Crutch

Description

Behind a façade of suburban middle class perfection, David's home life is falling apart. As he tries to cope with this impossible situation, the troubled, impressionable teenager falls under the spell of Kenny, a gorgeous, thirty-something, has-been actor turned theatre coach. And when Kenny's support escalates into seduction, David slowly descends into an abyss of drinking and drug addiction from which he must escape if he is to survive.

Customer Reviews:

Coming to Terms.......2007-04-17

"Crutch"

Coming to Terms

Amos Lassen and Cinema Pride

"Crutch" is an autobiographical film taken from the real life experiences of writer/director/star Rob Moretti. It is the coming-of-age story of a young man who faces family problems as well as substance abuse. David comes from a middle-class family which lives under the façade of perfection. However, behind that façade we see that his life is quickly falling apart. As he tries to come to terms with what is happening around him, he comes under the mysterious spell of Kenny, a very good-looking has been actor who is now a theater coach. Kenny seduces David thus hastening his fall into a well of alcohol and substance abuse. In order to survive David must find a way out of this situation and "Crutch" gives us the sad tale of the young man's confusion and the difficulties he faces in finding himself.
The movie is beautifully written and incredibly acted. David has to struggle not only with coming out but with drug addiction, alcoholism, family and love. It is honest and it is hard. There are demons in all of the characters in the movie but somehow they are ousted by goodness.
Rob Moretti as Kenny gives a bravura performance. The relationship with him as Kenny and Eben Gordon as David is very real and very strongly portrayed. The message of the dangers of drug abuse and how to conquer it is very potent. But there is another message here and that is how to struggle against overwhelming odds.
When David tries to escape the reality of what was happening in his home life---a father who cheats and leaves his mother for another woman and an alcoholic self-destructive mother--he joins an acting class. The acting teacher encourages David's participation and finds himself reacting to his attraction for the youth.
Because he needs order in his life, David opens up his sexuality and he and Kenny bond. David discovers that Kenny has a problem with drugs and David begins using cocaine and his own descent begins. The relationship turns into one of love/hate with David becoming the movie star that Kenny could not be because of his drug problem, David tries to return to his family and his girlfriend eventually but he finds disaster there. However, in the last few minutes of the movie everything changes. Before the credits roll, we learn where each of the character is at present.
The movie is a heartfelt confessional with a very strong emotional pull. It is a human movie as it tugs at the heart and brings you into a whirlpool of emotion. There are no clichés here nor are there stereotypes. We see human beings at the most raw they can be. We watch as an impressionable teenager is taken advantage of and we see their story from the very onset with flirtation to their horrible parting and we get everything in between. David, whose parents are too self-absorbed in their own problems, really needed someone with whom he could talk to and confide in. His home situation was miserable and he was going through the most emotional, confusing and important formative years of life. Kenny did not care about this--he had his own agenda--to seduce David. Little by little Kenny works on this seduction until it reaches the point that David becomes a regular visitor to his apartment where is given marijuana and a great deal of alcohol and Kenny gets his wish. Soon the two are spending a great deal of time together and getting loaded and having sex. For David this is a downward spiral. When David spends a stash of cocaine I Kenny's apartments and uses it, he has almost hit bottom.
David's life is filled with problems. Aside from his dysfunctional family, he is using both alcohol and drugs; he is confused over his sexual identity and his relationship with his teacher. He is merely a teenager and not prepared nor equipped to deal with his situation in life.
The film gives you a great deal to think about. I still have pictures in my mind of the two men. I will say that the movie is very special and is title is so correct. All of us have crutches. David's make mine look very small and inconsiderable.

Stereotypical Mish Mash.......2006-02-27

I could not even get all the way through this film because of the poor acting skills of the leads...To begin with the actor who plays David (Eben Gordon) looks twenty six and not sixteen and Rob Morretti (Kenny) is flat and achingly dull in the role as teacher/seducer. So much of the content was stereotypical and almost comedic such as the mom (who is a boozer) who hides her stash in the toilet tank or Kenny putting his hand on David's shoulder and uttering that old cliche "if you need someone to talk to" There are so many great gay films out there, however, this is not one of them.

Not worth your time or money.......2005-12-31

Im rating this movie with one star because it won't allow me to give it zero. This movie is awful. It has a bad script, worse actors, and is just plain boring. The main reason i didn't like this movie was because the characters were so blah. The bad script didn't show me why i should care about the characters (for example, the main characters older brother... what was that about?). Not worth your time or money.

amazing.......2005-11-27

No, this is not a hollywood film with perfect editing and cool special effects. But I think the way it was filmed fits the story. This is a house of dysfunction and the camerawork helps make it very personal, like you're right in the middle of it. The actors are fabulous, most especially Eben Gordon. I think he plays David's vulnerable side and shows how he changes very well. He's an extremely talented young man and I hope to see much more of him. If you're only into the hollywood style movie, this is not for you. But if you're in the mood for something dark, and a little different, this is definitely worth a look. It is sure to have an impact.

Definately worth a look........2005-07-02

You can get the the synopsis from the rest of the reviews. I will focus on the acting. The story itself at times is very melodramatic, I think mainly because the the story itself is full of one hardship after the next. David is dealt a very raw deal in his young life. The the actors in this movie for the most part dealt very well with a tough script. Eben Gordon was very believable as the troubled 16 year old David. He has a very endearing quality from the beginning of the story which makes you pull for him throughout the movie. I liked the fact that he looked closer to 20. A thirty something with an actual 16 year old (although it's what really happened) would have made it more difficult to watch. Rob Moretti's performance had a great balance of manipulation and likability. It's understandable why David falls for Kenny. The story is very personal. Knowing that it is based on a true events makes you feel like you are watching a personal journal brought to life. Very disturbing, but worth experiencing. It also doesn't hurt that the leads are not too bad to look at.

Average customer rating:

Crutch Vs Spear

Manufacturer: Tell ME Why Sales Co.
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

( C ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

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ASIN: B000NA6DY4
Release Date: 2007-02-06

Average customer rating:

Plum-Blosson Crutch

Manufacturer: Tell ME Why Sales Co.
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

( P ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

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ASIN: B000NA6DXA
Release Date: 2007-02-06

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Charlotte Gray [Region 2]
Starring: Cate Blanchett , James Fleet , Abigail Cruttenden , Charlotte McDougall , and Rupert Penry-Jones
Director: Gillian Armstrong , Clytie Jessop , and David Leland
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

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ASIN: B0000C24FY

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I watch it all the time...
A Lighter Shade of Gray...
French Occupation Drama
charlotte gray
War makes fools of us all

Charlotte Gray [Region 2]
Starring: Cate Blanchett , James Fleet , Abigail Cruttenden , Charlotte McDougall , and Rupert Penry-Jones
Director: Gillian Armstrong
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

( C ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

ASIN: B00005U8PC

Amazon.com

Charlotte Gray does little to tarnish Cate Blanchett's rising-star status but misfires badly as a moralistic World War II drama. The title character of the film, which is based on a popular novel of the same name by Sebastian Faulks, is a young Scottish woman (Blanchett) who has come to London to help with the war effort. After quickly falling in love with a dashing pilot who is summarily shot down in southwest France, the intensely patriotic Charlotte joins a special operations outfit in order to find him. Competent melodrama to this point, the film goes astray from here. Since repeated references are made to Charlotte's fluent French, it is hard to maintain any suspension of disbelief when she parachutes into Lezignac and we discover that the French resistance fighters she works with speak English with alternately French or British accents (while the Nazis continue to speak German without subtitles). A similarly perfunctory schema of good versus evil among the citizenry is soon laid out as collaborators and patriots are painted with equally simplistic strokes. Blanchett, along with Billy Crudup and Michael Gambon, gives a lively performance despite a shoddy script, but director Gillian Armstrong's conceits to a mainstream audience seem jumbled and not a little condescending. --Fionn Meade

Customer Reviews:

I watch it all the time..........2007-08-12

I guess I'm one of a few, but I love this movie. I watch it over and over. Cate Blanchett is one of my favorite actresses and to me, the story line is moving and very powerfully acted. I love Billy in this movie too...the first movie I have actually watched with him in it (that I know of) and I fell in love with him.

A Lighter Shade of Gray..........2007-03-10

Let me state the obvious. Charlotte Rampling is phenomenal in anything that she does.

With that out of the way, I can go so far as to say that Cate Blanchett ranks well into the second place position with her strong body of work and amazing ability to evoke the strongest of emotions. It doesn't matter if you are watching her in the phenomenal "Elizabeth" or the slightly obtuse film "The Shipping News" or even the hysterical Armstrong pic, "Life Aquatic", she is worth every moment of screen minute. Blanchett ranks up there with my philosophy of Gene Hackman. The man may not make the greatest of films, but he is always worth watching. The same can be said for Cate. She may not make the greatest film choices possible, but she does keep you eye focused on the screen. This was my thought as I watched the disappointing biopic entitled, "Charlotte Gray". I was actually looking forward to this film with such amazing actors taking the helm as Blanchett, the amazing Michael Gambon, and the quieted Billy Crudup, but even with such power players behind the words, one could not cover up the mush-mouthed film that director Gillian Armstrong attempted to create.

I don't mean to be harsh, but there were some serious flaws in this film that even director Armstrong addresses in the audio commentary. The first which was obvious as the film began its downward stroll, was the issue of language. This was an Australian film, beginning in Scotland, going to England, and ending up in France. So, what language would be best to be used? Anderson took the southern approach and decided to not use the native tongue, and instead throw at us a very weak French accent for all occasions. Gambon, obviously, chose not to do any of these options and went with his own accent. Crudup seemed the least apt to handle this non-American accent, while Blanchett ... well ... she did what she could, constantly fluctuating between her Scottish accent and that of something that could only be called "French". It was not a strong way to lure the historical cinema guy into the picture. While I realize that it would have been tough to "sell" this as a foreign language film, I do believe that it would have pulled me deeper into the story and into the trenches of what these women had to do for their country. Instead, it just felt cheap and extremely Hollywood-"ized", though it wasn't.

The story followed suite. It was supposed to be this grandiose story of a woman's plight for her country. It was supposed to be this story of independence and self-discovery, but alas, it transformed into this mushy story about love with no cohesiveness. We begin this adventure with a woman who is afraid to smoke around others, afraid to drink in public, and suddenly falls head over feet with a man whom she is willing to do anything for. While Armstrong did address the quick courtship in this film, I just felt like we needed more explanation. We needed to see her independence further before making the rash jump into bed, so to speak. Then, quickly, we are placed into training, lies, and finally dropped over France. All before we can really see who this woman really is. I wanted, needed, desperately desired, to know who Charlotte Gray was before getting deep behind enemy lines. I don't mind a two hour film, but two hours in France not quite understanding our main character is not a way for a film to just be thrown in our faces. Who was Charlotte? Who was Gambon? Who was Crudup? I needed this, but alas, Armstrong was too busy focusing on love, random acts of children, and a family torn between two generations. Haven't we heard this all before?

So, we have this weak message, sent by mediocre voices, through a war that gets more and more random as the minutes progress. Can anyone answer to me what the true mission was of Gray during her tour? Why would she fight so much with so less reward near the end? Did those we viewed through the film just disappear by the end? Too many questions for what should have been just a straight forward film. I wanted concise direction and a focus towards our main character, Gray, but instead we were handed a hodgepodge of stories that never quite connected. Armstrong attempts to answer those nay-saying critics through the audio commentary with feeble responses and dramatic "I was the director" cards. It becomes difficult for foreign directors to try to capture the feel and truthfulness of another country's hero. Armstrong failed in this case. She even second-guessed a couple of her scenes in the final film, a sure-fire sign that it wasn't the film that you wanted to finish with. The only director that can successfully critic his own films, and that is Uwe Boll, and that goes without saying.

I can't say that I was happy with the overall finale of this film. The glue wasn't very tight and instead of honesty, Armstrong seemed to focus on the randomness of love, circumstance, and scenery. I didn't think this was a solid film at all, and have to side with the critics that seemed to think that this was just another biographical fluff film. Blanchett acted her heart out (for no apparent reason), and Scotland was beautiful, but I cannot credit anything else with this film. If you are looking for history, I would find something else. If you are looking for a title that you would find in the "romance" section of your local bookstore, then "Charlotte Gray" is the film for you.

Grade: ** out of ***** (one for Scotland, one for Blanchett - that is all)

French Occupation Drama.......2007-03-09

Cate Blanchett is terrific in this film about espionage in France during World War II. Story is well crafted and most of it is believable. One or two of the actors disappoint.
Subtle aspects of this film include betrayal by the French collaborators, and British fear of French resistance fighters with Communist leanings.
Photography of the scenery is splendid, and costumes appear very appropriate for that period.
No matter the color of her hair, Cate Blanchett is a beauty and a marvelous actress.

charlotte gray.......2007-03-08

very interesting ww2 story of the corrupt govt. ofwar time france as well as fine people doing what should be done .

War makes fools of us all.......2006-11-22

MESMERISING and beautiful Cate Blanchett plays the lead role of Charlotte Gray during World War 2. She is an ambulance driver from Scotland working in London but is recruited by British Intelligence into the Special Operations Executive. Why? She has lived in France and speaks French like a native. Her first interview is actually on a train as the recruiter from MI6 pretends to be a fellow passenger and engages her in conversation. The SOE was actually sent by Winston Churchill behind enemy lines to as he so aptly put it, "...set Europe ablaze..." From assassinating high ranking Nazis like Reinhard Heydrich in Czechoslovakia to blowing up German bases, you name it and the SOE did it. The SOE actually helped to set up the OSS which was the forerunner of CIA. Cate Blanchett's acting is superb in her role as she displays a whole range of emotions from love to terror and sheer dogged determination. After tough Commando training including learning how to shoot Webley & Scott revolvers, Charlotte volunteers to go into Vichy France as a courier. Her superior asks her, "Why do you want to go to France? You know only 1 in 3 come back." Her real reason is that she hopes to find her RAF fighter pilot paramour with whom she has fallen madly in love. He had been shot down over Nazi occupied France. Parachuting into France in the dead of night, she links up with a French Resistance group and its dashing leader who confesses to her he is a Communist. I used to parachute and the parachuting scene is very well done as she lands amusingly right in the middle of a group of French boys. Her first contact, a French lady, is quickly arrested by the French Vichy Police in a Cafe but does not betray her. Charlotte has many deadly adventures with the Maquis including derailing trains with plastic explosives, and sees the ugly side of war plus the horrific effects of Hitler's anti-Jew policy. The French Maquis leader even wants to kill her when he mistakenly believes she has betrayed his group to the Nazis. They were all machinegunned down in a merciless Nazi ambush. The French Resistance leader's father is subsequently arrested by the Nazis for having Jewish blood and deported in a cattle truck. His enraged son takes revenge on the evil French philandering collaborator by shooting him dead in the heart without saying a single word. A very professional job!
Charlotte manages to escape back to bombed out London and meets her fighter pilot paramour whom she had believed to be dead, KIA (killed in action). There is no happy reunion because she is now in love with the French Maquis leader. Ah, women are always fickle...
Charlotte tells the boyish RAF pilot, "You're right about war. It makes fools of us all..." However, there is a really happy ending as she returns to France after the war to find her true love in his ancestral home, and delivers her classic line, "There's something I've been meaning to tell you." He replies, "What?"
Cate Blanchett says softly, "My name...Charlotte Gray."
A very moving scene. It brought tears to my eyes. Please watch this movie and see if it touches your heart too. There are excellent scenes of Franec in this movie because it was filmed in the village of St. Antonin Noble Val in southwest France. The violin soloist Dermot Creman plays the haunting theme beautifully too. Enjoy! By Dr. Michael Lim The Travelling Gourmet who is a celebrated Travel, Food & Wine Writer/Editor in Asia.

Plum-Blossom Crutch: Chinese Wushu Series

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Plum-Blossom Crutch: Chinese Wushu Series

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The Original Boxing Tree of Traditional Shaolin Kung Fu
Explained by Shi Deyang, the 31st generation successor of Shaolin King Fu

ASIN: B000MGVHRM

Product Description

Plum-Blossom Crutch, a version of the traditional Shaolin Kung Fu, is particularly suited for elders. Its characteristic movements are hooking, grabbing, sweeping, hanging, chopping and under-cutting.

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