THE BIG PICTURE (Artificial Eye). The French title for this psychological thriller is The Man Who Wanted to Live His Life. A Parisian lawyer assumes the identity of a dead photographer and makes a name for himself in Montenegro. Will he be exposed or will he get away with it? The story is not believable and the ending is particularly disappointing; but the film is always very watchable, thanks to the performance of the charismatic Romain Duris, who brings his considerable charm to the role of the lawyer who reinvents himself.
IN A BETTER WORLD (Axiom). How should we confront violence and evil in this day and age? Is revenge the answer? Or should we turn the other cheek? Director Susanne Bier tells two stories - one set in a refugee camp in Africa, the other set in a suburb in Copenhagen – and observes the parallels. The contrived script leads to a convincing brutal outcome in Africa and to unconvincing forgiveness and reconciliation in Denmark.
THE SKIN I LIVE IN (Pathe). Pedro Almodovar’s creepy, kinky horror flick has a rich middle-aged surgeon taking a terrible surgical revenge on his victim. Antonio Banderas, unfortunately, as the modern Frankenstein, is totally expressionless and extremely dull. Elena Anaya is his guinea-pig.
PROJECT NIM (Icon) is about a cruel experiment which began in 1970 to find out if a chimp could be taught sign language and thus be able to converse with human beings. This disturbing and upsetting documentary (made by James Marsh who directed Man on Wire), makes it clear that the chimp (Nim) should never have been taken away from his mother to live with humans and be exploited, abused and emotionally damaged.
HOW I ENDED THIS SUMMER (New Wave). A veteran meteorologist and a young student on work experience are all alone in a remote research post in theArctic. The youngster fails to give the older man some vital information and the longer he leaves it, the more fearful and paranoid he becomes. A promising Russian psychological thriller becomes less and less plausible the longer it goes on.
LE QUATTRO VOLTE (New Wave). This art-house documentary about life in a small hilly village in Southern Italy may have an appeal for the local goats, which play a major role in the film, and for the local dog, which has a scene-stealing comic cameo; but most cinema-goers are going to find the movie unbearably slow and wonder when it is going to begin. There is no plot, no dialogue, only a cycle of life and death: ashes to ashes, dust to dust…..
Let me also add a book to my list of DVDs: I FOUND IT AT THE MOVIES by Philip French (Carcanet £19.95). French is the doyen of film critics in England, the most knowledgeable, the most readable, and the most trustworthy. This volume is the first of three volumes of his writings. I am looking forward to a collection of his reviews which will be published later in the year.
Campaigns & Issues
Caring Britain: One in four take on role of carers as “Sandwich Generation” rejects care home option for elderly parents
Notions of a selfish society are cast aside today as new research reveals that the 45-60 age group is shouldering the responsibility of looking after elderly parents. Despite active levels of family engagement, all but a minority find it hard to have the conversation about long-term care needs, and for most, care homes are not an option.
News
Graham Norton invites the nation to Party for Parkinson’s for The Queen’s Jubilee
Popular BBC TV Presenter and arguably the nation’s favourite party host, Graham Norton, has issued a rallying cry – urging everyone to Party for Parkinson’s this summer.
Familiar with glitzy nightlife and besquinned party gear, Graham is channelling his love of social occasions into backing a new campaign aimed at helping people with Parkinson’s by sprinkling a little party magic across the UK.
Whether it’s a barbecue, street or house party, Parkinson’s UK alongside Graham, hopes to encourage people to turn their gatherings into a real cause for celebration by helping to raise funds for the charity.
Competitions & Fun
Win a pair of tickets to South Pacific
This breathtaking and lavish Lincoln Center Theatre production reinvented Rodgers and Hammerstein’s classic musical.
It swept the 2008 Tony Awards, played for two years to sold-out houses on Broadway and was televised across America.
Reader Offers
You could win one of three superb weekend breaks in Silver Travel Advisor’s “Best of British” Diamond Jubilee celebration this month
Silver Travel Advisor is a friendly website packed with advice, tips, information and honest reviews written by and for silver travellers (aged over 50).
A team of advisors are on hand to answer queries (for free), and you can share your own experiences too.
It’s time to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee this month with an amazing British prize draw:
Win a two night stay for two people at Flackley Ash Hotel , Rye, East Sussex
Health & Wellbeing
Volunteering is good for your health, but undervalued
Older people who volunteer are less depressed, have a better quality of life and are happier with their lives, according to a new study published by leading older people’s charity, WRVS.
At a time when older people’s health is at risk because of cuts to services, increasing volunteering amongst older people offers a new route to improving their wellbeing. However, despite the pressing needs of their older populations, many local authorities have failed to grasp this opportunity.
Property & Finance
Older people need specialist housing
Britain’s housing market is failing to meet the needs of the elderly, despite a rapidly-ageing population and a growing demand for retirement housing, a charity has warned. Housing charity Shelter has found that if demand remains at current levels supply would have to increase by over 70 per cent in the next 20 years in order to keep up.
The report explored the housing options available to those over 55 - a group that will make up one in three people in England by 2030.
Lifestyle
Grandparents better than nurseries
Young children looked after by their grandparents often develop better than those who are placed in nurseries, researchers have found. Spending time being cared for by family members leaves children more emotionally secure with wider vocabularies, the study said.
The research indicated that middle class families are more likely to use relatives to provide care while less affluent families often send their children to nurseries.
Travel & Leisure
Families take grandparents on holiday
Many families will be packing more than suitcases into their cars for this year's summer holidays - they will also be making room for grandma and granddad.
That's the finding of a major holiday parks group, Best of British, which reports a growing trend for couples with kids to join up with grandparents for holidays.
The paper is better than ever, more professional, carrying a profusion of by-lined articles that are intensely relevant and interesting to us oldies. Take a bow, Editor David Thomas. You and your team are doing a great job.