Surviving the heat - just. Perhaps that's why I chose
The Swimmer
Physically fit and well built Ned Merrill (Burt Lancaster) decides to swim home across his affluent neighbourhood via the private pools of his friends. Sounds like a plan I thought, having not read the synopsis on the box. This is a movie from 1968, and demonstrates that in the fashions and mores of the time. Looking at it in a contemporary 2010 context I saw things that didn't sit right. Society was different then. Lancaster is fit and strong and full of the joys of spring. At one point he has a footrace against a horse, at another he jumps the hurdles meant for the horses, hurting his foot. He persuades his children's babysitter to join him for part of his cross country swim and her innocent nubility and his interest become at best inappropriate and at worst embarrassing, for her as well as for us. Later he befriends a young boy, rather suspect from today's perspective. I guess we are programmed to think the worst when it comes to men in bathing suits holding unrelated young boy's hands. I expected a kind of suburban comedy of manners adventure, and while the brittle drawing room dialogue is present, the story goes ever deeper, hinting at something that is never spelled out. I did not expect this sunny, privileged, bikini-laden movie to turn into a Tennessee Williams-style depiction of the disintegration of personality and descent into a personal hell of reality. He maintains the limp from his foot injury throughout the movie and his physical and emotional deterioration keep pace. We are never told the back story. This is a man living a delusion, and we watch it get stripped away. Painful almost. Lancaster acts. His eyes tell us all we need to know of his hurt and confusion. An uncomfortable masterpiece.
Look out for the young Joan Rivers at one of the pool parties.
The temperature is forecast to stay below 30 degrees C today. I'm really glad about that.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Monday, June 28, 2010
Food
Hot, very hot.
Julia Child
More than a movie. The movie was Julie and Julia, a true story based on a blog. Julie decides to cook a recipe from Julia Child's Art of French cooking every day for a year, and blogs about it (http://blogs.salon.com/0001399/). This is not beans on toast cookery, she has to de-bone things and kill lobsters. There is a parallel story about Julia Child's life in France as she learns to cook and writes the book with her co-authors. A chick flick of course. I liked it. The casting was excellent, particularly Meryl Streep as Julia Child, Stanley Tucci as her husband and Jane Lynch as her sister. Jane Lynch is a chameleon, currently being rather evil in Glee.
That inspired me to read Julia Child's autobiography "My Life in France" and to get one of her very large cookery books "The Way to Cook" from the library. Both books are very readable. The autobiography (with a co-author) is closely followed in the movie, and shows Julia's high regard for her husband Paul. The recipe book has conversational notes all through, comments and suggestions and spells thing out very clearly. It tells you what pans and utensil you will need and doesn't assume the reader knows anything at all. The actual recipes are a little old fashioned but there is plenty in this book that would be useful. I learned about an interesting woman whose cooking lessons are part of America's heritage.
Food writers
That segues nicely into food writing. Nigel Slater is my favourite food writer. He's English and writes with a passion. When I first read his column I was convinced it was written by a woman, it was so sensual and evocative. Try "Real Fast Food" or "Real Cooking". Another comfort food advocate is the gorgeous (also English) Nigella Lawson. So attractive, so sensuous, so nice. She is named after her father, British politician Nigel Lawson (Nigella is also the botanical name for the blue flower commonly known as "love-in-a-mist"). I guess she takes after her mother in the appearance department. She has had some tragedy in her life and has carried on. She presents cooking shows ("Nigella Bites") which are so lovely and relaxed, usually ending them by coming downstairs in her dressing gown late at night to stand at the fridge door and eat the leftovers. Her food is easy and rich and yes, comforting. I wonder how she keeps her splendid figure. Her books "How to Eat" and "How to be a Domestic Goddess" are lots of fun. She is, indeed, a goddess and a rather upper class woman, but one feels she would be gracious and friendly to those of us on lower rungs of the social ladder.
Too hot to write more and too hot to cook. I actually got up at 6.00 am to bake a ham before the day got too hot. The kittens have come out to play now that it is cooling down a bit.
Julia Child
More than a movie. The movie was Julie and Julia, a true story based on a blog. Julie decides to cook a recipe from Julia Child's Art of French cooking every day for a year, and blogs about it (http://blogs.salon.com/0001399/). This is not beans on toast cookery, she has to de-bone things and kill lobsters. There is a parallel story about Julia Child's life in France as she learns to cook and writes the book with her co-authors. A chick flick of course. I liked it. The casting was excellent, particularly Meryl Streep as Julia Child, Stanley Tucci as her husband and Jane Lynch as her sister. Jane Lynch is a chameleon, currently being rather evil in Glee.
That inspired me to read Julia Child's autobiography "My Life in France" and to get one of her very large cookery books "The Way to Cook" from the library. Both books are very readable. The autobiography (with a co-author) is closely followed in the movie, and shows Julia's high regard for her husband Paul. The recipe book has conversational notes all through, comments and suggestions and spells thing out very clearly. It tells you what pans and utensil you will need and doesn't assume the reader knows anything at all. The actual recipes are a little old fashioned but there is plenty in this book that would be useful. I learned about an interesting woman whose cooking lessons are part of America's heritage.
Food writers
That segues nicely into food writing. Nigel Slater is my favourite food writer. He's English and writes with a passion. When I first read his column I was convinced it was written by a woman, it was so sensual and evocative. Try "Real Fast Food" or "Real Cooking". Another comfort food advocate is the gorgeous (also English) Nigella Lawson. So attractive, so sensuous, so nice. She is named after her father, British politician Nigel Lawson (Nigella is also the botanical name for the blue flower commonly known as "love-in-a-mist"). I guess she takes after her mother in the appearance department. She has had some tragedy in her life and has carried on. She presents cooking shows ("Nigella Bites") which are so lovely and relaxed, usually ending them by coming downstairs in her dressing gown late at night to stand at the fridge door and eat the leftovers. Her food is easy and rich and yes, comforting. I wonder how she keeps her splendid figure. Her books "How to Eat" and "How to be a Domestic Goddess" are lots of fun. She is, indeed, a goddess and a rather upper class woman, but one feels she would be gracious and friendly to those of us on lower rungs of the social ladder.
Too hot to write more and too hot to cook. I actually got up at 6.00 am to bake a ham before the day got too hot. The kittens have come out to play now that it is cooling down a bit.
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Second opinion
Showgirls (again)
On a second viewing I have to say there is a lot of lame dialogue in this movie. Not just lame, but cringeworthy. One line in particular, just before she goes out to the pool. Also the scene where a dancer has an injured knee - love that diagnostic moment. Not as consistently bad as Avatar though. Just did a typo there which made me think maybe this is a precursor to Avatar - thin, long-legged beings in a strange alien world, selling their bodies - welcome to Avatart. But seriously folks, this movie has the worst joke, the worst sex scene, the most bad-taste moment, and a completely irrelevant little side story - why is James and his dance in this movie? There is too much dancing and too much nudity - titillating no, boring yes. Good things - the makeup is great (except for the heavy handed use of lipliner), music must have been okay as I didn't notice it. Best bit - the violent revenge scene. Elizabeth Berkley is gorgeous and deserved better than this.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
More dancing
Hot now, like a day at the beach. Plenty of sand in the high desert but the tide is a long way out.
Showgirls
That nice Elizabeth Berkley from Saved by the Bell (remember that high school tv show - we named a cat after one of the characters) does porn. Well almost. She certainly shows everything that God gave her in this mainstream movie. Her character has a penchant for running off in a huff but apart from that she has great screen presence and a beautifully expressive face. It's about being a dancer in Las Vegas. Yes she can dance. The Las Vegas showbiz world appears to be run by total sleazebags who are nicely portrayed here. This is about women and getting ahead, and friendship and revenge. Excellent revenge, if not officially sanctioned. Dancers are strong. Let's hope erotic dancing is more erotic on the stage than on the small screen. Once again, very gynaecological. This movie showcases a degrading lifestyle for women, it also has the most offensive to women joke ever made I should think. Yes, it is told by a woman in a den of sleazy bottom feeders, but it says something about men that it was ever dreamed up. This is one of those movies that portrays the male half of the population very badly and men should hope that visiting aliens don't see it in flight before they land here. I like to think that all men are not like that, but maybe somewhere, deep down, they are. I hope not. Maybe that's why Showgirls was not a hit movie - the truth hurts!
Having said all that, I enjoyed the movie and wonder why I haven't seen more of Elizabeth Berkley. Actually I have seen all of her, I meant more movies. Oh yes, the scene in the pool is embarrassing, even though I was watching this movie alone, but over quickly ...
Dan Brown
The Da Vinci Code
Angels and Demons
The Lost Symbol
Deception Point
Digital Fortress
Cheating here, reviewing an author. Yesterday I read Digital Fortress in one sitting, apart from hanging out the laundry, making dinner etc. I read all his novels like that. He has hit on a winning formula, lots of dialogue, fairly stereotypical characters, short sentences, short paragraphs (dare I say short words), multiple parallel inter-related story lines and a very short time span. The action in each book takes place over less than 24 hours. The reader has the sensation of galloping along with the story. Plots are great, conspiracy theories, double crosses and who exactly can you trust. Things are not necessarily what they seem. The stories cover Jesus, the Catholic church, the Masons, NASA and national security, so all bound to offend someone. Don't worry about the details and the research, it's fiction and jolly entertaining fiction at that. Don't be a snob - enjoy it. Ripping yarns for summer reading. The movies aren't bad either. I'll be reading each new Dan Brown.
It's "stay inside where it is cool" weather. The wedding this Saturday is in a place that is even hotter than here. I'll let you know if I survive it.
Showgirls
That nice Elizabeth Berkley from Saved by the Bell (remember that high school tv show - we named a cat after one of the characters) does porn. Well almost. She certainly shows everything that God gave her in this mainstream movie. Her character has a penchant for running off in a huff but apart from that she has great screen presence and a beautifully expressive face. It's about being a dancer in Las Vegas. Yes she can dance. The Las Vegas showbiz world appears to be run by total sleazebags who are nicely portrayed here. This is about women and getting ahead, and friendship and revenge. Excellent revenge, if not officially sanctioned. Dancers are strong. Let's hope erotic dancing is more erotic on the stage than on the small screen. Once again, very gynaecological. This movie showcases a degrading lifestyle for women, it also has the most offensive to women joke ever made I should think. Yes, it is told by a woman in a den of sleazy bottom feeders, but it says something about men that it was ever dreamed up. This is one of those movies that portrays the male half of the population very badly and men should hope that visiting aliens don't see it in flight before they land here. I like to think that all men are not like that, but maybe somewhere, deep down, they are. I hope not. Maybe that's why Showgirls was not a hit movie - the truth hurts!
Having said all that, I enjoyed the movie and wonder why I haven't seen more of Elizabeth Berkley. Actually I have seen all of her, I meant more movies. Oh yes, the scene in the pool is embarrassing, even though I was watching this movie alone, but over quickly ...
Dan Brown
The Da Vinci Code
Angels and Demons
The Lost Symbol
Deception Point
Digital Fortress
Cheating here, reviewing an author. Yesterday I read Digital Fortress in one sitting, apart from hanging out the laundry, making dinner etc. I read all his novels like that. He has hit on a winning formula, lots of dialogue, fairly stereotypical characters, short sentences, short paragraphs (dare I say short words), multiple parallel inter-related story lines and a very short time span. The action in each book takes place over less than 24 hours. The reader has the sensation of galloping along with the story. Plots are great, conspiracy theories, double crosses and who exactly can you trust. Things are not necessarily what they seem. The stories cover Jesus, the Catholic church, the Masons, NASA and national security, so all bound to offend someone. Don't worry about the details and the research, it's fiction and jolly entertaining fiction at that. Don't be a snob - enjoy it. Ripping yarns for summer reading. The movies aren't bad either. I'll be reading each new Dan Brown.
It's "stay inside where it is cool" weather. The wedding this Saturday is in a place that is even hotter than here. I'll let you know if I survive it.
Monday, June 21, 2010
Dirty Dancing
That's not all folks!
Dirty Dancing
I just finished watching this movie - for the first time! That's right, I had never seen it before. Thank you Shannon. What a delightful movie. It's Grease meets West Side Story meets Shall We Dance and it rightly deserves to have become the iconic phenomenon it undoubtedly is. A pretty setting, sympathetic characters, a realistic plot with the pivotal issue sensitively handled and firmly underpinning the rest of the story. The beautiful, talented and sadly missed Patrick Swayze immortalised at his best, matched with a strong young socially conscious heroine who takes action, encountering the real world divide between good and bad, rich and poor, perhaps for the first time in her life. Practical magic - this girl is real. Beautifully under-acted for the most part, with gorgeous clothes and as befitting a dance movie, great music. I'll be watching this one again and again, in between learning to dance.
Action packed
The A-Team
I liked this movie, and I liked the television series. It's an action-packed, ingenious (MacGyverish almost), funny movie. The new A-team members, lead by Liam Neeson, who is not quite as suave as Peppard, stack up really well against the originals. The plot is almost irrelevant (retrieve this briefcase) but the methods used to pull this off are totally satisfying. Lots of double crosses and double agents, a continually frustrated Jessica Biel, and some not-so-good PR for the CIA. I liked the lovely laddish Mr Lynch though - all of them. The action sequences, the escapes, the planning sessions, the inventions, it's all good. Camera work is choppy, enhancing the feeling of action, not so good if you are migraine prone. Music is great, the A-team theme of course, and I think I heard a little "Final Countdown" used most appropriately in the not terribly realistic but still fun shipping container scene. Special mention for mad Murdock and all the different flying machines. I love it when a movie comes together.
That's all for today folks.
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Wine country
Two wine country movies today and an old favourite.
Bottle shock
Englishman Alan Rickman (always worth watching) sets up a blind wine tasting of French and Californian wines. Based on a true story, set in lovely country north of San Francisco, some nice stories, a minor movie but quite watchable. Look out for Freddy Rodrigues (Carla's brother in "Scrubs") as a young Mexican winemaker. A nice movie.
Sideways
Another wine movie - you will learn some about wine tasting - set in lovely country south of San Francisco. Good looking Jack and depressed, divorced Miles go on a stag party road trip in the week before Jack gets married. Miles is a wine afficionado, Jack more of a rutting stallion with charm and no scruples. Miles has a relaxed week of wine-tasting and golf planned, Jack is out for a final fling. We see some of that "flinging". So it is a man-angst road trip buddy movie with both love-interest and sex. The story is really about morose Miles who hasn't got over his divorce and can't get his book published. It's a good story, Jack is laddish and apparently amoral, Miles is buttoned-up and introspective. The "dinner with the girls" scene is rather nice, a swirl of good wine, good food and good company.There is a great deal of imbibing and plenty of driving, obviously Ponch and Jon (CHiPs - google it) were busy elsewhere that week. Driving drunk - bad idea.
I heard, from someone who would know, that merlot sales dropped considerably after this movie was released. That's because Miles has a little tantrum about not going out to dinner if they are going to drink merlot. It's a movie, folks! It's about a guy who has a preference for (or maybe an obsession with) a specific grape variety. I'm here to defend merlot. A good merlot is very satisfying. As with all wines, there are good and not so good, ones you like, ones you don't, different styles. This is a GOOD thing. We do not want standardised cookie-cutter wines. Vive la difference. Shop around and find a merlot you like, don't judge all labels by the first one you try.
You've Got Mail
I'm sure you guessed this movie would come up. Once again that magic pairing of Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan. They are both so gauche and adolescent, but the on-screen chemistry is undeniable. They meet in a chatroom and start an innocent email relationship, not realising they are business rivals. It's very sweet. Even the breakups with their partners are not traumatic. The excitement they both show in their eagerness to get online when their partners are not around emphasises the importance of the sympathetic stranger in their lives. A happy ending of course. Now I am going to tell you something that intrigued me when it was pointed out to me and has me watching the screen intently. Meg Ryan, whom I adore, has really big hands. Now you will be watching out for that too. I hope Hanks and Ryan team up again in a movie.
Scrubs
Funny, clever, emotional, farcical hospital comedy television series. Comic genius abounds - JD, Turk, Carla, dippy Elliot, the janitor, Dr Cox, the wonderfully mean Jordan, Bob Kelso, and the rest, all of them are stars. I haven't watched past season 8 and I believe some of the cast has changed. JD and Turk singing about man love, Rowdy the stuffed dog, Michael J Fox and the toilet on the roof, the janitor's meetings with his army of stuffed squirrels - it's all very funny and engaging.
Here is a nice scenic webcam for you to look at:
www.taranakivista.co.nz
Click for the larger pic and watch the changing moods of the mountain. If you first tune in on a cloudy day, please be assured that there is a mountain there, quite a large snow-covered one, and it is occasionally visible. Think of it as a challenge - spot the mountain.
Another sunny day in the desert. Have a good one.
Bottle shock
Englishman Alan Rickman (always worth watching) sets up a blind wine tasting of French and Californian wines. Based on a true story, set in lovely country north of San Francisco, some nice stories, a minor movie but quite watchable. Look out for Freddy Rodrigues (Carla's brother in "Scrubs") as a young Mexican winemaker. A nice movie.
Sideways
Another wine movie - you will learn some about wine tasting - set in lovely country south of San Francisco. Good looking Jack and depressed, divorced Miles go on a stag party road trip in the week before Jack gets married. Miles is a wine afficionado, Jack more of a rutting stallion with charm and no scruples. Miles has a relaxed week of wine-tasting and golf planned, Jack is out for a final fling. We see some of that "flinging". So it is a man-angst road trip buddy movie with both love-interest and sex. The story is really about morose Miles who hasn't got over his divorce and can't get his book published. It's a good story, Jack is laddish and apparently amoral, Miles is buttoned-up and introspective. The "dinner with the girls" scene is rather nice, a swirl of good wine, good food and good company.There is a great deal of imbibing and plenty of driving, obviously Ponch and Jon (CHiPs - google it) were busy elsewhere that week. Driving drunk - bad idea.
I heard, from someone who would know, that merlot sales dropped considerably after this movie was released. That's because Miles has a little tantrum about not going out to dinner if they are going to drink merlot. It's a movie, folks! It's about a guy who has a preference for (or maybe an obsession with) a specific grape variety. I'm here to defend merlot. A good merlot is very satisfying. As with all wines, there are good and not so good, ones you like, ones you don't, different styles. This is a GOOD thing. We do not want standardised cookie-cutter wines. Vive la difference. Shop around and find a merlot you like, don't judge all labels by the first one you try.
You've Got Mail
I'm sure you guessed this movie would come up. Once again that magic pairing of Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan. They are both so gauche and adolescent, but the on-screen chemistry is undeniable. They meet in a chatroom and start an innocent email relationship, not realising they are business rivals. It's very sweet. Even the breakups with their partners are not traumatic. The excitement they both show in their eagerness to get online when their partners are not around emphasises the importance of the sympathetic stranger in their lives. A happy ending of course. Now I am going to tell you something that intrigued me when it was pointed out to me and has me watching the screen intently. Meg Ryan, whom I adore, has really big hands. Now you will be watching out for that too. I hope Hanks and Ryan team up again in a movie.
Scrubs
Funny, clever, emotional, farcical hospital comedy television series. Comic genius abounds - JD, Turk, Carla, dippy Elliot, the janitor, Dr Cox, the wonderfully mean Jordan, Bob Kelso, and the rest, all of them are stars. I haven't watched past season 8 and I believe some of the cast has changed. JD and Turk singing about man love, Rowdy the stuffed dog, Michael J Fox and the toilet on the roof, the janitor's meetings with his army of stuffed squirrels - it's all very funny and engaging.
Here is a nice scenic webcam for you to look at:
www.taranakivista.co.nz
Click for the larger pic and watch the changing moods of the mountain. If you first tune in on a cloudy day, please be assured that there is a mountain there, quite a large snow-covered one, and it is occasionally visible. Think of it as a challenge - spot the mountain.
Another sunny day in the desert. Have a good one.
Monday, June 14, 2010
Fat ladies
Such a nice weekend.
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Now this was a movie. I watched it at home on dvd of course, it's not a new movie. I sat, almost motionless, and watched the whole thing. Usually at home I am flitting around, cooking, emailing, making cups of tea, not giving my full attention to the movie. This one demanded and deserved full attention, and giving that was effortless. A story of time, acceptance, love and courage - what a thing to have to face - one's eventual death from youthfulness. Brad Pitt plays Benjamin, a character born as an elderly man who gets younger over the course of his lifetime and inevitably dies as a baby. He is left by his father on the steps of an old folks home, where he is accepted and cared for as a creature of God, interacting with some fleeting but engaging characters. The elder care home is beautifully portrayed, with the comings and goings of the residents highlighting the reverse passage of time experienced by Benjamin. This is the story of a life lived backwards. Benjamin gets healthier, taller, younger, has adventures and falls in love. He has to deal with the losses that come with the territory of getting younger as everyone else gets older.
Cate Blanchett plays the love interest. She is one of those lucky or skilled actors who becomes the character, she is not Blanchett playing the part. Her relationship with Benjamin makes the ending tolerable, although I had a tear or two, as did BH who has seen the movie before. Pitt handles his character well, in a low key and sometimes Forrest Gump manner. Both movies (Forrest Gump and Benjamin Button) have acceptance as a background theme, Benjamin is not viewed or presented as a freak. The whole movie has a soft, non-dramatic ambiance, as if shot in sepia tones rather than full colour. The passage of time is represented in fashions and trends and music. One of the most memorable scenes for me was a sudden cut to a half naked Pitt sailing an elegant little yacht on Lake Pontchartrain. He is a good looking man, and he can act.
The basic story of this movie is set in a hospital room as Hurricane Katrina is about to hit New Orleans. A dying woman asks her daughter to read to her from Benjamin's diary, and the voice switches to Benjamin's, relating his own life story. There is a similarity to the elderly Rose in Cameron's Titanic, I'm sure they used the same makeup artist, but this movie is beautifully written and full of engaging characters. Inevitably sad, but interesting and somehow emotionally satisfying. I'm glad I saw it.
A note on Katrina, the natural disaster that brought misery to so many and the response, or lack of response, which brought shame on the administration of the most powerful nation in the world. One can only hope that lessons have been learned and emergency management standards have been raised.
The Baroque World of Fernando Botero
An exhibition of this Colombian artist's paintings and sculptures at a certain museum of art. I felt at home with Botero's work. He portrays fat people. Fat ballerinas, fat naked people, fat massacred people, fat Jesus at the crucifixion, fat cats, fat dogs, fat bulls, birds and horses. His subject matter is sometimes horrible - I mean it about the massacre - sometimes domestic, sometimes intimate (fat naked lady in her bathroom), but all of it in the most delightful luscious icecream colours. The whole exhibition had a voluptuous feel to it. Favourite pieces - the small bronze sturdy looking horse, the fat bird sculpture and a small sculpture in grey marble of a table with still life. Now marble is a rock. It's hard. So how did he get this piece to look so fluid and plastic, as though made of wax? Very pleasing. The best thing of all, which I want for my post-lottery win house, is one that does not require an entry fee (although I went on free second Saturday so didn't have to pay). In the foyer,on the ground floor, is a sculpture that was apparently too big to manoeuvre into the exhibition hall. It's a hollow bronze "Smoking Woman". She is the size of a small car and is absolutely delightful. Lying face down, propped on her elbows, she displays her ample charms and voluptuous curves. Very hard to heed the "do not touch" signs. She begs to be stroked and fondled, for hands to be run over her womanly contours. I don't know how the men felt about her but the female patrons I observed adored her, as did I. I felt as if I knew her, as if she was a friend, perhaps as if she were me, apart from the smoking that is. Thank you Mr Botero for giving us this lovely woman. Seeing her enriched my life. I think she will stay with me.
Enjoy your day.
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Now this was a movie. I watched it at home on dvd of course, it's not a new movie. I sat, almost motionless, and watched the whole thing. Usually at home I am flitting around, cooking, emailing, making cups of tea, not giving my full attention to the movie. This one demanded and deserved full attention, and giving that was effortless. A story of time, acceptance, love and courage - what a thing to have to face - one's eventual death from youthfulness. Brad Pitt plays Benjamin, a character born as an elderly man who gets younger over the course of his lifetime and inevitably dies as a baby. He is left by his father on the steps of an old folks home, where he is accepted and cared for as a creature of God, interacting with some fleeting but engaging characters. The elder care home is beautifully portrayed, with the comings and goings of the residents highlighting the reverse passage of time experienced by Benjamin. This is the story of a life lived backwards. Benjamin gets healthier, taller, younger, has adventures and falls in love. He has to deal with the losses that come with the territory of getting younger as everyone else gets older.
Cate Blanchett plays the love interest. She is one of those lucky or skilled actors who becomes the character, she is not Blanchett playing the part. Her relationship with Benjamin makes the ending tolerable, although I had a tear or two, as did BH who has seen the movie before. Pitt handles his character well, in a low key and sometimes Forrest Gump manner. Both movies (Forrest Gump and Benjamin Button) have acceptance as a background theme, Benjamin is not viewed or presented as a freak. The whole movie has a soft, non-dramatic ambiance, as if shot in sepia tones rather than full colour. The passage of time is represented in fashions and trends and music. One of the most memorable scenes for me was a sudden cut to a half naked Pitt sailing an elegant little yacht on Lake Pontchartrain. He is a good looking man, and he can act.
The basic story of this movie is set in a hospital room as Hurricane Katrina is about to hit New Orleans. A dying woman asks her daughter to read to her from Benjamin's diary, and the voice switches to Benjamin's, relating his own life story. There is a similarity to the elderly Rose in Cameron's Titanic, I'm sure they used the same makeup artist, but this movie is beautifully written and full of engaging characters. Inevitably sad, but interesting and somehow emotionally satisfying. I'm glad I saw it.
A note on Katrina, the natural disaster that brought misery to so many and the response, or lack of response, which brought shame on the administration of the most powerful nation in the world. One can only hope that lessons have been learned and emergency management standards have been raised.
The Baroque World of Fernando Botero
An exhibition of this Colombian artist's paintings and sculptures at a certain museum of art. I felt at home with Botero's work. He portrays fat people. Fat ballerinas, fat naked people, fat massacred people, fat Jesus at the crucifixion, fat cats, fat dogs, fat bulls, birds and horses. His subject matter is sometimes horrible - I mean it about the massacre - sometimes domestic, sometimes intimate (fat naked lady in her bathroom), but all of it in the most delightful luscious icecream colours. The whole exhibition had a voluptuous feel to it. Favourite pieces - the small bronze sturdy looking horse, the fat bird sculpture and a small sculpture in grey marble of a table with still life. Now marble is a rock. It's hard. So how did he get this piece to look so fluid and plastic, as though made of wax? Very pleasing. The best thing of all, which I want for my post-lottery win house, is one that does not require an entry fee (although I went on free second Saturday so didn't have to pay). In the foyer,on the ground floor, is a sculpture that was apparently too big to manoeuvre into the exhibition hall. It's a hollow bronze "Smoking Woman". She is the size of a small car and is absolutely delightful. Lying face down, propped on her elbows, she displays her ample charms and voluptuous curves. Very hard to heed the "do not touch" signs. She begs to be stroked and fondled, for hands to be run over her womanly contours. I don't know how the men felt about her but the female patrons I observed adored her, as did I. I felt as if I knew her, as if she was a friend, perhaps as if she were me, apart from the smoking that is. Thank you Mr Botero for giving us this lovely woman. Seeing her enriched my life. I think she will stay with me.
Enjoy your day.
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Not just chick flicks
Not so hot today, a nice change. More movies.
Striptease
Demi Moore in amazing shape and deservedly confident about showing off her body in some inelegant poses. Muscular legs. I am a health professional and found the actual striptease part of the movie rather gynaecological. The plot was not bad - corruption, killing and child custody. The child in question is Rumer, real life daughter. Best character - the sleazy husband, especially when high on morphine with a golf club splinting his broken arm. Burt Reynolds plays a pleasantly corrupt and apparently dim politician. Semi-naked ladies and a bit of a plot. It passed the time.
Date night
Tina Fey, comic genius and former "governor of Alaska" (Sarah Palin - what a gift for Tina Fey. The resemblance is amazing) paired with Steve Carrell. A comedy marriage made in heaven. The movie marriage is drifting apart so they arrange a date night, become victims of mistaken identity, don't have what the baddies are after and have a wild night trying to avoid being killed. There is a backwards car chase and some exotic dancing - yes,Steve Carrell exotic dancing. It's light, and laugh out loud funny, just what I needed the day I saw it. Stupid but it works. It also features the well built Mark Wahlberg.
The Italian Job
See, I don't watch only chick flicks. Both versions of this movie are great, the remake is at least as good as the older version. Mark Wahlberg (again), Charlize Theron, Donald Sutherland (Oddball?), clever Seth Green and the rather gorgeous, if typecast, Jason Statham, among others. The story starts in Venice, the most beautiful city on the planet, then the action movies to LA. A double cross and a murder have to be avenged and the gold re-stolen. Customized Mini Coopers do the job in style with help from the Napster and the LA traffic. An excellent movie that I am happy to re-watch any number of times.
The Bank Job
Speaking of Jason Statham, here he is in East End gangster guise, not quite a Kray, but that's the genre he inhabits. Clever bank vault robbery in London, lots of safe deposit boxes with lots of things the owners don't want made public. Several strands to the plot including some old scores, some blackmail, political corruption, less than honest police and a cunning resolution. Possibly based on a true story. I would watch this one again. Written by Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais - give them a call Mr Cameron, they know how to write a script.
Goodnight Sweetheart
Written by Laurence Marks and Maurice Gran (call them Mr Cameron). This is a UK television series from the 90's, about Gary Sparrow (Nicholas Lyndhurst, Del boy's brother in "Only Fools and Horses") who accidentally travels back to wartime London in the 1940s and manages to get himself another wife there. Juggling two wives and two identities sometimes takes its toll on the poor lad. He is ably assisted by (modern day) printer friend Ron supplying him with fake white five pound notes. Gary entertains by playing and singing what he claims as his own compositions such as "When I'm 64" and passes himself off as being involved in secret war work. Both wives are excellent, even when, after one or two series, the actresses change. Somehow it works and doesn't detract from the story. As far as I am concerned, this is the best television series ever, funny, clever, thought provoking. I am sorry it ended but am happy to be able to watch it repeatedly on DVD.
Enjoy your day.
Striptease
Demi Moore in amazing shape and deservedly confident about showing off her body in some inelegant poses. Muscular legs. I am a health professional and found the actual striptease part of the movie rather gynaecological. The plot was not bad - corruption, killing and child custody. The child in question is Rumer, real life daughter. Best character - the sleazy husband, especially when high on morphine with a golf club splinting his broken arm. Burt Reynolds plays a pleasantly corrupt and apparently dim politician. Semi-naked ladies and a bit of a plot. It passed the time.
Date night
Tina Fey, comic genius and former "governor of Alaska" (Sarah Palin - what a gift for Tina Fey. The resemblance is amazing) paired with Steve Carrell. A comedy marriage made in heaven. The movie marriage is drifting apart so they arrange a date night, become victims of mistaken identity, don't have what the baddies are after and have a wild night trying to avoid being killed. There is a backwards car chase and some exotic dancing - yes,Steve Carrell exotic dancing. It's light, and laugh out loud funny, just what I needed the day I saw it. Stupid but it works. It also features the well built Mark Wahlberg.
The Italian Job
See, I don't watch only chick flicks. Both versions of this movie are great, the remake is at least as good as the older version. Mark Wahlberg (again), Charlize Theron, Donald Sutherland (Oddball?), clever Seth Green and the rather gorgeous, if typecast, Jason Statham, among others. The story starts in Venice, the most beautiful city on the planet, then the action movies to LA. A double cross and a murder have to be avenged and the gold re-stolen. Customized Mini Coopers do the job in style with help from the Napster and the LA traffic. An excellent movie that I am happy to re-watch any number of times.
The Bank Job
Speaking of Jason Statham, here he is in East End gangster guise, not quite a Kray, but that's the genre he inhabits. Clever bank vault robbery in London, lots of safe deposit boxes with lots of things the owners don't want made public. Several strands to the plot including some old scores, some blackmail, political corruption, less than honest police and a cunning resolution. Possibly based on a true story. I would watch this one again. Written by Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais - give them a call Mr Cameron, they know how to write a script.
Goodnight Sweetheart
Written by Laurence Marks and Maurice Gran (call them Mr Cameron). This is a UK television series from the 90's, about Gary Sparrow (Nicholas Lyndhurst, Del boy's brother in "Only Fools and Horses") who accidentally travels back to wartime London in the 1940s and manages to get himself another wife there. Juggling two wives and two identities sometimes takes its toll on the poor lad. He is ably assisted by (modern day) printer friend Ron supplying him with fake white five pound notes. Gary entertains by playing and singing what he claims as his own compositions such as "When I'm 64" and passes himself off as being involved in secret war work. Both wives are excellent, even when, after one or two series, the actresses change. Somehow it works and doesn't detract from the story. As far as I am concerned, this is the best television series ever, funny, clever, thought provoking. I am sorry it ended but am happy to be able to watch it repeatedly on DVD.
Enjoy your day.
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Eclectic selection
You may think I have an odd list of movies - there's a reason. I live in a very small town, probably more of a hamlet than a town, quite a distance from anywhere so the dvd store is not always an option. The local library, which has been a lifesaver for me, has some videos, mostly donated, so I have an eclectic selection to choose from. Hence today's first pick:
Mrs Winterbourne
This is a movie from 1996 starring Ricki Lake, Shirley MacLaine, Brendan Fraser and Miguel Sandoval. It's case of mistaken identity, waiting too long to tell the truth, with some Boston scenery and a little Pygmalion thrown in. Probably a chick flick, it has babies and weddings, but there is a satisfying murder as well. Satisfying in that it contributes to the happy ending. It's a pizza and girlfriends movie, light and funny, with some character development and a few morals. Shirley MacLaine communicates her thoughts so well, Ricki Lake can act, Brendan Fraser is always a delight, and Miguel Sandoval keeps them all in line.
Four Weddings and a Funeral
Hugh Grant - need I say more? I got this movie out because I was looking for a hat that I might need for a forthcoming wedding, and I remembered Andie MacDowell's great black hat from this movie. It didn't disappoint (the hat or the movie). Upper class Britons (some are Scottish) and a couple of Americans attend a series of weddings and a funeral among their group of friends. In the process they maintain their stiff upper lips and learn about relationships and love. An over-the-top Simon Callow lends colour to this fairly well-known (at least in England) group of actors. Did anyone see him as Tom Chance back in the 80's? That was a good series. Outsider (socially) Scarlett gets her man, Charles settles down, Duckface has a lucky escape, the aristocracy continue to interbreed and it's happy ever after.
Alice in Wonderland
The Tim Burton version. If ever an author and a director were made for each other it is Lewis Carroll (yes, I know that is a pen name) and Tim Burton. Complementary imaginations. I can't review this with any objectivity as Alice is my favourite (semi-) fictional character and I know the books almost by heart. Burton does not follow the stories slavishly but it's recognisable. The casting was inspired, even the peculiar Anne Hathaway as the white queen. I loved Tweedledee and Tweedledum - Little Britain's Matt Lucas (the only gay in the village). Despite my antipathy towards animated and CG movies, I liked Burton's creatures especially the jabberwocky which was appropriately terrifying, given it's build-up in the book. Alice did the job well. Much older than in the book, but with the original character's "attitude". Alice doesn't take things lying down. Of course I enjoyed it and BH kindly accompanied me.
Another stray cat is hanging around. Due to the remarkable resemblance I think he may be a Na'vi cat. He is very like them, the colour (he's blue-grey), the flat nose, the eyes and the hissing and spitting.
Have a good day.
Mrs Winterbourne
This is a movie from 1996 starring Ricki Lake, Shirley MacLaine, Brendan Fraser and Miguel Sandoval. It's case of mistaken identity, waiting too long to tell the truth, with some Boston scenery and a little Pygmalion thrown in. Probably a chick flick, it has babies and weddings, but there is a satisfying murder as well. Satisfying in that it contributes to the happy ending. It's a pizza and girlfriends movie, light and funny, with some character development and a few morals. Shirley MacLaine communicates her thoughts so well, Ricki Lake can act, Brendan Fraser is always a delight, and Miguel Sandoval keeps them all in line.
Four Weddings and a Funeral
Hugh Grant - need I say more? I got this movie out because I was looking for a hat that I might need for a forthcoming wedding, and I remembered Andie MacDowell's great black hat from this movie. It didn't disappoint (the hat or the movie). Upper class Britons (some are Scottish) and a couple of Americans attend a series of weddings and a funeral among their group of friends. In the process they maintain their stiff upper lips and learn about relationships and love. An over-the-top Simon Callow lends colour to this fairly well-known (at least in England) group of actors. Did anyone see him as Tom Chance back in the 80's? That was a good series. Outsider (socially) Scarlett gets her man, Charles settles down, Duckface has a lucky escape, the aristocracy continue to interbreed and it's happy ever after.
Alice in Wonderland
The Tim Burton version. If ever an author and a director were made for each other it is Lewis Carroll (yes, I know that is a pen name) and Tim Burton. Complementary imaginations. I can't review this with any objectivity as Alice is my favourite (semi-) fictional character and I know the books almost by heart. Burton does not follow the stories slavishly but it's recognisable. The casting was inspired, even the peculiar Anne Hathaway as the white queen. I loved Tweedledee and Tweedledum - Little Britain's Matt Lucas (the only gay in the village). Despite my antipathy towards animated and CG movies, I liked Burton's creatures especially the jabberwocky which was appropriately terrifying, given it's build-up in the book. Alice did the job well. Much older than in the book, but with the original character's "attitude". Alice doesn't take things lying down. Of course I enjoyed it and BH kindly accompanied me.
Another stray cat is hanging around. Due to the remarkable resemblance I think he may be a Na'vi cat. He is very like them, the colour (he's blue-grey), the flat nose, the eyes and the hissing and spitting.
Have a good day.
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Early morning
Good morning.
Not even 7am and I have already got some exercise in. I got up early as my stray cat Angie had her two black kittens playing in the yard. As I was wide awake I hitched a lift to work with my young man and walked home, about a mile. It was cool and pleasant. My view on the walk? Lots of sand, sagebrush and a few trees, mostly conifers. The surrounding hills have lost most of their snow and have turned green in the last two weeks.
I have some opinions on older movies today.
Sleepless in Seattle
One of my very favourite movies. Tom Hanks is a widower whose young son calls a talk show, Meg Ryan hears it, after a few false starts they get together. Yes, a chick flick again. Hanks and Ryan have chemistry, also seen in You've Got Mail, an email romance. It's awkward, almost adolescent chemistry that works. He lives on a houseboat in Seattle, that's interesting, the clothes and hairstyles of the period are embarrassing - I dressed like that, and the weather is not eternally sunny - that's realistic. Hanks and Ryan look like real people, not glam movie stars. Mrs Hanks plays his sister and Rosie O'Donnell is Ryan's friend and editor. That's relevant because they quote lines from ...
An Affair to Remember
An oldie but a goodie. Cary Grant meets Deborah Kerr on board ship. They have the most polite and chaste romance, fall madly in love, but both are engaged to other people. They arrange to meet at the viewing deck of the Empire State Building in six months to see if it will all work out, but she doesn't show. She does have a very good reason, he eventually finds her and it's all good. He is suave but vulnerable, she is sweet but strong and slightly ascerbic. It's a witty movie. They enunciate beautifully - "Winter must be cold for those with no warm memories". It only took about a week to cross the Atlantic back then, and she managed to wear at least five different coats during the crossing. Some nice clothes. Delightful. I caught BH (remember - Better Half) watching this one and he liked it.
Shrek Forever After
Animated, but I went because it was his turn to choose the movie. Actually, the Shrek movies are clever and well written, and funny. That's one thing I omitted to mention about Avatar - the actors managed to deliver their dialogue without humour or irony. What self-control! Back to Shrek - great characters, I love the Gingerbread Man, he's a feisty one, and I adore Antonio Banderas as the somewhat out-of-shape Puss in Boots. Fiona as Xena Warrior Princess was a winner, and that Rumplestiltskin guy was slappably (I wanted to slap him) annoying. It's a kind of Groundhog Day do-over, a "what might have been" story and I think that is enough Shreks - end on a high note.
It occurred to me that there will be no bad book reviews. If a book hasn't engaged me by the end of chapter two, I don't read any more of it. So today, a city review.
Sydney, Australia
Sydney is a great vacation city. It's gorgeous. Take a ride up the Sydney Tower on your first day to get your bearings and admire the spectacular harbour and surroundings. What a physically blessed place. While you are there, go on the virtual ride - holograms and great scenery. Sydney is fairly flat, so walking is no problem, unless it gets really hot - don't go there in the middle of summer. You can buy a ticket that will take you on buses, trains and ferries (not the monorail) - so worth it. When I went last, in 2009, that ticket was $17 a day, and each ferry ride was $5.50. We took at least 2 or 3 ferry rides each day, as well as the train, so we got our money's worth. Darling Harbour is nice, lots of different imaginative fountains, and ibises - big birds with scary looking curved beaks. The Maritime Museum is there, cool and mostly free, and the beautiful Chinese Garden. That has a small entry fee and is an oasis of calm and beauty in the middle of the city. We saw big colourful lizards, a man painstakingly trimming an ancient bonsai, giant koi, and a mother duck with 15 tiny ducklings, in the beautiful garden setting. A monorail runs around the Darling Harbour end of the city, an all-day ticket is a good investment.
A ferry ride will take you to Circular Quay. That's where it all happens. It's the central ferry terminal, and the Sydney Opera House is there. Lots of street entertainment, an art gallery, close to the historic Rocks district and the Sydney Harbour Bridge. You can walk over that - great views. Luna Park is on the other side, a kind of Coney Island (no, I've never been to Coney Island) old fashioned amusement park. Enter through the giant clown's mouth. Sydney has great shopping, the Queen Victoria building is elegant and has interesting clocks. Myers has a really good food court. In the middle of town is Hyde Park, a nice way to walk through town without being in traffic, and it is the site of the city's War Memorial.
Sydney's best thing? The ferries: they go to all sorts of great places, like Manly which has a harbour beach on one side and it's a short walk to the ocean beach on the other side. Or take a trip to Parramatta up the river, or Luna Park, or Darling Harbour, or the Zoo - it's a good place to see Australian animals, colourful parrots, tiny frogs and it has a cable car for aerial views. There are a lot of ferry destinations, I went on every ferry except the one to Tasmania. Sydney Harbour is stunning, and a ferry trip will cool you down on hot days. It's nice to be on the sparkling water, with the wind in your hair, looking into the back gardens of the wealthy.
The other cool thing about Sydney? Go out in the evening and look at the sky. You will think you are in Gotham City. Thousands of bats circling overhead. We saw them flying through spotlights projecting bat shadows on the clouds. Magic.
There is of course, a lot more to Sydney. I hope I have given you a taste of the delightful and easy vacation destination that I found it to be. Be warned - it gets hot and humid.
Back to real life in the desert for me now. Enjoy your day.
Not even 7am and I have already got some exercise in. I got up early as my stray cat Angie had her two black kittens playing in the yard. As I was wide awake I hitched a lift to work with my young man and walked home, about a mile. It was cool and pleasant. My view on the walk? Lots of sand, sagebrush and a few trees, mostly conifers. The surrounding hills have lost most of their snow and have turned green in the last two weeks.
I have some opinions on older movies today.
Sleepless in Seattle
One of my very favourite movies. Tom Hanks is a widower whose young son calls a talk show, Meg Ryan hears it, after a few false starts they get together. Yes, a chick flick again. Hanks and Ryan have chemistry, also seen in You've Got Mail, an email romance. It's awkward, almost adolescent chemistry that works. He lives on a houseboat in Seattle, that's interesting, the clothes and hairstyles of the period are embarrassing - I dressed like that, and the weather is not eternally sunny - that's realistic. Hanks and Ryan look like real people, not glam movie stars. Mrs Hanks plays his sister and Rosie O'Donnell is Ryan's friend and editor. That's relevant because they quote lines from ...
An Affair to Remember
An oldie but a goodie. Cary Grant meets Deborah Kerr on board ship. They have the most polite and chaste romance, fall madly in love, but both are engaged to other people. They arrange to meet at the viewing deck of the Empire State Building in six months to see if it will all work out, but she doesn't show. She does have a very good reason, he eventually finds her and it's all good. He is suave but vulnerable, she is sweet but strong and slightly ascerbic. It's a witty movie. They enunciate beautifully - "Winter must be cold for those with no warm memories". It only took about a week to cross the Atlantic back then, and she managed to wear at least five different coats during the crossing. Some nice clothes. Delightful. I caught BH (remember - Better Half) watching this one and he liked it.
Shrek Forever After
Animated, but I went because it was his turn to choose the movie. Actually, the Shrek movies are clever and well written, and funny. That's one thing I omitted to mention about Avatar - the actors managed to deliver their dialogue without humour or irony. What self-control! Back to Shrek - great characters, I love the Gingerbread Man, he's a feisty one, and I adore Antonio Banderas as the somewhat out-of-shape Puss in Boots. Fiona as Xena Warrior Princess was a winner, and that Rumplestiltskin guy was slappably (I wanted to slap him) annoying. It's a kind of Groundhog Day do-over, a "what might have been" story and I think that is enough Shreks - end on a high note.
It occurred to me that there will be no bad book reviews. If a book hasn't engaged me by the end of chapter two, I don't read any more of it. So today, a city review.
Sydney, Australia
Sydney is a great vacation city. It's gorgeous. Take a ride up the Sydney Tower on your first day to get your bearings and admire the spectacular harbour and surroundings. What a physically blessed place. While you are there, go on the virtual ride - holograms and great scenery. Sydney is fairly flat, so walking is no problem, unless it gets really hot - don't go there in the middle of summer. You can buy a ticket that will take you on buses, trains and ferries (not the monorail) - so worth it. When I went last, in 2009, that ticket was $17 a day, and each ferry ride was $5.50. We took at least 2 or 3 ferry rides each day, as well as the train, so we got our money's worth. Darling Harbour is nice, lots of different imaginative fountains, and ibises - big birds with scary looking curved beaks. The Maritime Museum is there, cool and mostly free, and the beautiful Chinese Garden. That has a small entry fee and is an oasis of calm and beauty in the middle of the city. We saw big colourful lizards, a man painstakingly trimming an ancient bonsai, giant koi, and a mother duck with 15 tiny ducklings, in the beautiful garden setting. A monorail runs around the Darling Harbour end of the city, an all-day ticket is a good investment.
A ferry ride will take you to Circular Quay. That's where it all happens. It's the central ferry terminal, and the Sydney Opera House is there. Lots of street entertainment, an art gallery, close to the historic Rocks district and the Sydney Harbour Bridge. You can walk over that - great views. Luna Park is on the other side, a kind of Coney Island (no, I've never been to Coney Island) old fashioned amusement park. Enter through the giant clown's mouth. Sydney has great shopping, the Queen Victoria building is elegant and has interesting clocks. Myers has a really good food court. In the middle of town is Hyde Park, a nice way to walk through town without being in traffic, and it is the site of the city's War Memorial.
Sydney's best thing? The ferries: they go to all sorts of great places, like Manly which has a harbour beach on one side and it's a short walk to the ocean beach on the other side. Or take a trip to Parramatta up the river, or Luna Park, or Darling Harbour, or the Zoo - it's a good place to see Australian animals, colourful parrots, tiny frogs and it has a cable car for aerial views. There are a lot of ferry destinations, I went on every ferry except the one to Tasmania. Sydney Harbour is stunning, and a ferry trip will cool you down on hot days. It's nice to be on the sparkling water, with the wind in your hair, looking into the back gardens of the wealthy.
The other cool thing about Sydney? Go out in the evening and look at the sky. You will think you are in Gotham City. Thousands of bats circling overhead. We saw them flying through spotlights projecting bat shadows on the clouds. Magic.
There is of course, a lot more to Sydney. I hope I have given you a taste of the delightful and easy vacation destination that I found it to be. Be warned - it gets hot and humid.
Back to real life in the desert for me now. Enjoy your day.
Monday, June 7, 2010
Sharing my opinions
I'm writing a blog because I have time and I have opinions to share. It will be mainly movies and books, maybe some travel and some real life thrown in. Please note - these are all my opinions - there is no point taking exception to them.
Avatar
I recently watched Avatar on DVD. Watched could be too strong a term. It was so boring I did emails while BH (Better Half) was watching it in the other room. I should confess that I don't like animated movies, science fiction, battles or Sigourney Weaver, and was never a big Smurf fan, so this movie was never going to do it for me. Also I didn't see it on the big screen in 3D so maybe I missed the point. Special effects, no matter how spectacular, cannot make up for a pathetic story line and the unbelievably inane, cliche-ridden dialogue (numbnuts??? I swear they said that) that this movie excels in. When you are just listening, not seeing the pictures, the shortcomings in dialogue become obvious. Sack the writer Mr Cameron ... The bits I did see suffered from really annoying jerky camerawork, and that was the non-CG part.
BH said the movie was not aimed at the demographic area I fall into and he's right - I am not a 14 year old boy. Mr Cameron should be ashamed of the pap he is peddling to the masses, feeding the proletariat on bread and (3D) circuses. I imagine he is not losing sleep over it but I'm glad his wife got that Oscar, because he certainly didn't deserve it. I like to think the Oscar committee members are semi-literate.
Letters to Juliet
Yes, a chick flick. I went to this movie on my own, probably the first time I have done that. First showing of the day, during the week, I am a sad loner. There were other sad loners there and it was fine. I didn't want to inflict a chick flick on BH - he might insist I see Avatar in 3D with him if I did that. I enjoyed the movie. It's about lovesick people writing letters to Juliet (Romeo's significant other) and what follows when a 50 year old letter is answered by Sophie (Amanda Seyfried), American tourist. She helps with the search for the teenage sweetheart from 1957. I'm kind of living that scenario so I found it interesting, but the movie is set in fair Verona, in Sienna and the surrounding countryside - what's not to like? It's a real life kind of story - it could happen. The clothes are nice, the scenery is luscious, the ambiance is relaxed, the acting is subtle and there is that golden Italian glow over everything. It was like a little vacation and I left feeling happy and satisfied.
The Lovely Bones
The book, not the movie. I read about this when it was first published and decided that the subject matter was too horrible for me. Now I have time, very little to do, and access to a library, so I read it. I started one night then woke up at 5am next day and finished it. I didn't actually wake up then to finish it, that's when BH gets up. Yes, the subject matter is horrible and has given me a few moments when I had to forcibly put the horrible bits out of my mind. The story however is nice. The characters engaged me immediately, the horror is dealt with in a matter-of-fact way, and there are clues and hints that keep the reader glued to the page. Maybe it's a murder mystery, maybe just the story of a family. It's well written, narrated by the main character who is also the observer, and it feels like you are living it, not just reading it. I wouldn't recommend it for readers of a sensitive nature. I might watch the movie now, I would like to see how the metaphysical situations are handled on screen.
It is a very hot day so my energy is going into devising ways to keep cool. Next time, some older movies.
Avatar
I recently watched Avatar on DVD. Watched could be too strong a term. It was so boring I did emails while BH (Better Half) was watching it in the other room. I should confess that I don't like animated movies, science fiction, battles or Sigourney Weaver, and was never a big Smurf fan, so this movie was never going to do it for me. Also I didn't see it on the big screen in 3D so maybe I missed the point. Special effects, no matter how spectacular, cannot make up for a pathetic story line and the unbelievably inane, cliche-ridden dialogue (numbnuts??? I swear they said that) that this movie excels in. When you are just listening, not seeing the pictures, the shortcomings in dialogue become obvious. Sack the writer Mr Cameron ... The bits I did see suffered from really annoying jerky camerawork, and that was the non-CG part.
BH said the movie was not aimed at the demographic area I fall into and he's right - I am not a 14 year old boy. Mr Cameron should be ashamed of the pap he is peddling to the masses, feeding the proletariat on bread and (3D) circuses. I imagine he is not losing sleep over it but I'm glad his wife got that Oscar, because he certainly didn't deserve it. I like to think the Oscar committee members are semi-literate.
Letters to Juliet
Yes, a chick flick. I went to this movie on my own, probably the first time I have done that. First showing of the day, during the week, I am a sad loner. There were other sad loners there and it was fine. I didn't want to inflict a chick flick on BH - he might insist I see Avatar in 3D with him if I did that. I enjoyed the movie. It's about lovesick people writing letters to Juliet (Romeo's significant other) and what follows when a 50 year old letter is answered by Sophie (Amanda Seyfried), American tourist. She helps with the search for the teenage sweetheart from 1957. I'm kind of living that scenario so I found it interesting, but the movie is set in fair Verona, in Sienna and the surrounding countryside - what's not to like? It's a real life kind of story - it could happen. The clothes are nice, the scenery is luscious, the ambiance is relaxed, the acting is subtle and there is that golden Italian glow over everything. It was like a little vacation and I left feeling happy and satisfied.
The Lovely Bones
The book, not the movie. I read about this when it was first published and decided that the subject matter was too horrible for me. Now I have time, very little to do, and access to a library, so I read it. I started one night then woke up at 5am next day and finished it. I didn't actually wake up then to finish it, that's when BH gets up. Yes, the subject matter is horrible and has given me a few moments when I had to forcibly put the horrible bits out of my mind. The story however is nice. The characters engaged me immediately, the horror is dealt with in a matter-of-fact way, and there are clues and hints that keep the reader glued to the page. Maybe it's a murder mystery, maybe just the story of a family. It's well written, narrated by the main character who is also the observer, and it feels like you are living it, not just reading it. I wouldn't recommend it for readers of a sensitive nature. I might watch the movie now, I would like to see how the metaphysical situations are handled on screen.
It is a very hot day so my energy is going into devising ways to keep cool. Next time, some older movies.
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