Blame it on Fidel

I've been enjoying the Los Angeles Film Festival recently. The diversity of films here is staggering. I watched a screening of "The Elephant and the Sea", a very contemplative, slow-moving, ultra low-budget narrative film from a young Malaysian director, while "The Transformers" had it's premier just a few blocks away. Two very different movies. Same festival. In fact, the amount of foreign films (shorts, documentaries and otherwise) is massive here which befits L.A., a culturally diverse Mecca whose perception can be unjustly overshadowed by it’s “Hollywood” fluff and glamour.

Prior to the Malaysian dreamscape movie, I saw "Blame it on Fidel" or "Faute a Fidel" the charming French offering set in early 1970s Paris. I highly recommend this movie. It's one of those gems that welcomes the viewer completely. In fact, I didn't want the movie to end. I felt honored to be a part of this unique, sympathetic and loving French family. The story centers around a young girl named Anna, whose parents communist awakening sets off her own tempered chaos. Mickey Mouse a fascist? No more divinity class? Allende? Marco? There’s a lot here for a nine year old to take on.

What is most charming about this film is the character of Anna. So often I find that children are written poorly in film - either too much like an adult, or completely devoid of emotion (Like the film "Joshua" that also showed at the Festival - after all, aren't sociopath children still...children?). Anna is excellently drawn as an inquisitive child growing up. She is spoiled and stubborn, as well as loving and adorable. Her inquisitiveness is most endearing. Her thirst for knowledge and comprehension of the world around her is quenchless as she tries to fit in all this new information within the framework of her life. Her mind and sharp tongue don't even rival those of the strange bearded communist activists who harbor at her family’s apartment at all hours of the night. What other nine year old can have an earnest discussion of economics, inflation, and Marxism besides Anna de la Mesa?

Anna's growing understanding with a new term brought forth by her parents' ideology - "group solidarity" – produces one of the film’s most thoughtful exchanges. Anna tries to implement her parent’s “group solidarity” slogan in her classroom, when she decides, albeit reluctantly, to join the rest of her Catholic school classmates in raising her head and answering the teacher's question incorrectly. She knows the right answer, but decided to join the rest. The result? She wonders whether "group solidarity" is synonymous with the sheep following the sheep.

The last showing of "Blame it on Fidel" is on Thursday, June 28 at theLandmark's Regent in Westwood. Highly recommended.

Who're You Calling Hermit? Great Discovery at L.A. Times Festival of Books

Howard Junker, the editor of Zyzzyzva, a popular literary journal based out of San Francisco, remarks on the never-ending slushpile of manuscripts he receives as editor (slushpile: unsolicited material in hopes of finding a home) and how he “admires the tenacity of writers.” For many unpublished writers, the process of submitting their work of fiction to literary journals like Zyzzyva is a test in personal drive and faith. Having received kind rejections myself, I know how difficult it is to push forth, continue submitting, continue writing, until at last, your piece is no longer homeless. It’s wonderful, it’s an affirmation, but it’s also just the beginning.

Take the writer of the published novel. She has completed two major milestones - Completion and publication. Her friends and family will definitely buy a copy (we hope), but how many will that add up to? Fifty, one hundred, maybe two hundred? Not nearly enough. She must trek on and not only appeal to her next of kin, but to the stranger across the country, and the browsers in the bookstore who would fall in love with her book, if they only knew about it.

But wait, you say, aren't writers all curmudgeonly hermits lacking in social skills? Well, no. Or at least not all of us. But consider this, if a person writes a book, but nobody reads it, are they considered a writer? Hmmm.

Writers sell themselves by going on book tours, signing at festivals, and attending any other sort of function that will increase their visibility. Take the Los Angeles Festival of Books this past April. Touted as the largest book fair in the country, I find it as proof that L.A. not only has culture, but volumes and volumes of it. There was a booth for every kind of writer, from every kind of discipline, from every corner of the city and county.

Because of this, I had the fortune of making a great literary discovery. In fact, had I spent more time speaking with the abundant number of writers present, I'm sure to have been bowled over by many talented, humble, and interesting writers. That is, if Joan Blacher, my literary discovery, is a fair representation of the writers who were there - published, talented, but under the radar.

Joan Blacher was set up in one of the mystery related tents; I don't think it was "Sisters in Crime", since the sister standing right next to her was a brother. She looked so sincere, so alone yet inviting, like all she wanted was someone to ask her about herself. I felt it was my moral obligation to stop. . And I'm glad I did.

Joan Blacher is a forensic psychologist who was on the faculty of Cal Lutheran University and is an expert on troubled teens. Her novel, "Murder Canyon", was based on an actual murder that occurred near her home in the Oxnard area north of Los Angeles. After a lengthy chat with her, writer to writer, I decided to buy her book.

Once I started reading "Murder Canyon", the pages just whizzed by. I couldn't put it down. Actually, she didn't have to do much to win me over. I'm a big fan of brazen, scrappy, and hard-headed female characters with a heart, and hers definitely fit the bill.

Her main character actually reminded me a lot of Kinsey Milhone, the heroine in Sue Grafton's popular ABC murder novels. Except Joan's is older, a professor, and happily married. It's funny actually, since both characters also live in the same general area of California.

I was actually shocked at certain parts in "Murder Canyon" by it's frank honesty and cold blood. Joan is a white-haired older lady who looks too prim and proper to engage her reader in beheadings and blood splatter. But then again, you can never paint a writer by their work alone, and the juxtaposition of a grandmotherly intellectual and a realistic murder mystery was a peppery fact I kept in the back of my head while reading her book.

Joan Blacher is a member of "Sisters in Crime", a national organization for women mystery writers. I checked out the site and was referred to many talented women writers in this genre. I encourage you to find your favorite writer at http://www.sistersincrimela.com/ . That's the LA site. There is also a national website.

I would not have found Joan on my own if she didn’t attend the L.A Times Festival of Books. I wonder about all the other great writers out there who are just under the radar and whose work I would probably enjoy. Let this be a lesson to all writers everywhere. The hermit life is not for us. Market yourself, sell yourself, and if anyone asks, tell them you’re a writer. You may find yourself a new fan.

Info about Joan is available at www.joanblacher.com

Happy reading!

Catharsis on the massage table

Sally Randa's solo performance is this Thursday at 8pm at the Whitefire Theatre in Sherman Oaks. It's a great intimate show and Sally will make you feel like you are in her livingroom in Pittsburgh, with her tap shoes on and a great eclectic soundtrack. Call for reservations. 310 - 709-8647

The Dao of Sho

The sagest, oldest, most guilt-ladden advice often comes from mothers. Mothers who know best. Mothers who know you best. Some mothers offer advice freely, like an endless stream of water - the river of advice is always there, and it's your choice to drink from it. Other mothers are more aggressive - like a torrential tidal wave. There is no choice. It sneaks up on you when you are unprepared. Water sprays everywhere. It crushes you, stings your eyes, and creeps into your mouth until you choke on it.

Those of us with practice have learned to equip ourselves to face the inevitable advice avalanche. We try and rise above the water. We learn to hold our breaths. But try as we might, something always sticks. Like water that seeps in the ear canals and only makes its way out with some sort of ritualistic head banging, jumping on one leg feat of defiance. Good luck with that.


Now all advice isn't bad. Some is good. Some can really apply to different aspects of our lives. It doesn't offend or persecute or belittle. It doesn't tell us how to dress or who to love or what kind of job to have. For this reason, I have compiled some worthy maternal advice, worthy of heed and not of scorn, for your consideration. Since this comes straight from the mouth of my mother, I will call it the Dao of Sho. If you know my mother, you know why. It is a shortened moniker.

Some of the words of advice are specific, most are translated, a couple are modified, and all are applicable.

Maybe the potential popularity of the Dao of Sho will spin-off into it’s own blog (mom are you listening?) and be printed on those little slips of paper blind people pass out at the airport for a dollar. In any event, regard the following words of wisdom as your fortune cookie for the day:

The Dao of Sho

1. The ocean of depression is long, so, lazy-butt, start paddling! (translated from the Persian).

2. Don’t sell yourself short. People will walk all over you.

3. Don’t leave your child at home with the nanny and take the baby to Isfahan for a year.

4. Good friends are good friends because they do good things. Not because they say they will do good things and they don’t.

5. If five people live in a house with four rooms, don’t put the two people in the smallest room by the garage.

6. No matter how far you go, you see the same sky (Translated from the Persian).

7. If offered a free apartment in France don’t decline it in favor of hard work in pursuit of the American Dream. Everyone knows dreaming in French is better than working in English.

8. A nanny that pricks your baby’s butt with needles to stop her from crying, IS NOT A GOOD NANNY!

Care to pass any of your worthy maternal advice? Please send them along.

Featured Article in this week's Sun

My article is the featured story in this week's Encino, Sherman Oaks, and Studio City Sun. It is about Montclair Preparatory School's unique boarding school program for international students. Montclair Prep is one of the few private schools in southern California which houses international students on campus.

Read the article through the following web portals:

www.encinosun.com
www.shermanoakssun.com
www.studiocitysun.com

I thoroughly enjoyed the time I spent at the school speaking with students, administrators and faculty. I hope you enjoy the article.


You can also pick up a copy at many Valley businesses and community organizations including the public library.