Homecoming

Know about this show? It's won all kinds of awards.

It's a psychological thriller about a company that, in theory, is helping war veterans overcome their PTSD with the help of a plant-based substance. From there, things go awry.

I watched the first season this afternoon. I'm hooked.

I also watched a movie called The Dressmaker staring Kate Winslet. I liked it quite a bit, too.

I spent the entire day lazing on the couch. That's a pretty nice way to wile away a summer Sunday.

Horsing Around

We're having quite a heat wave this week. It's making sleep uncomfortable and difficult, so I was dragging around most of today. I decided to watch a couple movies and do this fun and fairly mindless activity.

Do you remember having sticker books as a kid? We had them sometimes as "summer activities" to keep us busy. Well this is a grown up version of a sticker book. I find it akin to adult coloring books. You simply match the colored stickers in the correct shape to fill in the blank spaces. These seahorses caught my fancy.

My daughter Julie gave me this Stickers by Numbers Book of Animals a while ago, but this is the first of the pages I completed. The bright colors send off a good vibe. And it was just enough activity to keep my hands busy as I watched the shows.

By the way, Brain on Fire was pretty good. But then, I like movies about people dealing with brain issues and how those issues can affect one's life.

Deathly

Dale and I spent several hours with these blokes today.

Parts one and two. Not a bad way to while away a 90 degree day.

100 Feet

Dark room
Popcorn
4 Star Movie:

Not a bad way to spend an afternoon

Caught Up In Words

I took the entire day to sit and watch movies. Rare indeed.

My hands always want to be busy. For the moment, I have no needlework project in motion. But I did have some scrap paper on the side table. I found myself doodling ... writing down phrases from the movie that slid into my ear.

I was caught up in a web of words. Thought I'd share them.

A poem of redemption ... of sorts



I expect to be impressed
You have a positive outlook on life
I like the way it sounds
The mind is it's own place

That might be a bit too much
You said I'm fearless
That's imagination!

When do we start?
The summer is young
Never had a chicken do me wrong
You're not missing much

Sweet old place you got here
Who plays the piano?
Here goes ...
I would leave all the windows open to hear that kind of playing.
When I was writing, I listened to all kinds of music
Why'd you stop writing?

Use the imagination
You draw from your own experiences
Who among us truly knows the ways of love?
We'll cry over anything

Take it easy with that
I don't know why I'm always surprised - I just keep hoping
OK
That's enough

You know what I'm talking about
It's Magic Time!
Ready!

Bless you, Sweetheart
:: whispered ::  I think he likes me
It was a plot
It's really important

It's turning out to be a lovely day
I'm seeing things with a clear eye - and I like the view
Why don't you join us?
Have a seat

Most times, real life doesn't measure up to what's in our heads
     but every now and then it comes pretty close
If it's all the same to you, I'll stick with real life for a spell
I don't believe in last chances ...
I've had too many of them

If you don't mind, it's a personal conversation
What do you want?
I'd settle for more nights like this
One of the great pleasures life has to offer
     is their own search after the heart
Take care

Your ears look like they could handle a soft whisper
I was able to dance in the moonlight
A night like this certainly puts you in the mood
If you're not too tired, you might want to set a spell
Sleeping under the stars has never been a hardship

I'll play
Come on!
One door closes, another one opens
They gave me my life back
I already got my miracle

I'm glad you're writing again
I'm glad you read it
I respect consistency

So long, partner
Promise me something
Never stop looking for what's not there
I promise

Movie Review: The Simple Life of Noah Dearborn

It's not often I start out the day with a movie and a bowl of popcorn, but I made an exception today -- and I'm glad I did! The Simple Life of Noah Dearborn is worth watching.

This was truly a wonderful, heartwarming film. I don't recall how I heard about it (a preview from another movie? an excellent movie review? a mention from one of my movie-loving friends?). Somehow this title came to the top of my Netflix DVD list, and am I glad it did.

Here's the synopsis:

Small-town farmer Noah Dearborn (Sidney Poitier) lives an uncomplicated existence until shady developer Christian Nelson (George Newbern) tries to usurp his family's land. Nelson will do anything to take Noah's property, including hiring a shrink (Mary-Louise Parker) to have him declared insane. But Nelson doesn't anticipate Noah forming an unbreakable bond with the doctor, which proves stronger than anything the land baron can dish out.

Simple enough plot, yes. Big city company comes in to rural area to 'help' the people ramp up and earn more revenue. The potential building of a shopping center knocks the country folk off balance. Tension ensues.

It's the character development and performances that make this movie shine. But then, I'm usually drawn to movies and books that center on interesting characters that change and grow.

Sidney Poitier is exemplary, as always.
Mary-Louise Parker is beautiful and complex, in her usual style.
George Newbern has a fairly conventional two-dimensional role.
And Dianne Wiest is a well rounded and integral character, wonderfully cast.

This movie was released in 1999. I'm only a little over a decade in seeing it. A good showing for me!

Movie Review: Pirate Radio

OK ... so I don't watch movies in a timely manner. I don't mind being late to this 2009 party.

I watched this movie last weekend with my husband and daughter when I wasn't feeling well and they were being supportive. Plus, we had a bag of caramel corn that was asking to be devoured.

"An amusing musical romp through the 60s."
~ Dale Davaz"

"Made me want to listen to Classic Rock on Pandora a whole lot more!"
~ Jodie Davaz

Great cast. Excellent music. Fun story. Enjoyable diversion.

Kenneth Branagh was amusingly surly ... I didn't even recognize him until half way through the movie.


From Netflix:
Pirate Radio
In 1966, hard-partying British DJs -- a crew that includes Quentin (Bill Nighy), the Count (Philip Seymour Hoffman), Gavin (Rhys Ifans) and Dave (Nick Frost) -- have the time of their lives running a radio station on a ship in the North Sea, broadcasting generation-defining (but banned) music to millions. But they face getting shut down by Sir Alistair Dormandy (Kenneth Branagh). Richard Curtis (Love Actually, Four Weddings and a Funeral) directs.


4 Stars

Movie Review: Babies

An ideal movie to watch on a droopy kind of day. These four little ones from around the world can't help but make you smile.

From Netflix:

Documentary filmmaker Thomas Balmes charts the simultaneous early development of four babies from different parts of the world, illustrating what makes human life unique, similar and precious wherever it occurs. Training his camera on newborns Hattie from San Francisco, Ponijao from Namibia, Bayarjargal from Mongolia and Mari from Tokyo, Balmes captures everything from first screaming breaths to first steps.

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I'm a sucker for both documentaries and for little tikes, so Babies is a big hit with me. I think my favorite scene is at the very beginning of the movie when Ponijao and her brother are beating rocks. I guess siblings taking things from one another, and emphasizing their desires with a smack or a bite, is a universal phenomenon.

5 Stars

Men of Honor

From Netflix:

Against formidable odds -- and an old-school diving instructor (Robert De Niro) embittered by the U.S. Navy's new, less prejudicial policies -- Carl Brashear (Cuba Gooding Jr.) sets his sights on becoming the Navy's first African-American master diver in this uplifting true story. Their relationship starts out on the rocks, but fate ultimately conspires to bring the men together into a setting of mutual respect, triumph and honor.

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I enjoyed Men of Honor quite a bit. Hard to beat these actors! I was quite drawn into the story in a way I didn't expect, seeing as anything military-related usually isn't my cup of tea.

It was the way these two main characters related to each other, appraised each other, tested each other, then eventually came to respect one another that fueled the story for me.

Recommended
4 stars

Movie Review: I've Loved You So Long

This is simply one of the best movies I've seen in quite a while. I rented it from Netflix about two months ago, and had just about given up on ever watching it and sending it back unseen.

But I finally found an evening to myself to sit and watch it. It is the kind of movie that demands complete attention. For one, it's in French, so you need to sit still to read the subtitles. More, it's an emotionally intense movie, so to receive the full impact, I found it necessary to have a "movie theater" experience ... i.e. to sit quietly in my living room, film on the big screen, lights dimmed, popcorn in hand, phone off, no outside distractions.

I'm so glad I finally took that time!

This is the story of two estranged sisters who find their way back to each other after 15 years of physical and emotional separation. It's much more a character-driven film than plot-driven cinema. That fact all by itself drew me to this movie.

The plot is this: Older sister gets out of prison. Younger sister brings older sister into her family of husband, two adopted daughters, mute father-in-law, and academic colleagues. Husband doesn't trust older sister with his children because older sister was in prison for murder. Family slowly learns to know and trust each other. Older sister learns to live in the world again. Reason for the murder finally emerges. Sisters reunite completely.

Pretty boring, huh?

But the acting! Holy moly!

This film was nominated for a couple Golden Globes. The writer-director received one. The other, very deservedly, was for acting by Kristin Scott Thomas, the older sister. In so much of this movie, all the action takes place on her face:

• The vague empty stares as she tries to adjust to the world outside prison.
• The restrained longing as she watches her nieces.
• The release in the presence of books and a mute father-image.
• The bit of life that begins to emerge over coffee with her parole officer.
• The naughtiness when she reveals a recent indiscretion.
• The pain that washes over her as she recalls incidences with her son.
• The gradual letting down of defenses as she reads, looks at art, begins confiding in a family friend.
• The peace and pride as she makes steps to get back on her feet.
• The repulsion of confronting an irreparable connection.
• The total meltdown as she admits truth.
• The hope of redemption.

Relationship.

Much more than a chick flick.

I suppose that's why this movie touched me so deeply. I'm all about relationships. Broken relationships with family are particularly wrenching. But it's also about repairing a brittle relationship with your own past misdeeds to find hope for the future, a measure of peace, and solace within.

5 stars

Movie Recommendation

I've taken to watching movies while exercising. Watching half a movie makes the 45 min on the elliptical go much more quickly!

Over the last two days, I treated myself to this beauty. Coco Before Chanel is, as you might guess, the story of Coco Chanel's life from the time she was a young girl, left with her sister at an orphanage through her years singing with her sister at pubs, then on to her life outside Paris.

Due to her upbringing, Coco becomes an odd type of woman. She does a lot of watching from the sidelines, and makes clipped remarks when asked her opinions. She is enthralled by people of fortune, while being disgusted by the way they waste their time and their lives of frivolity. She begins to express her style as a sort of rebellion against the excesses she sees.

Coco lives with one man, falls in love with another, and ultimately decides not to marry. After the man she loves is killed in an auto accident, Coco goes on to earn her fame and fortune, making clothing and hats her way, and beginning new trends toward simplified and elegant dressing.

This film is in French, with subtitles in English. (That's only a little difficult to read while working out!) It's beautifully photographed and acted. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it. It has the same flavor as another of my favorite international pieces, Brideshead Revisited.

On a scale of 1 to 5, I give this film 4 stars.

DVD: Every Little Step

Every Little Step
I can't say enough good stuff about this movie! I just love it.

This documentary is a backstage, up-close look at the casting of a Broadway production. It follows hopeful dancers as they audition for coveted spots in the 2006 revival of "A Chorus Line."

This film draws parallels between the interactions of the aspiring actors and the events of the play. The filmmakers also intercut interview footage of composer Marvin Hamlisch and dancers from the original Broadway production.

The story is wonderful. The editing is spectacular. It makes a person want to get out there and try to dance.

Pushing Through the Sadness

I need this today. I need a mother today. Mine is gone. My husband's mother doesn't fill the bill. My grandma has been gone a long, long time.

But I need a mom today.

So I guess I have to go inside and pull the mother out of me. My daughters say I'm a good one. They say they can talk to me about anything ... which is pretty good coming from girls in their mid-teens and twenties. Maybe it's time to talk to myself.

Or to listen to myself.

I feel a lethargy and sadness today. It's been really hard to shake. I do OK for about a half hour, then sink into it again.

So it's time to take August's advice. It's time to "get up from there and be the glorious girl you are!"

Because I don't feel glorious today.

So I need to talk myself into persisting in love, and going forward anyway.

---

Julie and I watched the movie version of The Secret Life of Bees when she was home on Spring Break. Unfortunately, our viewing time kept getting interrupted during prime moments, so we were denied some of the emotional continuity of the film.

It's a shame. Because the movie was good ... and I cried my eyes out when I read the book.

---

[And yes, I see that some of the quotation marks are out of place in the graphic, but I don't feel like taking the time to fix it. Imperfect is good enough today. The meaning still comes through.]

Music: A Favored Soundtrack

When I was in Connecticut, one of the ways my friend and I spent time as she recovered from her surgery was to watch films on DVD.

At one point, I suggested that she pick two of her favorite movies that I'd never seen to share with me. I picked two of my favorites to share with her.

Ladies in Lavender was one of my choices. It's a fairly recent find for me. The story is of two elderly sisters (played by Judi Dench and Maggie Smith) who share a home on the Cornish coast. After a terrible storm, they find a young man (played by Daniel Bruhl) washed up on the shore, barely alive. They nurse him back to health.

The young man is from Poland and speaks no English. As he learns to communicate, it is revealed that he loves the violin, and indeed, is a very gifted musician trying to escape the tyranny of his own country and make his way to the new world where he can express himself freely.

It's a lovely story of lost love. Transferred feelings. Desire for beauty. Desire for a fulfilled life.

The soundtrack is magnificent. The music is written by Nigel Hess. The violin performed by Joshua Bell.

Though not normally drawn specifically to violin music, this movie/CD really captured my heart. The music is sweet and haunting and pulls one's heartstrings. It's lovely the way a gull soaring over the ocean is lovely. The strains allow my imagination to wander and wonder that mere humans can create something so wrenching and powerful.

Being the Adult

Exhale here.

All went extremely well for my best friend today. She made it through her heart surgery in record time. The doc identified the problem quickly and came to a speedy resolution. Turns out my friend had an extra connection in her heart. That doesn't surprise me one little bit. She's always had room for extra stuff in her heart.

Now it just works more efficiently.
:)

It was a tough day, though. Even in our 50s, she and I sometimes feel like little kids, trying to learn to sit at the big people's table.

Then this very adult situation came along. She needed to rely on someone she trusts. Someone she views as stable. Someone to act as the grown up in the situation. Someone who could get her where she needed to go, not put up too much of a fuss, keep the situation as light as possible with injections of humor. She needed someone that could listen to the medical staff and take notes. Someone to run errands. She needed someone to contact her family and friends. She needed someone to be with her as she recovers.

She chose me.

To be the adult in the situation.

Me.

Go figure.

I guess Pam's right. It never is too late to learn to grow up.

And it's always time to be childlike at heart.

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So ... we've reached the end of a very very long day full of nervous energy, hoping, coping, waiting, relief, recovery and celebration.

We unwound tonight by watching a movie together, grateful to be in each other's company. Grateful to be pulled into the flux of the character's emotions as a break from being immersed in our own.

May we rest well ... and find some new trouble -- and laughter -- to get into together tomorrow!

War Photographer

My husband and I watched the movie War Photographer last weekend. Wow. That's a lot of amazing and awful stuff to witness.

The photographer, James Nachtwey, had this wonderful quote toward the end of the movie:

The strength of photography lies in its ability to evoke a sense of humanity.

If only!
If only I could evoke such feelings from the photos I take!