Under the Tuscan Sun November 16, 2009
Posted by Sarah in Movies.2 comments
A couple of months ago, when the light at the end of the tunnel was simply not reaching me, one of my friends advised me to watch Under the Tuscan Sun.* Although my preferred cathartic movie is Bleu, an intense movie with a very serious, inwardly focused main character, I finally Netflixed UtTS and watched it this weekend. I fell in love with it, not only on its own merits, but because it captured what I love about this friend of mine – her zest for life, her playfulness, her ability to make crazy impulsive decisions that in the end turn out just right. And I laughed to myself when I compared Bleu to Under the Tuscan Sun and realized how much those two movies sum up our respective personalities. Funny what your taste says about you…
* She gave me a bunch of other advice too, but since I ignored all of that, no point going into it here. ;)
Sita Sings the Blues October 30, 2009
Posted by Sarah in Movies.add a comment
Director Nina Paley weaves together the story of her own heartbreak with the music of a 1920s blues woman and an ancient Indian epic to tell the timeless tale of rejection in this smart animated film. Watch it (for free!) here.
Up June 26, 2009
Posted by Sarah in Movies, NPR.add a comment
Up is sweet, with a surprising amount of sadness served up at the beginning of the movie. I also got a taste of a very rare sort of female character – confident, engaged, and most importantly, not sexualized. And then she snuffed it to make way for the rest of the (admittedly very good) plot. And so I’d like to add my name to the letter that circulated widely among all my Facebook friends - it would be wonderful to see a Pixar movie about a girl and the things that happen to her.
Fun in Girls Shorts, and one little mutiny June 22, 2009
Posted by Sarah in Movies, San Francisco.2 comments
Last weekend, I visited the ever fabulous Castro Theatre to watch Fun in Girls’ Shorts, a collection of short films showing in the San Francisco LGBT Film Festival. The films had the audience laughing hysterically over dating malfunctions, therapy gone horribly awry, a femme sex toy reclamation squad, and a U-Haul rap video to end all U-Haul rap videos.
But nestled in among all the hilarity was Little Mutinies, an inelegant world with upside down moralities and wonderfully complicated, multifaceted characters that left me wanting to know so much more about them. Look for more good things to come from StarkPowers Productions!
Where the Wild Things Are April 10, 2009
Posted by Sarah in Movies.add a comment
It’s rare that I know what’s currently in theaters, much less what’s coming out in six months, but I am anxiously awaiting the release of Where the Wild Things Are. Tick tock!
Celebrity Cycle Chic March 9, 2009
Posted by Sarah in bicycles, Bicycling, Movies, Photography.add a comment
It’s been a while since I’ve perused the fabulous Copenhagen Bicycle Chic blog, so I only just discovered this shot of Ellen Page and bicycle. Love bikes, loved the actress in Juno, what more is there to say?
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button February 1, 2009
Posted by Sarah in Movies.add a comment
Last week, I caught a showing of Benjamin Button with a friend. I really enjoyed the movie’s intertwined themes about living, aging, and dying.
Popular Culture 1, me 0 January 27, 2009
Posted by Sarah in Movies, My 2 cents.add a comment
Spoilers below! Stop reading now if you plan to see Slumdog Millionaire!
I’ll hang with everyone else I know to say this movie was visually stunning, had a great soundtrack, all that good stuff. But when I get into the heart of this movie, it all falls apart for me.
I sat in horror during scene after scene – a mother killed in front of her children, gangsters blinding children with acid, a younger brother watching his older brother become a murderer, so much police brutality. When that fairy tale happy ending finally came along, it couldn’t wash away all the anguish and suffering that went before it. Where critics saw a celebration of the indomitable human spirit, I saw two protagonists whose inner demons couldn’t possibly be wiped away by a pile of cash.
Milk December 21, 2008
Posted by Sarah in Movies.Tags: Movies
2 comments
I arrived at the Castro Theatre half an hour before the show, and already the line snaked down the street and around the building – the balcony was open and the pipe organist was playing when I finally made it into the theatre and snagged a couple of seats.
The audience at the Castro Theatre is always great, and Friday night was no exception. Anita Bryant was greeted with hisses, Harvey Milk with applause and cheers. I found the movie profoundly moving and timely. Sadly, the anti-gay movement is trotting out the same old and tired arguments of morality to justify discrimination and violence today as it did 30 years ago, and that message stills wins converts.
Here is an excerpt of a Harvey Milk speech:
“I know you cannot live on hope alone, but without it, life is not worth living.”
Did I mention that this movie was timely, or what?
Princess Mononoke December 12, 2008
Posted by Sarah in Movies, My 2 cents.Tags: Movies, My 2 cents
add a comment
The director did something fairly amazing in this movie. He created a story without a villain – there are plenty of characters doing some dastardly things, but they are all very much human.
Black and white thinking so often backs us into corners, inter-personally and all the way up the political food chain. (Axis of evil, anyone?) A major reason for my fatigue with mainstream movies is the never ending cycle of dualistic thinking. This person is bad, therefore, my escalating acts of violence are justified. I’ve gotten away from the notion that people “deserve it,” where “it” is any bad thing that befalls someone we lack sympathy for. Swapping that notion out for empathy was pretty much the end of my appreciation for pop culture.
So when the rare movie like Princess Mononoke presents humans in all their complexity and shades of grey, I can’t help but feel hopeful.
The other amazing thing about Princess Mononoke are the tree spirits (kodama). Granted, I was subsisting on Vicodin when I watched the movie, but the scenes with the tree spirits evoked the same feelings of calm and awe that I get while out on a really beautiful hike, sitting near a wild ocean or watching a sunset. For that, director Miyazaki has earned my respect.
