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* Yellow asterisk: funny (maybe).
* White asterisk:
expanded format.
*
Blue asterisk: not mine.
No asterisk: it probably
sucks.
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OTHER CRAP:
Catch the deluxe
version of Other Crap in real time, with all the bells and whistles,
here.
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Breaking and Entering
Breaking and Entering (2006) is a complex and multi-layered film, which
perhaps was its downfall. It was released as Oscar bait, and never caught on. At
120 minutes, it is certainly long enough to be Oscar material, and it touches on
many important themes. but at no point does it ring the emotional bell. Jude Law
is a landscape architect working to rebuild Kings Cross into a high income
neighborhood. He lives with long time partner Robin Wright Penn, but is not
satisfied, as she is totally absorbed by her Aspergers daughter, who only excels
at gymnastics. Jude's building is burgled and all of their computer equipment
stolen. The break-in was accomplished by Rafi Gavron, a very promising youngster
who, in real life, is a free runner, a very gymnastic sport. Rafi is an
immigrant, and lives with his mother, Juliette Binoche, who is clearly damaged,
and makes a living as a seamstress. Jude Law stakes out his own building, where
he meets Vera Farmiga, a hooker much brighter than he is, and catches Rafi in
the act, follows him home, and learns where he and his mother live.
Rather than turn him in, he decides to investigate on his own, and starts a
sexual relationship with Juliette Binoche. So, we have a parallel structure
here, with Jude involved with two women, both damaged emotionally, and both with
troubled children that are very athletic. The main resolution of the film is
that Rafi Gavron and Juliette Binoche end up causing Jude Law and Robin Wright
Penn to find each other again.
There are numerous other subplots and themes, including urban renewal and its
effect on the residents, the plight of immigrants, the fact that many in the
police have far more understanding and sympathy for the poor who turn to crime
and the fact that landscapers talk about loving nature and believe that adding a
clump of grass here and a small tree there makes a neighborhood "natural."
Vera Farmiga shows her left breast and her buns. Juliette Binoche shows
breasts and buns.
IMDb readers say 6.5. Those who crave plot and pace will find this slow
going. Those who, like me, have a strong interest in cross cultural
understanding, on the other hand, will enjoy the story telling perhaps more than
the actual story. Based on critical and box office response, the proper score is
C-, but I enjoyed it.
Scoop's note: Actually, the film would
technically be a D+ on our system, since it was killed by both critics and
audiences. It scored 33% with critics and did so little business that it was
virtually a total write-off for the investors. However, I also elevated the film
to C-, as Tuna did. Unlike Tuna, I didn't really like it, and I found much of
its running time to be occupied with unimportant distractions and irrelevant
characters, but I could see why others might like it, and I think the film is
important enough and ambitious enough to merit a qualified recommendation.
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Notes and collages
Helen Mirren - Day 9
Savage Messiah, Part 2
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Trastorno (Upheaval)
2006
Español
Natalia (Najwa Nimri) lo tiene todo: un buen marido, un buen trabajo,
y, lo más importante, un hijo en camino. Después de mucho tiempo sin
verse, decide reencontrarse con su hermana Elena (Ingrid Rubio), a quien
las cosas no le van igual de bien. El mayor deseo de Elena es ser madre,
y aún no ha conseguido quedarse embarazada. Sorprendentemente, durante
el fin de semana que pasan juntas en casa de Natalia con sus respectivas
parejas, Elena descubre que por fin está encinta. Una noticia que los
llena a todos de alegría. Sin embargo, esta aparente felicidad comienza
a verse afectada por juegos de celos, manipulaciones y engaños por parte
de Elena. Se desata entonces una lucha a muerte dominada por la obsesión
y los recuerdos del pasado, en los que Elena cegada por la envidia
intenta arrebatar la vida de su hermana.
English
Natalia (Najwa Nimri) has everything: a good husband, a good job and,
most important, a son on the way. Natalia decides to try a
reconciliation with her estranged sister Elena, for whom things are not
going equally well. Elena's greatest goal in life has been to be a
mother, but she has not been able to get pregnant. They decide to pass a
weekend together with their spouses and surprisingly, Elena reveals that
she is finally expecting a baby, and the news fills them all with joy.
This euphoria doesn't last. Their happiness is affected by games of
jealousy, and various manipulations and deceits on the part of Elena.
Elena's obsession with real or imagined slights in the past is so
overwhelming that she even tries to kill her sister.
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Little Children
A top-notch cast and interesting story and script highlight this 2006
character study/drama.
The story examines the lives of several young marrieds, whose lives are
tied together by the small community they live in. Characters include a
woman in a loveless marriage whose husband contents himself with Internet
porn while she devotes her time to her daughter. Eventually, she strikes
up an acquaintance with a househusband caring for his son, but the
friendship doesn't remain a friendship. It becomes an affair.
Meantime, a convicted sex offender is living with his mother trying to
put his life back together, but is hounded by a disgraced ex-cop who
decides that the man, convicted only of indecent exposure, should be
treated like a murderer.
Chock-full of interesting characters in intriguing situations, this is
a very good movie that will keep you involved throughout.
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Kate Winslet |
Jennifer Connelly |
Sarah Buxton |
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Lisboa
Despite the title, this movie is set entirely in Spain, reaching only the border with Portugal, though the woman mysteriously walking along a Spanish freeway (Carmen Maura) is desperate to get to Lisbon.
She begs a traveling salesman (Sergi López) to take her there for "personal reasons." He is bored with the endless driving and customers who like him personally, but aren't moving his merchandise (porno movies and music discs),
and the woman's desperation seems to intrigue him, so he agrees
to take her. Soon her family shows up in pursuit of her, and he has to figure out if she is trouble or
just IN trouble.
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The Comedy Wire
Comments in yellow...
A joint study by researchers from Poland and Britain's Durham University found
that women's fathers are a major influence on the kind of man they find
attractive. Women were asked to rate their childhood relationships with their
dads, then to pick out photos of various men they found most attractive. The
ones who had good early relationships with their dads picked men whose facial
features were similar to their fathers'. The ones with unfavorable memories of
dad were turned off by faces similar to his. A researcher said if your
son-in-law resembles you, you should take it as a compliment.
* It's amazing how many women's dads looked like Brad
Pitt.
A committee of medical experts convened by the AMA and the CDC said doctors need
to quit using fuzzy terms in an attempt to protect fat kids' self-esteem. They
said doctors are so afraid of stigmatizing children, they use phrases such as
"at risk for overweight" that don't clearly tell parents their kid is obese.
The experts said doctors should find ways to accurately describe how fat the
kids are without hurting their feelings by calling them "obese."
* Instead, say, "Your kid is so fat, McDonald's lets him
walk through their drive-through lane" or "Your kid is so fat, his butt cheeks
are in two different time zones" or "Your kid is so fat, he could use the
rings of Saturn for a hula-hoop."
* Just call the kid fat, then run. It's not like he's gonna be able to catch
you.
By custom, Chinese people are supposed to choose their surnames from a list of
100 traditional names. But with the population exploding, China Daily reports
that so many people now have the same name, it's getting really confusing. For
instance, there are 93,000 people named Wang Tao. In fact, Wang is the most
popular name of all. China now has 93 million Wangs, which experts say is too
many Wangs.
* Paris Hilton says God told her you can never have too
many Wangs.
* That's WHY they have a population explosion.
* On the bright side, it is easy to find a bar "where everybody knows your
name."
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