Some good news and a good movie.
Midnight in Paris
I went to this movie alone, actually I had a whole day in town alone to give BH some home alone time and for me to do girly stuff (chick flick, picnic, dead Egyptians, shopping). Midnight in Paris is a new movie starring Owen Wilson. When I read the blurb I thought Owen Wilson was all wrong, but he surprised me and was quite suitable for the part.
Some Americans go to Paris - delightful depictions of the "ugly American abroad", a cheap shot but relevant to the story. Gil (Wilson) is a writer, Rachel McAdams, his fiancee, is just horrible and wears a selection of really unflattering clothes. Odd. Rachel's mother is Dharma's mother from Dharma and Greg, but in this she is so much more like Greg's mother in Dharma and Greg. They meet up with a couple from home, he is a pedantic know-it-all (I'm sure I know him) and she provides some tiny but excellent background comic moments as she second-guesses her own French pronunciation. I really like that detail.
Gil gets a bit tired of the lack of appreciation for Paris and goes out walking at night, gets lost, gets in a car with strangers (NEVER do that) and ends up in the 1920s with the Fitzgeralds and the magnificent Hemingway. The retro celebs that he meets are wonderful. Kathy Bates is a great Gertrude Stein, and Salvador Dali provides light relief with his talk of rhinoceros - not sure what the plural of that animal is. The First Lady of France, Carla Bruni has a cameo role and she is very good. An inter-era love story that all ends fairly happily.
Paris is, of course, beautiful. The lighting is superb and atmospheric, the music delightful, the makeup and costumes gorgeous. Woody Allen directs and does a good job, as far as it goes. There is the potential for a much deeper, more complex story, but I suppose it would have been a different story then. I refer you to my most favourite tv series, Goodnight Sweetheart, for more of the time travel love story genre. I liked Midnight and I am still thinking about it, mostly as escapism. It may be time to go back to Paris with BH and hope he finds it as romantic as I do.
When I left the movie theatre, I found myself at the riverside (it was the Riverside Theatre) with the Truckee in flood, dozens of beautiful pink and mauve hanging baskets of flowers and a young man playing the flute. It could have been Paris. It was a beautiful day. I'll be buying the DVD.
Now the good news: Lotto came back! He was away 10 days and returned this morning looking well and not starved. He does have a big chunk out of his nose so I guess a fight scared him away. I am so happy to have him back and so is his brother. This morning Lotto was asleep in Tui's arms. I had given poor Lotto up but he proved me wrong. I am so glad he came back.
Monday, June 20, 2011
Monday, June 13, 2011
Lotto lost
A movie and some sad news.
That's what I am
A rather nice high school movie, a bit Napoleon Dynamite but not such a comedy. The geeks, the bullies, the popular girl. Based on true events. I enjoyed it, but not in the mood for an in-depth review because of the sad news.
I haven't seen Lotto for 3 days. That is completely out of character and I am thinking the worst - car or coyote. I'm really sad about it. He was a valiant little cat, surviving a nasty injury and his tail dropping off. He was a very smart and agile boy, very affectionate and much loved. His brother is a bit lost without him. But I have seen the new kittens. I think there are two, black and white like their mother.
That's what I am
A rather nice high school movie, a bit Napoleon Dynamite but not such a comedy. The geeks, the bullies, the popular girl. Based on true events. I enjoyed it, but not in the mood for an in-depth review because of the sad news.
I haven't seen Lotto for 3 days. That is completely out of character and I am thinking the worst - car or coyote. I'm really sad about it. He was a valiant little cat, surviving a nasty injury and his tail dropping off. He was a very smart and agile boy, very affectionate and much loved. His brother is a bit lost without him. But I have seen the new kittens. I think there are two, black and white like their mother.
Friday, June 10, 2011
Mind expanding
Rehoused the dvds and found a few I hadn't seen.
High School High
Mostly stupid but funny and even clever in parts. That's all.
Leo Villareal
An exhibition I saw at a certain Museum of Art a few weeks ago. Villareal is an artist with light. Actual lights, fluorescent, LED, cool stuff. So I'm walking around, looking at the pretty lights, then one installation catches my eye. A sort of kaleidoscope of brightly coloured swirling ever-changing patterns. I was transfixed. I sat and watched it for half an hour. I had a kaleidoscope as a child and this artwork brought back memories of the beautiful iridescent irretrievable patterns and a flood of other previously forgotten childhood memories. It was a blast, an overwhelming trip down memory lane, a reliving of childhood moments - not just the moments but the feelings that went with them. It was an amazing trip and I am grateful to Mr Villareal for unlocking those parts of my brain. A magic experience.
Meanwhile, BH wandered off to look at the also excellent Ansel Adams exhibition. He got some colour and light from Villareal's artworks, I got my childhood back.
Hot now, after snow last weekend. Somebody told me I was pretty the other day. A nice if unexpected compliment. I'm not accustomed to that sort of thing. Thank you. The Post Office in our tiny and somewhat isolated community may be closing. Disaster!
High School High
Mostly stupid but funny and even clever in parts. That's all.
Leo Villareal
An exhibition I saw at a certain Museum of Art a few weeks ago. Villareal is an artist with light. Actual lights, fluorescent, LED, cool stuff. So I'm walking around, looking at the pretty lights, then one installation catches my eye. A sort of kaleidoscope of brightly coloured swirling ever-changing patterns. I was transfixed. I sat and watched it for half an hour. I had a kaleidoscope as a child and this artwork brought back memories of the beautiful iridescent irretrievable patterns and a flood of other previously forgotten childhood memories. It was a blast, an overwhelming trip down memory lane, a reliving of childhood moments - not just the moments but the feelings that went with them. It was an amazing trip and I am grateful to Mr Villareal for unlocking those parts of my brain. A magic experience.
Meanwhile, BH wandered off to look at the also excellent Ansel Adams exhibition. He got some colour and light from Villareal's artworks, I got my childhood back.
Hot now, after snow last weekend. Somebody told me I was pretty the other day. A nice if unexpected compliment. I'm not accustomed to that sort of thing. Thank you. The Post Office in our tiny and somewhat isolated community may be closing. Disaster!
Monday, June 6, 2011
Courtroom drama
Books to movies doesn't always work, but this one seems to.
The Rainmaker
This is based on a John Grisham novel. Now I had never read any of Grisham's books, actually still haven't, but BH introduced me to them via audio books. I listened to The Testament in the car, and I credit Nate with keeping me from blind panic whilst driving through a blizzard. That was a good story. Anyway, the Rainmaker. Matt Damon, Jon Voight (Angelina's daddy), Danny de Vito, Claire Danes and Mickey Rourke, among others. Another good story. Young lawyer sticks it to the insurance company. Particularly good if you have recently watched Sicko and Erin Brockavich. Nicely done, worth watching.
Galaxy Quest
I usually avoid stupid looking movies, but this one has Alan Rickman in it, he's always worth watching. At a Questie convention (yep, loosely based on another space series that boldly went) some aliens think that the television series is real life and base their lives and technology on it. The actors find themselves in space for real and have to fight the baddies etc. It's fun, fairly clever and the good guys win. I love the aliens. I think I went to school with some of them - you know who you are.
Still haven't seen the kittens!
The Rainmaker
This is based on a John Grisham novel. Now I had never read any of Grisham's books, actually still haven't, but BH introduced me to them via audio books. I listened to The Testament in the car, and I credit Nate with keeping me from blind panic whilst driving through a blizzard. That was a good story. Anyway, the Rainmaker. Matt Damon, Jon Voight (Angelina's daddy), Danny de Vito, Claire Danes and Mickey Rourke, among others. Another good story. Young lawyer sticks it to the insurance company. Particularly good if you have recently watched Sicko and Erin Brockavich. Nicely done, worth watching.
Galaxy Quest
I usually avoid stupid looking movies, but this one has Alan Rickman in it, he's always worth watching. At a Questie convention (yep, loosely based on another space series that boldly went) some aliens think that the television series is real life and base their lives and technology on it. The actors find themselves in space for real and have to fight the baddies etc. It's fun, fairly clever and the good guys win. I love the aliens. I think I went to school with some of them - you know who you are.
Still haven't seen the kittens!
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Brief encounter
So many movies, so little time.
Hereafter
Matt Damon as a psychic. Interlocking stories which don't interlock until almost the end of the movie. Odd but satisfying. Directed by Clint Eastwood. Matt Damon is a good actor and Clint Eastwood is a good director. Not a must-see, but intriguing.
Brief and to the point.
Hereafter
Matt Damon as a psychic. Interlocking stories which don't interlock until almost the end of the movie. Odd but satisfying. Directed by Clint Eastwood. Matt Damon is a good actor and Clint Eastwood is a good director. Not a must-see, but intriguing.
Brief and to the point.
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