bliss_s Reviews

Gratitude Revealed (2022)

Grateful to have seen this wonderful documentary.

[10/10 · 21 September 2022]

Louie Schwartzberg has created yet another fantastic documentary. As I expected, his cinematography is gloriously wonderful. That coupled to the diverse spectrum of insightful interviews made me grateful for every minute of this film. I was amazed by the cast and how much each person interviewed contributed to the understanding of the combination of individuation and universality that gratitude has.

I was fortunate enough to attend a screening that include a discussion of the movie by Louie Schwartzberg, Dr. Christine Carter, and Lynne Twist. The theater was full and universal applause erupted a number of times as the panel recalled specific events from within the film. At the end the standing ovation for Louie lasted for for a long time.

I can't say it enough... go see this film you will be grateful you did.

The Big Sick (2017)

So much more than a "romantic comedy"

[10/10 · 2 July 2017]

Romance, cultural conflict, betrayal, compassion, and redemption. All neatly wrapped within the context of a comedic memoir. Michael Sholwater did a superb job directing and the writing collaboration between Emily V. Gordon and Kumail Nanjiani gave the audience a wonderfully intimate sense of how the warmth, power, and growth of a couple relationship can expand and strengthen the bonds of family.

No story or movie becomes great without a superb cast. Again Kumail Nanjiani proved his versatility with an amazingly strong performance (in my opinion award winning). And this movie was not a one man show, Zoe Kazan gave just the right energy to her role, Holly Hunter should get an Academy Award for best supporting actress for hers, Ray Romano was excellent as were Zenobia Shroff and Anupam Kher. This was the best movie I've seen in a very long time and just may be the best romantic comedy I've ever seen.

Goodbye to Language (2014)

Godard's affection for bowel movements in 3D induce nausea

[1/10 · 25 November 2014]

In the end I felt as if 70 minutes of my life had been stolen... not to mention nauseous from the unbelievably bad 3D cinematography/editing. How could it have won an award? This film was a mishmash of Hitler, nudity, and too many overly long scenes of an ugly man sitting on a toilet. There was no discernible plot, no character development... The best thing about the film was the home movie of Godard's dog and even that had been spoiled by over saturated colors and poorly applied 3D. Apparently this movie is the result of a combination of an over-the- hill "art" director and his cadre of sycophants. My recommendation is to save your money, avoid it when it comes to netflix.

Pride (I) (2014)

Among the best films of 2014, powerful

[10/10 · 16 September 2014]

Saw "Pride" pre-release last night at a California Film Institute screening. The genre: docu-drama-comedy ; the cast: fantastic ; the screenplay: intriguing ; the direction: close to perfection ; the cinematography: lovely

This is a brilliant ensemble piece that elicited tears, laughter, and ultimately wholehearted applause from a somewhat sophisticated packed house at the Rafael Film Center.

The film covers several very serious subjects (labor rights, lesbian and gay rights, AIDS, prejudice, social activism, the human effects of reactionary politics) within the context of an historically accurate account of a tumultuous time rife with social change. All this presented through a thankfully warmhearted and poignant well directed, acted and beautifully filmed script.

I'm certain to see this movie several times while it's in general release.

Blue Is the Warmest Colour (2013)

Lesbian awakening as seen from a male perspective

[4/10 · 12 November 2013]

Interesting being a contrarian. Last night I watched what may be one of the most pointless "Lesbian" films ever... If you have a chance to go see "Blues is the Warmest Color" consider doing laundry instead... a much better and more interesting way to spend three hours of your life. I'm certain heterosexual males will find the sex scenes most titillating and feel they now know the answer to the stereotypical question "so... how do lesbians make love". I was one among three lesbians, we went anticipating a positive experience. As the movie progressed we looked at each other, rolled our eyes and after 90 minutes started hoping it would end soon. We all came away from the film feeling that the film gave us no connection to the characters and "what was the point"! Hopefully Abdellatif Kechiche's next movie has a lot less smoking, fewer macro lens close-ups, a more heavy handed editor, and please give poor Léa Seydoux more tissue for that faucet nose of hers. The kindest thing I can say is the actresses were attractive (except the frequent trail of snot from Léa Seydoux' nose). I rate this film a miss unless you just "Must" see over long, over wrought French films and think a film must be art just because of it's origin and subject matter.

Transamerica (2005)

Felicity Huffman's wry performance is Oscar quality

[10/10 · 10 August 2005]

I first saw Transamerica as the closing film for the Frameline film festival in San Francisco where it won the "The Frameline Audience Award for Best Feature". The film was obviously a labor of love. Duncan Tucker wrote, directed and wisely cast Felicity Huffman as Bree (before she had been cast as a "desperate housewife"). Huffman's husband William Macy was executive producer.

The plot line is certainly the tried and true formula of the transformational road trip, yet the irony of Bree's concurrent sexual transformation freshens a story that could easily have been cliché. Kevin Zegers and the rest of the supporting cast are superb, but Huffman's characterization of Bree is Oscar caliber.

See Transamerica! It's not tragic like "Boys Don't Cry". It's not about sexuality, fetish, or camp. It's a movie about otherness, transformation, family, and ultimately acceptance. Felicity Huffman's Golden Globe winning and Oscar nominated performance is absolutely astounding. Her acting skill fills Bree with insecurity, pathos, warmth, humor, and growth which ultimately transforms the audience's involvement from freak show curiosity to empathy and identification.

Thankfully the Weinstein brothers recognized just how outstandingly strong this performance is and decided that Transamerica would be one of the first films they would choose to distribute after their great success at Miramax.

I saw this movie again during it's limited distribution, again in general distribution and now own the DVD. Each time I've watched it I find even more to like. Transamerica is an indie classic.