O Dear Rocky - On Golden Pond

Dear Rocky,

In 1981 I was nine years old and my friend's Nana took us to the drive-in to see On Golden Pond.  Not quite sure how age appropriate that was but I remember being mesmerised.  It was the moment I first fell in love with Katharine Hepburn and I have been obsessed with her ever since.

The relationship I'd like to discuss is the one between Ethel (Hepburn) and Norman (Henry Fonda).  Of course one of the most interesting relationships was the one between Norman and his daughter played by Jane Fonda - both onscreen and offscreen, but you know I like to choose something a little different, and I'm admiring loving couples at the moment.

I have wondered endlessly (and conducted mental surveys with anyone who would participate) about the ageing process and whether acceptance of death comes to everyone as a part of that process.  I'd like to think that if I am lucky enough to live to a ripe old age that by the time the end of my life arrives, that I will be ready and at peace with that process too.

The loving and lasting bond between Ethel and Norman reminds me that in love, we not only have or own mortality to fear, but also that of our loved one/s.  And in this case, Henry is failing before Ethel's eyes.  That heart-wrenching scene  where it seems Norman has had a heart attack shows Ethel's unwillingness to let Norman go out of her life, or is it unpreparedness?  Is that a lack of acceptance, or is that anticipatory grief?

I don't know but I could spend hours pondering love and heartbreak and the measure of a life based on the pain felt with the loss of a loved one.

I know I am extreme, but I give this film a 10/10.  It hasn't lost an ounce of impact for me over the years.

How about you Rocky? 

Jodie

Read Rocky's review here.

N Dear Rocky - Notting Hill

Dear Rocky,

How I love this film - Notting Hill.  When I was teaching English in Spain, there was a language magazine that used to sell video tapes of movies with subtitles.  The number of times I made my classes watch Notting Hill.....

I adore so many parts from this movie:

The flatmate - everything about him!
The book store attendant - everything about him!
Julie Robert's outfit when the orange juice is spilt on her
Hugh Grant saying Ooopsy Daisies....

But my favourite part, and my favourite relationship is the one between two characters we never meet - June and Joseph.  I would like a love like theirs.

 

 

 

 

I give Notting Hill 9/10.

What do you think Rocky?

 

Jodie

 

 

Read Rocky's review here!

 



M Dear Rocky - Man From Snowy River

Dear Rocky,

The Man from Snowy River was a childhood classic based on the Banjo Patterson poem of the same name.  In Year 9, our English teacher handed out a verse each that we were to recite in front of the class.  I was given the first verse.

There was movement at the station, for the word had passed around
That the colt from old Regret had got away,
And had joined the wild bush horses - he was worth a thousand pound,
So all the cracks had gathered to the fray.
All the tried and noted riders from the stations near and far
Had mustered at the homestead overnight,
For the bushmen love hard riding where the wild bush horses are,
And the stockhorse snuffs the battle with delight.

It was funny re-watching the film now.  Growing up, people always compared my sister to Sigrid Thornton who played Jessica, the daughter of Kirk Douglas in the film.  It was sort of nice revisiting that comparison.  I couldn't believe how young Tom Burlinson looked as he is still on our television screens today, looking and sounding much different.  I also have to comment on Kirk Douglas playing brothers in the film - the costuming on the gold mining brother was funny!

I found the movie so full of overacting and I think it would be a cliché to comment on any of the stereotypical relationships in the film.  So, I am going to comment on the relationship Australians (well okay, I) have with the poem, the country, the Snowy River area, and the horses.

I have spent many Summers and Winters near the Snowy River and when I think of Australia, I think of the countryside there.  It is truly spectacular and representative of the harsh terrain we find all over our great country.

I would think it would be hard to find an Aussie who couldn't recite you at least the first verse of the great poem and it makes me feel proud and connected to my culture and country whenever I hear it.

I give the poem a 10/10 of course, but unfortunately the film only gets a 5/10 from me and those points are all for the horses!!!

What do you think?

Jodie

Read Rocky's review here.

This was a scary yet impressive scene in the movie.  I'm so glad the horse wasn't hurt!

L Dear Rocky - Lady and the Tramp

Dear Rocky,

Lady and the Tramp is pure Disney royalty in my book.  So touched by this cartoon about my favourite animals, my family went onto own a dog called Lady (she lived for 18 years and was my other sibling growing up) and a cat (I know!) called Tramp.

Can you believe this movie was made in 1955 yet tells the timeless tale of falling for the boy from the wrong side of the tracks..... maybe this film influenced my life more than I care to remember haha!  Of course my favourite relationship in this film is the one between Lady and her Tramp.  He has all the offerings of a bad boy, doesn't he?  He's been around the traps, he's a little hurt by life and knows how to look after himself.  At the same time, he has a heart of gold.  What's not to be attracted to?

I wonder why Jacques the Scottish terrier wasn't called Jock?  That would've made more sense to me.

How cute is it though that Lady thinks her owners are called "Jim Dear" and "Darling".  I love that detail.

I think this Disney classic is one that my nephews would watch and enjoy as much as I ever did.

I give this film 9/10.

What about you, Rocky?

Jodie

Read Rocky's review here.

K Dear Rocky - Karate Kid

Dear Rocky,

Of all the relationships I could talk about within the Karate Kid, I am choosing to talk about mine.  With Ralph Macchio.

Of course I am talking about the original Karate Kid.  For me, there is no other.

In 1984, I was 12 years old and I think I fell in love for the first time.  With Daniel Larusso from the Karate Kid.

Those brown eyes.  Those blue tracksuit pants.  The soccer skills, on the field, on the beach.  The shower costume.  The black eyes and sheer defiance.  Not to mention all the waxing.... on and off....

Daniel/Ralph posters adorned my walls and my school books, feeding my daydreams about the day we would meet and he would realise that I was the only girl for him.....

I can't help it Rocky.  I give the Karate Kid a 10/10.  Thanks for the memories Ralph!

Jodie

Read Rocky's review here.

How I adored this scene where Daniel shows off his football skills!

J Dear Rocky - Juno

Dear Rocky,

Juno is one of those films where it seems to me that every word spoken is perfectly chosen and placed.  Such intelligent writing.  Well done Diablo Cody.

The relationship I have chosen to focus on in this film is that between Mark (Jason Bateman) and Vanessa (Jennifer Garner), probably for more reasons than one....

Here we have the stereotypical relationship between the controlling female and the boy who refuses to become a man.  I'm not sure whose side we are supposed to take, but I took Mark's.

Mark appears to have been castrated by Vanessa.  Gone are his dreams of being a serious musician and in their place are twin sets and nursery paint colours.  At times, she is positively cruel in her mocking of his ambivalence about parenthood.

But that's just it really.  What gives one human being the right to decide when another human being should be ready to reproduce?  Wouldn't it be wonderful if in every relationship that desire or readiness to have a child occurred at exactly the same time for both parents?  But how often does that actually happen?  How often is one partner coerced by the other before they are truly ready?  How does that turn out for couples?

In this movie, while Vanessa and Mark didn't make the distance, Vanessa did end up with Juno's baby and became a more likeable character for it.  Our initial sympathy for Mark is supposed to disappear when he almost crosses the line with Juno, but for me it didn't really.....

But, that's another relationship worth exploring in another post....

I give Juno an 8.5/10.

What about you Rocky?  Read Rocky's review here.

Jodie

I Dear Rocky - It's a Wonderful Life

If you're just tuning in, Rocky and I review movies on the Facebook Page Dear Rocky, Dear Jodie: The Actor and The Psychologist At The Movies.  Our A-Z blog challenge is to review the A-Z of movies!  Hope you love our choices and our reviews. 


Dear Rocky,

Can you even believe that it took me until now to see this wonderful movie?!  Thank goodness for this A-Z challenge and to you for choosing it in our list.

As you know, I've been choosing key relationships in our chosen movies to discuss from a psychological point of view.  In keeping with that them, I chose to do something else with It's a Wonderful Life.

The lure of this film for me is George Bailey's reflections on all of the lives he has touched, therefore making his life worthwhile and worth living.  For me, the perspective he gains seeing the people in his life and the quality of their lives without him in it, is akin to the perspective I gained when I was diagnosed with breast cancer.

I know that sounds weird and you're probably wondering how those things can be similar.  Let me explain.  Before I got sick, there were certain problems in my life, major and minor.  One of the major issues was my desire to have children and the worries I had for the purpose of my life if I didn't have a baby.

At around the same time this desire was growing in me, I was diagnosed with breast cancer.  There's nothing like facing your mortality to give you a reality check!  Since coming through treatment with flying colours, I now am satisfied with life itself.  I no longer 'need' more, instead I count my blessings and am grateful for what I have.  Just like George Bailey!

This aspect of the film reminds me of The Five People You Meet In Heaven by Mitch Albom.

 

This is one of my favourite books by my favourite author.  I love that the relationships identified as being life changing and important are those small and seemingly insignificant encounters that occur on a day-to-day basis.

 

It makes me think more about how I interact with the people with whom I come into contact everyday.  I try to slow down and be more considerate, not to rush on by without so much as a "hello, how are you?"

 

A gesture as small as that could mean the difference between a good and a bad day for someone.  Someone cared enough to look me in the eye and say hello today......  Who knows, it could have been the day they were considering ending their life because nobody cared.

 

I know this isn't necessarily a review of It's A Wonderful Life, but I hope it gets you thinking about how you'll treat the next person you see tomorrow.

 

I can't wait to read your thoughts Rocky - here.

 

Jodie