where: CENTURY 14 VALLEJO in Vallejo, CA
when: Tuesday, June 30th, 2009
show: 11:05 a.m. (extra-dollar discount matinee for the first show )
auditorium: 11
seat: 4th row, 8ht column
Caring for an older sister who's dying of cancer robs one of his/her youth as he/she is rapidly forced into a mature role far beyond the scope of his/her innocence. Enter into this picture Anna Fitzgerald (Abigail Breslin), a precocious 11-year old preteen suing her own parents for "medical emancipation." For it seems that the sole purpose for her very own existence is to keep her older sister, Kate ( Sofia Vassilieva ), alive since she was not conceived by accident but bio-engineered to be an exact donor match for Kate. The two sisters share a common bond of emotional and physical pain. But is "simply existing" the same as "being alive?" As a love one, patient and/or donor, how does one decide on what is more important and when enough is enough? All three parties have rights and have valid arguments. If only one party is to prevail, a court decision is the only way to arrive at a legal conclusion.
prediction: Sofia Vassilieva will win an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress.
noteworthy scenes: 1.) The brother Jesse ( Evan Ellingson ) being sent to camp; 2.) The "urine" sample; 3.) Scenes with Taylor Ambrose ( Thomas Dekker ); 4.) Anna as a non-cooperative 5-year old donor patient; 5.) The going-to-the-beach; 6.) The "Britney Spears" moment by the mother, Sara ( Cameron Diaz ); 7.) The courtroom; and 8.) The final visit.
audience reaction: As the audience left, I heard a lot of sniffles. I, on the other hand, only had a severe case of allergy (ahem!). I was the last to leave because I had to blow my nose. They should install HEPA filters in this auditorium!
recommendation: Go see this Family Drama.
spoiler alert! This is not for people who have read the book because the ending is different, according to what I read on the Internet.
fyi: Back in the early '70's, when the popular detective series, HAWAII 5-0, was aired in the Philippines, it brought with it the tsunamis of Don Ho's singing career: Pearly Shells and Tiny Bubbles. Inspired by these Hawaiian phenomena, children could be seen doing their best impressions of the Hula dance and the Tahitian dance. It strikes me as odd, then, that the filmakers chose Tiny Bubbles as the background song for the scene in which the children are jumping on the trampoline because this particular song is about drinking and becoming drunkenly affectionate--and under-age children are not allowed to drink alcoholic beverages in this country ( unlike in the Philippines where 5-year olds could be seen with an opened beer bottle in one hand and a lit cigarette in the other hand, and would therefore be allowed to listen and dance to Tiny Bubbles ). If you must know, I started smoking when I was four and quitted when I was thirteen! ( There goes my prudish, innocent "Good Boy" image flying out of the window. )
word of advice: Count your blessings.
tidbits: In July of 2006, I went with my eldest sister and her family to AMC STAR GRAND RAPIDS 18 in Grand Rapids, Michigan to see the movie, JOHN TUCKER MUST DIE! There, in the main lobby, was displayed the dress which Cameron Diaz wore in the 1994 movie, THE MASK, with Jim Carrey. She is one tiny lady! Or, as us guys would say it, A SPINNER! ( This is guy slang for a hot, petite babe that you can just lift, plant and spin, "iykwim"; it has nothing to do with a singing group unless you have a fetish for petite female singers.) Oh, by the way, iykwim is a very deliciously sweet frozen treat ( yeah, right ... ) made out of milk, cream, sugar, fruit and/or other flavorings which melts in your mouth and in your hands, If You Know What I Mean.
I half-expected John (brother of Joan Cusack who plays Judge De Salvo in this movie) to pop up in a cameo, supporting or uncredited role since they are almost always featured together in movies starring either one of them as a lead character, all in the name of Hollywood-style nepotism. But to my disappointment, he is a no-show in this one--the victim of "down-sizing," perhaps?
Joan Cusack was a hot fantasy commodity back in 1993. Check her out as the blonde nanny in ADDAMS FAMILY VALUES.
I had planned on seeing this movie the night before, either in San Rafael or Novato since I had not been to either place in over a year. But I lost track of time as I was busy proof-reading the previous two blogs.
