midnight in broad daylight

one of the things you can do on a date? yes, see a film. traditional, I know, but then - I like it old school. and my date with KBH had its movie. Midnight in Paris. Woody Allen. need I say more.... *sigh

lovely, exactly lovely it was. Allen's love affair with Paris is not unlike my affair(s) with KBH. and don't we all recognize this search for the perfect place, the golden time and a long forgotten diary that holds all the answers to the questions we haven't asked yet.  we all know this  obnoxious guy who knows everything. and perplex situations, dear me, are we ever in want of those? but despite all that we still see what life is really about - laughter, champagne and la belle époque of now.

I don't know why they do it or Sunday lunch. or - sweet and sour candy

today however, I was in for a quite different cinematic experience. after a catch up lunch with a friend, we went to see a "chick flick" to rest our minds and enjoy a wee bit of harmless, cliché fun. or so I thought.



poster from imdb

I Don't Know How She Does It (2011). the cast was, of course, brilliant. a lovely surprise - Christina Hendricks outside MadMen (she is amazingly beautiful and an immensly skillful actress to my mind). so at least the story was well played, and always nice to get a glimpse of Mr. Bond Pierce Brosnan (and in a suit too, mmm). some mildly funny (in an American kind of way) jokes, S.J. Parker as bubbly as ever. but the story, ach, the story. clearly, a woman who is good at her job and doesn't want to leave it is a selfish bitch. while she's spreading herself out thinner than paper to juggle career, tofu and lice, her poor husband is the suffering hero of the piece, along with the spoilt offspring of course. all the while she is beating herself up about various things. at last, when a big work project is successful and she realizes: "oh, I CAN say no to something and try not to please everybody around me while becoming a wreck!" she rushes off to build a snowman. about the same time as the suffering husband realizes: "hey, why don't I take some responsibility for the daily chores and our marriage too?", the husband is of course the knight in shining armour, everybody is happy. the end.

and I am well aware that this text leaks bitter irony, just a teensy little bit. I know. but stories like this just wind me up. on the plus side - the "documentary" comments really voiced some worthy points.

Baltic Pearl, pt II

a mid-September Saturday evening is the right time to see some cinema at the oldest moving picture theater in town, yes? that's why I put my boots on and went in to see Bertie and Elizabeth (2002), another movie brought to us by Baltic Pearl 2011.

poster from imdb

Although presented as "The King's Speech, the beginnings" in some press material (and I loved The King's Speech), it was a different experience, not totally, but still. my intention was not comparative analysis or quest for historical accuracy, I just sat back and enjoyed. and there was plenty to enjoy - the interiors, settings, costumes, the English accent and subtle humour, but that was just the fine wrapping paper around an amazing love story that endures time, war and family conflicts. a touching tenderness and great persistance. even if I don't agree with the main characters on each and every matter, even if theirs is not my own dream relationship (but then again, what is?), even then I reserve the right to shed a tiny tear when Bertie and Elizabeth exchange glances across the room and all is clear. their glances are subtle, yet they reveal everything. this is where I reach for a kleenex and discretely dab it against the corner of my eye.

so I compromised - I became a writer and a patient

since I am too lazy to sort out Vienna/Bratislava pictures yet, I will rather write about the moving pictures of tonight - Everyone Says I Love You, a creation of Woody Allen from the far away year 1996. I had never seen it, a shameful fact that was corrected tonight, thank you Baltic Pearl.

aaaand I absolutely loved it. I feel that I should confess - I have a soft spot for Allen generally, but come on - how can you not love all the flimsy, mildly awkward characters, the off key singing, undetectable time setting and the dialogues, oh the dialogues + bonus tracks: a singing Edward Norton, a flying Goldie Hawn and a Tim Roth that seduces a confused Drew Barrymore on a balcony. the whole film brims with Allen'esque sentences, the blondes are blond, the democrats are democrats and Venice is still above the water.

one of my favourite scenes. although I am not through with love just yet. warning - surreal dance moves.

video from the vaults of YouTube - here.

monsieur butterfly



poster from their page

Another "sensation" of semi-Latvian cinema, so, of course - I had to see it. in fact I cannot even call it semi-Latvian, because the cast and crew is pretty much a mix, real eurostyle. but the main character is Latvian and (logically enough) played by a Latvian actor, and this means only one thing - the still waters of Latvian cinema have been stirred a little. I, however, was far from stirred. Apart from Gundars Abolins' spectacular performance (a bit biased here - I love him, he is without a doubt one of the greatest actors in the little country of ours), there were not many things about this cinematic creation that I found enjoyable. the paradox is that G.Abolins was so believable and masterful in the role of this slimy, pathetic and greedy little man, that I became repulsed and annoyed by the protagonist almost instantly. but a movie still can be saved even if I don't particularly like the main character or relate a whole lot to the story. sadly, there must be more to a film than just one great performance and a couple of mildly amusing jokes. I suspect that the story was intended as a light hearted, ironic and fluttering comedy of adventure (hence the surname of the protagonist - Taurins - Latvian for butterfly). but at least with me this intetion did not fulfill its purpose. oh, well, better luck next time, I'm sure many people liked it anyway. still on in cinemas.



fine, but I will not wear that bucket on my head!

last week, before I went to see Larry Crowne (Crowne with an "e"), I somehow knew that it would be an evening well spent. Hanks and Roberts, two of my favourite actors, despite what some critics may say, I think they're great and I completely believe them when they tell me a story. And this story was a good one too. a bit out there, yet so real and believable. cliché? maybe. like the human life itself, and therefore so recognizable and sincere. I will probably not rush out and get myself a Vespa anytime soon or start an economics course, or open a thrift store for that matter, yet I have been Mercy, I have definitely been Larry and even Talia. not so posh, but that is what I look for in films - sincerity. it is never too late to learn. and when it comes down to it, leraning to be tough but fair, watching a guy dance in front of your door and riding a scooter are really the things that count.