QUEEN OF THE SUN: WHAT ARE THE BEES TELLING US?

So Harold Camping got it wrong (again) and the world didn’t end on May 21st, and we all laughed at the joke.   Now I’ve seen this movie, which contained an equally sounding preposterous prediction from Rudolf Steiner, the eminent philosopher and social innovator, who in 1932 predicted that within 80-100 years all the honeybees in the world would totally disappear.  And in case like me you’re not sure how that would affect us all let me explain, it means the END of our food chain.  And this is no laughing matter.   (Actually the bees affect 40% of our food, but that's still enough to start panicking about!)

This pandemic fear started a few years ago with bees disappearing in mass numbers from their hives with no single explanation.  This phenomena was named “Colony Collapse Disorder’ a term which in itself is enough to spread doom and gloom, and when you listen to all the world renowned experts that filmmaker Taggart Siegel has rounded up to add their opinions, the picture looks very bleak. 

Evidently there are forces at work that are greatly contributing to this worrying scenario, the worst of which seems to be monoculture i.e. devoting large areas of farmland to a single crop. In California at the largest Almond Farm in the country they now have to ship in truckloads of bees from all over the country to pollinate the fruit. The forecast is that one day there will not be enough of these ‘migratory bees’ to go around and crops like this will simply fail. 

Günter Hauk, a respected biodynamic beekeeper calls the crisis "More important even than global warming", which may be a tad exaggerated, but it is certainly one that more of us need to be aware about and take note of if we are ever to be able to affect the outcome.

It's a powerful argument that is very dramatically conveyed in this film, which cleverly uses wee touches of humor to help get the message over.  I however left the theater quite depressed and vowed to immediately replace my rooftop spa with some hives, but by the time I biked the 6 miles back home in the fierce afternoon sun, my fervor had been dampened more than my sweaty t shirt. And one other thing put me off, and that was the fact that most beekeepers seemed to range from eccentric to really quite mad, and so I know I wouldn’t fit in.  NO, I wouldn’t!  But maybe you would?

★★★★★★★
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THE PRINCESS OF MONTPENSIER

There’s nothing like a good old religious Civil War to get the juices flowing in any period costume drama.  In this case it’s in France in 1564 and the Protestants are fighting the Catholics (yet again) on whose God is better etc.  Also the source of another battle at the same time is the hand of Marie de Mezieres an aristocratic beauty who has the hots for dashing scar-faced Henri de Guise, but her father the Marquis commits her to marrying Prince of Montpensier after he strikes up a good deal with his father.

The Prince seems a good sort of chap, although somewhat shy he is smitten with his new wife, but has the misfortune of being summoned back to the War by the King the day after his wedding. He entrusts his new bride into the care of his mentor the Comte de Chabannes, who himself was a heroic soldier until he participated in one atrocity too many and became a conscientious objector.  The Comte soon falls for the beauty of his new charge and becomes the latest man to fall in love with her. 

Her next obsessed admirer is the Duc D’Anjou, the Kings brother, and it is his desire and ultimate jealous that not only adds to the mounting chaos around the Princess but kick-starts the unraveling of her life, and the lives of all her would-be suitors.

This is a visually stunning movie with unrivaled cinematography with its great vistas in the rolling French countryside and its spectacular battle scenes.  A tad to long, it’s captivating story sadly falls short simply because Melanie Laurent as the Princess lacks the necessary chemistry that convinces you that all these men would fall under her spell.  Particularly the older Comte (played by the magnificent Lambert Wilson) who is simply too worldly and sophisticated to be taken in by such a lightweight.  Actually all the supporting roles are superbly played by a very talented cast (esp. Raphael Personnaz as Duc D’Anjou) and they really outshine the mis-cast Ms Laurent.

Still it is an enjoyable romp, beautifully made as one would expect from the great French Filmmaker Bertrand Tavernier.  Definitely worth a view.

P.S. My sympathy with  the Prince went beyond his wife’s infedility as I couldn’t get over the fact that although she had a lavish new costume for every single scene, he seemed to live in his one green jacket!

★★★★★★★
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SUPER

So this is Frank’s sad story.  He has a pretty wretched life, which has only had two high spots to date. Marrying Sarah (a stripper and former junkie) and pointing a policeman in the right direction of  a fleeing suspect. However after just a couple of months Sarah leaves him to move in with Jacques, her shady crooked boss, and Frank is devastated. He has some sort of vision which he is convinced is a sign telling him to not to only fight to get his wife back, but also punish anyone else committing crimes. He dons a silly red costume and becomes the Crimson Bolt and sets out on a violent vigilant rampage. At the local comic book store he meets Libby a nerdy nutcase who soon uncovers Frank’s alter-ego and successfully pleads with him to be his Kid Side-Kick ‘Boltie’.

The story is really quite ridiculous and its humor was all over the place, and at times not funny at all. It’s one redeeming feature was the inspired casting :  Rain Wilson (The Office) who was pitch perfect as Frank the loser, and Ellen Page as Libby showed once again what a superb comic actor she is.  However it’s excessive use of very graphic violence made it a bloody spectacle that really is not my thing and totally ruined any potential the movie may have held for me.

It was the frequent comparison with ‘Kick Ass’ (which I loved) that drew me to this new parody about superheros, but it is simply not in the same league.  The clue that I missed  was in the Filmmaker’ James Gunn’s resume to date that includes such classics as ‘Slither’, ‘Dawn of The Dead’ and ‘Scooby-Do’ !!  If only I knew that beforehand, I could have saved myself 90 minutes.

★★★★
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PUBLIC SPEAKING

Martin Scorcese’s profile on Fran Lebowitz is no ordinary documentary. After 90 minutes of essentially listening to this quick-witted brilliant observationist with her razor sharp tongue spend forth on some of her favorite bugbears, we actually learn very little about the woman behind all these rapidly fired opinions.  By filming her in conversation in her favorite NY Bar, The Waverly Inn where she is not only part of the fixtures but also featured in the David Sorrel mural behind her regular booth, and interspersing it with clips of Ms Lebowitz holding forth at different speaking engagements around the city, he cleverly lets her torrent of words be the focal point of the movie.

Ms Lebowitz lets slip that although she is so quintessentially a New Yorker through and through, she actually grew up in a small town in New Jersey, and escaped when she could.  It was the 1960’s and her life started to begin, and she found her ‘voice’, when she started to hang out with a group of very witty gay men.  This led to her first gig writing for Andy Warhol’s 'Interview' magazine and she never looked back.  The odd thing is that although she is lauded and acknowledged as a great writer, her published output consists of two slim books of essays, and one children’s book.  Granted these were highly acclaimed best sellers, but for the past 30 years she‘s had writers block (or 'blockade' as she told David Letterman).  She has no such issues with her talking though and with letting rip into anything that is a target for her acid tongue and her brilliant edgy humor.

Striding her beloved streets of New York dressed in men’s suiting tailored for her in Savile Row (and that earned her a place on 'Vanity Fair's Best Dressed List' in 2007) without a Cell phone (she doesn’t posses a computer or anything else IT wise), the woman is an enigma and a true eccentric.  But a brilliant funny and articulate one who was a sheer joy to watch and listen.  

At one Q & A after a Speaking Engagement, Ms Lebowitz was asked if she had ever thought about getting a second opinion on any of her views.  ‘No!‘ she replied without hesitating a second ’Why would I?' looking totally dumbfounded at the very question.  And that’s when I realized that was why I thought she was such a kindred spirit.   

Out now on DVD : if wit is your thing, then don't miss it.

★★★★★★★★★

JIMMY CARTER THE MAN FROM PLAINS

Watching this captivating documentary simply reminds me how blessed the US were to have had this remarkable man as its 39th President. Made by Oscar-winning filmmaker Jonathan Demme, it follows the former President around the country in 2006 as he is promoting his latest book that he purposely gave the provocative title of’ ‘Palestine: Peace not Apartheid’.  The book causes enormous controversy, which escalates as the tour zigzags across the country, and Mr. Carter is grilled by all the major television journalists and political commentators.

Even when it is obvious that so many of his vocal detractors have read little of the actual book, Mr. Carter patiently articulates and explains, resolutely not wavering from his views which are based on an encyclopedic knowledge on the subject and his wealth of first-hand experience. With my somewhat limited comprehension of the Palestinian situation it refers too, I’ll avoid even attempting to weigh in with an opinion, but anyway its actually the former President’s sincere convictions on this matter and on which  he feels so passionate about, that moves me so very much.

Between events he talks freely about his happy marriage, his religious convictions, learning Spanish and even his old childhood African-American nanny and a host of other topics.  He is honest, forthright, completely unpretentious and a thoroughly decent man.  Although this movie just covers a few months in his life, it still reminds us how this 83 year former President and Nobel Peace Prize Winner has accomplished so much in the world since leaving office.  He is an inspiration to all his successors whose own records in and out of office pale into significance compared to his.  And he is a reminder that sometimes the US people get it right and elect a President who they truly deserve.

I’m so pleased I finally managed to see this movie, and am just sorry it took me so long to do so.

★★★★★★★★★
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THE OTHER WOMAN

This is the second ‘indie’ movie in recent months about parent’s dealing with the death of a young child, and even though each starred an Oscar Winning Actress, both bombed at the Box Office.  I’m not saying that this movie is as good as John Cameron-Mitchell’s excellent 'Rabbit Hole’ (with Nicola Kidman), but even with its flaws it’s still a significantly captivating film that deserves our attention.

Natalie Portman plays Emilia a pert young lawyer who sets her sights on a Senior Partner at her Firm even though she knows he is married.  They hit it off, she gets pregnant, so he divorces his successful Doctor wife, and they marry and Emilia becomes a wife and stepmother to William, a nerdy 8 year old. The baby dies after just few days old and Emilia falls apart dragging everyone else in reach down with her.

Her rocky relationship with her stepson seems like a non-starter, the first wife’s hatred turns into paranoia, and so she uses both her husband and her womanizing father as punch bags for her seeming relentless stream of anger.  Things only really start to turn around when almost through sheer necessity a genuine bond starts to develop between Emilia and William: and in fact their scenes together are some of best in the whole movie.  However, the question is this too late to save the day and all their relationships?

Natalie gives an admirable performance as Emila but is not best served by a script that has her blowing up so often confusing her family with her vitriolic charges and thoughtlessness , which totally loses us too.  She seems to then spend so much of the rest of her time having to say she’s sorry.  Lisa Kudrow is mesmerizing playing the manic first wife like a brittle caricature who redeems herself at the last minute.  Though the actor who gives some real depth to this meandering plot is Charlie Tahan as William: neither cute or precocious, he’s a kid putting on a brave face and not letting on that he is as scared as hell as his world keeps collapsing around him.

There is no big message or statement of morality in this wee movie, it’s just the tale of a family dealing with change, and for the most part is incredibly moving.  It is written and directed by Don Roos who earned big kudos with me for ‘The Opposite of Sex’ and ‘Happy Endings’ in particular.  This is not his best piece, and it certainly could have benifitted from a tad more clarity, but as the NY Times Review declared, it is a not-bad movie.  And I for one, am glad that I got to see it.

★★★★★★★
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CRACKS

Set in 1934 on a remote island this English exclusive girl’s boarding school rears these bright but obnoxious girls to deal with the class-conscious society of the era.  The focus of the story is on the diving team that has a hierarchy based on the girls ages and is led by the domineering Radfield who carries an enormous crush on their teacher Miss G.  Not much older than her girls, this beautiful ex-pupil who, unbeknownst to her adoring charges, has in fact never left the walls of the school yet fills their impressionable minds with tales of her world adventures, which it turns out she has lifted straight from novels.

And then suddenly their rather cozy insular world is shaken up with the arrival of a new pupil, Flamma, a stunningly gorgeous Spanish aristocrats daughter, whose charm is matched by her worldliness.  Radfield quite rightly takes umbrage against her presence as Miss G. is soon smitten with Flamma, and indiscreetly offers her the intimacy that poor Radfield always desperately wanted.

Even though the tension ratchets up a notch or two, this very sleight story fails to deliver the momentum it had hinted at in the beginning.  It just seems to go nowhere. The passion is discreet and even the violence is quite tame.  The Lord of the Rings moment I had kind of expected failed to materialize, and instead of a possibly exciting psychological thriller, we ended with just another pretty costume drama of unrequited love.

Eve Green (ex James Bond) makes for a striking Teacher, and the two leading girls show great acting talent, and it’s a pity the plot just let them down.

P.S. Released in the UK in 2009, it’s finally getting a very limited run in the US. The delay?  My guess is that its really hard to know exactly who this wee odd movie will appeal too. 

★★★★★★

MY PERESTROIKA

If you are ever in Russia and suddenly every TV channel starts showing ‘Swan Lake’ continuously, then look out of the window as there is a bound to be a Revolution going on. That’s not a myth, but a reality and one of the many unlikely facts we learn from this enthralling documentary that traces a group of intelligent and articulate friends, now in their 40’s, whose childhoods coincided with the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Without even a hint of irony, Lyuba, a high school teacher married to Borya her childhood sweetheart also now a teacher, declares ‘I was completely satisfied with my beautiful Soviet reality.’ And so would I have been after witnessing their remarkable contented lives, thanks to treasure trove of home video. By no means perfect, but as Olga, a single mother said. ‘When I saw all the violence and crime in the West on the news, I was so happy that I lived in Russia.’

This refreshing insider’s view of life focused on the day-to-day struggles which seemed immensely more important to these individuals than even the most profound political changes.  Without any narration, and comment, American Director, and one time Moscow resident, Robin Hessman, allows us to witness a normality that the indoctrination of our own upbringing  about the ‘evil empire’ of the USSR would never allowed us to even imagine in the past.

Totally unmissable

★★★★★★★★★
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BRIDESMAIDS

When it comes to choosing a movie, you should always trust your instincts. Especially when you’ve been trapped at home for couple of weeks nursing a fever and your desperate need for cheering yourself up colors your judgements. I thought with obtaining MovieReviewIntelligence highest rating of ‘excellent’ as a result of so many respected critics loving this movie, my enjoyment would be a sure bet.  Nope.  The best thing I could say about this crude comedy that us about the run up to a wedding where the Matron on Honor’s life is in the pits and sinking even lower, was mildly amusing.  

Perhaps its because I am not comfortable with situations which squeeze every ounce of pain out of someone’s misfortune to milk it for its comedic  possibilities.   Or maybe because I simply appreciaate the fact that because a situation is crude  it’s automatically considered funny.

That said I must say that I thought Kristin Wiig in her first major movie role was a real joy to watch, as was Maya Rudolph as the Bride, and Rose Bryne as the nouveau riche new best friend.

My  ‘mission statement’ for this Blog states that I do not do Hollywood Blockbusters, and I assuming that if you are a regular reader, nether do you. But I did try.  And fail.  Don’t watch this space for my next attempt, as it will be a very long time coming.

★★★★

THE AGONY AND THE ECSTASY OF PHIL SPECTOR

Phil Spector, the record producer and hit –maker is a genius.  He has an obnoxious ego bigger than Donald Trump, bares life-long grudges for anyone who got more glory than him, is more than a few cards short of a full deck.  Oh yes, he’s also a convicted murderer.

Directed by Vikram Jayanti for the BBC TV’s Arena Programme, (THE gold standard in cultural documentaries), and now enjoying a limited theatrical release in the US.  Mr. Jayanti’s inspired take on telling Spector’s story was based  on a lengthy interview with the man in his L.A. mansion  between his first and second trials for the murder of Lana Clarkson.  And then he cleverly interspersed this with very revealing footage of the first trial, and flashbacks of singers performing a myriad of Spector’s hot songs.  A tad too long, and sometimes too much going on, but nevertheless a compelling piece.

In the interview a very bitter and resentful Spector considers his work an art form comparable to that of Michelangleo, Bach & Leonardo da Vinci to name but a few, and dishes Scorsese's breakthrough classic movie ‘Mean Streets’ as mere nothing without his music.  He is arrogant, paranoid, totally unlikable, and with a Napoleonic like complex, and has a history of violence to women.  Yet, what is undeniable is his amazing contribution to pop music/culture, which is given more gravitas with the dissection of most of the lyrics by renowned music critic Mick Brown.

Hated the man.  Loved the film.

★★★★★★★
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GLENN GOULD (X 2)

One of my local Film Festivals mission statement is to ‘Entertain, Educate & Inspire’, which is also my own mantra for movie watching. Recently I have been focusing on the ‘entertain’ part as I attempt to brush up on American Cultural Icons that never had the same impact on us Brits when I was growing up.  Last week my study was Hugh Hefner, and this week my assignment was Glenn Gould (and YES I know he’s technically a Canadian and not American, but he still qualifies.)

The fact that there are 6 movies on this musician was the first clue that he is no ordinary man. I chose to watch two of them. First, ‘GENIUS WITHIN: THE INNER LIFE OF GLENN GOULD', which is a fascinating portrait of an amazing music genius.   Born in 1932 to parents already in their 40’s who devoted their entire attention to their gifted son who became a piano concert prodigy in his early teens and an international icon before the age of 20. He refused to play the normal romantic pieces that are expected in a recital, but he revered the music of Bach with which he was soon recognized for making the definitive recordings of many of his compositions. 

A stunningly handsome man, with very few friends and intensely private moods and he developed patterns of strange obsessive behavior.  Even on the hottest sunny day he never left home without wearing a long heavy coat, big wool scarf, and gloves.  And at the peak of his celebrated career with the world at his feet, he decided never to perform in public again.  He was just 31 years old.

Gould was desperate to compose, but only ever finished one piece.  So he spent his time making other recordings, and then developed a second career as Radio Producer for Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.

At the age of 50, this lifelong desperate hypochondriac  had a stroke and died.

I could sense by the sheer admiration for his music making by some giants in that field, that he was no ordinary talent.  Also his quirks and obsessions fascinated me so after this I watched ‘THIRTY TWO SHORT FILMS ABOUT GLENN GOULD’. Inspired by the Goldberg Variations, Gould’s favourite piece, this is no attempt at a bio-pic, but a series of brief vignettes that add layers to what Gould may have been.  Some are almost testimonials like the one with Yehudi Menuhin who spoke with such admiration and affection.  Others re-enact possible scenarios like just before he plays he autographs a stagehand’s program and adds ‘last concert’ as if he was the first one to know.

I was totally hooked.  Whilst ‘GENIUS WITHIN” had a rich archival footage of Gould through his entire life that gave a real sense of the complicated man himself, ’THIRTY TWO SHORT FILMS’ gave  a remarkable impression of  what made him so fascinating.  

See both, and I suggest in the same order I did.

★★★★★★★★

CAVE OF FORGOTTEN DREAMS

One can only imagine the fact that filmmaker Werner Herzog is the auteur that he is, played a crucial part in the French Culture Ministry allowing only him this unprecedented exclusive access  to make this extraordinary film. ‘Cave of Forgotten Dreams’  is his documentary on some stunning caves in Southern France only discovered as recently as 1994 and that contain magnificent wall drawings dating back some 30000 years, making them the oldest known to man.

The caves themselves were protected by a major landslide some 20000 years ago and the interiors are in pristine condition.  They are however considered extremely fragile, and to safeguard them only a handful of scientists and researchers are allowed in for a few weeks a year.  The mere breath of excessive visitors could do irreparable damage to the surfaces, so tourists are a definite no-no.

Given all the restrictions regarding lighting (must not get hot) and using a skeleton crew with an unprofessional camera, you are still not prepared for the stunning beauty of what the caves hold. Breathtaking and dazzling and a real visual treat as Herzog films it all in 3D.

Each of his limited visits are for a few hours at a time, but that is enough to capture some of the mystery and drama of the 400 + drawings, the fossils and the imposing stalactites and stalagmites that have formed over the centuries.  He highlights it well with a haunting and majestic soundtrack.

Off site Herzog gets some depth on the significance of the caves to mankind by interviewing several of the Scientists, although he is just as keen to put his own theories alongside theirs too.

He only loses the plot in an unfathomable personal Post Script which he added : my tip is use that as your cue to leave whilst you are still reveling in one of Herzog’s best movies on an awe-inspiring subject.  And remember this will be your ONLY chance to ever see inside the Chauvert Caves .

★★★★★★★★★
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CIRCO

The Ponce Family has run Circo Mexico since the 19^th Century.  This small ragged ensemble of animals and performers is constantly on the move barely stopping one or two days at the small remote villages it arrives at. It’s a tough and exhausting life. Everyone has to pitch in loading and unloading, erecting and disassembling especially the five children who work unceasingly and without complaint.  For their father, Tino Ponce, the Ringmaster and effectual boss (although his father is still the one with the money), there is no other possible life, which he loves so fiercely.  His wife Ivonne who married into the circus doesn’t share his passion, and resents the fact the whole role reversal of their lives, where the children give far more to their parents than they should ever have too.

Their seems little doubt with the rapidly dwindling audiences that future of traveling circuses like this look grim, but this wonderfully touching documentary focuses not on that, but on the changing relationships within the Ponce clan that risk their future together as a family.

Not one of the children can read or write, but inside the Ring, each one is a star.  Their energy and their sheer determination to play their part for the family business is totally captivating, and by the end of this charming wee film, you are so wanting them to succeed.

★★★★★★★
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VIDAL SASSOON :THE MOVIE

‘How one man changed the world with a pair of scissors’ is the byline to this documentary and possibly a tad of an exaggeration, but he certainly made a remarkable and indelible impact on hairdressing … like no one before him, and possible not since.

Vidal Sassoon never wanted to be a hairdresser but his desperately poor single mother apprenticed her son to learn a trade in the East End of London, which was still struggling after the end of World War 2.  But he had a natural flair and a remarkable talent and by the 1960’s he had a chair in a West End Salon and soon he opened one of his own in Bond St.  He first big break came with an opportunity to do film star Nancy Kwan’s hair, and so he cut it short and gave her a revolutionary architectural shape, the photos of which went around the world and made people really notice him.

Cutting Mary Quant's Hair

Sassoon was acknowledged as one of the innovative forces that created London’s Swinging Sixties, and as his fame grew so did his business which expanded across the Atlantic, his Hairdressing Academies, a daily TV Show and then eventually to whole range of hair products: the first hairdresser to do so.

When the body of his work is so well documented as it is, you appreciate that he changed the way forever of how women got their haircut.  In or out of the Salon  he is a lively and fascinating man, although sadly the movie doesn’t really delve into what really makes him tick. In fact the ‘talking heads’ in most of the interviews/testimonials are earnest and flattering, but they are just a little to dry and do not give a sense  of  passion that embodied Mr. Sassoon's life.  (The conversation with him and Mary Quant is very stilted and excruciating painful).

Hard not to compare this with the recent (and stunning) documentary on another 80+ man: Bill Cunningham, which shared his joie de vivre of a life in progress.  In the Vidal movie, someone actually mentions about this being his last few years, giving it a feel of life that has passed, and made this feel like a premature Obituary. Which is a great pity, because the man and his legend deserve better.  Still worth a view though.

P.S. I should add that I was actually on Mr. Sassoon’s payroll for two months in 1969.  He never bought it up in the movie, so I will say no more.

★★★★★★★

FOR COLORED GIRLS (THE POEMS)

When this movie was first released in November last year I saw it twice.  Far from perfect, and the fact it was met with a very mixed and lukewarm reception didnt put me off, as I really liked it.  The movie is now out on DVD so I went back for yet another viewing

The original stage play in the 1970's was really a chore-o-poem : where a piece is essentially dance combined with poetry, and although the filmmaker Tyler Perry made drastic changes, he still used many of the poems which for me are one of real joys of the movie. Here are two of my favourites , both spoken by (the divine) Loretta Devine as Juanita Sims who's man keeps wandering off.

Later on her man walks out for good and it's a wake up call for here as she realizes that his arrogant selfishness could have been her undoing.  But it's not, and she is claiming herself, and her life, back

'somebody almost walked off wid alla my stuff
not my poems or a dance i gave up in the street
but somebody almost walked off wid alla my stuff
like a kleptomaniac workin hard & forgettin while stealin
this is mine/this aint yr stuff/
now why don’t you put me back & let me hang out in my own self
somebody almost walked off wit alla my stuff
& didn’t care enuf to send a note home sayin
i was late for my solo conversation
or two sizes to small for my own tacky skirts
what can anybody do wit somethin of no value on
a open market/ did you getta dime for my things/
hey man/ where are you goin wid alla my stuff/
to ohh & ahh abt/ daddy/ i gotta mainline number
from my own shit/ now wontcha put me back/ & let
me play this duet/ wit silver ring in my nose/
honest to god/ somebody almost run off wit alla my stuff/
& i didnt bring anythin but the kick & sway of it
the perfect ass for my man & none of it is theirs
this is mine/ juanita sims/ that’s my name
now give me my stuff/ i see ya hidin my laugh/ & how i
sit wif my legs open sometimes/ to give my crotch
some sunlight/ & there goes my love my toes my chewed
up finger nails/ niggah/ wif the curls in yr hair/
mr. louisiana hot link/ i want my stuff back/
my rhytums & my voice/ open my mouth/ & let me talk ya
outta/ throwin my shit in the sewar/ this is some delicate
leg & whimsical kiss/ i gotta have to give to my choice/
without you runnin off wit alla my shit/
now you cant have me less i give me away/ & i waz
doin all that/ til ya run off on a good thing/
who is this you left me wit/ some simple bitch
widda bad attitude/ i wants my things/
i want my arm wit the hot iron scar/ & my leg wit the
flea bite/ i want my calloused feet & quik language back
in my mouth/ fried plantains/ pineapple pear juice/
sun-ra & joseph & jules/ i want my own things/ how i lived them/
& give me my memories/ how i waz when i waz there/
you cant have them or do nothin wit them/
stealin my shit from me/ dont make it yrs/ makes it stolen/
somebody almost run off wit alla my stuff/ & i waz standin
there/ lookin at myself/ the whole time
& it waznt a spirit took my stuff/ waz a man whose
ego walked round like Rodan’s shadow/ waz a man faster
n my innocence/ waz a lover/ i made too much
room for/ almost run off wit alla my stuff/
& i didnt know i’d give it up so quik/ & the one runnin wit it/
don’t know he got it/ & i’m shoutin this is mine/ & he dont
know he got it/ my stuff is the anonymous ripped off treasure
of the year/ did you know somebody almost got away wit me/
me in a plastic bag under their arm/ me
danglin on a string of personal carelessness/ i’m spattered wit
mud & city rain/ & no i didnt get a chance to take a douche/
hey man/ this is not your perogative/ i gotta have me in my
pocket/ to get round like a good woman shd/ & make the poem
in the pot or the chicken in the dance/ what i got to do/
i gotta get my stuff to do it to/
why dont ya find yr own things/ & leave this package
of me for my destiny/ what ya got to get from me/
i’ll give it to ya/ yeh/ i’ll give it to ya/
round 5:00 in the winter/ when the sky is blue-red/
& Dew City is gettin pressed/ if it’s really my stuff/
ya gotta give it to me/ if ya really want it/ i’m
the only one/ can handle it'

MARWENCOL

It took a vicious near-death experience for Mark Hoggencamp to change his life around and create his own fantasy world where he could feel safe.  And this captivating and deeply moving documentary is his story : an exceptional man and his fascinating approach to dealing with his own reality.

After being severely beaten up by five men outside a bar, Mark woke up from a brain-damaged coma after nine days with no motor skills and no memory.  And without any Health Insurance he was prematurely released from the hospital and expected to fend for himself.  With no funds for physical therapy and now unable to practice his previous love of drawing, he stumbled upon the idea of model-making as a means to help him recover some basic functioning skills. This led him to building a 1/6th scale World War II-era Belgian town in his backyard which he dubbed ‘Marwencol’ and which he populated with intricate models and dolls.

To Mark, the inhabitants of Marwencol represent his friends and family and in the very detailed plots of the ‘stories’ he created and photographed, he is re-creating the many relationships and dramas of his home town. But much more important is that he is finding a manner in which to deal with his own trauma and the anger that still remains towards his attackers in a  healthy positive way. 

Before the attack Mark was evidently a short-tempered nasty alcoholic, but now he is a teetotaler and is calm, sensitive and somewhat docile character with an inexhaustible amount of patience. With the painstaking details he invests in the village and the photography he has found his own art.  It was too good to be kept a secret and once he was ‘discovered’ by a local photographer, it ultimately led to a Gallery Show in NY, and also the making of the movie itself.

In itself the art is visually beautiful and totally stunning and singularly lacking in any irony.  But when you attach the story of this remarkable engaging man to the work, it takes on a more significant resonance, and its impossible to avoid getting drawn into wanting to be involved in his world.  Mark’s is a quiet passion, and his determination to do more than just survive was a real joy to witness.  This enchanting, and multi-award-winning movie of his story will touch you and leave you feeling really happy, and who knows, maybe even heading for the local ‘model store’. Unmissable.

★★★★★★★★★
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ALL GOOD THINGS

In October 2001 Robert Durst, a member of a wealthy NY real estate dynasty, was on the run after being accused of murder/s, and he was eventually caught  when simply trying to steal a chicken sandwich even though he had a stash of cash on him.  I should add that at the time of his arrest he was posing as a deaf female mute. The whole situation up to this moment in time was too bizarre to be real, and perfect to be made into a movie.  And this is exactly what ‘All Good Things’ is:  a very thinly veiled fictionalized account of a man who got away with murder.  Literally.  Names have been changed, and there is no mention of the sandwich, but the story is very much what actually happened.

David Mark’s family seems to owe its collective dysfunction to Stanford the autocratic patriarch whose tyranny resulted in driving his wife to suicide which he insisted that 6 year old David witness. (And we wonder why poor David grows up crazy?).  The family’s extensive real estate holdings in Manhattan included much of the seedy part of 42nd St and was rented out to strip clubs, porno shops and massage parlors and part of David’s job was to go and collect all rents paid for by wads of cash.  He had previously managed to escape his father for a while having met Katie, and once they married, they disappeared to Vermont to open a Health Food Store in an attempt to carve out a life of their own. The overbearing Stanford insisted they move back and for a short while they did actually seem to enjoy all the trappings of their wealthy lifestyle, including the weekend country cottage, before it all began to untangle.

Caught between trying to appease his father and please his wife David started to fall apart as did their marriage.  The final crux was a battle over starting a family as David was adamant he wanted no children and so forced Katie to have an abortion when she fell pregnant. Its at this time she also caught on to the very shady business the family were involved in, and then very soon after this she mysteriously disappears and is never ever seen again.  David, now really losing the plot, and with a heavy drug habit, and paranoid about facing criminal charges relating to Katie, ‘disappears’ to Texas where he re-surfaces as a cross-dressing mute.  Two (more) murders later, and he’s on the run and is eventually caught and Tried.

And like other high-profile celebrities who terminated their wives (think O.J.) David gets off scot free and moves to Florida to become a Real Estate Investor.  Hence I am choosing my words carefully as David aka Robert Durst could actually be in my neighborhood right now.

R.T.V. This fine mystery thriller doesn’t give you all the pieces of the puzzle to make the complicated story fit exactly together, but it does make for an entertaining 100 minutes.  Ryan Gosling as David just keeps showing what a fine multi-talented actor he is (and how even hotter he looks when he’s being evil), and the chemistry between him and Kirsten Dunst as Kathie, and also the superb Frank Langella as scary Stanford was so very dynamic.

Apart from Mr. Gosling, what attracted me to this movie was the fact it was the feature debut of filmmaker Andrew Jaerecki who had previously made the stunning ‘Capturing The Friedmans’, still to this day one of my very favourite documentaries.  If you recall it too was about a dysfunctional family and all their secrets.  He must have a soft spot for them.

★★★★★★★