The Way We Were (1973)

The Way We Were (1973)


We watched this classic in loving memory of Ernie. Type "Ernie Amatniek" and the  "Abraham Lincoln Brigade" into an Internet search and then watch the opening scenes with Katie handing out leaflets.

Katie played by Barbra you-know-who says "It's amazing how decisions are forced upon us willy-nilly."  Odd coincidence that we saw this movie soon after the death on April 26th of Salamo Arousch, the Greek-Jew featured in  Triumph of the Spirit (1989). His story was described as being one of "choiceless choices," meaning the Nazis gave him the choice of who to have killed if he won the boxing match. Katie's story certainly is not on the same scale, but there is a similarity since she is talking about the late-1940's Hollywood witchhunts (pre-McCarthy) that this movie uses as a backdrop.

Great movie regardless of all the problems with it. Fascinating  special feature made in 1999 included with the DVD. It fills in the plot holes and adds some wonderful insight. Robert Redford is missing apparently due to scheduling conflicts. Couldn't they wait? What's another decade or two? Well, maybe they were right to go ahead without Redford. Interesting to hear Streisand called "the first openly Jewish actress." Watch Sydney Pollack play with the rubber band and then watch Absence of Malice (1981). Oh, there's also insight into a certain song that sold a million copies.

There's talk that Babs wants to make a sequel with Katie and Hubbell's daughter repeating the same mistakes. Again with a member of a different ethnic/gender/hair color group. Except now she doesn't have to go to Harlem to get her hair ironed.

Monster's Ball (2001)

OK, so political correctness has it's place. And this movie raises all sorts of PC places. But as a movie, it's great. Halle Berry won Best Actress for this and not only for the sofa scene. Coronji Calhoun, the extremely over-weight ten year-old who played her son, was not nominated and doesn't show up on the Internet any later than 2005. There do seem to be people looking and trying to help. I suppose that lets me off the hook.  He was incredible. The IMDb says Berry told him to remember it was just a movie. He said it was no where as bad as what the kids at school did to him.

Directed by Marc Forester who also did several of my favorites, Stranger Than Fiction, Kite Runner, and Quantum of Solace. Billy Bob is good as is Heath Ledger. Peter Boyle is terrific. Anybody remember Joe (1970)? You'll have a hard time watching "Everybody Loves Raymond" (1996) (TV series) after these two. There's a great and horrible scene of the three men in the living room. If Monster's Ball is about confronting racism then it is also about confronting classism and the pre-redemptive sense that those people who belong to the "lower politically incorrect" class  still belong to the human race even if they are the same color as us. But redemption is what this is ultimately about. Although how does a private home, even in the South, have a private cemetary on the property? And why are there three graves when one burial was shown in a public cemetary?

Lakeview Terrace (2008)

This could have been a much better film about confronting racism. Samuel Jackson is raising two daughters by himself after losing his wife a year earlier. The way she died is pivotal in understanding his character. You won't find out until later in the film, but it adds a much deeper complexity to his character. Unfortunately, the doofus white guy that moves in next door with his hip, beautiful black wife is not complex at all. Can I share a funny scene? Stop reading if you don't want to spoil it. The white guy drives up to his house after work. He has loud rap music on the radio. Samuel Jackson walks up to him and tells him he can listen to that music all he wants but in the morning he's still going to wake up white. Too bad it just slides into inanity after that. Wait, that was already inane. But funny.

Nights in Rodanthe (2008)

This is the movie that Mom gave a thumbs up to. It is also about confronting racism. Mainly, why does the director feel the need to cast a character as having a best friend as black when they're both  white in the book? But if  Diane Lane, who was born in 1965 and over-wrought Richard Lear who was born in 1949, can get it on then what the hell. Not as bad as Dustin Hoffman and any female currently able to walk. But, still, it's a bit too much male fantasy. Not mine, of course. I kind of stopped talking about the confronting racism rant two sentences ago and  moved on to the age difference rant. OK, now onto the movie rant.

Ann Peacock is one of the screenwriters. She wrote the screenplay for A Lesson Before Dying. I loved that one. This one, no. Sorry, Mom.

Picky Problems:
Wrong season for hurricanes and hurricanes don't quit after one night.
Coastal people don't leave their cars where the storm surge will get them.
They also board up their windows a little more carefully. Lane should have known that.
Gere enters the inn and leaves the door open.
Lane buys Wonder Bread at the local store. What kind of B&B has Wonder Bread on the premises?
Gere looks dead.
Really. Not just because he's in character. Dead. As in toast. Maybe that's what the Wonder Bread was for. Metaphor.
Emmy Lou Harris pronounces Rodanthe one way and the radio announcer at the village says it another way. Wikipedia does it one of the two ways. I think.
It's a chick flick. Metaphorically speaking.


Ok, it's after midnight. Alan just got home from a babysitting job. I'm going to bed. I have to get up early and make breakfast. Happy Mother's Day, mamas and Obamamamas.