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shadowkat1. Read an article a while back in the times, I think it was, or the Huffington Post, about a woman who cancelled her FB account, and her life is great. And I thought, well, why wouldn't it be? She didn't miss it at all. Then she went on to list all the other social media platforms she's on. So, I thought, okay, still on social media, still on the internet. How old are you? Oh, early 30s, late 20s. So you don't know what life was like prior to the internet, do you? ROFL.
I miss it sometimes. Sending letters, getting them back. Calling folks. I still do the last part.
And I use email -- which apparently a lot of people in their 30s don't. The mind boggles.
I don't like chat. I don't use messenger, IM or other. I use it sparringly. I am not good at chatting off line and in person, why would I want to do it virtually? I want on chat once on a fanboard and I had an anxiety attack. I ended up having to field four different chats at the same time, couldn't follow any of the conversations and jumped off, never to go on again. I don't like text-messaging. Or twitter. Why?
I think in paragraphs, not one-liners? Or I need time to get my thoughts clear and figure out what I want to say.
I'm really only on two social media platforms: Dreamwidth and Facebook.
I've subscriptions to or presences on Instagram (I think I posted three things to it? Then forgot about it), Twitter (I don't like tweeting and find it hard to keep up with or follow -- too chatty), Tumblr (well not anymore, my password and page expired from lack of use), Good Reads (which I'm not certain counts), Word Press (I might as well be writing letters to myself), Blogger (it expired ages ago), My Space (the content got deleted -- I had it back when it first popped up and then forgot about it), Reddit (it doesn't make sense to me and sort of reminds me of the old Yahoo User Groups -- with all of the bad and none of the good).
I deleted my Live Journal -- evil marketing people and evil right wing homophobic Russians who basically make Boris and Natasha look positively heroic in comparison.
Facebook - while annoying, (honestly I don't need to know where you went to eat yesterday or what play you went to this week. If you have to tell us this -- the least you could do is post a review, otherwise it's just bragging and yes, we've all fallen into that trap, sorry to say), I stay for my family. 50% of my FB list is family members. Actually it may be more than that. I haven't really done a breakdown. It's basically 75% family, 5% college friends, 5% church friends, 5% people met on trips or from various workplaces, and everyone else? Social Media Friends from the ATPOBTVS and Sunnydale U listserve.
My cousins do like to overshare. I'm starting to wonder if this is genetic? Although one is an uncle, and not a blood relation.
But the person whinging about this in the article had over 500 friends on FB (seriously how do you begin to keep track of that many people?) I only 120 some.
And mine is completely friends-locked. I've stopped following people, yet stayed friends. I'm guessing a lot of people have done the same with me. Par for the course with social media. I used to keep track of people who de-friended me on LJ, now I don't bother with it. Life is too short and painful, without adding that to the mix.
I'm sure I piss folks off all the time.
Was I better off without all this? I don't know. Was I less lonely? No clue.
I like the two platforms that I'm on, basically because no one I work with will find me on them. And I feel safe. I tend to be more careful on FB -- my mother's on FB.
And FB is well...a bit like those old Buffy fanboards -- violatile. Highly violatile. Not hard at all to start a flame-war. People are trigger happy on that platform and Twitter. I think it's how it is set up? Too easy to post replies, and harder for someone to delete them and control it. The better monitored the social media platform or journal -- the less likely you'll run into flame wars. I'm posting and lurking on a soap fanboard that's relatively tame, mainly because it's so well monitored. They delete posts that are inflammatory the minute they find them and have a strict policy against items that will result in a flame war -- such as cursing, politics, name-calling, and anything that would be considered politically incorrect (ie gender or transgender or racial bashing of characters, stories or people -- soaps are surprisingly enough extremely liberal, and socially progressive, far more so than prime time series. The first gay storyline was on a soap. They have a transgender doctor and it's not a big deal, and a six year old boy struggling with his gender identity and sexual orientation. It's interesting because a lot of conservatives watch soaps.)
2. Mary Poppins Returns
It finally arrived - On Demand. So I watched it.
Eh.
Not as good as the original. Which was I knew going in was going to be a problem -- the first was so good. Good enough that Dick Van Dyke's cockney accent doesn't really matter (unless you are British and care about such things). And no, it's not going to be something people watch 20 years from now. Nor does it deserve to be. You know there's a problem when the most entertaining performances were by Dick Van Dyke, Angela Langsbury, and Meryl Streep.
Emily Blunt and Lin Manuel-Miranda, as talented as they are, do not have the screen charm and chemistry that Andrews and Dick Van Dyke brought to the roles, nor the energy. For one thing Lin Manuel-Miranda doesn't have Van Dyke's singing chomps or dance moves. Even at 90, Van Dyke can outdance everyone on screen. Same with Blunt, she doesn't have Andrews voice (few do) or whimsy.
Also the film is rather dour. As are the players. It lacks some of the razzle-dazzle and magic of the original, also the feeling of London coming to magical life. Part of the problem is that the majority of the action takes place in the nursery or in the tunnels and underground. Also the plot involves Jack the Lamp-Lighter having to do things, as opposed to Mary just popping and doing it. There's a whole sequence about setting back the hands of Big Ben that felt unnecessary and sort of silly.
And while the lamp-lighter dance sequence was fun, it did not end on the comical and gleeful note of the original chimney sweep dance sequence, nor did it make a lot of sense as to why they ended up in the tunnels to do it. Also, why were they lost in the fog -- they were with Mary Poppins? The original's plot made logical sense, an intertwined magical whimsy in such a way to further the plot and provide insight into the characters and theme. This one...was jarring and the magical whimsy didn't really further it.
The songs...oh dear. There's only two decent ones. The song that was nominated and the song at the end -- neither come close to the musical score of the first film.
"Up" with the balloons -- isn't quite the same as "Let's Go Fly a Kite" nor as catchy. I can't ever remember "Up" and I just heard it. While I can hum "Let's Go Fly a Kite" and even sing a line from it, and I haven't heard it in two years.
And several of the songs -- don't quite make sense nor service the plot all that much. While in the original -- they all did.
It's an okay movie, I'd give it a B-, maybe or three stars. But it's not memorable. I certainly have no interest in re-watching, and it makes sense that it didn't win awards. As sequels go? It's serviceable, but that's about it.
Also, I can't say it added all that much to the original. I haven't read the PJ Travers novels, so can't comment on how closely it was based on original source material. My guess, from the little I do know, is it was most likely closer than the original -- in that the father is a widower, and Mary shows up to help him and the Aunt take care of the kids. He's also a dreamer and an artist -- which he was in the original novels and in the author's life. Mary is also a touch colder here -- much as she was in the original novels. (But that I got from Saving Mr. Banks, not from actually reading the books -- so I don't know how true it is.)
3. The Village
Bored. Nothing grabbed me. I appreciated what they were trying to do -- but it was heavy-handed and there were too many characters introduced at once. The writing and performances did little to bring me into the story. So, weirdly, I think I agree with the USA Today critic on this one. I never agree with them, so...I guess there's always a first time?
I got too many tv shows to watch as it is. So not bothering with this one. If it doesn't hold my attention in the first episode, and no one on my DW flist, workplace, friends or family has heavily rec'd it -- it's gone.
4. Other shows.
This is Us -- I want to talk about. But I can't find anyone who has seen the latest episode. Ugh.
I've decided that Beth and Randall's marriage is over. Beth is tired of putting Randal and everyone else first. She wants to be the center of attention for a bit. I'm like honey, you made some life choices -- the time to decide to be a dancer was not now. OTOH, I can see her point -- Randal doesn't discuss things with her, he just does it and then says, hey I've decided to do this and I need you to support me on it -- because that's what you do. And you're amazing. I want you on my team. I want you to help me save the world! I'll lead and you'll follow. But she sort of knew he was like that when she married him.
Randall's problem is he never knew that Beth's lifelong dream was to be a dancer. Neither did we until two episodes ago. In fact Beth running a dance studio in the future at the end of last season came out of the blue. Up until recently she was an urban planner and involved in urban policy and planning, while Randall in S1 was a economist and broker working for a high powered brokerage firm, bringing in a six-figure salary. Randal had a nervous breakdown, found his biological father, bonded with the man, and decided to buy his father's broken down apartment building with his wife, and foster/adopt a kid, with his wife -- and her full interest and support. Then all of a sudden, she loses her job, and he decides to run for City Council in a difficult district. She's all for this -- until she's suddenly not. And
struggling to find herself. He gets elected, she comes back on board, they've adopted the foster kid, and now, all of sudden Beth has decided she wants to teach dance classes -- except Randall is commuting two hours a day to his job. And she will teach during the day and evenings and weekends. And she expects him to attend her dance recitals, knowing full well he was elected to this position and has to interview people and serve on boards and attend political dinners. But hey her dancing comes first. Really? I'm feeling sorry for Deja (the troubled foster child) about now -- who lost her Mom, joined this stable family unit and has finally found some stability in her life. Now Beth wants to yank it away from her to pursue her dream of being a dancer?
Granted the show tends to show everything from Randal, Kate, Kevin, Maggie, and Jack's perspectives -- not the others. So we don't know what Beth was thinking through all of it. Except that the actress got across the fact that she looked mildly to increasingly irritated with Randall throughout the seasons. And when I was in her point of view -- I wanted to smack Randall upside the head. Randall brings his Dad home, Beth's pissed. Randal decides to quit his job and wants another baby. Beth wants to go back to work full-time and not have another kid. Heck she's the bread-winner now. Randall gets bored and talks her into another kid to honor his parents. She agrees to a troubled foster kid. The kid puts them through the wringer. Randall decides to buy his father's old building -- Beth agrees reluctantly. In flashbacks, it's made clear that Randall was always like this -- and his mother spoiled him. Actually both boys grew up entitled. I think Kate is the only one who didn't.
At any rate, I'm irritated with both Beth and Randal who are putting themselves first and their kids second. They barely spend time with them. And see them as a chore. Look -- if you aren't willing to put aside your own career dreams and desires for children, don't have them. Same with pets. If you aren't willing to spend four hours of your day walking and caring for your dog -- don't have a dog. Or a portion of your pay-check paying for the food, health, and caring of your pets - don't have them. They aren't on this planet to make you feel good about yourself. Meditate instead. You make you feel good. External things don't. When you depend on something external to yourself to make yourself feel good -- that's narcissism.
OTOH -- it also speaks to a problem in lots of marriages. My mother and I were discussing this recently. She said most marriages fail because the two people no longer view things the same way, they don't want the same things out of life, they no longer share the same interests, they are no longer on the same path. This episode spoke heavily to that in at least two of the pairings. If the couple isn't on the same page -- no amount of compromising is going to work.
Beth and Randal haven't been on the same page for a while now. In this episode it's clear they aren't communicating at all. When Randall comes late to a dance recital, Beth assumes he isn't coming and is angry he was late and missed her boss's speech about how great she was. (That annoyed me. Honestly? Why was that important?) Then when Beth doesn't appear to show for a dinner, Randall assumes she blew him off for a drinks with her boss and fellow instructors to discuss the future of the studio. When in truth she was stuck in traffic and just got there late. He made the colossal mistake of leaving a nasty voice mail message on her phone, which she received and lambasts him for after they've left the dinner. (Smart enough not to do it in public.) Then, at home, they finally confront one another. Here I identified a little with Randall -- been there done that. And had it done to me. When it was done to me -- I eventually forgave the person, mainly because been there done that, so I know better than to take anything left over voice mail or email in the heat of the moment seriously. People say and do dumb things when they are pissed off and tired and feeling crappy. In this case, Randal is exhausted, burning the candle at both ends, and feels alone. And Beth is over the moon with her new thing, and upset that no one else is happy for her and sharing in her joy.
Beth also still resents her mother for making her give up her dream of becoming a dancer, because she wasn't good enough. She hasn't taken ownership of that choice. And she is angry at herself for not becoming one. Randal wants to be like his adoptive father -- who was a hero in his eyes. Like his two siblings, he hero-worshipped his father, and feels he has to be a savior too -- he has to show that he was worthy of the adoption and the privileges he obtained and many others didn't. In short, Randal wants to save the world and has a savior complex. Beth's over that -- she did the non-profit urban planning crap and got laid-off. She wants to do something that's hers, to create, and help others create. Randal has no understanding of that - and is wondering who is this strange woman and what happened to the woman I thought I married. I'm willing to be his kids have the same reaction. Beth hasn't exactly been open about her dreams.
Then we have Kevin and Zoe. Zoe is honest with Kevin. "I love you. I know you are an alcoholic. And I'm struggling here. But, I'm willing to see that through and put up with it all the way. Except, I have to make one thing clear. I do not want children. It seems that you do. But I don't. I've thought about it and it's not something I'll ever want. If you aren't okay with that -- tell me know, so we can both move on and not waste any more time. Make a decision." Kevin is bamboozled. He doesn't know what to do. He's sort of ambivalent on the kids thing. He likes kids. Wouldn't mind having them, etc. But at the same time doesn't really want the responsibility of them. He's a lot like Zoe. And he's a bit screwed up. So he runs into and ends up talking to his ex and first love Sophie, whose perspective on Kevin is a bit wacked, explaining why they couldn't work. Sophie thinks Kevin is having troubles making up his mind, because he's always gotten whatever he wanted easily. (Not true. But I can see why she thinks that. She hasn't seen the day-to-day bits. It's a bit like me making the assumption that my brother gets everything easily -- I know better than that. Or my Aunts making that assumption about my parents. No one does. We all struggle in life and on this journey in our own way -- we just can't see much further than our own nostrils, that's the problem. Or in Sophie's case her own pain.) When she tells this to Kevin, you can tell he figures out right then and there that he and Sophie would never have worked. She doesn't know him at all. And he realizes that Zoe does. Zoe knows he's charming. But Zoe's also in his world and is charming too. Zoe can travel anywhere at the drop of a hat and does have to go places for business. And Zoe doesn't want too much responsibility or commitment, neither does Kevin. When he takes it on, he unravels. He too has Daddy issues, but his are different than Randall's. He saw his father's dark side, and worries that he has it inside him. He sees his father as a flawed hero and doesn't want to be like him. And Kevin, unlike Randal, resents his mother -- who gave all her attention to Randal. Kevin was the jock who lost his shot at playing football due to a broken arm along with the football scholarship, he lost his dream, and got in a fight with his Dad, shortly afterward -- his father died. With the loss of the football scholarship, he also lost Sophie, his Dad, and his plans. So he fell into acting and turned out to be good at it. But football was the only thing he connected with his father on...and now he's an alcoholic like his Dad and found his uncle, who his Dad abandoned, because he was an alcoholic. Also keep in mind the father skipped out on a day with his son getting a baseball card signed because of the visit to the Uncle.
Zoe seems to understand Kevin, because Zoe is a bit broken herself -- she had issues with her Dad. And Kevin seems to get that. They are on the same page and want the same things. While Sophie scoffs at Hollywood and wanted Kevin to give up his career, stay around, be with her, etc. She couldn't leave her job at the hospital. And he couldn't be an actor on the east coast. She's better with the kindergarten teacher - who wants kids, the house, etc.
You can't make someone want the same things you do. That's not love. Love is letting go, and letting a person be who they need to be. Even if it means you'll never see each other again. Love can be fucking hard.
I liked that about the episode. And then we have Kate and Toby, and the little baby who is just 24 weeks old. By the way a baby that is 24 weeks old can survive. I know several people who had this happen. It's just hard for about three-six months, and a lot of money. Kate clearly has financial support -- her twin brother can help, if they don't have enough. Toby is struggling with the whole thing. This tiny child with all these tubes, that they keep taking urine and blood samples from -- and medical testing is painful and cruel. And has a tube shoved down his little throat so he can't scream -- I cried, reader, I cried. Nasty sloppy tears during the scene in which Toby and another father discuss their babies. It's a well written sequence.
Very real. I've listened to conversations just like that. How the other father tells Toby that he feels a sense of relief that his baby isn't as bad off as another couple's -- the other couple's baby is having it's organs shut down. And this father's kid has a hole in its' heart and a bowl obstruction. And they both wonder how their wives do it. Toby goes back into the hospital room and finds Kate still there, sitting opposite the incubator, watching her tiny baby, singing to him. And he asks her how she does it? She tells him that it's not easy. But she looks past the scary tubes and wires and notices that the baby's eyes are slightly asymmetrical just like Toby's ...and that she really needs his help. That she feels all alone.
And right now, she's going to go take a shower -- because she hasn't had one in days and stinks and feels skanky. So he can take her place, he doesn't have to do a thing but be there. He says, okay, he can do that.
So we watch all three -- one couple who can't be there for each other, who are too caught up in their own personal needs and commitments, yet they seem to have it all, to have no problems, while two others are struggling with much harder problems but pulling through...and I realize life is difficult for all three couples. Then we go back in time and see the two parents chaproning their kids dance, wondering if they'd have gone for each other at that age and how committed they are -- and knowing as we watch them, that their life doesn't turn out happily ever after either. It's also a struggle, filled with compromises, separations, and tragedy.
Thank you for listening. I needed to write this out or talk about it -- to get my feelings and thoughts clear. I learned something from it. And that's what good stories do, they take us inside another perspective, that is not our own, and show us...that we aren't as alone as we think we are and that often our assumptions aren't correct.
Grey's Anatomy -- made me cry sloppy tears.
It was the scene with the bi-gender Toby learning that her fearless mother was paralyzed from the waist down and she'd have to step up and she just can't. I over-identified. The rest of it didn't affect me all that much. Although I will state that I'm heavily shipping Teddy/Tom and want Owen to be single. I'm also shipping Amelia/Lincoln. I'm on the fence with Deluca and Meredith...it's not quite working for me and I don't know why. I think he's too young for her. She's been through so much, and he has a lot of growing up to do. I rather liked what Alex told him -- which was to basically grow up and not bite the hand trying to help him.
What happened when Jo went to see her Mom -- is next week's episode. And the actress playing the Mom is really good. They've hired some stellar actors to play the parents of the Grey's surgeons. Kate Burton, Eric Roberts, Debbie Allen, Lindsey Wagner, and now..Michelle Forbes (from various Sci-Fi shows and Homicide Life on the Streets).
9-1-1- also made me cry sloppy tears. I love Angela Basset. Honestly I'd watch her in anything.
I'm going to be really annoyed if they kill off John Choo, just saying. He's the only attractive guy in the show outside of the new guy who wasn't on this week. I do not find Peter Krause and Jennifer Love Hewitt's brother attractive. I do not know why. Although I do like Peter Krause as an actor -- he's good at playing this type of role. Better cast here than he was in The Catch.
Also the plots move at light speed and the writing is tight and good. With a dark sense of humor, but plenty of heart. It's among the better series written by the quirky coupling of Ryan Murphy, Tim Minear, and Brad Falchouk. Also it's executive produced by Krause and Bassett, who are the center pieces of the series.
4. Been eating too much sugar again. I swear it's like heroine. A spoonful of sugar keeps me awake..dammit. (Actually it was a lot more than a spoonful...more like a couple of pints.) No wonder it's midnight and I'm still wide awake, after being tired all week long.
Meant to work on my novel today. Oh well, at least I got laundry and my bed made up clean today. Also some cleaning done. Progress. Writing can happen tomorrow.
I miss it sometimes. Sending letters, getting them back. Calling folks. I still do the last part.
And I use email -- which apparently a lot of people in their 30s don't. The mind boggles.
I don't like chat. I don't use messenger, IM or other. I use it sparringly. I am not good at chatting off line and in person, why would I want to do it virtually? I want on chat once on a fanboard and I had an anxiety attack. I ended up having to field four different chats at the same time, couldn't follow any of the conversations and jumped off, never to go on again. I don't like text-messaging. Or twitter. Why?
I think in paragraphs, not one-liners? Or I need time to get my thoughts clear and figure out what I want to say.
I'm really only on two social media platforms: Dreamwidth and Facebook.
I've subscriptions to or presences on Instagram (I think I posted three things to it? Then forgot about it), Twitter (I don't like tweeting and find it hard to keep up with or follow -- too chatty), Tumblr (well not anymore, my password and page expired from lack of use), Good Reads (which I'm not certain counts), Word Press (I might as well be writing letters to myself), Blogger (it expired ages ago), My Space (the content got deleted -- I had it back when it first popped up and then forgot about it), Reddit (it doesn't make sense to me and sort of reminds me of the old Yahoo User Groups -- with all of the bad and none of the good).
I deleted my Live Journal -- evil marketing people and evil right wing homophobic Russians who basically make Boris and Natasha look positively heroic in comparison.
Facebook - while annoying, (honestly I don't need to know where you went to eat yesterday or what play you went to this week. If you have to tell us this -- the least you could do is post a review, otherwise it's just bragging and yes, we've all fallen into that trap, sorry to say), I stay for my family. 50% of my FB list is family members. Actually it may be more than that. I haven't really done a breakdown. It's basically 75% family, 5% college friends, 5% church friends, 5% people met on trips or from various workplaces, and everyone else? Social Media Friends from the ATPOBTVS and Sunnydale U listserve.
My cousins do like to overshare. I'm starting to wonder if this is genetic? Although one is an uncle, and not a blood relation.
But the person whinging about this in the article had over 500 friends on FB (seriously how do you begin to keep track of that many people?) I only 120 some.
And mine is completely friends-locked. I've stopped following people, yet stayed friends. I'm guessing a lot of people have done the same with me. Par for the course with social media. I used to keep track of people who de-friended me on LJ, now I don't bother with it. Life is too short and painful, without adding that to the mix.
I'm sure I piss folks off all the time.
Was I better off without all this? I don't know. Was I less lonely? No clue.
I like the two platforms that I'm on, basically because no one I work with will find me on them. And I feel safe. I tend to be more careful on FB -- my mother's on FB.
And FB is well...a bit like those old Buffy fanboards -- violatile. Highly violatile. Not hard at all to start a flame-war. People are trigger happy on that platform and Twitter. I think it's how it is set up? Too easy to post replies, and harder for someone to delete them and control it. The better monitored the social media platform or journal -- the less likely you'll run into flame wars. I'm posting and lurking on a soap fanboard that's relatively tame, mainly because it's so well monitored. They delete posts that are inflammatory the minute they find them and have a strict policy against items that will result in a flame war -- such as cursing, politics, name-calling, and anything that would be considered politically incorrect (ie gender or transgender or racial bashing of characters, stories or people -- soaps are surprisingly enough extremely liberal, and socially progressive, far more so than prime time series. The first gay storyline was on a soap. They have a transgender doctor and it's not a big deal, and a six year old boy struggling with his gender identity and sexual orientation. It's interesting because a lot of conservatives watch soaps.)
2. Mary Poppins Returns
It finally arrived - On Demand. So I watched it.
Eh.
Not as good as the original. Which was I knew going in was going to be a problem -- the first was so good. Good enough that Dick Van Dyke's cockney accent doesn't really matter (unless you are British and care about such things). And no, it's not going to be something people watch 20 years from now. Nor does it deserve to be. You know there's a problem when the most entertaining performances were by Dick Van Dyke, Angela Langsbury, and Meryl Streep.
Emily Blunt and Lin Manuel-Miranda, as talented as they are, do not have the screen charm and chemistry that Andrews and Dick Van Dyke brought to the roles, nor the energy. For one thing Lin Manuel-Miranda doesn't have Van Dyke's singing chomps or dance moves. Even at 90, Van Dyke can outdance everyone on screen. Same with Blunt, she doesn't have Andrews voice (few do) or whimsy.
Also the film is rather dour. As are the players. It lacks some of the razzle-dazzle and magic of the original, also the feeling of London coming to magical life. Part of the problem is that the majority of the action takes place in the nursery or in the tunnels and underground. Also the plot involves Jack the Lamp-Lighter having to do things, as opposed to Mary just popping and doing it. There's a whole sequence about setting back the hands of Big Ben that felt unnecessary and sort of silly.
And while the lamp-lighter dance sequence was fun, it did not end on the comical and gleeful note of the original chimney sweep dance sequence, nor did it make a lot of sense as to why they ended up in the tunnels to do it. Also, why were they lost in the fog -- they were with Mary Poppins? The original's plot made logical sense, an intertwined magical whimsy in such a way to further the plot and provide insight into the characters and theme. This one...was jarring and the magical whimsy didn't really further it.
The songs...oh dear. There's only two decent ones. The song that was nominated and the song at the end -- neither come close to the musical score of the first film.
"Up" with the balloons -- isn't quite the same as "Let's Go Fly a Kite" nor as catchy. I can't ever remember "Up" and I just heard it. While I can hum "Let's Go Fly a Kite" and even sing a line from it, and I haven't heard it in two years.
And several of the songs -- don't quite make sense nor service the plot all that much. While in the original -- they all did.
It's an okay movie, I'd give it a B-, maybe or three stars. But it's not memorable. I certainly have no interest in re-watching, and it makes sense that it didn't win awards. As sequels go? It's serviceable, but that's about it.
Also, I can't say it added all that much to the original. I haven't read the PJ Travers novels, so can't comment on how closely it was based on original source material. My guess, from the little I do know, is it was most likely closer than the original -- in that the father is a widower, and Mary shows up to help him and the Aunt take care of the kids. He's also a dreamer and an artist -- which he was in the original novels and in the author's life. Mary is also a touch colder here -- much as she was in the original novels. (But that I got from Saving Mr. Banks, not from actually reading the books -- so I don't know how true it is.)
3. The Village
Bored. Nothing grabbed me. I appreciated what they were trying to do -- but it was heavy-handed and there were too many characters introduced at once. The writing and performances did little to bring me into the story. So, weirdly, I think I agree with the USA Today critic on this one. I never agree with them, so...I guess there's always a first time?
I got too many tv shows to watch as it is. So not bothering with this one. If it doesn't hold my attention in the first episode, and no one on my DW flist, workplace, friends or family has heavily rec'd it -- it's gone.
4. Other shows.
This is Us -- I want to talk about. But I can't find anyone who has seen the latest episode. Ugh.
I've decided that Beth and Randall's marriage is over. Beth is tired of putting Randal and everyone else first. She wants to be the center of attention for a bit. I'm like honey, you made some life choices -- the time to decide to be a dancer was not now. OTOH, I can see her point -- Randal doesn't discuss things with her, he just does it and then says, hey I've decided to do this and I need you to support me on it -- because that's what you do. And you're amazing. I want you on my team. I want you to help me save the world! I'll lead and you'll follow. But she sort of knew he was like that when she married him.
Randall's problem is he never knew that Beth's lifelong dream was to be a dancer. Neither did we until two episodes ago. In fact Beth running a dance studio in the future at the end of last season came out of the blue. Up until recently she was an urban planner and involved in urban policy and planning, while Randall in S1 was a economist and broker working for a high powered brokerage firm, bringing in a six-figure salary. Randal had a nervous breakdown, found his biological father, bonded with the man, and decided to buy his father's broken down apartment building with his wife, and foster/adopt a kid, with his wife -- and her full interest and support. Then all of a sudden, she loses her job, and he decides to run for City Council in a difficult district. She's all for this -- until she's suddenly not. And
struggling to find herself. He gets elected, she comes back on board, they've adopted the foster kid, and now, all of sudden Beth has decided she wants to teach dance classes -- except Randall is commuting two hours a day to his job. And she will teach during the day and evenings and weekends. And she expects him to attend her dance recitals, knowing full well he was elected to this position and has to interview people and serve on boards and attend political dinners. But hey her dancing comes first. Really? I'm feeling sorry for Deja (the troubled foster child) about now -- who lost her Mom, joined this stable family unit and has finally found some stability in her life. Now Beth wants to yank it away from her to pursue her dream of being a dancer?
Granted the show tends to show everything from Randal, Kate, Kevin, Maggie, and Jack's perspectives -- not the others. So we don't know what Beth was thinking through all of it. Except that the actress got across the fact that she looked mildly to increasingly irritated with Randall throughout the seasons. And when I was in her point of view -- I wanted to smack Randall upside the head. Randall brings his Dad home, Beth's pissed. Randal decides to quit his job and wants another baby. Beth wants to go back to work full-time and not have another kid. Heck she's the bread-winner now. Randall gets bored and talks her into another kid to honor his parents. She agrees to a troubled foster kid. The kid puts them through the wringer. Randall decides to buy his father's old building -- Beth agrees reluctantly. In flashbacks, it's made clear that Randall was always like this -- and his mother spoiled him. Actually both boys grew up entitled. I think Kate is the only one who didn't.
At any rate, I'm irritated with both Beth and Randal who are putting themselves first and their kids second. They barely spend time with them. And see them as a chore. Look -- if you aren't willing to put aside your own career dreams and desires for children, don't have them. Same with pets. If you aren't willing to spend four hours of your day walking and caring for your dog -- don't have a dog. Or a portion of your pay-check paying for the food, health, and caring of your pets - don't have them. They aren't on this planet to make you feel good about yourself. Meditate instead. You make you feel good. External things don't. When you depend on something external to yourself to make yourself feel good -- that's narcissism.
OTOH -- it also speaks to a problem in lots of marriages. My mother and I were discussing this recently. She said most marriages fail because the two people no longer view things the same way, they don't want the same things out of life, they no longer share the same interests, they are no longer on the same path. This episode spoke heavily to that in at least two of the pairings. If the couple isn't on the same page -- no amount of compromising is going to work.
Beth and Randal haven't been on the same page for a while now. In this episode it's clear they aren't communicating at all. When Randall comes late to a dance recital, Beth assumes he isn't coming and is angry he was late and missed her boss's speech about how great she was. (That annoyed me. Honestly? Why was that important?) Then when Beth doesn't appear to show for a dinner, Randall assumes she blew him off for a drinks with her boss and fellow instructors to discuss the future of the studio. When in truth she was stuck in traffic and just got there late. He made the colossal mistake of leaving a nasty voice mail message on her phone, which she received and lambasts him for after they've left the dinner. (Smart enough not to do it in public.) Then, at home, they finally confront one another. Here I identified a little with Randall -- been there done that. And had it done to me. When it was done to me -- I eventually forgave the person, mainly because been there done that, so I know better than to take anything left over voice mail or email in the heat of the moment seriously. People say and do dumb things when they are pissed off and tired and feeling crappy. In this case, Randal is exhausted, burning the candle at both ends, and feels alone. And Beth is over the moon with her new thing, and upset that no one else is happy for her and sharing in her joy.
Beth also still resents her mother for making her give up her dream of becoming a dancer, because she wasn't good enough. She hasn't taken ownership of that choice. And she is angry at herself for not becoming one. Randal wants to be like his adoptive father -- who was a hero in his eyes. Like his two siblings, he hero-worshipped his father, and feels he has to be a savior too -- he has to show that he was worthy of the adoption and the privileges he obtained and many others didn't. In short, Randal wants to save the world and has a savior complex. Beth's over that -- she did the non-profit urban planning crap and got laid-off. She wants to do something that's hers, to create, and help others create. Randal has no understanding of that - and is wondering who is this strange woman and what happened to the woman I thought I married. I'm willing to be his kids have the same reaction. Beth hasn't exactly been open about her dreams.
Then we have Kevin and Zoe. Zoe is honest with Kevin. "I love you. I know you are an alcoholic. And I'm struggling here. But, I'm willing to see that through and put up with it all the way. Except, I have to make one thing clear. I do not want children. It seems that you do. But I don't. I've thought about it and it's not something I'll ever want. If you aren't okay with that -- tell me know, so we can both move on and not waste any more time. Make a decision." Kevin is bamboozled. He doesn't know what to do. He's sort of ambivalent on the kids thing. He likes kids. Wouldn't mind having them, etc. But at the same time doesn't really want the responsibility of them. He's a lot like Zoe. And he's a bit screwed up. So he runs into and ends up talking to his ex and first love Sophie, whose perspective on Kevin is a bit wacked, explaining why they couldn't work. Sophie thinks Kevin is having troubles making up his mind, because he's always gotten whatever he wanted easily. (Not true. But I can see why she thinks that. She hasn't seen the day-to-day bits. It's a bit like me making the assumption that my brother gets everything easily -- I know better than that. Or my Aunts making that assumption about my parents. No one does. We all struggle in life and on this journey in our own way -- we just can't see much further than our own nostrils, that's the problem. Or in Sophie's case her own pain.) When she tells this to Kevin, you can tell he figures out right then and there that he and Sophie would never have worked. She doesn't know him at all. And he realizes that Zoe does. Zoe knows he's charming. But Zoe's also in his world and is charming too. Zoe can travel anywhere at the drop of a hat and does have to go places for business. And Zoe doesn't want too much responsibility or commitment, neither does Kevin. When he takes it on, he unravels. He too has Daddy issues, but his are different than Randall's. He saw his father's dark side, and worries that he has it inside him. He sees his father as a flawed hero and doesn't want to be like him. And Kevin, unlike Randal, resents his mother -- who gave all her attention to Randal. Kevin was the jock who lost his shot at playing football due to a broken arm along with the football scholarship, he lost his dream, and got in a fight with his Dad, shortly afterward -- his father died. With the loss of the football scholarship, he also lost Sophie, his Dad, and his plans. So he fell into acting and turned out to be good at it. But football was the only thing he connected with his father on...and now he's an alcoholic like his Dad and found his uncle, who his Dad abandoned, because he was an alcoholic. Also keep in mind the father skipped out on a day with his son getting a baseball card signed because of the visit to the Uncle.
Zoe seems to understand Kevin, because Zoe is a bit broken herself -- she had issues with her Dad. And Kevin seems to get that. They are on the same page and want the same things. While Sophie scoffs at Hollywood and wanted Kevin to give up his career, stay around, be with her, etc. She couldn't leave her job at the hospital. And he couldn't be an actor on the east coast. She's better with the kindergarten teacher - who wants kids, the house, etc.
You can't make someone want the same things you do. That's not love. Love is letting go, and letting a person be who they need to be. Even if it means you'll never see each other again. Love can be fucking hard.
I liked that about the episode. And then we have Kate and Toby, and the little baby who is just 24 weeks old. By the way a baby that is 24 weeks old can survive. I know several people who had this happen. It's just hard for about three-six months, and a lot of money. Kate clearly has financial support -- her twin brother can help, if they don't have enough. Toby is struggling with the whole thing. This tiny child with all these tubes, that they keep taking urine and blood samples from -- and medical testing is painful and cruel. And has a tube shoved down his little throat so he can't scream -- I cried, reader, I cried. Nasty sloppy tears during the scene in which Toby and another father discuss their babies. It's a well written sequence.
Very real. I've listened to conversations just like that. How the other father tells Toby that he feels a sense of relief that his baby isn't as bad off as another couple's -- the other couple's baby is having it's organs shut down. And this father's kid has a hole in its' heart and a bowl obstruction. And they both wonder how their wives do it. Toby goes back into the hospital room and finds Kate still there, sitting opposite the incubator, watching her tiny baby, singing to him. And he asks her how she does it? She tells him that it's not easy. But she looks past the scary tubes and wires and notices that the baby's eyes are slightly asymmetrical just like Toby's ...and that she really needs his help. That she feels all alone.
And right now, she's going to go take a shower -- because she hasn't had one in days and stinks and feels skanky. So he can take her place, he doesn't have to do a thing but be there. He says, okay, he can do that.
So we watch all three -- one couple who can't be there for each other, who are too caught up in their own personal needs and commitments, yet they seem to have it all, to have no problems, while two others are struggling with much harder problems but pulling through...and I realize life is difficult for all three couples. Then we go back in time and see the two parents chaproning their kids dance, wondering if they'd have gone for each other at that age and how committed they are -- and knowing as we watch them, that their life doesn't turn out happily ever after either. It's also a struggle, filled with compromises, separations, and tragedy.
Thank you for listening. I needed to write this out or talk about it -- to get my feelings and thoughts clear. I learned something from it. And that's what good stories do, they take us inside another perspective, that is not our own, and show us...that we aren't as alone as we think we are and that often our assumptions aren't correct.
Grey's Anatomy -- made me cry sloppy tears.
It was the scene with the bi-gender Toby learning that her fearless mother was paralyzed from the waist down and she'd have to step up and she just can't. I over-identified. The rest of it didn't affect me all that much. Although I will state that I'm heavily shipping Teddy/Tom and want Owen to be single. I'm also shipping Amelia/Lincoln. I'm on the fence with Deluca and Meredith...it's not quite working for me and I don't know why. I think he's too young for her. She's been through so much, and he has a lot of growing up to do. I rather liked what Alex told him -- which was to basically grow up and not bite the hand trying to help him.
What happened when Jo went to see her Mom -- is next week's episode. And the actress playing the Mom is really good. They've hired some stellar actors to play the parents of the Grey's surgeons. Kate Burton, Eric Roberts, Debbie Allen, Lindsey Wagner, and now..Michelle Forbes (from various Sci-Fi shows and Homicide Life on the Streets).
9-1-1- also made me cry sloppy tears. I love Angela Basset. Honestly I'd watch her in anything.
I'm going to be really annoyed if they kill off John Choo, just saying. He's the only attractive guy in the show outside of the new guy who wasn't on this week. I do not find Peter Krause and Jennifer Love Hewitt's brother attractive. I do not know why. Although I do like Peter Krause as an actor -- he's good at playing this type of role. Better cast here than he was in The Catch.
Also the plots move at light speed and the writing is tight and good. With a dark sense of humor, but plenty of heart. It's among the better series written by the quirky coupling of Ryan Murphy, Tim Minear, and Brad Falchouk. Also it's executive produced by Krause and Bassett, who are the center pieces of the series.
4. Been eating too much sugar again. I swear it's like heroine. A spoonful of sugar keeps me awake..dammit. (Actually it was a lot more than a spoonful...more like a couple of pints.) No wonder it's midnight and I'm still wide awake, after being tired all week long.
Meant to work on my novel today. Oh well, at least I got laundry and my bed made up clean today. Also some cleaning done. Progress. Writing can happen tomorrow.