tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37081105070735411202024-03-12T19:05:10.292-07:00My MoviesSister Rose Pacatte, FSPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15633387315359598166noreply@blogger.comBlogger479125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3708110507073541120.post-71094565970536082222008-10-05T15:28:00.000-07:002008-10-08T16:33:06.946-07:00Religulous the Movie and new blog<P>Hi folks,</P>
<P>I am migrating my blog to WordPress - if I can! </P>
<P><A href="http://sisterrose.wordpress.com/"><FONT size=4>http://sisterrose.wordpress.com/</FONT></A></P>
<P><IMG height=219 src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiekxVEoXM3lshgE5CGAEHcST4qAYGiW-BAyBXYPXhvhB6JxYGZ2yBMxNYBit1IxMCjFwflxG62oKu49FvMq858BrnWIOxt9I7QhV-njEaIVMDl4_bTktgVr2dfcW9K8O51yznJAgerSOvR/s1600-r/pic%3Fid=3750Ca6KnZSWtx2JQnc2ufbpw8MpwGTSrgZe&size=m" width=239/></P>
<P>AOL is discontinuing its JOURNAL service at the end of this month!</P>
<P> </P>
<DIV class=tags id=tagsLocation><BR/>Tags: <A href="http://technorati.com/tag/Religulous+the+Movie%3B+SisterRose%27s+blog" target=_blank rel=tag>Religulous the Movie; SisterRose's blog</A></DIV>
<DIV id=metrics contentEditable=false style="DISPLAY: none; FILTER: alpha(opacity=0)"><A href="http://technorati.com/tag/aoljpictureUpload" target=_blank rel=tag>aoljpictureUpload</A>, <A href="http://technorati.com/tag/aoljpictureUpload_1" target=_blank rel=tag>aoljpictureUpload_1</A></DIV>Sister Rose Pacatte, FSPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15633387315359598166noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3708110507073541120.post-15978990918426666502008-09-23T09:49:00.000-07:002008-10-08T16:33:06.946-07:00Fireproof the Movie<P><IMG src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia7hqer3qKfBAR_v6M_fB_XHR65ufj3dexQq25iWJWC_sNpmcjyEnA-3gKGKibIEKeq2BblY78JX13jb_VX9zR9N8qozvTzRP_eQn6Qi785kE2-mzFszUQvh5rUFGFhmaiNrnmctuRvpyP/s1600-r/pic%3Fid=3750Ca6KnZSWtx2JQnc2ufbpwyfLdTXRwjWe&size=m"/></P>
<P>As many of you know, FIREPROOF opened this past weekend. My review is available at the <EM>St. Anthony Messenger</EM> website:</P>
<P><A href="http://americancatholic.org/Messenger/Oct2008/Eye_On_Entertainment.asp#F3">http://americancatholic.org/Messenger/Oct2008/Eye_On_Entertainment.asp#F3</A></P>
<P><IMG src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgk1i2Ie5MAQ_RD8igdto0z-DwTS9FTbrKkVTdQH1qCRdB4xZQ8ibTN8C_mTQWDHHLDOyGH4roYFyxKz8T9AshRv2kuE3U-9rSDXg00lChxs54UPAov6TiqAe3RWyrn7nxC3dpbZLewuFO/s1600-r/pic%3Fid=3750Ca6KnZSWtx2JQnc2ufbpw6RulgqzzU8B&size=m"/></P>
<P>Kirk Cameron in FIREPROOF</P>
<P>I have seen several other reviews and the emphasis is on how the film deals with a Christian marriage on the brink of divorce and the causes: lack of communication, selfishness, etc. But the strength of this film is its willingness to look at the impact of pornography on a marriage. No one wants to consider the influence of this social virus on the souls of individuals, marriages, and relationships.</P>
<P>I say "kudos" to the filmmakers for finally talking about the invisible elephant in the living room of "good" families. </P>
<P>Watch how the Cameron character treats his mother and his wife. He has no respect for anyone except his buddies at the fire station. Thank goodness his own father is willing to persevere and work with his son - before it is too late.</P>
<P>The film does preference "message" over "art" but because the theme is such an important issue, I recommend the film to begin a conversation about pornography in the faith community and beyond.</P>
<P> </P>
<DIV class=tags id=tagsLocation><BR/>Tags: <A href="http://technorati.com/tag/Pornography+and+religion%3B+pornography+and+marriage%3B+divorce+and+pornography" target=_blank rel=tag>Pornography and religion; pornography and marriage; divorce and pornography</A></DIV>
<DIV id=metrics contentEditable=false style="DISPLAY: none; FILTER: alpha(opacity=0)"><A href="http://technorati.com/tag/aoljpictureUpload" target=_blank rel=tag>aoljpictureUpload</A>, <A href="http://technorati.com/tag/aoljpictureUpload_2" target=_blank rel=tag>aoljpictureUpload_2</A></DIV>Sister Rose Pacatte, FSPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15633387315359598166noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3708110507073541120.post-83942439256479102792008-09-12T10:09:00.000-07:002008-10-08T16:33:06.947-07:00Burn After Reading the Movie<P><SPAN class=apple-style-span><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin">Here's my theory about the film that opened the Venice International Film Festival in late August (I posted something about this film earlier). </SPAN></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN class=apple-style-span><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin">The Coen Brothers were sitting around one day, shooting the breeze, basking in the impending glow of an Oscar after working so hard on NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN, thinking of the political landscape and wondering what kind of mischief they might make between the US, its citizens and Russia before the election - with as little money - and effort - as possible. Another Cold War? Remember, the Coens thought of it first. </SPAN></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN class=apple-style-span><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin">What they came up with is an ensemble cast of actors making crazy with a very funny convoluted script and a low budget. You can look up the actors on <A href="http://www.imdb.com/"><FONT color=#800080>www.imdb.com</FONT></A>. </SPAN></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN class=apple-style-span><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin"></SPAN></SPAN> </P>
<P><SPAN class=apple-style-span><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin"><SPAN class=apple-style-span><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin"><IMG src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL0RIsBJ9zv841sQu0d7sEPI6O9peceRJ9Ylr4Hhy9O3u4vYrBiayN6mAXV-I0lXoCu2YOm90XUu2GKxHs1A8H2SqWqC8xETnw6DJF0GIVza4gf-iD7M5ODdt9NOKyWpDI2RZWArYIn-A0/s1600-r/pic%3Fid=3750Ca6KnZSWtx2JQnc2ufbpw5jeiQJT9hqu&size=m"/></SPAN></SPAN></SPAN></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN class=apple-style-span><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin">But let me mention a few.... </SPAN></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN class=apple-style-span><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin">Brad Pitt as a 40-something acting like a 20-something airhead gym trainer is hilarious. </SPAN></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN class=apple-style-span><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin">Frances McDormand, as Brad Pitt's co-conspirator, is wry, distsy, and pretty much an idiot along with most of the cast. </SPAN></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN class=apple-style-span><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin">Tilda Swinton, the unhappy ice queen, is still the ice queen. Brrr. Scary. </SPAN></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN class=apple-style-span><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin">John Malkovich, for once more or less innocent, gets pay back for all the bad guys he ever played. When he is fired from his top level job at the CIA, a disk with his resume and ongoing jobs is lost, McDormand and Pitt find it, and almost like a McGuffin, that misplaced disk gets things rolling. </SPAN></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN class=apple-style-span><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin">Richard Jenkins, the well-deserved flavor of the month actor, or year, rather, is very good as the gym manager who loves the McDormand character - and loses. </SPAN></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN class=apple-style-span><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin">Alas, she's too busy manufacturing a spy conspiracy, to notice. </SPAN></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN class=apple-style-span><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin">George Clooney, back on his most familiar K Street in DC, said this is the third idiot movie he has made for the Coens. OK. Not his best (O BROTHER WHERE ART THOU is, in my opinion), but he'll do. </SPAN></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN class=apple-style-span><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin">There is some graphic violence and other distasteful aspects that will make some viewers uncomfortable. But as a funny, improbable film, it'll do. </SPAN></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN class=apple-style-span><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin">Does the film make a political statement? Oh yes. Cynicism and metaphorical satire in the hands of the Coen Brothers. Well, you know what they're like.</SPAN></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN class=apple-style-span><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin">I hope these guys leavetheir brains to science. Or somebody, take an MRI. </SPAN></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN class=apple-style-span><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin">Brilliant. </SPAN></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN class=apple-style-span><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin">The Italians loved the movie. And you have to ask 'why'?</SPAN></SPAN></P>
<DIV class=tags id=tagsLocation><BR/>Tags: <A href="http://technorati.com/tag/Burn+After+Reading" target=_blank rel=tag>Burn After Reading</A></DIV>Sister Rose Pacatte, FSPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15633387315359598166noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3708110507073541120.post-18857038710602830302008-09-09T14:12:00.000-07:002008-10-08T16:33:06.947-07:00MASTER TEACHER IN MEDIA LITERACY CERTIFICATION COURSE SET TO BEGIN<P class=MsoNormal>
<P class=MsoNormal><B><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: #943634"></SPAN></B></P><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">The 2008 – 2009 MASTER TEACHER IN MEDIA LITERACY certification course is set to begin on September 20th at the Pauline Center for Media Studies, 3908 Sepulveda Blvd., Culver City, CA.</SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Full details and a registration form are available at <A href="http://exchange.paulinemedia.com/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.PaulineCMS.org" target=_blank>www.PaulineCMS.org</A> or you can obtain a form at the Pauline Book & Media Center, 3908 Sepulveda Blvd., Culver City, CA. 90230.</SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Since 2007 more than 30 catechists, teachers, and pastoral ministers have been certified. This certification is recognized by the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, and the Dioceses of Orange and San Diego. Please see <A href="http://exchange.paulinemedia.com/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.PaulineCMS.org" target=_blank>www.PaulineCMS.org</A> for more information.</SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">The deadline for registration is September 15th.</SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal><B><SPAN style="COLOR: #943634">Please feel free to forward this notice. <I>Thank you!</I></SPAN></B></P>
<DIV class=tags id=tagsLocation><BR/>Tags: <A href="http://technorati.com/tag/Media+literacy+training%3B+media+literacy+certification%3B+media+literacy+course" target=_blank rel=tag>Media literacy training; media literacy certification; media literacy course</A></DIV>Sister Rose Pacatte, FSPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15633387315359598166noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3708110507073541120.post-24813962917608215162008-09-05T07:38:00.000-07:002008-10-08T16:33:06.948-07:00HURT LOCKER wins Catholic Jury Prize at 65th Venice Film Festival<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-GB style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB"><FONT face=Times></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-GB style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB"><FONT face=Times></FONT></SPAN> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><FONT size=4><SPAN lang=EN-GB style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB">The SIGNIS Jury has awarded its Grand Prize to Kathryn Bigelow’s anti-war film THE HURT LOCKER. According to the jury’s statement, the motivation for this choice is the filmmaker’s </SPAN><SPAN lang=EN-GB style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt">uncompromising approach to the Iraq war and its consequences seen through the experience of the bomb diffusion specialists for whom war is an addiction rather than a cause. “The film challenges the audience’s view of war in general and the current war in particular because it demonstrates the struggle between violence to the body and psychological alienation.”</SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN lang=EN-GB style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt"><FONT size=4></FONT></SPAN> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN lang=EN-GB style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt"><FONT size=4>The SIGNIS jury also gave one commendation to VEGAS: BASED ON A TRUE STORY, a small budget film that is an allegory about futile obsession and greed of a marginalized family on the periphery of Las Vegas and another commendation to TEZA, a film that highlights the conflict between ideology and the personal life of an Ethiopian intellectual. </FONT></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><SPAN lang=EN-GB style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt"><FONT size=4></FONT></SPAN> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><FONT face=Verdana><FONT face="Times New Roman"><FONT size=4><SPAN lang=EN-GB style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt">This year is the 60th anniversary of the Catholic jury at the Venice Film Festival coordinated by SIGNIS, the world Catholic association for communication based in Brussels. The members of the international jury are </SPAN><SPAN lang=EN-GB style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB">Rose Pacatte, president of the jury (United States, researcher and film critic), Sergio Joel Ascencio Casillas (Mexico, researcher and film critic), </SPAN></FONT></FONT><SPAN lang=EN-GB style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: Times; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-font-family: Times; mso-fareast-language: IT; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA"><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=4>Raffaella Giancristofaro (Italy, journalist and film critic), Peter Malone (Australia, journalist and film critic), Charles Martig (Switzerland, journalist and film critic), , Federico Pontiggia (Italy, journalist and film critic), Freddy Sartor, Belgium, journalist and film critic).</FONT> </SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><FONT face=Verdana><SPAN lang=EN-GB style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: Times; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-font-family: Times; mso-fareast-language: IT; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA"></SPAN></FONT> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify"><FONT face=Verdana><SPAN lang=EN-GB style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: Times; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-font-family: Times; mso-fareast-language: IT; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA">www.SIGNIS.net</SPAN></FONT></P>
<DIV class=tags id=tagsLocation><BR/>Tags: <A href="http://technorati.com/tag/HURT+LOCKER+wins+Catholic+Jury+Prize+at+Venice" target=_blank rel=tag>HURT LOCKER wins Catholic Jury Prize at Venice</A></DIV>Sister Rose Pacatte, FSPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15633387315359598166noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3708110507073541120.post-2831929596484199082008-09-05T07:34:00.000-07:002008-10-08T16:33:06.948-07:00WRESTLER and the last day at the festival!<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN lang=EN-GB style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB">Last Day at the Venice Film Festival</SPAN></B></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN lang=EN-GB style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB"></SPAN></B><SPAN lang=EN-GB style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB"></SPAN> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-GB style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB">Well, almost the last day. It is Friday afternoon. There was to have been a screening last night ... The Seed of Disconent ... an Italian sex comedy, but the print didn,t arrive on time for the 7pm screening, so I missed it as there was no way I was going to a 10.30pm screening. The other members of the jury who did go told me the film didn-t meet our criteria anyway. Then this morning we saw THE WRESTLER.</SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-GB style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB"></SPAN> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-GB style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB">Then our jury met at the Excellsior Hotel in the room provided by a Catholic film group from Rome, and we discerned which film would receive our prize. </SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-GB style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB"></SPAN> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-GB style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB">The award ceremony is tomorrow afternoon in the Press Conference Room here at the Casino. Then the jury was given some tickets for the awards ceremony and the dinner after. I am not a night person as many of you know so I didn-t volunteer. Alas, as the president of the jury it seems good for me to go, though we are small fish in a very large ocean over here. Will report on this once I get back to LA.</SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-GB style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB"></SPAN> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-GB style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB">The days here have been warm and last night there was a thunder storm, but other than that, heavenly. Blue sky and sun. OK, some humidity and annoying beatialini ... bugs. Cigarette smoke like you wouldn,t believe, and if there was a visual motif that ran through all the films at the festival, it was cigarette smoking. I took some photos of the cigarette displays in one of the shops. You wouldn,t believe the warnings they have on the packs over here. But do the warnings work... are you kidding ... the punctuation on this keyboard has been re/programmed so please correct as you go along.</SPAN></P>
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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-GB style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB">So, </SPAN></P>
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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-GB style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB">THE WRESTLER<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>... Stars Mickey Rourke as Randy the Ram, a professional wrestler on his last legs. He cannot pay his rent at the trailer park where he lives in New Jersey ... Rahway I think, there is no wife in the picture, but a friendly stripper, and he is alienated from his daughter. He still wrestles on the weekends but works in the back of a supermarket wekedays. He also takes steroids and sells traffics in pills on the side. But he-s got a good heart and he still has his fans.... some anyway. Then he has a heart attack and is told he has to stop wrestling. It is not so easy.... I thought Rourke did an excellent job in this role. It is a very sad film, however, and filled with loneliness.</SPAN></P>
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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-GB style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB"><IMG src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFyoW-_kEk1inOoXX8778q6o1eJ2-59znpo3oWfQtFZ2dFihD1MIgYkmly9xxt8Pz4TEmRKM_kiZ6JyPUZDVMPYtvR2ePO8JQjR_GfDSIZ63CsIUGu3i3zQ36EzaXvfzHkDZ0S0FtehyphenhyphenAC/s1600-r/pic%3Fid=3750Ca6KnZSWtx2JQnc2ufbpw5Lpy9MQl6BW&size=m"/> </SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-GB style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB">Mickey Rourke in THE WRESTLER</SPAN></P>
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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-GB style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB">And this, my friends, is my last film of the festival! Thanks for reading along....</SPAN></P>
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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-GB style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB">Blessings. I will post photos or a link to Shutterfly as soon as I can.</SPAN></P>
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<DIV class=tags id=tagsLocation><BR/>Tags: <A href="http://technorati.com/tag/Venice+Film+Festival" target=_blank rel=tag>Venice Film Festival</A>, <A href="http://technorati.com/tag/The+Wrestler" target=_blank rel=tag>The Wrestler</A></DIV>Sister Rose Pacatte, FSPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15633387315359598166noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3708110507073541120.post-57307823611422436182008-09-04T10:57:00.000-07:002008-10-08T16:33:06.949-07:00Rachel Getting Married, Nuit de Chien, Hurt Locker, Gabbla (Inland)<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN lang=EN-GB style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB">Nuit de chien</SPAN></B></P>
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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-GB style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB">This stylistic theatrical (as on the stage) film is a walk on the dark side of politics where everyone must make a choice. And everyone dies, the point is when. The theme is political manipulation in a an imagined fascist state. For me, it was not so easy to watch. But then I had the pleasure of meeting one of the executive producers who came to the ecumenical round-table yesterday on the human and spiritual values of contemporary Chinese film (how’s that for a topic?). We got to talking and found that she is a Catholic and went to a Catholic boarding school growing up. We had breakfast together at the hotel this morning; what a wonderful lady. There is a chance the film may win an award here …. </SPAN></P>
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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN lang=EN-GB style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB">The Sky Crawlers</SPAN></B></P>
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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-GB style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB">For all you anime lovers! Warner Bros. has distribution so I imagine this Japanese film will come to the US. This very long film is for older teens and young adults. Don’t let the animation fool you. The film is a sci-fi fusion of animation styles… and not one computer is to be seen throughout. The story follows a very youthful looking pilot, one of the <SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>‘Kildren’ , a by-product of genetic manipulation that clones people who never grow up…. And can only die if they are killed in war. No problem… the wars are manufactured and continual and carried out by companies who exist to fight wars to give people the illusion of peace. Because you only know what peace is if there is a war going on, right? The film is actually an existential conversation between characters about whether or not living is relevant and if walking along a country road each day with the possibility to <SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>notice something new makes life worth living. Although this genre is not my favourite, I must admit that it launched many conversations among us jurors. It took way too long to get into the story (as did many of the films at Venice this year….). If you like thoughtful films, you may want to check this one out. It is based on a best-selling Japanese novel.</SPAN></P>
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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN lang=EN-GB style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB">Rachel Getting Married</SPAN></B></P>
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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-GB style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB">This Jonathan Demme film stars Anne Hathaway as Kym, the sister of Rachel, who gets out of rehab just in time for Rachel’s wedding. This is a film that works the 12-step program through and through, and to good effect, I thought. It’s also done with a hand-held camera (as were several films at Venice this year) and according to Demme, he wanted it to be the best home movie ever. It probably achieved that. I really like cultural inclusivity in film, but I thought this pushed a good thing into pure pastiche. Having said this, I think this is an interesting and even important film about family relations and healing. Also, Anne Hathaway proves she has acting chops … she is not just a pretty face... Screenplay by Jenny Lumet... daughter of Sidney.</SPAN></P>
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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN lang=EN-GB style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB"><IMG src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuzn4Ago8D25rMuuZ4Gga-PTI2Pl9YlhbKMPpBfIXMY4XMboerzInitDsAVAoWg9n1aGvMEXenx0GxUap8RF8QcDKeP8xKAQ16sPKN26aVXd_YZMPWJAgsti5i67GPQ-mTMWP8njKZMXQQ/s1600-r/pic%3Fid=3750Ca6KnZSWtx2JQnc2ufbpw3Qa-2q5OmZD&size=m"/></SPAN></B></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN lang=EN-GB style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB">Anne Hathaway as Kym and Rosemarie DeWitt as Rachel.</SPAN></B></P>
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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN lang=EN-GB style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB">Gabbla (Inland)</SPAN></B></P>
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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-GB style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB">An Algerian surveyor must go into the outback to re-map an area in order to bring in electrical lines to remote villages. He is part of a kind of coffee house intelligentsia/anti-intelligensia group as well that is pushing for a revolution. Once he gets to the village, he meets with hostile local officials who don't seem to want government interference. At the same time, Africans from other countries are sneaking into Algeria to escape persecution in their own countries and the main character discovers a woman in his poor trailer one day….</SPAN></P>
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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-GB style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB">This extremely long film took almost 90 minutes to get to the action. <SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>It is a true art house style of filmmaking that invites contemplation rather than the expectation of cause-effect narrative. </SPAN></P>
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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN lang=EN-GB style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB">The Hurt Locker</SPAN></B></P>
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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-GB style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB">This Kathryn Bigelow film will go down in cinema history as part of the Iraqi war film genre. It follows three soldiers through their last month as a team that diffuses roadside bombs. The premise of the film is that war is addictive. It is relentless in its pursuit of getting the audience to experience even a little of what these soldiers, all male, go through and how once one of them gets home, he cannot settle. He has to go back to find meaning on his life. This film will not be commercially viable but in a few years it will be seen as an important investigation into the psyche of soldiering for a war with no reason, and into the banality of the military’s attempt as assuaging the impending tragedy of the lives of these soldiers. Hand-held camera…. Visceral.</SPAN></P>
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<DIV class=tags id=tagsLocation><BR/>Tags: <A href="http://technorati.com/tag/Venice+Film+Festival+Reviews+2008" target=_blank rel=tag>Venice Film Festival Reviews 2008</A></DIV>
<DIV id=metrics contentEditable=false style="DISPLAY: none; FILTER: alpha(opacity=0)"><A href="http://technorati.com/tag/aoljpictureUpload" target=_blank rel=tag>aoljpictureUpload</A>, <A href="http://technorati.com/tag/aoljpictureUpload_1" target=_blank rel=tag>aoljpictureUpload_1</A></DIV>Sister Rose Pacatte, FSPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15633387315359598166noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3708110507073541120.post-1611516542793854212008-09-02T08:16:00.000-07:002008-10-08T16:33:06.949-07:00Teza, Pranza di Ferragosto, Paper Soldier<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-GB style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB">Tuesday, September 2</SPAN></P>
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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN lang=EN-GB style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB">Teza</SPAN></B></P>
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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-GB style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB">This is the first film I have ever seen by an Ethiopian filmmaker. It tells the story of a young man, Teza, who is caught up in the Marxist revolution that replaced Haile Selassie around 1970. He is sent to study medicine in East Germany, and then returns in 1980 and finally in 1990. It is a very long film (it could have used a better editor) and for the most part, artfully made. Although the people are Coptic Christians (and religion plays a big, though not very influential part in the film), tribal customs are still strong. Teza’s ideology is severely challenged<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>when he returns to Ethiopia in 1980 to see his mother and family. He takes a job at a research hospital but a friend is killed and he never gets to see his mother. He flees back to East Germany when the revolution turns bad then<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>after the fall of the Berlin Wall, another reversal of ideology that allows racism, sends him home, finally, maimed in body and soul. (The film also focuses son the Italian colonization of Ethiopia as well….) A film that preferences narrative over plot, but interesting.</SPAN></P>
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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN lang=EN-GB style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB">Paper Soldier (Bumazhny soldat)<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN></SPAN></B></P>
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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-GB style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB">In 1961 the Soviets were preparing to send up the first cosmonaut intospace. <I style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">Paper Soldier</I> follows the angst of a medical doctor who helps train the young men, one of whom is chosen for the flight. His wife, also a doctor, is in Moscow and wants to have a child; he has a mistress back in Kazakhstan. He also has visions of his dead parents, and he and his colleagues all have existential questions about life and death. It was like a Woody Allen film without the humor. </SPAN></P>
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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-GB style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB">However, <I style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">Paper Soldier</I> is an interesting film as far as contemporary Russian filmmaking goes. Most of the action takes place in Kazakhstan and the cold landscape is a principle character in the the history the film describes.</SPAN></P>
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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">Mid-August Lunch<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>(Pranzo di Ferragosto)</B></P>
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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-GB style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB"><IMG src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5c7n9aaolsRS605bUp91_R4G2JpRcujHk71NQvaUw2fP1Vy_7hXe58AIBqQy7A80IffQoEP8Oww-zkFuAMkQwCRZvW9j-aMEb-lOfyGPm02ifcVT9n-NzBt2vbhe3Ex719ne-oY60hQeV/s1600-r/pic%3Fid=3750Ca6KnZSWtx2JQnc2ufbpw4SRmzD48*xN%26size%3Dm"/></SPAN></P>
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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-GB style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB">Gianni is a good-hearted middle-aged man who lives with his elderly mother in Rome. He shops for them and adds to his accounts in the shops. He is way behind in his maintenance payments to his condo association and way, way behind on his electrical bill. His super arrives for the accounting and then says he will take care of everything if Gianni will look after his own elderly mother for the August holiday. Gianni knows a good thing when he sees it even though he is reluctant. The super arrives later with his elderly mother … and an elderly aunt in tow. Another old lady arrives and this is a set up for a genuinely entertaining 75 minute film. The film is directed by Gianni Di Gregorio, writtenby him and he decided to play the main role …. Because this actually happened tohim. Well, several years ago he was asked to take care of someone’s mother and he said ‘no’. But he got an idea for the film and it stayed with him.W</SPAN><SPAN lang=EN-GB style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB">hat might have happened had he said yes? He admits it is a small film but it is also a quietly brilliant film that I think would do well in the US. </SPAN></P>
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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-GB style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB"></SPAN></P>Sister Rose Pacatte, FSPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15633387315359598166noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3708110507073541120.post-40234911176229861552008-09-02T07:42:00.000-07:002008-10-08T16:33:06.949-07:00Venice Film Festival Photos<P><IMG src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzz8hg8oID6fhYIgqwxpYtQAnekLbKh9C3LTL5dsGcehg8gCJ4zyL9VwxpsfeHacZZcHPd7DpxDihMosEwyKnE9hPKLeH_Cr8KLG6YJSGPZkFJTPWOOj2hCBGCBQenD6dmWgoAWHy5TIr0/s1600-r/pic%3Fid=3750Ca6KnZSWtx2JQnc2ufbpw4uxlGHDclHf&size=m"/></P>
<P>This is the official logo or graphic of the festival this year and I couldn't find it on google images (!) so I took a photo of a billboard... :-) They are big on piracy issues this year here. Digital cinema is also a hot topic.</P>
<P><IMG src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGvub1MqqBCgfBJquzFchSV5ZaAdoyxCCHxtUZhQaa0cDMTR7IUicZ1-aHmGy89FZg5yZWceQhLw1IcrUMMcL7pu62KhUGwRMaXhcZvlpWkfFvdhh8gP4_MxwOKIvtQHQtWX4nDtMaHp0w/s1600-r/pic%3Fid=3750Ca6KnZSWtx2JQnc2ufbpw5jpK8088Ty1&size=m"/></P>
<P>Here are some photos I have taken from the festival so far... No, there aren't any of anyone famous (yet). I haven't been going to the press conferences and the journalists have finally figured out which door the celebs enter and exit from (in 2000 there were only two of us hanging around and that's how we got to meet Ed Harris...)</P>
<P>Anyway, these may or may not be in any order, but here goes!</P>
<P><IMG src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFrm-PiH8c5jVmIpWRff9hyIK1FHIvX-U_pIzcOBz_HjFM_IkoLvTntTYv5PmGHCaMTFGmqVsSpEktp2n8Se67a_6IUzYugNuVs1IjJitHq70SWSHf6ePgWbmqiS3OlSDPIlFmaCdJi_y2/s1600-r/pic%3Fid=3750Ca6KnZSWtx2JQnc2ufbpwwyARNA9lDIh&size=m"/></P>
<P>Freddie Sartor, a SIGNIS (Catholic) Jury member from Belgium on the left and Fr. Peter Malone, MSH, who heads the SIGNIS chair for cinema and is a jury member as well.</P>
<P><IMG src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjexpeXW3eSkBsuAru57uNx-Bz6VZraF-SjUIdikgGsS3w1_9aFTD5LMwoX3_7OvtjYv1M5SyBRBhHUkvFabqg_LPhchfznpLIJ21nFFJvkNwwBB-qCyVjUD4UQIKkJcX1xpe0yfMjOiR2S/s1600-r/pic%3Fid=3750Ca6KnZSWtx2JQnc2ufbpwwW290w1D7sA&size=m"/></P>
<P><IMG src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxky3AbjZS2lxf135NJo3E5_EblTQQQFvPF4QO-ZmNiLx6g5kp8uNtztcyUgypr0erkiesfln2Fwy-EX-bttXZGx0o_4pT3klGvJpvtHfnxV0YT5Nz02MXfSif6olAXEKwOl5ZmLO_KevY/s1600-r/pic%3Fid=3750Ca6KnZSWtx2JQnc2ufbpw50i1WHBZ8qm&size=m"/></P>
<P><IMG src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSV5Fs4X8-t43_R2jQWTnYTlnVraAVHlz-frlP21bLxvyqwe0PVBEl1s-fJ84XAQsTUV12KHtHNJ5cstBrJjz1rjctafJH0bSMrbJEhhq_cZxrtYa2c2l-BknxjUmrCFqU3Z5yLde_QzXd/s1600-r/pic%3Fid=3750Ca6KnZSWtx2JQnc2ufbpwzwKfUcHfV7W&size=m"/></P>
<P><IMG src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhvvMExrIogVeiCyFuX6vunAXTYY0UK1A1_4-sLE-GcGiMDMfXKpAg0456gbUibE8d5AyOwgzwz_0gikILYGpYzpC8QNJkaLy3hj2SF_DBjSrvTgO8UOBD4WE_AybgOC7m3RmrncJqIopj/s1600-r/pic%3Fid=3750Ca6KnZSWtx2JQnc2ufbpw0508-xYKdvm&size=m"/></P>
<P>This was opening night... waiting for George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Coen Brothers...</P>
<P><IMG src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBWTmzHx84PodNQPWO2GZtSYaiO6tZJEHSi9FA-_u_X3wc0Bt-1r9rkY_kmL4qljEqTkhXDPpkfT4qwP88YFDtss1rNLzgqkhTQJ7d2_Ao36Ok7I49OmuerKOkXQgHCxvktuiCYOVlaJGJ/s1600-r/pic%3Fid=3750Ca6KnZSWtx2JQnc2ufbpwxfhzTekNUci&size=m"/></P>
<P><IMG src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiiZ-tOtEcaWkSnFI9qWMDp_Zaq0gvnZDuK9PgKHKbuhPUWKF0CJfVe6qiFQ3iMjIciuvBaUcxv_TNQdbtN0ypqJ7cG6NeWn1ACNxmrlFoLSadgLFDXtdoaHW8Fby3j7ZGbDaoWeeWTGoB/s1600-r/pic%3Fid=3750Ca6KnZSWtx2JQnc2ufbpw4c-2UdGsGBw&size=m"/></P>
<P>The Excellsior Hotel, Lido</P>
<DIV class=tags id=tagsLocation><BR/>Tags: <A href="http://technorati.com/tag/Venice+Film+Festival+photos" target=_blank rel=tag>Venice Film Festival photos</A></DIV>
<DIV id=metrics contentEditable=false style="DISPLAY: none; FILTER: alpha(opacity=0)"><A href="http://technorati.com/tag/aoljpictureUpload" target=_blank rel=tag>aoljpictureUpload</A>, <A href="http://technorati.com/tag/aoljpictureUpload_3" target=_blank rel=tag>aoljpictureUpload_3</A></DIV>Sister Rose Pacatte, FSPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15633387315359598166noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3708110507073541120.post-33467946123457477722008-09-01T08:43:00.000-07:002008-10-08T16:33:06.950-07:00Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea; Vegas: Based on a True Story; Sut - Milk; The Birdwatchers<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt">
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-GB style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB"></SPAN> </P><FONT size=4><SPAN lang=EN-GB style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB">Monday at the Venice Film Festival September 1</SPAN> </FONT>
<P></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-GB style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB"><FONT size=4></FONT></SPAN> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-GB style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB"><FONT size=4>Today is quite warm and humid – but it’s Venice and there is water, water everywhere! I don’t think I mentioned the mosquito mutants that come out at dusk here. They are like flying chiggers and they attack as a mob. Bring OFF if you ever come to Venice (or any part of Italy for that matter….)</FONT></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-GB style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB"><FONT size=4></FONT></SPAN> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-GB style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB"><FONT size=4>Tomorrow is the presentation of the Prix Bresson, a Catholic prize. I will have more information on it tomorrow or on Wednesday. Then on Wednesday, there will be an ecumenical panel. I am not sure of the theme yet but I know a couple of the folks who will be representing InterFilm, Hans Hoedel and Karsten. More after the event. Both will be held at the Excelsior (Westin) Hotel for those of you who know Venice.</FONT></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-GB style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB"><FONT size=4></FONT></SPAN> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-GB style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB"><FONT size=4>On the steps outside of the Sala Perla (the Casino), a young woman asked me the time and hearing her American accent, asked where she was from: North Carolina. She is studying in Italy and is here to see what the festival is all about. I invited her to the two events this week; I hope she will come.</FONT></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-GB style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB"><FONT size=4></FONT></SPAN> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-GB style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB"><FONT size=4>So here are the recent films:</FONT></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN lang=EN-GB style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB"><FONT size=4></FONT></SPAN></B> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN style="mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt"><FONT size=4>Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea </FONT></SPAN></B></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN style="mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt"><FONT size=4>Gake no ue no Ponyo</FONT></SPAN></P>
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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN style="mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt"><FONT size=4></FONT></SPAN> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN style="mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt"><FONT size=4><IMG height=283 src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV81Ubr1ZehSWq0mKxBK2h69QkSS9sEdZPmIMTbyPk14dmDBh66MGAkWWrf89ICtkUsOr8zRwWmQ1KBMvJHsCzUWHqGvUNHFbFYaoUwrNjsxkTx_yP2IW5sUKPmlgmZjVWcxU5cbwgc6YK/s1600-r/pic%3Fid=3750Ca6KnZSWtx2JQnc2ufbpw996CG9v*W*w%26size%3Dm" width=232/></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN style="mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt"><FONT size=4></FONT></SPAN> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN style="mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt"><FONT size=4>Another animated treat from Hayao Miyazaki<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>(Spirited Away; Howl’s Moving Castle) that will <SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>enchant the very young and old alike. A princess goldfish wants to become a human. She is rescued by a five year-old boy, Sosuke. He has a cut on his hand and when she licks it, it is healed. A taste of Sosuke’s blood allows her to turn human. Sosuke and his mother, Lisa, live on an Island. Lisa works at a residence for senior citizens and Sosuke is a favorite with the ladies. Sosuke’s dad is a captain of a ship. When a great storm arises because<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>her mother, the Sea Queen, and her father, who used to be human, want her back. Sosuke and Ponyo have a great adventure …. </FONT></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN style="mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt"><FONT size=4></FONT></SPAN> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN style="mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt"><FONT size=4>Some of the critics present think this is a film for 4 and 5 yeasr-olds, but I think it might be a tad scary for children this young. Seven and eight might be better. The animation is just lovely and the story moves right along. I would not say this has a linear story line, but who cares? It is uncomplicated and totally enjoyable. The music is very good, and the Sea Queen looks like a Disney character…. But since Miyazaki is known as Japan’s Walt Disney,<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>so I guess we can forgive him that. At least none of the characters here are sexualized, unlike many Disney animated female characters. I thought this might be a Japanese version of The Little Mermaid, but thankfully, it is not. It is kind of funny to see human faces on Ponyo’s species of fish, but in an animated world, everything is possible. This is a story where key the girl and boy characters are both heroes. Finally.</FONT></SPAN></P>
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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><B><SPAN style="LETTER-SPACING: -0.75pt; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt"><FONT size=4>Vegas: Based on a True Story</FONT></SPAN></B></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN style="LETTER-SPACING: -0.75pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt"><FONT size=4></FONT></SPAN> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN style="LETTER-SPACING: -0.75pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt"><FONT size=4>This is the fifth American film from Iranian director Amir Nadiri (<I style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">Manhattan by Numbers</I>). Here he tells the story of Eddie and Tracy Parker, both recovering alcoholics and gamblers<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>trying to go straight (especially Tracy) and their 12 year-old son Mitch. They live in a double-wide trailor on the outskirts of Vegas. Tracy is a waitress in a diner and Eddie works at a tire repair place. Tracy treasures her garden. One day, a Marine shows up asking to buy their neat little homestead; he says he grew up on this lot and his mother now wants to live there again. He tells the Parkers they can name their price. </FONT></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN style="LETTER-SPACING: -0.75pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt"><FONT size=4></FONT></SPAN> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN style="LETTER-SPACING: -0.75pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt"><FONT size=4>Tracy says no, and Eddie discovers that the Marine is really an imposter. When Eddie confronts him, the ‘marine’ tells him the ‘truth’: the Gibson gang buried a million dollars on their property in the 1960’s…. Suddenly, everything Tracy and Eddie have worked for: stability, hard work, a nice, well-kept home,<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>church on Sundays, is all gone as little by little they chip away at their property and dignity to take a chance that the buried money is in their yard. </FONT></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN style="LETTER-SPACING: -0.75pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt"><FONT size=4></FONT></SPAN> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN style="LETTER-SPACING: -0.75pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt"><FONT size=4>The wind-blown, dirt-filled, landscape is a metaphor for the way some people fall prey to gambling, and Vegas blows right through everything they own or ever hope to be. (Did you ever hear of Reality Gambling? I had not heard of it until this film, but it is easy to see how people can be taken by it, but very sad to think that human beings would do this to others.)</FONT></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN style="LETTER-SPACING: -0.75pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt"><FONT size=4></FONT></SPAN> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN style="LETTER-SPACING: -0.75pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt"><FONT size=4>This is a film every self-help and recovery group will want to see and consider. <I style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">Vegas</I> is a very strong film, though obviously low budget. It hits home.</FONT></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN style="LETTER-SPACING: -0.75pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt"><FONT size=4></FONT></SPAN> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><B><SPAN style="LETTER-SPACING: -0.75pt; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt"><FONT size=4>Sut</FONT></SPAN></B></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN style="LETTER-SPACING: -0.75pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt"><FONT size=4>Milk</FONT></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN style="LETTER-SPACING: -0.75pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt"><FONT size=4></FONT></SPAN> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN style="LETTER-SPACING: -0.75pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt"><FONT size=4>A Turkish film, this is a kind of cinema poem about a young man in modern, rural Turkey, who wants to be a poet. Hissingle mother keeps three cows, sells milk and makes cheese. There is also a kind of medicine man who writes notes and places them in bowls of milk to extricate snakes from homes … and in the opening scene from a young woman by hanging her upside down over a fire with a pot of milk … and the note … boiling away. She coughs and out comes the snake…. I am still not sure what the notes and the snakes had to do with anything. Very interesting, however. There was little dialogue but it was easy easy enough to follow the narrative. Perhaps the milk/snake was meant to be a metaphor understood best in the Turkish culture. Don’t know….</FONT></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN style="LETTER-SPACING: -0.75pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt"><FONT size=4></FONT></SPAN> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><B><SPAN style="LETTER-SPACING: -0.75pt; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt"><FONT size=4>Below Sea Level</FONT></SPAN></B></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><B><SPAN style="LETTER-SPACING: -0.75pt; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt"><FONT size=4></FONT></SPAN></B> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN style="LETTER-SPACING: -0.75pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt"><FONT size=4>This documentary is about aging baby-boomers, the ‘residentially challenged’ or homeless, who live in a kind of trailor park (trailor is the most beat-up sense of the word) in the desert east of San Diego and about five miles north of the US-Mexican border. They have ended up here because it is illegal to sleep in public in any town or city in the USA but no one seems to care about the desert. These folks have almost no money and are each surviving some kind of personal, health, family, or social tragedy. It reminded me of some of the characters in <I style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">Into the Wild</I>. Some of these folks are mentally and emotionally challenged as well but they form a kind of community out in the desert, living one day at a time. Interesting that they are all white people…. I wonder what keeps them going? Perhaps it is the music; they make music together. A sad-funny movie about people living at the limits in the USA.</FONT></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN style="LETTER-SPACING: -0.75pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt"><FONT size=4></FONT></SPAN> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><B><SPAN style="LETTER-SPACING: -0.75pt; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt"><FONT size=4>Birdwatchers</FONT></SPAN></B></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN style="LETTER-SPACING: -0.75pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt"><FONT size=4>La terra degli uomini rossi</FONT></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN style="LETTER-SPACING: -0.75pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt"><FONT size=4></FONT></SPAN> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN style="LETTER-SPACING: -0.75pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt"><FONT size=4>A group of modern day Guarani Indians in Brazil live on a federal reserve. The community is plagued by a series of teen suicides because they have nothing to look forward to. One leader decides to begin a movement and moves back to his ancestral land that has been in the hands of a non-Indian family for 60 years. They build a camp just outside the plantation or ranch <SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>that caters to tourists who come to watch birds. The Indians cross the fields to get water and aggravate the landowner. More and more Indians join the original group until the inevitabile happens. This is a story about land rights, and the continuing saga of indigineous peoples who still struggle in countries formed by European colonizers. We follow the story of two young boys especially, and the hopelessness and courage that complicates family and tribal relations as well a show ranchers, police, and government treat the Guarani. A very strong film that does not exploit the audience by over-powering or graphic violence. This is a human story and it works well. Directed by Marco Bechis. I belive all the Guarani actors are non-professionals; if so, they are exceptional.</FONT></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN style="LETTER-SPACING: -0.75pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt"><FONT size=4></FONT></SPAN> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN style="LETTER-SPACING: -0.75pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt"><FONT size=4><SPAN style="mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt"><FONT size=4><IMG src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhJMyyyG6L7vgNf562At2XXxeXzL6JtMg88CP4TmjIEtkJ38RAQzakn8TsDIzOJIF73pMmkrNnQSRkqrk6oiKrACKGMCfBKd9uMy_0WwtkTh9mePmY7JFWoV5cYzwRVZ_FTomgQPGM25ov/s1600-r/pic%3Fid=3750Ca6KnZSWtx2JQnc2ufbpw8uh7xLBsYj9&size=m"/></FONT></SPAN></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN style="LETTER-SPACING: -0.75pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt"><FONT size=4><SPAN style="mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt">Nelson Consianda as Nhanderu, one of the boys in the film who is becoming a shaman, who dreams about the bad things that will happen.</SPAN></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN style="LETTER-SPACING: -0.75pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt"></SPAN> </P>
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<DIV class=tags id=tagsLocation><BR/>Tags: <A href="http://technorati.com/tag/Vegas+Based+on+a+True+Story" target=_blank rel=tag>Vegas Based on a True Story</A>, <A href="http://technorati.com/tag/Venice+Film+Festival+September+1" target=_blank rel=tag>Venice Film Festival September 1</A>, <A href="http://technorati.com/tag/2008" target=_blank rel=tag>2008</A>, <A href="http://technorati.com/tag/Birdwatchers" target=_blank rel=tag>Birdwatchers</A>, <A href="http://technorati.com/tag/Ponyo+on+the+Cliffs+by+the+Sea" target=_blank rel=tag>Ponyo on the Cliffs by the Sea</A></DIV>Sister Rose Pacatte, FSPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15633387315359598166noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3708110507073541120.post-3569291377234080482008-08-31T07:14:00.000-07:002008-10-08T16:33:06.950-07:00L'autrer - The Other; Il Papa di Giovanna - Giovanna's Father<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-GB style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB">Today is Sunday, and a bit overcast, hot and humid. Mass is this evening at the parish of Santa Maria Elisabetta right near the hotel. Fr. Dario Vigano, a priest from Rome who works with the Italian Bishops, Conference for communication, just took our jury to lunch at a lovely Italian restaurant on the far end of the Lido island. Neither Peter Malone nor I are fish-eaters so we look in awe over our mounds of prosciutto to the very beautifully arranged antipasto dishes of the others… albino crawfish! And other creatures I am unsure of…. Then they had lasagne al mare (it looked lovely actually; white lasagne with sea food) and we had gnocchi. Also, Brut seems to be the drink of preference here in the Lido… Very nice!</SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-GB style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB"></SPAN> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN lang=EN-GB style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB">L,autre</SPAN></B></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN lang=EN-GB style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB">The Other</SPAN></B></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN lang=EN-GB style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB"></SPAN></B> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-GB style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB">A 47 year old French woman, Anne-Marie has divorced her husband after 18 years of marriage and tells her co-worker, she is finally free. However, she takes up with a handsome black man, several years younger. I suppose in the US she could be called a cougar…. She wants no attachments. She breaks up with him… but cannot let him go. When she finds out he has a new girl friend, her same age, she begins to stalk the young man and tries to track down the woman. </SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-GB style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB"></SPAN> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-GB style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB">Can you guess where this is going? No where. I think it is the mirror opposite of the Belgian film NOWHERE MAN. A mid-life crisis characterized by self-inflicted loneliness turns the woman into an obsessive quasi- predator. </SPAN></P>
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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-GB style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB">The film was long and tedious, even if it is possible to have some sympathy for the woman. She has a friend her age named Lars that she calls up for companionship in her misery. To his credit, he offers her faith and grace. He receives bad news about his health a few days later and the prognosis is bleak indeed. But he is ready. </SPAN></P>
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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-GB style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB">Does Anne-Marie learn anything? Well I cannot tell you that. But this one is not on my favourite film list, though the other jury members seemed to have liked it well enough. At least it was different from formulaic narratives…. I don,t mind ,different, but I do mind boring. </SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN lang=EN-GB style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB"></SPAN></B> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN lang=EN-GB style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB">Il Papa di Giovanna</SPAN></B></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN lang=EN-GB style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB">Giovanna,s Father</SPAN></B></P>
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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-GB style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB"><IMG src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJrhEFvQfauRgv_rK0JRlZPTfTMwyrVPTbIj_yIs2FftGfKmwMJ_WGoW9s6t0nEhtGXL6Cd93HKlHvst8wj5-tE1IYHhM0VF3coYuabHd2B04PVXDEOOl_q1jTvKETJuRjTYfj-yHjcaOo/s1600-r/pic%3Fid=3750Ca6KnZSWtx2JQnc2ufbpw7tHLPhm7RSQ&size=m"/></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-GB style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB">Silvio Orlando as Giovanna's papa....</SPAN></P>
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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-GB style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB">It is 1938, Rome. An art teacher counsels his 17 year old daughter, Giovanna, who is socially challenged, about how to notice boys, to make friends. The mother is beautiful and distant. She married for security, not love. She knows Giovanna is different....</SPAN></P>
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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-GB style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB">Tragedy unfolds when Giovanna’s only friend, the daughter of a senator, goes after a young man, the only young man who has ever paid any attention to Giovanna. In fact, her father has encouraged both Giovanna and the youth, in his quiet though direct way. When Giovanna discovers that the young man and her friend are really together, Giovanna kills the girl.</SPAN></P>
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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-GB style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB">What ensues is a trial and the determination that Giovanna is criminally insane – and the audience agrees. As World War II breaks out, Giovanna’s father, realizing his part in the tragedy, and recognizing that he did not notice how fragile his daughter really was, moves near the hospital to care for her. The mother gets a job in Rome, and then goes with a former police man friend, Giovanna’s god-father, into the country side to wait out the war. …</SPAN></P>
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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-GB style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB">This is a family-psychological drama of the first order, told with depth and sympathy. Silvio Orlando as the father is brilliant. Redemption and reconciliation are at hand even amid tragedy; especially amid tragedy. The film is shot is sepia giving it a historical look. I thought the acting was mostly good. The fascist landscape, however, did not impress my co-jurors from Europe. They are tired of this director's continual use of this historical period to tell his stories ( Pupi Avati). One of the jurors did say, however, that the fascists were unforgiving and that Avati must have been making a parallel between human relationships and politics. </SPAN></P>
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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-GB style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB">Score one for Avati.</SPAN></P>
<DIV class=tags id=tagsLocation><BR/>Tags: <A href="http://technorati.com/tag/VEnice+Film+Festival+August+31" target=_blank rel=tag>VEnice Film Festival August 31</A>, <A href="http://technorati.com/tag/2008" target=_blank rel=tag>2008</A></DIV>Sister Rose Pacatte, FSPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15633387315359598166noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3708110507073541120.post-59537561461549886092008-08-30T09:20:00.000-07:002008-10-08T16:33:06.951-07:00PLASTIC CITY, GOODBYE SOLO, A PERFECT DAY UN GIORNO PERFETTO,<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-US style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US">First,</SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-US style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US"></SPAN> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><STRONG><SPAN lang=EN-US style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US">Venice</SPAN><SPAN lang=EN-US style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US"> Musings</SPAN></STRONG></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-US style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US"></SPAN> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-US style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US">There is cigarette smoke everywhere.</SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-US style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US"></SPAN> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-US style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US">But you have to give it to the Italians, They will crawl over all kinds of arms and legs to get a seat, talking all the while on a cell phone. No problema!</SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-US style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US"></SPAN> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-US style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US">It is another beautiful day in Venice. Yesterday got a little interesting. I fell in the Pala Lido theater. The steps are uneven and made of rough cement. I should have stayed seated til the lights came up but I dropped my cane and when I took a step to pick it up, I missed and down I went! The good part? The lights were still down. The bad part? I am pretty sure from the angry red swelling of the<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>toe next to my little toe on my right foot, that I fractured it. But as everyone knows, there’s nothing to be done for a broken toe except ice and keeping it elevated and to take lots of motrin. All done. Today I am navigating quite well…. Thank God. Oh, and a giant centipede crawled slowly down my curtain last night, and I got so agitated I couldn,t find the OFF right away and had to hop around on one foot to get it… but when I did I sprayed into the valance, shook the curtain and down he came.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Squish. Maybe you had to be there. I don,t know.</SPAN></P>
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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-US style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US">So for today’s films... The theme of Don Juan de Marco keeps playing in my head because a version of it was playing all the way through UN GIORNO PERFETTO)</SPAN></P>
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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><STRONG><SPAN lang=EN-US style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US">PLASTIC</SPAN><SPAN lang=EN-US style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US"> CITY</SPAN><SPAN lang=EN-US style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US"> (DANGKO)</SPAN></STRONG></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-US style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US"></SPAN> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-US style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US">This Brazilian-Japanese collaboration is a really ugly watch. It tells the story of a Chinese man who gets smuggled into Brazil in the 1980,s and the small Japanese boy he found in the rain forest and adopted as his son. They went into business (eventually) selling cheap knock off,s, fakes, using a guerrilla sales force in any market place available in the northwest part of Brazil. As the older man grows rich, the market is now global and the face of crime is changing. Instead of cheap knockoff,s, the new crooks want to do overruns on quality merchandise and put on false labels. The Chinese boss, however, doesn,t believe he can make money from doing this, only from fake stuff. </SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-US style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US"></SPAN> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-US style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US">There is a mix of politics and other Asian criminals from New York, violence and betrayals …. As well as the income from the usual vices of the night. The father-son relationship is supposed to drive the film but it was a harsh film, both as story and visually. I can imagine that this is reality for many populations around the world, however. People need to eat, to survive, and economic and power forces make it very hard to lead a virtuous life. This doesn,t excuse crime, or ugly filmmaking, but the truth is out there.</SPAN></P>
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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-US style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US">There wasn,t anything socially redeeming about the film that I could find, as <EM>film</EM>. I don't know who would watch it.</SPAN></P>
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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-US style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US"><STRONG>VICINO AL COLOSSEO C,E, MONTI</STRONG></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-US style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US"></SPAN> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-US style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US">A short film about life today in a Roman neighborhood by Mario Monicelli, a well-known director. Okay….. but ... why?</SPAN></P>
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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-US style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US"><STRONG>PUISQUE NOUS SOMMES NES</STRONG></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-US style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US">Because we were born</SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-US style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US"></SPAN> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-US style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US">A bleak Brazilian film about two young boys coming of age in rural Brazil amidst real hardship. You can feel the heat, the struggle for clean water and the stench of dead farm animals that starve as the people watch. They work for a few reales to buy food for their families while their illiterate mother tries to get them to go to school. This is a cinema verite - existential type of film, and believe me it breaks your heart.</SPAN></P>
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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-US style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US"><STRONG>UN GIORNO PERFETTO - A PERFECT DAY</STRONG></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-US style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US"></SPAN> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-US style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US">Probably one of the best advertised films of the festival, the critics hooted it to death at the end. The title is truly ironic because no one has a perfect day, not the divorced mother of two, her children, her greatly troubled, mentally ill cop ex-husband (for I while I was thinking this was going to be an Italian version of a Lifetime movie: I should have been so lucky), thepolitician running for office, his young trophy wife or his grown son…. While this was a very<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>well made film and yes, watchable until the end, it is terribly pessimistic. However, given the rates of wife and child abuse in the world, perhaps the ending was to have been expected. The Italians know their cinema, however. At one point, the grown son of the politician, an artist,<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>paints the face of his young step-mother all over a dilapidated wall and lights candles before it. The critics laughed and guffawed and it was downhill from then on…. When the Italian critics don,t like a film, they clap while making this strange booing like sound. I aksed the lady next to me what it meant, and she said, "Oh, I don,t think they liked it very much at all....It is their way to scorn...." Well, as our nuns like to say, Los Angeles audiences are very big hearted and applaud the efforts of our filmmakers. I think it takes a lot of guts to make a film in Italy....</SPAN></P>
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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-US style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US"><STRONG>GOODBYE SOLO</STRONG></SPAN></P>
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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-US style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US"><IMG src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2a2dZPavydeH-Ia5PBj6y-3WiuVUtb5ZlYOfwg7x3rhoF3jXyYlCcoUfwxW1KtkeGtmYCiByna0B9m5Y3vr6qugJqOFWt9aJbYRXdnPoCFRFHZqMYSffKAEd3SOEiatbNYusY0jg1VbpN/s1600-r/pic%3Fid=3750Ca6KnZSWtx2JQnc2ufbpw7xhYyKhnKGy&size=m"/></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-US style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US">Souleymane Sy Savane as Solo (rt) and Red West as William in GOODBYE SOLO, a film by Rahmin Bahrani</SPAN></P>
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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-US style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US">Now this small, American-made film was really good and the acting excellent. A taxi drive in Winston-Salem, a man from Senegal, picks up a fare…an older man, William, wants Solo, the driver, to drive himto a mountain in NC, on a certain date. Solo realizes the man wants to kill himself and he spends the next ten days doing everything he can to talk him out of it. Solo is also studying to become a flight attendant, his great dream, but his pregnant wife who is Mexican, wants him to keep the safe job as a taxi driver. Alex, his young step daughter, loves him, and they have a lovely relationship as she teaches him many things. Solo,s wife kicks him out (temporarily) and he moves into a motel room with William.</SPAN></P>
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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-US style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US">I won’t give away the ending but I saw William as a kind of alter-ego for Solo, who appeared for a time to act as a father figure and teacher who makes Solo stretch and grow by aggravating him, and then … disappears. One of the best I have seen so far and it is not in competition. Too bad!</SPAN></P>
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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-US style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US">Off to an evening screening now….</SPAN></P>
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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-US style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US">Later….</SPAN></P>
<DIV class=tags id=tagsLocation><BR/>Tags: <A href="http://technorati.com/tag/Venice+Film+Festival+Day+Four+%28or+Five%29" target=_blank rel=tag>Venice Film Festival Day Four (or Five)</A></DIV>Sister Rose Pacatte, FSPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15633387315359598166noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3708110507073541120.post-23299053016318280382008-08-29T07:48:00.000-07:002008-10-08T16:33:06.951-07:00BURNING PLAIN, PUCCINI E LA FANCIULLA, Z32, ROMANCE DE VILA DO CONDE and O VITRAL<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-US style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US">ROMANCE DE VILA DO CONDE and O VITRAL E A SANTA MORTA</SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-US style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US"></SPAN><SPAN lang=EN-US style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US">By Manuel de Olivera</SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-US style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US"></SPAN> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-US style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US">These two short fims seem to be the fading work of de Olivera .. who is 101 years old and still making movies... because they both lack his usual<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>brilliant photography and though the poems have religious content, Catholic, that is, they were not so inspiring. Narrated montage…</SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-US style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US"></SPAN> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-US style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US">PUCCINI E LA FANCIULLA</SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-US style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US"></SPAN> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-US style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US">In 1909 … if I got the date right … the housemaid of Puccini,s wife at their villa on the lake, killed herself. She caught one of Puccini,s collaborators having it on with someone important … can-t recall who… and she starts a terrible rumor about the poor housemaid to secure her silence. The girl is so good ... and smart enough... that the woman need not have bothered, but she did and hence the tragedy.</SPAN></P>
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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-US style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US">The unique aspect of this simple story is that it not only shows the consequences of the work of malicious tongues, but the film is devoid of conversation. Everything is effectively acted or told through letters and telegrams … hence the difficulty of identifying at least one of the characters. Puccini was no saint, and he did try to help the poor girl, but everyone, including Puccini,s wife, her mother, and the local pastor, turned against her. I am not familiar with the details of Puccini,s life, so I am not sure this really happened. But trueor not, it is a sad morality tale, beautifully rendered in film.</SPAN></P>
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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-US style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US"><STRONG>Z32 ... edited August 30</STRONG></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-US style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US"></SPAN> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-US style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US">This Israeli film was really powerful. A filmmaker tries to find a way to tell the story of a solider who two years previously was sent out to do revenge killings on Palestinian policemen, in this case unarmed and just doing their jobs of manning a road check. Two or four, we aren,t too sure, Israeli soldiers had been killed and several army troops were sent out to do revenge killings. One solider cannot quiet his conscience. The film shows the young man trying to elicit forgiveness from his girlfriend, but though she helps him rationalize the adrenalin filled life of a soldier, she is incapable of walking in his boots. The director sings a narration… about war and inhumanity, not only to the enemy but to the soldiers of the good side.</SPAN></P>
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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-US style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US">I haven,t done any background reading on this film so I don,t know if it is in fact a documentary or a fictional film told in documentary style. Either way, it is powerful and thought/provoking, and at the end of the day, deeply sad. Because forgiveness can only come from the one who has been offended, or their wives, children, and parents. </SPAN></P>
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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-US style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US">Note today, August 30: This film is called a musical documentary. The director is like Tevye of FIDDLER ON THE ROOF. He sings the story as the ex soldier tells his story. The write up in the festival catalogue says that the music was an attempt to tell a story that is essentially unrecountable through art. Though it the film drags somewhat, perhaps the audiences discomfort is a way to share in the pain of the plight of soldiers with a conscience everywhere. R</SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-US style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US"></SPAN> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-US style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US">It just ends.</SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-US style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US"></SPAN> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-US style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US">THE BURNING PLAIN</SPAN></P>
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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-US style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US"><IMG src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLRQEVoicGoTVBcwenmFNxtsp3BG-R3JwmM5R_y6wLza8_RsqFKYFNgnPkJ0s_kWFY7jGBq60IDamR0Ux0K21zur1Nn5SVXbmc_xD6OEsIuxeI8bcs2hvHPRPWdNxKX7f3eG4sHVkVyqk7/s1600-r/pic%3Fid=3750Ca6KnZSWtx2JQnc2ufbpw*xT1rYQqp*H%26size%3Dm"/>Charlize Theron in THE BURNING PLAIN</SPAN></P>
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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-US style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US">This film, by writer Gulliermo Arriaga … who wrote <EM>Amores Perros, 21 Grams, and Babel</EM>, is the story of a loner, played by Charlize Theron, who sleeps with anyone, lives an empty life, and how she got to this point. The narrative begins with an old single wide trailer blowing up in the desert in what seems like New Mexico. We find that a woman, played by Kim Basinger, has died in the fire with her lover.</SPAN></P>
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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-US style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US">How they got there, and how and why they died, is what the film is about. I cannot tell you any more but these few things…. It will be a challenge for many people to watch because of the usual reasons… violence, sex, nudity, language. However, the film transcends the human flaws of the characters to achieve … perhaps another Oscar nod for the writer and director and Charlize Theron<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>and maybe relative newcomber Jennifer Lawrence … ok, maybe Basinger, too. The negative aspects of the film are not gratuitous but demonstrate only too well the inner realities of the characters. If you liked or appreciated any or all of the above films … Amores, 21, Babel, you will want to put this on your list. </SPAN></P>
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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-US style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US">Forgiveness is possible.</SPAN></P>Sister Rose Pacatte, FSPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15633387315359598166noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3708110507073541120.post-29955692241738565792008-08-29T07:09:00.000-07:002008-10-08T16:33:06.951-07:00NOWHERE MAN, INJU, LA RABBIA DI PASOLINI, COLD LUNCH<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-US style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US">NOWHERE MAN</SPAN></P>
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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-US style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US">A Belgian film about a man who takes advantage of his neoghbor,s housefire to fake his death and disappear to a remote island where he has bought what he thought was a nice piece of real estate. He has been living in mid.life fear that his beautiful wife will leave him, and is dispirited, disappointed and depressed. He finds that his island paradise is in ruins because some kind of insect had invaded the island and ruined commerce. Life is extemely hard and after five years he returns home to find his wife, who has remarried.</SPAN></P>
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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-US style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US">This is again a watchable film but another downer. The main character never grows up or gets over his maliase. Life is all … nothing.</SPAN></P>
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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-US style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US">INJU</SPAN><SPAN lang=EN-US style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US">, LA</SPAN><SPAN lang=EN-US style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US"> BETE DANS L,OMBRE</SPAN></P>
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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-US style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US">Now, this was an interesting film by Barbet Schroeder … SINGLE WHITE FEMALE… who specializes in difficult films. The last time I was in Venice, in 2000, his OUR LADY OF THE ASSASINS was in competition and it was really hard to watch.</SPAN></P>
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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-US style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US"><IMG src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwoEo9_ma0schAxfbnIZyNtjCaWuplmPH32B830W2R89RDh7jPfGqEGEkhiHDgiRDf7mQsopeo80c91SxS48B_cn9g-peEohMJ0hYSCUvOCvu6MXnWqvF1MCdEls-Bcb8FUKE_MZZMvOHe/s1600-r/pic%3Fid=3750Ca6KnZSWtx2JQnc2ufbpw7LJ3UlvSnHa&size=m"/></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-US style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US">Benoit Magimel is Alex, the crime fiction writer</SPAN></P>
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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-US style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US">This new film, however, is about a French crime novelist, Alex, <SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>who bases himself on the work of a Japanese crime novelist who has never been seen in public. Alex, however, prides himself on creating a fictional unviverse where good triumphs over evil, the opposite of the Japanese writer.</SPAN></P>
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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-US style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US">When Alex goes to Kyoto on a book tour for his first novel published in Japan, his Japanese mentor … so to speak … threatens him on a call in TV show. Then, the publisher treats Alex and his driver, Ken, to an evening at a geisha house. </SPAN></P>
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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-US style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US">This is where the dictum or cliche, ... things are not what they seem... really comes into play.</SPAN></P>
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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-US style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US">IN JU are the letters for yin and yang in Japanese … acccording to the press material. There is a lot of yin and yang going in and out of balance in the film and the lack of Alex,s ability to negotiate the line between fiction and reality.. or his incredible immaturity or auteurial arrogance turns out to be very costly indeed.</SPAN></P>
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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-US style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US">This is a difficult because of the mix of sex and violence, yet an almost brilliant film. Unfortunately, some of us on the jury figured it out before the end so it seemed almost facile. Well filmed, certainly, if not too convoluted anddeliberately over constructed for its own good.</SPAN></P>
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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-US style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US">LA RABBIA</SPAN><SPAN lang=EN-US style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US"> DI</SPAN><SPAN lang=EN-US style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US"> PASOLINI and PADRE SELVEGGIO by Pasolini</SPAN></P>
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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-US style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US">There is a track going on here that is like a master class in film. I missed the session on Fellini, but this one on Pasolini made up for it, I think. </SPAN></P>
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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-US style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US">In 1962 Pasolini was asked to make a film made up of newsreel footage showing icons of the past, from 1946 through 1963 … <SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>and how they can influence the future. He was making the entire thing when the producer decided to add in three other directors. So Pasolini,s first version wasn,t released … from what I can tell. So here filmmaker Giuseppe Bertolucci put together both versions and this is what we saw. Pasolini wrote the script and it is very poetic. In fact, he puts politics and poetry together. He was a Marxist so the ideology is dated, but some of the narration would fit world situations today. He also liked Pope John XXIII and … finishes off giving a very poetic eulogy on beauty to Marilyn Monroe who had recently died. I think film students will love this ,montage,. There is some amazing and memorable commentary on film, power, religion, and art by Pasolini that make it worth seeing.</SPAN></P>
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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-US style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US">COLD LUNCH …Lonsj</SPAN></P>
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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-US style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US">This ensemble film is the directorial debut of a young Norwegian woman. It brings together several people over a few days in a small town in Norway in the early summer… it begins and ends with car crashes so these jarring events frame the film. It is beautifully filmed … and another downer. The film is not in competition but since I had time I went to this screening because there was a panel after. I didn,t have to ask why she made such a pessimistic film against a beautiful landscape because everyone wanted to know this. She said it was … ironic. Oh how very European this festival is!! Anyway, the message of the film for her was that your life is the pits if you don,tget your act together. The female figures all go against the stereotype of what most consider to be of the strong and independent Scandanavian woman. This was a surprise to the audience, and even to the key actress in the film who was present. She was surprised, when she researched the role, that abuse of women occurs even in her country. There was kindness in the film, but also great cruelty, both subtle and explicit. And there was one young girl whose father had raised her almost as a house captive, who must go out into the world when he dies … all alone, with no money. She only wants to go swimming, and because of the kindness of strangers, she finds the sea. Not so happy for everyone else. </SPAN></P>
<DIV class=tags id=tagsLocation><BR/>Tags: <A href="http://technorati.com/tag/La+rabbia+di+Pasolinie+Venice+Film+Festival+2008" target=_blank rel=tag>La rabbia di Pasolinie Venice Film Festival 2008</A></DIV>Sister Rose Pacatte, FSPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15633387315359598166noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3708110507073541120.post-11925107228460041202008-08-29T06:38:00.000-07:002008-10-08T16:33:06.952-07:00AKIRES TO KAME<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-US style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US">AKIRES TO KAME</SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-US style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US"></SPAN><SPAN lang=EN-US style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US">Or ACHILLES AND THE TORTISE</SPAN></P>
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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-US style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US">Thursday, August 28th, yesterday, was very interesting!</SPAN></P>
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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-US style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US">ACHILLES AND THE TORTISE is a Japanaese film about a young boy who grows up to be an artist, a painter. Although it seems simple, the protagonist is almost devoid of emotion because he is so focused, but he is kindly. He brings an excellent harborscape painting to a gallery owner who kew his father and he gives him all kinds of advice over the years. Why the main character never goes to anyone else is never explained. He goes to art school, gets a job to support himself, marries, has a daughter, lets his wife support him, then his daughter… and so on and so forth. This was an entertaining film, with some humor but it left me with many questions because the man who could see was so blind to the love that was around him…. </SPAN></P>
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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-US style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US"><IMG src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK1QimxPN-Ks2Qu6-yXnE58XuQy9oiS9IaXAmbil9ui5InWMBWqN0w4_F9Tu1SrPN_WzrzW7nCBGQddZyutfpTncHBKKLekvyVYokl83ADP7yLbw8OErJHe_a7ao8_zv371_LfNdPsBCft/s1600-r/pic%3Fid=3750Ca6KnZSWtx2JQnc2ufbpwxl4WZcNiVrY&size=m"/></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-US style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US">Takeshi Kitano in the lead role as the artist</SPAN></P>
<DIV class=tags id=tagsLocation><BR/>Tags: <A href="http://technorati.com/tag/Venice+Film+Festival+2008" target=_blank rel=tag>Venice Film Festival 2008</A></DIV>Sister Rose Pacatte, FSPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15633387315359598166noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3708110507073541120.post-12464363927465356332008-08-29T06:30:00.000-07:002008-10-08T16:33:06.952-07:00Jerichow<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-US style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US">JERICHOW</SPAN></P>
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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-US style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US">Wednesday, August 27th finished off with the German film JERICHOW, the first film in competition of which there are 21 all together plus tons of other films. I will let you check <A href="http://www.imdb.com/">www.imdb.com</A> … the Internet Movie Database for fimmaker details, or you can visit <A href="http://www.labiennale.org/">www.labiennale.org</A> the Venice film Festival,s official site.</SPAN></P>
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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-US style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US">JERICHOW is a German film about a dishonorably discharged soldier who had served in Afghanistan, a Turkish man who owns a chain of snack shops and his German wife. The soldier, Thomas, has just buried his mother when the man who had lent him a lot of money comes for it, beating him in the process. Penniless, the Turkish man, Ali, who has lived in Germany since he was two years old, almost runs him off the road when he loses control of his car because he is drunk … as usual. Ali hires Tomas to be his driver because he has already lost his license. In fact, Thomas plays a good samaratin to Ali and takes the blame for the accident when the cops show up.</SPAN></P>
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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-US style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US"><IMG src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjId8asJLQusNx8lgSjfqSxLElk79laN6N_0SbldfmfEQ9Mqg9ujMNKT9JI8j47y9jkRQjD6uLcaxdZLFmd_0ENyKV_v686WA6RJjeRn2oJsA2hELUCRYkfhlb3gvIgjBsqlNs_cU79VXCK/s1600-r/pic%3Fid=3750Ca6KnZSWtx2JQnc2ufbpwwXHXYT7w2RI&size=m"/>Benno Furmann as Thomas</SPAN></P>
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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-US style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US">Laura, Ali,s wife, and Thomas are attracted to one another, but Tomas tries to be honorable. Ali is jealous and follows his wife. Thus the scene is set for a tragedy that will reveal who among them, if any, has a good heart. Add to it the theme of identity, both human and national.</SPAN></P>
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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-US style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US">JERICHOW is the town where all this takes place. The story is a tragedy and though well filmed and very watchable, is a downer at the end of the day. </SPAN></P>
<DIV class=tags id=tagsLocation><BR/>Tags: <A href="http://technorati.com/tag/Jerichow+Venice" target=_blank rel=tag>Jerichow Venice</A></DIV>Sister Rose Pacatte, FSPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15633387315359598166noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3708110507073541120.post-71531755864276752312008-08-27T09:43:00.000-07:002008-10-08T16:33:06.953-07:00Burn after Reading Opens 65th Venice Film Festival<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-US style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US">BURN AFTER READING is opening the festival tonight, but as I mentioned, jury members and the press were able to see it this afternoon. </SPAN></P>
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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-US style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US"><IMG src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9yERKWCKT6EMpemMhOn6rNukCOOuy6NVww8h5wVB5gySV_2lNYEpDTWRDiwv0IfpmyH2JG4ctzedepWVm-s9I9v5RLO-Gk1J8qZ3_ZwL-cFT15K-D1rQ8WHvrey5WHl69tbVHUqTADN-O/s1600-r/pic%3Fid=3750Ca6KnZSWtx2JQnc2ufbpw5NLl1B*6J4W%26size%3Dm"/>BURN AFTER READING is very funny. It is a convoluted caper that combines marriage, politics, and everyday people who get caught up in a fabricated conspiracy. I think the Coen Bros. were sitting around one rainy day with nothing to do and they let their imaginations go into ,free range, mode. They get a little lazy with the overuse of the ,f, word, but the 40 something Brad Pitt playing a 20 year old trainer at a gym … is hilarious. Everyone, obviously, just takes themselves too seriously, especially the CIA ... but a scary commentary on governmental incompetence. </SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-US style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US"></SPAN><SPAN lang=EN-US style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US"><SPAN style="mso-tab-count: 1"> </SPAN>The short film from Manoel de Oliveira, Do Visivel ao Invisivel ... From the Visible to the Invisible... that came first was a kindly satire on the influence of cell phones on human communication. This is one all media literacy education teachers will want to have in their collections!</SPAN></P>
<DIV class=tags id=tagsLocation><BR/>Tags: <A href="http://technorati.com/tag/Burn+after+Reading" target=_blank rel=tag>Burn after Reading</A>, <A href="http://technorati.com/tag/media+literacy+education+and+cinema" target=_blank rel=tag>media literacy education and cinema</A>, <A href="http://technorati.com/tag/" target=_blank rel=tag></A></DIV>Sister Rose Pacatte, FSPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15633387315359598166noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3708110507073541120.post-76928930800123151262008-08-27T09:38:00.000-07:002008-10-08T16:33:06.953-07:00Venice Film Festival 2008 Day 1<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-US style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US">65th Venice Film Festival<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Journal</SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-US style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US"></SPAN><SPAN lang=EN-US style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US">65 Mostra Internazionale d-arte Cinematografica</SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-US style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US">August 27, 2008</SPAN></P>
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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-US style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US"><SPAN style="mso-tab-count: 1"><IMG src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYJeOg09NKQb7LeClhAu6kAGbUeaaYI02ulM-8Fkd3vTOUfwb6x6TWpCmWEPNZiIhVi6IjlbtYqHtZghFEpu_nlAcQNuku8mi56LzKkvBpjMehWfBbVNDahlVN7fnDEQL8MFK-k0O3T_3i/s1600-r/pic%3Fid=3750Ca6KnZSWtx2JQnc2ufbpwxyX3XiBx1Dw&size=m"/> </SPAN>Greetings one and all from Venice, Italy. It is about 90f and the sky is as blue as blue can be. The Adriatic Ocean is right across the street and the few peeks I got of it today show it reflecting the dome above beautifully.</SPAN></P>
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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN lang=EN-US style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US">Ear Plugs</SPAN></B></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-US style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US"><SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN><SPAN style="mso-tab-count: 1"> </SPAN>I arrived yesterday at the Marco Polo Airport right on time at 9.30am, Tuesday, August 25, from Boston through JFK … pardon all typo-s please… this is a euro keyboard and since I am on the clock in the press room… I will do the best I can and improvise as needed with punctuation! I took the water taxi … the big one… to the Lido Island … the barrier island to Venice, the last glimpse of land that Marco Polo had when he left on his big voyage. The Catholic Jury, that is, SIGNIS jury, is billeted at the Hotel Riviera which is located right across from the boat landing. </SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-US style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US"><SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN><SPAN style="mso-tab-count: 1"> </SPAN>But about the flight over. The man across the aisle from me started snoring before the dinner service was finished. I thought to myself, mama mia. This all night… So for the first time in my many flights over the last 40 years, I used the ear plugs that Delta handed out. I slept for FIVE HOURS. Please do try the ear plugs on your next long flight! However, this was an old Delta plane so they only showed one movie in 8 hours and it was Prince Caspian which I had already seen, so sleep became an easy option. Cannot believe I never tried those ear plugs before!</SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-US style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US"><SPAN style="mso-tab-count: 1"> </SPAN>After I check in at the hotel I took the bus to the festival site and got my credentials, then back to the hotel for a nice snooze. I was so glad I was here when the flight computers in the USA went down, though I am sorry for everyone who got stuck on their journeys….</SPAN></P>
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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN lang=EN-US style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US">Day One August 27, 2008</SPAN></B></P>
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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN lang=EN-US style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US"><SPAN style="mso-tab-count: 1"> </SPAN></SPAN></B><SPAN lang=EN-US style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US">The festival really begins tonight with the screening of the Coen Brothers new film, BURN AFTER READING and a short film by the 100 year old filmmaker, Manoel de Oliveira, Do Visivel ao Invisivel, FROM THE VISIBLE TO THE INVISIBLE. However, our jury was not ninvited to this red carpet event, so we were able to see the films earlier with the rest of the press corps and independent jury members.</SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-US style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US"><SPAN style="mso-tab-count: 1"> </SPAN>There really is a feeling of festival here in Venice as the Italians love their cinema. American films are also popular, though it often depends on who stars, or directs. The streets are getting more and morecrowded as the evening,s events draw near. I think the best time to come to the press room, however, is inthe evening. I tried before and it was always full of people using the 80 computer stations available.</SPAN></P>
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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-US style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US"><SPAN style="mso-tab-count: 1"><IMG src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4UBQLHMoLDrLj1bU70aFa4dN99eFr8EaS9haMnVpVjVrFQncCjzVxQpvUS4cmtasraqYehASBfRbkJ5tz6p5mbZQnb_rUu7q3o3SbLq5hTQsnw0D4PmdtW0VK73x4PowkPkfVRhX4Sa8A/s1600-r/pic%3Fid=3750Ca6KnZSWtx2JQnc2ufbpwy2EdvgLiK3l&size=m"/> </SPAN></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-US style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US"><SPAN style="mso-tab-count: 1">The cast of BURN AFTER READING and the COEN BROTHERS</SPAN></SPAN></P>
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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-US style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US"><SPAN style="mso-tab-count: 1"></SPAN>We had our first meeting as a jury this afternoon at the Excelsior Hotel … a historic monument but now a Westin. I was asked to serve as president, and am very honored, only the third female since 1993 to do so. It is not a difficult job, however, as everyone is on the same page regarding criteria (human and Gospel values in art and story, etc.). We will meet next week and then again on Sept 5th to vote for the SIGNIS prize winner.</SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-US style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US"><SPAN style="mso-tab-count: 1"> </SPAN>The jury members … some of you will know some of us… are PETER MALONE, MSH, <SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>who heads the SIGNIS film desk, the co author of the Lights, Camera, Faith series, and a film reviewer for over 40 years…RAFFAELLA GIANCRISTOFARO, a journalist and film critic with ROLLINGSTONE magazine Italy and who once worked with Maria Grazia Alberione, the niece of the founder of the Daughters of St. Paul, Blessed James Alberione, SSP, SERGIO JOEL ASCENSIO CASILLAS, a priest of the archdiocese of Guadalajara, Mexico, who is studying at the Pont. Salesian University, a film journalist who runs a major film festival in Guadalajara, FED|ERICO PONTIGGIO, a film journalist, for both print and online outlets, FREDDIE SATOR, a film journalist for two magazines from Belgium, CHARLES MARTIG, a Swiss film journalist and educator, and director of the Catholic Film Office for the Swiss German Bishops, Conference out of Zurich and me.</SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-US style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US"><SPAN style="mso-tab-count: 1"> </SPAN>This evening,s film is JERICHOW. I will report tomorrow!</SPAN></P>
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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-US style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US"><SPAN style="mso-tab-count: 1"> </SPAN>I am taking photos and some video with my digital camera… I will see what I can do to post something as these 12 days go by! Blessings to all</SPAN></P>
<DIV class=tags id=tagsLocation><BR/>Tags: <A href="http://technorati.com/tag/Venice+Film+Festival" target=_blank rel=tag>Venice Film Festival</A>, <A href="http://technorati.com/tag/65th+Venice+Film+Festival" target=_blank rel=tag>65th Venice Film Festival</A>, <A href="http://technorati.com/tag/Catholic+jury" target=_blank rel=tag>Catholic jury</A>, <A href="http://technorati.com/tag/%5Csignis+jury+Venice+Film+Festival" target=_blank rel=tag>\signis jury Venice Film Festival</A></DIV>
<DIV id=metrics contentEditable=false style="DISPLAY: none; FILTER: alpha(opacity=0)"><A href="http://technorati.com/tag/aoljpictureUpload" target=_blank rel=tag>aoljpictureUpload</A>, <A href="http://technorati.com/tag/aoljpictureUpload_2" target=_blank rel=tag>aoljpictureUpload_2</A></DIV>Sister Rose Pacatte, FSPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15633387315359598166noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3708110507073541120.post-51768660401512448772008-08-20T09:48:00.000-07:002008-10-08T16:33:06.953-07:00Pastoral and Evangelizing Communication Online Course to begin<STRONG>Pastoral and Evangelizing Communication<BR/></STRONG>Five Week Online Course<BR/><BR/>If you are interested in taking an interesting course, please contact Richard Drabik at the University of Dayton. I think there are only a few days left for registration. Or you can go to <A href="http://vlc.udayton.edu/">http://vlc.udayton.edu</A> to register. This course integrates pastoral communications with ministry and life so very well. <BR/><BR/><BR/>Richard R. Drabik<BR/>University of Dayton<BR/>Institute for Pastoral Initiatives<BR/>Internet and Technology Team<BR/>937-229-3874<BR/>Toll-Free 1-888-300-8436
<DIV id=tagsLocation class="tags"><BR/>Tags: <A href="http://technorati.com/tag/Online+Course+ministry%3B+online+course+communications+and+ministry" target=_blank rel=tag>Online Course ministry; online course communications and ministry</A></DIV>Sister Rose Pacatte, FSPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15633387315359598166noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3708110507073541120.post-7026171332855873062008-08-06T07:18:00.000-07:002008-10-08T16:33:06.954-07:00Historia de un Letrero The Story of a Sign Cannes 2008<object id="embed_obj_1" width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/zNLmrv7-6OY&hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/zNLmrv7-6OY&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344" wmode="transparent"></embed><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></object><br/><br/>This short film epitomizes the ability of the language of film to communicate on its own terms. People do get metaphor if communicators (of all kinds) believe in our human capacity to tell, integrate, and understand stories. <br/><br/>Remember, film (and television) are the only two art forms that take place completely inside your head and heart.<br/><br/><br/><br/>Beautiful.<br/><br/>Enjoy.<br/><br/>R<br/><div class="tags" id="tagsLocation"><br/>Tags: <a rel="tag" target="_blank" href="http://technorati.com/tag/Film+Studies">Film Studies</a>, <a rel="tag" target="_blank" href="http://technorati.com/tag/film+as+art">film as art</a>, <a rel="tag" target="_blank" href="http://technorati.com/tag/Cannes+2008">Cannes 2008</a></div>Sister Rose Pacatte, FSPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15633387315359598166noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3708110507073541120.post-58245605413992166452008-07-29T06:44:00.000-07:002008-10-08T16:33:06.954-07:00Sex and the City<P><FONT face=Verdana>Here are two reviews of the film "Sex and the City".</FONT></P>
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<P><FONT face=Verdana><IMG src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMyllKnFKeiNkQQHL4BIPR1bsDyDojLaC3fX4EKlHGvHJ0eHuQ-bzgmSJ4j2gkQ5OFWeBkfdOhCHL47CKLBTHrfBx5T1Pef_9PdwQznQK0uNZT6xcLQlowH1_1dOYdJVZwODdz3myoFh94/s1600-r/pic%3Fid=3750Ca6KnZSWtx2JQnc2ufbpw0QiCHcNnRED&size=m"/></FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Verdana>The first is the one I wrote for St. Anthony Messenger, July 2008:</FONT></P>
<P><A href="http://www.americancatholic.org/Messenger/Aug2008/Eye_On_Entertainment.asp#F3"><FONT face=Verdana>http://www.americancatholic.org/Messenger/Aug2008/Eye_On_Entertainment.asp#F3</FONT></A></P>
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<P><FONT face=Verdana size=3>This one is by Sr. Bernadette Mary Reis, FSP. She wrote it for Busted Halo and surveyed many women for their response to the film.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Verdana size=3> </FONT><A href="http://exchange.paulinemedia.com/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.bustedhalo.com/features/SexandtheCityandSisterBernadette.htm" target=_blank rel=nofollow><FONT face=Verdana size=3>http://www.bustedhalo.com/features/SexandtheCityandSisterBernadette.htm</FONT></A></P></DIV></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<DIV class=tags id=tagsLocation><BR/>Tags: <A href="http://technorati.com/tag/Sex+and+the+City+film%3B+Sex+and+the+city+women" target=_blank rel=tag>Sex and the City film; Sex and the city women</A></DIV>
<DIV id=metrics contentEditable=false style="DISPLAY: none; FILTER: alpha(opacity=0)"><A href="http://technorati.com/tag/aoljpictureUpload" target=_blank rel=tag>aoljpictureUpload</A>, <A href="http://technorati.com/tag/aoljpictureUpload_1" target=_blank rel=tag>aoljpictureUpload_1</A></DIV>Sister Rose Pacatte, FSPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15633387315359598166noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3708110507073541120.post-30363144832827645482008-07-16T18:55:00.000-07:002008-10-08T16:33:06.954-07:00Media Literacy Course Releases YouTube Video!<P><object id="embed_obj_1" width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/-b5CwEBEu-w&hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/-b5CwEBEu-w&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344" wmode="transparent"></embed><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></object></P>
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<P>Thanks to Nick Pernisco of Santa Monica College, our Master Teacher in Media Literacy Certificate Course participants made a video and posted it today on YouTube!</P>
<P>We hope this is the first of many!</P>
<P> </P>
<DIV class=tags id=tagsLocation><BR/>Tags: <A href="http://technorati.com/tag/Media+literacy" target=_blank rel=tag>Media literacy</A>, <A href="http://technorati.com/tag/media+literacy+education" target=_blank rel=tag>media literacy education</A>, <A href="http://technorati.com/tag/catechist+certification" target=_blank rel=tag>catechist certification</A>, <A href="http://technorati.com/tag/catechist+specialization" target=_blank rel=tag>catechist specialization</A></DIV>Sister Rose Pacatte, FSPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15633387315359598166noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3708110507073541120.post-49623557774396336742008-07-09T16:28:00.000-07:002008-10-08T16:33:06.955-07:00St. Paul goes to the Movies in the Pauline Year 2008-2009<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'"><IMG style="WIDTH: 101px; HEIGHT: 148px" height=286 src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3xdJ4HBaY8Pg7B3HTSz4W_FRxRWgUGebkfVReJL4-NOIkjav8Q7ctmwsKx3Y0bLuq8Qi_Gh1T2Pao8opnOjOwZZY8WuTcC9gZ4717Um4O0N3MG0tX03899EHEy-HbXYBEfS9DCqlzqCdd/s1600-r/pic%3Fid=3750Ca6KnZSWtx2JQnc2ufbpwyrhDyH-9ikK&size=m" width=140/><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'"><STRONG><FONT size=2>Painting of St. Paul by El Greco</FONT></STRONG></SPAN></SPAN></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'"><FONT size=4>I recently received two inquiries about major motion pictures that correlate with St. Paul's life, ministry, letters. Folks want to use the films to explore the theology and spirituality of St. Paul during this Pauline Year June 2008 -June 2009, commemorating the birth of St. Paul. I think this is a great idea! In fact, we may choose Pauline theological themes as the framework of the National Film Retreat in 2009.</FONT></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'"><FONT size=4>Here are some suggestions for now, but I hope to amplify this list over the next few months. The first thing to do, is of course, is to identify the key theological themes in St. Paul's life and writings.</FONT></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><B><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'"><FONT size=4>BOOKS</FONT></SPAN></B></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'"><FONT size=4>These two books explore some films from a Pauline perspective.</FONT></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><B><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'"><FONT size=4>St. Paul at the Movies: The Apostles Dialogue with American Culture </FONT></SPAN></B></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'"><FONT size=4>by Robert Jewett; paperback, 1993</FONT></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><B><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'"><IMG height=104 src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifrhwxGIh-9H1ChErcaz_aIjAsBx51ztPyXfeNlwAfJEkE-mJSjFVostDblNee-xjNP3_bi0KNIczFU93OAz67HWUILvVmGYbm_cDSrzUXzcInbwR5a01XcG5qRTgpsH6QPpGGMkIAuKhd/s1600-r/pic%3Fid=3750Ca6KnZSWtx2JQnc2ufbpw1sWyMSyRku2&size=m" width=109/></SPAN></SPAN></B><B><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'"><IMG src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz1iktaxgf8Sf5jVzhBTu5fysDq_fbltCO1jIbdcSn-5cUMdMYUtaBkfGuGcleaJ6dwHpjyKOdXq4CdbUYHlhA2ddJvQScuVcIg-yAWJLFvI2ZYRHADXyGyy2b1bmunMiCckW2X3mcx8cr/s1600-r/pic%3Fid=3750Ca6KnZSWtx2JQnc2ufbpw*e5-TpxrvQW%26size%3Dm"/></SPAN></B></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><B><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'"><FONT size=4>St. Paul Returns to the Movies: Triumph Over Shame </FONT></SPAN></B></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'"><FONT size=4>by Robert Jewett; paperback, 1998</FONT></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'"><STRONG><FONT size=4>CD's</FONT></STRONG></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'"><IMG src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAOm1yloiEVE250oXo1mlymP-AlQGDqejvTE5aPcqViWbDOmPQWPbZMfJLjLucJ9I5srsFdE6rMm38mC6OOjupKbIDsR7OmTst4O-W_LGYyTqU1JT0z4qy2CcsFHPa2BUNs7Qc06WptKEo/s1600-r/pic%3Fid=3750Ca6KnZSWtx2JQnc2ufbpwwTDIX-jhlYg&size=m"/></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'"><FONT size=4>Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM offers many themes in his amazing CD series, <B>The Great Themes of Paul: Life as Participation</B>, from St. Anthony Messenger Press: </FONT><A href="http://catalog.americancatholic.org/product.aspx?prodid=A8340" target=_blank><FONT size=4>http://catalog.americancatholic.org/product.aspx?prodid=A8340</FONT></A></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'"><FONT size=4>I have already listened to this series twice (and some of the CD's even more). It is accessible and explains so very much about Paul.</FONT></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'"><STRONG><FONT size=4>ONLINE NEWSLETTER</FONT></STRONG></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'"><FONT size=4>You might also subscribe to </FONT><A href="http://www.zenit.org/" target=_blank><FONT size=4>www.zenit.org</FONT></A><FONT size=4> so you can received the Pope’s weekly talk from his Wednesday general audience). Pope Benedict XVI has already started what will be an amazing catechesis/exegesis collection of St. Paul.</FONT></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'"></SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'"><STRONG><FONT size=4>THEOLOGICAL THEMES AND FILMS</FONT></STRONG></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT size=4><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'">Right off I can offer these four themes and if you order Richard Rohr's series and take notes while listening, which I warmly recommend, you can find so many more. </SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoListParagraph style="TEXT-INDENT: -0.25in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1"><FONT size=4><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'"><SPAN style="mso-list: Ignore">-<SPAN style="FONT: 7pt 'Times New Roman'"> </SPAN></SPAN></SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'"><STRONG>Experience of God</STRONG> (Paul’s Encounter with Christ on the Road to Damascus; his mystical experiences; his understanding of redemption)</SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoListParagraph style="MARGIN-LEFT: 1in; TEXT-INDENT: -0.25in; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1"><FONT size=4><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-FAMILY: 'Courier New'"><SPAN style="mso-list: Ignore">o<SPAN style="FONT: 7pt 'Times New Roman'"> </SPAN></SPAN></SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'">Millions; The Third Miracle; Brideshead Revisited (on DVD but a new film version is coming out this summer); Cry the Beloved Country; The Mission</SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoListParagraph style="TEXT-INDENT: -0.25in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1"><FONT size=4><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'"><SPAN style="mso-list: Ignore">-<SPAN style="FONT: 7pt 'Times New Roman'"> <STRONG> </STRONG></SPAN></SPAN></SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'"><STRONG>Transformation</STRONG> (Paul’s Transformation – he never speaks of conversion but of transformation in Christ)</SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoListParagraph style="MARGIN-LEFT: 1in; TEXT-INDENT: -0.25in; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1"><FONT size=4><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-FAMILY: 'Courier New'"><SPAN style="mso-list: Ignore">o<SPAN style="FONT: 7pt 'Times New Roman'"> </SPAN></SPAN></SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'">The Lives of Others – a Stasi agent is transformed by art, and the goodness of others</SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoListParagraph style="TEXT-INDENT: -0.25in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1"><FONT size=4><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'"><SPAN style="mso-list: Ignore">-<SPAN style="FONT: 7pt 'Times New Roman'"> </SPAN></SPAN></SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'"><STRONG>Participation </STRONG>(Body of Christ; love for one another; Agape, Filia, Eros)</SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoListParagraph style="MARGIN-LEFT: 1in; TEXT-INDENT: -0.25in; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1"><FONT size=4><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-FAMILY: 'Courier New'"><SPAN style="mso-list: Ignore">o<SPAN style="FONT: 7pt 'Times New Roman'"> </SPAN></SPAN></SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'">Mostly Martha, Big Night, Babette’s Feast; What’s Cooking; Simply Irresistible, Pieces of April; Soul Food; Eat, Drink, Man, Woman: any of the food movies that speak to family, food/meals, community</SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoListParagraph style="TEXT-INDENT: -0.25in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1"><FONT size=4><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'"><SPAN style="mso-list: Ignore">-<SPAN style="FONT: 7pt 'Times New Roman'"> <STRONG> </STRONG></SPAN></SPAN></SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'"><STRONG>New Creation</STRONG> (The cosmos; the new heaven and the new earth; care for the earth)</SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoListParagraph style="MARGIN-LEFT: 1in; TEXT-INDENT: -0.25in; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1"><FONT size=4><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-FAMILY: 'Courier New'"><SPAN style="mso-list: Ignore">o<SPAN style="FONT: 7pt 'Times New Roman'"> </SPAN></SPAN></SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'">Contact; An Inconvenient Truth; The Burning Season; WALL-E</SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'"><STRONG><FONT size=4></FONT></STRONG></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'"><STRONG><FONT size=4>METHODOLOGY FOR MOVIE-BIBLE EVENTS</FONT></STRONG></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'"><STRONG><EM><FONT size=4>Cinema Divina</FONT></EM></STRONG></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'"><FONT size=4>I suggest using the <EM>Cinema Divina</EM> approach (based on the ancient practice of <EM>lectio divina.) </EM>For an article, <U>Cinema Divina for Teachers: Spiritual Development through Contemporary Film</U> (Today's Catholic Teacher, Jan-Feb, 2008) explaining this method, please visit </FONT><A href="http://www.daughtersofstpaul.com/mediastudies/mediacatechesis/cinemadivinafeature.pdf"><FONT size=4>http://www.daughtersofstpaul.com/mediastudies/mediacatechesis/cinemadivinafeature.pdf</FONT></A></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'"><FONT size=4><STRONG>Theological Reflection</STRONG></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'"><FONT size=4>Another approach is that of Theological Reflection (which interfaces well with a media mindfulness approach). For an article, <U>Preaching Goes to the Movies: the Gospel meets popular culture when homilies dare to engage film</U> (National Catholic Reporter, 2004)<FONT color=#000000><FONT face="Times New Roman"><EM> <STRONG></STRONG></EM></FONT></FONT>explaining how to use theological reflection for film viewing, visit : </FONT><A href="http://www.daughtersofstpaul.com/mediastudies/mediacatechesis/preachinggoestothemovies.html"><FONT size=4>http://www.daughtersofstpaul.com/mediastudies/mediacatechesis/preachinggoestothemovies.html</FONT></A></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'"><STRONG><FONT size=4>Pastoral Planning and Preparation</FONT></STRONG></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'"><FONT size=4>Most of these films are for mature believers who understand that the film is a story <I>about</I> something rather considering it in its parts, which, when taken by themselves, may seem inappropriate to some viewers. Only one or two films above are suitable for adolescents; the rest are for young adults and adults. I strongly recommend that you screen the films ahead of time so that you will know the story, context and content, and be able to connect Pauline and cinematic themes (and decide ifthis is really the best film for your group.) </FONT></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'"><FONT size=4>It is a good idea to create a handout for your event(s) with the name of the film, a brief synopsis of the film (essential information about each film canbe found at <A href="http://www.imdb.com/">www.imdb.com</A> - the Internet Movie Database), select quotes from Scriptures that provide a way to have a dialogue about the film and Pauline themes. It is also good to have 3-4 questions to guide the reflection and conversation.</FONT></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'"><FONT size=4><STRONG>Some words to the wise:</STRONG> </FONT></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'"><FONT size=4>- Don't give in to the temptation to tell the story of the film ahead of time; if anything, read the Scripture quotes before the screening. The vast majoroty of people dislike having the story told to them in advance. Just watch the film... Let it tell the story.</FONT></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'"><FONT size=4>- You MUST have a license to show films in any other setting than a normal school day and within the curriculum of the school: see <A href="http://www.cvli.org">www.cvli.org</A> Christian Video Licensing International is the name of the company. This is a fine company that can keep us all legal. Retreats and after school programs require a license. RCIA does not count as school curriculum, for example.</FONT></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'"><FONT size=4>- Be sure to have a break after the screening. Provide refreshments.</FONT></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'"><FONT size=4>- Move the chairs into a circle for the conversation; this provides for a respectful and fair conversation</FONT></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'"><FONT size=4>- Avoid doing all the talking; the role of the leader is to facilitate and draw out the participants. </FONT></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'"><FONT size=4>- To prevent someone from hogging the time and dominating the conversation, be sure to ask everyone to keep their comments to two minutes at a time - and that you have the stop watch and will use it.</FONT></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'"><FONT size=4>- Let the participants know that <EM><STRONG>there are no right or wrong ways to interpret the film </STRONG></EM>(this doesn't mean there is no right or wrong), therefore, everyone's opinion is valid and deserves respect. The facilitator may want to ask questions to clarify the comments, but respect is paramount.</FONT></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'"></SPAN> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'"><FONT size=4></FONT></SPAN> </P>
<DIV class=tags id=tagsLocation><BR/>Tags: <A href="http://technorati.com/tag/St.+Paul+and+Movies%3B+St.+Paul+goes+to+the+movies%3B+activities+for+Pauline+year" target=_blank rel=tag>St. Paul and Movies; St. Paul goes to the movies; activities for Pauline year</A></DIV>Sister Rose Pacatte, FSPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15633387315359598166noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3708110507073541120.post-8245786871809341992008-07-07T13:43:00.000-07:002008-10-08T16:33:06.955-07:00National Film Retreat 2008 Melting Pots: Food and Family<P><FONT size=4>The 9th annual National Film Retreat took place this past weekend. All together, 19 people took part at one point or another. Reflecting on the spirituality and theology of food and family in the movies was enriching and inspiring. The theme was "Melting Pots: Food and Family."</FONT></P>
<P><FONT size=4><EM>What's Eating Gilbert Grape?,</EM> <EM>Eat, Drink, Man, Woman</EM>, <EM>Planes, Trains and Automobiles</EM>, <EM>The Global Banquet</EM> (a documentary on the politics of food), and finally, <EM>What's Cooking? </EM>yielded much"food for thought", conversation, and prayer. </FONT></P>
<P><FONT size=4><IMG src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUaEV-G4pJnaKbQLKrI_WGwOP1qY8Zovkm8YV8ZkFk0xeFKp9FYNQ9dAFyviUVSY2letgUJ7fFKgGDM5Nilg2Wyv4RMRSxugY_o5ZZqVX4a56uldmQrEqrVEIz2g9BB7L3ogVcW9Iz18Gp/s1600-r/pic%3Fid=3750Ca6KnZSWtx2JQnc2ufbpw*hgKe5xRvdD%26size%3Dm"/></FONT></P>
<P><FONT size=4></FONT> </P>
<P><FONT size=4><IMG src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT6U_HOw9NzWeB1R_8novwIJ8v0UdwEjxlcfovsvBVb0s9F1DiiTKQS-mw1TqkE_3Ev5-qF3lxyPcja7rXY9fXEXg6rVVHED9uMla6gLm4GTHhUdOOfc_EnfjeS4QpVRu0EO1_5DSGVDdW/s1600-r/pic%3Fid=3750Ca6KnZSWtx2JQnc2ufbpwzxiuOJB6072&size=m"/></FONT></P>
<P><FONT size=4>Here are some photos from our weekend:</FONT></P>
<P><FONT size=4><IMG src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_ChMWdxy7jT8MNIqCYZF2RErpKhHsmiwCXcvhvrJ7t9HlsySLctBPZ8uwZvuiOQ3HSc7wr7NOAGIN5FlGQ3NP9yIQzwllWR9pUU_D886CqFuPRU6EZwnXo_HGjx_DKi-Ieu1Qd0byaGel/s1600-r/pic%3Fid=3750Ca6KnZSWtx2JQnc2ufbpw1fy7WuSZCP-&size=m"/></FONT></P>
<P><FONT size=4>Some of the participants.... from Los Angeles, Boston, Ohio, Singapore and San Clemente, San Diego.... Sister Lynette Constance (4th from left)is a newly professed sister of the Daughters of St. Paul. Congratulations, Sr. Lynette!</FONT></P>
<P><FONT size=4><IMG src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwInRB_MpcG1Vfe5P7tHKt8_96FnX72PiTN9rt0cOcTErKdnVTUScfp9rpXrcKxpO7FVuX7X4cH80YT7HcC_YoRyOYrBVmhmTof_k4QMDSWak5jaZ4uuLFP5J7QxUSiMdCEUWSp1WU6GIW/s1600-r/pic%3Fid=3750Ca6KnZSWtx2JQnc2ufbpwyR8RzyM9RLC&size=m"/></FONT></P>
<P><FONT size=4>During Mass, Fr. Greg used a clip from <EM>Mostly Martha.</EM></FONT></P>
<P><FONT size=4><IMG src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie5TZqjDOtvBd7x8sRVH0_3w7KmPbMFJVyZySd85rAQ6CdU5j3FExXWzKkxc_CQiy6lBHo3fIzRVmwTbYvJgHDcNqzLtGItzGnFNBtTt-MGED6y4Uo84VJ-Xqo2fAgJk3UkQUax8SzOd3-/s1600-r/pic%3Fid=3750Ca6KnZSWtx2JQnc2ufbpw36I-2IuwilW&size=m"/></FONT></P>
<P><FONT size=4>After we saw Ang Lee's <EM>Eat, Drink, Man Woman</EM>, we went out to dinner at the newly renovated Fuji Wok Restaurant on Sepulveda Blvd., across the street from the Pauline Center in culver City.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT size=4><IMG src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKu-2PTnivclxLiz42c9EGfk9ekH3d6ndRyoNXkjbzeb-0wh8ehGX6wh2jBfH6h9S0vLhN-A1UU0XhoNATscRXBAXAyXCy-3VzqZs5hyOc5a0BZQQOQaJMRKCpyG5IZZrzSNeuFpXylJAC/s1600-r/pic%3Fid=3750Ca6KnZSWtx2JQnc2ufbpw6UOqPRFSawT&size=m"/></FONT></P>
<P><FONT size=4>Sr. Frances, Carol Anne and Sr. M. Joseph at the Fuji Wok!</FONT></P>
<P><FONT size=4><IMG src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzJn_HYSE_LCZPYrVkQJWzYpKX5ydOGsVN2-zF_fBzoTZevVOvwePfdzzpicFdz8atS3rV9giR-hl4_vebqOMLuMPxOWPlkcmc_5azQRoJBImqYuvLavR_umz1wAvikW-8NzU_WOYtoaZa/s1600-r/pic%3Fid=3750Ca6KnZSWtx2JQnc2ufbpww4O2nUUwrj9&size=m"/><IMG src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLzvAYzsCSYNbDdii3koI9JpTIyR6reBh7Ok8fst_NHvt9xpaAyju3i4thjM9vCKVxbS-hlmnwo-_NdR5nWdKgO64g_teV08ZIOPo8U6kyME2H2TBbv0a3u-wRtIr2-Orghxr6JssDDgiC/s1600-r/pic%3Fid=3750Ca6KnZSWtx2JQnc2ufbpw3k-94tt4NYL&size=m"/></FONT></P>
<P><FONT size=4>The retreat concluded with lunch with the community of the Daughters of St. Paul in our convent dining room. Sr. Madonna Janet cooked Italian and Sr. Frances decorated....</FONT></P>
<P><FONT size=4>For anyone who would like to join us for a repeat of this retreat, please see the entry below about the Catholic Cruise Retreat. I think there is still room! But act now!</FONT></P>
<P><FONT size=4>(Two of the films will be replaced with <EM>Big Night</EM> and <EM>My Big Fat Greek Wedding</EM> because of the selection available to the cruise lines.)</FONT></P>
<P><FONT size=4>If you would like to be notified of the 10th annual film retreat in 2009, please send an email to <A href="mailto:pcms@paulinemedia.com">pcms@paulinemedia.com</A></FONT></P>
<P><FONT size=4>Blessings to all! </FONT></P>
<DIV class=tags id=tagsLocation><BR/>Tags: <A href="http://technorati.com/tag/National+Film+Retreat%3B+film+retreat%3B+film+and+spirituality" target=_blank rel=tag>National Film Retreat; film retreat; film and spirituality</A></DIV>Sister Rose Pacatte, FSPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15633387315359598166noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3708110507073541120.post-88544083698191876912008-07-07T13:17:00.000-07:002008-10-08T16:33:06.956-07:00Into Great Silence Office of Readings Soundtrack<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN style="mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'"> Although I have not yet heard this new release yet, if it is anything like the sound track for INTO GREAT SILENCE, it should be good!</SPAN></P>
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<P><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 7.5pt; COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'Trebuchet MS','sans-serif'"><BR style="mso-special-character: line-break"/><BR style="mso-special-character: line-break"/></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 12pt"><I><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Trebuchet MS','sans-serif'">Only in complete silence does one begin to hear.<BR/>Only in the absence of language does one begin to see.</SPAN></I><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Trebuchet MS','sans-serif'"><BR/><BR/></SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 8pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Trebuchet MS','sans-serif'">After the incredible critical acclaim and commercial success of the documentary film<SPAN class=apple-converted-space> </SPAN><I>Into Great Silence</I>, Jade Music is proud to release the follow-up album to the soundtrack:<SPAN class=apple-converted-space><I> </I></SPAN><I>Into Great Silence - Office of the Night</I>.<SPAN class=apple-converted-space> </SPAN><BR/><BR/>This is the first time that any recording of the Office of the Night at the Grande Chartreuse has been made available in its entirety.<BR/><BR/>The two-CD album is a collection of chants, readings, prayers, and sounds of silence recorded by film director Philip Gröning during his six-month stay at the monastery. It includes an extensive 50-page booklet with liner notes, lyrics, and prayers.<BR/><BR/>"This Office of the Night appeared to me to be the core of the Monks' life and spirituality, the heartbeat of the Order for more than 1000 years. I wanted to share my experience with an audience." - Philip Gröning<SPAN class=apple-converted-space> </SPAN><BR/><BR/></SPAN><B><I><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Trebuchet MS','sans-serif'">Available July 15th</SPAN></I></B></P></TD></TR>
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<P><B><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 13.5pt; COLOR: #4c4c48; FONT-FAMILY: 'Trebuchet MS','sans-serif'"><BR/>into great silence<SPAN class=apple-converted-space> </SPAN></SPAN></B><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 13.5pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Trebuchet MS','sans-serif'">|<SPAN class=apple-converted-space><SPAN style="COLOR: black"> </SPAN></SPAN></SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 16pt; COLOR: #7c2013; FONT-FAMILY: 'Trebuchet MS','sans-serif'">movie soundtrack</SPAN></P>
<P class=style3 style="MARGIN: auto 0in"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 8pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Trebuchet MS','sans-serif'">In 1984, German filmmaker Philip Gröning wrote to the Carthusian order for permission to make a documentary about them. They said they would get back to him. Sixteen years later, they were ready. The soundtrack to Into Great Silence includes the touching and amazing chants from the Monks that make up the Grande Chartreuse Choir.<BR/><BR/><I>Available Now</I><BR/><BR/><A href="http://milanrecords.com/intogreatsilence/"><SPAN style="COLOR: black">Visit Milan's</SPAN><SPAN class=apple-converted-space><SPAN style="COLOR: black; TEXT-DECORATION: none; text-underline: none"> </SPAN></SPAN><I><SPAN style="COLOR: black">Into Great Silence</SPAN></I><SPAN class=apple-converted-space><SPAN style="COLOR: black; TEXT-DECORATION: none; text-underline: none"> </SPAN></SPAN><SPAN style="COLOR: black">page</SPAN></A><BR/><A href="http://www.zeitgeistfilms.com/film.php?directoryname=intogreatsilence"><SPAN style="COLOR: black">About the film</SPAN></A></SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 7pt"></SPAN></P></TD>
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<P style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 12pt; TEXT-ALIGN: center" align=center><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 8pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Trebuchet MS','sans-serif'"><A href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/redirect?path=ASIN/B000O1717K&link_code=as2&camp=1789&tag=milanrecords-20&creative=9325"><SPAN style="COLOR: black"><BR/><BR/></SPAN><SPAN style="COLOR: black; TEXT-DECORATION: none; text-underline: none"><IMG id=_x0000_i1027 height=164 src="http://milanrecords.com/newsletter/OfficeoftheNight_06.02.08/IntoGreatSilence.jpg" width=165 align=middle border=0/></SPAN></A></SPAN><SPAN class=apple-converted-space> </SPAN><BR style="mso-special-character: line-break"/><BR style="mso-special-character: line-break"/></P></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></DIV>Sister Rose Pacatte, FSPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15633387315359598166noreply@blogger.com0