Indian Cocktail
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[Hat Tip to Tomas of The Closet Entrepreneur for the link]
[Hat Tip to Tomas of The Closet Entrepreneur for the link]
Saw this short movie today, and thought I’d share it. The full version is not available on youtube, but the first chapter is shown above, and you can catch the full movie in one piece at:
Some of the things shown are overly simplified, but then cramming even a broad explanation of a complex problem into a 20 minute short necessitates a certain amount of abbreviation. There are some little nuggets here that are revealing. Only 1% of the consumer goods purchased in the US is used 6 months after its purchase?? That’s a telling statistic! [see comments below]
On a related note, there’s a stunning documentary doing the rounds right now which I highly recommend. The movie is “Manufactured Landscapes” and it’s a documentary by Jennifer Baichwal, on the work of photographer Edward Burtynsky. Baichwal follows Burtynsky on his travels as he photographs the impact of humans on the landscape. Some of the shots in the movie are scarcely believable, as the scope of industrialization in parts of our planet takes time sink in. The images will stay with you long after you’ve left the theatre. The opening tracking shot of a factory is worth the price of admission in itself. Watch, and wonder.
Recently, I rediscovered a true classic – a movie that I’d watched and enjoyed several times in years gone by, but had almost forgotten. The movie is Mughal-e-Azam, K. Asif’s magnum opus of Prince Salim (later to become Emperor Jahangir), and his ill-fated love for the beautiful courtesan Anarkali. The legend of Anarkali (literally - pomegranate blossom) has been immortalized in art, but its historical authenticity is disputed due to the lack of official records corroborating the story. There is a tomb in present day Lahore, Pakistan which is generally believed to be that of Anarkali, but historians are not sure if that is indeed the case. Regardless, it is a story that has drawn painters, poets, musicians, and of course, movie makers.
The first time I heard an Edith Piaf song was in the movie “Saving Private Ryan” by Spielberg. The scene is the calm before a momentous battle in which the soldiers ruminate on a song by Piaf amidst the ruins of a city they are defending. Though it had been years since my last French lesson, I was struck by the tragedy in her voice and immediately went about acquiring a few CDs of the French icon. I play Piaf on quiet evenings with a glass of Scotch by my side and a book to curl up with. I enjoy her music even though I understand hardly anything she’s singing.
Piaf was born in the slums of Paris in 1915 and died at the early age of 47 of liver cancer. She led a very tragic life despite her worldwide fame. There have been numerous biographies, movies and even plays made about her life. The most recent one is called “La Vie En Rose” (in the US — everywhere else it’s called “La Mome”) that I saw last night. Marion Cotillard plays Piaf with such ferocity and intensity that if the Academy award folks don’t nominate her for this performance, they should be fed to the lions. The movie pretty much portrays Piaf’s life as accurately as is known publicly. The normally gorgeous Cotillard (watch her true self in the Russell Crowe flop “A Good Year“) is stunningly transformed into the diminutive (and not so pleasing to the eye) Piaf with layers of makeup in what will be a career defining role. The movie is a bit too long at two hours and twenty minutes but still a captivating look at the life of a legend. You can see a preview of the movie here.
Rather than showing a clip from this movie, I am going to leave you with the scene in “Saving Private Ryan” that first introduced me to the music of Piaf:
Mini-reviews of movies I watched recently, in no particular order:
Reflections on “Sicko,” collective compassion, and (fantasies of) quitting the corporate world
I finally saw “Sicko” last week, and it had a strong impact on me. That’s not surprising if you know how susceptible I am to the emotional pull of movies — and if you consider that Michael Moore was “preaching to the choir” in my case, since I’ve long been an ardent supporter of government-financed universal health coverage (my last job was as the communications coordinator for a health policy research center).
A caveat: I fully acknowledge that “Sicko” has its share of flaws and oversimplifications. For example, Moore makes a big deal of how the evil health plans deny patients’ appeals for medical services. While health plans have certainly denied many legitimate, needed treatments, it’s also true that — given the need to use our limited healthcare resources wisely — not all treatments for all medical conditions can or should be covered. Also, we never hear even a negative peep about the healthcare systems of France, England, Cuba or Canada (but Michael Moore is not exactly about balance!).
That aside, what really disturbed me about Sicko was not just the stories of suffering and hardship that sick people have endured because of our refusal to provide universal health coverage (although that was part of it — I cried when confronted with the Sept. 11 volunteer rescue workers who gave selflessly to their country, then couldn’t get decent care for the resulting ailments). What disturbed me even more was the broader point Moore makes (effectively I think) when he asks the question, “Who are we as a society?”
Say what you’ll about the ’80s, it did spawn a few badass super cops in movies taking off from where Dirty Harry left off. Among them were Mel “I hate Jews” Gibson as Riggs in the Lethal Weapon franchise and Bruce Willis as John McClane in the Die Hard franchise. I previously talked about this year being a year of sequels in Hollywood and I especially mocked Willis for doing another Die Hard. He was always my favorite of the action superstars of the ’80s (others being Stallone, the Governator, Seagal, and Van Damme - let’s ignore the older Eastwood and Harrison Ford for now) but even so, I thought he shouldn’t have returned for yet another installment of this franchise. I am happy to say that I was wrong. A bruised and battered Bruce is back with a vengeance in the role that made him a superstar. And he’s looking good.
This is not a movie for who Hitchcock once referred to as “The Plausibles” — you know who you are. This is an old fashioned action movie with limited computer generated effects and some real Hong Kong style action (pre-”Crouching Tiger,” I mean). This is the best movie since the original. The plot is so ridiculous that it enhances the movie rather than diminish it. The chemistry between Willis and Justin Long (he’s the Mac in the famous Mac vs PC ads) is fun and we have a menacing villain in the form of the stunning Maggie Q. In my opinion, she should have been the main villain rather than the girlfriend slash henchperson of the real villain, played by Timothy Olyphant. The story line is not important; suffice it to say that none of it makes sense but you are in for a treat if you leave your brains in the lobby and go to enjoy some kickass stunts and things being blown apart. The cast also includes Kevin Smith (the director of movies like “Clerks”) and Cyril Raffaelli (the French stuntman who was responsible for the incredible French movie, “District B13“). As for Willis, he is at his minimalist best not seen since “The Sixth Sense.”
It’s good to have Bruce Willis back. Demi who?
See this movie. See it! Probably the best movie I have seen this year. Made by one of the troika of superstar Mexican directors, Guillermo del Toro (the othes being Alfonso Cuarón and Alejandro González Iñárritu), this is a fantastical journey into the mind of a 12 year old girl (Ivana Baquero) growing up in fascist Spain under a cruel stepfather (Sergi López). Both Baquero and López give great performances. While the movie trailers might lead you to believe that this is a children’s fairy tale, it’s far from that and I would not recommend this to any child. Check out all the reviews you want over at Rotten Tomatoes. It’s brutal, violent, tragic, and brilliant!
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