Watching

I’ve got two terrific titles for you today, and a little alliteration, which is always fun.  Both are Norwegian and awfully good.

Buddy follows Kristoffer, a young and carefree billboard hanger who chronicles his everyday life via film.  Nothing is kept from the camera – laughter, the heartache of a recent breakup, and crazy behavior receive equal time.  When he and his friend/roommate Geir decide to jump from a third story window into a dumpster at a local news station, the pair are nearly caught, and Kristoffer loses some video tape in the process.  The station actually likes what they see, forgive his and Geir’s trespassing, and offer them a weekly spot on a popular show. They and their third roommate Stig (who hasn’t left their apartment complex for two years) become local celebrities.  The future looks bright for rising star Kristoffer, but problems ensue when his increasing popularity causes his friends and his relationships with them to suffer.  It’s a great story about true friendship – what it really means to be a Buddy.

Hawaii, Oslo follows the paths of several strangers on the hottest day of the year.  Frode and Milla are overcome with grief that their newborn baby might die.  Two young boys search for their mother after the loss of their dad.  Institutionalized Leon has a date made ten years earlier to meet his childhood sweetheart Asa.   Leon’s brother, Trygve has a weekend leave from prison to visit him on his birthday.  At the center, touching all of their lives, is Vidar, a nurse who can see the future in his sleep, or can he?  It’s a great story about the power of dreams and finding what is most meaningful in life.

I love a good surprise of a film.  When we got this one in the mail we, quite frankly, were a little worried.  A killer with Alzheimer’s?  This can’t be good.  Why did I even put it in the queue?  Besides, we’d been on a Mad Men Season Three spree (one more DVD to go!) and weren’t terribly keen on breaking up the flow, but, reluctant as we were, we did, and boy were we ever glad.  This is a fantastic film.

The story follows two men on very different sides of the law.  One, a cop who cannot let go of a particular case involving a young girl, and the other, a professional hit man.  Each man is damaged and worn in his own way.  Vincke (the police officer) is obsessed by work and a great loss, and Ledda by the beginning stages of Alzheimer’s and a past he thought he left behind.  The two men’s lives intersect when they both find themselves working on the same case.  Vincke wants to bring the criminals to justice, while Ledda prefers them dead.

It is a race to the finish, as Ledda, with a clear lead over the police, leaves them clues and calls them out on their slowness.  It is an expertly written and well acted story.  Full of moral ambiguity, surprises, twists, and odd bits of humor, this film was a worthy pause in the Mad Men frenzy.

Howdy Neighbors.

It was kind of a low energy week around here (but we’re working on the B-12 intake), so much of our time was spent in front of the boob tube.  We watched LOST (my favorite episode thus far), Flight of the Conchords Season Two, Disc One, Syriana, and far too much Entertainment Tonight.  I am slightly embarrassed to say how much I keep thinking of Sandra Bullock, the man who shall not be named, and the tattooed ladies.  She seems like such a nice person, so giving and thoughtful of others.  To be treated that way is pretty low-down.

So, we needed something funny in our lives with all these clouds and sleepiness and whatnot, and were definitely not disappointed by Flight of the Conchords.  For those of you who haven’t seen the show (Mom – you probably want to skip it), it follows the exploits of Jemaine and Bret (sounds like Brit), an adorable folk-comedy duo from New Zealand as  they scrape by in New York city.  They get robbed, form a gang, and consider prostitution as a means to get by, because the singing just isn’t paying the bills.   Their “manager,” Murray, really a consulate worker, is more of a hindrance than a help, but they can’t seem to get by without him, either.  The highlight of the show is their wacky way of inserting their music into the story.  The hubster and I nearly cry from laughing so hard at songs like “Too Many Dicks on the Dance Floor,” and “All the Ladies Love My Sugar Lumps.”  Good fun.  I’m kind of sad that this is the last season.  That being said, good for Bret and Jemaine for deciding when to say when.

For our more serious side (much more), we watched Syriana.  It is a great thriller that examines, through four parallel stories, the often times corrupt relationships between the United States and the Middle East, the desire for power and money, as well as the allure of radical Islam -  all through the lens of the oil industry, of course.  It has a great cast (George Clooney won an Oscar for his role) and a stomach churning story line that will break your heart and stoke your fury.  For those (like me) who don’t tolerate physical violence, you’ll want to watch it with someone who can tell you when you can uncover your eyes, unplug your ears, and stop chanting la, la, la to yourself when someone gets tortured.  It’s a pretty fascinating look at how we all think we are doing what is right.

This is the second of the three films I was so giddy to see at the Hollywood Theater.  I went solo on Monday night and was thoroughly enthralled by the picture.  Tom Ford got it right, boy did he ever.

An aside before I write further about the film.  I love Tom Ford.  He is smart, sexy, thoughtful, and has a magnificent eye.  He was born in Texas, but was raised in Santa Fe.  Another aside, here.  Santa Fe is the capital of New Mexico, which is one of the fifty states of the U.S. of A, not part of Mexico.  I say this because my Mom, knowing of our fondness for the Land of Enchantment (see posts I, II, III), bought us a subscription to New Mexico magazine.  On the last page of every issue are stories relating how people mistakenly believe New Mexico is not part of the United States and deny citizens and visitors of that fine state insurance coverage and package delivery, among other things, because these services aren’t provided “outside of the country.”  Talk about shock and awe!  Don’t we learn the fifty states in elementary school?  How about taking a glance at a map?  Come on people – get with program.  It’s really not that difficult.   Getting off my soapbox and back to Mr. Ford.  Anyone with his combination of  provenance, fine looks, good humor, and talent  rates pretty highly in my book.

As for the story, it follows George Falconer, played by the dapper and oh so right Colin Firth (those glasses!), as he moves through what he plans to be his final day on earth.  Rocked to the core by the loss of his partner of sixteen years eight months previously, George is unable to cope with life.  The void left with the loss of Jim is insurmountable, rendering the world dull and lifeless.

Ironically, it is his decision to take his own life that brings color back into his world.  George’s senses are heightened, taking in details for what may be the very last time.  The eyes of strangers and colleagues at the college where he teaches, the scent of a woman, the color of her lips, the musculature of a tennis player, the brilliant pink of the sky at dusk.  It is all quite beautiful and new to him.

Then there are the memories of Jim, the harshness of a world unaccepting of gay men, and the desire to connect, with truth and honesty, to another human being.  Lovely.