Oscar Season: The Wolf of Wall Street

This weekend I (finally!) took in the controversial smash, the Wolf of Wall Street, the tale of stock tycoon Jordan Belfort.  I'm always amazed at how Martin Scorsese, who seems like a sweet grandfather of a man, can cut to the core of the darkness of the human soul.

So, why was this one nominated?  First off, for a movie that was a few minutes shy of 3 hours, it sure seemed to go by quickly.  While Terence Winter already had an incredible story in Belfort's memoir, which almost seems too fantastic to be real, he turned it into a masterpiece of an adapted screenplay.  The music was phenomenal.  The cinematic flourishes were subtle, but effective.

Most of all, it came back to the acting for me.  I was enthralled with each and every character: Jonah Hill as Donnie Azoff, with his Chiclet teeth and WASP-wannabe ways; Rob Reiner, the morally-conflicted father, Max Belfort; beautiful, sweet, gold-digging Naomi (Margot Robbie); vigilant and humble Agent Patrick Denham (Kyle Chandler).  Even Matthew McConaughey, who makes a tiny appearance, leaves a big impression. The king of the film was the Wolf of Wall Street himself, Jordan Belfort, masterfully played by Leonardo diCaprio, who became more and more wolf-like throughout the film.  The character was detestable and likeable at the same time.  The development of this arguably sociopathic character was a tantalizing trainwreck.  I knew I was supposed to hate what was going on, and I found my skin crawling, but at the same time, it was totally titillating.

The trouble with the movie, and Belfort's story in general, is that there is no redeemable moral lesson here.  The moral lesson is that morals are irrelevant.  But, when do Scorsese's movies ever offer a moral lesson?  I mean look at the Departed.  (spoiler 

alert) Good and bad, everybody dies.

My hope is that viewers are smart enough to realize that even material riches beyond one's wildest dreams are not worth destroying the lives of innocent people.  I think a percentage of the audience, though, will take away from this story that if you're smart enough, you can get away with anything.

Oscar Season: August: Osage County

This past week, I began the formidable task of scrambling to catch up on the 10 Best-Picture Academy Award Nominees for 2013-14.  I’m a little behind this year, so I've got my work cut out for me.

The first feature I watched was August:Osage County.  I watched the film on a SAG screener while doing incredibly mind-numbing temp work.  Though not an ideal viewing format, I could still appreciate why this film was nominated.

There were two things that stood out to me most.  One, was that I could feel the heat of Osage County radiating from my computer screen.  The cinematography, the music, perhaps even the filter of the lens brought me right into that dust bowl of misery. 

Even more than that, the acting hit all the right spots.  Meryl Streep, as the pill- and disease-addled matriarch, Violet Weston, bears the scars and disease of a lifetime of anguish, often taking it out on her family.  Her daughters, played by Julia Roberts, Julianne Nicholson, and Juliette Lewis, struggle to cope with her degeneration, while at the same time dealing with the demons in their own personal lives and relationships.  Each character, lead and supporting, is deeply complex and the threads of dysfunction are sewn deeply into the fabric of this family. 

The film, which was originally a play by Tracy Letts begs the question, can the fruit of a poison tree ever learn to be sweet, or are we damned to pass on the pain we have endured from those who came before us?

It’s not a happy one, but very few Oscar nominees are.  And, though the subject matter is painful, there is humor throughout.  A good drama will always allow for the funny, just like in life.  I know that at my grandmother’s funeral a few months ago, I cried of course, but I laughed almost as much.  That is the beauty of being human.

Find joy in everything you do...

Even though I'm not teaching yoga right now, I've decided to bring back my weekly reflections.  When I'm teaching, I always make an effort to find inspiration for my students because yoga is as much about the spirit and mind as it is about the body.  When I'm not teaching, sometimes it's easy to let my own spirituality slip through the cracks. So, I'm adding my weekly inspiration into my Hurricane Shannon blog.

This week's quote:

Find joy in everything you choose to do. Every job, relationship, home... it's your responsibility to love it, or change it.

Chuck Palahniuk 

I recently started a job that is definitely not my dream job and I spent the first few days mentally fighting it.

This is my view. meh.

I made myself miserable.  I put a big strain on my relationship.  I felt lost and frustrated and wanted to quit.

But yesterday, I had an epiphany.  I had been focusing far too much on the fact that the job wasn't perfect, and completely unwilling to find the ways it was actually a good thing.  I have a cool manager, a relatively flexible work schedule, I'm learning new skills and improving my attention to detail.  Not to mention, it's a paycheck, which in this day and age, is a pretty major blessing.

Even though the second part of this quote says to change your situation, change doesn't happen over night. In fact, sometimes that change only comes when you sit back and accept your current situation.
In this case, we have no choice but to love our situation and do the job to the best of our ability.

Plus, your current situation is not just your job.  It's your home life, your significant other, your extracurricular activities, and other great things in your life.  Letting a frustrating job overshadow all of those other things is the worst thing you can do for your spirit. It might seem obvious to some, but it has taken me a while to learn that lesson.

We are where we are for a reason.  If we focus all of our energy on fighting that, we can't be open to good things that come along.  Accepting a not so ideal job is the first step to happiness.  Being grateful for all of the other positive things in life is the key.

I'm grateful for my wonderful boyfriend, an awesome family, yoga and dance classes, warm days in December, drinks with friends, everything funny, being an actress and writer, a healthy body, and my imagination.  That's just the short list.

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty

DC isn't really known as a film town, but sometimes we're treated to a preview of a yet-to-be-released movie.  Last night, that film was the Secret Life of Walter Mitty, directed by and starring Ben Stiller.  This film is actually a remake of a 1947 film starring Danny Kaye, which is based on a short story by James Thurber.  (Apparently, it was pretty well-known half a century ago because when I asked my dad if he had ever heard of Walter Mitty, he laughed at me.  Um, duh, he said.)

Anyway, the film tells the story of a "negative assets" director at Life Magazine.  The job-title itself hits home Walter's unimpressive position at the company.  Things are about to get worse for Walter, as the magazine has just been acquired and would be immediately downsizing under the direction of a snarky and snide executive, played by Adam Scott.  He is charged with producing the final cover photo for the magazine, which proves to be more of a challenge than one might anticipate.

To make matters even more unpleasant for Walter, he has become enamored of his co-worker Cheryl Milhoff, played by Kristen Wiig, and is desperately trying to overcome his shy nature to work up the courage to give her a wink.  He is also trying to help his mother move into a retirement home, while battling incessant and disruptive daydreams that remove him from the present into much more exciting circumstances.

Walter finds an unlikely confidante in the customer service rep at eHarmony, played by the lovable Patton Oswalt.

This film was met with mixed reviews from my fellow cinema-goers.  It can move very slowly, as it is short on dialogue and long on pauses, silences, and beautiful moments.

However, the soundtrack is inspired and combined with the brilliant cinematography which captures the stark beauty of Greenland and Iceland, will transport you into your own daydreams.

If you're looking to escape from the doldrums of your own monotony, the Secret Life of Walter Mitty will entertain and envelop you.

Film of the week: Enough Said

Well, I still haven't figured out why the film is called "Enough Said," but I sure am glad I saw it. Writer/Director Nicole Holofcener, who has written and directed such shows as Sex & the City, Gilmore Girls, and Parks & Recreation, has certainly dealt with the concept love in all stages of life.  This time, she tackles dating in the world of nearly-empty-nesters.

I was skeptical of the 95% positive critical acclaim the film received on rottentomatoes.com.  I thought maybe people were being extra lenient because the film stars the beloved deceased James Gandolfini, but my viewing experience supported that super-fresh tomato rating.

It's through the eyes of Julia Louis-Dreyfus' character Eva that we really see the story however.  How could a single girl in her late 20s relate to a ten-years divorced character in her fifties?  Easy.  When you're looking for love, no matter what age, it is an exciting, awkward, painful journey. And when you fall in love, you are like the Coyote who finds him self 10 yards past the cliff-edge, careening down.

But the thing is, a lot of us find ourselves stuck in that moment before the coyote actually falls.  We will defy the laws of gravity to protect ourselves.  This is exactly where Eva finds herself when she meets Albert (Gandolfini) at a party and they begin a courtship.  He is certainly not the Prince Charming she may have imagined herself, but he manages to charm her anyway.

But there are other factors at play, Eva finds herself in a friendship with Albert's ex-wife, Marianne, played by Catherine Keener, who is still bitter from their divorce.  As so many of us do, Eva can't seem to keep her friend's opinions from coloring her perception of the man she just can't make up her mind about.

Though Albert is more Shrek than Don Jon, I couldn't resist falling in love with him, myself, and being more than aware of seeing my own perfectionism and unrealistic expectations be reflected on the screen.

Eva's relationship with her daughter, Ellen (Tracey Fairaway) will also pull heart strings as the two prepare to separate when Ellen goes off to the east coast for school in the fall.  I found myself reliving my own departure for college, many moons ago, and having much more compassion for my mom.

Eva also experiences the challenges that dating with children can present when she meets Albert's daughter, Tess (Eve Hewson).

The film's not all sap, though.  An all-star ensemble, including Toni Colette and Ben Falcone, provides plenty of laughs.  Their own imperfect marriage is a testament to the idea that flaws are a normal part of any relationship, including and especially a healthy one.  

A word of caution if you go see this film in the theatre, though: Bring tissues.

Film review: GRAVITY will suck you in

Last night, I was treated to one of the purest films I've seen in a long time.  Gravity is written and directed by Alfonso Cuarón, with the help of his son, Jonas Cuarón.

 Alfonso, born in Mexico City, had wanted to be a filmmaker and astronaut from a young age.  Once he got a camera, though, filmmaking took center stage.  Despite being expelled from his Mexican film school for producing an English-language short film for an assignment, Alfonso went on to direct a host of critically-acclaimed successes, including Y Tu Mamá También (2001), Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004), and Children of Men (2006).

Gravity marries Alfonso's two childhood loves, space and film.  It stars Sandra Bullock and George Clooney, and features a mere three other voice-actors.  The film is a visual delight.  Pain-stakingly Produced over four years, Gravity will take you into the vastness of space with only Bullock and Clooney, show you the glory of the silence and beauty of being thousands of miles above it all.  Then, it will mercilessly cut you off from every comfort you know and leave you to survive the perils of zero gravity.

A simple tale of survival, we are with Bullock every moment of her struggle.  Clooney is a charming and soothing companion during her struggle.  You may not realize how connected you are until it's over, but this short thriller will reach the most basic depths of your humanity.  This one is a must see and is sure to be an Oscar contender on all fronts.

Blurred Lines between Virtual and Actual Reality in Navy Yard Shooting

Yesterday morning, I had the great misfortune of being stuck in traffic on I Street in South East Washington, DC on my way to cross the 11th St. Bridge into Virginia.  My misfortune was nothing, however, compared to that of the soldiers and staffers inside the US Navy Yard, who were at the time being threatened by a lone gunman, armed with a shotgun, picking off people at random and still at large.  Trapped in my lane, I had a front row seat to the unfolding scene.

I watched the men in uniform, marching with their ceremonial shot-guns toward their mandated shelter positions, joined by civilian staffers in colorful suits carrying large handbags.  Their demeanors did not betray the terror that was going on behind the walls.  They seemed to be keeping calm and carrying on.

While I waited, I imagined the lone gunman inside, creeping down dark corridors and around corners, picking off soldiers, and suddenly found myself inside his head and, oddly enough, inside a First-Person POV video game. Then, I had a terrible thought.

If I were a person who played so many video games that my lines between virtual reality and actual reality began to blur, and I wanted to really test my skills as one of these mercenaries, wouldn't breaking into a military base filled with plenty of dark corners and things to hide behind, and formidable targets such a US military soldiers be a pretty perfect way to do it?  Not to mention if I already had a vendetta against the place, as well as documented mental illness?

Now, I shook those off, disturbed by my vivid and momentary hypothetical, said a little prayer, and tried not to think about it.  I didn't know anything about the shooter or whether or not he played video games.  Who was I to make those kind of assumptions?

Then, they figured out who the shooter was, a former US Naval reservist named Aaron Alexis, and we started to learn more about him.  In an article from the British publication the Telegraph, a few quotes from a friend of Mr. Alexis's friend, Nutpisit Suthamtewakul, particularly jumped out at me.  Suthamtewakul first described Alexis as a "big brother", a buddhist, and a smart guy, but as Suthamtewakul got to know Alexis better, a more ominous aspect began to emerge.

"The darker side to Alexis's character saw him playing violent "zombie" video games in his room, sometimes from 12.30pm until 4.30am.

Mr Suthamtewakul said: "He could be in the game all day and all night. I think games might be what pushed him that way. He always had this fear people would steal his stuff so that's why he would carry his gun all the time. He would carry it when he was helping out in the restaurant which scared my customers."

In an article from RT.com, the contrasts of his personality were highlighted: 

"Pretty nice guy, didn't say anything much, you know, just said hello and kept moving,” said Calvin Belton, a neighbor of Alexis’. “He didn't strike me as anything was wrong with him." 

However, below the surface of his apparent neighborly congeniality lurked signs that he was suffering from internal demons. His own father once told detectives in Seattle that his son suffered “anger management problems” related to post-traumatic stress initiated by the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. 

In 2004, Seattle police said Alexis was arrested for shooting out the tires of a vehicle in what he later described to police as an anger-fueled “blackout,” AP reported. 

The more I read about this man and his past, the more I realize how frighteningly dead-on I was with my morbid day-dream.  People described the frightening similarity between Alexis' positioning as a shooter and the simulated perches of virtual snipers, gunning from the fourth floor at unsuspecting targets on the first floor of an atrium.  It's just like something out of a movie...or a video game.

Video games are now taking over the entertainment industry.  Though I am not a player of video games, I was an employee at a popular video game company and witnessed them amass over $600 million in sales in 24 hours upon the launch of their latest game.  Games appeal to users because unlike a watching movie which is a spectator activity, playing a video game allows you to become part of the action.

Video games were originally designed by the military to train and desensitize soldiers in preparation for the killing they would have to do in the field.  When you combine this training and desensitization with mental illness and anger management issues, as well as easy access to guns, you get, well...Aaron Alexis in the Navy Yard, dead, along with his 12 innocent victims.  Heavy video game play has been cited in the pasts of other killers, including Sandy Hook shooter, Adam Lanza.  There was a call for stricter violent video game regulation after the Sandy Hook massacre in this article from the NY Daily News. In fact, Lanza and Alexis used the same rifle in their violent crimes, the AR-15, which has been described as "the rifle for the sport of hunting humans."

First-Person POV Video games are not the only problem in these scenarios.  How the killers got access to both their weapons and entrance into their crime-scenes are a whole different story.  But, what is to be done about the glorification of violence that comes from First-Person shooter video games, and the blurred lines between entertainment and reality?  Considering that people took a day off work in celebration of today's launch of violent auto theft game: Grand Theft Auto,  can we ever put the cat back in the bag?