The Skin I Live In

 So I got a post saying this review was removed from my feed, and thought how odd that the film where a man is changed into a woman is the one flagged. The notice does not say the reason why other than it infringed on copyright so I removed the images I screen captured from the film and am republishing the text. I literally have thousands of screen captures in my posts so my conspiracy brain is going full tilt. Why this one in particular, seems an interesting choice.

1/3/24 - This happened a 2nd time and this time there are no images in it. I am thinking either someone is reporting it falsely. So this time I will make a counter claim since I know for a fact links are not copyright infringement.

The Skin I Live In (2011) - Quick Hit! Not a full review but here are some words about this film. "La piel que habito" another fine film by director Pedro Almodovar. Almodovar writes and directs excellent melodrama and this film, although less excellent than some of his other films, like "All About my Mother", "Volver", and "Broken Embraces" it is a fine film about obsession and revenge. It is impossible to tell you much of the story without giving too much away but I am definitely going to do a jig around it here.
Antonio Banderas plays Robert Ledgard a plastic surgeon driven by the memories of his wife's death after being severely burned in a car crash. He secretly develops a new kind of artificial skin, but human experimentation is frowned upon by the establishment so a secret illegal test subject is needed. How he gets this guinea pig and who it is is so central to the film. Going into it would spoil, but oh my what a story. His captive Vera (Elena Anaya) wants her freedom but has been captive so long it seems she also has a connection to Ledgard. There is this strange co dependence that is eerie and after the twist you see the reasons.

  The remarkable thing in Almodovar films are the original if disturbing turns they take. I have to say this film had a turn that is so remarkable that it is impossible to get. This compelling story is not about happy ending, but how often do happy ending happen to revenge driven psychopaths. From experience let me say not very often and Ledgard will have to deal with the consequences of his actions. If this relationship between Vera and Robert were the only thing to think about it would be an interesting film but there is so much more. Marilia (Marisa Paredes) assists the doctor but has her own secrets. Her son Zeca (Roberto Alamo) brings some madness to the plot. Mixed in is the back story that has driven Ledgard to this point, the accident that disfigured his wife, the effect it had on his daughter Norma (Blanca Suarez). Her own tragedy is a stunning point that drives the story forward in the most prominent way.
  As always with Almodovar film this one was enjoyable to this reviewer. It is not quite as good as some of his others but still it is good.
Rating (6.3) 5.0 and up are recommended, some more recommended than others.

Books 2023 - What did you fill your head with?

 This year was a big year for reading, my daughter got me reading about colonialism in the Congo late in 2022 and that expanded into 2023. Not only did it continue but expanded and we both brought ourselves from early Belguim colonialism to modern societies current version. The following were on the subject that we covered this year.

King Leopold's Ghost by Adam Hochschild - The book that started it all about the man who unfortunately started it all. Everyone should read this to understand the roots of central african colonialism.

For a more modern history which include French, American and the most modern colonialism in the area these books cover from the 1930's to the modern day.

White Malice: The CIA and the Covert Recolonization of Africa by Susan Williams (Author), Chanté McCormick (Narrator), PublicAffairs (Publisher)

Dancing in the Glory of Monsters: The Collapse of the Congo and the Great War of Africa by Jason Stearns (Author), Mike Chamberlain (Narrator), Tantor Audio (Publisher

The Golden Thread: The Cold War and the Mysterious Death of Dag Hammarskjöld by Ravi Somaiva

Cobalt Red: How the Blood of the Congo Powers Our Lives by Siddharth Kara - An excellent book about the pressures on the Central Africa with the advent of cell phones that need the precious metals found there.

After so much of authors talking about Africa I decided to find a book from an African that would give me a more inside look of the area. I settled on ...

The Lights of Point Noire: A Memior by Alain Mabanckou

Having done over a year on the subject I turned my attention to the United States and our own continued colonialist attitudes. I listened to a few audible books starting with...

A Peoples History of the United States by Howard Zinn - It had been about 20 years since I read it so a return visit to it was needed.

Then focusing on probably the worst case of American Colonialism 

The Battle for Paradise: Puerto Rico Takes on the Disaster Capitalists by Naomi Klein - A reminder that our territories continue to be exploited and the most extreme forms of Capitalism inflicted on the people that live there.

Fantasy Island: Colonialism, Exploitation, and the Betrayal of Puerto Rico by Ed Morales This is a more indepth look at it with more history of how we got to this point in the US Puerto Rico relationship.

I read a couple autobiographical books one of an actor I love and another a book given to me by a friend.

Kilo 3: The True Story of a Marine Rifleman’s Tour from the Intense Fighting in Vietnam to the Superficial Pageantry of Washington, DC by Richard W. Foster Jr.  A fascinating book about a soldier who starts as a kid in the Vietnam war and his later life a an honor guard. I have never been one for war experiences but damn was this book rivetting.

Christopher Lee: Tall, Dark and Gruesome Paperback by Christopher Lee  Awesome look into an incredible life, from his youth in WWII to his early acting career with spotty results all the way up to his later life where fans rediscovered him.

FICTION!!!!!!

I am usually all over the place here, focusing on the short story format but this year I had a couple reads with other people so this is really all over the place.

Trans Wizard Harriet Porber and the Bad Boy Parasaurolophus by Chuck Tingle - Funny and provocative this was a group read with some friends.

San Juan Noir by various authors - dark little stories set in Puerto Rico

Boston Noir by various authors - dark little tales set in Boston MA

Ghoul by Brian Keene - Horror - Just a randomly chosen listen on Audible

Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia - Recommended by friends online. I enjoyed it but it got me thinking about whether rewriting old literature motiffs and classics is flattering to them or unethical.

The Kolchack Papers by Jeff Rice - A movie and TV project I did involved watching all the Night Stalker stories, these are the books they were based on. Really rather enjoyed that project.

Harvest Home by Thomas Tryon, again a nostalgic thing. I was influenced towards being a horror fan as a child by the made for TV movie, The Secret of Harvest Home. This is the book that film is based off. It plays on the 60s-70s move from crime ridden cities to the country but brings in elements of fear of small town communities and fear of matriarchy. A bit sexist if you ask me but I think the author is older which is not an excuse but may be a cause.

REFERENCE

The Ultimate Guide to Strange Cinema by Michael Vaughn - Pretty awesome look at the wierd movies of our lifetimes.

New England's Scariest Stories and Urban Legends by Summer Paradis & Cathy McManus - Awesome urban legends from the area I live in. Fun and a quick read.