Handmaiden, based on Fingersmith by Sarah Waters

Handmaiden, based on Fingersmith by Sarah Waters

This Korean film has been nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Foreign Film.

Is was not however remarked by those who decide the fate of the Golden Globes.

Let us see what the Academy Awards ceremony and nominations will look like.

The Handmaiden is a memorable motion picture.

Loveless aka Neliubov and First They Killed My Father are better in my opinion than this strange Korean Japanese story.

I mean, the movie seems to be Korean made, but the story has Japanese and Korean elements.

It all happens in the 1930s when Korea was occupied by Japan.

I understand that animosities still exist, even if, faced with the dictator of North Korea and his nuclear weapons, Japan and South Korea may find ways to overcome differences and past grievances.

The film has a complex, interesting story and this is surely part of the reason why this work has been acclaimed, by both viewers and critics.

It has been included among the best 260 films ever made, based on popularity, that is votes on IMDB.

This is also where The Handmaiden has an impressive metascore, reflecting the very favorable views of the critics.

Sookee and Hideko are the female main characters of the film.

This is already an achievement in itself.

In this age, actors are still paid considerably more that actresses and this is part discrimination, of course, but it also reflects the fact that most of the heroes are...

Well...male

So this Handmaiden is unique in that it not only promotes a main character that is female, but two.

Sookee used to steal before she was chosen to be part of a scheme.

A swindler that presents himself as count Fujiwara wants to marry the Japanese heiress Hideko.

He enlists Sookee as a helper in this endeavor.

Only Sookee becomes more than attached to her new mistress.

She thinks Hideko is splendid and...falls in love with her.

There are some very passionate, erotic scenes during which the servant and mistress make love...endlessly.

As another titillating element, Hideko is "protected" by an uncle who has her reading salacious books.

This is abusive and shows how humiliating life could be for women.

Alas, it still is in barbaric societies.

There is a shocking event, when Sookee is taken to a mental institution and locked up.

Even more outrageous, this heinous act appears to be condoned by Hideko

But this is just one version of the story and we get to see completely different perspectives.

And...fingers are cut by the libidinous and sadistic uncle.

A very special, interesting motion picture.

Shape of Water, writer, director Guillermo del Toro

Shape of Water, writer, director Guillermo del Toro

This is a highly acclaimed film.

It has the biggest number of nominations for the upcoming BAFTA Awards.

And the British are serious about almost everything, including motion pictures.

It is a strange narrative, about which Seth Meyers joked at the Golden Globe Awards Ceremony.

The Shape of Water had been nominated for Golden Globes as well.

It has won in the category of Best Director for the outstanding Guillermo del Toro.

This film has elements of Science Fiction, Romance, Comedy and even looks like a spy movie for important passages.

In a special facility with important, if at a crucial moment ridiculous security, they bring in a strange creature.

The audience is challenged and invited to meditate on what he - this is definitely a he, for he has sex with the heroine, in a manner that excludes a lesbian, Trans species intercourse- represents.

Is this a God?

The way he heals himself after being shot points that way

Is he a relative of human beings?

Maybe, even if he is not as violent as they are, with the exception of the incident with the cat

The heroine is a mute woman who cleans the floors in this high security facility.

And she becomes attracted to the creature-God.

The Soviets are also interested in the Being that the Americans have in their laboratory.

They have a spy on the premises, called Dimitri.

He is a scientist who is outraged by the decision taken by the American chain of command.

They want to destroy the creature.

An unlikely and certainly funny alliance is born.

This committee wants to save this being.

The heroine is now very attached to this God.

She has started by giving him eggs and a bond was created.

When she learns about the plan to kill him, she is determined to save him.

That involves placing him in laundry basket, like we have seen in other movies, with escapes from prison.

She gets help from Dimitri, who gives her the needed salts and chemicals-I guess- for the bath where the strange lover would be kept.

There are many moments of tense, dramatic suspense.

Seth Meyers joked about the idea of a woman loving something like a sea monster...

I don't remember his exact words.

But this God like creature is indeed charming.

The way he rolls his eyes...

There is also a purring, rather lovable sound that he makes.

The Shape of Water is Avery interesting, thought provoking film.

The Disaster Artist, with and directed by James Franco

The Disaster Artist

James Franco is an excellent actor and, from what we hear, he is also a very intelligent man.

His work on 127 Hours has been formidable.

For his role in The Disaster Artist he has won the Golden Globe.

It was for Best Performance of a Leading Actor in a Motion Picture Comedy of Musical.

Gary Oldman has won the same prize in the Drama Category.

Both artists have a good chance of being nominated for an Academy Award, one of these days.

Notwithstanding the fact that I appreciate, even admire James Franco for some of his work- perhaps not The Interview- The Disaster Artist did not appeal to me.

There are definitely many good moments.

In fact, it is very likely that I am wrong in saying that this is not a great movie.

The humor is probably too absurd, maybe to subtle for this viewer to enjoy it.

The Disaster Artist was this man who even showed up on stage at the Golden Globes and who made an awful film many years ago.

It is based on a real story.

But I think I have been here before with Ed Wood, played by Johnny Depp.

And besides, there are so many terrible movies these days- Transformers, Avengers a the like- that the idea of watching a movie about a bad movie sounds unappealing...to say the least.

The protagonist mumbles. Most of the time, I do not like what I hear.

He keeps his age an absolute secret, like he is a prima Donna.

And he actually is, very often acting like one.

But without the talent, the charisma, the singing ability.

When pressed, this anti hero says:

I am the same age as you

However, the interlocutor, played by the brother of James Franco, is about twenty years younger.

There is also another mystery, concerning the origins...

Where are you from?

From the Big Easy man...

But this is another lie, the proof being the accent.

The production made by The Disaster Artist was...

Well, A...Disaster, what else?

But it became a cult movie.

And not just that, we now get to see a major motion picture about the

Creator of that Disaster...

In many ways, Darkest Hour sounds like a better proposition.

Instead of watching a stupid, often arrogant individual, in Darkest Hour we can admire one of the greatest men of all time...

Winston Churchill, who was also a...

Disaster Artist, but in the sense that he saved the world from catastrophe, he did not create one...

Downsizing with Matt Damon, writer, director Alexander Payne

Downsizing with Matt Damon, writer, director Alexander Payne

This is an interesting film.

Well, up to a point.

After reaching a zenith, it is all going downhill.

It is like Downsizing and slowly eliminating the promising elements of the plot and venturing in what I see as a nebulous, even preposterous last chapter.

The start is really engaging.

There is humor and we also have themes to meditate on.

The earth is facing destruction.

Even if Trump and his rather silly supporters deny climate change, that is happening.

A solution to this problem is suggest by the film:

Downsizing!

In the sense that a scientist from Northern Europe has invented a method to make people...

Really small

Lilliputians

First of all, all the garbage of a town with little people fits in a small bag.

And we're talking everyday thrown away during one year.

So these individuals will save the planet.

On top of that, they can live in palaces and enjoy a lavish life.

These Taj Mahals are after all the size of small doll houses, when they are at their largest.

The hero, played by Matt Damon and his wife, portrayed by Kirsten Wiig, decide to have this new existence, in the lap of luxury.

And the wife is the one who was most attracted by large homes and comfort.

The problem is, the downsizing procedure involves shaving the head.

When she sees herself in the mirror, the spouse loses strength.

She does not have the courage to go ahead.

So she is stuck, better said she decides to stay on the other side.

The husband is now a Lilliputian and the wife is a Gulliver.

So their marriage is over.

The protagonist meets a woman from Vietnam.

She has fought bravely for democracy. Is involved in charity and admirable projects.

And yet, I hated her style.

The manner in which she barks orders. Supposed to be funny...

I guess.

But for this viewer is was nearly unbearable.

This character contributes a lot to the disappointment experienced by this viewer.

Then there is the neighbor.

Sometimes, the way that Christoph Waltz decides to play his roles works.

The personages can be outrageous, but also humorous.

Not this time.

If I conclude now, I would say that this promised to be so much better.

Like it is, after the initial twenty minutes, I would say it Downsizes and then Downsizes until very little is left to engage the audience.

But hey, I may be wrong.

Hud, based on the novel by Larry McMurtry, directed by Martin Ritt, with Paul Newman, Melvyn Douglas, 10 out of 10

Hud, based on the novel by Larry McMurtry, directed by Martin Ritt, with Paul Newman, Melvyn Douglas

10 out of 10

This will be a look at this extraordinary film, using Positive Psychology glasses or said otherwise:

Through a Glass Brightly

1963 was the year of 8 ½, which won the Oscar for Best Foreign Film and Tom Jones, the Best Film at the Academy Awards

But I would say that Hud was just as good, if not better, even if it won three Oscars, without getting nominated as Best Motion Picture

There are three generations in this superb artwork and they have a complicated relationship with each other

Paul Newman is outstanding, as always, in the role of Hud Bannon, a complex personage that has a more prominent negative side

Homer Bannon is Hud’s father, who does not like this remaining son, responsible for the death of Lonnie’s father.

Lonnie is the third generation, grandson to Homer and an important moral and working support in his old age

Homer I not without faults, as a father he has been rather hard, we would call this abusive today

However, he has plenty of the Character Strengths identified by the father of Positive Psychology, Martin Seligman:

Integrity, Persistence, Bravery, Perspective, Citizenship, Fairness, Mercy, Leadership, Modesty

This hero also proves:

Vitality, Love, Kindness, Social Intelligence, Gratitude, Hope, Self- regulation, Spirituality and Prudence

Hud on the other hand stands accused of being:

Selfish…you only think of yourself

That’s why you can’t be with others…says Homer Bannon

Indeed, the main character I almost a negative hero, the bad guy that would need someone to fight him

Not that Hud engages in too few fights

The “hero” is Brave, has Vitality, Persistence, some Perspective, maybe Love of Learning and Social Intelligence

But he I not at all Modest or Fair, he shows no Gratitude, on the contrary, he thinks his father was rough with him

Hud might have gotten at least some of that right

Nevertheless, he now tries to get control of the farm, by having his father declared unfit to manage it and get the land under his administration

Lonnie is seventeen and in the first part of the film admires Hud, wanting to be pretty much like his uncle.

Nevertheless, when he sees the way Hud treats his father, contributing to his collapse and ultimate downfall, Lonnie rejects his uncle

Furthermore, Hud I violent and repulsive in his treatment of Alma, the woman that is hired as house cleaner and cook at the farm.

One night, after harassment and pestering the hired help, Hud gets drunk and attacks Alma, trying to rape her.

The escape is narrow.

In fact, it is only the intervention of the nephew that allows the woman to get off the floor and eventually leave the place all together.

Hud has an affair with a married woman, whose husband arrives just as the lover was leaving the house.

It is very early in the morning and the husband is sure there is something wrong with strangers leaving at that time

Bud blames this event on…Lonnie

Somehow, the charm of Paul Newman transfers to his character in the film, but I think this helps make the movie more intriguing an interesting, with a character that is not all despicable.

There are glorious performances from all those involved in this memorable motion picture, winner of three Oscars.

Darkest Hour, writer Anthony McCarten, director Joe Wright, with Gary Oldman, Lily James, Kristin Scott Thomas

Darkest Hour, writer Anthony McCarten, director Joe Wright, with Gary Oldman, Lily James, Kristin Scott Thomas

Even if this is the Darkest Hour, this note is intended to have a look at it Through a Glass Brightly

Positive Psychology is not about being Panglossian or Pollyannaish and it also deals with Adversity and Trauma

Darkest Hour, as the name suggests, represents a nadir in the history of Britain and the whole world

But luckily, someone like Winston Churchill rose and took the lead in the fight against Nazism and its leader, the corporal…

The Character Strengths of this extraordinary man make him the ultimate role model, except for some normal, human shortcomings:

Leadership, Bravery, Persistence, Creativity, Open Mindedness, Love of Learning, Perspective, Citizenship, Fairness, Mercy, Integrity, Vitality, Kindness, Appreciation of Excellence

Gratitude, Hope, Humor, Spirituality, Self-Regulation- well, perhaps without considering the alcohol-

These are all Signature Strengths that the glorious statesman had and that was the saving of Europe

Speculations can be made

Indeed, even Churchill, in one of the most famous and brilliant speeches ever, mentions the Americans

If Britain fights- and he made sure that it did- and it would be occupied in large part, then the rest of the Empire would continue the struggle

And the Americans would have intervened at one point, but who knows how late, if not after the Fascists would control too much of the world

The ascension of Winston Churchill has been far from a sure, easy thing and he was not the favorite to become Prime Minister

Darkest Hour presents many of the details that concerned the backroom deals and conflicts, even after the great man became leader

Neville Chamberlain maneuvered with Lord Halifax to prevent Churchill from pushing too far and they wanted peace

It is also true that the situation was grave in the Darkest Hour and it looked like the whole British Army would be wiped out

It took the Visionary Churchill and his majestic, outstanding decision to order private ships to engage with the Dunkirk evacuation

Otherwise, the generals estimated that only 10% of the soldiers and officers would have been brought to Britain

One of the other best films of 2017, Dunkirk, deals with that part of the World War II in detail

The Prime Minister had to take another excruciatingly painful decision regarding the Calais unit.

The British had about 4,000 men there and they were needed to fight the Nazis in order to allow precious time for the main operation, the repatriation of the 300,000 troops from Dunkirk.

The soldiers and officers at Calais had to sacrifice themselves in order to allow the saving of more men

The leader of the British Empire writes a letter to their commander, specifying that there would be no evacuation for those at Calais.

His secretary, Elizabeth Layton aka the excellent Lily James, cries while typing that letter that would be sent to Calais

If glorified, admired as one the Greatest leaders and statesmen of all time, Churchill was loathed by many before becoming Prime Minister

His heavy drinking habits were notorious and disliked: he started the day late, with alcohol and continued till the late hours of the nigh

Churchill is said to have drank a quart of scotch and a bottle of Champagne on an average day

But he was almost never drunk and it has to be emphasized that nobody can be perfect and the other qualities of this man make him an Absolute Hero

This Ubermensch is the one who gave one of the best, most inspiring, important and motivational speeches ever:

“We shall go on to the end. We shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be. We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender…”

The Dreamers, based on the novel by Gilbert Adair, directed by Bernardo Bertolucci, with Eva Green, Michael Pitt, 8 out of 10

The Dreamers, based on the novel by Gilbert Adair, directed by Bernardo Bertolucci, with Eva Green, Michael Pitt

8 out of 10

This note is intended to use the lens of the Science of Happiness to look at the Dreamers with “good intentions”…

-          Through a Glass Brightly!

This is a very erotic, exciting story of three young people, their love and sexual explorations that reach new limits

Viewers and critics are likely to be divided on the manner, the style of rendering this narrative to the big screen

The frequent references to major, classic films could be seen as proof that this film is sophisticated

It could also puzzle and send off subject some who could perceive this as a self-indulging effort…

The director had been under attack for the making of Tango in Paris that has involved violence and physical abuse

According to the actress in the leading role, the memorable Tango was very hard on her and Bertolucci seemed to act, if not like Weinstein, in the sense of trying to get intimate, the director was still abusive

The protagonists of The Dreamers are – the American in Paris Matthew, the resplendent French girl Isabelle and her Siamese twin brother Theo, the latter inviting the American to stay with him and his sister.

They all involve in games

A classic of Psychology is called:

-          Games People Play and it was written by a formidable thinker- Eric Berne

The Games of the trio involve films and acting scenes from masterpieces, inviting the others to guess…

Where does this scene come from…?

There are penalties for not guessing the correct chef d’oeuvre

And this is where it gets physical and for some in the audience it can even be challenging, or hard to take

In the first instance, Theo is unable to identify the work of art that is played by his sister and he gets punished:

-          He has to masturbate, then and there, in front of the sibling and the intrigued American, who would confront the hosts on the subject

 At different points, Matthew sees the brother and sister sleeping naked, in the same bed! And he sees that their relationship is way beyond the natural, family closeness and it has long become a serious, perhaps clinical matter…

-          Have you ever gone on a date? Without Theo? Don’t look at him!

-          You know I haven’t! Why do you ask me this?

 After this dialogue between Matthew and Isabelle, he asks her on a date, which is going well, until they come back and they find the brother with another girl, listening to a tune that drives Isa mad!

Apparently, at least this is what I think, that song used to mean something special for these incestuous siblings

So Isabelle, who was in the process of making love with Matthew, the latter busy between her legs, performing oral sex, starts shouting:

-          Theo! Theo! Theo! …while banging at the door

This is definitely in the realm of outré…this is not just a ménage a trois, but a complicated, provoking story

Be a merit finder, not a fault finder! This is one of the mantras proffered by Harvard Professor Tal Ben-Shahar

And indeed, even the very special parents, accept in an astonishing manner the situation that most would find outrageous…

When they come home from the countryside, they not only stumble upon filth, incredible waste, bottle of expensive wine and a house that looks like it had been through a tsunami, but they also contemplate:

-          Their naked daughter, sleeping between the brother and the American guest, all in the same titillating posture and garb

 And there are other, perhaps even more challenging images, like when Isabelle loses her virginity, and the blood is wiped all over her face and that of Matthew, while they kiss with passion…

At another time, the three lovers- albeit the relationship between the young men appears to remain platonic- are all taking a bath, at the same time and in the…same tub, finding themselves in water that has…menstrual blood…

-          Hey, it is only happening once a month! Says one of them…