Movies, Documentary
Today successful Hollywood actors are widely admired. This was not always the case. Some years ago, I visited LA and learned about the surprising history of Hollywood. The good society of LA looked down on actors. They were only seen as slightly better than prostitutes and so they were not allowed to live in town. The actors needed to move outside the city in a new area called Hollywood. I was reminded of this history in the opening minutes of The Shop around the Corner, which was produced in 1940.The Shop around the Corner
Movies, Documentary
When Heath Ledger died at age 28, I was deeply sad. Very rarely has the death of someone who I did not even personally know affected me so deeply. The talent of Ledger was so extraordinary. When the news of his death traveled around the world, I felt we all had been cheated of a lifetime of spectacular performances that was still was lying ahead for Ledger.I am Heath Ledger
Movies, Documentary, Drama
For those of us who like classical music, Shine is a real treat. The film chronicles the life of the piano child prodigy David Helfgott.Shine
Movies, Documentary, Drama
What a story amazing story from India! Rarely was I so moved. A five-year-old boy insists that his older brother take him to his secret night work. They sneak out their mother’s house but before long the little boy is too tired to continue on. So the older brother leaves the younger brother behind at a train station and tells him not to move until he is back. When the little brother wakes up and his older brother has not returned and he starts searching for his older brother.Lion
Movies, Documentary
The most fundamental reason one paints is in order to see. –Brett Whiteley I had never heard of the painter Bret Whiteley. A new documentary is a fantastic portrait of a superb talent who was born in 1939 and died much too young at the age of 53 in a motel room. Once again it was drugs that finished creative man. I felt sad for him but much sadder for his daughter. I highly recommend the film because Whiteley no doubt was an innovator in 20th century painting. Here you can see some of his works displayed: LinkWhiteley