Mea Maxima Culpa: Silence in the House of God

English

Documentary

2012

*****

This documentary by Alex Gibney, is about the first known protest against pedophilia abuse by clergy in the US by four deaf men. For the most part, it is about one priest, who was never brought to trial, either by civil authorities or the Church, and who died a priest. The victims are interviewed, close-ups of their hands and faces. If you've never seen American Sign Language, this is a treat to see how expressive and beautiful it is. This film may shock you, it may outrage you, but I think it may give you some hope, too. It is not a condemnation of the Church, nor is it an apologia. It presents the facts as known. And makes me wonder just exactly why Cardinal Ratzinger left his post as Pope when he did. The music is, well, divine.

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The Lannisters are Coming, the Lannisters are Coming.

Game of Thrones, Season 3

English

Series

2013

I feel pretty silly reviewing a blockbuster like GoT. I do know there are a few out there who haven't seen it, and I can't help but wonder why? Yes, it's bloody. Yes, it's gory. Yes, it's adult with sex, nudity, and some damn fine acting, directing, and costuming. And, yes, everyone you come to like is probably going to die. So, why aren't you watching it? It stars Peter Dinklage in one of his best ever roles (I say that about everything I see him in).  If you want to read everything but the books, use Google. If you want to join in intelligent discussions with all your friends, watch the series. (Not streamed, and now you know the REAL reason I went back to discs instead of streaming)

Madadayo (Not Yet)

Japanese (good subtitles)

134 minutes

1993

*****

Kurosawa's final film based on the literary works of real-life Japanese author, Uchida. Honestly, it looked boring, but was a delightful insight into the more modern Japanese culture. When the Professor turns 60, he retires, and his students, all male, celebrate his birthday every year with him. They care for him and his wife, and when their house is destroyed by allied air raids, they eventually build one for them. A sensitive and touching movie, it deals with the transition between retirement and death. Every year when the students would throw the party, they would ask, Maadha kai? (are you ready) and the Professor would respond, Madadayo ('not yet'). If growing old and dying frightens you, you may want to view this. If the Japanese culture intrigues you, you will want to view this. No fighting, swords, or adrenalin.

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Sex, MACHETES, Rock N Roll

Machete

English

105 Minutes

2010

NOT A FAMILY FILM!

*****

If you don't like violence, don't watch this. It's full of violence. And laughs. Lots of laughs. It is a Robert Rodriguez/Ethan Maniquis movie staring Danny Trejo, Robert De Niro and others. Why 5 stars? Because the violence is so improbable it's often downright funny. It's a vengeance story. Danny Trejo seeks revenge against De Niro and meets up with who else but Steven Seagal. If you want a thinking (wo)man's movie, if you want something genteel this ain't the movie for you. If you just want to escape your own reality for a while with something not quite Disney, this may be your cup of tea. It was mine. But then, I'm weird, strange, and post-menopausal. Sex, machetes, rock and roll.

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Bang-ja / The Servant

Korean w/English subtitles

124 Minutes

2010

****

This is a beautifully made movie of "old" Korea. The costumes alone make the movie worth the watch. I understand it is based on a popular story in Korea, and this movie took some artistic license. Not knowing the original, I just enjoyed it. It is a romance, where two men, one high born, the other his servant, both love and court the same woman. She, of course, loves the servant, but wants to better her life, and schemes for the nobleman. The ending had a twist I didn't expect.

The movie is available online at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gm_9p81D9-g There is nudity and sex, so may not be appropriate for some viewers.

23 Across -- 19 Down

Wordplay

Documentary
English

94 Minutes, 2006

4 Stars

Charter On-Demand, Free Movies.

Family entertainment on how crosswords puzzles are made, who makes them, and who works them. Will Shortz, the Crossword Editor for the New York Times is one of the main people, also Ken Burns, Jon Stewart, and Bill Clinton made appearances. The highlight is the championship games at the end.

When I was in high school, I mentioned to my science teacher about a final I had in 9th grade, that was a crossword puzzle. She immediately assigned me to write a final for her, as a crossword puzzle. It took a while, but once done, she made very few changes, filed it away, and a couple years later used it.

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