ROBOT AND FRANK

I am so happy I heard Frank Langella discuss his role and involvement in this film in an NPR interview not long ago. He met with the writer and director for hours before signing on and discussed with them what it is to be 70 years old. He asked them to incorporate the suggestions he made into their script and return with the script.  He liked what he read and that they had heard him. He agreed to sign on and for that we are fortunate.  This is a beautiful portrayal of a retired cat burglar who is beginning to lose some cognitive functions, particularly his memory.  His daughter SKYPES him and his son travels regularly to try to help him and visit but it's not working. So the son finds a robot to function as a home health aide.  Lovely voice of Peter Saarsgard as the robot.  Susan Sarandon as a librarian and Frank Langella as a rebellious character play older people respectfully and with a great deal of inner life, humor and intelligence.  Hallelujah!  I loved this film about a relationship between an aging man and a robot who respects him and follows his lead.  Damn, I hope my kids get me a robot when my time comes.

THE IMPOSTER/48 Hour Film Project

After lunch with Liz at LEAF  I soloed to Violet Crown for THE IMPOSTER, a well made documentary about a serial imposter.  A clever young man desperate for attention maximizes people's gullibility by pretending to be a youth from San Antonio who has been missing for four years.  From the moment we see him we see he is clearly a grown man.  There are so many authority figures he interfaces with in Europe and then the U.S. who don't question his obvious hoax.  When he is interviewed by the agent from The Missing and Exploited Children's agency one can only pull out their hair by the hoax she bought as truth:  a boy reports to be kidnapped by the military to be brought to undisclosed destinations with other boys where they are tortured, raped, and repeatedly victimized.  He reports broken bones, cigarette burns, and repeated violation with no physical evidence.  It is only when Charlie Parker, a private investigator matches his ears to a photo of the actual missing boy's ears do we have an AHA moment (are you laughing yet?) This movie is painful in that a beautiful boy already experiencing difficulty in a dysfunctional family has gone missing and no one knows what happened.  Sad. 
On a much brighter note tonight I traveled up to Scottish Rite theater to see films shot for the 48 Hour Film Project.   What fun!  Some of these Austin filmmakers are just brilliant, clever, creative and willing to take such risks with their subject matter.  Nice seeing so many familiar faces as well.

Gender Differences

A daughter moves to a far off land and makes her own way.  Never lets me buy her a thing to set up her new life in an apartment or house.  A son re-locates and is more than happy to have mama set up bathroom, kitchen and go shopping with him for the rest when he arrives. Is this cultural? Is this a first born son thing?  I love it but boy it's really shown it's face!

Josh Moves to Austin

It is with great pleasure, happiness and gratitude that I can formally announce our guy Josh's move to Austin in September. (Can you tell how happy I am?)  For the first time in 10 years the Moskowitz/Alexander clan will reside in the same city.  What was the possibility that a transportation sharing program would recruit him away from Washington D.C. to Austin as a Development Manager?  Did they know how much his  mother would be so grateful????  On those days I have kept my gratitude higher than my expectations I have had the best days.  Today is one of them! (And of course we've already found his new apartment in walking distance from his job...can't take that New York pedestrian thing out of our DNA).

HOPE SPRINGS

I approached this film warily as the situation was so close to me.  I've been married 30 years and I was a social worker for 36 years so seeing a movie about a couple married 31 years who involve themselves in intensive therapy had me cautious.  I loathe seeing bad therapists on film with screenwriters' misconstrued notions about what constitutes good therapy.  And I'm cautious about making middle aged couples look silly when discussing their intimacy.  Happy to say I was delightfully surprised.  Meryl and Tommy Lee Jones are so real and authentic as a couple who have lost any intimacy in their relationship (they sleep in different rooms!!) but clearly have had a foundation together.  Tommy Lee takes a journey on screen that is not an easy or comfortable one and I could have cheered audibly for every one of Steve Carell's interventions with this couple.  Meryl as always is brilliant and sensitive in her portrayal of a middle aged wife yearning for more.  At the end of the film when I called Abe for a lift home he realized he forgot to leave work so I had a glass of wine at Hyde Park Grill and waited for him.  When he walked in to get me I realized how in love I am with this guy after 30 years of marriage and how fortunate we are to be growing old together and forgetting to pick each other up after a film.  It's all worth it.

Annual Unified Auditions

Headed up to Scottish Rite Theater this a.m. where I participated in their annual audition.  An annual event from Austin Creative Alliance and UT RTF where Austin actors are given the opportunity to present themselves in performance of a monologue.  Directors, agents and representatives from UT and theater companies are the auditors.  And so equipped with a monologue from SOMETHING'S GOTTA GIVE that I've rehearsed over and over and given a very painful back story to I presented my stuff.  And I am so aware that I brought with me everything I've learned from Paula Russell, Ck McFarland and Marco Parella.  I am grateful.

Protesting in Silence

We stood outside of the Capitol gates today for one hour in silence. I'm sure others stood for more than the hour.   We wore targets on our shirts (it's Austin so some people were very creative).  One woman was topless with a huge red target painted on her chest.  I recognized an actor I've recently seen and the rest were men, women, children, toddlers.  Photographers took our photos.  We didn't know each other but we came to protest the targeting of women in these political wars being fought. And the denial of basic rights for healthcare, all healthcare that we choose for ourselves.  We silently asked that the men making decisions leave our reproductive organs alone, and stop making fools of themselves when discussing what happens to us when we're violated.  We know what happens, you don't.  Men need to talk with one another honestly about their attention to our stuff.  They've got an issue with our stuff.  And if you ask me, Freud is well and alive deep in the heart of Texas!

ENTRE NOS

This evening we headed up to a very modern and techy screening room in the GSD&M building across from Whole Foods to see this film, sponsored by Austin Film Society and Cine Las Americas.  We were anxious to see this film which premiered at The Tribeca Film Festival and is based on a true NYC immigrant's experience.  Written, directed and starred in by Paola Mendoza.  This is her mother's story.  A mother of two arrives from Bogota Columbia to meet up with her husband who abandons her in two weeks and never returns.  This woman supports her family who becomes homeless by collecting cans and selling empanadas.  They sleep in parks and on stairwells.  The children love their mother who is industrious, loving, hard working and interested in  bettering their lives by always pushing forward.   As  a NYC social worker for 36 years I have seen so many women with hard lives.  This film  brought me right back to remembering the pain and anguish of it all.  The depressing world of abandonment, exclusion, poverty, fear and hunger.  Paola had me in tears.  Her story, her acting, her direction and the Q&A that followed was all so heart wrenching and simultaneously wonderful.  Thank-you Holly, Paola, AFS, and Cine Las Americas for this teary eyed evening.

EL MARIACHE

So much hype about this film lately as it approaches its 20th Anniversary that I had to see for myself.  While Abe warned me it's violent and I might not like it, he was wrong.  I really did like it because the violence was realistic, made sense and the story was authentic.  This was a film made for $7K, with amateur actors and for me had the Rodriguez hook of being tongue-in-cheek.  The scene where a bartender tells the mariache he doesn't need to hire him because he's got a whole orchestra (meaning an electric keyboard played by a guy with a huge sombrero) was hysterical and quirky.  While it's a Spanish speaking film made for home viewing in Mexico it doesn't play that way at all.  I am so glad it was picked up by a mainstream studio for distribution.  It is worthy of being inducted into the National Film Registry because it is a film that brings us into a world of corruption, drugs, guns, small Mexican towns and the people who live there.  It does this without special effects and big names and hoopla.  It's a fine movie because it's well written and well directed.  Hats off to those amateur actors..they were terrific.

THE YARDS

After a fun audition for a reality show about spywear I drove an hour to pick up Abe.  I've never driven that far or long in my life. I'm accustomed to the MTA where the subway conductor is the driver for an hour!  YIKES!

Tonight was a quintessential NYC film at home : James Gray's THE YARD (1999) with Mark Wahlberg, Joaquin Phoenix, Charlize Theron, Ellen Burstyn, Faye Dunaway and James Caan.  What a cast!  And a story we loved: corruption in the subway yards of NYC.  Politicians, Union leaders, Crime Bosses, everyone profiting off the backs of taxpayers.  And then there's that Shakespearean figure once again making right with his soul by telling all, exposing the filth, in order to live with himself.  We watched James Gray work with his cast (bless those special features on the DVDs) and learned how obsessive he is, how professional, and we heard how much the older actors appreciated being with the younger actors.  Another good night of film and another opportunity to be with filmmakers during the day.  A charmed life.

The Twelfth Labor/McCallum Fine Arts Academy

Hats off to this fine group of actors and director and set designer for this wonderful evening of theater.  We especially liked the first act with it's "hens" yenta-ing away about the goings on in a family with an absentee dad and a pregnant unmarried daughter.  Dialogue was so intelligent and filled with humor in what could have been another maudlin display of a dysfunctional family on stage.  Special mention for Rebecca Robinson who played a fierce mama and Erin Treadway who was so authentic as a delayed young woman with a huge heart and a sense of humor.  Thank-you Chris Humphrey for including us in weeks of looking at three chickens, hens, poultry on your FB cover photos.  A shout out to the three hens:  Content Love Knowles, Helen Allen, and Chris Humphrey who displayed what goes wrong when women don't have lives.

 I loved this evening of theater.  Almost didn't make it as google directions mistaken and we were lost and  when I stuck my hand in the glove compartment for our GPS realized it was stolen.  My little radio too.  Bummer in Austin.  All replaceable... movin' on.

AND AFTER THE WORK COMES RAIN!!!!!

This morning at 7:15 a.m. (it's Saturday) 6 workmen show up to complete a major landscape job at our home.  They've built  a metal picket fence to be covered with crossvine Monday (28 buckets sit in front of our LR windows); built a limestone curved wall surrounding those agaves donated to us; replaced crappy soil with rich organic soil that's hot to the touch; rebuilt retaining walls with pavers that surround hundreds of vincas and rosemary and just improved the life of my garden.  And an hour later the rains came and washed away all the dust, and replenished some plants that went into shock and made me so happy I continued to garden and plant and welcomed  the rain to drench me.  Abe did the same on the terrace, sweeping and caring for our succulents.  He even wore shorts while working (he's a jeans guy).

And so I thank Scott Lockhart and his awesome crew from AUSTIN DRAINAGE AND LANDSCAPE DEVELOPMENT for this extraordinary work, performed by hardworking men who are a pleasure to deal with.  Thank-you so much from Addie and Abe

Ray Wylie Hubbard at The Shady Grove

Thank-you KGSR for bringing this free concert to this outdoor venue.  Food was cafeteria like, drinks pretty good, but oh that Ray Wylie.  A great songwriter, a funny and authentic human, and those songs from Grifter's Hymnal.  I just love his presentation of life and his dancing beat.  A great night and thank-you Abe for joining me.  I know it's so not your thing.

WE OWN THE NIGHT/Austin Film Society

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this film and loved the program notes given to us  by David Chisholm, AFS intern tonight.  This is the New York City I know so well and miss.  It's 1988, NYC is dangerous and crime is being fought by working class cops who come out of blue collar neighborhoods and local Catholic schools.  They move to cop neighborhoods in Staten Island, Queens, Long Island and Orange County, NYS.  The criminals are big time dope dealers, Russian mafia types.   The girlfriends are Puerto Rican, Italian, Dominican and hot, hot, hot.  The clubs are gaudy and chintzy, and families are torn apart by loyalty to kin vs a desire to ride the fast wave.  And then there is Joaquin Phoenix, the family's bad boy who returns to the fold, emerges brave and strong and avenges his family's losses.  And David Chisholm gets it.  A character who is driven by fate and  his destiny.  And Abe and I know these characters so well and cheer them on.  These are the cops we met in hospital Emergency Rooms: bringing in victims of violence, abused kids, and each other wounded and hurt.  We love these cop films and their realistic police stations.  This was my city before it became an expensive trendy place to shop and eat and be seen.  Thank-you Holly Herrick for bringing this to us, an appreciated reminder.

STUDENTS OF THE WORLD 2012 SHOWCASE

Tonight we headed up to Wanderlust Live on E 4th Street to see the videos, photographs and audio testaments  of three teams that traveled to different parts of the world to show us what students can do to better lives, protect the environment, bring pure water to people who have never had any, and help remove the stigma of cancer from Mexican cancer patients and survivors. Educating people who are so responsive to learning new ways of improving their lives is the key here. Students of the World has been an active part of our lives ever since Liz went on her first trip to Thailand in 2007 as part of the UT team documenting a school where children are bought back from smugglers and provided safe haven. Tonight she was the producer of a film highlighting The Nature Conservancies in Texas, California and Louisiana demonstrating what is being done to improve the eco system and counter balance climate change.  Impressive work and great collaborative feeling among the three photographers.  The team that went to Mexico has brought enormous support to cancer patients by documenting and televising individual stories about people's experiences with the disease.  The stories are shown repeatedly on TV and have brought comfort and change to people's attitudes toward those who are ill.  And in Malawi we see the benefits of clean water and how it has improved the health and well being of families with HIV and helped strengthen the lives of women and children.  Always a pleasure to see Liz in her world of creative globe trotting friends who make a difference by  documenting people improving their circumstances. Josh joined us as well which made the event and evening especially wonderful for me and Abe. 

It's a wrap on SACRIFICE.  I will miss these wonderful actors I had an opportunity to work with.  Moving along to a new project hopefully soon.

KILLER JOE/Violet Crown

Oy Vey!  I sat in the theater tense and covering my eyes (peeking through my fingers) for the impending violence.  Matthew Mc Conaughey and  Juno Temple are brilliant, brilliant, brilliant.  Mr. Friedkin is 76 years old and proof that one should not ever think of age when being bold, audacious, over the top and creepy, creepy creepy.  Yeah, it's good filmmaking.  Disturbing and violent and packed full with realism.

Back to studying lines for my final shoot tomorrow for SACRIFICE.  8a.m. shoot.  Josh is still in town, hangin' with Liz and her friends and all is good.

POLISSE/Austin Film Society

Chale's on vacation so we all laughed heartily when Holly Herrick. a Brooklyn transplant and the new Associate Artistic Director of AFS, opened the evening with "Hi, I'm Chale Nafus."  An acknowledgment to a tough act to follow.  I very much looked forward to last evenings film because of it's content and  the police genre.  I spent my 36 years as a social worker working in the area of child protection.  33 years  as a hospital based social worker who made regular referrals to ACS and Child Protection Units.  This film is an open window into the lives of men and women police officers whose specialty is Child Protection.  The film is French and Holly forewarned us that much is made about class/language and syntax.  No one works in the field of child protection without being acutely aware of class.  And so when the unit makes a raid to a campground of gypsies and removes all of the children from their parents it is a wrenching scene of class conflict.  While the children are exploited to commit crimes they are fiercely connected to their families.  The director lightens the moment when music is played on the bus transporting them to a shelter and the kids strut their stuff.  The film is emotionally raw and we are shown the imperfections of the people who choose this work.  They are clearly untrained in matters of the heart and psyche and so their work wreaks havoc on their personal lives. They love one another and frequently that turns into romantic/sexual love.  They hurt their loved ones.  They react personally to their cases and interview people with a lot of yelling and judgment.  Children aren't separated from their alleged perpetrators while being interviewed.  The unit cracks up laughing when a young girl seriously admits she performed sexual acts to retrieve her smartphone from a group of boys.  The actor remains stoic while the unit is laughing.  Hard stuff to watch.  Good for people to know and learn about.  Abe told me to suspend what I know about procedures and police who do this stuff in NYC.  Hard to do.  A well made truthful film about what really happens to kids in this world.

Queen of Versailles/Violet Crown

After the gym I bussed downtown to catch this film at the VC.  I was prepared to have a strong negative reaction to Jackie and David Siegel, people whose values are vomitacious (made up word).  But I didn't.  The filmmakers did a good job of presenting their subjects realistically and without ridicule.  It was the Phillipina servants I felt the most compassion for.  As always they have left their own children behind to raise the children of the wealthy, and love them as well.  I would recommend this film because it's unusual and the filmmaker could have easily presented these people as buffoons.  But they're not.  Just different. If only David Siegel hadn't stolen the Florida election for George W. Bush.   For that I don't forgive him.

Cooking for 7/Studying Lines

Spent the afternoon cooking for Liz and her friends (one all the way from Hong Kong) while I studied lines for today's shoot on two locations for SACRIFICE.  On Saturday I was actually paid to be an extra for a TV pilot.  While Studio 4C at Communications B was freezing I really enjoyed being on this set and watching the director and crew.  So happy to have been included.

Last night's meal a great success: spicy lasagne, garlic bread, salad and always, always start the evening with guacamole, veggies, olives, chips.   Young people walk in the door ravenous and there is nothing left!  Interesting conversations and love being up-dated on their lives.

Our guy Josh is being flown into Austin Thursday for a job interview he was scouted for.  Proud parents have fingers crossed.  Haven't lived in the same city with Josh since he left home for University of Wisconsin at age 17.  Hard to believe we all might be in this wonderful city one day.

West Nile Virus?

Four days of muscle aches, leg cramps, eye ache and finally a rash on my legs.  Had my first sick doctor's visit since childhood because googling WNV and wondering "does she or doesn't she?" isn't good health care.  So Dr. Khumbati hears my spiel, sees my rash and asks if I've travelled recently.  "Yeah, to NYC."  "Aha says she.  Much more likely that's where you picked it up if it is WNV."  Even though we've just had a major drainage and landscape job where we unleashed a bazillion mosquitoes?  She's unsure.  So I await results..walked home a mile from the doc and sometimes feel fine and other times crappy. It's definitely a virus, WNV?  We'll see.  Not much to do for either unless symptoms get severe.  Not a bad MD visit in the realm of things.  BTW, insurance doesn't cover the test.
P.S. It wasn't WNV and I feel fine.

JUVENTUD/Austin Film Society

Last night we finished the Cine De Sur series with this delightful autobiographical film made by filmmaker Jaime Humberto Hermosillo.  He returned to his hometown of Aguascalientes (anything but "Hotwaters") and cast locals for this film.  And while he was there gave a workshop for 30 days to teach the craft he loves so much to a new generation of filmmakers.  At the following Q&A with Jaime we were introduced to his cinematographer, Jorge Lopez, whose photography of indoor scenes in the home and bakery of the lead characters is beautiful.  When the young man is sent off by everyone he loves to pursue writing in Mexico City the final shot at a railroad station is emotionally transforming (meaning I cried).  This is a film with a good mother:  she embraces her son's need to leave this provincial town but asks him to live with his godmother (I hope he didn't listen).  The women roles in this film are diverse and deeply textured:  the little sister Veronica is a yenta;  Paz, who marries into the family is a left wing generous sole who is everyone's catalyst; and the mother Pilar is played elegantly and with great wisdom.  Chale gave us 5+ pages of notes and reminded us AFS arranged for subtitles in English.  The Q&A brought us the rare window into a close relationship between men who love films and have great capacity for warmth and humor.