DVD of the Week

Chocolat.
Rated PG-13.

This one's a tad old but I finally took the time out to see it just recently. It's from the year 2000 and it's an emotional comedy/drama based on the novel of the same name. Directed by famed director Lasse Hallström, the film is about a drifter named Vianne who, along with her young daughter, moves to a French village devoid of temptation and life, only to spice it up for the better. She opens up a chocolatier where her secret concoctions entices the locals, causing much of them to rebuke her as an immoral influence whose shop should be brought down.

Who is this woman? What's in her chocolates? Why can't the villagers stay away? A diabetic, an abused wife, a lovelorn couple, and an elderly man still willing to find love seek solace in Vianne and her treats. But not everyone thinks she's there to do good.

Chocolat is a feel-good film. It's simple and filled with everything anyone could ever want in a movie. There's romance, laughter, mystery, and of course drama mixed all into one. It's really delicious. And I don't mean that only because we see a lot of amazing chocolate treats in the film either. It's a film I'd recommend on a cool Friday night after a long day of work. It's that kind of film you want to watch while sipping wine and eating pastries too.

Check it out. It's a classic. Juliette Binoche, one of my favorite French actresses ever, earns her Academy Award nomination here for sure. You'll fall for her grace and her beauty. It helps that the production design and score add to the appeal of this film too. Oh, and don't miss Johnny Depp as a handsome gypsy. He's yummy.

- [click for trailer.]

DVD of the Week

El Orfanato.
Rated R.

If you're looking for an eerie film full of twists and creepy happenings, you've got to catch this. From famed Mexican producer, director, and writer Guillermo del Toro, comes a film about a woman named Laura who purchases the orphanage she grew up in. The idea is to restore the abandoned institution and open it for disabled orphan children. The place is filled with lots of history and as an old woman comes forth to warn Laura of its eerie past, Laura realizes that she's got to fight hard to live out what she set out to do.

Together with her husband and her son in tow, Laura faces one of the hardest things any parent ever has to face. In a race against time, she tries hard to fight off demons by uncovering the past and figuring out the games ghosts sometimes play.

In the end, there's a twist that's sure to blow your mind.

An English language adaptation is forthcoming so see this before Hollywood ruins it with a less than stellar remake.

- [click for trailer.]

DVD of the Week

Torch Song Trilogy.
Rated R.

In 1988, Harvey Fierstein adapted his Tony award winning play Torch Song Trilogy and brought it to the silver screen. The movie revolves around the life of Arnold, a gay man trying to make ends meet and searching for a man to love. In the film, Arnold faces tremendous obstacles. He falls for a taken man, fosters a child, experiences the death of a loved one, and has to deal with a very traditional and mean spirited mother. Arnold has good intentions. He just wants to live and love. He means well. But since he's gay, it's a lot harder for him to get things done, to live out his life without ridicule, disdain, or attacks from those who just don't get him. He's funny, lovable, caring, and fatherly. But we can't forget how deranged he can be at times. It's all a good mix though. It's real. That's how people are.

In lieu of the trailer, here's the opening scene. It's a poignant five minute monologue. Listen carefully and loudly. Afterward, go out and rent the film. You'll be glad you did. If you're a writer, a lover, a gay person, or a performer this is the kind of thing to see and learn from. There's a good bunch of eye candy to enjoy too, particularly Matthew Broderick who plays Arnold's young lover. He's adorable in the film.

- "It takes a lot of guts and a helluva sense of humor to live life in Arnold's shoes."

DVD of the Week

Little Ashes.
Rated R.

Forbidden love is a heavy subject. It's an old one too. Shakespeare wrote about it. I write about it. The subject never tires. It lives and it breathes from generation to generation, sex to sex, and age to age. It reeks, it heals, it hurts, it comes and goes fast and slow. It's a messy thing.

Many years ago, the famous Spanish writer Federico García Lorca fell madly in love with surrealist painter extrodinaire Salvador Dalí. The two met in college and began a close-knit friendship that moved to admiration and finally adoration, but unfortunately the two never saw eye to eye. Federico was more aggressive. It was clear and obvious that he loved Salvador but Salvador moved with reservation. Was he gay? Was he bisexual? Was he curious? These questions plagued the two of them and as the story unfolds, we see what inspired the two to create magnificent pieces of art.

The arts became their life and love was a bona fide muse.

I've always known that heartbreak makes an artist. Some time ago, someone asked me: "what motivates you to write? what inspires you?" My answer? Pain. Love lost. Anguish. Simple sorrows that feel too big to handle but really aren't in the grand scheme of things. It is true. A person becomes quite boring when he is completely full and happy every second. He dies inside. We've got to struggle forever to be worth anything.

These men struggled. They fought, they loved, they tried so hard to create art. It's like watching magic move about. Who knows if the movie precisely parallels the lives of these two vibrant geniuses. What biopic is ever exact anyway? Still, it's a moving piece based on a very interesting story. I could go on about this film but I'm afraid of ruining anything for you. See it.

You'll be surprised to see how great an actor Robert Pattinson really is. He earns high praise. You forget about his Twilight role. He's moving as Salvador Dalí. Spanish hottie Javier Beltrán is heartbreaking as Federico García Lorca. Live and learn, people.

If you've ever loved -- from deep within the guts of you -- you'll like this film. If you're the anti-lover, you'll still find something interesting here as well. There's a great deal of political happenings going on throughout the film, political dealings which becomes a huge part of Federico's untimely demise. People perish for the most amazing causes, even when it isn't wholly on purpose.

- [click for trailer.]

DVD of the Week

Grey Gardens.
NR.

In honor of this weekend's SAG awards and last weekends Golden Globes, check out one of Hollywood's finest actresses, Ms. Drew Barrymore in a career defining, award winning role. She took home the Best Actress in a Miniseries award and for good reason. You forget it's her as soon as she appears. She is that brilliant.

The Emmy award winning movie brings to light the life of Big Edie Beale and her daughter, Little Edie Beale both relatives of former First Lady Jackie Kennedy Onassis. Based on the documentary of the same name, we're introduced to the isolated, eccentric, and rather lazy ladies who live in a disheveled East Hampton mansion. You can't help but feel for these ladies who relay their story with comedy and grace, even though they are the oddest pair of women I've ever seen.

The film is a knockout because the performances are so extraordinary. If you're a lover of art, you'll love this movie. Study the actresses. Watch their mannerisms. Pay attention to the words. It's a beautiful movie all around.

Although these women were extremely quirky, they had a great deal of poignant things to say. It just goes to prove that there's a lesson to be learned from every single living thing. The most simplest to the oddest of human beings have something to say. There's a voice in everyone. We just need to sit and listen sometimes, you know?

For more information about the film, click here.


(out of 5) - a film in documentary form and flashback that provides us with a glimpse of the appalling lifestyle of two very bizarre and special ladies. It's heartbreaking and entertaining. Also starring the Emmy and Oscar winning film legend Jessica Lange. [Click for trailer.]

DVD of the Week

Descent.
Rated NC-17.

Let's begin with something controversial and so out there, you won't believe your eyes.

In a rather shocking and unbelievable film, Rosario Dawson plays Maya, an intelligent and attractive college student who tries to regain control of her life after being brutally raped by a fellow student. Poor Maya is so distraught and affected by her rape that she succumbs to addiction and intense depression. She leads a zombie-like life and eventually decides to figure out a way to exact revenge on her attacker. Now, how do you seek revenge against someone who has done you wrong? Why, you befriend a sexy, bisexual psychopath named Adrian and get him to help, of course.

Prepare for a bunch of graphic scenes. From Maya's rape to the last half hour, you will be speechless. You'll cringe and you'll be shocked.

Be sure to catch the NC-17 version.


(out of 5) - a well acted morality type film that provokes conversation and sympathy. It'll strike a nerve for sure. Viewer discretion is advised. [click for trailer.]