Sessions

Deb 10      Me 10

I remember seeing Whats Eating Gilbert Grape and there was a kid with mental issues and I was sure he wasn't acting; too good. Then there was Diving Bell and Butterfly and Rainman that portrayed disabilities very convincingly. Add this to that list. This movie has a guy with polio and the prosthetics and make up, the general and specific demeanor are really incredible. You think this is just a polio victim with the skills of De Niro.

The guy needs to get laid and follows the advice of his Father friend and gets a sex therapist. This is played by Helen Hunt who also does a great job. Now I'm not shy about celebrating skin in movies. I'd much rather see skin than blood and sadly, most of the time one is brutally destroyed so the other can flow out onto the screen. Here it was the way it oughtta be. Good healthy skin being used for the way it oughtta be used. They don't shy away from skin here and I think it the way movies should go.

Ahh, but the movie. I like a story worth telling told well. This was excellent. It has promoted days of conversation about client/therapist relations, about awareness of handicapped people as just regular folk, about religion, the value of friendships, all kinds of great little sub-topics have come up that were touched on in the film. And most of the time we are commenting on how well handled they are in the movie. Often there was a set-ups for typical Hollywood cliches but they were completely avoided. Whatta relief. Icing on the cake is that is is based an a true story which caters to my biographic leanings. Like Juno and Lars and the Real Girl it is filled with positive people in what would normally be a negative environment. Put more of that in the movies.

Perks of Being a Wallflower

Deb 9     Me 8

This is sweet little movie about those awkward teen years that have spawned so many films. There is a lot of similarity between this and all those others, but this one stands out as just being interesting. The kids are credible and the movie doesn't dwell on their experimentation with sex and drugs and social misbehavior, its just part of the growing process. There were places where you could feel the pent up anxiety, I attribute that to good acting and directing, and it is consistent throughout. Deb liked the way friends grew to rely on each other and became even more important than their families, which seems pretty authentic. I liked watching it, it was a good little non-judgmental story. But as with most of these teen flicks, the adults are the cause of their angst, where in my judgement, the angst just appears like strange facial hair in everybody that age. Its just a hard time no matter what adults may or may not do or have done. Its all just tough. But this is a good way to spend a couple hours enjoying the fact that these years are behind you and reminding you of those precious peers that once made up our universe.

How to Survive A Plague

Deb 6+   Me 10

Another straight forward documentary that draws from a wealth of period footage, created from both video and film formats and archival footage from the media. When the AIDS virus was new there was no support in the way of medicine or possible cure and no real interest by the government, FDA or pharmaceutical companies to deal with the growing epidemic. This film follows the travails of about half a dozen guys who suffer from AIDS, wouldn't accept the fate that was dealt them and created a group called Act Up to help facilitate a cure.

This is really a superb inside look at the path of meaningful social change, how it evolves, grows and sometimes explodes in your face. These guys came to understand the tremendous breadth of the issues they faced and dedicated their lives to the research, self-education and effective activism to help resolve this worldwide problem. 

What really blew me away was that this is all happening when I was an adult, mostly aware of world events and had no idea of the struggles that were taking place on this front. I remember my brother watching the movie about Apollo 13 and wondering if it was a true story. He was in Viet Nam at when this all took place; there were other issues in front of him at the time and he never heard about the dramatic events in space. I'm not sure where I was when the "Act Up" group did their protests and demonstrations, but it was outside my range of interest. Now, presented in this tight package, I find a wonderful tale of people who dig a bit deeper and rise a bit higher than I ever imagined. A real eye opening and fascinating story.

Diana Vreeland: The Eye Has to Travel

Deb 10       Me 10

Straight documentary about someone I've never heard of on a subject I know little about; fashion people. This may be the best, most well crafted, documentary I have ever seen. She was a big hitter in her industry, editor of Harper's Bazaar and Vogue, later did fashion exhibits for the MET. Naturally she was in the light of the stars and published the first pictures of Mick Jagger, discovered Twiggy and was Jackie O's consultant. All this is fine and could make for an interesting tale.

But this thing is so good! Here's why: at some point she was interviewed by George Plimpton for a biography. These tapes are used to tell her story in her own words, you almost never get this much real material to work with. It is supplemented with talking heads of her family and friends, other captains of her industry, but they are only a supplement, whereas most films rely on them to move the story along; she gets to fill it out herself. There is also a ton of footage of her in her own environment, in celebrity environments and in other interviews. She was characterized in a number of films and they include appropriate parts here to amuse and inform us as to her breadth of influence. The film was directed by someone with her last name, Vreeland, so there is a sympathetic hand at the helm who also had the wherewithall or clout to amass all this footage from a variety of sources. She was a positive, self-made queen who celebrates hard work, individuality and following your heart.

I'm really impressed with this as a documentary and, oh yeah, the lady was interesting too.