Blog of Leonid Mamchenkov

I was in the mood for some comedy, so I rented “I Think I Love My Wife“.  I knew that with Chris Rock on the cover of the DVD, I had at least a few laughs guaranteed.  I wasn’t wrong.

The thing with Chris Rock is that he is a stand-up comedian.  He writes comedy and then he talks it back to the audience from the stage.  And he is good at that (check YouTube videos for some samples, there are quite a few).   His comedy is usually about much debated topics - politics, racism, gun control, parenting, and stuff like that.

He is a pretty smart guy.  But he is not an actor.  Neither he is a director.  Even though, the titles of this movie will tell otherwise.  Chris Rock is a comedian - that’s what he does.  So this film, like many others that he took part in, is like a continuation of the stage from which he reads his comedy.  Maybe it’s a little bit more visual, with some more people on it, but it’s still just a stage for Rock’s comedy.  Not that I find anything bad in it anyway.

I like his sense of humor.  I like his choice of subjects.  And I like the way he usually looks at things.  He is one of those people who can put complex issues into simple terms.  He often suggests solutions or, should I say, possible course of actions, for the problems that he talks about.

In “I Think I Love My Wife”, Chris Rock explores marriage, the way relationship between husband and wife changes from the wedding day, through years of living together, having kids, daily routines, and things like that.  I have to say that once again he manages to put rather complex issues into simple words and clear perspectives.  However, this time I wasn’t very satisfied with the way the story ended.  It was like an exploration, during which the explorer got scared and aborted the mission.  Maybe because he got scared.  Or maybe because he wasn’t as far there as he was trying to push the movie.  I don’t know.  What I know is that the film went like 80% of the way and then suddenly ended.  And that was a disappointment, since I really enjoyed the journey.

6 out of 10.  Recommended for married couples.

I’ve seen “Road to Perdition” when it came to the movies.  A couple of years later I bought the DVD and saw it few more times.  But somehow it happened that I never described on this blog how beautiful this movie is.

It’s a piece of art.  Nothing more, nothing else.  It feels like nothing happened by itself in this movie.  Everything has its reason, and everything has been placed appropriately by the makers of this film.  The story, the acting, the directing, the sound and visuals - all of these work in harmony with each other.  And like any other talented piece of art, “Road to Perdition” can be watched over and over and over and again.

I  particularly enjoy the atmosphere of the 1930s.  Clothes, hats, cars, buildings - these all worked very well for the film.  It was also interesting to see how modern faces could be transformed into personalities of the past - Tom Hanks, Daniel Craig, and even Paul Newman, although he is a bit of a veteran.

Overall, a solid 9 out of 10.

My family is not very big.  And it’s not very mobile.  My parents are divorced and they leave in Russia.  My brother lives in Cyprus, where I stayed together with my wife and kid.  And has been so for a long time.

And suddenly, here comes the movement.  First, just before February started, Olga and Maxim went to Russia.  My mother-in-law is very sick and my wife went to stay by her side.  Then, my mother came over to Cyprus to visit us for a few days, as well as relax for some time in the mountains and take a short break from her work.  She then left back to Moscow.

But she didn’t go alone.  My brother went with her.  The guy stayed in Cyprus for a few long years, and now urgently needed to leave the island for a few days, related somehow to his paperwork.  I’m going to pick him up from the airport tomorrow.

My brother wanted to travel to Togliatti, Russia, where our dad lives.  Dad celebrated his 50th birthday recently (Happy Birthday, Pa!) and it was very unfortunately that neither I, nor my brother could attend the party.   It so happened that the planned trip to Togliatti had to be canceled - once again due to the virtues of the paperwork.  However, dad took the initiative and the train to Moscow, so that he could meet with my brother Alex even if just for a few days.  I hear that they had some really great time.

Maybe for some, this all looks like a routine. But not for me.  People in our family don’t travel all that much. (Except maybe with the exception of my mom, who moves around a few times each year.)  And during this month they all jumped up and moved somewhere.  I managed to stay so far, but the month isn’t over yet.

Weird, very weird…

I almost missed “Dan in Real Life“.  I wasn’t even planning to see it, since the poster is does not appeal to me and I’m not a big fan of Steve Carell.  I mean, he is OK, but he’s not someone who attracts me to the movie.  But anyway.  I ended up alone in the cinema.  And I’m glad I did.

This is a strong 8 out of 10.  There is no point at telling the story or bringing up any scenes from the film - most of them are rather traditional and have been seen before.  The movie follows the stereotypical love story with all elements such as close family involvement, road trip, hurting someone’s feelings, kids, rain, “go get her”, etc.  All these were present here too, and, I should say, there were very well done.

But the strength of the film is not in the love story.  It’s in other things.  For me personally, it was very refreshing to see a healthy family. And a big one a that.  This whole film was around a well managed and developed family - something they don’t show very often in the movies.  This film shows how parents can spend time with their children, how siblings can be good and supportive friends, how important are good family values and how they are passed along and cultivated.  This part of the film was so good that I almost could not believe my eyes.  Tha alone is worth the time.

And that wasn’t the only good part.  Somehow, the film is very romantic and sentimental.  Sometimes it’s said, sometimes it’s funny.  Sometimes it’s very social, and sometimes it’s very private.  And it “feels” very good too.  There is an almost natural balance of moods and transitions.  It’s not boring, and it’s not trying to squeeze any tears out of you, while, at the same time, it’s not trying to make you laugh so hard you fell from your chair.  It asks its share of questions, tries to provide some answers, and leaves a lot to think about, while still entertaining.

With all that, I am a little glad that it didn’t have a strong overwhelming story to tell.  It already offered enough, and with a good story it would be pushing its luck.  (However there are movies that do both).

Also, there is plenty of good acting in this film. It’s not brilliant or anything, but it is very believable and human.  There were some familiar faces cast for this movie, and those that aren’t so familiar, did equally good.

Overall : strongly recommended.

2007 is almost over, so it’s a good time to take a moment and review how it passed.

First, let’s see how my 2007 expectations turned out to be:

• Paperwork. I have done a few things about it, but not as much as I have expected.  While bureaucracy can often be blamed, this time it’s not the case.  The lack of progress in this area is totally my fault.  Laziness.
• Business.  I managed to fly the company into the ground.  It crashed, burned, and disappeared. It’s a bit sad that it didn’t work out, but I’m glad that it happened earlier than later, and I’m glad that I’ve learned so much out of it.  I will surely try it again, but in a different key, and after I take a break to heal the wounds.
•  Traveling. It didn’t go as good as I expected it to, but I did manage to get out of country.  A few days in Greece with some really cool people.

Secondly, let’s take a look at the highlights of the year (most of these overlap with this recent post):

• Getting in and out of my own business is surely THE highlight of the year.  Getting another job after that is a nice addition.
• A few days at Greek Blogger Camp. Unforgettable experience, cool people, inspiration for new ideas, and all that.
• Lots of family related  happenings.  Maxim starting with his kindergarten, mother visiting us twice this year, grandmother passing away, Maxim getting a little surgery, and some more.

Thirdly, here are my impressions of the year:

• It was THE LONGEST year of my life.  On several occasions I had doubts that this year will ever end. And even though there are just a few hours left in it, I still don’t feel comfortable enough speaking of it like it’s over.
• I’ve learned a lot. And I went a long way.  Most of the things I’ve learned were about myself, and many of these weren’t as pleasant as I’d like them to be, but I’m glad I know them know. Heck, I even I learned to deal with some of them to a certain degree.
• I got more ties with my family. I’ve heard before that the older you become, the more family means to you.  I feel it coming true.  I am as close to my parents as I ever was, and I understood a little bit more of how much my wife and my son mean to me.  More than I thought or felt before.  As weird as it is.
• I discovered that I have more good people around me than I ever knew or even expected.  I’ve discovered some really great things about people who have been nearby for years, and who I barely noticed.  It’s amazing how much can one see by just looking and hear by just listening.  I should work a bit more on myself to get better at that.

Here is 2007 in one line: it was a great and long year, but I hope it will never happen to me again.

Now, let’s go for the bright side of things - which expectations do I have for the year 2008?  I have plenty:

• Jobs, projects, business.  I expect some stirring up in this area during 2008.  I am working on some things already, and I have plenty more in mind.
• Traveling.  I do expect a bit more of moving around.  Some will be family related, some - business related, and some - recreational.
• Paperwork.  There are some really strong reasons for this to be either completely resolved this year or getting much closer to resolved.
• Technology.  I have plenty of expectations in this area for the coming year.  Many of this expectations are related to Google, mobile computing, Web, and growing number of people using technology to earn money and make their lives easier (globalization, et al).

Let’s see how it will turn out…

Happy New Year!