Diana trailer
The first trailer for the movie Diana, based on the life of Princess Diana, starring Naomi Watts, has hit the web. Here it is.
Posts tagged ‘film’
Jun 13
Jun 7
FINALLY! Blue Jasmine trailer is here!
Blue Jasmine opens on July 26 and brings together my two favourite people — Woody Allen and Cate Blanchett!
Cate plays the title character, a fashionable New York woman in the final stages of an acute crisis. She and the movie are getting great reviews from pre-screenings and I hope it’s a winner during awards season.
Enjoy.
May 13
Movie of the week: Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf
Made in 1966, the film version of the play Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf is so visceral, so raw that it leaves an emotional wallop that stays with viewers for days after.
I watched this movie for the first time a couple of years ago while at the cottage. It marks Mike Nichols first foray in film, and examines the breakdown of the marriage of a middle-aged couple. Elizabeth Taylor stars as Martha, the domineering, emasculating wife to George, played by real life husband Richard Burton. After a university faculty party, they receive an unwitting younger couple, Nick and Honey, as guests. It’s late, and it will only get later as the evening suddenly degrades to reveal the bitter, frustrated relationship of the two leads.
The performances are unlike anything I have ever seen, and will likely see again. The choice to cast Elizabeth Taylor to play the frumpy, 50ish Martha surprised many people, but the actress gained 30 pounds for the role and her performance was universally praised. At the time, Taylor was regarded as one of the most beautiful women in the world, so it was a brave career move of hers to play below this standard.
I couldn’t recommend this film more, but I warn you, it takes a lot out of you, and near the end, tissues are necessary.
Cheers.
I dreamed of elephants
The elephant is a sophisticated animal with a long memory
A highlight in my life was the time that I went on safari in the Ngorongoro Crater in Tanzania, Africa. Our jeep stopped for a long time to observe a lone elephant, walking slowly yet mightily, using her trunk to throw large blades of grass on her back to cool her from the rising sun. Elephants travel long distances, often outside conservation areas where they are endangered for their ivory. Westerners are responsible for the cruel way in which they are treated, as our desire for trinkets increases the demand for elephant tusks in countries that breed significant corruption.
Entire families are wiped out in a variety of horrific ways. Some are murdered by poisoned arrows which leads to an agonizing and slow death. Others are shot, some are hacked to death with machetes. And for what? To make pianos?
Elephants are extremely sophisticated animals that demonstrate complex communication patterns, including the use of telepathy. Little ones are dependent on their mother’s milk for up to three years, and are raised by the entire family of female cows who protect and nurture each other. When all the females are killed for their ivory, the babies are left to starve to death, or are brutally killed by lions sensing a defenceless prey.
The African elephant population has been decimated, despite the conservation efforts of people like Daphne Sheldrick, who has reared orphaned elephants for over 50 years in Kenya. Daphne runs the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, named after her deceased husband, and offers a safe haven for baby elephants and rhinos. She lives a simple eco-friendly life that has reinforced in me the desire to give back to the world, rather than focusing on constantly receiving.
I spent the last couple of days reading her memoir, which was beyond poignant and touching. Her love for these persecuted creatures is awe-inspiring. I went on YouTube and found this 1977 documentary about her life that I thought you might be interested in watching. Many of the animals that lived with her during this period she writes about in her book, and one elephant named Eleanor (who raised many orphaned animals) is still alive. I hope that you take the time to learn more about her, and that you purchase her book and read about her wonderful life.
Thank you.
The Ghosts In Our Machine
“I’m trying to save the world,” reveals director Liz Marshall. Though I wouldn’t say something so self-indulgent I definitely respect her for doing more than I have.
Toronto the mighty
“Much like other cities, Toronto is a place you have to experience to feel the energy and emotion that pulses through the streets and neighbourhoods. I hope that I can give you a brief glimpse of the beauty, and motivate you to come explore for yourself.”
Sep 11
Stories We Tell
Stories We Tell is a 2012 documentary film by Canadian actress/director Sarah Polley that chronicles the story of her family, including the revelation that she was the product of an extramarital affair. Her mother died of cancer when Sarah was 11. The film was produced by the National Film Board of Canada and premiered August 29, 2012 at the 69th Venice International Film Festival.
The film looks at the relationship between Polley’s parents by incorporating Super-8 home movies, dramatic recreations and interviews with Polley’s siblings and father.
Polley revealed while promoting the film that several journalists had known about the story of her biological father for years, but respected Polley’s wishes to keep the matter private until she was ready to tell the story her way. Enter Stories We Tell.
Sep 2
Why have a civilization if we’re no longer interested in being civilized?
The worst thing about people is our ego. Our inability to see past our insecurities, our reliance on material possessions, our obsession with our perceived and often made up image, can force us to commit acts that we never thought possible.
Since I’ve returned to the office space I am reminded about how terrible we can be to one another. The office is an impractical environment. It’s not healthy, and through necessity to eat we are confined to an uncreative and uninspiring location for eight hours a day with individuals of varying cognitive abilities.
I’ve written before about my observations on how terrible those in senior management roles behave. Too often in my life I have watched adults treat their fellow colleagues with disdain. What a person will do to protect their $70,000 a year job is appalling. I have been witness to cheating, lies, manipulation, vindictiveness, spitefulness, with all that venom exerted for a pay cheque.
Because we’re constantly striving for entertainment, we buy houses beyond our monetary means, that we then must furnish with things we really don’t need. Our jobs become so important to us because we fear without them, we won’t be able to afford the luxuries we’ve come to rely on as though they are comparable to breathing.
Trust me folks, it doesn’t matter how big your house is, what car you drive, or where you go on holiday that makes up your character. It’s how you treat those around you. I can’t say it enough. Protecting your materials with an aggressive attitude is reflective of a poor character. It’s amusing then how often I have seen my peers handle their problems through hollering, yelling, screaming and other child-like antics.
One only has to turn on the television to see the moral decay of our society. It seems that the more abhorrent you behave, the more attention you obtain. I don’t really know who is worse, the Kardashians, or the people who egg them on, congratulating their bad behaviour by condoning, and eventually emulating it.
Self-awareness and introspection are valuable skills that I’ve come to realize, many people simply don’t have. If the majority of our species thinks that the only way that they can be valuable is by achieving negative attention, then they’ve spent very little time getting to know themselves. It’s a real shame.
When someone is mean to us, wouldn’t be better than instead of reacting with anger, we simply killed them with kindness? At the end of the day that’s what’s missing most in our society: The simple act of just being nice.
Being mean-spirited and defensive exerts far too much energy.
Jul 24
Glenn Close
I’m going to say it: Glenn Close is more talented than Meryl Streep. It’s just the way it is. She might be less celebrated, but she is far more versatile and courageous.
I first discovered Glenn when I was 17. I went to a late night show of Paradise Road with Lisa. It was a visceral experience for me. In ways I can’t quite describe. But, she is perhaps the most amazing woman. Early in her career she defied convention. Her first film, The World According to Garp, solidified her iconic status. But it wasn’t until Fatal Attraction and Dangerous Liaisons that she was fully recognized.
She is absurdly underrated. Her last film, Albert Nobbs, is a testament of purity and precise characterization. But it wasn’t until Damages, when she introduced Patty Hewes to the world, that she was fully realized. You’ll get it. One day. It might be years, but her brilliance will shine to a mass audience. Trust me.
My top ten Glenn Close films are:
1. Paradise Road
2. Albert Nobbs
3. Dangerous Liaisons
4. Fatal Attraction
5. The Paper
6. The House of the Spirits
7. Cookie’s Fortune
8. The Safety of Objects
9. The Big Chill
10. The Natural
And the ultimate — DAMAGES!
Jul 5
I possess great compassion and seek to be of service to others. 
