Ode to Getting Older

When I first heard about Young@Heart, I knew I had to see it immediately. I also knew that it would be the perfect movie to see with my parents without any anxiety over complex storylines or sexual content. But my mom has a tendency to forget the names of things, so from the first time I mentioned it to her, it was henceforth referred to as “The Old People Movie.”

“Mom, the movie’s at 2 pm on Sunday.”
“Which movie?”
“The Old People Movie.”

“Hey, I read another review about the Old People Movie.”
“Which one is that?”
“The one with the old people. They sing.”
“Oh yeah. That looks good. When are we seeing that?”

After seeing this movie, I have to say that it was perhaps the best 2 hours that I have spent with my parents. 2 hours of not saying anything to each other save for occasional comedic commentary in Korean and the stifled snickers of my dad, who tends to laugh and say things to the screen when no one else does.

No, I am not alluding to the fact that my parents are senile because they aren’t. They’re just weird. But I have had “the talk” with my dad. You know, the one where he talks about how he doesn’t have much time left and how I will be responsible for my brother when he’s gone. We’ve yet to cover the birds and the bees. So the thought of my parents truly being old has crossed my mind.

I digress. You must see this movie. You will be reaffirmed of the power of music, and you will also realize that getting older just means that the body is beginning to realize that it can't contain the greatness that is the human spirit.

Young@Heart: *****

Ode to Bears

UC Berkeley School of Law - Boalt Hall
Candidate for JD, 2011

Ode to Chicks that Kick

If any of you have seen Almodovar’s All About My Mother, you must be familiar with his extensive use of The Streetcar Named Desire in that film. I didn’t know if it had any direct connections to Almodovar’s storyline but Almodovar did mention how he wanted his film to be a celebration of actresses, hence Streetcar. After watching Streetcar, I definitely agree with him on the strength of these actresses.

Don’t get me wrong. the men were also fantastic. I have yet to see enough to marvel at the “genius” that is Brando, but I think the Academy glossed over him (the sole nominated actor NOT to receive an Oscar) because it was just too hard to understand what he was saying. Maybe it was the dialect, but half of his lines sounded like an ailing automobile whining over its 200,000th mile. Kudos on a strong performance, but perhaps a diction lesson or two from Henry Higgins is in order.

Watching Vivian Leigh, I think it's safe to say that actors just don’t act like that any more. As per one of those ambiguous moments, I had a hard time wondering where they were taking her at the end of the movie (I hope I didn’t spoil that for anyone!), because—I’l just say it—Vivian Leigh is wacko in this movie. A very focused wacko, but I get the feeling that if she were my neighbor, I would be obsessed with spying on her through the blinds, while never actually talking to her face to face, for fear of getting stuck in a long winded conversation about nothing. Either that, or she would most likely mack on me or my younger brother hardcore (again, I hope I didn’t spoil anything for anyone!).

A Streetcar Named Desire: ****1/2

I’m sure if I read the play and return to this film, I will give it a resounding 5 stars.

Ode to Chicks and Flicks

If I’ve run into you within the past 4 months, chances are I’ve told you about how much I loved the movie In Her Shoes I probably told you about how I cried a lot at the end, and how even if you hate Cameron Diaz, it was ok because you’re kind of supposed to hate her in this one. If you hadn’t seen it, I probably told you to go home right away and rent it, and if you told me you’d already seen it, I probably told you to go home and rent it again because you’d missed all the great stuff that I found so wonderful about it.

What can I say? I’ve fallen for this genre, and I’ve fallen hard. But I hate the term “chick flick” because these days it has the connotation of some terrible film that a girl drags her boyfriend along to so she has an excuse to make “date night” a reality. All of you know how much Kate Hudson irks me on film, and how I loathe Mandy Moore on screen; they’re two of the reasons why I don’t like “chick flicks.”

Among the many dollar-theatre worthy selections, there lie a few highlights, and now I’ve added another alongside In Her Shoes and Bridget Jones’ Diary: The Jane Austen Book Club. I’ve yet to read the book, but I never considered myself much of an Austen fan. I used to scoff at Becky and her desire to watch the complete BBC Pride and Prejudice, and I envied Colin Firth for so effortlessly becoming the heartthrob of literary minded females everywhere. But this one was definitely a pleasant way to spend two hours.

I’ve always found it much more entertaining to watch a group of strong and interesting females than males, and based on film and tv viewership, I think the rest of America would agree. When chicks come to flicks, it’s ok to be confessional, ok to be a wreck, and even when things don’t end up ok, the women I admire so much in film these days seem all the better for their journeys. I think my favorite of the book club members would have to be Maria Bellow’s character. Maria Bello is, in my opinion, seriously underrated, possibly because I just can’t shake her from my memory of Coyote Ugly. Those of you who have seen this can agree or disagree with me.

Sure some of the story lines of the characters are less than believable, but if this little film can make me believe that there is a little bit of my own Austen-baggage in my own life, then I think it definitely succeeded.

The Jane Austen Book Club: ****

If you’re looking for another flick with chicks with a little less overarching narrative, then I would highly recommend is Nine Lives. No, I didn’t cry in it, but you will love it nonetheless.