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Elling, a review by Danae Cassandra

Where We Are:  Norway
wikipedia

What We Watched:


EllingOverview:
After a two-year stint in a state home in which the shy, neurotic Elling and the loud, sex-obsessed Kjell Bjarne became close friends, the pair are released and forced to enter the real world.They find themselves placed in a state funded apartment where a social worker tells them to behave responsibly and act like normal members of society. Initially, the simple act of going around the corner for groceries is a challenge. In time, as they learn to adjust, the two find oddball ways to cope with society, striking up unlikely friendships in the strangest places. Now they're packed and ready for the greatest adventure of their lives. All they have to do is get out of the house!

My Thoughts:
This was a wonderful, funny, touching, ultimately heartwarming film.  It's a film about relationships - the relationships of people with each other, and the relationships of people with society.  It's a film about getting out of your comfort zone and grabbing life.  And the difficulty in doing so.

Elling, our protagonist, begins with great difficulties in grabbing life.  While it is never mentioned, he obviously has a severe anxiety disorder and is extremely shy, having been sheltered his entire life.  It's a stretch for him to try walking down the block to buy groceries.  Yet, as he gets outside his comfort zone and tries to do things, he accomplishes things. If we look deeper into ourselves, we might see a bit of Elling inside each of us - we each have our own comfort zones and our own problems breaking out of our familiar, safe havens and routines. In Elling's (and his roomie, Kjell Bjarne's) triumphs we could see our own.

Top-notch acting on the part of the two leads.  Absolutely some of the best I've seen in a long time.  They really embody these characters. The camera work seems, at first, nothing special, but I really liked the way it seemed to tilt, or swim, just a little, when Frank (the social worker) pushed Elling and Kjell Bjarne to do something uncomfortable.

Another thing I really liked was that the film treated these two men with a lot of humanity and dignity.  Both had a lot to offer, if they are given, and give themselves, a chance to find it.  Very funny and uplifting film - highly recommended.

Bechdel Test: Fail

Overall: 4.5/5

(From Around the World in 86 Movies on August 11th, 2013)

The Russians Are Coming The Russians Are Coming, a review by Danae Cassandra

The Russians Are Coming The Russians Are Coming
Year of Release: 1966
Directed By: Norman Jewison
Starring: Carl Reiner, Eva Marie Saint, Alan Arkin, Brian Keith
Genre: Comedy

Overview:
When a sightseeing Soviet commander runs his submarine aground off the New England coast, the crew's attempts to find a boat to dislodge them almost start World War III!.  Alan Arkin leads an all-star cast - including Carl Reiner, Eva Marie Saint, Brian Keith and Jonathan Winters - in this "riotous, uproarious [and] side-splitting" (Cue) comedy!

Russian Lt. Rozanov (Arkin) and his crew hit the beaches of Massachusetts unaware of the panic they're about to start.  Despite the Russian's harmless intentions, the folks in town think a full-scale Soviet invasion has been launched!  What's worse, their police chief (Keith) has left his hysterical assistant (Winters) in charge...and the one man who knows the truth (Reiner) is only stirring up more chaos!

My Thoughts:
This is a pretty good piece of Cold War satire, both humourous and serious simulaneously.  It's a funny film - but it's also got its point to make.  I was struck by how news in the film travels like the telepone game you played as a kid.  One person says one thing, another mishears or misconstrues, and suddenly you have a complete panic on your hands.  If the film seems like a farce - exaggerated and improbable - it doesn't seem so to me.  Sadly, the reactions of the locals seems all to likely in real life.  Absurd?  Absolutely.  But not unrealistic.

The performances are good, especially Alan Arkin as Rozanov.  It's also well filmed - you wouldn't know that the Cape Cod style town was constructed in Mendocino, or that the submarine wasn't real unless you were looking for that specifically (the US military refused to loan or allow them to use the one the Russians would have).  It's a bit long, and might not play so well to modern audiences, even though the message is still valid.  I liked it quite a bit though.

Bechdel Test: Pass

Overall: 3.75/5

(From Within My (Mom's) Lifetime Marathon on November 19th, 2015)

Angel Marathon, a review by addicted2dvd

11. Damage
Original Air Date: 1/28/2004
When Angel and Spike try to help a young woman who escaped from an asylum, they discover she's actually a potential slayer empowered by the spell Willow cast back at the Hellmouth in Sunnydale.

Guest Stars:
Tom Lenk
Navi Rawat
Jasmine Di Angelo

My Thoughts:
Andrew from Buffy the Vampire Slayer was in this episode. I swear he always aggravated me on that show!  Is a good episode that I enjoyed quite a bit. I like how they continued a storyline from the last season of Buffy... updating us on some of the main characters of that series a little.

My Rating:

(From Angel Marathon on March 24th, 2010)