Sarah's Key

The French have a long history of anti-semitism.

In the 1700's, Voltaire's famous novel Candide is full of negative references to Jews. At the turn of the century, around 1900, the famous Dreyfus case erupted. A French captain, who was Jewish, was framed for a crime he did not commit. Emile Zola, the famous novelist, jumped to Dreyfus' defense by writing, J'Accuse. He was found dead under mysterious circumstances weeks later. Forty years later, Celine wrote "Bagatelles pour un massacre," in which the author described how best to annihilate the Jewish people. Over centuries, synagogues have been pillaged. French Jews have long felt like a people "non grata" in their own land.

So: When the Nazis entered Paris in June of 1940 and began their five year occupation, the French were all-too-willing to help them round up Jews. This reality forms the basis for Sarah's Key.

The movie is brilliant. It tells us about history through the eyes of a single young survivor, 12 year old Sarah. Kristin Scott Thomas, bilingual in English and French, does a superb job as the newspaper journalist investigating the survivor.

Never a spoiler, I can't say much more about the plot.

Back to history, therefore. It is documented that, in 1942, the French police rounded up some 80,000 Parisian Jews and put 13,000 of them in a holding tank, a large indoor arena for bicycle races. The arena was called Le Velodrome d'Hiver, or Le Vel d'Hiv (prounounced valedeev) as it is known today. For two weeks, French citizens were held in squalid conditions until they were transported to Auschwitz, where they perished.

Fact: Out of the 80,000 Jews rounded up, only 3,000 survived. On a percentage basis, therefore, the French were more efficient killers of Jews than any other European people.

Personal account: I once asked an elderly French person about the Vel d'Hiv event. She answered in French, "Quoi?" Yeah, right. Similarly, ask older Germans in Munich about the location of Dacau, located on the edge of town, and they'll answer, "What?" We must re-visit the past not to repeat it. No one must deny what happened.

Sarah's Key is a must-see. Very insightful, and sad, as you'd expect. Grade of A+

Zombie Apocalypse

OK, this reviewer must confess to very eclectic tastes in movies. If it's on the screen, TV or big screen, I will watch it, no doubt!

Zombies! Yes indeed. Lots of fun. What a great genre. I will review TV's very popular and praiseworthy Walking Dead in the future. Right now, I must laud the 2011 movie that garnered fine reviews among those who appreciate finely crafted blood and gore.

Ving Rhames, whose best work was the gangster-bully in Pulp Fiction, wows viewers with a fine, believable portrait of a survivor. The basic story? The human race has become infected with zombie-itis! For those of you who don't watch zombie movies, zombies are those who are the "walking dead": they sort of wander around mindlessly, trying to bite and infect humans who are healthy.

The result? Humans on the run!

Join Ving Rhames and about ten young people who have somehow survived multiple zombie attacks. They are headed to the west coast, L.A. to be exact, because rumor has it that the only safe human zone is on Catalina Island. The only problem is getting there!

The zombie genre is, of course, a great metaphor for all outcasts in our society. We treat those with viruses (eg AIDS, even flu) as entities we don't want among us. Our poor and homeless count among our "zombie" aliens. Others society rejects: black, hispanic, depressed, manic, divorced, separated, gay, lesbian...the list goes on.

So to appreciate the zombie world, which is gaining in popularity (e.g. Twilight, which offers vampires, simply another form of the zombie), please think in broad, metaphorical terms.

If you have not "tasted" the genre (bad pun), consider renting Zombie Apocalypse. You'll be surprised to find yourself "thirsting" (bad pun) for scenes and feeling very much a part of a vicious, man-eat-man (bad pun) world!

Grade of A-. I would have preferred a little different ending.

Anthony Bourdain (TV) Redux

My dear spouse recently treated a mild bout of insomnia by watching Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations before bedtime. She asked me to join her. I hesitated, saying that ol' Anthony was a chauvinistic pig and how in the world, with her being a devoted Feminist, could she watch that arrogant, foul-mouthed, multi-divorced, skirt-chasing, man?

Her response was wise: Bourdain gives a travelog like no other. Huh? I thought the guy just traveled the world stuffing his ugly face! Well yes, he does, dear spouse replied. But he really gives amazing insight into life in different countries.

So: Intrepid David, who fears no image on the screen, set out to see if the anti-woman man could really educate his viewers. Surprise! Amazing as it seems, Anthony wowed my socks off! The guy has a touch for interviewing folks in the street. He also gives compact history lessons that would please anyone with a distaste for history. Bourdain offers an amazing flavor (pun very intended) of life in foreign lands.

Witness his recent show on Nicaragua. I learned all about Samosa, Ortega, the Sandinistas, the Iran Contra Affair, and much more as I watched Bourdain describe local culinary delicacies. Although I was grossed out by his meal of calves' blood and bull testicles, I was entranced by his narrative of the land adjacent to Costa Rica.

Therefore, I advise viewers, particularly women, to overlook the "male" as presenter. Think of Anthony as someone who skillfully instructs you but with whom you'd never want to be friends!

This review is "redux", because I earlier did a piece on Bourdain. This followup is meant to encourage viewers to further investigate the restauranteur.

Grade: A Really surprising, good stuff!

Jolene

Ever wonder where Jessica Chastain came from when she starred so brilliantly in The Debt? (Note: I lauded The Debt earlier on this site.) Well, it turns out that when she was a teen, maybe around 18, she played the starring role of Jolene. Wow, what an incredible tour de force!

The movie is a heart-wrenching drama. It's about a young teen who, having been mistreated earlier in foster homes, lives on the edge of disaster. The story opens with her marrying at 16. Does that tell you something about the flavor of the flick?

The narrative is first-person. The protagonist's words ring very true. We viewers feel the heartaches and disappointments of a kid whose maturity and judgment are lacking.

Without spoiling any of the plotline, I can safely say that the film follows young Jolene through a ten year period of her life, from about 16 to 26. During that time, the poor mistreated soul gets involved with a number of inappropriate older men...and women.

Apparently, part of the inspiration for the film came from Dolly Parton's touching song, Jolene. I checked out that song, and the lyrics are about a pretty young woman who is on the verge of stealing another woman's man.

This film is not easy to watch. But it touches a note of absolute, pure reality. Jessica Chastain is a new talent to be reckoned with (purposeful neaswap, English teacher!).

Grade: A This film is one you won't forget.

The Fall (1997)

Want sultry? Want sexy? Want over-the-top romance? Then check out this very daring, avant-garde, brilliant piece of film making.

Daring: Well, many scenes are way beyond R! But don't think the film is in any way low-brow. Quite to the contrary, it beautifies a very hot and passionate love affair.

The plot is intentionally simple: A cabbie meets a supermodel. They have a sizzling, emotionally intense relationship. They're each far more intelligent and well-educated than their stations in life might suggest: he's a former writer and she's well schooled.

Amanda de Cadenet, the lady with the seductive look in the picture above, steals the show. Her mate, played by Eric Shaeffer, is less effective. Minor characters round out a very stellar cast.

I can say no more! But I can suggest that the language, music, setting, indeed poetic mood of the entire film is way beyond our expectations. The love between the oddly matched couple is heart-wrenching. I recall the French classic, Un Homme et Une Femme. I recall Mickey Rourke's quasi-edgy 8 1/2. I recall Bogart and Bacall. I recall Taylor and Burton.

Where will the relationship go? Can it succeed? Will their class differences separate them? What madness possesses the pair who throw all caution to the wind and go with their feelings?

Oh my, what a whopper of a love story! Not for the prim and proper!

A film apart. Original. Soaring. Very special.

Grade: A+

In Time

So, when hubby's band is holding rehearsal in our house, how is one to kill a couple of hours (after shopping, etc.) than to sit in a cool, dark theatre. Not much out there I wanted to see, so I figured I could watch Justin Timberlake and hope he'd break into some hip-hop. Thus, In Time.

Meh.

It's strength: writer Andrew Niccol's sci-fi concept, where those reaching the age of 25 are engineered to die unless they can beg, borrow, steal, earn enough TIME to go on. Hence, the new world commodity is time, not money. The sustained metaphor was fun, and thought-provoking. "I'll have the steak dinner." "That'll be 3 weeks." The theme morphed into class wars. The rich have all the time - the poor live "one day at a time." The rich stockpile time, the poor have theirs stolen in the streets. Banks are time banks. And on and on. Fun dialogue throughout.

Unfortunately, instead of taking this to its potential intellectual boundaries, it was reduced to good-guy, bad-guy, car chase, gun fights............ Geeze.

Acting performances by Timberlake and his paramour, Amanda Seyfried (yes, of Big Love, etc.) were dreadful, even garnering a few giggles in the audience at some of the bad puns. She had one expression, if you can call it that - Miss Doe-Eyes.

Having said all that, my 94 minutes watching this film were not wasted. The concept has lingered in my mind. It gives new meaning to the adage, Time is Money. In this case, Money is Time. But what if we could watch our life's time being counted down as they can? How would you spend your time, hmmm? Because guess what? It IS counting down. Makes me want to not waste a second!

As JT remarked more than once in the film, "You can do a lot in a day."

Make it a good one, people!