Hello Again

Since I last wrote a blog, I’ve seen 2 films and had a great dinner with an old friend. It’s not nearly as late as I have been writing the past several nights, and that’s refreshing.

At 3:30 today, I saw a film – AMERICANO -directed by Mathieu Demy – son of Jacques Demy & Agnes Varda. He was also the lead actor in the film – with a supporting cast of a couple other children of well-known filmmakers – Chiara Mastoianni & Geraldine Chaplin (if you don’t know who these kids are, I’d suggest googling them). In addition, Selma Hayek is in the film. Though I liked this movie, I had certain reservations with numerous plot points in the second half of the film. The story regards a young man (in France) who receives news that his mother has passed away (in L.A.). He makes the journey to tend to her house – claiming he has very few memories of his childhood. However, certain images conjure memories…and for the flashbacks, Demy uses actual footage of himself as a child that was shot by his father. Below is a clip of the film – a trailer is not yet available.

[yframe url=’http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VBLc86h-JZk’]

After that, I saw one of the best films so far. TAKE SHELTER, which has already been dated for THE NEON, is absolutely incredible. Jessica Chastain, who has so many films coming out this year, was present for an introduction and Q&A. Not only is she luminous, she’s articulate, talented and also quite friendly. The movie is about a man (played by Michael Shannon) who starts to fear that a terrible storm – unlike any other – is about to come. His premonitions and dreams signal a need for him to create a safer living environment (as well as an underground shelter) for his family. With an understanding that his mother has been institutionalized for mental illness, we immediately begin to understand that mental illness might be genetic. I’m not going to write anything more…except that the two leads give incredible performances. (AND THIS – This film was shot mostly in Ohio!! )

[yframe url=’http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I5U4TtYpKIc’]

3 or 4 more films tomorrow…then pack my bags.

More soon,

Jonathan