if i were to review this film: phoebe's wonderland; or meditations on a sleepless morn, part III

continued from part I, wherein andrew compares not sleeping to digestion, and part II, wherein andrew recites shampoo instructions and says strange things about death scenes

for most of us, sleeping is a daily ritual that we don't bother thinking much about. we only give it attention when we're having difficulty doing what should come naturally, and then we go to absurd lengths to hasten its onset. for example, i sometimes lie in bed obsessing over the repetition of bizarre behaviors or imposing strange rules upon myself, all in a self-consciously irrational attempt to jump-start the REM sleep cycle.

but what about those people for whom such absurdities are an everyday reality? what about people for whom my dreaded hours on the border of that illusive sleep continent are a never-ending part of life, even in the daylight? 

i've had friends with mildish cases of obsessive compulsive disorder, and though i've tried to be sympathetic, it's hard to understand their inability to distance themselves from certain repetitive behaviors, and harder still to imagine how troubling those inabilities might feel to the people with the disorder. it's much easier to laugh. and so in a twisted way, i'm thankful for not sleeping, for getting a glimpse at how it might feel to contend with the arbitrary force of repetition. 

and i'm thankful for the film phoebe's wonderland, which takes a young girl with tourette's syndrome (a condition that's related to OCD but seems rather more serious) as its protagonist. the film has its issues--some of the non-tourette's characters seem over the top and the film gets off to a slowish start--but the actress's portrayal of a girl with tourette's and the family's complicated response to her condition are affecting and real.

to be continued . . .

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

rating: 11/17

if i were reviewing this film: easter promises

this was meant to be the first in a three part series devoted to films featuring wicked knives scenes, but now it's not.

eastern promises is a deceptively simple film that reveals itself to be more of a character study than the mystery that one might expect from the trailer. it is also a film that shows no mercy on its viewers. if you like brutality, bloodshed, and naked knife fights, this is the film for you. given the plot--the story of a russian crime syndicate doesn't mind killing people--eastern promises should be harsh; the characters and their crimes should make us uncomfortable, but i really do think that to some degree david cronenberg, the film's director, just likes to make audiences squirm. i've also heard that there might be an eastern promises II soon, so beware.

rating: 13 out of 17

if i were reviewing this film: smart people

smart people follows the awkward relationships of a sorry, self-absorbed professor, his family, and an ex-student now-MD love interest. if i were to review smart people, i might liken the film to its professor-protagonist: like dennis quaid's character, the film has a pretentious, elitist feel that lacks beauty and soul.

for a full review on the film, see http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24001511/

PS i do find it interesting that the filmmakers decided to cast the intellectual grump as an english prof. when conjuring academic stereotypes, my first instinct is to cast hypothetical english profs as individuals who are passionate about literature, otherwise mousey types that become strangely animate in the presence of language and writerly minutia. i suppose this reflects my own experiences in college and my belief in the transformative power of art--in what department might you cast a brainy, cynical jerk who's all ego and no soul?