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Author-Poet Aberjhani gave 5 stars to: Reign Over Me (Widescreen Edition)
Author-Poet Aberjhani reviewed:
Reign Over Me (Widescreen Edition)
 Love and Friendship Rule in Reign Over Me, The nonstop reverberating horror of September 11, 2001, has spawned a number of notable films and REIGN OVER ME deserves a place among them. The opening scenes of the movie are brilliantly simple, starting with Adam Sandler as Charlie Fineman gliding through New York City on his scooter like an overgrown kid floating through a dream until awakened from it by his former college roommate, Don Cheadle as Alan Johnson. The light comic tone set by writer and director Mike Binder at the beginning of "Reign Over Me" allows viewers to become comfortable with the idea of a new and unique kind of "guy movie." We settle down to be entertained by former roommates who re-enter each other's life and presumably will experience all kinds of hilarity as a result. That presumption, it turns out, reveals only a very small part of a very big story. A current popular expression states that "People come into our lives for a reason." But in the case of this movie, we might change it to "People come back into our lives for a reason." The more Charlie and Alan reintegrate themselves into each other's life, the more clear it becomes that both are living with deeply hidden wounds that block their desire for happiness. In Alan's case, it's his seeming dissatisfaction with a marriage in which he has begun to feel stifled and his frustration with the bossy partners in a small but successful dental clinic that he established. On the other hand, Charlie's primary issue appears to be a case of burned-out stoner until we learn that he lost his wife and children on 9/11. Years after the event, the blow is still such a devastating one that he can barely function outside of riding his scooter, sitting in as a drummer on late-night club jam sessions, and playing electronic games. Millions of dollars collected in insurance money don't help much either. The loss of his family has left him so detached from any sense of connection and ordinary emotions that he is completely devoid of compassion when Alan's father dies. Upon hearing the news, instead of nodding with understanding when Alan declines his invitation to hang out and eat Chinese food, Charlie tells him, "Come on, don't be such a p_ssy." As heavy as "Reign Over Me" can get at times, it also contains a lot of feel-good moments as well, such as when Saffron Burrows, as Alan's patient Donna Remar, innocently declares she would have sex with him if he wished just so she can get the urge to do so out of her system. It's also genuinely moving to see the support that Charlie and Alan try to provide each other as they confront their individual demons/dilemmas. In addition, Jada Pinkett Smith as Alan's wife, Liv Tyler as Charlie's therapist, and Donald Sutherland as a judge round out a powerful supporting cast. What we witness at the end of "Reign Over Me," with the sound of Pearl Jam wailing soul-ripping angst in the background, is a man with a brutally broken heart struggling to find enough faith and strength to help him believe that his life can somehow become good and worth living again. It's not hard to identify with Charlie because the pain he continues to feel, even as he takes steps toward healing himself, makes a perfect symbol for the pain people all over the world continue to feel and live following September 11, 2001, seven whole years ago as of this writing. By Author-Poet Aberjhani author of ELEMENTAL, The Power of Illuminated Love and The American Poet Who Went Home Again |
Author-Poet Aberjhani gave 5 stars to: Reach for the Moon
Author-Poet Aberjhani reviewed:
Reach for the Moon: Poetry and Short Stories
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Brilliant Flights of Literary Grace, Aberjhani author of The American Poet Who Went Home Again |
Author-Poet Aberjhani gave 5 stars to: Half Nelson
Author-Poet Aberjhani reviewed:
Half Nelson
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
Powerful Performances in One Powerhouse Social Drama, In a role for which he was nominated for an Academy Award, Ryan Gosling stars as Dan Dunne, a single young teacher who at first appears to be only an intellectual geek rather than a full-blown junkie. This perception crumbles when we see him calmly sneak into a bathroom stall to smoke crack cocaine and one of his students finds him there. Instead of turning him in, she chooses to exercise compassion. This gradual understanding of this particular teacher as junkie is one that viewers struggle against because at the same that we witness the pervasive intensity of his addiction, we also discover him as a coach dedicated to his middle school girls' basketball team; and as a competent lover to whom women are drawn but ultimately leave. But mostly, apart from the cocaine and the severe sexual indulgences, we discover a brilliant teacher with a passion for knowledge and ideas that he successfully imparts to his students. The only problem is that the knowledge and ideas he shares go beyond the official lesson plan for thirteen-year-olds into daring philosophical explorations and interpretations of history and modern society. "Half Nelson" might have become little more than an exercise in "liberal guilt," self pity, or self loathing, were it not for the dangerously inappropriate friendship that begins between Dunne and his too-streetwise student Drey. As mesmerizingly brilliant as Gosling is in the role of Dunne, young Shareeka Epps matches him scene for scene in her portrayal of thirteen-year-old Drey. Her impulse to protect and shield him from his own self destructiveness at first seems innocently heroic, but then deadly and heartbreaking. The final fifteen minutes of the film are very difficult to watch as Drey comes face to face with just how ugly her teacher's predicament can get. Yet oddly, in the final scene, they find a reason to laugh. Most viewers understand immediately that teacher and student are headed towards some very painful consequences and probably should not be laughing at all. In addition to Gosling and Epps, Anthony Mackie turns in a pitch-perfect performance as the family friend/drug dealer partly responsible for the arrest of Drey's brother, and whose attempt to take his place is probably the last thing she needs. The main question seems to be whether or not she really has a choice. by Author-Poet Aberjhani author of The American Poet Who Went Home Again and Encyclopedia of the Harlem Renaissance (Facts on File Library of American History) |
Author-Poet Aberjhani gave 5 stars to: Scream
Author-Poet Aberjhani reviewed:
Scream
| Dynamic Offering from the Edit RED Community, The collected works that make up this blazing anthology of poetry represent the exceptional talents of one of the most vibrant and dynamic literary communities on the Internet: Edit RED. The voices in this book command attention because they are not content to simply sit on the page and wait for admiration but virtually leap out at readers, and, as the title indicates, SCREAM out loud with the raw strength of their convictions, honesty, pain, beauty, blood, tears and artistry. It is yet one more example of irrefutable evidence that poetry not only still matters in our modern times, but in fact matters now more than ever before. by Author-Poet Aberjhani author of ELEMENTAL, The Power of Illuminated Love and The American Poet Who Went Home Again |
Author-Poet Aberjhani gave 5 stars to: Vincent & Theo [ NON-USA FORMAT, PAL, Reg.2 Import - Great Britain ]
Author-Poet Aberjhani reviewed:
Vincent & Theo [ NON-USA FORMAT, PAL, Reg.2 Import - Great Britain ]
| Vincent and Theo: Brotherly Love of the Intense Kind, I have one favorite scene in the film VINCENT AND THEO, the late Robert Altman's highly acclaimed masterwork on the life of Dutch painter Vincent Van Gogh. It is a short brutal scene in the first half of the movie when Van Gogh's model and mistress is leaving him: she slaps him witless, and then kisses him hard on the mouth before storming out of the apartment. That double action of pained frustration and loving adoration seems a sad but accurate metaphor for the entire film and possibly for Van Gogh himself. Whereas life bestowed upon him a bliss-filled kiss of exceptional artistic and spiritual vision, the hand of fate slapped him so hard that he was robbed of any lasting personal joy that might have come from this great gift. Van Gogh (in the film played brilliantly by Tim Roth) is one of those creative geniuses of history whose life story continues to haunt and inform us from one century to the next. The question is "Why?" Could it be because the beauty and evidence of that genius continues to increase with time and therefore makes us wonder about the cultural values and "personalities" we tend to either champion or malign in modern days? That it definitely does increase can be measured in one sense by the millions of dollars for which this eighteenth century impressionist artist's paintings now sell. The whole point of Altman's film seems to be to illustrate how Vincent's genius found refuge for a while in his brother Theo's love. It is well known that even though Theo (who is played with mesmerizing neurotic precision by Paul Rhys) was a relatively successful art dealer, he was unable to manipulate the market to his brother's advantage. That did not, however, stop him from financially supporting him throughout his short adult life as a painter. Altman makes that point clear enough when Theo informs his brother that the money Vincent thought their father had been sending him had in fact been provided by Theo. Rather than belaboring this aspect of their relationship, director Altman moves his camera back and forth between scenes that show us how very much alike, and yet simultaneously different, Vincent and Theo were in their thwarted pursuits of a triumphant life. As Theo eagerly courted "respectable ladies," Vincent just as eagerly enjoyed women of a certain profession. Whereas Vincent yearned to prove himself an artist worthy of the name, Theo yearned to prove himself a businessman worthy of prominence and prosperity. Vincent's descent into madness manifests more tangibly because it takes on the more graphically visual qualities associated with art itself: we see him court and then violently alienate the attentions of his equally genius friend Paul Gauguin; watch him stick knives menacingly in his mouth, cut off his earlobe, meekly endure his stay in an asylum, stand in a sunlit field where he has been painting black birds and calmly shoot himself. All the while, some of the most celebrated canvases in art history, depicting a virtual of ecstasy of sunflowers, starry nights, and golden wheat fields, rapidly pile up. Theo is actually able to resist the powerful tug of debilitating madness until after his brother succumbs to it. That he does fall prey to it is tragically ironic because despite the syphilis that mars his happiness, he achieves some measure of the "ideal life" with a wife, new baby, and modest advancement in his career. He therefore appears to have all the motivation necessary to sustain a stable existence. But when he places all of Vincent's work (after the artist's death) in a suite of rooms for an exhibit, he screams at his wife that "This is the most important thing in my life!" and forces her to leave. It would seem at that point that he not only loved Vincent and believed deeply in his talent, but was in fact a kind of extension of him, and vice versa. The loss of Vincent on July 29, 1890, at the age of only 37, triggered in Theo a mental and physical collapse. He died less than a year later on January 25, 1891, at the age of 33. This 1990 movie (released on DVD in 2005) is 138 minutes long so no one can claim it's too short. I only wish Altman had included somewhere in it the story of how--after studying for the ministry and before he became a painter--Vincent spent forty days nursing back to health a miner who had been injured in an explosion and whom doctors had expected to die. The miner's recovery was described as a miracle and, from the scars left on his face, Van Gogh experienced a vision of the wounds that Christ suffered from the crown of thorns placed on his head. Some allusion to this may have added greater understanding to the intense spiritual impulses that drove Van Gogh's devotion to his art and helped clarify what he hoped to communicate through it. Even so, the film as it stands is itself a remarkable painting of two extraordinary brothers who shared one profound and astonishing destiny. by Author-Poet Aberjhani author of ELEMENTAL, The Power of Illuminated Love and Encyclopedia of the Harlem Renaissance (Facts on File Library of American History) |
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11 hours ago Join in on the First Anniversary Celebration at CTI
Blog Posts
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Pantheon of love
Posted by Robby Baby on October 10th, 2008 at 1:53pm
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Echo
Posted by Robby Baby on October 9th, 2008 at 11:15am — 1 Comment
The Wall Street Fiasco (Senryu)
Those greedy bastards, worship money and power, in name of Ayn Rand. Learn more about me and my poetry at: http://www.squidoo.com/book-isbn-1419650513/
Posted by Joseph J. Breunig 3rd on October 8th, 2008 at 4:07pm
Dagger of Lies
Photography Artist: (Unknown to Me)
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ContinuePosted by Romantic Poetess on October 8th, 2008 at 11:00am — 2 Comments
Wicked Venom
Wicked Venom
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ContinuePosted by Romantic Poetess on October 8th, 2008 at 10:54am — 3 Comments
Cipher
Posted by Robby Baby on October 7th, 2008 at 9:30pm — 7 Comments
Traitor Among Us (Poem)
Traitors Among Us People are not always what they appear to be, a world of black and white, yet so much gray, never knowing whether to stay, fight, or flee, dilemmas and decisions faced along the way. Whether friend or foe we often do not know, each of us have an agenda that is all our own, good versus evil struggling everywhere we go, we have suspicions by one’s manner and tone. There is those we trust, those we think we can, a journey where obstacles are many on the path, but respect and ho… Continue
Posted by Samuel E. Stone on October 7th, 2008 at 7:31pm
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Turned away
Turned away, to face another day. Turned away, from pain by grace, to face the pain, not back to back, but face to face. What a grace of face, that face that makes me face the pain, not out of capricious intent, but to be able to face a more beautiful day. What a graceful face, that stops me from turning away, from the face of pain, that stops em from experiencing a better day. Thank you fro this mysterious grace, this mysterious turn of face, that stopped me from turning my back away, that… Continue
Posted by Robby Baby on October 7th, 2008 at 5:35pm
Seal's Timely Version of "A Change is Gonna Come"
(British rocker Seal sings Sam Cooke's classic "A Change is Gonna Come")… Continue
Posted by Author-Poet Aberjhani on October 7th, 2008 at 4:30pm — 3 Comments
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Prowling Visions
Photography Artist: Autumns Goddess…
ContinuePosted by Romantic Poetess on October 7th, 2008 at 1:15pm — 8 Comments
Huge project ahead of me
Hello all, As some of you already know, when I start working on something, I spare neither time nor effort to achieve what I want. Well, this time, I have the crazy idea that I can translate all my poetry from English into French and vice versa. Talk about a challenge! LOL Anyway, I would really appreciate if you visited my website and gave me feedback on what I am trying to achieve. It will certainly take months (and maybe years) to finish the whole thing. Some poems are already bilingual: t… Continue
Posted by Cendrine Marrouat on October 7th, 2008 at 3:05am
Cruel Enlightenment
Posted by Gravity on October 6th, 2008 at 5:00pm — 1 Comment
Picture Challenge: Bloom
From the two picture below I wrote this poem:
Posted by Tasha Coleman on October 6th, 2008 at 1:08am — 1 Comment
CTI Pages Just for You
THE Wonderful World of the Weekly Widget
Forum
For the Love of Power and Stability in Relationships 19 Replies
Note: My thanks to Marlive Harris of Grits.com and author LaConnie Taylor Jones for inviting me to share a few thoughts on this very dangerous topic and to participate in the A Love For All Time...
Tagged: virtual, book, tour, Harris, Marlive
Started by Author-Poet Aberjhani in The Power of Women and Stability in Relationships. Last reply by La Belle Rouge~Poetess Of The Heart~ 1 day ago.
Book Signings
Hello - Although I am excited about my first book signing, I don't personally know or have met anyone, that has had the pleasure of this type of experience. I have prepared a checklist of activiti...
Tagged: book-signing
Started by Joseph J. Breunig 3rd in The CTI News Room Oct 6.
ELEMENTAL Art and Book Travels to Historic Orangeburg 3 Replies
Savannah, Georgia (USA)––A countless number of museum-goers and art lovers from across the globe viewed artist Luther E. Vann’s acclaimed ELEMENTAL exhibit at the Telfair Museum Jepson Center fo...
Tagged: Aberjhani, Museum, Telfair, Luther, E.
Started by Author-Poet Aberjhani in The CTI News Room. Last reply by Author-Poet Aberjhani Sep 30.
The Great CTI Spotlight Artist Quiz 8 Replies
After receiving suggestions that it might be too time-consuming to track down clues pertaining to each CTI Spotlight Artist without knowing who the artist was, we have decided to divide the qui...
Tagged: poets, writers, survey, art, photography
Started by Aberjhani in Creative Thinkers International First Anniversary Celebration (Sept 10-16, 2008). Last reply by Aberjhani Sep 27.
Proposed Calendar of CTI 1st Anniversary Events 16 Replies
Hello Friends of Creative Persuasions–– Below is a preliminary calendar of events scheduled to celebrate Creative Thinkers International’s 1st Anniversary from September 10-16. Please note tha...
Tagged: books, artists, music, authors, international
Started by Aberjhani in Creative Thinkers International First Anniversary Celebration (Sept 10-16, 2008). Last reply by Robby Baby Sep 16.
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The Path of a Creative Thinker at CTI
1. Membership at CTI is free and open to all those interested in either the production or appreciation of the creative arts, to include literature, visual art, dance, music, film, spiritual theory, the social sciences, philosophy, general humanities, scientific inquiry, education in general, and other disciplines intended to enhance the quality of life for all humanity.
2. Materials posted by Members of CTI are their sole responsibility and not that of CTI management or any other member of the CTI site.
3. While recognizing that the work of creative artists is often controversial by its very nature, CTI prohibits and discourages the posting of any overtly obscene and intentionally inflammatory material. These include overt pornography, racist diatribes, religious slander, and any postings promoting discrimination against or the oppression of other human beings.
4. In the interest of stimulating creative growth, we encourage dialogue and even debate. However, Members should avoid leaving intentionally offensive or antagonistic remarks on the pages of Fellow Members. We can disagree and still remain a harmonious community.
5. Explore, grow, share, and enjoy your creative success.
Please remember, these guidelines are likely to evolve as the site itself continues to evolve and develop. We welcome and encourage your input. After all, yours are some of the best minds on the planet so we would be very foolish not to listen to what you have to say.
The CTI Admin Team
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CTI SPOTLIGHT ARTISTS
CTI Spotlight Artist Marne L. Kilates, August 16-31, 2008
Marne L. Kilates, the CTI Spotlight Artist for August 16-31, hails from the Philippines and is the highly regarded editor of “Poet’s Picturebook,” an ezine of exceptionally fine art and literature. He is also a translator and the author of several books, including Mostly In Monsoon Weather. For more about Marne, please visit his profile at http://creativethinkersintl.ning.com/profile/MarneLKilates .
CTI Spotlight Artist Tasha Coleman, August 1-15, 2008
Creative disciplines of virtually every type, from filmmakers and actresses to environmentalists and jazz musicians, are represented at CTI. The poets among us comprise a fairly large number and one of them, Tasha Coleman, is our new CTI Spotlight Artist for August 1-15, 2008. Those who have visited Tasha’s profile and commented on her work know already that she writes with considerable sensitive insight about family life, personal relationships, spirituality, and positive motivation. We invite you to learn more about this college student and native of Georgia by visiting her profile at: http://creativethinkersintl.ning.com/profile/TashaColeman .
CTI Spotlight Artist Georg Edvard Mateos, July 16-31, 2008
The CTI Spotlight Artist for July 16-31, 2008, Georg Edvard Mateos, is the celebrated author of four books, including “The Man on the Grassy Knoll” Trilogy, and “Portrait of a Sad Man.” In addition, since December 2005, he has been among the most prolific and popular members writing on the AuthorsDen website with some 462 titles and 7,215 reviews. His pen is as skilled in classical modes of poetry as it is in modern expressions of prose. To learn more about his profoundly rich life and work, please visit Georg at: http://creativethinkersintl.ning.com/profile/GeorgEdvardMateos
CTI Spotlight Artist Marina, July 1-15, 2008
One of the traditions at CTI that has helped us form a meaningful and yet flexible sense of community is the Spotlight Artist. It is not a competition or popularity contest of any kind but simply a way of drawing greater attention to the creative offerings presented so generously by specific members. Marina, our CTI Spotlight Artist for July 1-15, 2008, hails from Germany and is both one of our most generous sharers, with more than 80 photos at CTI, and one of the first to join our growing community. We could tell you more about her art or her recent travels to Egypt but invite you to discover her world for yourself by clicking on her profile at http://creativethinkersintl.ning.com/profiles/profile/show?id=marina .
CTI Spotlight Artist BlackBirdHyperdrive, June 16-30, 2008
One thing that has not changed at Creative Thinkers International is the sheer abundance of creative individuals and types that populate the CTI community. One of those individuals is the poet known as BlackBirdHyperDrive, our CTI Spotlight Artist for June 16-30. A visit to BlackBirdHyperDrive’s profile and a perusal of his blogs reveals a creative thinker whose works often explore such powerful themes as the transformative power of shared spirituality, philosophical introspection, and romantic perspectives in the lives of individuals as well as the larger society. We invite you to learn more about his words and world by visiting his profile at http://creativethinkersintl.ning.com/profile/BlackBirdHyperDrive
CTI Spotlight Artist Marlive Harris, June 1-15, 2008
Our CTI Spotlight Artist for June 1-15, 2008, Marlive Harris, not only maintains a powerful literary presence on Creative Thinkers International but through her Grits.com site exercises such a presence all over the Internet. Among the many qualities that make Ms. Harris unique, valued, and welcome in various communities is her passion for promoting literary culture in general. She has accomplished this with written reviews, book trailers, podcasts, interviews, promotions, and other effective methods that blend a classical literary sensibility with innovative online technology. We are honored to present her as the new CTI Spotlight artist and invite you to learn more about her by visiting her profile at http://creativethinkersintl.ning.com/profile/MarliveHarris .
CTI Spotlight Artist Robert M, May 16-31, 2008
Versatility is a quality we have come to associate with many of our members and Robert M, our new CTI Spotlight Artist, is one of the most versatile among us. The fortunate visitor to Robert’s profile page gains entry into a world of eclectic musical compositions ranging from classical European melodies and Indian ragas to jazz, rock, and blues. Moreover, as various commentators have noted, enough of his precision-crafted poems adorn the site to fill two or three volumes. We could go on quite a bit about his tailored background images, video choices, and the fact that he has established several groups at CTI. But rather than doing that, we invite you to explore for yourself his created wonders at http://creativethinkersintl.ning.com/profile/RobertM
CTI Spotlight Artist Vickie L. McColley, May 1-15, 2008
As everybody knows, diversity is one of our primary strengths at CTI and the members of our community represent cultures from all over the world. They also represent individuals at different stages of their creative careers and development. One of those members is Victoria L. McColley, known to some as the Romantic Poetess, to others as Groovy Charmer, and to some simply as Vickie. It is our pleasure to present her at this time as the CTI Spotlight Artist for May 1-15, 2008. A long-time member at CTI, Ms. McColley has proven particularly adept at utilizing the site’s many features to enhance and present to the world her own unique vision of creative artistry. In addition to being a member of the CTI community, she also has more than 100 titles on AuthorsDen with more than 1,000 reviews of her writings there. The working title of her forthcoming first poetry collection is “Love Love Love: Poetry from the Heart, Soul & Voice of Love.” For more on the Vickie’s work and world, please visit her profile at http://creativethinkersintl.ning.com/profile/RomanticPoetessVickieMcColley
CTI Spotlight Artist Poetry Life & Times April 16-30, 2008
Our friends at Poetry Life and Times have featured a number of CTI’s members in their e-zine and, on top of that, have now been one of the great champions of modern poetry for some ten years. They actually have the archives to prove it! Their current issue not only honors one of poetry’s nobler traditions with its dedication to our very challenged "brothers and sisters in Tibet, Burma and Darfur,” but remains true to its mission by providing a platform for some of the most vibrant contemporary poetic voices on the planet. It is truly our honor at CTI to present Poetry Life and Times as our Spotlight Artist for April 16-30, 2008. The image of the monk featured as their main page profile image is borrowed from their current issue. To learn more about Poetry Life and Times and how you may submit your own work for publication consideration, please visit them at http://creativethinkersintl.ning.com/profile/PoetryLifeandTimes .
CTI Spotlight Artist Luther E. Vann April 1-15, 2008
Often described as a poet who utilizes visual art to write his poems, Luther E. Vann is an acclaimed artist who was fortunate enough to receive some of his first art instructions from recognized masters of the Harlem Renaissance. Like all artists of note, he shaped what he learned into a style of his own that fuses deeply spiritual imagery, metaphysical philosophy, and strong social realism. After a lifetime of dedication to his craft, his work will go on exhibit at the Telfair Museum in Savannah, Georgia, from April 16-August 17, 2008, and his first book, ELEMENTAL, The Power of Illuminated Love, is scheduled for publication in May. We’re honored for the opportunity to present Vann as the CTI Spotlight Artist for April 1-15 and invite you to visit his profile to learn more about him at
http://creativethinkersintl.ning.com/profile/Weallare111
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