Working Girl 2

I've discovered the computer lab at work. As counselors, our own internet usage is limited on our work issued laptops to a few websites, but here we are free to surf. Getting out of my cube at lunch and doing a bit of non-work related writing is a good thing. Though I did position myself in the back to prevent anyone from reading over my shoulder and discovering what I'm writing about. It feels slightly 'cloak and dagger'. Which is a welcome change from my usual daily 'confusion and despair.'

When I was little my mom brought me home a carbon copy receipt pad, a file box and some other fancy forms and office supplies so I could play office. I spent a great deal of time filling out invoices and filing papers. It was really quite fantastic. I sort of feel like that now, only now there are a lot more annoying rules and no nap times. I am now be filling out invoices for real, affixing my name to legal documents.

We had our All-Staff meeting last month and all the new hires were introduced. The human resources director introduced me as "Beth Add-delman." My name is pronounced "Aid-delman" though it was originally "Aaahdul-man." New state, new pronounciation I guess. Back home, most of the people living in Milwaukee with my last name are Jewish so it was assumed I was too. I was on the mailing list of a number of Jewish organizations and solicited for money from various causes; my beloved former pharmacist Sheldon always wished me a happy Hanukkah, dear.

I have been attending quite a few training sessions. A recent one began with a round of introductions, everyone was asked to tell something that is little known about you. It turned into a contest of fantastical stories about near death experiences and brushes with celebrity. I sat there ransacking my mind for something commesurate to contribute. I ended up telling everyone that something little known about me is that I moved from Wisconsin five months ago and it was not from a farm, that not all folks from Wisconsin live on farms, that we have cities there. I also relayed the displeasure most Wisconsinites feel when they see those dairy commercials that claim California cows are happier and make better dairy products compared to Wisconsin cows. People were surprised to hear both about the existence of large WI cities and that those commercials are aired outside of California. I dodged the bullet this time; next time I've got nothing to contribute. It does give you a new perspective on your life and its events so far. Though, I've had enough of that lately, thank you very much.

I am learning the office culture slowly by observation and careful reflection. So far, no enemies. Last week I entered the scary waters of the coworker birthday ritual. On my team, the person celebrating a birthday gets to pick a restaurant and the team goes there for lunch with everyone chipping in a few extra bucks to treat them. I spent some time trying to ascertain the underlying rules about which restaurants to pick, how much money is expected to be spent, what is the reaction to those who don't/can't make it, what are acceptable reasons for not attending, whether dessert ordering is acceptable etc.

For this birthday we went to Olive Garden. I learned that no one gets any work done on the ensuing afternoon when the group goes here because everyone has eaten way too many breadsticks. Half my department is on a diet so that complicates things as well, what with the guilt and everything. There was good conversation throughout the meal, and work topics were generally avoided which was nice. There was a brief excursion into more illicit topics as one of my coworkers shared a story from a birthday past involving the elements "crazy boyfriend" and "angeldust." It does appear to be acceptable to take a long lunch on these occasions which is a lovely thing. My birthday is next so I hope I can navigate these scary waters and still keep my 'no enemies' status intact.

The news about the economy is affecting us all in so many ways and work is no exception. California has just balanced their state budget after they locked the legislators in for marathon sessions. This gives the regional centers cash flow to pay our service providers. But the budget they passed includes cuts in money for services for people with disabilities. There is a lot of speculation on the status of our services and our ability to continue them for our clients. We are all waiting for the board of directors and executive team to make some tough decisions about how to cut costs. Don't even get me started on the whispers that go on about layoffs though. There's only so much I can cope with on any given day.

When I had initially described my new job I made mention of the insane amount of acronyms and procedures. It can be reasonably assumed that some exaggeration took place for dramatic purposes. But really, no. Here is a quote from my supervisor, an answer to a question I had about a phone call from a parent:

"Here's what you do with this one: Approve for two more months of ABA through CARD. Arrange for an FBA to be done by AST. Write up the new POS to reflect two months and in your ID notes state the reason why."

I am not making this up. Can you see why I am often dizzy? And exhausted. The other day I knew I was tired when I thought the squeaking stairwell door was a voice speaking to me and when I tried to send an SOS text to a friend using my MP3 music player. Clearly at that point it was time to go home. I'm learning how exhausting it is not knowing what you are doing all day and how long seemingly simple tasks can take when you don't know what you are doing.

But I'm also meeting families and starting to write the reports that are the main portion of my job. So it's not all paperwork and procedures, there's some real people and very special kids involved too.

It is now Saturday and I'm relishing the time off. For right now I am off to ESPL to load up on BIWTR, to CVS to load up on SSD, then perhaps I will return to take my place on our CC to engage in more MW and BLF as I struggle to fight off the WC that FH has so generously shared with me.

Translation: For right now I am off to El Segundo Public Library to load up on books I want to read, to CVS pharmacy to load up on sweet sweet Dayquil, them perhaps I will return to take my on our comfortable couch to engage in more movie watching and birthday list formation as I struggle to fight off the wicked cold that Fearless Hero has so generously shared with me.

Hope your Saturday is similarly acronomically wonderful!

Two Options

Fearless Hero and I have been making progress for our wedding celebration to be held in Milwaukee. My friend Judi calls it our re-wedding. Details on this event to will follow very soon.

Such arrangements were on our brain as we took our tour last weekend. While the site of our re-wedding will be thousands of miles away from Downtown L.A., we did find two choice spots that inspired us to imagine a wedding ceremony.

The first is called the Bradbury Building. This historic landmark is L.A.'s oldest commercial building and a renowned architectural wonder. From the outside it appears to be an ordinary office building, the inside reveals a five-story skylight and a courtyard with marble, ironwork, oak panelling and Mexian tile. It has been featured in movies such as Blade Runner, Chinatown and Wolf.

We imagined ourselves in the courtyard with all our family and friends on the open landings and staircases surrounding us.

As we left this site, a little ways down the road we saw our second option, the Guadalupe Wedding Chapel. A little piece of Vegas right here in Downtown.

Here is what the sign says to the right of the cherubs:

That about covers everything, doesn't it? Literally, one stop shopping for the whole process.

The actual site for our re-wedding will be slightly more conventional. It is fun to imagine the possibilities though. Which do you think would be the better choice?

Downtown Walking Tour

For Christmas this year Mom got us a book called Walking L.A. by Erin Mahoney Harris. It has 38 walking tours with step by step instructions in various areas around Los Angeles. It is designed not only for tourists but for residents to discover unexplored neighborhoods in the city. Some routes take you to famous landmarks, some just allow you to enjoy the particular natural or commercial offerings of the area.

This past Saturday we took our initial journey, "#33 Downtown Civic Center: Revitalization in the Works." The route takes you through "The Civic Center, as the area of downtown just south of the 1010 Freeway and just east of the 110 is called, has been subject to some eccentric developments over the past few years as part of a revitalization effort, and the overhaul is far from over."

The route was ultimately two miles long. It started at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Angels, past the Music Center complex and its theaters, with some sculptures to admire along the way. We saw the Frank Gehry designed Walt Disney Concert Hall with its metallic sweeping wings. We went through the garden area around the Museum of Contemporary Art. We discovered some hidden away spots that are usually overlooked. We walked through the Grand Central open air market and resisted the pastries and ramen noodles (guess which one of us resisted which) but did not resist buying some juicy berries. We saw some of the most famous downtown buildings: LAPD headquarters, the Caltrans headquarters, the Los Angeles Times, Hall of Administration, a few courthouses and City Hall. And we saw several impressive fountains in front of these places.

We had the most amazing pizza at Pit Fire Pizza Company. It was half Big Sur (garlic shrimp scampi, four-cheese blend, San Joaquin tomatoes, lemon zest and roasted garlic) and half Burrata (organic arugula, carmelized onions, tomato sauce, hazelnuts and pesto). Their motto is "The crust you can trust." Indeed.

The sights were great, the book and it's descriptions and side note easy to follow, but my favorite thing turned out to be something very unexpected. There was hardly anyone around. Downtown is a bustling center of business and government during the week but on a Saturday it is quiet. It felt like we had the place to ourselves. No being jostled by big crowds, no driving around forever looking for a place to park, no lines, only one other table of patrons at the restaurant. Plus it was an overcast yet warm day which lent a cozy air to our afternoon.

We had a great afternoon and are looking forward to using our new book to explore more neighborhoods in the city. I posted a few pictures from our adventure.

We will be returning downtown soon so I can make my pilgrimage to a holy site: the downtown library.

Hollywood's High Holy Day - The Oscars

We started our observance of the day with brunch. I made a potato dish I can't pronounce, inspired by a visit to one of my favorite places in LA, Creme de la Crepe Cafe. Their crepes are what draws us (when you come to visit I'll take you to get the Zidane, strawberries, bananas, melted Nutella, whip cream and ice cream, all in perfect proportion) but after a lunch time visit, the side dish to my sandwich inspired me to go home and recreate the baked slightly custard-y potato casserole. The Joy of Cooking led me to Gratin Dauphinois. This was served along with omelets made with fontina, ham and mushrooms.

I also attempted to make a batch of low fat blueberry muffins. I was inspired by the juicy blueberries we got for all of fifty cents at an outdoor market in downtown LA the day before. Apparently I unconsciously wanted make them low sugar as well, as I mistakenly only put in half the amount the recipe called for. Fearless Hero pronounced them delicious despite their unnecessary virtue. Even though the recipe was only supposed to make 12, we ended up with 18. The extra ones became spiced chocolate chip. I'll leave out the part where this baking error had me convinced that this was further evidence of the ineptitude that has seemed to pervade my LA life. I commiserated on a phone call with my fellow LA transplant friend Traci and later managed to come out of my funk. Anyone want to come over for muffins? We'll sprinkle some sugar on top for you.

Oscar coverage began on the local stations at 3:00pm. If you had cable you could have tuned in to coverage starting at 11:00am. Seriously. We turned it on at 3:45 but quickly put it on mute to protect us from the inane questions the two anchors were pelting the stars with. The blonde female reporter cornered Mickey Rourke. She asked him, in light of his revitalized career and on a night surrounded by so many stars, careerwise, if he could "do anything with anyone here what would it be?" He responded only with a bemused lascivious look as he checked her out in her lowcut gown, and gave her a small grin before walking away. It was the best pre-awards show bit I have ever seen. And it suceeded in making both reporters silent for a few blessed moments. Oscar worthy performance, indeed.

Midway through the performance Fearless Hero's diligent work in the kitchen produced Rosemary-Orange Glazed Chicken, Spicy Egg and Vegetable Fried Rice and Steamed Carrots. It was delicious. He must have washed every dish we own in the process of the day's activities. Later, I turned on the oven to make dessert, unaware that due to space constraints, Fearless Hero had set the roasting pan in the oven filled with water to soak overnight. We had inadvertantly made a sort of steaming inedible chicken au jus. Despite our mishaps we managed to eat pretty well today. In stark contrast to all the women attended the Oscars, many of whom starved themselves to fit into their fabulous gowns. Highlights were the dresses worn by Penelope Cruz, Sarah Jessica Parker, Natalie Portman and Marisa Tomei.

During the ceremony, Jerry Lewis was the recipient of an humanitarian award. To date he has raised over two billion dollars towards the fight against muscular dystrophy. This had special interest to Fearless Hero as he is a Jerry Lewis fan. I often have to remind him that he is not, in fact, the famed comedian when he starts to drop things or inadvertantly runs into a walls or in other ways seems about to fall into a bumbling comic routine straight out of one of Lewis' movies.

Our picks for favorite documentary, Man on Wire, documentary short, Smile Pinki, and foreign language, Departures,all were winners. We now wish we had joined some sort of Oscar pool.

Overall it must be said that the show was rather hip. I heard songs by The Hives and Beck during the show. And it was streamlined as well, which is not a word usually associated with the Oscars. People were seated close to the stage so they could make it up to accept their awards quickly. Awards of a similar nature and timeline in actual film production were given together. No one got cut off during their acceptance speeches and there was no boring speech by the Academy president.

A welcome addition to the proceedings were in the form of a few handsome tuxedo clad men who shared the duties of escorting the stars off the stage after the award presentation with their similarly attractive female counterparts. That along with Hugh Jackman as host raised the male eye candy quotient considerably.

There were inevitably parts we didn't like. The tribute to the departed was marred by moving angles that didn't allow for clear viewing or reading of the peoples' names and I had complaints about a few of the musical numbers as well as lingering questions about why original songs from several movies weren't nominated.

What we did like the best was for the four major acting awards, fellow actors, previous Oscar winners, assembled on stage to summarize each actor's performance and pay tribute for the nomination. It made for some touching moments and made the awards not only about the winner but a celebration of the craft and each actors' individual talent. I love watching the reactions of the winners significant others. There is such joy and pride in their faces.

After Slumdog Millionaire's giddy win, we begrudgingly tuned in to the Barbara Walter's show, mostly on mute, so we could see the interview with Mickey Rourke. That's probably the first and last time the Jonas Brothers will appear on our screen.

The night was capped by warm homemade chocolate cake from my Aunt Marilyn's recipe served with vanilla ice cream on fancy dessert plates which were a gift from Mom. I guess by tonight Fearless Hero will have washed every dish we own.

This week you will find me lurking around the Chateau Marmont, hoping to run into Mickey Rourke. If Meryl Streep would join us for our drinks at the bar, that would be perfect.

I Was Defeated By The Oscars

Tuesday evening had Fearless Hero and I attending an 8:46 showing of the documentary "The Garden." It tells the story of a community garden in the middle of South Central Los Angeles. At 14 acres it is the largest community garden in the country with over 350 families owning plots to raise food for their tables. It was created after the 1992 L.A. riots on a tract of blighted land. These families, mostly low income Latinos, banded together. They formed the South Central Farmers and became a real community.

You know how I said before that I didn't want to spoil the endings or tell the whole thing? Well, in this case I'm dispensing with that dictum and telling the story. I don't want to stop people from seeing this film (well, after you read this you may be questioning the truth to that statement) because there is a reason that it was nominated and stories like these need to be told. Loudly. About real people and real struggles for justice. But plot spoilers are necesssary to complete my rant.

I will try to sum up as briefly and concisely as I can. The city of Los Angeles purchased the 14 acres of land, which stood empty and blighted after the riots, from a prominent land developer. They invoked eminent domain and originally planned to build a garbage incinerator on the site. Community opposition ended that plan. The city paid the developer Ralph Horowitz five million dollars for the property. At some point, in a closed session, the city sold back the land to Horowitz for the same five million dollars. Why and how this deal was arrived at remains a mystery. All evidence, or lack thereof, points to a backroom deal. All of this occurred while the farmers were tending their plots.

Part of the deal was that a portion of the land was to be used as a soccer field. The organizers of this were given 4.7 million dollars to build a sports facility. It is now a dirt field, surrounded by fence with some chalk lines and a single port-a-potty. Not surprisingly, the people involved, who lead the opposition to the garbage incinerator in a inspiring example of underdog justice, are under investigation for fraud. Nice.

Once again the legal owner of the land, Horowitz claimed his right to use it as he saw fit. He wanted the farmers out. The farmers exhausted their options in dealing directly with the city and hired a legal team. They successfully sued for an injunction, partly on the basis that the sale was not made public, which was a violation of city law. The judge on the case said the sale didn't "pass the smell test". The lawyers for the city and Horowitz were at a loss to explain the reason for the timing of the sale, why it was not made public, or why the city sold the property for much less than its value.

However when the ruling came down, the court completely reversed their initial findings and ruled that the sale had been legal and that the farmers must now vacate. A lot of political wrangling ensued. The farmers tried to raise the money to buy the land. Horowitz was now asking for 16.3 million dollars. Charitable organizations dedicated to open air spaces in urban settings and had to be shamed into offering help. The money was raised in only six weeks. Horowitz refused to sell to them for any price. During all this, the farmers had infighting amongst themselves as they struggled to organize and fight for their cause. Violence errupted and permanent schisms developed.

The end of the movie showed the huge bulldozers moving in and destroying everything. Some arrests were made, many tears were shed. Those machines destroyed much more than plants and trees.

The land stands empty, a dirt field. Horowitz is still the owner but nothing has been developed on the entire property.

This marginalized group of people stood up against the bureaucracy, demanded to be looked at as people, not as numbers or statistics. They were defeated by those motivated by money and power. It was really one of the most depressing things to watch. And worse, there seemed to be nothing anyone could do to fix the problem or to prevent it from happening again. There's no charity to donate to, organization to which you could volunteer your time, or fund raising walk in which you could participate. This is just the way the world works.

The credits began to roll. We sat in the still-darkened theater, I turned to Fearless Hero and said,

"That's it, I'm done. I can't take any more."
Fearless Hero wordlessly shook his head.

"Wanna go drink heavily?" I wasn't kidding.
His answer was immediate: "Yes."

We broke Fearless Hero's cardinal movie-going rule and left the theater before the end of the credits. We glumly made our way back to the parking lot. We couldn't even muster a wave to our parking attendant friend.

I don't think I took a full breath the whole ride to drop me off at my car, I was too busy ranting. By the time we got back to the lot and pulled up to my car I was punchy from despair and exhaustion. I listened to comedian Lewis Black on the way home. He is one of the funniest men in America and only his ranting kept me from sidling up to the nearest bar stool in desperation. Ironically, listening to the only person angrier than me pulled me back from the edge.

We didn't ultimately go drinking (it was a school night, after all).

As a result of this we skipped screenings of the Holocaust themed film "The Reader" and several of the foreign language films we had planned on attending. Our psyche's couldn't take any more and our budget and respective livers did not allow for that much alcohol consumption.Next year the Academy needs to give people more than three weeks to see all the movies in order to give people more time to get over their exhaustion and emotional or alcoholic hangovers. The demoralization is two much for such a short time period.

On the last day of screenings they are showing the animated films "Bolt" and "Wall-E", and the action movie "Wanted". This scheduling was possibly the Academy's tacit acknowledgement of this years' cinematic bleakness and and their attempt at an antidote to the depression caused by all the other films.

All this angst is even after we early on decided not to attend a few of the films we knew would be the most difficult to watch, like "Trouble the Water" which has footage from Hurricane Katrina, and "The Betrayal" which tells the story of a family from Laos, filmed over 23 years. Next year we may have to widen our list of movies to avoid. Or maybe it is just me that has to do that. This is one of the first years Fearless Hero has not seen all the films nominated for best picture. I think I am a resistance weight in more than just our piggy back rituals. He has more effective coping mechanisms and would rebound much faster from the heavy themes of the films without having Ms. Easily Overwhelmed as a roommate.

It didn't help that in this same time period I was reading an outstanding novel by one of my favorite authors, Wally Lamb, titled "The Moment I First Believed". While I would recommend this book heartily it is not exactly light reading. It's two main characters are staff members at Columbine when the shootings took place and the book gets heavier as they deal with the fall-out of that traumatic event. I had requested it from the library weeks before and when my turn finally came up the screenings had just begun. It was not the best timing.

Yes, I was defeated by the Oscars. In regards to next year's Oscar season, I make the following resolutions:

I will pace myself.
I will carefully select which movies to see.
Above all, I will recognize my limits.
I will take advantage of our Blockbuster or Netflix online membership and watch some of the movies at home ahead of time. This year I watched "Vicky Christina Barcelona", "The Duchess", "Wall-E" and "In Bruges" (the last two of which I recommend most highly) in the comfort of our home where I could stop them or walk away or be doing something else while they were on so I wouldn't get sucked in quite so thoroughly.
I will recognize that I am not an equal opportunity movie watcher and accept my status as such.

If this was a sort of boot camp for dedicated film lovers then I failed. But I've learned that there are many ways to be a movie lover. The Academy awards are on Sunday February 22nd. I will watch them with Fearless Hero as a dedicated fan of cinema - despite my defeat.

Movie Fest

It is the awards season in Hollywood, nominations for the 81st Academy Awards were announced January 22. It is time for the members of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences to cast their ballots in all 24 categories

Every year the Academy screens all the films over a three week period at multiple times, to give the members an opportunity to see them on the big screen. They are shown at two locations during this time period. The first is the Samuel Goldwyn Theater of Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences in Beverly Hills. An excerpt from their website:

"The official screening theater of the Academy, The Samuel Goldwyn Theater is a world-class theater custom-designed to present films at maximum technical accuracy with state-of-the-art projection equipment and sound system. The theater's 1,012 seats also have been specially designed and placed to create a movie-viewing environment that is ideal in terms of acoustical quality, sightlines and comfort."

The second is Linwood Dunn Theater which is in Hollywood. It's description:

"The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' newest theater, a 286-seat state-of-the-art screening room at the Pickford Center in Hollywood, has been named in honor of visual effects pioneer Linwood Dunn...Pickford Center for Motion Picture Study was dedicated in honor of legendary silent film actress Mary Pickford in 2002. Pickford was one of the founding members of the Academy."

To see films in these theaters is already a privilege, it's more like church than going to a movie. And to see some of the best films of the year is just icing on the cake.

Fearless Hero is many things, but he is not a member of the Academy. However, due to his assistance to persons in the Academy, he receives the coveted gold card (see slightly altered version above). This allows him entry to any and all of the free Academy screenings with one guest. Me.

We attended films at both locations. The logistics of timing and traffic dictate a routine of me driving up the 20th Century Fox studio where Fearless Hero toils after I get off work and we drive to the theater together.

At the Samuel Goldwyn, there is a small parking structure a few blocks away for free parking while attending screenings. We now have a regular spot. The attendant knows us well. This it could be due to our shining personalities or our combined uncommon physical beauty. Or it could be because Fearless Hero gives me a piggy back ride out of the ramp and farther and farther each time on the way to the theater. He is trying to get his physical self in as heroic of shape as his inner hero self. Because I am supportive I help by being his resistance weight. I like helping. I think the sight of us engaging in this ritual is what makes us so memorable. I could be wrong.

Here are the movies that we have seen, in the order of our viewing. I am not a movie reviewer, nor am I known to be exceptionally analytical. You might see some of these films yourself so I won't be giving away the endings.

Man on Wire

This documentary tells the story of a wire walker who strung his wire between the towers of the World Trade Center in 1974. The title is a quote from the police incident report.

The documentary's structure is basically an oral history, all the participants were interviewed. The wire-walker and inspiration for this caper is Philippe Petit. The movie begins without any preamble, launching right into the story. The interviews with the principals are pieced together along with footage and pictures. There is also reenactments of Petit and his friends planning and practicing and carrying out their bold plans, which are surprisingly realistic. The enthusiasm and vividness of their accomplishment has not appeared to have diminished in the thirty plus years since. While he tells the story of how the inspiration came about he is never able to fully express why the passion seized him so irrevocably.

The still pictures of him (sadly there is no film footage) performing 1300 feet high between the towers was unexpectedly beautiful and breathtaking. I have never whispered "Wow" so many times in a movie theater. And it was wonderful to see a story about the Twin Towers that wasn't tragic.

It is a riveting story, it's amazingly real and amazing that it's real. I don't just recommend it as a documentary lover but as someone who loves a good story.

The Wrestler

This is a powerful film. It is thought provoking and moving without artifice. It unflinchingly tells the story of an everyday person and his struggle to survive. Randy Robinson is a professional wrestler twenty years past his prime, struggling with a broken down body and the economic and personal hardships of life. We watch as he tries to survive as life is the one dealing the blows. We see the courage that life demands from him, the grace he shows in his support to younger wreslters on the circut, the heartache in his fractured relationshiop with his daughter, the hope in his connection to his one friend Pam, who herself is struggling to stay true to herself, the sacrifices he makes to continue in a way of life that is all he knows, the choices he makes to satisfy his need for success and family.

This movie doesn't sugarcoat, doesn't make it easy for us and there is no pat Hollywood ending. We witness the brutal wrestling matches, the defeats outside the ring that push him to the brink. I covered my eyes during the matches and cried thinking how each of us struggle, that each of us shows courage that goes unrecognized, that life is hard for each of us in different ways and how we are all constantly learning how to live in the face of things life gives - and takes away.

Remember how I said in my posting about the movie "Milk" that I am highly susceptible to the magic of movies? This one showed me that I am often too susceptible. I would have posted this a week ago if I could have figured out easier how to put into words all the thoughts feelings I had.

I think this movie is stunning, amazing. It isn't one that I am going to be able to watch again and again, it is too raw. But it's making every film I see after it seem a little too slick, too contrived. I am amazed by the courage of Mickey Rourke to use his own battered body to portray a character without any movie star gloss. His performance, showing the flaws and a touching nobleness of his character, is truly award winning. It wasn't easy to step into Randy "The Ram" Robinson's world for awhile but I'm glad I did. It made me remember to be compassionate, as Plato said, "because everyone is fighting a battle."

Slumdog Millionaire

This film has a fairy tale feel to it, yet there is enough real life violence and hardship to make it less than sugary sweet. The filmmakers make you feel like you are right there in India, you are almost surprised when you exit the theater to find that you aren't in the bustling streets of Mumbai. The color and the sounds of the slums of India takes the story far beyond pricking one's thumb on a spinning wheel or biting into a poison apple. The effects of poverty make an impression. You cannot help but root for the characters and the premise of the boy's story being told in the context of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire is a brilliant construct for an epic story.

And if you've seen it and enjoyed the immersion into Indian life, read "Sacred Games" by Vikram Chandra. It's an epic novel that immerses you in the life, culture, language and food of this amazing country.

Frost/Nixon

This movie begins right after the Richard Nixon's pardon by President Ford. The series of interviews between him and David Frost, the backstory of they came about makes for a compelling story. Both David Frost and Nixon were desperate for vastly different reasons and their sessions became a battleground. The story does fall together a bit too neatly, I haven't done any fact checking so those who lived through this era may have different facts or impressions. Frank Langella most deservedly received a nomination for Best Actor. His Nixon is a truly three dimensional creation, his portrayal shows his intelligence, his indignation, his regrets and his deep discomfort in his own skin.

And props to Kevin Bacon in his excellent performance as Jack Brennan, Nixon's right hand man. His presence represents the Nixon defenders who fiercely attest to the greatness of the man and in his overlooked achievements.

Documentary Shorts

On the drive home (we got to drive together for this one as we saw it on a Saturday night) we discussed which one of the four we liked the best versus which one should win the award. We're both not sure about the official criteria for voting members. Here I give them my own awards.

Most Educational
The Final Inch tells the tale of the largest non military campaign in the history of the world: the campaign to eradicate polio. The film shows what a scourge the disease is, showing two U.S. citizens who were struck down with it at a young, one of whom has lived her entire life since then inside an iron lung, as well as the many afflicted inhabitants of the rural villages of India. There are many obstacles to the eradication of this disease, despite the inexpensive vaccine that was discovered in the 1950s. Misinformation and fear often causes parents to refuse the vaccine for their child. The organizers realize that it is the messenger and not the message that makes the campaign successful, the aspect which makes this story so compelling. The workers use their knowledge and understanding of the people to form relationships and trust. Their dedication and ability to reach the mothers and patriarchs, not science or technology, is what makes victory over this disease a possibility.

The film's title comes from the quote: "The rule of the final inch . . . The work has been almost completed, the goal almost attained . . . In that moment of fatigue and self-satisfaction it is especially tempting to leave the work without having attained the apex of quality . . . In fact, the rule of the Final Inch consists in this: not to shirk this crucial work. Not to postpone it . . . And not to mind the time spent on it, knowing that one's purpose lies . . . in the attainment of perfection." Alexander Solzhenitzyn, "The First Circle."

Most Uplifting
Smile Pinki again returns to rural India. A hospital there, funded solely by donations, works to spread the word about free surgery to fix cleft palates that over 24,000 children a year are born with in that country. It follows several children before and after the surgery and shows what remarkable effects the affliction and it's repair have on the child and the family. It's an antidote to all the depressing stories you hear when you turn on the nightly news.

Most Powerful
The Conscience of the Nhem En takes us to Cambodia and the time of the Khmer Rouge's brutal reign. A high school was turned into a jail called Security 21. Over 17,000 people were imprisoned, tortured and killed there over a four year period as enemies of the regime. Each person was photographed by a sixteen-year old soldier named Nhem En. Their pictures are now displayed at the site which is now a museum. Their faces are haunting.

This documentary short felt like the tip of the iceberg of the story of Cambodia during this time and it's peoples' everyday struggle now to recover from the genocide of millions of people. The film begins in a bustling marketplace, everyone approached there needs only a sentence or two to tell the how many immediate family members they lost. How does a person who suffered torture, lost their loved ones, recover? How does a country?

Most Resonant
The Witness interviews Reverend Samuel "Billy" Keyes, a Memphis preacher who stood next to Martin Luther King Jr. as he was shot on a hotel balcony four decades ago. He tells the story of that day and while we all know what happened, the new perspective on that historic visit to Memphis makes this tragic event become real and immediate once again. In the light of President Obama's recent inauguration, it caused me to reflect on how far we've come and how many sacrifices still are made for equality every day.


The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

This feels like old fashioned story telling, a movie that allows itself to unfold. I appreciated it's unhurriedness, you left the theater feeling like you were part of the whole story. It is over two hours long, prepare your stomach and your butt. I didn't. I lived to regret it. We raced home afterwards in our separate cars, and devoured large slices of chicken pot pie. Or it could have been turkey pot pie. We're not sure. I used leftover pieces that we store in the freezer in snack bags, so it could have been either. In deference to the mystery we called it Fowl Pie. It was delicious despite it's less than savory name.

The movie is based on a short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald. It is told on the day Hurricane Katrina descended on New Orleans, flashing back to the chapters in the amazing story. Benjamin is born an old wrinkly man and becomes younger as the years go on. It's a coming of age story but in a whole new way, and you see the many stages of life in a new way as well. It is full of great characters who tell this unconventional love story.

Okuribito - Departures

This is Japan's entry in the foreign language category. The film's hero, Daigo Kobayashi, loses his job as a cellist when the orchestra he plays with is disbanded. He and his wife, Mika, move to the snowy northern town where he grew up to live in the house his mother left to him. Answering a mysterious ad for "help with journeys'' lands him a job not as a travel agent as he thought, but as an apprentice mortician. Japan's "nokanshi'' perform cleansing and beautifying services in the presence of the bereaved family. It is a ritual of great reverence, gentleness and precision. The profession is looked down upon so he keeps his "shameful" new job a secret. He becomes conflicted as it becomes not just a job. For him it becomes a vocation, to prepare the deceased for their journey and to perform a final act that reflects the great love and respect the watching family feels for their departed loved one.

Despite it's subject matter, this film was far from heavy or depressing. It offers a glimpse into a little known profession and the cultural dynamics of death. His compassion and talent are touching to watch, as he helps the families grieve but also celebrate. The film is uplifting while we watch Daigo on his journey and as he makes some unexpected discoveries of his own.