Barefoot

Spring is just around the corner (woo-hoo!) and this time those words are more than just a delusional statement of denial. This weekend was beautiful and compared to the single digit temperatures of late it was downright balmy, so in spite of the nice weather (or maybe because of it), I skipped a movie theater outing and filled both days with a lot of running around (vet appointment, shopping, a volunteer session at Kid’s Korner) and lunch with a dear friend. Of course for me a movie is a pre-requisite to any good weekend so Saturday night I turned to OnDemand for some entertainment, including a second viewing of Once Upon A Time’s great winter finale in preparation for last night’s new episode and a screening of the romance Barefoot, a sappy love story as believable as the existence of the tooth fairy which hopeless romantic (loser) that I am, I totally loved.

Barefoot stars Scott Speedman and Rachel Evan Wood as Jay Wheeler and Daisy Kensington, respectively. Jay is a gorgeous ne'er-do-well who likes one night stands (as evident from the first scene in the movie), partying at a local strip club, and gambling money he doesn’t have; the latter which we learn about when he’s physically accosted by the goon working for someone to whom he owes $37,000. Working as a janitor at a psychiatric hospital as part of his parole, Jay is desperate for a way out of his predicament so with the excuse of his brother’s wedding he calls home with boasts of a hospital administration job and a nurse for a girlfriend, offering his excited mom and skeptical dad reassurance of his plans to be home (New Orleans) for his baby brothers nuptials; though the real goal is hitting up his rich dad for the money the previously mentioned goon will take out of his hide if he doesn’t deliver.

Jay meets the beautiful Daisy at the hospital; she’s a new patient, a possible schizophrenic, admitted after the death (maybe murder) of her mother. Daisy is ethereal, sweet and naïve with the coping mechanisms of a child, having spent the entirety of her life locked up at home with her mother, who homeschooled her, taught her driving would make her pregnant, and limited her TV viewing to TVLand and CMT. After Jay saves her from a pervy orderly, Daisy follows him off hospital grounds like a lost puppy and while Jay suffers some initial dismay at the circumstance, he quickly sees Daisy’s potential in filling the said “nurse” girlfriend role; sure that the angelic Daisy will convince his dubious father that he’s found the one to make him rethink his future.

Of course, Daisy easily charms Jay’s mom and dad (Treat Williams) with her beauty and wholesome innocence. Daisy is utterly guileless in the midst of Jay’s family’s wealth; such as when his mom tells her she’ll be sleeping in Marie Antoinette’s bed, to which Daisy says…”oh no, she can have it, I can just sleep on the floor” or when she compares the goose liver pate served at a formal dinner to Fancy Feast cat food. As you'd probably expect plans ultimately go awry and the two have to hightail it out of Dodge, leading to an eye-opening and soul-searching road trip filled with one escapade after another, though if they can make it past the cops, hospital administrator, and one vicious henchman they just might have a chance at true love.

Barefoot was an hour and a half of sweet fun; not heavy on plot or depth, it feels like one of those Lifetime movies for women as opposed to a feature film but I nonetheless loved it. The film featured the perfect romantic formula; the misunderstood ingénue (beautiful and vulnerable) and the dashing scoundrel (gorgeous and rich) who merely needs the love of a good woman to save him from himself. It was charming, romantic and engaging; as cloyingly sweet as honey but I lapped it up like a ravenous Winnie the Pooh.

Speedman was quite convincing in his portrayal and I easily bought into both Jay’s feelings for Daisy and his ultimate redemption. Of course great dialogue isn’t a hallmark of these types of movies, so his emotions were mostly conveyed through countless lovelorn gazes and cheeky grins, but with those beautiful baby blues being batted in my direction, I forgave almost anything. Wood’s performance as Daisy though is what drove the movie and gave it substance and heart. She radiated an inner beauty that was part and parcel of the character. Wood’s expressive face showed a child-like openness and vulnerability that made you root for her happiness and demand the world protect and nurture her.

Though predictable and at times implausible, Barefoot’s love conquers all message and (pardon the spoiler) happy ending, totally redeemed all its flaws; so skip the $7.99 purchase of your next paperback romance novel and instead spend $4.95 renting this winner.

March is Reading Month

Late breaking news here, March is Reading Month; not sure if you guys were in on that tidbit of notable information, but I just happened across it the other day. I love to read as you guys are surely aware, so any opportunity to read for a good cause or promote reading is one I never pass up. I love sinking into a great book and getting lost in its pages for however long it takes me to plow through it. Reading offers a unique kind of magic that allows you to be transported to different worlds where you can live countless different lives, be it as villain or hero. A smarter person than me, George R.R. Martin, the best-selling author of Game of Thrones, said it best “a reader lives a thousand lives before he dies. The man who never reads lives only one.”

The goal of the national March is Reading Month program is to promote reading, push literacy skills, and inform children and adults alike about the power and importance of reading, as well as the fun and adventure accessible to them if they just crack open a book and let its words work their magic. For parents, the power to help shape a reader and inspire a life-long love of books is in their hands. Entice your child to read by making it a warm and loving experience; snuggle in a warm cozy chair or camp out on a living room rug and read a story aloud to your little one. Help them to associate books and reading with the joy of time shared together and with feelings of safety and love. Each book will become a treasured memory for more reasons than one.

Why not let reading light a fire inside of you and awaken a new thirst for knowledge or adventure? Let a book open your eyes to injustice, educate you on love and deter you from hatred, and by letting you walk a mile in someone else’s shoes help you gain a new level of compassion and understanding. In short, let a book change your life so you can face each new chapter of it bravely.

I’ll close with the wise words of Dr. Seuss:

“You can find magic wherever you look. Sit back and relax all you need is a book.”

Twisted Sisters

Jen Lancaster’s Twisted Sisters focuses on Reagan Bishop, a thirty-something licensed psychologist starring in a self-help type reality show called “I Need A Push.” As a pusher Reagan is one of the show’s lead psychologist focused on helping her TV patients undergo a multi-layered transformation which includes helping them to address the problems in their lives and thereby overcoming those challenges followed by a fancy haircut, frosted tips and a snazzy new dress or suit to go with their new attitudes.

On a personal level Reagan is an overachiever, a pescatarian, a marathon runner, a snob and an overall uptight stick in the mud with a smug air of superiority over her immeasurably flawed sisters, Mary Mac and Geri. While Mary Mac (short for Mary Magdalene), a stay at home mom with more kids than Reagan can count (“she’s a hoarder, only for children”) is a thorn in Reagan’s side, her true nemesis is baby sister Geri, a certified cosmetologist. Geri is responsible for every wrong done against mankind (at least according to Reagan) and the bane of her childhood existence; from stealing her beloved Cabbage Patch doll, Lillian Lizabeth, to stealing her darn ham sandwich (Reagan has real doubts about her supposed peanut allergy).

Despite the struggles of trying to fit in with her oh so middle class family that all live in a blue-collar neighborhood a couple doors from one another, life is good for Reagan that is until her show is bought by a national network and the egotistical, albeit outdoorsy and gorgeous, head honcho starts ratcheting up the pressure for better ratings. Desperate to make the show a success especially after some early bumps in the road, Reagan turns to Deva, her friend and the show’s New Age healer for an unconventional (and slightly unethical) solution; one that might not only guarantee her success but might also help her teach her sisters (“the octomom and freeloader”) a well-deserved lesson, though when all is said and done, it just might be Reagan who gets schooled.

I went into this book very gung-ho, don’t ask me why because I’ve never read this author before, but I’d heard good things about her prior books, including plenty of kudos on her humor and wit. Unfortunately, while the book was relatively funny it was also a little slow paced, the premise farfetched, and the main character completely unlikeable. While the subject of sibling rivalry is a figurative minefield to navigate since it can drum up a plethora of sentiments by all involved, in a different author’s hands it could’ve also been a goldmine of humor and heart; sadly, Lancaster under delivers on both counts.

By far, I’d have to say the biggest negative of Twisted Sisters is its protagonist, Reagan. I can get over the pace (not every book is a page-turner) and the slightly out there twist in the book (I’ve read other books with paranormal-type narratives), but there’s no saving grace when you so dislike a character that you become indifferent to their ultimate success or failure in the story arc (a sure kiss of death). Don’t get me wrong, I’ve read plenty of books where the protagonist isn’t likable and some that were downright detestable, but normally there’s been enough depth to that main character (the whys or driving forces behind his/her actions) or great supporting characters to champion in the tale to still make the story compelling and keep me engaged as a reader.

Sure Reagan was funny, but every bit of humor came at someone’s expense, like calling her sister Geri the “Stay Puft Marshmallow Sis” (funny but mean). Reagan was pretentious and snarky and discounted anything her sisters or anyone else did; their efforts, their successes, their burdens held no value. It was all about her; 24/7. I’m sure I’m not surprising anyone in saying that she does finally learn her lesson, but when she does there’s very little reward as a reader because you’re just like, who cares. Also, since Lancaster covers the sisters so minimally in the narrative it’s not like we have another go-to source to give us a rooting interest.

I do realize though that how you feel about the book might in part depend on what you bring to it as an individual. You might have a horrible sibling relationship that leads you to commiserate with Reagan and instead of her character being a turn-off, you’d be like - yeah I get her, that is so my sister or brother. I know that the sibling dynamic is different in every family, but having a crappy sibling is no excuse to take your ire out on the world. As a sibling myself (I’m one of 3) I never forget that my brothers and I are part of one another; we share memories and experiences, both good and bad, that no one else does. Of course, it wasn't all kumbaya moments growing up; we fought, felt slighted or jealous, and threw around more than a few "i hate yous" at one another every once in a while, but I loved my brothers then and now and coming from a good place maybe that's why I just couldn't connect with Reagan.

Twisted Sisters humor is the only redeeming factor in this otherwise contrived dud, where the protagonist's own transformation is too little, too late; so overall I’d say skip it and instead look for another of Lancaster’s novels.

Wadjda

There is nothing better than a simple film, unpretentious and without artifice that shares an uncomplicated yet rich, thought-provoking and inspiring tale simply through its depiction of an interesting subject conveyed through compelling characters. The foreign film Wadjda is such a film and it delivers on so many levels. Wadjda is both the name of the film and the tale’s titular character, a young girl living in a suburb of Saudi Arabia’s capital who is fighting against the strictures of her society and religion.

At first glance Wadjda is your typical tween; she lives with her mom and her mostly absent father, attends school, makes mixed tapes of Western music and for extra money sells friendship bracelets to her classmates. The difference lies in the fact that Wadjda must wear an ankle-length abaya (black robe worn by Muslim women) and cover her hair whenever she’s in public such as during her walk to school, and on her shoulders also lies the worries of her mother, who is dealing with the possibility of her beloved husband taking on a second wife.

Wadjda’s life centered around school and home until she saw "It"; "It" was a beautiful green bike which she instantly loved and dreamed of buying in order to race and beat her friend Abdullah. When Wadjda’s pleas to her mom fall on deaf ears she relies on her entrepreneurial skills and determination to try and raise enough money to buy the bike on her own, in spite of her mother’s horrified objections since she's told girls don’t ride bikes because of the risk to their purity and ability to have children (yup, that's the party line). In the face of adversity, including a horror of a principal, Wadjda fights for both her dream and her rightful place in the complicated world in which she lives.

Wadjda was such a wonderful film, doubly so because it was so groundbreaking. Wadjda is the first feature film shot entirely in Saudi Arabia and also the first made by a female Saudi filmmaker. Both of these facts made its undertaking no easy feat given Saudi Arabia is a country where movie theaters are banned and women can’t vote or drive. I just loved it because of the sweet and sincere story and its lovable and spunky main character.

Young Wadjda was sassy and funny and challenged conventions at every turn, from having a boy for a best friend to the fact that poking out from under her abaya were purple-laced Converse sneakers. While her coming-of-age journey wasn’t epic in its obstacles it was nonetheless life-altering because while the end goal is just a bike, in truth it is about so much more. In Wadjda’s determination to own that bike and to not only race but beat her friend is a statement as to what she sees as her worth. She might be a girl but she’s just as deserving of a bike and just as capable of riding and racing. Wadjda is telling the world at large that her life and its possibilities are limitless; the future is in her hands, no one elses.

The movie is eye-opening and at times chilling in its depiction of the rules and limitations faced by girls and women in Saudi Arabia. For example, the schoolgirls are censured by the principal when they are laughing out loud and told “Women’s voices shouldn’t be heard by the men outside. A woman’s voice is her nakedness.” At every turn you see how a woman is valued less than a man, evident in the fact that Wadjda’s mother is facing the pain of having her husband take a second wife because of the simple fact that she can no longer have children and society demands a boy child. This truth is yet again clear in the fact that only men's names appear in an illustration of the family tree that sits in Wadjda's home, which is why the ever cheeky Wadjda writes her name on a piece of paper and pins it next to where her father’s name appears. The most startling moment for me came in a scene of religion class where the girls are studying the Koran and they’re instructed by the teacher that if they have their period they can’t touch the Koran with their bare fingertips, they must use a tissue.

Wadjda is a great film that both inspires and educates. Its tale offers hope for a brighter future; one in which a young girl can ride a bike into the sunset or a talented woman as in the case of Haifaa al-Mansour, the film's writer and director, can offer the world a moving story that through its mere existence is breaking down barriers.

The Martian

I loved The Martian by Andy Weir! Described as Apollo 13 meets Castaway, it was a gripping novel filled with science, humor, and adventure. In The Martian astronaut Mark Watney, a botanist and engineer, is struggling for survival on the unforgiving landscape of Mars after having been accidentally left for dead by the rest of his crew during a mission. Just a few days prior to us meeting Mark, he’d celebrated being one of the first people to walk on Mars but now he might be the first person to die there. All alone and stranded, he is left to scramble for food, oxygen and shelter; and while his physical needs are his immediate concern, finding a way to communicate his existence to NASA falls close behind since it's pivotal to his long-term survival. Even with all the odds stacked against him, Mark isn’t ready to give up the fight. Relying on his knowledge and skills, including botany and engineering, he bravely and relentlessly confronts one obstacle after another in a fight to not only survive but ultimately make his way back home.

This was such a thrilling read. In an interview with industry newsletter Shelf Awareness, Weir said his goal was to offer the reader the same feeling of excitement he got watching the film “Apollo 13,” in which astronauts and NASA staff scramble to create unorthodox solutions to rescue the spacemen. “It's like MacGyver in space, with billions of dollars of equipment being misappropriated to barely stay alive, and everybody working together,” he said of the film. “And I just love that.” Boy oh boy did Weir ever deliver; not only giving us an epic struggle for survival but also a funny, irreverent and totally relatable hero that you can’t help but love. It’s Mark’s heart and steadfastness that gives the reader a rooting interest in the story.

Each chapter is written like a log book entry detailing the sol's (martian days) events, making the reader privy to Mark’s innermost thoughts and fears. As he documents successes and failures, we experience first-hand a true man vs nature tale, though one unlike any we’ve experienced before. The obstacles are common to this age-old struggle, like fighting the elements, though this time way outside the realm of our past experience; we’re not talking about snow and ice, instead Mark is facing Mars’ average daily temperature of -50C (-58F). Oh, and while “earth’s liquid core gives it a magnetic field that protects us from most of the nasty crap the sun pukes out at us, Mars has no such luxury. All kinds of solar radiation gets to the surface," so unless he wants to get cancer he needs access to shelter that is radiation-shielded.

The novel features tons of science and information about Mars, some of which was totally over my head, nonetheless there is so much depth to this survival tale that despite not grasping all of the technical and science jargon I was still thoroughly enthralled by every page and chapter. Given that the events are taking place in the not too distant future, I’m not really sure how much of it is real science, as I said a lot of the science was pure mumbo jumbo to me, but whether fact or fiction it reads like the truth and therefore very believable. In a lesser author’s hands The Martian could’ve delivered information overload and just a run of the mill science lesson, but thanks to Weir’s one-two punch of a tension-filled tale and a great protagonist that easily charms the reader with his snarcasm (snarky and sarcastic) and humor, we not only learn a thing or two but also enjoy tons of laughs.

Every page of The Martian speaks, no shouts, to the strength of the human spirit and our will no matter the odds to survive. An unforgettable story and captivating hero whose ingenuity, courage and determination highlight the pioneer spirit which started the space race, landed us on the moon, and which will undoubtedly one day catapult us to that oh so distant red planet.

Unfinished Song

February is nearly over and I haven't been to the movie theater all month. The snow and cold have managed to bring out all my hibernating instincts so I've been relying on my new trusty friend OnDemand for all my movie-viewing needs. I've been on a lucky streak so far because each one of my choices has been a sure-fire hit; from Blue Jasmine, The Butler, Dallas Buyers Club, The Inevitable Defeat of Mister & Pete, and the last this past weekend, Unfinished Song. This sweet, funny and poignant British film's original title was Song for Marion and stars Terence Stamp, Gemma Arterton and the magnificent Vanessa Redgrave.

Unfinished Song is the sentimental and inspiring story of Arthur, a grumpy old curmudgeon, and his dear wife Marion, whom is recovering from a fight with cancer. Marion is everything that Arthur isn't; sweet, kind, friendly and determined to live whatever is left of her life to the fullest and surrounded by her dear friends, a rag tag group of senior citizens that are part of a local chorus. The chorus' musical director is young Elizabeth (Arterton), a high school music teacher by day who moonlights by helping the OAP's (Old Age Pensioners) get their groove on singing songs like "Let's Talk About Sex" and "Ace of Spades."

Despite having a lovely voice, Arthur avoids the chorus like the plague; limiting his contact to dropping off and picking up Marion for rehearsals. Grouch or not, Arthur is dedicated to Marion; lovingly and sometimes a little too controllingly taking care of all of her needs by himself, and only reluctantly calling on help from his poor son James, who seemingly can do no right in Arthur's eyes. The love and dedication between these two very different people is mutual though, as Marion is the only one who seems to be able to tame the beast and see the real man hiding behind the scowling mask. The OAPs enter a competition and thanks to an incredibly moving solo from Marion qualify to advance, but her hopes and Arthur's life crumble when it's found that Marion's cancer has returned and that there's no hope. As the two face the uncertainty ahead, it will take all of Marion's love to help Arthur find his voice and his way.

Oh, this was so good! I loved it. It was once again another Kleenex moment for me, but worth every tear. Though it was a fictional story, the film reminded me of the documentary Young@Heart which I watched and reviewed back in 2008. The film movingly deals with love and loss and while some will say it's overly sentimental and trite, I say so what because it still delivers. It is funny and heartbreaking and heartwarming and I was too busy wiping away my tears to worry about the fact that I saw the ending coming from a mile away; plus the acting, Redgraves in particular, more than makes up for any and all faults you might find with the plot.

The humor is sweet and light and comes from the sheer absurdity and contrast of seeing these little old ladies and men singing about sex and doing the robot. The singing, namely the solos from Redgrave ("True Colors") and Stamp ("Lullabye (Goodnight My Angel)") will just slay you. OMG, I was a puddle (a messy, snot-nosed puddle). As for the acting, there is palpable emotion in every scene with Stamp and Redgrave, as their love envelops you and you see each of them through their eyes - the way Marion and Arthur see each other. Redgrave was amazing; practically radiating grace, beauty and wisdom. You believe in Arthur's goodness because Marion does and that is all thanks to Redgrave's captivating and believable performance. Stamp shines in Arthur's moments of vulnerability, when the gruff exterior falls away and you're left with a man scared of the future and heartbroken at the depths of his loss.

Do yourself a favor and watch Unfinished Song; truthfully you won't be able to finish it with a dry eye, but after the laughter and tears you'll be left with a smile and a song in your heart.