Unhealed Wound – Page 86 – Passion for Art, Movies, and Culture

“We Need to Talk About Kevin”–The Bad Seed

Written by diana on August 20, 2013. Posted in movie reviews. No Comments on “We Need to Talk About Kevin”–The Bad Seed

“We Need to Talk About Kevin” is an unforgettable portrait of the baby from hell, and as such this film may not be meant for a lot of viewers. Kevin comes into the world as a very difficult, “challenging” infant. The unconditional love between mother–Eva Khatchadourian (played to perfection by Tilda Swinton, a BAFTA nominee for this role) and child (as a teenager by the talented newcomer Ezra Miller) just doesn’t happen. In the delicate and intricate mother-child bonding requiring a mutuality of response–pick up the crying baby, baby stops crying,...

The Backstory behind “Orange is the New Black”

Written by diana on August 15, 2013. Posted in Television reviews. No Comments on The Backstory behind “Orange is the New Black”

With all the buzz about “Orange is the New Black”, I had fun chasing down facts about the memoir of that name by Piper Kerman after binge viewing the huge hit, “Orange is the New Black” on Netflix. (See my last post for the review of the hit series). In two separate interviews on NPR’s “All Things Considered”, Terry Gross interviews first Piper Kerman and then Jenji Kohan. It makes for fascinating listening! To take a few examples: In the memoir Kerman does not actually experience solitary confinement. However, to show the desolation and dehumanizing...

“Orange is the New Black”–Life Behind Bars

Written by diana on August 7, 2013. Posted in Television reviews. 2 Comments on “Orange is the New Black”–Life Behind Bars

This is a caged beast financed and produced by Netflix: thirteen episodes available on Instant Queue for binge viewing if you are so inclined. “Orange is the New Black” (filmed on location in a women’s prison in Chino, California) is loosely based on the 2010 memoir by Piper Kerman (now an advocate for women prison reform.) Piper Chapman (phenomenal newcomer Taylor Schilling) is a privileged Smith College graduate sentenced to 14 months in prison for the crime of smuggling drugs ten years earlier. Her former lover from that time, fellow drug smuggler Alex Vaus (the pitch-perfect...

“Side Effects”–Warning: Contraindications

Written by diana on July 31, 2013. Posted in movie reviews. 5 Comments on “Side Effects”–Warning: Contraindications

“Side Effects” opens with Martin Taylor (Channing Tatum) being released from prison after serving a four-year sentence for insider trading. His wife Emily (Rooney Mara) is frail, severely depressed, and disinterested in Martin’s re-entering her life. Soon her world unravels as she becomes dependent upon a new, experimental antidepressant prescribed by Jonathan Banks (Jude Law), on the recommendation of Emily’s previous therapist Victoria Siebert (Catherine Zeta-Jones). The side effects of the antidepressant seem to be the cause for Emily committing a horrific crime...

“Shattered”–aka “Butterfly on a Wheel”

Written by diana on July 23, 2013. Posted in movie reviews. 2 Comments on “Shattered”–aka “Butterfly on a Wheel”

This intriguing tale of vengeance is centered on a theme found in Alexander Pope’s Epistle to Dr. Arbuthnot” (1735) in which placing undue effort on a minor issue is like breaking a “butterfly on a wheel”. And this first-rate thriller was so named in its British and Canadian release (2007), to be retitled “Shattered” for an American audience. The story takes place in Chicago, where Neil Randall (played by the surprisingly good Gerald Butler) is an executive of an advertising agency. He is a cunning ad man plotting his path to the top while also a family...

“The Page Turner”–Notes to a Thriller

Written by diana on July 18, 2013. Posted in movie reviews. 2 Comments on “The Page Turner”–Notes to a Thriller

A French cinematic sleeper (2006), “The Page Turner” is a thriller as subtle as a sonata, fine-tuned and intricately composed. The story opens with young gifted pianist Mélanie Prouvost, the ten-year-old daughter of a butcher, methodically practicing for an entrance exam to a prestigious music conservatory. She and her parents have high expectations and she is determined to be one of the students. Beginning the audition in top form, Mélanie is thrown off balance by one of the judges Ariane Fouchecourt who, rather oblivious to her performance, signs an autograph, distracting Mélanie with...