Category Archives: information share

film alley

information share

I know it has been quite some time since an update has appeared here and for that I apologize. I don’t have a camera at the moment, but that will be remedied soon and I expect to be taking many, many more photos than in the past…

In short, we had a lovely holiday season! Just no proof in pictures.

Since the Golden Globes aired tonight, and I adore movies and I’m a snob when it comes to acting performances, I thought it might interest somebody who reads this blog what I think of the year’s most lauded films.

Here are the films I highly recommend from this year’s award season…

1) Black Swan: Easily the most emotionally engaging film I’ve seen in quite some time. This movie grabbed me by the neck from the moment it began and I didn’t really breathe until the credits were over. I don’t expect that everyone will have this reaction to this movie, passing it off as a “crazy dancer flick”, but the deeper emotional exploration of the human psyche is beautiful, raw, honest and painful. Talk about a truthful portrayal of what it means to have perfectionism. Wow. I am going to go see it again before it leaves the theaters. And Natalie Portman deservedly received a Golden Globe for her performance.

2) The King’s Speech: A beautiful, uplifting film about courage, persistence and friendship. This movie could easily have been overlooked and I’m so glad it was noticed and acknowledged. Colin Firth is wonderful, Geoffrey Rush is delightful and Helena Bonham Carter is lovely. I also think it was directed with subtlety and heart. Hip hip hooray that Colin Firth won a Golden Globe for his dynamic and nuanced performance.

3) Blue Valentine: Rather brilliant acting performances and a solid attempt at a heartbreaking love story. Ryan Gosling is fantastic. Michelle Williams both sweet and raw. Together their chemistry is electric and sexy. This movie won’t leave you feeling good, but it sure tells the truth.

4) The Kids Are All Right: This movie was touching, smart, funny and vulnerable. This movie is made for grown-ups and speaks to the adventure of a long-term, committed relationship between two people who truly love one another. Difficult and uncomfortable at times, hilarious in others the script, the direction and the film deserved the Golden Globes it received. Best Actress for Annette Bening and Best Picture – Comedy or Musical. If there could have been two best actress globes, the other would have gone to Juliane Moore as they couldn’t have done the film without these two strong actresses.

And that is all I have to say about that. What movies are you loving?

I will try to get blogging a bit more often. After all, as Lindsey (or Joe) would say, Kirsten is way ahead of me and I don’t have a toddler, a job, and a dog.

Big smile. Happy 2011!
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drug problem: super interview

information share, soap box

My Dad is a Psychiatrist, aka: a shrink. And he is of the mind (and I share his mind on this one) that there is a terrible drug problem that nobody talks about. And I mean prescription drugs. And by prescription drugs I don’t mean the kind that you can purchase via your email spam, but I mean the kind that often get prescribed by doctors. Without going into too much detail over the issues that my Dad witnesses and works with everyday (shocking sometimes!), here is a fabulous interview with a psychiatrist who shares my Dad’s and my view on the subject of drug companies and the field of Psychiatry. Please click here and give the interview a listen (longer) or a read the highlights (shorter), because this topic is very important to me and so under-discussed…

Thank you NPR for the interview and thank you, Dr Carlat, for your book, Unhinged: The Trouble With Psychology, which I can’t wait to read.
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