catholic integrity amidst dismal reality?

This film has a very dramatic opening line, shared in a confessional with the larger than life Father James. It quickly became clear that one of the locals had been repeatedly raped as a young boy and had threatened his own version of justice. We aren't sure whether to take him seriously and who he actually is. But what becomes clear, is that Father James is a priest with moral integrity and real life experience. While he may have been an absent father to his daughter, after her mother's death, he does try to reconnect and offer her hope. But what is truly mesmirising is the mix of tragic and flawed people who live in the small Irish seaside village of Sligo, and the way Father James continues to connect with and help each one, in his idiosyncratic and down-to earth manner. But as time counts down, he senses the sinister and troubling forces closing in, and he chooses to face his own personal Calvary.

waiting for the real Jesse Eisenberg in The Double

The trailer seemed interesting; suggesting that The Double might have been an alter ego or the dark shadow self. There was a mention that the director Richard Ayoade adapted the script from an 1846 Dostoyevsky novella. There were moments when it seemed that the timid and isolated Simon James would be recognised for the work he did, rather than the confident and charismatic James Simon. Perhaps he would even reconnect with the woman of his dreams. But I was disappointed at the lack of real depth, and by then end I had lost track with which one was which - and then it seemed that it did not really matter. What made the film interesting was the bleak and tongue-in-cheek industrial and bureaucratic work place. But in the end I agree with the Director, in his summary at the Toronto premiere "I can't recommend it, but I'm happy it exists".

cryptic stories across centuries and continents

I need persistence and resilience to read Peter Carey. This time, the title 'The Chemistry of Tears' offered a chance to transcend art and science through human emotion. If only it was that simple... I could identify with the contemporary Catherine, a heartbroken conservator at a London museum, as she needed to hide her grief from the unexpected loss of her married lover. Her sensitive boss was perhaps more manipulative than he initially seemed, when he offered her the complex task of rebuilding an automaton, comissioned by the aristocratic Henry Brandling, a century earlier for his dying son. Henry's journey to the deep south of Germany to find a builder for this bizarre dream mirrors her own challenge to escape from reality. Their stories intertwine across time and geography as they explore the classic mysteries of life and death from two very different perspectives. It is so well written that there are so many hidden twists and turns, shared synchronicities and terrible tragedies...

inspirational - Dallas Buyers Club

Finally I agree with the critics - this film offers an amazing experience and I am impressed at the American establishment recognising individual resilience and integrity outside the mainstream. There are so many beautiful threads and surprising contrasts. It is shocking to be reminded of the early 80's and the sheer terror of AIDS, especially through the experience of a super macho Texas cowboy Ron Woodruf, played by Matthew McConaughey. Given 30 days to live, we see both sides of medical ignorance; sensitive uncertainty compared to arrogant controlling denial. It is predictable that his friends shun him, but not that he really learns to appreciate the conflicted cross dressing Rayon, played by Jared Leto. I was impressed by his deep search for accurate scientific information (which is part of my day job) and his entrepreneurial attitude to sharing his knowledge, regardless of the law or any clinical trial protocol. Together with a motley crew of renegades, I was totally inspired by their shared struggle for independent choice and personal dignity.