johnnybird

Who is Dayani Cristal? is a mystery inquiry pursued on two levels. The film makers follow the Pima County sheriff's department and medical examiner's office as they first discover and then seek to identify the body of a young man found in the desert, 'only twenty minutes drive from the city of Tucson' - a search that involves eventually at least one foreign consulate. The other line of inquiry is into who this person might have been when they were alive, where they came from, what their aspirations were, and why they would leave home, risk riding the rails the length of Mexico and crossing the desert of northern Sonora. This second inquiry is accomplished by the film maker following the possible route of a migrant - and putting us into that person's shoes. As we follow the actor on his way north, we see from up close real people on the migrant path, finding hospitality in unexpected places, and sometimes losing their way. The two strands of the mystery come together at the end ...

Have you ever visited an artist's home? Have you seen the collection of their own work, the work of their friends, the work they admired - gathered together over a lifetime of aesthetic sensibility? Have you ever visited such a home - and seen it kept as a shrine, long after they've gone, by friends or family or fans? Robert Louis Stevenson inspired such devotion, both in Edinburgh, Scotland, and in Carmel, California, where he lived for a time - and doubtless in Tahiti too; his writing desk left intact, pen and pipe standing by. His honeymoon hideaway at Silverado is long gone, however, with only traces of the old mine-works scattered down the mountainside. Sometimes a surviving spouse or children keep intact the memories they'd shared, by Not Moving Anything. Sometimes they move on...

How do you honor the past without getting stuck in it? That is the challenge faced by the children of Hélène Marly née Berthier in 'Summer Hours (L'heure d'été)' a film by Olivier Assayas (2008). At her 75th birthday, they gather in her home to celebrate and to remember. The mother wants to speak about her death – in terms of the disposition of her beloved possessions...

They, the three of them, are not ready yet to face the dissolution of the old establishment. So it is the mother who says to the elder brother, you are the one who wants to hang on to it all, you are the one who has to organize my legacy – and let it go...

As members of families, we may feel we face similar questions: What do we inherit? What do we pass on? What do we value? An aesthetic sensibility? An appreciation for beauty? A wistful sense of love? Of loyalty?

Love actually it's not .... more blonde on blond

This year's bid to follow-on "Love Actually" with bits of "Four Weddings and a Funeral" and "Bridget Jones Diary" thrown in. The Americans are just as randy (genitally obsessed and air-headed) as in above cited precedents but without the charm. Fewer characters than in any of the above.

British scenery by Thomas Kinkade; American scenery by Coastal Living.

Dialogue is not so much written as outlined. Note from editor: "Here the character should say something that indicates they are in over their head." Result: "'I'm in over my head!'"

However, "The Holiday" fulfills the contract baldly stated over the opening credits. You know what's going to happen. The only question is: will it be like watching a train arrive in the station or like watching paint dry?

You know my vote.

Donald Pleasance gave an uncannily accurate portrayal of an eccentric old clergyman ... reminded me of people I know. Probably would for you too. The scene near the end (of Novel 2) where Eleanor is addressed, well, boldly, came off pretty well; Trollope celebrates quiet triumphs.

Worth seeing what you can; you can't see much in the United States, as the series is not distributed there, nor any longer shown on television.

Creative use of modern and mystical elements: 1956 Cadillac convertible to transport evil stepmother Kathleen Turner (John Waters' "Serial Mom") and the 2 twisted sisters; Queen Mab as the faerie godmother; David Warner (Evil in "Time Bandits") in redcoat at court; Cinderella (she's a babe) shovelling coal into an insatiable furnace; Cinderella and her prince charming both look like (and act like) rock stars. Isle of Man locations.