Category Archives: The Arts

Il Sorpasso 1962 – The Easy Life

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Jean-Louis Trintignant and Vittorio Gassman

This movie came out the year I was born. It is a road movie or a coming of age film for two young men. Bruno (Vittorio Gassman – Italian) is an aging player, and Roberto (Jean-Louis Trintignant – French) a very down to earth college boy, studying law. Roberto is eager to remain the man that he is, but soon finds himself questioning life. He seems to have a love/hate relationship with Bruno, who he knows is not a good person deep down inside. Bruno, for whatever reason is escaping reality. We don’t really know his back story, though we know that he jumped into marriage with a beautiful woman and left her and their daughter to continuing roaming through life. At the end, both of these men’s lives will be turned upside down and Bruno himself will finally begin to question the life he has chosen.

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Virginia Roberts Giuffre – Nobody’s Girl

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People magazine

This book was probably the hardest and most challenging book for me to read. Not because of what she suffered, I was a social worker for 8 years and read hundreds of reports about child molest, dealt with clients who were trafficked, girls who were used as prostitutes on the street. It was the “Why” that kept nagging in the back of my head. Why was this incredibly, or seemingly strong woman having a book published posthumously? Why did she die by suicide? As a psychotherapist, I kept searching for answers throughout the book, and I walked away feeling as if I understood what they were.

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Finally Dawn – Nothing Like You Would Expect

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fandomwire.com

This is a very good movie, for the simple fact that it is not what you would expect. Firstly, as the photo shows above, it is not about Josephine (Lily James front and center above) as the movie posters want you to believe. Willem Dafoe only plays a character actor, who actually speaks Italian most of the film, not perfectly, as well as English to translate. It is not your typical post-WWII Italian film either, as you come to believe in the beginning and keep expecting it to be throughout. The film is about Mimosa (Rebecca Antonaci – who doesn’t even get a Wikipedia page), and even the name is rather cute and has a hidden meaning I think. Mimosa is a delicious breakfast drink of champagne and orange juice. Thus telling us that she has two sides to her. She wants to have fun but she also has very good values. Her values are the suspense of this film. You fear for her not returning home, as is promised many times throughout.

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Keeping Up Appearances – the Narcissistic Wife and Neighbor

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While this is a comedy, you can imagine, when you view this series from the BBC, how difficult it would be to be in the character Richard’s shoes (her husband) and that of her neighbors. Dame Patricia Rutledge died this past week, at the age of 96 and so I thought I’d share one of her most remarkable performances as a Narcissistic wife and neighbor. Her character’s name is Hyacinth Bucket (though she makes sure everyone pronounces her name Bouquet instead). She is so focused on looking good, hence the title of the show. It does not matter what her husband thinks, her neighbors, her siblings, the Vicar and his wife. Everyone is under her thumb and reacts appropriately to her expectations.

If you get a chance to watch this TV series, it will make you laugh hysterically. However, in real life, this type of person would be hell to live with. She also has a son, whom you never see in the series. His name is Sheridan. She thinks highly of him, which a narcissistic mother would do. RIP Dame Rutledge, what a long life and career, and a wonderful actress you were.

Being Maria – Surviving the Movie Industry in the 70’s

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Maria Schneider in the 70’s.

Many people from my generation saw “Last Tango in Paris,” a 1972 French American collaboration with Maria Schneider and Marlon Brando. It was considered pornographic by some, those who were not used to art films and so it was very controversial and critically discussed. Until watching the new French/Italian/American collaboration film “Being Maria” this past weekend (2025), starring Anamaria Vartolomei, I had no idea what she dealt with as an actress.

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In the Land of Saints and Sinners – and a Black Guy?

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The secondary title of this Irish film set in 1974 which is meant to be about Irish history should be “There is an African in the Pub.” He has absolutely NO relevance whatsoever to this film, which I am calling a pseudo historical fiction. Yet, the filmmakers had to stick him in and had to have Liam Neeson’s character Finbar, babysit him throughout, because it is important to them to bypass the real reason we are watching this film – to focus on a part of Irish history.

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What do these Narcissistic terms REALLY Mean?

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Found on Linked

It is so important to not use these terms, in general, unless you are a psychotherapist and know what you are talking about. We see them all over social media, we hear them in our daily life, but I can speak from experience in saying that when I hear these terms, the person is generally taking this out of context. I have articles on all or most of these terms (so far) on my webpage here. They are all mentioned one way or another in my posts. I am talking about them here to educate my readers but I am not posting and educating to make you a psychotherapist – unless you already are. Using these terms incorrectly can harm someone. It might deter someone from seeking counseling because they think they have it already figured out. Healing from the abuse you have suffered from a narcissistic parent, partner, or other person in your life is more than just understanding terms.

Narcissism on the Spectrum – What is Normal?

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I love this image, though I would not say “normal narcissism,” I would say Ego. I don’t think we should use the same word to talk about being a healthy person. However, I think people need to see this and I am not as good with graphics.

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