I haven't watched any movies for ages, except Sleepless in Seattle (yes, again).Thanks Joe for recommending this movie, and for your hospitality.
August Rush
What a lovely movie! I really liked this. Two musicians (Keri Russell and Jonathan Rhys Meyers) have a night together and are prevented from meeting again. She finds herself pregnant, is in an accident and her father tells her the baby died. Young Evan (the excellent Freddie Highmore) grows up in a boys home, hearing music in everything. He goes looking for his parents, gets mixed up with a Faginesque Robin Williams and his genius is discovered. One of those movies where they all almost meet, a movie with strings that need to connect, and eventually they do. Lovely acting performances and musical performances, including great singing from Arthur. Great music throughout. The music Rhys Meyers performs reminded me of James Blunt compositions, maybe a little John Mayer. All very pleasing.
White Oleander
The book, not the movie. I found this at the library and read it because I admired the oleanders in a town we visit and BH told me they are poisonous. Beautiful characters, the egocentric mother and the detached artistic daughter. Author Janet Fitch has a lovely turn of phrase, elegant and descriptive. I liked this book, I cared about Astrid and wanted to follow her journey.
I probably won't be posting anything for a few weeks, but hope to have some unusual movies for you when I return.
I now have three tiny kittens, siblings to my two black cats. They are big black cats now, especially Tui. Lotto's tail is still dying by degrees but he is fine and is the dominant one. I have to find homes for the kittens, if I have five cats I will be a cat lady. There are two black and white babies, Mel and Ray, not unlike my Marley, (yes, anagram) and a black one, Lex, just like his big brothers. I hope I can find nice kind homes for the gorgeous kitties. I had to rescue them as temperatures dropped to minus 17 degrees C. Now they live in the lap of luxury with a heating pad in their bed and lots of tasty food.Lots of turkey at the moment.There was one more kitten but it looks like he didn't survive the cold and snow.
Saturday, November 27, 2010
Friday, November 19, 2010
Book reviews today
I haven't watched any movies for a while, but I am watching The Beatles Anthology. It's really good. Such nice young men.
Memoirs of a Geisha
Very readable and hard to believe it is written by a man, Arthur Golden. It is the story of a Japanese girl who becomes a Geisha, which is not a fancy name for a prostitute although the line does blur. Lots of rich detail and description and and a lovely turn of phrase. I could barely put it down.
Must Love Dogs
A book by Claire Cook, not just a movie. Lightweight chick lit but nicely written and entertaining. Divorced Sarah is forced into the dating scene, both aided and hindered by her large and interesting Irish family and a dog or two.
I wouldn't have got away with such brief reviews at school.
Update on injured kitty. He is recovering very well but at least half the tail will have to go. It's dying and is a bit "Pirates of the Caribbean" - you know, when the moonlight reveals the actual appearance of the pirates. It clacks when it hits the floor. Macabre. Today we are waiting for snow. The sun is shining, it's 12 degrees C, the wind is blowing and I have laundry on the line. The cats are skittish in the wind, wonder how they will feel about snow. I am trying to lure and tame the new kitties but not much luck so far. I would love to find homes for them so they don't have to live as feral cats.
Memoirs of a Geisha
Very readable and hard to believe it is written by a man, Arthur Golden. It is the story of a Japanese girl who becomes a Geisha, which is not a fancy name for a prostitute although the line does blur. Lots of rich detail and description and and a lovely turn of phrase. I could barely put it down.
Must Love Dogs
A book by Claire Cook, not just a movie. Lightweight chick lit but nicely written and entertaining. Divorced Sarah is forced into the dating scene, both aided and hindered by her large and interesting Irish family and a dog or two.
I wouldn't have got away with such brief reviews at school.
Update on injured kitty. He is recovering very well but at least half the tail will have to go. It's dying and is a bit "Pirates of the Caribbean" - you know, when the moonlight reveals the actual appearance of the pirates. It clacks when it hits the floor. Macabre. Today we are waiting for snow. The sun is shining, it's 12 degrees C, the wind is blowing and I have laundry on the line. The cats are skittish in the wind, wonder how they will feel about snow. I am trying to lure and tame the new kitties but not much luck so far. I would love to find homes for them so they don't have to live as feral cats.
Monday, November 1, 2010
Cat injury
A long time since I posted. Sorry about that. Caused partly by state of mind and we did have a sad little problem that needed dealing with, more about that after the movies.
Changeling
Angelina Jolie as a mother whose son goes missing and the police present her with a different boy and try to convince her it is the right child. When she refuses to go along with them, she is incarcerated in a mental hospital. This movie is based on a true story of a series of events that happened around what is now Mira Loma in California. It starts in 1928 and the fashions in clothes, hair and makeup are beautifully represented. Ms Jolie's makeup artist was Toni G who did a wonderful job.
It is a good movie, well made, well acted, I watched it all through, barely moving. However ... the story is horrifying, all the more so for being true. Both BH and I keep thinking back to the awful bits. So my advice to you is don't watch it. It is too ghastly. Don't let your children watch it.
Maverick
Light relief. A funny western about a poker game. Lots of stars in this one and some unexpected people. Mel Gibson, Jodie Foster and James Garner lead the pack but you will also see Waylon Jennings (and hear him sing) and Carlene Carter - very briefly. A fun story about Bret Maverick's misadventures on the way to the big game, and the double crossing that goes with it. Well worth watching. One thing I failed to see was a cat. All the other Mel Gibson movies I have seen had a cat in them. Maybe I just blinked at the wrong time and missed it. Nice scenery.
The Blues Brothers
More light relief, this one is a favourite. Jake and Elwood get the band back together as they are on a mission from God. Everyone is after them. Watch this movie. It is very funny and has fantastic music. Highlights - Rawhide, Carrie Fisher getting revenge, and the amazing line up of musical royalty. Ray Charles, James Brown, Aretha Franklin, and the surreal experience of watching Cab Calloway perform Minnie the Moocher. DO NOT miss this movie. It's a classic. Also an excellent costume suggestion for two people going to a party. Don't forget the finger tattoos.
That's all I can remember right now. The sad thing that happened was that one of my kitties got badly injured, one week after they had their little operation. Lotto's tail is completely detached internally and will probably have to be removed. He also has a hernia that wasn't there the week before. The vet says this kind of injury is consistent with getting the tail caught in a fanbelt or the cat being picked and swung by the tail. I hope it was a fanbelt because I have a hard time believing that a human could be so cruel to an animal. I think a special circle of hell is reserved for that kind of sick individual. I thought Lotto would have to be put down but he is bouncing back fairly well, decision on the fate of the tail still to be made. Now the cats live inside at night. The vet and his staff are very kind.
Changeling
Angelina Jolie as a mother whose son goes missing and the police present her with a different boy and try to convince her it is the right child. When she refuses to go along with them, she is incarcerated in a mental hospital. This movie is based on a true story of a series of events that happened around what is now Mira Loma in California. It starts in 1928 and the fashions in clothes, hair and makeup are beautifully represented. Ms Jolie's makeup artist was Toni G who did a wonderful job.
It is a good movie, well made, well acted, I watched it all through, barely moving. However ... the story is horrifying, all the more so for being true. Both BH and I keep thinking back to the awful bits. So my advice to you is don't watch it. It is too ghastly. Don't let your children watch it.
Maverick
Light relief. A funny western about a poker game. Lots of stars in this one and some unexpected people. Mel Gibson, Jodie Foster and James Garner lead the pack but you will also see Waylon Jennings (and hear him sing) and Carlene Carter - very briefly. A fun story about Bret Maverick's misadventures on the way to the big game, and the double crossing that goes with it. Well worth watching. One thing I failed to see was a cat. All the other Mel Gibson movies I have seen had a cat in them. Maybe I just blinked at the wrong time and missed it. Nice scenery.
The Blues Brothers
More light relief, this one is a favourite. Jake and Elwood get the band back together as they are on a mission from God. Everyone is after them. Watch this movie. It is very funny and has fantastic music. Highlights - Rawhide, Carrie Fisher getting revenge, and the amazing line up of musical royalty. Ray Charles, James Brown, Aretha Franklin, and the surreal experience of watching Cab Calloway perform Minnie the Moocher. DO NOT miss this movie. It's a classic. Also an excellent costume suggestion for two people going to a party. Don't forget the finger tattoos.
That's all I can remember right now. The sad thing that happened was that one of my kitties got badly injured, one week after they had their little operation. Lotto's tail is completely detached internally and will probably have to be removed. He also has a hernia that wasn't there the week before. The vet says this kind of injury is consistent with getting the tail caught in a fanbelt or the cat being picked and swung by the tail. I hope it was a fanbelt because I have a hard time believing that a human could be so cruel to an animal. I think a special circle of hell is reserved for that kind of sick individual. I thought Lotto would have to be put down but he is bouncing back fairly well, decision on the fate of the tail still to be made. Now the cats live inside at night. The vet and his staff are very kind.
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