Patriots Redown: October 2010

Game 4 – Monday 4 October 2010 – Patriots won – Away

New England Patriots: 0 6 21 14 - 41
Miami Dolphins: 7 0 7 0 - 14

Total game points equal 55. Patriots 74.55% of the points. Dolphins 25.45% of the points


Game 5 – Sunday 17 October 2010 – Patriots won – Home

New England Patriots 7 0 3 10 3 - 23
Baltimore Ravens 3 7 7 3 0 - 20

Total game points equal 43. Patriots 53.49% of the points. Ravens 46.51% of the points


Game 6 – Sunday 24 October 2010 – Patriots won – Away

New England Patriots 7 6 7 3 - 23
San Diego Chargers 3 0 0 17 - 20

Total game points equal 43. Patriots 53.49% of the points. Chargers 46.51% of the points


Game 7 – Sunday 31 October 2010 – Patriots won - Home

New England Patriots 0 7 14 7 - 28
Minnesota Vikings 0 7 3 8 - 18

Total game points equal 46. Patriots 60.87% of the points. Vikings 39.13% of the points

New England Patriots logo is from the website wikipedia.org

Eve of All Hallows

Eve of All Hallows.
Spirits rise from ancient graves,
Seeking kindred souls.

Seeking kindred souls.
Finds dark-haired temptress crying,
“I am not a Witch!”

“I am not a Witch!”
Belief spell fails Christine this
Eve of All Hallows.

- Adrean Darce Brent
Wednesday 27 October 2010



Images:
Left: Spirit is from the website livestreetcam.com
Center: “No Forwarding Address”. Photo is © An Adrean Darce Brent Image
Right: Cat is from the website mypeopleconnection.com

Reel Rewind: “Fair Game”

Tonight I’m at the Directors Guild of America in Hollywood to watch a free preview screening of “Fair Game” thanks to Film Independent and their Filmmaker Forum. Usually I only see screenings at the DGA in April (ColCoa), but it was no problem coming here this October night (except for the door on the bus that refused to close for at least ten minutes – a source of amusement and annoyance). Although I arrived later than I planned, people were still in line to enter theatre one and I ended up in the general area that I like to sit.

The film, “Fair Game”, is based on events in which lying to deceive was the modus operandi and the truth was repelled and ignored. CIA agent Valerie Plame (Naomi Watts) is a NOC (No Official Cover) covert leader with operations in Kuala Lumpur, Cairo, Amman et. al. who becomes responsible for finding the intelligence on Iraq’s Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) program. As part of this investigation, the CIA sent her husband, former diplomat Joseph Wilson (Sean Penn), to Niger to check on reports that Iraq had bought a large quantity of yellowcake (a powder formed from the processing of uranium ore) from Niger for use in its nuclear weapons. Wilson’s trip determined that no such sale had taken place, yet this truth was eventually sidestepped by the White House.

A portion of George Bush’s Tuesday 28 January 2003 State of the Union address is shown in which the “sixteen words” are stated – “The British government had learned that Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa.” This false statement was the basis for sending Americans into a needless war in Iraq (and perhaps the start of Tony Blair’s fall from grace). Unforgivable. Wilson’s refutation of that statement resulted in a backlash from the US government against him and the outing of his wife as a CIA agent. The consequences of the revelation compromised not only Valerie Plame and her operations, but other agents with the same work cover and their operations. All of this because a decision was made to cover up the truth.

The tragedy of the situation was that the Iraqi scientists who could confirm that Iraq did not have a WMD program were not able to be retrieved from Iraq because Valerie’s departure operation for them was stopped. And besides would the United States actually find it in their interest to rescue people who could have debunked the country’s position regarding the reason for entering the war. I think not. What happened to the scientists in Iraq can only be imagined and despaired. Under this type of reality, Valerie and Joseph fight for the truth, while also fighting with each other. Despite White House efforts, the truth does come out. Unfortunately, Valerie’s (and other CIA agents) career is over and the unnecessary Iraq War continues, with causalities of all kinds. Joseph has vindication and the marriage with Valerie does remain intact.

Naomi Watts portrays Valerie Plame as a woman who is good at lying and deceiving in the name of her job, but who just might have a conscious on the cost those qualities have to others. I am not a Sean Penn fan, however he disappears within Joseph Wilson and displays a man determined to have the truth prevail. A treat to see Sam Shepard for a few minutes. Although the truth about the Iraq War has been known for some time now, it is enlightening to see the effects of deceit on an individual level as opposed to a national scale. Which makes everything that much more tragic.

The Q&A session with director Doug Liman was moderated by John August. During the discussion, Liman revealed that he had talked with some former colleagues of Valerie Plame for a more in depth understanding of the whole debacle. “Fair Game” was shot in forty-five days on a budget of twenty-two million dollars. And most of the film was actually shot on location. Liman also said that the Egyptian government hadn’t wanted the Egyptian actor who played the primary Iraqi scientist to act with the Israeli woman who played his sister. You’d think they were still at war. Where is hope?

Film Facts: Director/Cinematographer/Producer: Doug Liman, Writer/Producer: Jez Butterworth, Writers: John-Henry Butterworth, Joseph Wilson, Valerie Plame, Editor: Christopher Tellefsen, Musician: John Powell, Producers: Mohamed Khalaf Al-Mazrouei, Dave Bartis, Gerry Robert Byrne, Kerry Foster, Sean Gesell, Akiva Goldsman, Anadil Hossain, Bill Pohlad, David Sigal, Mari-Jo Winkler, Kim H. Winther, Janet Zucker, Jerry Zucker, Production Companies: River Road Entertainment, Participant Media, Imagenation Abu Dhabi FZ, Zucker Productions, Weed Road Pictures, Hypnotic, Fair Game Productions

Film Type: Action, Biography, Drama, Thriller, Cast: Naomi Watts (Valerie Plame), Sean Penn (Joseph Wilson), Ty Burrell (Fred), Sam Shepard (Sam Plame), Louis Ozawa Changchien (Nervous Analyst #1), Bruce McGill (Jim Pavitt), Brooke Smith (Diana), Noah Emmerich (Bill), Michael Kelly (Jack), David Denman (Dave), David Andrews (Scooter Libby), Iris Bahr (CPD Agent), David Warshofsky (Peter), Satya Bhabha (Jason Neal), Sunil Malhotra (Ali), Length: 104’, Languages: English, Arabic, French, Countries: United States, United Arab Emirates, Year: 2010
Film Trailer
United State release date Friday 5 November 2010


Images:
Left: Naomi Watts as Valerie Plame from the website movieplayer.it
Center: Graphic interpretation of “Fair Game” created by Adrean Darce Brent
Right: “Fair Game” poster from the website cinemablend.com

Reel Rewind: “Nowhere Boy”

My jaunt to Marina Del Rey this afternoon to see “Nowhere Boy” was courtesy of Campus Circle. I was a runner-up winner of their recent sweepstakes contest for the movie and my prize was a run of engagement pass good at any Los Angeles area AMC Theatre. “Nowhere Boy” wasn’t playing at any of the AMC theatres to which I usually go, so a little extra traveling was necessary. Finding the theatre was easy enough, though confusingly it still has the name Odeon Cineplex (wonder how long AMC has actually owned the multiplex – a physical name change would be helpful).

While waiting for the film to begin, I thought I would be the only viewer of “Nowhere Boy” at the screening; but eventually I heard the sound of popcorn munching and the rare opportunity of having a whole theatre to myself was not to be. A different sound soon reached my ears when the film began with the screams of young females and John Lennon running towards them. This sound would be a part of Lennon’s future life, but the sounds of Lennon’s adolescent life in Liverpool are the ones I’m hearing today.

Lennon’s (Aaron Johnson) and his Uncle George’s laughter and his Aunt Mimi’s classical music is our introduction to Lennon’s domestic life in his mid-adolescence. Sadly George’s laughter ends too soon (both in real life and the film), but out of this tragedy Lennon "begins" a long over-due relationship with his mother Julia (Anne-Marie Duff). The sounds of their relationship begin with an outing to a pier in Blackpool and progresses over the next few years from banjo lessons and the song “Maggie May” to words of truth. The child finds the lost mother, learns the truth behind the losing, only to tragically lose her again, forever.

With his Aunt Mimi (Kristen Scott Thomas), Lennon lives in quietness with refrains of “glasses, John”, evolving to clashes about his mother and school, to departure towards his own life. And intertwined with the mother and the aunt is the development of Lennon’s music sensibility from Elvis Presley “Shake, Rattle & Roll” (wants to be him) and Buddy Holly “Peggy Sue” (imitates his look) to his first band, The Quarrymen and to writing his own songs. However "truthful" this whisper of one part of Lennon’s Liverpool life is, the best sounds are coming and will carry across the world.

Although Aaron Johnson may be a little too attractive to play John Lennon, the casting of “Nowhere Boy” is fine, though most of them are unknown to me. When I first saw the cast list, I thought the only person I’d seen before was Kristen Scott Thomas; however, it turns out that I saw Thomas Sangster (Paul) in “Love Actually” (he doesn’t look that much older). The song “Nowhere Man”, from which this film takes part of its title, was first recorded beginning on Thursday 21 October 1965, forty-five years ago today. Finally for Lennon, one can sing “Nowhere Man, the world is at your command!” Now if they can only get the right chord to your story.


Film Facts: Director: Sam Taylor-Wood, Writers: Julia Baird, Matt Greenhalgh, Cinematographer: Seamus McGarvey, Editor: Lisa Gunning, Musicians: Alison Goldfrapp, Will Gregory, Producers: Robert Bernstein, Matt Delargy, Jon Diamond, Tim Haslam, Kevin Loader, Jaynie Miller, Christopher Moll, Douglas Rae, Paul Ritchie, Tessa Ross, James Saynor, Mark Woolley, Production Companies: Ecosse Films, Film4, UK Film Council, Aver Media, North West Vision

Film Type: Biography, Drama, Music, Cast: Aaron Johnson (John), Kristin Scott Thomas (Mimi), David Threlfall (Uncle George), Josh Bolt (Pete), Ophelia Lovibond (Marie), Kerrie Hayes (Marie’s Friend), Angela Walsh (Schoolmistress), Paul Ritter (Pobjoy), Richard Syms (Reverend), Anne-Marie Duff (Julia), James Johnson (Stan), Alex Ambrose (Young John), Angelica Jopling (Julia – Aged 8), Abby Greenhalgh (Jackie – Aged 6), David Morrissey (Bobby), Length: 98’, Language: English, Countries: United Kingdom, Canada, Year: 2009
Film Trailer
United States release date Friday 8 October 2010


Images:
Left: “Nowhere Boy” pass
Center: Graphic interpretation of “Nowhere Boy” created by Adrean Darce Brent
Right: “Nowhere Boy” poster from the website obzarkina.tv

Revenge In Five Quarters: Patriots Pluck Roosting Ravens

The last time the New England Patriots played (if you want to call it that) the Baltimore Ravens was back in January of this year and what happened on the gridiron was indeed ugly. The Patriots utterly lost to the Ravens in their final game of that football season and there was no happiness in Sonny McLean’s that winter Sunday. On this autumn Sunday there are smiles on every face in Sonny’s, as New England, who trailed at halftime, comes back to beat Baltimore in sudden death overtime by a score of twenty-three to twenty. It was a back-and-forth game, with the most excitement happing in the fourth and overtime quarters. Much high-fiving and cheering in Sonny’s after the winning field goal! With five games completed, the Pats have four wins and one loss which places them second in the AFC East. Next week the Patriots head to my part of the world to play the San Diego Chargers. Although I won’t be traveling south to see them play, I’m sure a number of Sonny’s patrons will be making the trip, like Lexie (from Sudbury) who is one of the three people at my table today. The other two people joining me this morning are Lexie’s cousin David (who is from Newton and has a television production company) and Mike (also from Newton, who has one-year old twins – a girl and a boy). In September, both David and Mike had previously sat with me, but during two different Patriots games. Most of the people in the bar I don’t recognize – fewer and fewer of the usual people are coming to Sonny’s. Today’s familiar faces (in addition to the wait staff) are Rich, Lisa, Joe, I think I saw Nick, and at the end of the game, another Mike. Wonder where Tom and his girlfriend are these days – the high table across from me has been occupied by others. Anyway, the bar is full of New England people supporting the Patriots and that is surely something about which to give a Rah! Rah! Rah!

New England Patriots logo is from the website wikipedia.com

Reel Rewind: “Män Som Hatar Kvinnor”

Swedish title - “Män Som Hatar Kvinnor” / English title – “The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo”
This is not a direct translation of the Swedish title into English, which would be “Men Who Hate Women” and that should have been used as the English title – so much more appropriate than the innocuous “The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo” (which literally translates into Swedish as “Flickan Med Draken Tatuering”). I rate the actual English title as a Failure and “Men Who Hate Women” is what I would use.

How ironic is it that I’m seeing “Män Som Hatar Kvinnor” in the Santa Monica Public Library (for free!) and I have not actually read the novel upon which the film is based? Plus I’ve seen a documentary on the life of Stieg Larsson, the author, back in July which was my introduction to the existence of the novels and films. After seeing this first of three films, I will try to read the trilogy before seeing the next two films.

Although the first images of the film are of professional computer hacker Lisbeth Salander (played by Noomi Rapace) covered up, head down and walking in a Stockholm subway, it is investigative reporter Mikael Blomkvist (played by Michael Nyqvist) who we first begin to know. Through a series of connections, Blomkvist is hired by Henrik Vanger (played by Sven-Bertil Taube) to discover what happened to his niece, Harriet Vanger, who disappeared forty years ago at the age of sixteen from a Vanger family gathering on their island of Hedeby. Henrik believes that Harriet has been murdered and that the killer, who has been sending him framed dried flowers from a different place every year for his birthday (a tortuous reminder of the gift that Harriet used to give him), is one of his family members. Blomkvist begins his search with boxes of material and interviews with the powerful Vanger family members and the original police investigator, Gustav Morell (played by Björn Granath), on the case.

Lisbeth provides the research that convinces Henrik to hire Blomkvist and she continues to hack into Blomkvist’s hard drive, even though her assignment is over. We learn that Lisbeth is on some sort of probation (she has a troubling and disturbing past) and that her new guardian is a disgusting sexual sadist and rapist. However, Lisbeth is able to have revenge on her pig of a guardian when she records the atrocious acts he forces upon her and she threatens him with legal and media exposure unless her demands for controlling her own life are met. The inking of “sadist” and “rapist” on his chest was a bit much – no need for the mutilation, though I understand the need to label what he is and have it visible.

With the regaining of herself and a new, powerful computer, Lisbeth obtains the name and number codes that Blomkvist found in Harriet’s diary and she is able to decipher the number part of the codes and anonymously e-mails the results to Blomkvist. However, through Henrik’s lawyer, Dirch Frode (played by Ingvar Hirdwall), Blomkvist is able to track down Lisbeth and he persuades her to work with him on the search for answers. Their collaboration, both professionally and personally (the rapist can’t be her last sexual encounter with a male), in figuring out the names part of the codes results in uncovering a series of killings of women from the 1940s through the 1960s. Members of the Vanger family were involved in those murders and one of them is still alive. Blomkvist is captured and tortured by Martin Vanger (played by Peter Haber) and from certain death Bromkviszt is rescued by Lisbeth. It is discovered that Martin had been raping and killing women for decades, but that he had not killed his sister Harriet. The long missing Harriet is actually alive and living in Australia. When she returns to Sweden with Blomkvist, Harriet tells of her rape and constant abuse by her father Gottfried and her brother Martin. It was to escape potential further abuse at the hands of Martin which was the reason for her disappearance and Harriet had sent the framed flowers as her way of telling Henrik that she was somewhere out in the world.

The film ends with Blomkvist being vindicated in his investigation of a Swedish industrialist for which, at the beginning of the film, he had been sentenced to three months in jail for libel. Lisbeth gives Blomkvist the material he needs on a jail visit to see him and as news of the industrialist’s suicide reaches Blomkvist, the final image in the film is of a blond, head up, smartly-dressed Lisbeth walking down the street of a tropical paradise.

I do like the film, despite some disturbing elements, however, I do question some plot points. Unless I missed it, there is no indication that Henrik ever tried to track down the shipments of the framed flowers he began receiving years ago. It is unclear how Harriet came to obtain the information for the codes she wrote in her diary which led to the uncovering of the serial killings. And why does an experienced investigative journalist reveal anything regarding the status of the investigation to a member of the suspect group, especially when that investigation has turned into a different direction? I do like that Lisbeth rescued herself and Blomkvist from their respective torturers – a woman who does not need someone to rescue her and can rescue someone herself – great! Although he is not as complex a character as Lisbeth, I do hope that Blomkvist does show up in the other novels and films. Perhaps he will be Lisbeth’s calm place. No matter, I will look forward to reading the novels and seeing the other films.



Film Facts: Director: Niels Arden Opley, Writers: Nikolaj Arcel, Rasmus Heisterberg, Novelist: Stieg Larsson, Cinematographers: Jens Fischer, Eric Kress, Editor: Anne Østerud, Musician: Jacob Groth, Producers: Susann Billberg-Rydholm, Anni Faurbye Fernandez, Jenny Gilbertsson, Lone Korslund, Jon Mankell, Peter Nadermann, Ole Sønberg, Søren Stærmose, Mikael Wallen, Production Companies: Danmarks Radio (DR), Det Danske Filminstitut, Film i Väst, Filmpool Stockholm Mälardalen, Nordisk Film, Nordisk Film-&TV-Fond, Sveriges Television (SVT), Swedish Film Institute, TV2 Norge, Yellow Bird Films, ZDF Enterprises

Film Type: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller, Cast: Michael Nyqvist (Mikael Blomkvist), Noomi Rapace (Lisbeth Salander), Lena Endre (Erika Berger), Peter Haber (Martin Vanger), Sven-Bertil Taube (Henrik Vanger), Peter Andersson (Nils Bjurman), Ingvar Hirdwall (Dirch Frode), Marika Lagercrantz (Cecilia Vanger), Björn Granath (Gustav Morell), Ewa Fröling (Harriet Vanger), Michalis Koutsogiannakis (Dragan Armanskij), Annika Hallin (Annika Giannini), Sofia Ledarp (Malin Erkison), Tomas Köhler (‘Plague’), David Dencik (Janne Dahlman), Length: 152’, Language: Swedish, Countries: Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Norway, Year: 2009
Film Trailer
United States release date Friday 19 March 2010


Images:
Left: Noomi Rapace as Lisbeth Salander and Michael Nyqvist as Mikael Blomkvist from the website moviepicturedb.com
Center: Graphic interpretation of “Män Som Hatar Kvinnor” created by Adrean Darce Brent
Right: “Män Som Hatar Kvinnor” poster from the website weirdscience.se