Sunday, June 10, 2007

Away from Her - Movie Review

Away from Her (NR) 110 minutes B
A mind is a terrible thing to waste

Starring Julie Christie, Michael Murphy, Gordon Pinsent, Olympia Dukakis, Kristen Thomson, Wendy Crewson, Alberta Watson, Thomas Hauff, and Katie Boland

Once in a while a film comes along that quietly explores the soul of a man without really expressing it in words. Away from Her is such a film. Adapted from a short story by Alice Munro, Away from Her is a mature and humanistic look at a 44 year marriage, and the inner workings of their unspoken hurt, love and regret. Directed by Canada native Sarah Polley, the film is remarkably evolved and pensively expressive. This being her first feature film, Polley shows tremendous poise. She is also aided by an Oscar worthy performance from fellow Canadian Gordon Pinset, and a piquant performance by the enduring and elegant Julie Christie. Olympia Dukakis delivers in a limited but substantial role, as does a relatively unknown actress named Kristen Thomson.

Dealing with the onset of Alzheimer's disease, Grant (Pinset) and Fiona (Christie) have taken up residency in Northern Ontario and have resigned to a life of reading and leisurely outdoor activities. On the surface their long time marriage seems unbreakable, but so often the case in many of our lives, secret emotions and desires have gone unresolved. For me, this film is a reminder of how bittersweet, fragile and powerful love can be.

Away from Her is a slow moving but rewarding film. When it comes to love, you never know how things will turn out... but you almost do.
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In other news, another weekend has almost expired. Today was a better day than yesterday, and once again I've been in one of those "I need to make some changes" moods. It's a mindset that's a little depressing, a little uplifting, but mostly reoccurring. I've told myself that actions speak louder than words, so it's time to start doing and stop saying. Which reminds me of a song
by Michael Penn, he states that "it's much more subtle to be the silent type."

My mother told me a few days ago that she has to give herself an insulin shot everyday due to her diabetes. What happens if she forgets a day? I was talking to an old friend earlier this week who has lost particle vision in one eye and all of her teeth, thanks to diabetes. Tonight, as I talked with my mother, she reminded me that she has lost some of her teeth and her vision is occasionally blurry when her blood sugar is high. Diabetes is a dirty whore!

On a lighter note, the Sopranos last episode was good, but anti-climatic. Woody Allen's new book is out this week, it is called Mere Anarchy. Go out and buy it! It's going to be brilliant. Also out this week is the remastered deluxe edition of Sonic Youth's Daydream Nation, a bona fide classic for those of you who don't know.

Paris Hilton... I don't care, but I think it's funny that people are so annoyed and are asking "why Paris Hilton is such a big news story?" HELLO! Have you ever watched television before! This is par for the course.

This is the last post I will ever write... oh I've changed my mind again, good night and thank you.

The perfect lover is one who turns into a pizza at 1:00 A.M.
- Charles Pierce

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