Blogarithms
Doug Kaye's thoughts on web services, web hosting and managed services.
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Baran. This was our last screening at this year's Mill Valley Film Festival--probably the best year since we've been going. Baran was a last-minute replacement for another film. It's an Iranian film by Majid Majidi who made Color of Paradise, shown last year or the year before at the MVFF.
Maybe it's just me. Although my wife liked this one (as she has other Iranian films), I found it too simplistic and predictable. Remarkably timely, Baran is about Afgahni refugees in Iran: very poor people just trying to keep it together in a foreign country in which they are not treated well, and all the time hoping to return home. The actual plot is of an Iranian boy who initially hates the Afghans, but instantly changes his attitude when he develops an overwhelming crush on an Afghan girl. Too instantly for me. Thumbs down.
Posted Monday, October 15, 2001 6:14:16 PM 
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Ram Dass Fierce Grace. He was born Richard Alpert, and taught and conducted research at the Department of Social Relations and the Graduate School of Education at Harvard University from 1958 to 1963. His next-door office mate was Timothy Leary. Part of the 60's LSD research scene, Alpert followed his spirituality to India where he met his spiritual teacher, Neem Karoli Baba. Here he was given the name Ram Dass (Servant of God). He spent the next 30 years as a spiritual teacher with thousands of followers, but on February 19, 1997 Ram Dass suffered a stroke that left the right side of his body paralyzed. Filmmaker Mickey Lemle has known Ram Dass for many years, but fianlly convinced him to submit to the documentary about three years ago--post stroke.
I'm not a spiritual follower of anyone, but I found Ram Dass and this film (shown at the Mill Valley Film Festival) interesting and entertaining. As compared to his 60's hippie dobuletalk (shown in archival footage), his more recent thoughts on aging are remarkable frank and concise. Lemle is a great documentary filmmaker with a great cinematographer, Buddy Squires. An excellent and fascinating portrayal. Two thumbs up.
Posted Monday, October 15, 2001 8:19:37 AM
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