Oh boy!

Being someone else seems to be in a lot of people’s dreams.
But being another self might not be as cool as it seems.
Fortunately, TV and movies are here to show us
We might not want to take somebody’s place, except maybe on the bus.
13 going 30 went forward
While 17 again tried to go backward.
Both 1976 and 2003 Freaky friday‘s take,
Along with Like father like son, went through the family swap mistake.
Monica and Rachel trying it in the Friends E.R. crossover
And a more recent Baby Daddy tryout to switch Ben with Tucker,
All show that doing it volontarily often ends in looking like a creep.
One that certainly knows the most about it is the hero of Quantum Leap
He went through dozens of bodies and would firmly profess:
“do not try this at home” or anywhere you are, in or out the US.

Sunday’s Review 28: 12 years a slave

I know it’s not really Sunday, but I thought relevant to wait on the Oscars’ results before I said anything. 12 years a slave was nominated for 9 Oscars and ended up with 3: Best performance by an actress in a supporting role for Lupita Nyong’o, Best Writing, adapted Screenplay and… Best motion Picture of the year. It the latter I’m going to comment, the first two being rightly awarded, in my opinion.

For those who have no idea what this movie is about, it’s an adaptation of an autobiography of Solomon Northup who is telling us about his 12 years of slavery. His situation of free man, abducted to be sold as a slave, wanting justice but wondering why he deserves freedom more than those who were born slaves is interesting. But that’s not what the movie is about (if we don’t count the 10 last minutes). It’s about a man being a slave. For twelve years. This film is well made, beautiful enough, on a rough and emotional matter, with quite convincing actors (all of them, in fact) but that is it. There is no originality in the adaptation, no new creativity in the directing, no new concept in the photography, nothing special really.

One couldn’t say that it’s a bad movie but I would have expected less enthusiasm for a motion picture that has nothing particular to bring to the table. I feel Steve McQueen (the one of Shame and Hunger, not this one) – who, by the way, knows how to put Michael Fassbender at his best, or worst, depending if you are talking about his acting or the characters he is portraying – played clever but hadn’t really a winning hand. But what do I know, I am not the Oscar Academy! The only thing I have the legitimacy to say is that I was disappointed. I am afraid the movie got rave reviews because it was the politically correct thing to do, even if it still deserves quite good reviews.