A few months ago, knowing how much I love photography,…especially black and white…my friend Kelly asked me if I wanted to go see a new documentary called Finding Vivian Maier? Of course I said, “Yes!” So, we traveled down to La Jolla to check it out. It’s a fascinating story of a nanny who, over her lifetime, took over 100,000 photographs and basically just tucked them away…until they were found after her death (isn’t that always the way it happens!) At a 2007 auction in Chicago a young man buys some of these photographs and, after realizing what he has, contacts the other buyers from that same auction and assembles an incredible body of her work. He takes the viewer on his journey of discovery through interviews from people she knew and the photographs themselves. It was a 2015 Oscar nominee for best documentary.
Okay, so maybe you’re not into documentaries? Ida is the 2015 Oscar winner for Best Foreign Film and I loved it! It is the story of a novitiate nun about to take her vows when she finds out a long held family secret. The story itself is interesting and keeps your attention, but the cinematography is fascinating…not quite black and white, but more a mellow gray that I really enjoyed watching. I would say the most captivating element of the film though was the director’s use of silence. There were so many moments where nothing is spoken, but so much is said!
Those are my DVD/streaming picks for the weekend. ….and if those kind of artsy films don’t interest you, Bradley Cooper is amazing in American Sniper and Wes Anderson’s Grand Budapest Hotel , are both ‘must sees!’
Have a great weekend!
You cannot direct the wind, but you can adjust the sails!
