The Ruby Ring movie review

The Ruby Ring

The Ruby Ring (1997), a made for TV movie, directed by Harley Cokeliss, written by Yvonne MacGrory, Alan Moskowitz, Lin Oliver, is a modern day, time traveling fairy tale.  Lucy McLaughlin's (Emily Hamilton) father (Todd Boyce) has lost his job.  The family is forced to move in with Lucy's grandmother, Gran (Jan Moffatt). 

Lucy is not taking it all very well, because she has had to give up her riding and equestrian training.  Plus, she feels her friend, Noreen (Emma Cunniffe), will not stay in touch with her.  But Lucy's sister, Victoria (Sophia Money-Coutts) seems to be taking it all in stride and is happy when Gran takes them into their newly decorated attic bedroom.

Gran realizes how upsetting this all is for Lucy.  She also remembers that today is Lucy's birthday.  She gives her a beautiful gift box.  Lucy opens it to reveal a beautiful, large stoned, ruby ring, which cheers Lucy up.  Gran tells Lucy it is a magical ring that her great Aunt Edith (Bridget Biagi) bought in India.  Her grandmother gave it to her on her 16th birthday, just as she was giving it ti Lucy on her 16th birthday.

Gran explains that if Lucy turns the ring twice on her finger, she can make a wish for anything she wants and it will come true.  Lucy, of course, wishes to live in a big, beautiful house and have a stable full of horses.  Just as she does, the ring begins to glow red.  Her great Aunt Edith appears to her in the ring and tells her to remember she only has 24 hours to change her mind about the wish.  If she fails to turn the ring twice and wish to come home, she will stay where she is forever.

All at once, Lucy is no longer in her Grans attic.  She is now in a big, beautiful castle, with a large library..  She is dressed in a long maid's dress and also seems to be in the far past.  While trying to gather herself and figure out where she is, she is met by the head mistress, Mrs. Puxley (Judy Parfitt).  She has been looking for the new maid, which is Lucy.  Mrs. Puxley introduces her to another maid, Nellie (Emma Cunniffe), who she mistakes for her good friend Noreen, because she looks just like her.  During these meetings, Lucy is told she is in the 1600's.

Lucy then realizes she has lost the ruby ring in the sitting room and needs to go back and look for it.  But Mrs. Puxley tells her servants are not allowed in the owners quarters unless asked to be there.  She will have to go look later after her work is finished.  For the rest of the movie, Lucy is trying to track down the ring, so she can wish to go home. 

We meet the son of the master, Robert Langley (Christien Anholt), who tries to help her find the ring.  Elizabeth Langley (Gillian Kearney), Robert's sister, Lady Langley (Joanna Tope) and Lord Langley (Michael Derrington) can't believe that a maid would own something so expensive, so they set about to find one of their wealthy friends who might have lost the ring on a visit to the castle.

Lucy's punishment is to clean the horse stables.  As she is cleaning, the stable man, Patrick Collins (Rutger Hauer) and the ladies maid, Mary Spencer (Samantha Bond) walk in and start kissing.  This is when we learn Patrick is using Mary to steal things from the house that they can sell and finally escape their lives of servitude.  Later, they will also be someone Lucy will have to fight to get the ruby ring back from.

Her search for the ring leads Lucy through an awakening.  She learns how selfish, immature and self -centered she has been.  She realizes how much she misses her family.  Lucy grows up and sees that possessions and status are not the most important things in the world.  Time spent with the people we love is the best gift of all.  A lesson we all should learn as well.

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Main Street movie review

Main Street

The movie Main Street (2010), directed by John Doyle, written by Horton Foote, has a Texas stranger, Gus LeRoy (Colin Firth), come to town with a questionable business idea that could save the dying city of Durham, North Carolina.  To initiate the first part of his plan, Gus rents an old tobacco warehouse from Georgiana Carr (Ellen Burstyn), the daughter of a past tobacco business owner, for 6 months.  This sets his business plan in motion for the warehouse and the town.  But it is all a bit mysterious with big trucks and men guarding the warehouse doors 24/7.

Georgiana is now struggling in her old age to pay the bills, so she cannot refuse the rent money he is offering.  She doesn't even ask or care what her family warehouse will be used for, because she is in such dire straights. She is extremely relieved that her prayers have been answered and she does not have to sell her daddy's warehouse or the family mansion.

After the tobacco industry closed down years before, the city has struggled to stay afloat.  We see the destructive aftermath of jobs lost and younger inhabitants moving out of town to find jobs.  It rips families apart.  Parents who no longer have children who can help them in their older age.  Sons and daughters who are forced to move to cities far away, struggling to get by just to have a chance in life.  Or forced to stay in town to help their parents, whom they resent, while their siblings leave to never return.

Harris Parker (Orlando Bloom) has stayed, working as a police officer, to help his mother, Myrtle Parker (Margo Martindale), survive, after his brother abandoned them both to travel the world.  Harris is dating, Mary Saunders (Amber Tamblyn) who only dreams of leaving Durham for a better life.  She is slowly moving away from Harris, because he does not want to abandon his mother or leave Durham.  Harris attends a local college law school at night, trying to become a lawyer to impress Mary.  But he wants to remain in town to practice law and help his neighbors.  Mary wants him to move once he gets his law degree.  Her mother, Miriam (Victoria Clark), and step - father, Frank (Tom Wopat) seem to be working together with Myrtle to keep Harris and Margo together, so they both will stay in Durham and marry.

Meanwhile, Georgianna gets a bad feeling about what her warehouse might be used for, so she calls her niece, Willa Jenkins (Patricia Clarkson) to help her investigate.  Once they find out what Gus' company is storing in the warehouse, which may endanger the town, Georgianna and Patricia devise a plan to get the company out of their warehouse.  Even if it means selling Georgianna's beloved family mansion.

Gus retaliates with overwhelming charm and kindness to convince the two women and the leaders of the town that his company cannot only provide jobs for people in town, but they could effectively save the city's economy and drive business to their area.  With such high hopes, the people of the town start to consider his proposal.  Even if what the company is shipping and storing in the warehouse could be harmful to the town or even for the country.

In the end, the townspeople have to decide, if their town and their people are worth the risks they have to take to open their doors to this business, or, if they need to find another way to help their town thrive.  Is the risk too great?

This is the same story we see happening to towns all over America today.  Industries die out and towns are left decimated in their path.  They find it hard to pick up the pieces after these corporations pull out of town, because they have known nothing else for years.  The corporations pay no taxes to the cities and get many financial breaks, which also leaves the city government broke and treading water to stay afloat or go under.

Main Street takes a look at how these factors effect a town.  Should they let another company come in, use their town and people to do the same thing the last company did to them?  Or should they find other ways to band together as a town to bring their city back to life?  Some will run away from the responsibility and never come back to town.  But others will stay, stand strong, and fight the good fight to find a way to make it work, helping others along the way.  That is really what the American spirit is truly about.  When times get tough, the tough get going to get back their American dream.  For themselves and all those in their city it was stolen from.

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The Longest Week movie review

The Longest Week

The Longest Week (2014), written and directed by  Peter Glanz, story by Peter Glanz and Juan Iglesias, is based on a love triangle between the characters of an adolescent, 40 year old, wealthy man - boy, Conrad Valmount (Jason Bateman), his pretentious artist friend, who has worked his way into wealth and high New York society, Dylan Tate (Billy Crudup) and the girl they both meet on a separate occasions and fall in love with, model and literature fanatic, Beatrice Fairbanks (Olivia Wilde). 

Conrad's wealthy parents abandoned him and have been traveling since he was 7 years old.  They left him in the care of their high end Manhattan hotel staff. Out of guilt, his parents pay for therapy session for him during all those years.  His butler and therapists are more like parents to him. 

While still traveling the world, his parent's inform him they are getting a divorce.  Neither wants to continue supporting him.  Conrad is then forced to move out of his parent's hotel and in with his wealthy artist friend, Dylan.  Conrad begins to lie to save face within his circle of acquaintances. Although he is now penniless, he is sure this will all blow over and his parents will resume their guilty support of him within a couple weeks or months.  He just has to hold out until then.

Aimless, Conrad, who has been feigning to write a novel for the past ten years, realizes he is out of luck and in big trouble now that his parents have cut him off.  Among all his mooching friends, the only real friend he feels he has is self made Dylan.  He lies to Dylan, telling him his parents hotel is under renovations and he needs a place to stay for a while.  Conrad proceeds to live his life as usual, running up bills in establishments across Manhattan.  He calls his mother regularly to see when she is coming home. 

Forced to now ride the subway for the first time in years, Conrad spots a woman he is attracted to across from him.  She is reading "Sense and Sensibility" by Jane Austen.  They exchange knowing glances and smiles.  Before getting off the subway at her stop, she gives him her phone number on a page corner of her book and leaves.  They never speak to one another.

Later, during discussions with his friend Dylan, he tells Dylan about his brief meeting on the subway and says he may just be in love.  Dylan, who has broken up with his long time girlfriend, tells Conrad he has met another woman.  He will be meeting her at his gallery showing later that night and wants Conrad to attend and meet her as well.  When he does, he learns that the girl Dylan is in love with and he is in love with are one in the same, Beatrice.  Dylan notices Conrad's attraction to Beatrice and asks him to stay away from her.  But Conrad, being naturally selfish, cannot resist the pull of the feelings he has for Beatrice.  The love triangle begins.

We are taken through Conrad's world of utter disregard for those around him and shown how he has lived an absolutely carefree existence.  That is until he loses the only real friend he has over his love for Beatrice.  But losing Dylan's friendship affects Conrad in ways he never expected.  His penniless existence has also taken him by surprise, as he tries to navigate the realization that he may truly have to support himself. 

Will he have to get a job?  If so, what will he do?  Or will he finally have to get serious and finish his book?  His journey through growing up and finally becoming somewhat responsible and accountable for his actions, to the people he now finds he cares about the most, all plays out in the longest week of his life.

This romantic comedy is witty, but also a bit serious with a comedic spin on those serious subjects.  It tackles questions and personal situations we all deal with at one time or another in our lives over many years.  However, Conrad is having to deal with them at forty and within one week, because his maturity has been delayed by his parents.  Thus, creating the longest, hardest week of his life.  Making this movie a funny look at how a forty year old man - boy finally grows up.  Well, almost.

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Melancholia movie review

Melancholia (2011) is a doomsday view of what might happen, if a planet named Melancholia is heading towards Earth on a possible collision course.  Writer and director, Lars von Trier, uses a cast of characters to explore how each person might deal with the coming impeding doom.  Denial or utter terror.  Lars' inspiration in writing the film came after recovering from a depressive episode.

The movie begins with an ominous, long orchestral opening score with what seems like flashbacks of disaster foreshadowed.   The movie rewinds to Justine (Kirsten Dunst) and Michael's (Alexander Skarsgård) wedding.  They are in a limousine after the nuptials, heading to the reception being given and paid for by Justine's very wealthy brother - in - law, John (Kiefer Sutherland) at the country club and golf course he owns.

The bride and groom are late to the reception, because their driver gets stuck on a back country road, where we are led to assume, the newly married couple have been canoodling in the back of the parked limousine.  The driver has difficulty turning around on the narrow country road.  The happy couple are kissing, laughing and helping the driver turn the car around.

Once they arrive at the venue late, the happy mood turns somber.  Justine's sister, Claire (Charlotte Gainsbourg), informs them they are two hours late and people have been waiting.  So, they were canoodling in the limousine for 2 hours?!?  Justine looks into the sky and notices that the red star has disappeared.  John is amazed she can see it at all.  Then, Justine decides to visit the horse she rides daily in the stables and introduce said horse to her new husband before going into the wedding reception.  This frustrates John and Claire further.

Once they finally move inside to their wedding guest, the party begins and the drama ensues.  Justine is very happy until she starts to encounter the people at the wedding reception.  Her father, Dexter (John Hurt) is sitting between two much younger women, both named Betty (Charlotta Miller, Claire Miller).  He is relentlessly flirting with them both.  He seems to have more time for them than his daughter.  We meet Justine's boss and Michaels friend, Jack (Stellan Skarsgård), who reveals he is there to give Justine a promotion in his advertising firm and to get a much needed tagline for an ad campaign from Justine before she leaves on her honeymoon.  Which shows he cannot run his business without her around.  This annoys Justine to no end.

Her mother, Gaby (Charlotte Rampling), is not keen on the idea of marriage and lets everyone know, in a public speech, that Justine is making a mistake even getting married at all.  This after Justine's father makes a speech and disparages his ex - wife publicly.  So, no love lost between her parents.  Oh, the joy of family.  Yet, Michael's father (Charlotte Rampling) and mother, (Deborah Fronko), seem relatively normal greeting them with hugs and kisses.  Justine's young nephew, Leo (Cameron Spurr), is also very happy for the couple.

Claire and John argue about keeping Justine in line.  John then insults his wife by asking, if anyone in her family is actually not crazy.  Thus, establishing there is more drama to come.  Conversations about the passing of the planet Melancholia come up sporadically, so it is definitely on everyone's mind.

As the evening progresses and the family dramas pile up with negative comments directly mostly at Justine, she starts to become depressed.  She tries to escape the party more than once.  They have to keep tracking her down to stay on schedule.  This frustrates the wedding planner (Udo Kier) and butler (Jesper Christensen) immensely.  That is when we realize Justine has depression.  She is trying hard to stay engaged with everyone at the reception and act "as if" she is happy, but as the family drama and boss drama continues, she is starting to go down hill.

Everyone is very aware of how much time they may have left and they do not want to waste a minute.  While some may still be in denial that the planet Melancholia is heading toward earth, others are very aware of the current situation.  They may be dealing with it calmly or not. 

John quotes scientists who say Melancholia will pass by and this calms his nerves.  Claire is leans towards what the conspirators say, that the planets are definitely going to collide and their days are numbered.  Justine seems to be able to see the future and know exactly what is going to happen, but is staying mum.  Even though you get the feeling she knows far more than the rest.  She keeps an eye on the stars in the sky to see which planets Melancholia is wiping out on it's path of destruction.  While Leo is just a kid who holds out hope that his father and the scientists are correct.

Melancholia is a view into a future we might all have to face.  There have been stories over the years that planet Earth may be hit and destroyed by a meteor or a planet knocked off it's orbit.  This movie takes a realistic look on how people may deal with it.  Those dealing with mental health issues in their past or present, may in the end have better coping skills to deal with real tragedy. While people we think might be the strongest in the end, could be the weakest when faced with impending doom.  They may be able to hold it together under their veil of denial in everyday life, but when real tragedy comes close to home, they lose their cool. 

The movie is a lesson in strength, sanity and acceptance over things you cannot control.  Like planets hurling themselves toward earth.  A definite statement on the human condition.  It is not your typical sci -fi drama, but it definitely hooks you in until the end.

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Sirens movie review

SIRENS

Sirens (1994), written and directed by John Duigan, is a film similarly close to it's Greek mythology title, but with a modern feminist twist.  There are beautiful sirens , or models, who lure men in and seduce them, but the world they live in is the international, lucrative modern art world.  The movie is based on a true story about the controversial, feminist, Welsh artist, Norman Lindsay (Sam Neill), who paints a portrait of his nude wife, Rose (Pamela Rabe), on a crucifix.  Lindsay enters the portrait, "The Crucified Venus" (1912), into an international art exhibition in Australia, only to have the religious and moral world community plead for him to withdraw the portrait from the show.  Ironically so, because this true story takes place during the morally conservative interwar period, between WWI and WWII.

Anthony Campion (Hugh Grant), an Anglican clergyman, and his wife, Estella (Tara Fitzgerald), are tasked with the job to visit Norman's estate in the Blue Mountains of New South Wales.  They must convince the artist to retract his portrait from the show.  Being that Norman is an internationally respected artist, they need to convince him of the portraits blasphemous nature and it's affects on the moral mindset of the world.  They can't just tell him to do it or they will enact a backlash from the wealthy world art community.

Anthony is an Oxford educated Englishman with extensive knowledge in the fine arts.  His hope is to appeal to Norman on an intellectual level.  He has heard that Norman likes a good political or moral debate. 

Upon their arrival in this little out of the way, back country town, Anthony and Estella quickly realize they have their work cut out for them.  They see that despite the people in the towns around them ostracizing Norman and his companions, because of his nude portraits and feminist ideals, Norman is still defiant against the moral high ground everyone seems to project on him.

When they arrive at the estate no one is home.  They lay on the ground and fall asleep after their long and difficult commute to the estate.  They wake up to find Norman's clan standing above them after their picnic together.  We meet Lindsay's two young. mischievous daughters, Jane (Julia Stone) and Honey (Ellie MacCarthy) who speak their minds and a few curse words here and there,  Pru (Tziporah Malkah), the realist, Giddy (Portia de Rossi), the house maid and idealist, and Sheela (Elle Macpherson) the pot stirrer and truth teller.  All three nude models that Lindsay based his portraits on.

As the discussion between Anthony and Norman begins, he learns that Rose, Norman's wife, is actually the model for the crucifix portrait.  In learning this, Anthony has a realization of why Norman entered the portrait and is refusing to pull it from the art show.  It is a collaboration between he and his wife, but also, Norman's love song to his independent wife and her beauty.

While waiting to return to England, Estella and Rose, as well as the models and the ex- boxer/maintenance man/model, Devlin (Mark Gerber) start interacting.  The models befriend Estella and open her mind beyond her naive, provincial, buttoned up thinking.  We realize Norman, Rose and the models don't see their portraits as blasphemous, but they see them as giving women moral freedom and independence in a world who insists that women be controlled and also, control themselves.  These portraits out in public push the envelope and give women the right to be more themselves and less who society thinks they should be.  An effect Norman Lindsay called a "Wowizer" in real life.

This spawns Estella's sexual curiosity as she begins to explore these female relationships and her own independence and individuality.  She begins to see her sterile sexual relationship with clergyman Anthony as boring.  She starts to try new things, to the joy of her new friends.  Norman catches her exploring and sees her new realizations.  He is pleasantly amused.  As a result, Anthony becomes a part of the exploration himself.  Thus, his opinion starts to change about whether it really matters, if the portrait is taken out of the show or not.

In the end, Norman Lindsay and the art he created was not only his love letter to his strong, independent wife and daughters, but it was also his love letter to women as a whole.  His art sparked women's liberation and freedom around the world.  As well as, everyone's sexual freedom as human beings.  He wanted everyone to be happier and healthier. 

Norman saw religion as a way to control, not only the masses around the world, but particularly, a way for men to control women and tie them down.  His goal was to free women kind.  He was really one of the first feminist of our time. 

Norman could not understand how past artists, like Michelangelo, were revered for their nude sculptures and portraits in church cathedrals, yet present day artists were being stifled from showing, not only the beauty of the human body, but also the extreme beauty of women's bodies and their independent spirits within. 

This movie embodies that independent spirit and introduces us to the amazing talent and personality of Norman Lindsay and the strong women in his life, his wife, daughters and the models he worked with.  He helped to advance feminism and take women beyond being wrapped up, pinned up, controlled housewives to the independent women they are today. 

Thank you, Norman Lindsay!  And thank you Sirens for introducing us to his artistry and his activism, during a time when it was not easy to be a man who was a Feminist.  This movie is a must see for all, but particularly women and girls.  You will enjoy meeting Norman, his strong wife and this cast of characters.

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Ondine movie review

Ondine

Ondine (2009), directed and written by  Neil Jordan, was shot in the coastal town of Castletownbere, Ireland.  It is a seaside Irish romantic escape into a fairy tale, set in the present day.  The story sweeps us into said fairy tale about a selkie, an old Irish folklore about a mythical character, male or female, who can change from a seal to human form on land.  Once in their human form, they are very attractive and desirable.  They may fall in love or even marry and have children with the human they encounter, but their true self will always long for the sea.  They will eventually leave their human life and all who love them to return to the sea that pulls at their hearts daily.  Or so the story goes.

The fairy tale is told through the eyes of 3 characters, the romantic, dashing hero, Syracuse (Colin Farrell), the damsel in distress, Ondine (Alicja Bachleda), and the wide eyed child who believes, Syracuse's 12 year old daughter, Annie (Alison Barry).

In the opening of the movie, we meet Syracuse, a fisherman, who is pulling in the catch of the day on his boat from his nets.  One net holds something he was never expecting...a beautiful woman!  Ondine, barely holding on to life.  He rushes to retrieve her from the net, once he realizes she might actually be alive. 

Once revived, Ondine's concerns are threefold, not to be seen, trying to gain her perspective on where she is and wondering how she is alive.  Syracuse asks her where she came from and how she arrived in his net, but she will not divulge her secrets, of which she apparently has many.  He wants to take her to a hospital, but she refuses.  She continually insists, "I cannot be seen by anyone!"  So, he resolves to help her.  The fairy tale begins to unfold. 

Syracuse takes Ondine to the house where his mother, a lifetime loner and recluse, used to live overlooking the sea.  He tells her it is a place where no one will find her  Losing his mother was hard for him, which is probably why he keeps her house, but he cannot bear to live there himself.  So, Ondine can make this her home.  This also shows us that Syracuse is an accepting, loyal, generous and loving individual who Ondine sees as someone she can trust with her very life.

As the story progresses, we meet Syracuse's daughter, Annie.  He has to leave Ondine to rush back to make it in time to take Annie to the doctor's office for her dialysis.  Annie is tied to a wheelchair as a result of her illness, so she has to be carried from place to place.

We meet Annie's mother, Syracuse's ex-wife, Maura, (Dervla Kirwan), who is a bitter alcoholic that berates her ex- husband while living with her very married boyfriend, Alex (Tony Curran).  She calls Syracuse a clown and circus then rides him for always being late and never having enough money to pay for anything for his daughter.  Yet, we get the idea that Syracuse, who is an alcoholic in recovery, gives his ex all he can.  She and the boyfriend drink the money away, mired in their addiction.  We learn later that Syracuse has sobered up, so that his daughter has one responsible parent.  He is also trying to gain custody of his child to get her out of her current situation.

While supporting his daughter at dialysis, Annie asks Syracuse to tell her a story.  He proceeds to tell the tale of pulling a mermaid like creature from the sea with his net and how she sings to the creatures in the water.  His well read daughter connects the dots between his story and the Irish childhood fairy tales she has learned.  She deems he is telling her the tale of a selkie.  She cannot decipher if his story is half truth or half fairy tale, which spawns her curiosity to find out. 

At the end of the dialysis, the nurse takes her to the new motorize wheelchair the insurance has provided for her.  Now his curious, mischievous daughter, with a mother who doesn't really keep an eye on her, is mobile and determined to find out about the mysterious selkie woman her dad tells her about.  Is she real or just a story her father has created in his mind?

We also see a dark character enter the picture, Vladic (Emil Hostina), who seems to be looking for Ondine relentlessly.  Yet, he will not approach her in the open or a crowd.  Very mysterious, but we get the feeling he is ominously dangerous.

We are taken along a ride of fantasy mixed with mystery.  You are never quite sure what is real and what is not.  The story weaves in and out until even Syracuse is not sure, if what he is witnessing is real.  He knows he can see and touch Ondine, but is she just a figment of his imagination that he needs to believe exists?  Is the mysterious man following her even real or the effects of his past addiction on his brain?  He even speaks to his local priest (Stephen Rea), whom Syracuse sees as his addiction counselor/sponsor of a sort, to help him verify, if he is just imagining Ondine or if she is real.

Ondine is a surreal, magical story that takes you from fiction to reality and then back again.  But at its heart, it is a story about love and trust, between ex's, a father and a daughter, a priest and his friend and finally between Ondine and Syracuse.  Do these two need each other more than they realize?  Watch the movie to find out.  You will not be disappointed!  And you will enjoy a beautiful cultural Irish story passed down through time while you do.

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