Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

I'm sorry to say but I found this a bit of self indulgent boring cinema.  Leonardo DiCaprio plays Rick Dalton,  an aging movie star who spends his time hanging out with his stunt double Clint played by Brad Pitt.  The first hour is a drawn out affair explaining how the now has been actor has appeared in many b grade movies and low grade television shows and can now feel his star appeal waning.  Margot Robbie, who gets third billing, but little actual screen time in the movie plays movie star Sharon Tate, who moves in with her husband Roman Polanski to the house next door to Rick. 

I nodded off at the beginning as it was so boring, although it did get better in the second half.  I did find my mind wandering, and most of the movie I was distracted thinking about the production wondering how they got the streets closed off to have so many period vehicles in shot and how Austin Powers like the playboy mansion scene seemed with gogo dance movies.  A lot of time was also devoted to playing Brad Pitt - Fit or Faded?  Still pretty fit I think, although grossed out that movies still think it entertaining to think of pairing a 55 year old with an 18 year old female.

I am glad that I had let a friend make the movie choice today, it would not have been something I normally would have paid to see and would have been content to wait until it was free on the television (that  sounds like something a middle aged woman would say, which I am).  2/5

Middle Aged Lady Movie Night - Oranges and Sunshine

Oranges and Sunshine is based on a true story of English social worker Margaret Humpheries, who discovers the truth about the forced child migration that occurred for decades.  Young children in care homes and orphanages in the UK, were often told that their parents were dead and were shipped to Australia, Canada and New Zealand.  There they grew up in care homes and were often forced into horrible living conditions and physically, mentally or sexually abused.

It was an interesting watch, as most of the movie was set in the late 80s and doing research must have been so much harder with no internet, computers and cellphones.  Considering how easy it is research anything 30 years later it would be a totally different story if it occurred today.

Oh and now I am writing this up, it came up that I must have seen this before and I totally don't remember.  It is hard being middle aged. 4/5

Let's Hope For The Best - Carolina Setterwall

This book is a novel, but is based on the real life experience of the author.  On a normal night Carolina heads to bed to share her room with her young son.  When she wakes in the morning, her young partner is dead in bed.   That starts the book, and it alternates in chapters from what she is currently experiencing to exploring the way they met and got together.  It is quite a raw experience of grief and I almost felt like a tightly coiled spring as I read it.  4/5

Music Monday - Cloudbursting - Kate Bush

I keep retreating back to lots of 80s tunes at the moment.  I have always enjoyed Kate Bush, and most of her music still holds up well decades later. 

After the End - Clare Mackintosh

Max and Pip are happily married with a young son Dylan, and are forced to make the hardest decisions when he suffers a brain tumor.  When they can't agree on how to proceed with his care they find that their relationship is stretched.  The clever part of this book is in the second half when the author explores the what ifs - with what happens if different choices are made. 

I was touched reading the authors notes at the end of the book, to find out that she had lost her own child and  you can see how her own personal experiences help to make this book realistic and heartfelt.  4/5

Nanaville - Anna Quindlen

Anna Quindlen is a quality author and I have enjoyed her books over the years.  This book is small and an easy read, and examines the virtues of being a grandmother.  Not only does it talk about the important role of a nana to a small child, but the way to negotiate through having adult children and daughters and son in laws. 

This would be the perfect gift for a nana to be or a nana of many years experience, and even though I have no children or grandchildren of my own I enjoyed it for its warmth and humor.  4/5

Music Monday - The Highwomen and Jimmy Fallon - The Chain

I love this cover of Fleetwood Macs The Chain.  Maybe I am getting old and don't understand the new music out, so am happy listening to the oldies. 

Everybody Died, So I Got a Dog - Emily Dean

I have been listening to Emily Deans podcast Walking the Dog for some time, so I was aware of some bits about family and upbringing, and I was excited to hear about this memoir and rushed to reserve it old school style,  from the local  library . I enjoyed the stories which are mainly centered around her growing up with eccentric parents, her older sister Rachel and a slightly potty sounding grandmother.  Emily and her sister always wanted a dog but never had one, and had a  fascination with dog families, those ones you see on adverts all happy and smiling and sitting down for dinner together each night.

I won't give away the last part of the book, the title describes what happens to her and I did enjoy that she finds happiness with her dog Raymond, and listening to her podcasts and reading her writing I can see how much joy he has brought back into her life.  She is funny and smart and I enjoyed her humor about death and grief.  5/5

Fall and Rise - Mitchell Zuckoff

It has taken me several days to get over reading this book.   Mitchell Zuckoff has written what I think is one of the best books about 9/11 that I have read.  Its focus is less on politics and agencies, but more on the stories of individuals involved in what is one of the monumental moments in history.  Now that we all have cellphones and internet access we can see news as it is happening, it is hard to remember that 18 years ago, many people were unaware of what was occurring as planes were taken and used to fly into the Twin Towers , the Pentagon and a rural field. 

Although some of the subjects have been written about before and been presented in documentaries and shows,  the way it was written about make it seem fresh and part of the bigger narrative.  It was these stories that made me cry when I read it.  It made me catch my breath just looking at page after page of lists of names of all the people lost as a result of this terrorist plot.  A recommended read for everyone.  5/5

Middle Aged Lady Movie Night - The Well-Digger's Daughter

It is cool and wet in our city tonight with thunder and lightening, so watching this movie set in the rural French countryside in summer made me feel better about what was going on outside.  Patricia is the beautiful daughter of the local well digger.  She meets the handsome pilot Jacques and of course they fall in love, but war separates them. 

I'm not sure what it is with my fascination with the second world war at the moment, but I find myself seeking out movies and books with similar themes.  Maybe with all the social media, and news 24/7, and botoxed 20 year olds on every tv show I am seeking out simpler times, where love stories are a bit more innocent and less complicated.  Anyways from my middle aged lady couch - 4/5.

American Woman - Film Festival 2019

I always feel somewhat sad on the last day of the film festival (well it is for me, I have to work over the weekend so this was my last day), and this was the last one of 2019 for me.  American woman is the story of Deb over a period of 11 years.  As a single mother she starts with her young daughter and grandson and ends up raising the grandson alone, with a series of men in her life.  Sierra Miller is pretty amazing as the wild Deb, whose overstyled hair, heavy make up and crazy clothes relax over the years as she mellows and calms down.   She really holds the screen and you can't help but admire her - we all know this type of woman even if the stories are different. 4/5

This Changes Everything - Film Festival 2019

This movie was a pleasant surprise , and I think it got the approval from the whole audience that watched it today.   It explores the lack of female representation on film and tv, not only on the screens, but the lack of writers, camera people, writers, directors and producers.   As 50 % of the population, many movies and films will show 72% of the screen time to men and women are often only shown as wives and girlfriends.  Lots of the facts shown were surprising in how many times we are under represented and our stories are suppressed and not made but instead we are subjected to hundreds of action car chases, guns, violence and super heroes. 

Hats off to Geena Davis , she is one smart cookie and her work is helping to change attitudes even though it is at a slow pace.  When many of the large movie studios have been slow to react it is someone like Reese Witherspoon who has stepped up to tell the stories that women want to see.   A worthy watch - it even made me a little teary at the end!  5/5

Seven Signs of Life - Aoife Abbey

I enjoy most medical memoirs I read, and I think each of the books gives us more insight into our own lives and health.  Aoife Abbey is an Intensive Care doctor involved in helping patients at some of the scariest times of their lives as they often face life or death choices.  Her compassion and humanity come across strongly in this book as she helps patients and their families and I admire some of the quiet moments when she has sat by a bedside to hold a patients hand.

The only thing I do find a bit conflicting about this genre is that the author often has to change parts of the story about patients in order to make them unidentifiable to the reader, yet it is these stories that are at the core of the book.  Still it reassures me to know that there are such kind and perceptive people specializing in this field of medicine.  4/5

Mrs Lowry & Son -Film Festival 2019

It was a bit of a chilly winters day when I headed up the hill to a suburban cinema to see this movie.  This is a movie centered around UK artist L S Lowry (played by Timothy Spall), and his domineering elderly mother played by Vanessa Redgrave.  It is an exploration of the mother son relationship and my goodness, I could never have lived with that woman with as much patience and kindness as this gentle quiet man. 5/5

Stuffed - Film Festival 2019

How delightful!!  This documentary is all about taxidermy and the amazing and talented artists working in the field today.  You might not want to take your vegan/vegetarian friends, but there weren't too many gross parts to it.  On the whole the tone of the movie was one of respect for the animals and I came away in awe of the the artists skills and the beauty of the animals. 

With new modern techniques being used, and competitions where artists can share their knowledge and showcase their work this movie followed a few of the leaders in the field from the US, the Netherlands and South Africa.  It is nice to find a new documentary that can surprise you and for me this one has to be one of my top three of the film festival.  5/5

The Miracle of the Little Prince - Film Festival 2019

 

This documentary talks about how The Little Prince, the 1942 novella by Antoine de Saint-Exupery.  It has been translated into over 300 languages, making it the most translated book (besides the bible).  In this movie, we get to meet four translators who are translating it into languages that are at risk of getting lost.  From the Sahara desert, the Norway Finland border, El Salvador and to Tibetan exiles in Paris we also get to see how the story of the lost little prince resonates with so many people.

I tried several times over the years to read the book, but it never really resonated with me and I don't remember ever finishing it.  So the movie wasn't too magical for me, but maybe others really were affected by it.  3/5

Sorry We Missed You - Film Festival 2019

Ken Loach has brought us lots of movies showing social realism.  This is not the world of botoxed 20 year olds driving land rovers and living in million dollar houses that are over represented on our tv screens.  Instead we get to meet Ricky and Abbie who are trying to raise their two children and keep a roof over their heads.  They work jobs where zero hour contracts rule, which leaves them working 6 days a week and 16 hour days on minimum wage. Ut left me wanting more - more real stories.  4/5

Music Monday - Harvest Moon (Neil Young Cover)

I am loving this song lately, and this cover is particularly sweet after seeing it on another blog.  I was standing in a shop lately as is played trying not to look like a shoplifter after I waited to hear the whole song play (it was a little shop).  In fact it is the same shop that I loitered in a couple of weeks ago as they played Dire Straits. 

True Roots - Ronnie Citron-Fink

If you color your hair, it is worth taking the time to read this small book.  I was surprised to find out about the potential risks of many hair dyes.  That the onus is on the FDA to prove that cosmetics and hair products are unsafe rather than the beauty companies to prove that their products are safe.  Many types of colors and products sold in the US are not allowed to be used in Europe.  Hairdressers have much higher risks of certain types of cancer and auto immune disorders than the average person, which much be scary if this is the career you have chosen.  Also if we use all this toxic stuff on us, what does it do to the environment as it washes down the drain?  4/5

Photograph - Film Festival 2019

I'm not sure I understood this one.  Touted as a romance, it didn't feel romantic to me.  A young shy student Miloni gets a photo taken at a local tourist spot by street photographer Rafi.  Rafi is getting pressured by his grandmother to get married and convinces Miloni to pretend to be his girlfriend. 

The pace of this one was quite slow, and I was not convinced by the relationship between the two main characters.  I wanted to be charmed by it, but just felt that it was all a bit flat.  3/5

The Cactus - Sarah Haywood

Easily readable this one is a slightly predictable comfortable read.  Susan Green is trying to have to deal with the death of her mother, and negotiate a new relationship with her brother who she is not a fan of.  As well as that she has more to deal with in her private life.   Like her favored cactus plants she herself is a bit prickly and stand offish and doesn't have a lot of friends.

It was ok but didn't offer any surprises to me, but was an enjoyable pick up and put down novel. 4/5

Middle Aged Lady Movie Night - Widows

You think that after spending the week at the film festival I'd be over watching movies, but Saturday was cold and windy and dinner was over and done with early, so it was time to a good old streamed movie.  This one had been on my radar for a while so I was looking forward to watching it. The candles were lit, and I got myself a big bowl of ice cream (choc chip mint from Whittakers), and plonked myself on the couch.

Four women are left to try and take over from their husbands after all four are killed trying to steal some money.  After pressure is put on them by a hard man, they set themselves up to steal millions to pay him back the money he says he is owed.  Smartly written and directed this movie has none of the cheesiness of Oceans 8, which set a lot of scenes up with too many gags and felt a bit forced.  It is nice to see real drama centered around the women with a lot of men playing supporting roles.  4/5

Celebration : Yves Saint Laurent - Film Festival 2019

Most years at the Film Festival the documentaries have been a highlight for me, and for the past few years there have been a good fashion documentary that gives a good look at the latest fashion show collection or behind the scenes look at the designers lives.  This one was focused on Yves Saint Laurent and is cobbled together from 18 hours of footage filmed over 2 years between 1998 and 2001. 

Yves Saint Laurent is shown at the end of his reign as the last couture designer, as he prepares to hand the reigns over.  He appears broken and frail in the small amount of footage he is seen in, and I felt sorry for the man thinking that he should have given up way before this, and got to enjoy his riches. 

Because the film footage is old, it is not the high definition look we are used to and whoever added the high piercing sound whenever the designer is on the screen made it an almost unwatchable for me.

I felt no joy in watching this one, and just came away feeling sad for the man.   2/5

When Death Becomes Life - Joshua D. Mezrich

I have a special fondness for books about medicine, and this one will be one from 2019 that I remember and recommend to others to read.  It is a good reminder to us that our lives can change in an instant and that any of us could be the person who will need an organ transplant to survive.  Joshua Mezrich has spent most of his career as a doctor doing organ transplants and as well as serving an an interesting memoir, his book tells us about the history of organ transplant and the amazing advances that have been made in the past 60 years. 

I have no problem with being an organ donor especially with those internal organs that I have no connection with, and his discussions and stories about donors are handled with the respect and honor that they are due.  A great book to read that must surely make every reader sign up and a good way to discuss with your family about what your wishes would be. 5/5

A White, White Day - Film Festival 2019

Now I have a simple method for choosing what films I see.  I looked at this years book the night before I could attend the festival and quickly glance and pick the movies that sound ok.  This way I don't obsess over any and I get to see a fair selection. 

This one I couldn't remember anything about it so discovered it as I watched.  An Icelandic movie we get to meet Policeman Ingimundur who begins to unravel after the death of his wife.  In a remote Icelandic town he begins to discover some things about his wife after receiving a box of her belongings and he goes a bit crazy for a while.  To be honest it was a bit of a grim watch, but was only saved by the sweetness that he shared with his eight year old grand daughter.  3.5/5

Kind Hearts and Coronets - Film Festival 2019

So this one was a bit of a random choice for film festival viewing.  A 1949 Ealing comedy it is the story of a young man whose mother comes from an aristocratic family who marries a travelling singer and is disowned by her family.  When the son realizes that his only way to claim the dukedom is to murder the eight family members ahead of him. 

A black comedy there was quite a bit of laughter at both the story and sniggers at a lot of the silliness of the movie itself.  There were a couple of uses of an inappropriate word in the movie that are cringeworthy and nasty,  and the behaviour of the young Sibella seemed inappropriate to a modern viewer.  3.5/5 

Maria By Callas - Film Festival 2019

I didn't know much about Maria Callas, except from the articles that were in the back of the Australian Womans Weekly in the 1970s when I was a kid.   This documentary is made up from old home movies, film footage and interviews where she talks about her life.   From an unhappy childhood to becoming one of the most celebrated singers of the 20th century.  She was fascinating to watch, there was something hypnotic about her, not just her talent but the way she moved and her charisma  and beauty draws your eyes to her.

I was amazed by the crowds that gathered just to wait for her to arrive off planes, turning up at hotels and opera houses.  The male dominated press were pretty relentless pushing and shoving her and asking her intrusive questions - it is no surprise that she was guarded in many of her interviews.

Her singing itself was amazing.  I don't know anything about opera, it is not a genre that I have ever seeked out, but one can hear her talent.  Seeing the movie on the big screen was helpful as the Italian/French songs were subtitled.  4/5