Dad's in Heaven with Nixon

Dad's in Heaven with Nixon
NR

I decided to watch this documentary based on the Netflix's description. Here it is so you can see what I thought I was getting into.

"Using his autistic brother's colorful art as inspiration, documentarian Tom Murray paints a portrait of his family's complex struggle with his brother's brain damage, his mother's unwillingness to accept it and his father's inability to cope with it. The result is a multifaceted but moving study of the glue that holds families together -- and the destructive forces that can   tear them apart. But, above all, it's a lesson in optimism."

This was of interest to me because I am the aunt of a much loved nephew with autism.  So I hit play.  About twenty minutes in, I began to wonder if the description writer had even seen this movie.   An hour in, I was near despair.  "Optimism" my foot.  Instead it was a self indulgent look at all that was wrong with the documentarian's growing up years and there was plenty of wrong things.  So at the 51 minute point I decided, "If this thing doesn't perk up in ten minute's, I'm done."  Lo an behold, as if they had heard me, it did!  

Suddenly this was whole new film.  It was the film the description had me expecting.  Chris, the autistic brother of the film maker, is an amazing man.  For 30 years he has lived on his own and held down two jobs as a stock clerk and a janitor.  Somewhere along the line he discovered drawing.  As his mother runs with the well to do Manhattan crowd, Gloria Vanderbilt ran across his work and suddenly he had an art show.  There is now a waiting list for his work!  

My husband happened to come in the room right when the movie started to focus on Chris and at the end he said "That was terrific.  You sure can pick a movie." After I finished cracking up, I let him know that in fact, he just had terrific timing.

So here is how I recommend you watch this film.  Watch enough of it to learn who everyone is then fast forward to about 55 minutes and watch to the end.  Here it the trailer.  It gives you a good idea what I am talking about here.

The part about Chris..........5 Stars
The rest of it ......................2 Stars

Currently available on Netflix Instant Viewing and on YouTube

Paper Heart...........................Love?

Paper Heart
PG-13

This one is a little hard to describe and every sentence I start to form about it includes the word quirky.  So let me just get that out of the way.  Quirky, quirky, quirky, quirky, quirky.  In case you missed that, this film is quirky.

It is a documentary in which Charlyne decides to find out what love is. She claims over and over again that she doesn't believe in love and wants to understand.   She sets out to do so by interviewing people as she travels around the country.  During filming,  she meets Michael and she has some lessons on the topic that she wasn't expecting.

Charlyne, who really is the lynch pin of the film, is awkward and understated but endearing and you certainly feel for her and Micheal as their relationship emerges on film and they would clearly love to be rid of the cameras and crew.  One of my favorite scenes is in a diner when they are discussing what to order.  Charlyne, a vegetarian, says she is going to order a BLT without the B but with the P and C (pickles and cheese).  Micheal looks stunned and says something along the lines of "But the whole beauty of ordering a BLT is the simplicity of saying  BLT and them knowing what you mean."  (quirky- Sorry.  Had to slip in one more)

Things you need to know before viewing

1) Don't be surprised when puppets show up.  I am guessing the production was low on cash and this started out as a cheap way to show peoples stories.  First time they did it, I was like "What the heck!"  But by the end I was looking forward to them.  It was a really cute idea.


2) There is a totally bogus psychic scene where Charlyne goes to get a reading.  The folks involved find it bogus too and say as much but......yeah.......it's in there.


3) Don't expect a traditional ending.  This is real life.  Quests usually turn up more questions than answers.


4) Did you know that the Merriam-Webster Thesaurus does not have a synonym for quirky?


What about the kids?


There is one interview with a gay couple where they talk about having sex on the first date.  That could be uncomfortable with the kids and is likely the source of the PG-13 but is easy to skip.  Mostly, I think younger kids would just be bored.  


Currently available on Netflix Instant Viewing and on DVD and Blue-ray


Three Stars- "Liked It"

The Parking Lot Movie..............Seriously

The Parking Lot Movie
PG-13

Remember all those guys in school that were super smart?  You know the ones that talked about philosophy, economics, and politics and were no stranger to the worlds of Dungeons and Dragons. The ones that were (and I'm just going to say it) weird.   Maybe you were one of these people.  (Shout out to my brother on that one.)

Now imagine there was a place of employment that seemed to collect these kinds of employees.  That place, is this movie.  The Parking Lot Movie focuses on a pay to park lot near UVA in Charlottesville Virginia.   I know, it sounds dull.

But is isn't!  My husband came home from work and said his office mate had just seen this great film and he wanted us to watch it.  Dh will admit that of the two of us, I am the better movie picker but since it came from Tristan, I said I'd try it.

Well it turns out this film is witty, interesting, funny, and fascinating.  It's a world I never would have considered on the one hand and all too familiar on the other.  These folks are serious about parking cars.  I never would have guessed the intensity of emotion over a car driving away with out paying.  But it brought back all kinds of memories of my own forays into jobs in the service industry.

My husband says that next time we go to Charlottesville, we are going to park there and tip the guy $10.

Things to know before viewing

1) It will make you think about child rearing.

2) Easy to watch while folding laundry because close attention is not required.

What about the kids?

The PG-13 is earned by swearing, drunkenness, and violence.  Violence is not of the normal sort but throwing rocks at cars kind of thing.  I wouldn't have a problem with younger kids viewing it but they probably wouldn't be interested anyway.

Currently available on Netflix Instant Viewing and on DVD

Four Stars- "Really Liked It"