Masterpiece Classic: The Diary of Anne Frank

Masterpiece Classic: The Diary of Anne Frank

Oh my heart, my heart.  I think perhaps it might burst from sadness.  I first read the book when I was thirteen?  Fourteen?  Anyway, Anne's age at the time of her writing.  Now, I have kids that age.  And upon viewing this I discovered that Anne's real name is the same as my daughters.  It was gut wrenching and riveting the first time and it is now.  Only different.   This is  a touchstone that I revisit every decade or so to discover how much and how little I have changed.

I just can't review this one except to say that it may very well be the definitive version.  There was at least one thing about it that I didn't love and maybe I will come back and talk about it later but I just can' t do it now.  I am too moved to say a bad word.

Here is a picture of the real Anne that we know from her book.  And here is one of her most famous quotes.

"In spite of everything, I still believe that people are really good at heart.  I simply can't build up my hopes on a foundation consisting of confusion, misery and death. July 15, 1944"

I am editing to add this.  It is a thought I just had concerning this topic.  I think that a life that shies away from sadness can know no joy. Suffering, pain, all of it are essential to knowing beauty. The terrible sadness of reading Anne Frank (or in the case watching it) reminds me of who I am and who I could easily become if I allow evil to reign. It makes me a stronger, better person. Anne reminds me of who I want to be.

Skin.................It's Not What You Think

Skin
PG-13

I watched this a couple days ago and came right here to post my review.  I added the picture and the tags.  I found some pictures of the really Sandy and read this interesting article.  Then, just as I was starting,  I was stuck.  Too many thoughts in my head put them down in single file, letter by letter.  Too many questions. 

Skin is the based on a real life tale of Sandy Laing.  Sandy was born in South Africa in the early 1960s to parents who were part of the political party responsible for Apartheid.  As far as her parents knew, they had no African ancestors, yet their daughter was born with black attributes.  He parents loved her, and raised her as a white girl, and even fought legally to have her remain classified as white.  They remained steadfast against accusations of accused immorality on the part of Mrs. Laing and claimed her 100% as their own.  They were also completely blind to the difficulties faced by their daughter for the way she looked.  You can't help both loving her parents and wanting to knock their heads against the wall.

What To Know Before Watching

1) If you are anything like me, you will be curious about what the real family looks like.  I have posted the movie family (above) and the real family (below) so that you won't have to pause for a Google. The casting of they younger Sandy is particularly good.

2)While they did clean up the story a bit, it appears that they did it at least in part, for the sake of brevity.   This movie is real life enough that it doesn't all fit into a nice little package.  The ending is good but not perfect. 

3) To the right is a more recent picture of Sandy and her mother.  Her mother has since passed away.

4) The actress who plays the older Sandy is Sophie Okonedo.  I reviewed another of her works, The Secret Life of Bees, here.  I really liked her in Bees but I have mixed feeling about her work in Skin.  At times I found it brilliant and at other times stilted.  Though she is appears to be a young woman, it seemed to me that she was more comfortable playing Sandy as on older woman.  I found that both odd and intriguing. 

5) The most interesting thing about this film is what it has to say about race.  It reminded me of  a Nova article I read a couple years ago discussing the existence, or lack thereof, race. But even in light of all this theory, it is where ideas meet the lives of real people that things get interesting.  And messy.


6) Here is what Common Sense Media has to say about the kiddos.  It says 15 but would let my mature13 year old watch it.

Currently available on Netflix Instant Viewing

Four Stars- I really liked it.

 

Everlasting Moments..............Art

Everlasting Moment
NR

Gasp.  The cinematography is stunning.  If I were going on that alone, this would be 5 Stars all the way.   It is not often that I finish a film and my first thought is, "Whoa, that was beautiful."  I suppose that is fitting as the movie is about a photographer.

As for plot, well, this is a slow mover.  But I won't let that bother me if you don't let it bother you.  Maria, a woman around the turn of the century, finds herself trapped in a bad marriage and holds onto her sanity by clinging to her camera.

Maria Heiskanen, who plays the main character amazed me with her skill.  She was Emma Thompson good (the highest praise I know how to give).   What she could convey in a simple look transcended the fact that was having to read her words..  Her face is striking and yet just like a lady you would see in Walmart.  I think I may go search for more films she is in, if I find them, you will know about them soon too.  (cue the nervous giggle)

What to know before viewing


1) It's just flat out kind of hard to take at times.  You really like Maria and watching her husband be a louse to her over and over again is hard to bear.

2) I am adding the picture on the right even though it is really about the filming of the movie rather than the movie itself. It captures something I like even though I can't really express it well in words.  I am assuming the man pointing is the director, Jan Troell but I don't think he looks anything like a Troll.  (forgive me)

3) I think this is based on a true story but they did not translate the words right before the credits and my Swedish is rusty.  (roll eyes)

4) Did I mention that this is a stunning film visually?

What about the kids?


NO!  There was one scene that I wondered how the parents of the child actors could have let their little children do.  This one is for grown-ups.

Currently available on Netflix Instant Viewing and here


4 Stars- "Really Liked It"

Italian for Beginners..............Ciao!

Italian for Beginners
R

So, given this film's name and the fact that the picture (ignoring the legs) is of Venice, I sat down to watch this movie fully expecting the lilting tones of Italian. I was looking forward to it really.  One minute in and I had to pause.  This was certainly not Italian.  Was it German?  Nope.  Save yourself the trouble of a Google.  It's Danish.  The film is set in a sleepy town in Denmark. And most of the Italian that is spoken, is spoken by, brace yourself, beginners so nothing lilting there either.  Alright, now that that is out of the way, onward and upward.

At the start, I thought this was going to echo Robert Altman as there is a large cast of characters whose lives seemed to touch each other tangentially.  Luckily for me, I was wrong on that count, as I am not really an Altman fan.  In this case, seven lonely people connect in an Italian community course and in the end, find that they are a little less lonely.  It's a pretty slow mover but the characters are folks that you wouldn't mind knowing and there is a big enough emotional pay off at the end to make it worth your while.

Things to know before viewing


1) I think I like the pastor character best.  If you watch, or already have, post who you like best in the comments.

2) There are several scenes in a bakery that really made me want some pastry.

3) This is one of those films that has a hand held camera.  It was kind of annoying in a couple of scenes but I got over it.

What about the kids?


It is rated R and rightly so.  This one is for grown-ups.  As a side note, it really isn't fun to watch a movies with subtitles when you have to read them all aloud anyway.

Currently available on Netflix Instant Viewing and on DVD


3 1/2 Stars- "Liked It"

My Name Is Khan............................and I am not a terrorist.

My Name Is Khan
PG-13

Friends, I almost hate to be effusive on my first review, but what must be, must be.  It would be hard for me to find enough good words in the dictionary to express how much I liked this. At the same time it is hard for me to describe the story cause it is.........well................Forrest Gump meets Bollywood meets 9/11.   All that is good and bad about humanity is on display here and really, that is the point.

Shahrukh Khan as Rizvan and Kajol as Mandira will be well known faces to those of us who love Indian films. When it started I thought "Oh yeah, I know these guys.  I've seen them in a zillion things" but in true American style, I had to go look up their names for this post cause their names don't exact trip off my English only speaking tongue.  None of that takes away from their greatness though, cause even with the language barrier, the performances here shine.


Things you need to know before viewing


1) Subtitles my friend. There are English parts too but there is plenty of reading to keep up with.

2) There are some cheesy parts.  Particularly some of the stuff in English.  I could be wrong here, but I am guessing English was not the first language of the writers.  It works fine when the Indians said it but sometimes when the white guys were talking it was....well.........a little less than natural.

3) The main character has Aspergers Syndrome. I know this is hard to watch for some, so I wanted to give you a heads up.

4) You're gonna need Kleenex.

What about the kids?


There is some violence, so it probably deserves the PG-13 but it sure has some interesting things to say about bigotry.  If your kids are not the nightmare type, it is a good discussion piece.

Currently available on Netflix Instant Viewing and on DVD


Five Stars- "Loved It"