I watched the 2-hour movie of 24 that aired last Sunday. Fairly routine 24 business, although it was somewhat bloated. A one-hour episode of The Unit packs in more. Keifer Sutherland’s acting skills have degenerated over the years to hoarsely yelled instructions. I wasn’t thrilled with last year’s season, so I may well skip the new season, which starts in January.
After our Thanksgiving dinner last night, we watched the Barbara Walters interview with the Obamas. I’ve enjoyed seeing the president-elect since the election. Now that he doesn’t have to repeat his platform script word for word any more, he’s a lot more pleasant to listen to, and he comports himself very well during these interviews. I believe he is going to be a much more visible president than the current one, and I hope he gets to accomplish everything he wants to, without too many administrative hurdles getting in the way.
After that we watched A Christmas Tale starring Catherine Deneuve and, in a bit of clever casting, her real-life daughter as the one in-law in the family she can’t stand. It’s the story of a dysfunctional French family gathering for Christmas for the first time in half a decade. The family consists of Abel and Junon (Deneuve) and their children. First there was Joseph, who died from cancer at the age of six. Next is Elizabeth, who is upgraded to the eldest upon Joseph’s death, a role she’s ill-tempered to handle. Then there’s Henri, who was conceived as a potential bone marrow donor for Joseph. When he proved incompatible, he was neglected and, to a certain extent, resented. Finally there’s Ivan, born too late to help but also too late to bear any of the blame. Alcoholic Henri’s bankruptcy nearly ruined the family five years earlier—Elizabeth’s conditions for rescuing him is that he be banished from all family events forever. However, this Christmas, Junon has been diagnosed with cancer and she needs bone marrow herself. The only two compatible donors are Elizabeth’s emotionally fragile teenage son…and Henri. Over two and a half hours, many family dramas are played out. Henri’s Jewish girlfriend is the outsider, observing all with a bemused half smile. She Understands Henri and finds him lovable when no one else in the family does. It’s a thought-provoking film that ends in one of those frustrating places that forces you to talk about the movie for hours afterward.
