Life of Pi

Must See
This is a beautifully filmed story about surviving 227 days in a life boat with a tiger named Richard Parker. Or is it?
You had to pay attention at the beginning to remember that the movie is to help you believe in God. Pi joins all religions and takes parts of each into his beliefs.
What actually is in the life boat? ; His mother, a cook and a sailor or a hyena, an orangutan, a zebra and a tiger. Two stories come out of the adventure which do you believe?
Life of Pi, according to Yann Martel, can be summarized in three statements- “Life is a story… You can choose your story… A story with God is the better story. If you stumble about believability, what are you living for?”
If you don’t want to feel weighted down by the theology you can just enjoy the movie be like Richard Parker and just vanish into the jungle.
As for me when I got home I had to fill the sink with water and put in a banana to see if it would float!
After the sinking of their yacht Mignonette in 1884, on the way to Australia, Captain Tom Dudley and three sailors were stranded in a dinghy in the Pacific Ocean. They believed they had no choice but to eat one of the party to survive. The victim was a 17-year-old cabin boy named Richard Parker.

You’re Next

GO
I usually don’t go to slasher films; this one is special. Plenty of blood splatter, but no stupid sorority girls taking off for the woods for a moonlight stroll. The story is pretty believable, a family gathering for the parents 35 wedding anniversary. An invasion by three deranged killers and ending is a killer too. Go but don’t go alone, that is when they get you.

World’s End

Go – I think
The third installment of the Cornetto Trilogy is interesting. I liked Shaun of the Dead, did not care for Hot Fuzz but World’s End has me perplexed. The best movie that Simon Pegg and Nick Frost made was Paul, I highly recommend it. Simon also was the young Scotty in the Star Trek re-boot.
Spoiler Alert.
I usually try to not give away movie points but I think that was part of why this movie left me confused. Half way through you find out that this is about an alien invasion. This of course stands the movie on its head. Knowing this I think you will enjoy it.

Chris Isaak concert

Just back from the Chris Isaak concert at the San Michelle winery, I was a special guest with a VIP pass provided by my niece and her husband. His company is the premier sound provider for concerts in the northwest. Thank you so much Mark and Aimee.
The concert started with Nick, his brother, doing a 30 minute set. Younger brother came out and helped on a couple of duets. The act was okay. Then Chris comes out and does a two hour set – unbelievable!
Chris is not a singer he is an entertainer. He has the chameleon vocal ability to evoke Johnny Cash, James Brown, Jerry Lee Lewis and Roy Orbison. His best sound however is his own, the ethereal, haunting song Wicked Game. Listen to it! It will transport you to a different plane of existence.
He made several jokes about his rhinestone monkey suit and he came out into the audience several times. He also highlighted all the band members for one song or another.
It was an incredible evening.

Blue Jasmine

Go
Cate Blanchet shoots herself in the foot in New York then goes to San Francisco and tries to get her sister to shoot herself in the foot. Finally she leaves her sister’s apartment and shoots herself in both feet. This is obviously a “chick flic”. I cannot stand people who cannot say nice things. I don’t like women’s angst. To go into your son’s store and berate him for failing is stupid, especially since you cannot even figure out how to do a receptionist’s job.
She who must be obeyed liked this movie, I liked most of it so GO.

Shane

Must See
Cinebarre let me down AGAIN with their internet movie schedule so I went home and watched the best cowboy movie of all time.

This movie is great and it has several unanswered questions.
1. Does Shane know Marian before he goes to the valley?
2. Is he mortally wounded when he leaves the valley?
Marian (Jean Arthur) is incredible. One of the few actresses who made the transition from silent films, she is 10 years older that Alan Ladd (Shane) and Van Heflin (Joe Starrett ). She came out of retirement to make this film.
Jack Palance (Wilson) is his usual creepy self; but it is Brandon deWilde (Joey) who is stunning.
She who must be obeyed said that Joey is the ugliest child she has ever seen. I thought he looked a lot like me when I was younger.
Shane … Shane … come back.
The answer to question two is: NO he is not mortally wounded. He moves to San Francisco and becomes a hired gun – Paladin. Isn’t that a much better ending than he dies off camera!
A fun fact about Alan Ladd is that he is considered short at 5’8”, the leading ladies of the day were usually 5’10” and up so to make him look manly they dug a trench for the ladies to walk in so he would look taller.

The Butler

Go
Forest Whitaker puts on an academy award performance as the Butler. I have enjoyed his movies since Ghost Dog. This film is a history lesson of our past and well worth going down this memory lane. Oprah Winfrey is a terrific actress too.

Elysium

No go
This is an over long melodrama. I would rather watch Dudley Do-Right than sit through this movie. I am going to put in a spoiler right here. Little Nell is telling Dudley a story about a Hippopotamus and a Meer Kat. Dudley asks, “What does the Hippopotamus get out of it?” That is the best line in the movie.
Go see District 9 instead. Same movie different 99%er’s. Both beautifully filmed. I did like ring world.
Travel to any city in the world and you can always tell the poor sections by the trash accumulation. Why won’t the poor pick up after themselves?

Still Mine

MUST GO
This is a beautiful movie.
Genevieve Bujold gives an Oscar winning performance as a wife with advancing Alzheimer disease.
James Cromwell, you will know him when you see him, gives a stunning tour de force as her husband.
You try all your life to be self sufficient and the nanny government has to step in and try to force you into compliance. I have seen a lot of sub standard house repairs and I firmly believe in building codes; but when you prove that your materials and methods exceed the standard it should be a no brainer to make an exception.
Enjoy this movie!