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Monthly Archives: December 2014

“Selma” *****

27 Saturday Dec 2014

Posted by Richard in Escapes and Pleasures

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

"Selma", Ava DuVernay, Carment Ejogo, Coretta Scott King, Dr. Martin Luther King, LBJ. David Oyelowo, MLK, Paul Webb, Pres. Lyndon Johnson, Tom Wilkinson

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Selma *****

If you lived through the 60’s, then there is a lot in this film that you will remember and some that you may have forgotten or not known. But it’s certainly a film to see.

If you are of a later generation and only know MLK because of his “I Have a Dream” speech and/or because of a national holiday that now takes place in his honor, I hope you’ll see this film.

Similar to the recent film Lincoln, where the focus was on a slice of President Lincoln’s life, so too is Selma a slice of a man’s life, Martin Luther King’s life.

Know that Selma is not a biography of King, but as is sometimes the case, when we look at a part of the whole, we can learn and see perhaps much of the whole. It also leaves room for the imagination and the opportunity to seek further information.

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The Books Most Enjoyed by MillersTime Readers in 2014

26 Friday Dec 2014

Posted by Richard in Escapes and Pleasures

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

Books Most Enjoyed in 2014, Favorite Reads, MillersTime Readers Favorite Books

books1-539x303

“A Best Friend Is Someone Who Gives Me a Book I’ve Never Read”- A. Lincoln

Once again, you’re gonna need some time for this post.

And probably pen and paper to jot down some titles that you’ll likely want to add to your ‘to read’ list for 2015.

Despite a recurring theme in contributors’ emails about not reading as much this year, not finding as many memorable books and not remembering the titles read, I think you’ll find a diverse and rich list of titles and comments.

Seventy-four of you contributed this year, listing approximately 450 books, with fiction leading nonfiction 60% to 40%. At least 300 of the titles were only listed once. The female-male division of contributors was 56%-44% (F/M), about what it has been in the past. The contributors are listed alphabetically to make it easier to find specific individual’s choices.

Titles that appeared three times or more were:

  • All the Light We Cannot See (F) by Anthony Doerr (12)
  • The Goldfinch (F) by Donna Tartt (11)
  • The Boys in the Boat (NF) by Daniel James Brown (6)
  • No Place to Hide (NF) by Glenn Greenwald (6)
  • Americanah (F) Chimananda Ngozi Adichie (6)
  • The Lowland (F) by Jhumpa Lahiri (6)
  • Stoner (F) by John Williams (6)
  • The Invention of Wings (F) by  Monk Kidd (5)
  • A Constellation of Vital Phenomena (F) Anthony Marra (5)
  • The Children’s Act (F) Ian McEwan (4)
  • The Signature of All Things (F) by Elizabeth Gilbert (4)
  • The Light Between the Oceans (F) by. M.L. Stedman (4)
  • Gone Girl (F) by Gillian Flynn (4)
  • Zealot (NF) by Resa Azlan (3)
  • Wonder (F) by R.J. Palacio (3)
  • The Woman Upstairs (F) by Claire Messud (3)
  • The Narrow Road to the Deep North (F) by Richard Flanagan (3)
  • Orphan Train (F) Christine Baker Kline (3)
  • To Kill a Mockingbird, (F) Harper Lee (3)

For me, however, the strength and value of this (and previous) years’ lists have more to do with what contributors said about the books they enjoyed than the number of times a book was listed.

At the suggestion of one contributor, I have linked each book to Amazon’s site so you can read more about that particular book. I am not a fan of Amazon nor am I encouraging purchasing through them, but I did want to give readers a link to more information about each book. Hopefully, you will consider supporting your independent bookstore if you have one in your area.

Just a reminder that this list is not meant to be the best books published in 2014, but rather what the title of this posting states – The Books Most Enjoyed by MillersTime Readers in 2014.

The List:

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“Red Army” and “Foxcatcher” – Much More than Sports’ Movies

23 Tuesday Dec 2014

Posted by Richard in Escapes and Pleasures

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"Foxcatcher", "Red Army", Bennett Miller, Channing Tatum, Gabe Polsky, hockey, John du Pont, Mark & David Schultz, Mark Rufallo, Steve Carell, the "Russian Five", wrestling

Red Army *****

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Put this one on your list.

You don’t have to be a hockey fan (neither I nor my wife Ellen is) to be mesmerized by this documentary.

If you are a hockey fan, so much the better.

Actually, if you like any particular sport, then I suspect you’ll find much to like in Red Army.

But know that the hockey here is not the primary reason for why this film is captivating. It’s about the athletes themselves, particularly the “Russian Five,” and about friendship, loyalty and betrayal.

It’s about how the Soviet Union used these athletes throughout the Cold War to project supremacy. It’s about the price these players paid for their fame.

And it’s about what happened to these players when some (eventually many) of them came to play in the US in the NHL, and, in some cases, became “athletes without a country.”

It’s almost as much about politics as it is about hockey. It’s about the Cold War. It’s about the Soviet Union, Russia, and the US.

Writer and Director Gabe Polsky uses a combination of archival footage and interviews to tell how the Soviets used hockey as propaganda and the price the players paid for that decision. He does that well.

Trust me on this one. You do not have to know, care about, or like hockey to learn something and to thoroughly enjoy this film.

Foxcatcher ****

foxcatcher-movie-poster-wallpaper-watch-an-unrecognizable-steve-carrell-in-trailer-for-oscar-buzzy-foxcatcher-600x375

Another sport’s movie that isn’t so much about a sport (Olympic wrestling in this case) as it is about the three characters at the core of the story.

Although not a documentary, Foxcatcher is based on a true story, a grim one, about  the multimillionaire John du Pont (Steve Carell) and two world class wrestling athletes, brothers, Mark and David Schultz (Channing Tatum and Mark Ruffalo).

In many ways the film is a painful one.

The true story itself is painful. And Director Bennett Miller (Moneyball & Capote) and writers E. Max Trye and Dan Futterman have chosen not to ease the pain, neither for the characters nor for the audience.

There are terrific performances, starting with Carell but also excellent ones from Tatum and Ruffalo. There is also a minor part (Jean du Pont) played with her usual brilliance by Vanessa Redgrave.

Know that it is not an easy film to watch, not because of any physical violence but because of the story itself and the way that story is portrayed.

*               **               **               **               **               **               *

In a post several days ago, I listed my Favorite Films, 2014.  Some readers have told me that many of these films are not available where they live. Two things: Some of these films have not yet been released nationwide, so keep your eye out for them. However, some are already available through Netflix, for those of you who enjoy watching films at home. Larry Makinson, friend and MillersTime reader, has kindly identified which of those from my list are currently attainable. Check back to Favorite Films, 2014 to see which ones you can see right now.

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Favorite Films, 2014

17 Wednesday Dec 2014

Posted by Richard in Escapes and Pleasures

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Favorite Films in 2014, Films, Movies

Favorite Movies

Here is a list of many of the films I saw in 2014, largely ones that I rated four stars or higher (out of a system of 1-5 stars).

As I was posting this list, I thought of adjusting a few of the ratings (up or down) but decided to leave the ratings the way I made them a day or two after seeing each film.

These categories are somewhat arbitrary, but generally the five and four and a half star films are pretty close, and I enjoyed those tremendously. The four star ones were all good, but I had some (minor) reservations. The three and half star ones were more problematical films but still worth checking out.

If a film did not make it into one of these categories, I did not write a review.

The ones listed below I recommend for your consideration.

A significant number of these films are either documentary, foreign, or small films, often only in the theaters for a few weeks, usually in one of the independent theaters in the DC area or in our DC Film Club.

(I have refrained from reviewing or listing any of the ‘children films’ that I have seen with my grand kids. They would be in the one or two star categories, if that. However, I must admit that my grand kids, and the other kiddies who filled the audience, seemed to have a very different opinion from mine.)

If you click on any of the titles below, you will link to my mini-review of that film on MillersTime.

Five Stars:

Clouds of Silas Maria

Finding Vivian Maier

GETT, The Trial of Viviane Amsalem

Ida  (Available on Netflix)

Mommy

Particle Fever  (Available on Netflix)

The Imitation Game

The Square  (Available on Netflix)

Red Army

Selma

Four and a Half Stars:

Abuse of Weakness   (Available on Netflix)

Boyhood

Citizenfour

Happy Valley

Last Days in Vietnam

Life Itself

The Case Against 8

The Past

The Rocket   (Available on Netflix)

The Way He Looks

Two Days, One Night

Whiplash

Four Stars:

A Most Wanted Man

Chef

Child’s Pose   (Available on Netflix)

Cracks in the Concrete

Get on Up

Glass Chin

Manos Sucias

St. Vincent

Still Alice

The Immigrant   (Available on Netflix)

The Lunchbox

National Gallery

Rudderless   (Available on Netflix)

The Theory of Everything

Wild

Words & Pictures

Foxcatcher

Three/Three and Half Stars:

Birdman

Elsa & Fred

Force Majeure

Korengal   (Available on Netflix)

Grand Budapest Hotel

Oscar Nominated Short Action Live Films

Oscar Nominated Documentary Short Films

The Good Lie

The Mountain

Unknown Knowns   (Available on Netflix)

*                    **                    **                    **                    *

Also, if you’re looking for slightly older films to rent, etc., check out these two links from 2013 and 2012.

Favorite Films Seen 2013

My Favorite Films in 2012

As always, please feel free to Comment on any of the above and/or on films you particularly enjoyed in 2014.

 

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“Wild” – The Movie vs The Book

15 Monday Dec 2014

Posted by Richard in Escapes and Pleasures

≈ 1 Comment

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"Wild", Reese Witherspoon, Sheryl Strayed, The Book, The Movie

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Wild ****

As is most often the case, I would chose the book over the movie.

That said, the movie is good enough to put on your ‘to consider’ list. It’s certainly better than the previews make it out to be.

What it does particularly well is mix the journey that Cheryl Strayed (Reese Witherspoon) has undertaken with flashbacks to earlier times in her life. So rather than just be a tale of her ‘trek’ on the Pacific Coast Trail, we’re presented with what is going on in Strayed’s mind, what is it about her past that has brought her to this journey.

What made the film problematic for me was that Strayed was played by a known actress, and I could not get over the feeling I was watching Witherspoon play Strayed. I often have that conundrum, but sometimes an actor or actress is able to totally become the character he/she is portraying. (Eddie Redmayne is a recent example in his portrayal of Stephen Hawking in The Theory of Everything.)

Maybe I wanted to be seeing a documentary? Which is probably not fair to those who made Wild.

But then I doubt a documentary would have as wide a viewing as Wild is getting with Reese Witherspoon?

Still, I put Wild in the category of worthy films to see.

But the book’s better.

 

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“Still Alice”

09 Tuesday Dec 2014

Posted by Richard in Escapes and Pleasures

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"Still Alice", Alec Baldwin, Hunter Parrish, Julianne Moore, Kate Bostworth, Kristen Stewart, Lisa Genova, Richard Glatzer, Wash Westmoreland

Julianne-Moore-in-Still-Alice-550x366

Still Alice ****

If you know someone struggling with Alzeheimers, then put this film on your ‘to see’ list.

I say that because what Still Alice does effectively is to take you along as this terrible disease first strikes and then ultimately devastates Alice (Julianne Moore). Alice is Dr. Alice Howland, a successful professor of linguistics who is diagnosed with early-onset of the disease.

The film, based on the book by the same name by Lisa Genova, excels because of the insights it gives the viewer to what it means for an individual to be stricken and gradually lose oneself. Julianne Moore is simply terrific as Alice. Not only is she able to get into the mind of Alice, but she also somehow gets into her body. You see the deterioration of both mind and body.

The film is not as successful, for me, in the portrayal of Alice’s family members, her husband John (Alec Baldwin), her elder daughter Anna (Kate Bosworth), her son Tom (Hunter Parrish) and her younger daughter Lydia (well played by Kristen Stewart). They are almost minor characters to Alice.

While Alice’s family are all affected by what is happening as the disease progresses, just as are all families who struggle with the ‘fallout’ of Alzeheimer, it is really Alice’s story, made more powerful because Alice was a linguist and has focused her professional life on the issue of language and communication. She is able to describe in words what it means to lose words and to lose one self.

If you truly want to get some understanding about what this mental decline means for the person suffering from it, see Still Alice.

Richard Glatzer and Wash Westmoreland both wrote the screenplay and directed the film.

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Impressions from Two Weeks in Vietnam & Cambodia

04 Thursday Dec 2014

Posted by Richard in Escapes and Pleasures

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

American War, Angkor Wat, Aqua Mekong, Cambodia, Halong Bay, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Kymer Rouge, Phnom Penh, Saigon, Siem Reap, Tonle Sap, Vietnam

Nov. 8 – Nov. 23: Hanoi –  Halong Bay – Hanoi – Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) – My Tho – Mekong River – Phnom Penh – Tonle Sap – Siem Reap (Angkor Wat)

mao.2(Thanks to Larry Makinson, cartographer)

Drawing too many conclusions from spending a couple of weeks in Vietnam and Cambodia is foolish.

However, Ellen’s pictures give you a good sense of what we saw. (If you haven’t seen those pictures, stop now and go to: Through Ellen’s Eye: Vietnam & Cambodia.)

A few takeaways from not only what we saw but also what we did:

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Through Ellen’s Eye: Vietnam & Cambodia

02 Tuesday Dec 2014

Posted by Richard in Escapes and Pleasures

≈ 5 Comments

Tags

Cambodia, Ellen Miller, Slide Show, Vietnam

Here a two dozen of Ellen’s pictures from our recent trip.

But they are nothing compared to the full screen slide show she’s created. When you’ve scrolled through these two dozen, there is a link to her slide show. You must see them on a lap top or a desktop.

I promise you, it’s worth the effort.

They’re the best she’s ever done.

Ho Chi Minh House

Ho Chi Minh House

Water Lillies

Water Lillies

Hanoi 'Hilton' (Prison)

Hanoi ‘Hilton’ (Prison)

Hanoi Street Scene

Hanoi Street Scene

Halong Bay 1

Halong Bay 1

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Three to See

01 Monday Dec 2014

Posted by Richard in Escapes and Pleasures

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

"National Gallery", "The Theory of Everything", "WhipLash", Damien Chazelle, Documenatries, Eddie Redmayne, Felicity Jones, Films, Frederick Wiseman, J.K. Simmons, Jane Wilde, Miles Teller, Movies, Stephen Hawkings, West End Cinema

This holiday weekend allowed for one of my (many) favorite ‘escapes and pleasures’ – movies. Here are three I saw and thoroughly enjoyed.

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