Essex girls

Seems like there is a whole new palette of movies to try.



Made in Dagenham

A winner! Best movie I have seen in ages. A really good movie. Not made for the US market I'm guessing. It's about a strike at the Ford factory in Dagenham, England in the 1960s. A true story, they talk to some of the women involved during the credits. Wonderful lighting, as always, great photography (hyper-realism?), cool 60's clothes and makeup. Those fantastic English actors making it totally believable. Kenneth Cranham (Harvey Moon - does anyone remember that great series?), comedian John Sessions, Bob Hoskins, Miranda Richardson (Queenie from Blackadder), Geraldine James (remember Blot?) and a stunning leading part by Sally Hawkins. Apologies to those I have not named, this movie had a fantastic cast of skilled thespians (I mean actors, not citizens of the ancient Greek city of Thespiae, thanks Wikipedia). Is everyone in England an actor?

It was heartening to see that ordinary people could make a difference, in this case a worldwide difference. I appreciated the feminism, the strength of the trade unions, the receptiveness of the British government and their refusal to bow to pressure from the US. I guess that changed.

A must-see movie for those of us of the English persuasion. Perhaps a little too subtle for others. Also - you will need to turn the subtitles on, most of these people are speaking Essex.




Harry Potter 7

What can I say? Really good. Very scary, not for children. Fantastic effects, so good they don't look like special effects (James Cameron, take a look and see how it's done). I believe there is a population of house elves somewhere, some of them being excellent actors. Apparently those house elves are CGI, but I couldn't be sure. An appealing "shadow-puppet" story sequence. This HP story is dark and gritty and grownup, with very little glamour but a little ... sex? Not quite, but the scene where Ginny asks Harry to zip up her dress is laden with you know what.


All those wonderful British actors, like old friends. Rupert Grint has certainly grown up. He's a big lad. Emma Watson is now a style queen in real life. Daniel Radcliffe continues to play Harry with total commitment. Harry Potter - always a treat. The time passed very quickly and I was surprised when the sudden ending happened. I thought maybe it was intermission - is anyone old enough to remember that? Waiting for the next one.





Remember my black cats? The one who had the accident is now in excellent health and we are just waiting for the damaged part of his tail to drop off. Very Pirates of the Caribbean in the moonlight. The three extra kittens I rescued all went to a great home. It's nice that they are all together. It was SO nice having all those cats and kittens. My next career move - cat lady.

Be angry

There is a whole big wide world out there, and some good ideas. Universal free health care is one of the best.



Sicko


A very watchable and entertaining film by Michael Moore. It's about health insurance ...

Every American should watch this and be ashamed, embarrassed and very, very angry.

Why do you put up with it? There are alternatives - just take a look at every other country in the western world.





I wish you good health, God knows you need it.

Good homes wanted

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.

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.

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.

Brief comments

Just a quick word on these movies.


Jennifer 8


Blind girls are getting murdered and the best witness is another blind girl. The investigating cop is suspected of being the killer. A little gory at times but quite good. Some scenes in Eureka (been there, done that) Heavy rain in those scenes which I am reliably informed is close to reality.



Monsters Inc.


CGI but cute as. Also clever. Worth a watch.




My kittens are six months old and had their little op yesterday, and rabies shots. They seem fine today, a little subdued, but still love me.

Oldies but goodies

All the trapped Chilean miners were rescued. It was a great success with international cooperation. I am in awe of the miners for surviving that ordeal and staying sane. They must be tough.

Having to watch the home stock of movies.


Sleepless in Seattle


Yes, again! It's the cinematic equivalent of comfort food for me. You know I love this movie so this time just a couple of safety warnings. Don't read a map while driving and don't approach, let alone pick up and open, an unattended backpack on the viewing deck at the Empire State Building. I lived in London in the 1980s when the Irish Republican Army used parcel bombs as the weapon of choice against the English, I know these things.



American Pie 1 and 2


These movies are great! Stupid, funny, gross and crass (Stifler) but so teenage. All about teenage relationships, that's a bit of a euphemistic way of looking at it. Finch is wonderful, also Jim and band geek Michelle (now in "How I met your mother" with Doogie Howser). Stifler has mastered being that awful guy everybody hates, and Stifler's mom - wow! Jim's dad is cringingly embarrassing. The soundtracks are fantastic, AP1 has a Bic Runga song, here's a link for you

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xklmr6ey1V0&feature=related

and just for fun, one of my favourites, relevant to the movies

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8jJWQkVgDs4

Now I'm going to watch American Wedding.




Guess I had a little trip down memory lane there.