I stayed up after midnight last night. Trying to catch the last evening news. January 17, one day before my birthday. I will be a year older in less than 24 hours. hehehe. Not a scary truth. A most welcomed beginning of the year 2010. I am never afraid of birthdays. I always embrace my birthdays. At 12.15am I look around the room. Joel and the 2 girls are fast asleep now. How the kids have grown. The height of their shadows seem to be the same already. This month Ava turns 3 and days later Alyssa will be 6. They have grown. Beautiful girls. I see my camera bag in its special corner of the room. What a year it had been. Wasn't it yesterday that I had been lovingly putting away my D70. A year later a new D90 rests inside that camera bag. What a year it had been. A year of head-on education in life and growing up. A wonderful year.
I was about to turn the tv off when I stumbled upon an interesting face. Angelina Jolie. Under normal circumstances it would only have taken me 2 seconds to press the off button. But wait. Her costume. Interesting hat. I recognize the movie. But Ive never seen it. I just recognized the setting and costume. 1920's.
The Changeling.
That's right, the true story of a mother and her missing boy.
That alone stopped me from watching it in the first place. You know me, I don't like that stuff. Breaks my heart. Unnecessary heartache for me. And it's Angelina Jolie. Aside from my genuine admiration of her beautifully sculptured face, there is nothing else about her that interests me. We all know how it all went with her and her partner Brad Pitt. Their beginning was totally undesirable for me. It's always been "the means does not justify the end" for me. But then again they go about around the globe adopting helpless children and giving them the good life and education they deserve. I should admire that I know. And I do. Really. That is the most noble thing. I am just not a fan of her. But look at the hat she is wearing. The way she looks in this movie. Pure awesomeness. The next thing I knew I was stuck watching it. She is good.
The Changeling.
A film released in 2008. Brace yourself... directed and produced by the Mr. Clint Eastwood ( and Mr. Ron Howard)!!! Can it get any better? Yes, it does. It does indeed.
A true story that happened in Septemter 1928 in Los Angeles. A mother Christine Collins comes home one day to find her son, Walter missing. She desperately reports it to the LAPD. After 5 months the LAPD "finds" and returns her son. But the instant Christine lays eyes on the boy she she it was not her son. They had made a mistake. It was not her boy. And who else but Jefrrey Donovan plays the corrupt chief, Capt. J.J. Jones. From then on the cast of characters have kept my head spinning. Colin Feore as the chief of police, Chief James E. Davis, John Malkovich as Rev. Gustav Briegleb, who swore every breathing hour of his day in helping Christine. Michael Kelly, yes, Michael Kelly, the brooding and handsome face plays the concerned Detective Lester Ybarra (he practically solved the mystery). HEY HEY HEY HEY!!! Who is that cast as one of the jury??? DOMINICK DUNNE! He didnt have a speaking part. He just sat there as a member of the jury. The Dominick Dunne, a real-life crime story writer. COOL! hahahahaha. What can I say I love crime stories that's why I recognized him. The casting of the characters offered me simplicities. And yet they were perfect for their roles. The plastered smile of J.J. Jones, knowing he indeed found the wrong boy but yet breathed and lived the lie just to save the LAPD. The overwhelming yet subtle presence of John Malkovich.
Angelina Jolie. Daaannng! She is good! Last time I saw her in an asylum was in "Girl Interrupted". But she is matured here. She played the role very very well. Nominated in every award giving body in 2008. She won best actress in the Saturn Award. Along with the best director.
A compelling story. A sad sweet story of a mother who lost her son. She was solid in fighting the LPAD that they gave her the wrong boy. It was not her son. She was forced to live with and take care of the boy but she just couldnt take it. Her son was still out there missing. Investigation would stop if she condoned to the lie. She spent everyday searching for her son. My heart broke for her. She stood her grounds. Rev. Gustav Briegleb sits down with her after she was released from the asylum and says: "We cannot afford to hire the best and only lawyer who have sued the city four times in a row and won."
The man sitting beside him continues..."That is why I will do this pro-bono."
That gave me the chills.
Of course they won. The bad guys go down. The killer caught and hanged.
But does it give Christine her peace. Of course not. And that pushes the dagger deeper into everyone's souls.
But the ending of the movie is of hope. It is never known if Walter Collins was one of the murdered boys found in a ranch. The bodies were never identified. The boy who finally surfaces to be reunited with his mother did identify Walter as one of the 5 who escaped with him one night. But it is never fully known if Walter made it out or not as they were apprehended by the killer. But neither it is known if he was caught again. And this gives Christine (and me) what she never had before...HOPE.
A wonderful movie. If you have not seen it before, you must see it now.
I was about to turn the tv off when I stumbled upon an interesting face. Angelina Jolie. Under normal circumstances it would only have taken me 2 seconds to press the off button. But wait. Her costume. Interesting hat. I recognize the movie. But Ive never seen it. I just recognized the setting and costume. 1920's.
The Changeling.
That's right, the true story of a mother and her missing boy.
That alone stopped me from watching it in the first place. You know me, I don't like that stuff. Breaks my heart. Unnecessary heartache for me. And it's Angelina Jolie. Aside from my genuine admiration of her beautifully sculptured face, there is nothing else about her that interests me. We all know how it all went with her and her partner Brad Pitt. Their beginning was totally undesirable for me. It's always been "the means does not justify the end" for me. But then again they go about around the globe adopting helpless children and giving them the good life and education they deserve. I should admire that I know. And I do. Really. That is the most noble thing. I am just not a fan of her. But look at the hat she is wearing. The way she looks in this movie. Pure awesomeness. The next thing I knew I was stuck watching it. She is good.
The Changeling.
A film released in 2008. Brace yourself... directed and produced by the Mr. Clint Eastwood ( and Mr. Ron Howard)!!! Can it get any better? Yes, it does. It does indeed.
A true story that happened in Septemter 1928 in Los Angeles. A mother Christine Collins comes home one day to find her son, Walter missing. She desperately reports it to the LAPD. After 5 months the LAPD "finds" and returns her son. But the instant Christine lays eyes on the boy she she it was not her son. They had made a mistake. It was not her boy. And who else but Jefrrey Donovan plays the corrupt chief, Capt. J.J. Jones. From then on the cast of characters have kept my head spinning. Colin Feore as the chief of police, Chief James E. Davis, John Malkovich as Rev. Gustav Briegleb, who swore every breathing hour of his day in helping Christine. Michael Kelly, yes, Michael Kelly, the brooding and handsome face plays the concerned Detective Lester Ybarra (he practically solved the mystery). HEY HEY HEY HEY!!! Who is that cast as one of the jury??? DOMINICK DUNNE! He didnt have a speaking part. He just sat there as a member of the jury. The Dominick Dunne, a real-life crime story writer. COOL! hahahahaha. What can I say I love crime stories that's why I recognized him. The casting of the characters offered me simplicities. And yet they were perfect for their roles. The plastered smile of J.J. Jones, knowing he indeed found the wrong boy but yet breathed and lived the lie just to save the LAPD. The overwhelming yet subtle presence of John Malkovich.
Angelina Jolie. Daaannng! She is good! Last time I saw her in an asylum was in "Girl Interrupted". But she is matured here. She played the role very very well. Nominated in every award giving body in 2008. She won best actress in the Saturn Award. Along with the best director.
A compelling story. A sad sweet story of a mother who lost her son. She was solid in fighting the LPAD that they gave her the wrong boy. It was not her son. She was forced to live with and take care of the boy but she just couldnt take it. Her son was still out there missing. Investigation would stop if she condoned to the lie. She spent everyday searching for her son. My heart broke for her. She stood her grounds. Rev. Gustav Briegleb sits down with her after she was released from the asylum and says: "We cannot afford to hire the best and only lawyer who have sued the city four times in a row and won."
The man sitting beside him continues..."That is why I will do this pro-bono."
That gave me the chills.
Of course they won. The bad guys go down. The killer caught and hanged.
But does it give Christine her peace. Of course not. And that pushes the dagger deeper into everyone's souls.
But the ending of the movie is of hope. It is never known if Walter Collins was one of the murdered boys found in a ranch. The bodies were never identified. The boy who finally surfaces to be reunited with his mother did identify Walter as one of the 5 who escaped with him one night. But it is never fully known if Walter made it out or not as they were apprehended by the killer. But neither it is known if he was caught again. And this gives Christine (and me) what she never had before...HOPE.
A wonderful movie. If you have not seen it before, you must see it now.
No comments:
Post a Comment