children's movie

Before leaving Asia just remark that I also enjoyed movies from Japan and South Korea

Back to North America.

One of the most brutal movies and best done was Canadian, in French, "Incendies."  It is very layered as you nudge closer and closer to a sickening conclusion. It points out the evilness of hatred.

There are a lot of director/writers and actors that made viewing more pleasant. Amongst directors I would like to mention Paul Haggis, Nagesh Kukunoor, and Farhan Akhtar. Amongst actors would like to mention Colin Firth, Matt Damon, Russell Crowe, Aamir Khan, Shreyas Talpade, Romain Duris, and Nicholas Campbell. Audrey Toutou was priceless in "Priceless", very true, even if a bit opportunistic.

Perhaps I missed a few of your favorites. Love to hear what they were. I will be looking for new selections.

Why I like Foreign Movies (even with subtitles) and why I think you should take a closer look

I seem to be in a number of minority groups (at least in my back yard) and here is another. I like to watch foreign movies, including those with subtitles. As an aging male with declining eyesight and attention span I too am bothered by subtitles, but I find the value is more than worth the effort. Maybe your experience allows you to think there might be something worth checking out.

It is not that every foreign subtitled movie is better than anything Hollywood and the rest of the English speaking world can produce because that is not true. The attraction is mainly a chance to see something from a different perspective. When you live inside a culture you feel that is the centre of the universe, but that is really a ridiculous notion when you think on it deeply.

I've watched and enjoyed movies from Europe, South America, Africa and Asia. Asia is the continent that produces the most movies and where the culture is the most different from what I am used to. I watch a lot of movies from India (have I mentioned I love Bollywood), but have also enjoyed movies from China, Korea and Japan. In truth many foreign countries feel they have to emulate Hollywood in order to survive, but there are film makers anxious to present their country's way of life.

My feelings are that the movies nominated for best foreign language movie at the Oscars are often the better movies. the quality is there. "The Lives of Others," "Departures," "After The Wedding" are really world class. I am looking forward to seeing "In A Better World" and "Incendies."

There are a lot of skills that go into a movie. At the top is a producer who has been given a budget (maybe the real top is the one who provides the money for the budget). They select directors and key personnel. A lot of people will influence the team selection. Writing, camera, actors, directors, costumes, sound, editors are some of the main contributors. Each has a skill and has to learn to work with the others. Some of these skilled people, such as Susanne Bier are internationally exchangeable including into other languages and everyone benefits.

Earlier this year I read Empathic Civilization and was taken with his notion that civilization is evolving so that we are inter-related with other cultures. At one time the dominant cultures felt they had little to learn from foreign cultures and in fact we need to teach them our language, our religion and our way of doing business so they can get with the program. Now all groups seem to be more open to each other.

That thought has been changing over the years in big part because of actual contact. Contact comes in all sorts of ways; travel and immigration being the most profound. We have been invaded and gotten used to it--we love foreign foods as one instance and seem to be getting more "exotic" all the time. We are aware of events in other distant parts of the world in some cases almost instantly.

In some ways our understanding is much deeper than before, but needs to go further. Movies cannot totally bridge the gap, but I believe they are helpful. First we need to appreciate that both intelligence and emotions can be found everywhere. Given the opportunity foreigners can turn out stories worth watching and tell them well enough that they can be enjoyed. The best stories reflect a personal viewpoint.

It is not just that we are different from other people; it is that we are very similar. The joys and tragedies of life are common to us all. The way we communicate, what we do for fun and a lot of our attitudes are different sometimes amounting to barriers. Movies are one way of helping to bridge the gap.

In Canada the most vibrant part of the movie industry is French Canadian. As an Anglophone most Quebec movies are a "foreign" language. What could be more important to understand than part of your own family. They struggle to maintain their culture and movies is one of the ways. One Quebec movie I enjoyed was "The Seduction of Dr Lewis."

Don't judge a whole country by one movie, but look at a broader base. You are sure to be surprised from time to time, but more importantly will have a better understanding of the "other." The more you understand the better for all of us.

 

For an update check out:  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2020/06/what-sub-titles-offer-you.html

A Turkish Delight in book and movie form

Looking for something interesting to view I stumbled on "Bliss" in the Hamilton Library system. After some research (really just skimming) I reserved a DVD thinking at least I would get a perspective on movies from Turkey. When it actually came I wasn't initially very excited, but before too long I was hooked. I watched it a second time and started reading about it and the writer of the original novel. More recently I read the book.

It is common for movie goers to say the book is better than the movie and mostly I would agree. For this comparison I would say they are different with their own merits and demerits.

The key person in all this is the author Zulfu Livaneli. He had not crossed my radar, but he seems like a modern Renaissance man, deserving of wider recognition. Zulfu has written several books, and also screenplays, many of which have achieved international recognition. He leveraged his literary success into also directing successful movies. All that is interesting, but lots of writers can boast a similar resume. He is also a well regarded folk singer/musician who composes, also at an international level (by international I am not necessarily including North America in a big way). A concert featuring him in Ankara, the Turkish capital attracted over 500,000 visitors.

His history goes on. He has been involved in cross cultural projects such as collaborating with famous Greek Mika Theodorakis. He is a regular newspaper columnist. For one term he was an elected parliamentarian where he broke with his party and finished his term as an independent.

His concerns include that Turks should think of themselves as a nation (of many backgrounds) rather than a race. Another issue is youth and their predisposition to go astray.

The two versions of "Bliss" present an interesting contrast. I think I was fortunate to have seen the movie first and then read the book and would advise any curious readers to follow that example. There is some mystery involved so I will try to avoid giving too many clues that will spoil the two different endings.

Both are centered around what are often called "honor" killings. In reality this tradition, still prevalent in some European and Asian cultures, is where the victim is blamed for something shameful. In this case a young girl is raped and chooses not to publicly blame the guilty party. It is set in a rural, isolated part of Turkey and when females are raped it is considered shameful for the whole community. The young girl, Maryem, although encouraged to do so decides not to take her own life.  Cemal, just returning from army service is chosen to take her away to the big city of Istanbul, where he is instructed to kill her.

From there a few other characters are introduced and the plot moves along. Soon they enter the life of the third main character, Irfan, a professor who has escaped from a life of unhappiness (despite much material success and intellectual acceptance). The three of them impact each other in profound ways until the story is resolved.

That brief outline defines both movie and book, but there is a world of difference between them.  I felt both were very enjoyable and satisfying in their own way.

The movie contains a mystery. In the book the mystery is resolved at the beginning and the author deals with what he considers to be more important. The novel's message has more to do with how people inter act and deal with traditions. All three characters are dealt with in much more depth in the book and you understand their perspective much better on the whole. Some of the minor characters are also explained better.

If you read the book first you would take a better understanding of the three principal characters and what they are up against. But you would be missing a story tension that in the end highlights the hypocrisy of the tradition in the movie version. There is definitely tension in the book that compels you to carry on, but I would argue it is not as strong.

In the book the mystery (already answered to the reader) works out differently and plays a different role in the dynamics. There is a little more social politics in the book regarding the Kurds and Alawites (a relatively minor religious group, but with disproportionate power in nearby Syria). The book has one character that gives the professor an opportunity to discuss various thoughts on Turkish social and political mores that is missing from the movie. The author also shows his musical inclinations with a few references (one, Jean- Pierre Rampal which I am listening to as I write this).

The movie ending is actually referred to in the book. One character actually suggests it and the professor replies that that would be a Hollywood ending, implying not realistic. I was predisposed to like the movie ending as suspenseful and poetic justice, but Livaneli was striving for a different message and was equally effective to my way of thinking.

The movie is also enjoyable, not only for how the mystery adds suspense, but for a number of mechanical details.  Livaneli as a well regarded writer and director of movies was given the option of writing or directing the movie and he rejected both. Instead he opted to write the music (which he had done for several other movies). That was one of the enjoyable mechanics I noticed before realizing the composer was also the novelist. I had read and now agree that it seems a combination of folk music modernized.

Another mechanic factor is the cinematography. I had read about one trick in the introduction and watched that part several times afterwards. It is an aerial view of a flock of sheep circling counter clockwise that is mesmerizing. The movie/DVD viewer gets some gorgeous views of Turkey, both rural and Istanbul that are captivating (sorry about the cliches, but they do apply).

Two more elements I would include are the acting and the writing. The girl, Ozgu Namal is very well played and likable, but in the movie seems a little more mature than in the book. The two main males, Talat Bulut and Murat Han seem to fit what I later read in the book. The minor film characters all seem believable and lend some realism.   Another movie of Ozu:  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2021/09/beynelmilel.html

The book has more characters than the movie and they advance different themes effectively and in some cases take the story in a different direction. The idea of any movie is to condense the more time consuming book into something that can impact a viewer in an entertaining and possibly educational manner. The script of this movie does pull the viewer in and does deal with the "honor" killing issue and in some ways more effectively points out the hypocrisy. It certainly is entertaining and a joy to recall.

Movie executives are inclined to make a story more attractive to non readers and save expense (by cutting out characters and distracting subplots). Sometimes it works and in this case had some benefits.

The book is richer in character and political/social commentary. In conclusion I recommend both the movie and the book. To get maximum enjoyment I suggest you see the movie first--if it doesn't entertain you and intrigue you, well I suggest you move onto something more promising.  I am glad I read the book and understand the underlying thinking a little better. I will be looking for more outputs of Zulfu Livaneli, whether it be books, films or music.