Bent

"I saw you by the river. You were making a fool of yourself, and I said, someday I'll be in Dachau with that man moving rocks." -Horst

Bent, a Holocaust film directed by Sean Mathias and written by Martin Sherman, is about Max (Clive Owen), a homosexual who is put into the concentration camps where he claims to be a Jew. He is forced to do horrible things by the Nazis in order to survive the trip to the concentration camp but, once there, meets Horst (Lothaire Bluteau). While hauling rocks from one end of a field to the other, they fall in love and Max becomes torn between his love for Horst and his desire to survive.

Thanks to this movie, I now know how much more explicit verbal sex between two men standing three feet apart and not looking at or touching each other can be than actually seeing the deed. This was probably the most exploitative scene in the film and seems to be added as a "crowd-pleasing" move. Aside from this and a few of the other more manipulative elements that are found in any movie about Nazis, it was an interesting take on the Holocaust and an overall touching film. The acting was excellent with Clive Owen in one of his early and non-action oriented roles that foretells his part in Closer. Lotharie Bluteau was perfect in his supporting role although I believe the rest of his career is sadly made up of appearances on Law and Order. Jude Law has a ten second role as a stormtrooper which was very amusing and Ian McKellen plays a small role as Max's discreetly gay uncle. However, the actor that takes the cake is Mick Jagger who has a cameo as Greta, a drag queen performer in a gay night club. What stripped the film of most of its potential sentimentality was the simplicity of the script, score, and desolate wide shots that conveys an feeling of resigned despair. The character development is strong and the ending poetic making Bent a strong film that explores an overlooked area of history with only the occasionally unnecessary scene. 3 1/2 stars.

FYI- This movie is rated NC-17, probably for the aforementioned scene. This would have been helpful to know before watching it...

"Aujourd'hui, Maman est morte."

Pepper won't eat anything. He hasn't eaten all day. His stomach is swollen and he barely uses one of his legs. He's been lying in the same room for four hours. Every one of us has sat petting him for a while. If a stranger were to look in on such a heartrending scene, he would think that this was the most beloved pet of a devoted family. His impression would of course be stretching the truth quite a bit.

Hmm... Well, that makes us sound like bad pet owners. We're not really. Most people in the house care quite a bit for animals. But, Pepper was never any one's favorite. He was a good and loyal dog. He picked habits up quickly even when we did not want him to. He was always well-behaved. But he was needy, too. And he whined excessively. He had a constant need to be petted. It got to the point where if he was left alone for any amount of time, his ecstasy at our return would be unbearable. He is the last Lab we will ever get. It's not that he wasn't loved. It's not that my mother and sister won't cry when he's gone, which is looking sooner and sooner. But to pretend he was a favorite would be a lie.

Having now defined both him and us when he lived, I shall define the situation as he is approaching death. I have already said that he has been given a copious amount of attention. He has been petted. His appetite has been tempted. He has been lured out into company. Sad words have been spoken about his approaching trip to the vet. In fact, attitudes have changed toward him quite a bit. I suppose this always happens when people die. All of a sudden people who hardly knew them or were fairly indifferent to them begin professing their undying friendship and telling them how much they'll be missed. I'm sure it's a great comfort to my dog, but how many people trust the sudden change in their deathbed well wishers? More importantly, why do people feel a need to become attached to people who are about to die, people they hardly knew? Is it the fact that they'll never see them again? But people move all the time and this never happens. I can't explain it.

Pepper goes to the vet tomorrow. We'll see how that goes.

A Poem for the Girls' Tent

The Girls' Tent
A Poem

Gather 'round, children, and I'll tell you the tale
Of the Girls' Tent blog and its recent avail
While camping at Guadalupe, a 9 on the scale
After climbing a peak 'til we couldn't inhale
We returned to our tent and it started to hail
And while the men pitched a lair that was only for males
We shared and imagined and traded our tales
In the spirit of that afternoon regale
We've started a blog to share every detail
Private-er than Facebook, inclusive-er than email
So that at long distances, friendships will prevail

Love, Mary

P.S. Debby Jean?
Double P.S. Can we change apostrophe placement in the title?

The Girls' Tent

Because camping brings everyone closer together and because Facebook is not enough...

Create blog...
Done.