"It's Kind of a Funny Story"

A Movie Review:

A 16 year old boy decides he wants to jump off a bridge and kill himself. Instead of doing that, he goes to the ER and begs the doctor to help him now, right now. So, the doctor decides to check from into the Psyche Ward. He ends up with the adults because the teen ward is being renovated.

I loved this movie. It was so well acted! There were all these unknown actors making you believe them and some you will recognize. Just superb performances.

It dealt with all the usual stuff that has to be mentioned when a situation comes up like this -- the teen really has no *real* reason to do this, other people have bigger problems, friends are going to react maybe badly when they find out you think the way you do but maybe they will still be your friends if you try to be honest, parents don't get it, being kind feels really good, and your parents will be there for you if you just ask, and so forth.

But I applaud the way the subject matter was presented. Honestly. There was so much honesty in the conversations even when questions asked were not answered. I adored this movie.

Let me know what you think. I know that the reviews on Rotten Tomatoes weren't great but I think they are so wrong this time. Kudos to the leads in this movie. They can be proud of their work. Even that crazy Zach Gilifianaski.

A List of (very bad) Movies

1. The Ugly Truth -- How ugly is the ugly truth? It's so ugly, that poor truth is lying in a ditch somewhere crying bitterly because it's name was teamed up with ugly in this terribly, horrible, no good, very bad movie,

good grief, this is so close to the most awful movie ever made, it's on the edge, if not falling over the cliff of bad.

Jumping off a cliff is better than watching this movie.

2. I Hate Valentine's Day - This movie will make you hate yourself if you watch it all, let alone feel some disdain for Valentine's day. I just had to turn it off; I have much life left to live.

Actually, poor Valentine's Day suffers needlessly, as this movie makes you suffer more each second it's on. Valentine's Day is innocent. Clean your refrigerator. Slice a tomato. Do not watch this movie. Buy a pound of your favorite candy and gorge yourself. You will suffer less.

3. Four Christmases -- Why did they make this movie? One more sad movie about Christmas and people who are from a dysfunctional family. One review said, 'only watch this movie if you are stranded on an overseas flight' -- No. He shall stand corrected -- the advice should be: Don't even watch it then. Sleep.

What we have here is just a sad display of talent (actually, I'm not even sure, now, that these people are talented or just super egotist) cast together in a really bad movie, maybe they had a contract to honor or something ... Take a walk around the block, several times, until you talk yourself out of watching this movie.

There was one thing interesting about this movie. And, since I'm telling you the possibly one thing, you don't have to watch it. Consider me a friend because I am sparing you. Tom Petty sings a song at the end about Christmas (it's good, of course, because it's Tom Petty), and I think (maybe) two kids he's related to were in this movie, as there were two children in the movie named Diamond and Destiny Petty, and since Petty is not a common name to me, I am just guessing ...

Why did I watch all the way to end to see the credits? I do not know. I was tired? I had some wine? It's raining out? Long day? No, it's because I was hopeful. But, trust me -- that said and I have no other excuse. The fool did not listen to herself.

But, I did watch it all so consider it done for you - and don't do it.

Tom Petty is cool regardless. Dwight Yoakam was in the film, but he was also in Sling Blade, so watch that instead (but not with your children.)

4. Ghosts of Girlfriends Past -- Matthew McConaghey was in it. Enough said. (Billy Bob was probably busy)

5. The Accidental Husband -- Uma Thurmond. Darlin', darlin', darlin' Uma--

Message to Uma: You go girl and get yourself a decent movie. Call Quentin - you know you still love the Kill Bill thing because you mentioned it in this terra-bad of a movie. That's right. It's so bad it now has a new word of it's own for good-grief-awful.

Best I can do. Now you are on your own. The choice is yours, grasshopper.

Turtles Can Fly ~ The Movie

I just watched this film, and it was amazing. The story is a hard one. But, truth told is often brutal and ugly and makes you cry.

This is a story of children in a refugee camp that is located in Kurdistan and what they do to survive which is disabling land mines. It takes place just before the American invasion. There are no trained actors in the film. These children are real.

A quote from the director, Bahman Ghobadi:

"This is the first film that has been made in Iraq after the fall of Saddam. Prior to anything, here, I should confess that from a Kurd's point of view, I'm very glad that Saddam's dictatorship has finally fallen. That is when I have decided to make a different kind of film.

I traveled to Iraq along my film and camera crew in order to take a variety of images from different subject matters. We captured many shocking images, if we chose to display all of them, they would be so unbearable to the audiences. Whatever is seen in the film is absolutely and truly documented and the comedy and funny parts have mostly come from the local people and some from myself."

There were no Special Features to tell me about the makers of the film and the fantastic young actors, so I Googled for information and was surprised to find that, although, the film was given many awards (scroll down) and a 90% on the Rotten Tomatoes film thermometer, some people thought it was supportive of the American invasion of Iraq.

This is where my dumbness begins to show as I cannot understand, how, if one watched the film, they would get this idea.

My emotions on this topic run deeply and wildly and my expressions may not be coherent, so I have linked others who give information better than I ~~

Roger Ebert gives a great detailed review.

This article from a London Film Festival writer Shahram Heidar gives information I was happy to read:

With financial help from friends and colleagues, the blind toddler has been operated on his eyes in Baghdad and hopefully soon will regain his eye sight. We also supplied health insurance for the handicapped kids so that they would also receive a little financial help for the rest of their lives. The young girl who acted in the film lives in "Soleymanieh" and holds a job at the local TV channel and the youngster boy who played "Satellite" desires to become a director. He is to accompany me in my next film as first assistant director.

We have a responsibility to children in this world, do we not? I did not support the invasion in Iraq; an invasion that would eventually became a war that would be called a war on terror, an abstract term for fear, and then would become what looks like, endless, and God knows I hope I am so wrong about that.

Man has spent much of his time on this planet robbing the innocence of children. I do not understand this concept, and I am grieved at the thought.

Watch this film if you think you can stand becoming emotionally connected with the world.

The Syrian Bride

The story ~ A young woman is getting married. On her wedding day she will leave her family and never see them again. They are all aware of this. It's what the land they live in dictates.

The place ~ The Golan Heights which is a very small area of land bordering Israel and Syria. Who knew it was there? Not me. Actually, this link of Roger Ebert tells you the story of The Syrian Bride, as well as I could if I felt like writing it all out.

The movie was enjoyable, there were subtitles which I do like for a change now and then, but more interesting than the actual film, I found, was the interview with the actress Hiam Abbass. I had checked out the film from the library and her interview is in the part called Special Features.

She speaks of what it is like to be a Palestinian born in Israel. She is Palestinian blood, but because she was actually born in Israel, she is considered an Israeli. She was raised in a Muslim household.

She spoke of the unrest in her part of the world and said that if others would stay out of it, she feels they could resolve their differences on their own. Wouldn't she know better than some of us?

She also mentioned that the film was a collaboration of Israelis and Arabs. The differences known to the world of their dislike for each other did not touch that film set. Gosh, it really makes one wonder, what is going on in this world, you know? What is real and what is fake? Why such effort to keep hate brewing for something different than yourself going? What's it all about, Alfie?

It just makes no sense, sometimes, no sense at all.

War. Why can't we just say no?

"War will exist until that distant day when the conscientious objector enjoys the same reputation and prestige that the warrior does today."
~ John F. Kennedy

Last night we viewed the Academy Award nominated film, The Hurt Locker.

I am not really sure what to say about this film. It is about a special military unit in the Army - the bomb squad - stationed in Iraq. It's a day to day count down, almost appearing documentary at times, which is what makes the realism of that so sad.

The film's subject matter I don't like ~ war ~ but, if there is going to be war, and people are going to allow lives to be sacrificed, then they should probably view this film.

There were times I had to look away.

I could not understand what made the film's main character tick. I could not understand why taking a risk was such a thrill for him, but I couldn't help imagining that, perhaps, if there was not a war for him, that he would maybe have found happiness in bungee jumping or climbing Mount Everest.

Whatever reason we might come up with to have a war, my prayer is that it is a damned important serious kick ass reason. Otherwise, I cannot, can not, allow myself to support such a venture.

So, as far as the film is concerned, be warned. The material is delicate, and those viewing will have to deal with the cold hard fact that this is going on, and also, that you, yourself, may have supported such an atrocity.

I did not, will not, and shall not.

"Prayer is meaningless unless it is subversive, unless it seeks to overthrow and to ruin the pyramids of callousness, hatred, opportunism, falsehoods.
~Abraham Joshua Heschel