Under a Red Roof

Everlasting Moments

May 15, 2009 in Remembering, Spotlighting, Watching by Colleen | 1 comment

When I was little, the first camera I had was a Kodak Pocket Instamatic. I liked the feel of it in my hand and the power associated with it – this moment will be mine, not only in memory, but as something tangible, for as long as I have the photograph. I remember being so excited to take pictures – there was a distinct thrill in finding a certain light or subject, winding the film, putting my eye to the view finder, and hearing the very sharp click of the shutter. I took a picture! Twelve photos later and I was ready to drop them off at Target, wait another week, and then see the results.

Sometimes they were disappointing – a finger or a blurred image marring what I thought was the perfect composition, but most of the time they were exactly how I remembered the scene to be: my cat Tasha licking her paw, the glorious Royal Gorge Bridge, or the beautiful and prolific sweet pea blooms in our neighbor Helen’s yard. I guess not much has changed, actually. I still get the same thrill when I snap photos now, only I get the instant gratification of seeing my work on the tiny digital screen of my camera.

It is this same thrill that echoes throughout the superb Swedish film from Jan Troell, Everlasting Moments. The story follows Maria, her husband, friends, and children with the same careful attention one pays in capturing the singular moments of life. From her first photograph to her last, we watch this woman grow in maturity, wisdom, and age, all the while taking photos of the mundane to the sacred. No matter what is on the other side of the lens, beyond her eye, she treats it with the delicacy and wonder of a rare object.

However, I would be remiss if I led you to believe this is a film about photography. It certainly is that, but it is really so much more, too. It is about the joys of living, the ways we love, fidelity, sacrifice, loss, and a changing world. I think, oddly enough, what I found most striking was the way everyday sounds, like birdsong, the fluttering of leaves in the trees, even children’s laughter, were incorporated into the story, like a heart beating in time.

The Beat that My Heart Skipped

March 20, 2009 in Spotlighting, Watching by Colleen | 1 comment

Ooh, this is an interesting one about the transformational power of art, in particular, music. A man, Tom, played perfectly by the dreamy Romain Duris, is a bit of a creep. He gets in bar fights and uses women. He’s in real estate, but not what one typically thinks. His is the shady underbelly of the business in Paris, where he and his colleagues have no qualms about making deals in the night or using unorthodox means to entice people to leave their homes. He’s his father’s son.

In stark contrast, his deceased mother was a rather accomplished classical pianist, and one night he, rather serendipitously, meets her former agent, where he, surprisingly, remembers Tom and his talent as a young man and suggests an audition. Tom need only pick the date.

What ensues is Tom’s progression from thug to real man. He begins to distance himself from that which is most destructive, making choices more akin to a man of integrity, with some missteps, too. He’s not perfect.

Now to what I love most about this movie – Tom’s deep connection to music of all kinds. He’s always listening, but it is more than that – it’s a visceral and emotional experience. He puts everything he has into the listening and the playing. In many ways, after that fortuitous meeting with his mother’s former agent, it becomes his compass, leading him to a better life.

Tags: Movies

The Accidental Tourist

February 27, 2009 in Spotlighting, Watching, Writing by Colleen | 1 comment

Here’s another quirky film, my friends, The Accidental Tourist. Boy, oh, boy do I love this one.

The story centers on Macon Leary, an often mystified and somewhat cold man who lost his son to murder and his wife to the ensuing, yet quiet, upheaval. It seems he will never exit the rather stodgy Leary groove of safety, sameness and unsociability, until…of course until. There’s always that. Otherwise, there would be no story. Until Macon’s dog, Edward (an adorable Corgi), still grieving the loss of his son, starts biting people.

Enter Muriel Pritchett, dog trainer extraordinaire and, quite possibly, his polar opposite. Her life is anything but “Leary Safe.” She lives in a rough neighborhood, has a son allergic to practically everything under the sun, wears quirky clothing combinations (like my sweet friend Bridget), and sports the longest fake nails known to man. Not to mention the fact she is utterly and completely forthright, giving him her telephone number to, “Call. Just talk. Don’t you get the urge to do that?” Rather bewildered, he tells her, “Not really.”

As Muriel enters his life, Macon slowly transforms, going from a physically and emotionally rigid man, speaking in staccato tones, to someone who smiles, laughs, and even dances. But will it last? For the Leary groove is a rather potent one.

Watch it and see, and when you do, you’ll also witness the the Learys and their awful sense of direction, alphabetizing the pantry, expressing concern for properly sized envelopes, the consumption of GORP (or glop, depending), and discussing their work: “I make bottlecaps. It isn’t half as exciting as it sounds.” The movie, however, is – full of laughs, crazy moments, and, of course, a few tears.

Tags: Movies

Withnail and I, yai, yai!

February 13, 2009 in Spotlighting, Watching by Colleen | Permalink

I don’t know how I missed this movie for so long – having been released in 1987, but I did. I only learned about it from a story on NPR last week. Apparently, the country house to which the gentlemen (I use this term very loosely) get away is on the market. So, if you happen to be a fan, live in England, or would like to relocate, and have 145,000 pounds (not dollars), the place could be yours. The aerial shot looks quite nice, but everything looks better from a distance, doesn’t it?

Anyway, this post is about the movie Withnail and I, which is really quite good. Withnail and Marwood are two best friends and out of work actors. They live on the dole in absolute filth, dying things in the sink, messes everywhere, especially in their heads. And this is why – though they scarcely have two pennies to rub together for food, Marwood actually eating coffee out of a bowl to pretend it is soup, they’ve always got a pound or two to spend on liquor. If there isn’t any of that available, Withnail is quite content to try other means, no matter how unorthodox.

Marwood, in a fit, decides that the pair needs to get away from the cold and damp of London, so they convince Withnail’s Uncle Monty to lend them his cottage for the weekend. They drive out in the outrageously dilapidated Jaguar and start their adventure with assorted country folk, both hostile and friendly, and randy creatures of the four and two legged variety.

The film is a creative, funny and sad romp to the English countryside. There’s depravity, humor, and just plain kookiness. It is filled with awesome one liners and other bits that kept me laughing or in a general state of disbelief throughout the film. Watch it and see for yourself.

Tags: Movies

Dog Day Afternoon

January 9, 2009 in Spotlighting, Watching by Colleen | 2 comments

Do you ever have those moments when you believe you are far greater than you really are? Well, imagine that on one of those days you actually decide to take action, and say, rob a bank. The 1975 film, Dog Day Afternoon, starring Al Pacino is the nerve wracking, hilarious, and sad version of actual events that occurred in 1972.

I had heard great things about the film, but once we started watching it, I got a little worried. The bank robbery is going awry about five minutes in, and the film’s got another two hours to go. Thankfully, I was quickly put at ease, for there were so many twists and surprises that kept me on the edge of my seat.

I’ll reveal a couple and then leave it there. First, and in my opinion, most odd. Sonny, the main character, is married and has two kids, but the whole purpose of the hold-up is to pay for a sex change operation for the man he has most recently married. A man who just attempted suicide to get away from Sonny. The reason I found this odd is the love that he shows for each of his “wives.” He doesn’t seem the least bit conflicted about it – he’s just going through life.

Second – the robbers, Sonny and Sal (John Cazale from the Godfather), are pretty nice guys. So nice, that the hostages they take end up having a great time. It’s like a surreal party with pizza, guns, and ammo! This is one of my favorite quotations from the film: “I had to tell him Wyoming isn’t a country. I’m with a guy who don’t know where Wyoming is, and you think you’ve got problems!”

So, if you’ve got a hankering for something vintage, and of course, a little off beat, give it a try. You’ll be chanting “Attica!” for the rest of the week.

Tags: Movies