Artist Haven "5 Flights Up."

Every day Albert (Morgan Freedman) takes his little dog out for a stroll through their gentrified Brooklyn neighborhood, then struggles to climb “5 Flights Up” to his beloved apartment/art studio and even more beloved wife, Ruth (Diane Keaton). When the dog suffers from a ruptured disk and has to be carried downstairs, it seems like it’s time for a new place with an elevator.  Their real estate agent/niece insists that they take advantage of the current escalated value in their trendy Hipster neighborhood.

Set on the weekend of their open house, not a lot happens in this pleasant little film. They worry about their dog. People traipse through their apartment trying to picture Albert’s art studio without “all that junk” (his paintings). Ruth tries to arrange for a showcase of his life’s work. When the gallery owner claims that it isn't hip enough, she loses it. She explains that he is an artist and he isn't about to adjust his vision for the latest trend.  I glance around the theater and see smiles all around.  It is delightful to see this charming couple still supportive and in-love after 40 years together. I love the way Albert and Ruth live life on their own terms – creating a haven where Albert can paint and Ruth tends her garden up on the roof.

Unfortunately, that liberty is threatened when a manhunt for a suspected terrorist causes gridlock on a nearby bridge and the couple feels pressured to sell before the media induced fear forces apartment prices down. Societal pressure to pursue financial gain encroaches on their happy home. 

My fiancé Dan and I try to create a haven where he can work on his humanitarian projects (Dan also plans to plant a heritage garden) and I can write my love projects, draft reviews of meaningful films, and be there for my teenage boys. I hope we are as happy as Ruth and Albert in ten years. 

One of the things I love about movies is how everyone brings their own stuff to the theater that they project onto the big screen.  A simple story like this leaves space for you to ruminate about similar experiences: long term relationships, selling your apartment, N.Y. City, your pooch, and for me – the struggle of being an artist in this profit driven society.

In this day and age when accumulating wealth is valued above all else, where do artists fit in? OK.  I admit it.  I’m upset that our governor has cut millions from education – forcing schools to drop art and music classes. Our city council plans to shut down our award-winning public access station (where I made my micro-budget movies and at-risk kids created cable programs). The city invests in street cars that connect sports bars, but cuts funding for events that connect our diverse community - like the Family Arts Festival and Tucson Meet Yourself. Beautiful architecture and historic buildings are torn down to make room for ugly office buildings.  I wonder if they will eventually close down everything that makes Tucson a great place to live. I understand that people are struggling just to make a living, but by throwing away the arts we are losing something that enriches our daily life and gives it meaning. Art is an expression of hope.  Art is important. End of rant.

I’m grateful that we still have The Loft, where we can catch up with this happy, loving couple in their artist haven... just, “5 Flights Up."

Movie blessings! 

Jana Segal

reelinspiration.blogspot.com

"Invictus"

"Invictus," opens with the image of a road dividing the well groomed, green rugby field for the white African team and the rough, dirt lot where black African children play. Coming down the road is the motorcade of newly elected President Nelson Mandela.

This is a movie about inspiration. President Mandela's (Morgan Freeman) resolve to unite the nation without punishing his suppressors after serving twenty-seven years as a political prisoner is indeed inspiring. Through his example, he teaches his country how to forgive.

Knowing that his county is still racially divided in the wake of apartheid, the President enlists the help of the national rugby Team Captain (Matt Damon in his most buff and tan) to unite the country with the universal language of sports. Africa is hosting the Rugby World Cup Championship and he knows that the eyes of the world are on them. His first task is to inspire the team to overcome their losing streak and win the championship. But the bigger challenge is to inspire his hostile countrymen to rally around the mostly white team.

Unfortunately, the sports section of the movie isn't as moving as it could have been and therefore less inspiring. President Mandela gives the Team Captain the poem, "Invictus" for inspiration. (Mandela got strength from this poem to survive those hard years in prison.) The Team Captain surprises his players with a visit to Mandela's tiny prison cell. But an opportunity is lost when he doesn't share the poem with his team. The audience hears the poem as a voice over. (My frustration increased when I couldn't make out a few of the words.) Here it is:

INVICTUS

by William Ernest Henley

Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds and shall find me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.

Perhaps the screenwriter was trying to keep to the true story. In sports stories there is always the problem of creating suspense when we know who will win. And this definitely is a problem here. Apparently, the game was not an emotional roller coaster. Instead the writer uses the possibility of an assassination to create tension. I'm not saying there are no inspiring moments. There are several. It's just not as moving as it could have been. (I wonder if director Clint Eastwood was trying to avoid having the movie called sappy...?) It is still a three, maybe three and a half, star movie. Who wouldn't root for Morgan Freeman in a strong (however tall) portrayal of Nelson Mandela?

Wishing you and your family a Happy New Year with lots of movie blessings!
Jana Segal
www.reelinspiration.blogspot.com

"The Bucket List"

OK. I'll admit I have my guilty pleasures. These are films I see not because they are great art or original storytelling but because they make me feel good. "The Bucket List," falls into this category. It's a feel good movie with some laughs. You can pretty much figure out the whole story from the trailer - yet you still want to be in that world. Jack Nicholson plays a gruff businessman who is treated for cancer. He eventually connects with his trivia spouting, family-man roommate (Morgan Freeman) because of their shared condition. When they discover that they both have less than a year to live, they make a list of things they would like to do before they "kick the bucket" and go out and do them.

The problem I have with the script is that everything comes so easily to them. First, they have unlimited financial resources to travel the world because one of them is rich. I could live with this contrivance if the filmmaker used that screen time to develop the relationship of the two characters. But their relationship comes easily too. There are no real obstacles to overcome that would allow them to fully bond. But luckily, Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman give such lived-in performances that we feel like we know them. While gazing at the pyramids, they touch on universal themes such as the importance of faith and share some regrets. They challenge each other to discover the true joy in life. It is certainly a joy to watch Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freedman at the top of their game (and the top of the world!) If this movie inspires you to find the joy in life or contemplate it's meaning, I'd say that was worth the price of admission.
Movie Blessings!
Jana Segal
www.reelinspiration.blogspot.com "The Bucket List" provides much-needed education on living and dying for American society. --Janet Grace Riehl, (www.riehlife.com)

Loved The Bucket List, by the way. Dave and I are making our own Bucket List now! Woo hoo! Reel Member, Tammy Swanson