According to Sandy

French film, A Prophet (Un Prophète, 2009) directed by Jacques Audiard struck me as a cautionary tale for wayward youth. It details the experiences of 19 year old Malik (Tahar Rahim) as he serves his 8 year prison sentence for refusing to cooperate with police.

A product of juvenile detention facilities, incarceration in an adult prison matures him, not in the way usually meant. Instead of rehabilitation, “learning his lesson” while repaying his debt to society, etc., prison teaches him questionable survival skills and he toughens. What he learns in prison far surpasses what he could have learned on the streets.

Surviving alone may work on the outside, but in captivity, being part of a group is vital, and being the top dog in that group is prime, doing whatever it takes to get there. Malik adapts to the inhumanity that surrounds him and prospers.

You get drawn into the story and after awhile, you start to root for this young man and want him to rise above somehow. Which perhaps is a testament to both the acting and writing because Malik does some evil stuff, but you still want him alive and freed after his 8 years. (It’s not so much that you want him to “win”- but you want him to survive, to live long enough to discover another way of being in the world.)

But, what lingering effects will violent actions and experiences have on a kid? Are they difficult to erase like tattoos? Is he branded forever? I don’t know.

Fascinating movie.

BTW:  Un Prophète (2009) won the Grand Prize at Cannes Festival, 2009

This 2006 film, directed by Martin Scorsese, was just on network TV last night and I couldn’t help myself, I watched it again. Even with all the commercials and bleeps, it is a fabulous movie. (If you can, find the DVD to have a seamless experience and no bleeps – If you like Scorsese, you’ve heard the words before.)

The Departed is a violent, hard film, no sweetness here, no happy ending. A young police officer goes undercover in a local gang, just as another cop infiltrates the same gang.

Who’re the good guys? Who’s wearing the “white” hat? Who is doing what to whom? Cynical with assorted shades of grey – both cops and criminals seem to have other revenue sources, sort of a cross pollination effect.

As always, this director knows the value of a good story- a lot of blood, high suspense and one of the most explosive final lines of any film that I’ve heard.  The actors were totally committed to making the bizarre characters real and believable which is not just an example of the talent of Leonardo DiCaprio, Jack Nicholson, Matt Damon, Alec Baldwin, Martin Sheen and Mark Wahlberg, but it is also a testament to Scorsese’s skill.

I’ve seen most of Scorsese’s films and if this isn’t the “best” he has done, it won the Academy Award for Best Picture and Best Director, it’s pretty close to my other favs like Goodfellas, Mean Streets, Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, etc.

The Departed – a tough, entertaining movie!

Btw – The Departed is a remake of the 2002 Chinese movie called Infernal Affairs, directed by Andrew Lau (also on DVD)

I love the AMC series, “Mad Men”. Its 3^rd season has just been released on a 4 disk DVD set and we hardcore fans are hoping for an early 4^th season, but will probably have to wait until August to get the next intravenous direct line.

With a great cast led by Jon Hamm and January Jones, the show includes super work by John Slattery, Christina Hendricks, Robert Morse, and Elizabeth Moss.  Everyone is just so present and “there”.   Good actors, but also a good writer, the show’s creator, Matthew Weiner.

“Mad Men” has developed such a cult following that there are watching parties around the country and water cooler catch up is the thing to do on Monday mornings.  The mid 20^th century attitudes, clothing and behavior (3 martini lunches, smoking everywhere, personal secretaries that give benefits and “politically incorrect” remarks) are highlighted in the intrigues and escapades of the men and women of Madison Avenue advertising agency “Sterling Cooper”.

The “good old days” weren’t that good for everyone, but, watching “Mad Men” work its way thru the 60’s reminds me of all the options – good and bad- that are available to us now and I realize that “multiple choice” can make the present so much more challenging than the past with its stereotypes.  The old days weren’t that terrific, (although I really liked wearing “summer” gloves to work) but, those times were simpler and perhaps that simplicity, with its mask of family values, is really what nostalgia is all about.

I love this show, the characters have dimensions and layers, the main man, Korean War vet Don Draper, is a philanderer with skills, has tons of secrets and can change personalities at the drop of his fedora. Who will he be next? Will he be radicalized by the 60’s revolution and grow his hair long or will he try to hold on to the traditional, rarified atmosphere of Sterling Cooper?  Can’t wait for the next season of “Mad Men”.

FYI: Seasons 1, 2 and 3 are now all on DVD if you want to catch up = Netflix works too.

The movie, “Children of Men”,  is set 20 years into the future.  Women are no longer able to bring a fetus to full term and a 17 year old, the youngest person in the world, dies suddenly which brings universal mourning.

Perhaps as a result of air and earth toxins new life stopped being created and supported by the universe. Based on results, mankind is on a slippery slope.

Enter the “miracle” –  a sole pregnant woman is discovered in England and she must be saved if the human race is to go on.

A reluctant savior, Clive Owen, at his craggy faced/ 2 day stubble best, is enrolled by his ex-wife in taking the young woman to safety. Thru bullets, treachery and strange, fierce characters, he must get the mother-to-be to an outlawed group called the” Human Project”. They search for doctors that can keep her and the baby alive – and so the adventure begins.

The movie is both dark in atmosphere and premise, the film’s city scenes are mostly sepia and gray contrasting greatly with the few lighter, green country locations. The director, Alfonso Cuaron, wrote the screen play based upon a 1992 novel by P. D. James, famous for the Inspector Adam Dalgliesh mysteries. Her vision of a barren future was translated by Cuaron into a cramped, desperate city filled with angry, lonely people.

While on the run, the fugitives do get a chance to experience the lush greenness of the countryside, but, the pastoral is slowly being encroached by the urban insanity. Huge betrayal and huge amounts violence is encountered while trying to escape those who wish to use the baby for propaganda and gain. In the midst off all this dreck, there is a possibility of “future”.

The baby represents “hope” and many are enlisted to assist in preserving the miracle, keeping it alive and getting it to a haven, even at great risk to themselves.

A totally engrossing film. The actors are all terrific, regardless of the length of their scenes or dialogue. Owen is wonderful, and so is Michael Caine. (He makes an appearance as a kind eccentric.) The actress who plays the mom to be, Claire-Hope Ashitey, makes you believe that she would be a great mother – even though her character only remembers seeing children on television. The ending is both triumphant and tragic.

“Children of Men”– this is a good movie!