Showing posts with label love. Show all posts
Showing posts with label love. Show all posts

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Official LOVE ETC. Trailer Premieres!








LOVE ETC., Jill Andresevic's acclaimed multi-character documentary depicting the many stages of modern metropolitan romance, will be distributed by Paladin, it was announced by company president and CEO, Mark Urman.  The film, which is the first production from Jonathan Tisch’s Walnut Hill Media, had its world premiere at the Hamptons International Film Festival last October, where it won the Audience Award for Best Feature Documentary. Set entirely in New York, a city that it explores and embraces in glorious detail, the film will debut in exclusive Manhattan engagements in July before expanding nationally throughout the summer.

Filmed over the course of a year, LOVE ETC. is actually five different relationship stories—all of them real—combined in a single film. With characters ranging in age from 18 to 89, the youthful end of the spectrum is represented by high school sweethearts Gabriel and Danielle, whose first-love romance is tested as graduation nears. On the other end of the spectrum are Albert and Marion, octogenarian lovebirds whose chance meeting turned into a 50 year marriage, and who remain as enamored of one another today as they were when they first married. In between, are two men: Ethan, who is straight and the divorced father of two teenagers, and Scott, who is gay and single, and the soon-to-be father of twins. Despite their complicated lives, both are on a quest to find new partners and believe that love is only one blind date away. The final couple, Chitra and Mahendra, are engaged when we meet them— their big, traditional Indian wedding is the centerpiece of the film—but, once the honeymoon is over, the realities of marriage change and challenge their life together.  A love letter to love itself, Andresevic’s film celebrates the diversity of these couples, as well as the vast and varied city they inhabit.

About the film Urman says, “‘LOVE ETC.’ is as poignant, poetic, and polished as the best fiction, but has the added bonus of being completely real.  I’ve never seen another documentary like it and, in fact, I think we need a new word to describe this utterly original--and enjoyable-- foray into non-fiction filmmaking.”   Director Andresevic added, “While most documentaries are issue-based films, we decided to examine the universal subject of love through five storylines – all of which were documented over the course of a year as the subjects lives naturally unfolded. I believe we created a film that is both authentic and humorous, and feels like a real life romantic comedy, provoking thought, while still entertaining the audience.” About the deal, Jeffrey Stewart, who produced along with Chiemi Karasawa and  Andresevic, says, “We’re so pleased to be in the very capable hands of Mark Urman, the distributor of such acclaimed films as ‘Spellbound,’ ‘Half Nelson,’ and ‘Born into Brothels.’ Mark instantly understood and appreciated the fresh approach of the film and its broad appeal. We have complete confidence in Paladin and look forward to working together.”

LOVE ETC. was produced by Walnut Hill Media, a company formed in 2008 by Stewart and Tisch, who served as executive producer on the film, and whose own visit to the City Hall Marriage Bureau to obtain a marriage license in 2007 -- an occasion defined by a broad range of couples all united by their common belief in love -- provided the initial inspiration for their maiden production.  Since then, Walnut Hill has completed another documentary, “New York Says Thank You,” which is expected to be released later this year.

In current release for Paladin is Tom Shadyac’s “I Am,” which was successfully launched in Portland, Seattle, and San Francisco and which opens in Los Angeles on March 11th and New York on March 18th.  The company recently announced that it will release the Broadway-themed comedy, “Meeting Spencer,” starring Jeffrey Tambor, on April 8th as well as Steven Peros’ Hollywood-set fable “Footprints,” which is set for an April 15th opening. 



All opinions expressed in this review are my own and not influenced in any way by the company.  Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer or provider. Please refer to this site's Disclaimer  for more information. I have been compensated or given a product free of charge, but that does not impact my views or opinions. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- New to the Divadom or to Dad of Divas Reviews? Please Subscribe to my RSS Feed! Subscribe in a reader Questions?Drop me a line at dadofdivas@gmail.com

Book Review - Road to a Miracle

About the Book 
A man who had always wanted to be a father was able to live out that dream when he married a woman with four kids - triplet boys and a girl. It was his love for those kids that inevitably led to his losing them.

Shaw was the man responsible for the firing of infamous Indiana University basketball coach, Bobby Knight. In the midst of the scandal of which he refers to as "the Knightmare," Shaw lost sight of what was most important by getting caught up in the fame and attention, and with that, he also lost what was most important to him - his family. His wife divorced him, and the children didn't want anything to do with him.

Then at age 65, after changing his life and completing seminary, Shaw receives an email from a man claiming to be a fan of the author that leads to one amazing discovery - the miracle Shaw had been waiting for his whole life. He had a daughter in her 40s. He didn't know she existed. She thought he was dead. And so begins his future - as a father, a grandfather.

After initial visits where hugs abound, his newfound daughter Marni surprises Shaw last Father's Day. The next day tears flow when Marni writes, "Hi there Dad! What a wonderful time we had with you. You made me feel so loved. Know that you are . . . Marni." An inspiring and true tale filled with stories that will surprise, amuse, and move readers, ROAD TO A MIRACLE  will open people's heart, mind and spirit to any miracle that may be winding its way toward them.

My Take on the Book

This book was a breath of fresh air. As I think about fathers day and I read this book, I have to say that I was impressed with the journey that the author has shared with his readers.

You are taken on quite the journey of enlightenment as the author runs from the world that he has known and accepted to knowing and understanding that there was much more in store for him.

I was inspired by this book and the amazing bond that the author has been able to share with his readers. A story that is filled with both love and lessons from a father to his family, you will not be disappointed with the book itself.

As a reader you will find that the book is a very quick read and one that will make you continue to ask, what's next!

All opinions expressed in this review are my own and not influenced in any way by the company.  Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer or provider. Please refer to this site's Disclaimer  for more information. I have been compensated or given a product free of charge, but that does not impact my views or opinions.
 
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Monday, May 23, 2011

Book Review - The Case for Falling in Love

About the Book
Let’s face it, today’s “Relationship Advice Industry” is generally annoying, and for good reason.  Like new miracle diets, most of them don’t work.  Glutted by pop psychology and commercialized fads, the conventional wisdom in today’s books, movies and catch-phrases is over-simplified (“He’s just not that into you”), wrongly analyzed (“Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus”), or just plain destructive.



According to Mari Ruti, PhD, that conventional wisdom implicitly convinces women that:



  • …men and women are hopelessly different.
  • in order to attract a man, women must hide their strength, feelings and desires.
  • the only way to catch and keep a man is to manipulate him into new ways of thinking.



She says that these ideas have not only been proven wrong by reality (and history), they’ve proven to be destructive to women’s emotional makeup and psyche.



In her new book, the Case for Falling in Love, Mari Ruti urges women to ignore the noise, and redefine how they look for love; what they look for in love, and why they are looking.  By correctly analyzing the search for love—its pitfalls and triumphs—through the prism of Gender Issues, Ruti guides women toward emotionally healthy dating practices, non-combative (yet empowering) attitudes toward dating and the opposite sex, and the preservation of the beauty, mystery and nuance of classic Love and Romance.



Written in a funny, thought-provoking, and sharply intelligent style, Ruti’s Case for Falling Love engages and informs while dispelling today’s Top Misconceptions, such as:



  • In order to make romance work, women need to learn to interpret the “male psyche” and develop a toolbox of luring techniques
  • Women must resort to some variant of “Hard to Get” to win a man
  • To succeed, women must “massage the male ego”
  • Failures at Love are failures in Life
  • …and More



More than just another self-help book, The Case for Falling in Love is a treatise on Love that refreshes and strengthens, while it enlightens and entertains.



About the Author



Mari Ruti was educated at Brown, Harvard and the University of Paris.  After finishing her Harvard doctorate, she spent four years as assistant director of the university’s program for the Study of Women, Gender and Sexuality.



She is currently associate professor of critical theory at the University of Toronto’s English Department, where she teaches contemporary theory, continental philosophy, psychoanalysis, gender studies and popular culture.  (Her lectures on love, sex and relationships are among the most popular on campus, often filling the classrooms and auditoriums to capacity).



Ruti is the author of two academic books:  Reinventing the Soul:  Posthumanist Theory and Psychic Life and A World of Fragile Things:  Psychoanalysis and The Art of Living.  She splits her time between Toronto, the East Coast, and Maui.

My Take on the Book

I have read a number of self-help books in the past and this one, though geared at women takes a common sense approach to the topic of relationships and falling in love and allows the reader to learn vast amounts of information in a fun and engaging way. I showed some of the parts to my wife and she mentioned that to her it was like the author was speaking directly to her, as if she was a close friend trying to listen and assist in any way she could.

This book has a little bit of everything for the person interested in dating, relationships or just romance. It is not a 100+ Ways type of book, but instead is a book that tries to spell out the truth and dispel many of the myths that exist out in the public eye in regards to relationships in general.
All opinions expressed in this review are my own and not influenced in any way by the company.  Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer or provider. Please refer to this site's Disclaimer  for more information. I have been compensated or given a product free of charge, but that does not impact my views or opinions.  
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