Spontaneous Musings

1. Twitter

* People are weird on the bird app. I got unfollowed and kicked out by the Canadian woman that I met on Soap Twitter - and I really have no clue why. It could be anything really. If I were to hazard a guess - it's because...

Canadian Tweeter: Here's how you can decline your ballot in Canada. Americans don't get that we are completely different than you are.
Me: Yeah, you vote for different platforms right? While we're personalities and candidates.
Canadian Tweeter: No, we vote for candidates and personalities. We just have one race with five different candidates.
Me: Okay, I can't quite wrap my head around this. The US is the same - we have five parties believe it or not. And five candidates. So is it you don't like A&B or C&D and might as well decline?

She got pissed off, apparently, and unfollowed and blocked me. And I still have no clue how Ontario handles elections.( Read more... )

* Lesson: Soap Twitter doesn't like to be argued with. Also they only like people who have 1000 followers. No discussions on Soap Twitter. And there are a few divas, who are a touch cliquish, although I'm not sure if they view themselves in that regard. I wouldn't go so far to call them bullies. Just divas. (It is Soap Twitter - after all, I don't know what I expected.)
And boy do they like to whine, and want attention.

* Twitter went nuts over the leaked Roe vs. Wade news. Unsurprisingly nuts.

Liberal Poet: If you aren't livid you aren't paying attention.
Me: I've been too livid for 7 + years (2016-2022), I've had to back away for my continued mental and emotional health. Not to mention physical.

2. Speaking of..The Alito leak that Roe vs. Wade was being overturned and same-sex marriage was up next..

Well, the proverbial shit hit the fan this week with the Supreme Court leak - which basically made five of the Justices look like partisan liars, who would do anything for their agendas or others agendas. Don't give a fig about the law or anyone's rights but their own views. I don't know where the fall out will lead - right now, it's mainly protests.

( regarding Roe vs. Wade )

Twitter: Maybe now Constitutional Law Scholars will realize these Justice's just make shit up?
ME: They kind of always knew that?

3. The Batman

Neither Chidi nor Kidbro liked the movie all that much. Chidi appreciated the cinematography at least.

It surprised me - I went in with low expectations. Robert Pattinson was actually a lot better in the role than expected. He gets across reclusive rock star billionaire well. Also he looks like he stepped out of the comics or a graphic novel. The camera loves him. The man has sad eyes, and seems to get Batman on some level.

I liked the casting better than Chidi did. (Chidi saw it in the movie theater - I saw it on HBO MAX.) We both agreed it was too long. (Chidi's favorite Catwoman is...Michelle Pfieffer (I kid you not). I rather liked Zoe Kravitiz in the role - she fit the comics. Actually she's the closest to Selina Kyle in the comics.
( not really spoilery )

4. That's not What I Would Do ...

I hate that phrase. I thought I'd be up front about that. It irritates me. I've lost friends over that phrase..
( Not what I would do.. )

1.Spiderman No Way Home - which is kind of necessary prior to the flick Dr. Strange and the Multi-verse of Madness - since Spiderman leads directly into the Dr. Strange film.

The more I think about this film, the more impressed I am with it - also the more I find myself appreciating the last trio of Spiderman films over the previous ones. What this trio did differently from both the comics and the previous films - by looping them in with the broader MCU film verse and starting with Peter in high school - is create an interesting, unintentional and unrecognized villain at the center. The villain at the center of the films is who we think it is - and in truth, he's not really a villain, and is rather well-meaning actually.

A superhero series is only as good as its villains. And it works best when the villain isn't something you can kill or put in prison, but something bigger and not as easily resolved.

If the ghost of Tony Stark was the unseen and unintentional villain of Spiderman: Far From Home, along with an en absentia Nick Fury and his well-meaning, if disorganized Skrull invested Shield, then...well, guess who it is here?
( spoilers - because kind of impossible to discuss without them )

2. King Richard starring Will Smith, about Serena and Venus Williams father who coached them in tennis and helped advance their careers. If it weren't for their father - they wouldn't be tennis champions.

It's one of the better biopics. And unlike most - doesn't focus on the tragedies, just the tennis, and why it happened.

It begins with Richard hunting a coach for his girls, and ends with Venus's first pro match.

The over-riding theme of this story is staying humble and not letting the fame, fortune, etc get in your head. In one sequence he forces his family to watch Cinderella twice - in order to get the message that no matter what, Cinderella stayed humble.

He sees his daughters as champions, but he wants them to put family, education, love, charity, humility, and each other first.

Will Smith is almost unrecognizable in the lead, and it is a story that touches upon racism. Which the family combats daily. The tennis world is insanely white - in the 1970s-1990s, where this takes place.

It's also a tight film - held my interest and focused on the girls finding a coach, a sponsor, and getting to the pros. That's it. I think it serves it well - bio-pics are best when focused.

I kind of did absolutely nothing today, outside of dabbling at the beginning of the fantasy novel I'm trying to write. It now has foot notes and Gaelic.

Don't.

I know it's tempting.

But just don't.

You know who you are. ;-)

**

Is it just me? Or does it seem like over half my generation's father's are dying of Alzheimer's? Hugh Jackman, who is 53, just lost his father to Alzheimer's. His wife is 13 years older than him, which I found interesting. He was born in 1968 and she was born in 1955.

He's among the few film actors out there that I still adore and have not been decimated by social media's gossip train.

Oh, the Ellen DeGeneris like on FB was actually a scam. There are scammers on FB. I reported it. Unlikely they will do anything. But I find it via Snopes. Here is the link to Snopes outing the scam. I'm tired of this.
I've blocked the page.

**

There's this great quote I found in a contemporary romance novel of all places.

Because there is no way an introvert and a criminally picky eater can go to a dinner party and come out alive."

Each time the stupid doctor tells me to cut something out my diet, I think...okay are you intentionally killing what is left of my social life?

I remember when I was diagnosed as gluten intolerant.

Doctor: What's wrong?
ME: This is going to kill my social life.
Doctor: Are you one of those people who lives to eat?
Me: Yes, although that's hardly the issue here.
( Read more... )
**

Just finished watching the filmed adaptation of the Broadway Stage Musical Dear Evan Hansen, which is depressing. It tries to be uplifting, but it doesn't quite accomplish it. ( Read more... )

Random Picture of the Evening

As long-promised, I finally got around to seeing Dune last night. I had to revive my HBO subscription, because apparently it would let me see what was offered but not allow me to watch anything. So I did it through my Roku television platform. (This actually justified getting the ROKU Smart Television as opposed to the FIRE Smart Television - if I was still on the Fire Stick? I'd not have been able to do it, since HBO didn't renew its agreement with Amazon.)

After much deliberation on the matter - I chose to watch it on HBO Max as opposed to the movie theater. I can always watch it in the movie theater later in the month, if so desired (although unlikely).

As luck would have it? Wales called this morning and told me she'd love to see Dune in the theaters. I told her that I wished she'd told me that a week ago, also I had a feeling she'd be bored by it. It's hard sci-fi, with a lot of exposition.

This bodes the following question - or the only one I had when reading everyone's reviews of the film - do you absolutely need to see this film in a movie theater to enjoy it?

Well, it depends. (Which is pretty much how most folks answered that question.)

1. What size television you have at home and if it is HDTV or higher?

This is a very dark film, a lot of it takes place at night - I'd say in fact 60-75% of it appears to be shot at night, and/or in darkened rooms. So, you won't be able to see it on a small television set, or one that doesn't have the ability to brighten or darken the picture. [There's one particular scene towards the end that I barely could see - and it may have been clearer in a movie theater. Granted it's a scene I don't care about seeing one way or the other, but you might. ( spoiler )

Also, it's shot in a manner that requires a big screen television or movie theater screen. There's a scene where we see a hand sticking up from the sand in the desert and the sheer scope. OR another, where we see the huge scope of Arrakis, the city on Dune, and the people in relation to it. It's shot for IMAX. So wide screen visuals. This works fine for 55 inch and up, not so much for anything below that.

I can think of a couple of scenes that would not work on my old television sets. The aforementioned bits where we see the armies, the desert, and the sandworms. Also, like I said before - most of the film is at night. We have a scene where the Bene Gesserit (Jessica's Order of Female Mystics) arrives on her home planet - that is at night, the only light from the space ship and the clouded moons, with rain and wind...we see their vague shapes scampering in a group forward, lit only by the space ship behind them. I don't think that scene works well on a small screen.

2. If you have a big screen television is it better to see in the theaters?

Unless you are "really" into cinematography, and lighting, and well subtle film score and film editing - it's not necessary. (In other words a film geek.) Lord of the Rings this isn't. Nor is it Lawrence of Arabia, or for that matter 2001: A Space Odyssey. Or even Star Wars for that matter. It's more Game of Thrones.

I thought about it for Hans Zimmer's soundtrack. But the soundtrack isn't that big a deal. I barely noticed it, and I've watched a lot of films with noticeable soundtracks on my television including Hamilton, Snyder's Justice League, Game of Thrones, Star Wars, Sense and Sensibility, etc. Also, I had the sound turned up and on theater setting.

3. Despite all of the above, would it work better in a theater?

I don't really know? I think this is mainly a subjective thing? I mean it depends on your own personal comfort level regarding movie theaters right now? I can't do movie theaters yet, and preferred seeing it at home. And from what I saw on-screen, I didn't feel cheated in any way. Your mileage may vary.

That said, the following factors may make a difference in how you view it and if you decide to view it:

It's hard sci-fi, with heavy mystical philosophical leanings, so in other words? Not really much of an action film, and not really much of space film either. (Both are in it, just not the central focus?)

It's well-done, and well-made, and they don't use a lot of CGI - like Snyder did with Justice League, Villenevue (sp?) used film stock not digital to make the film, which is why they are telling folks to see it in the theater...but my eye didn't pick up on it.

Another comparison to Justice League? Also to Game of Thrones? It's a dark film, the color scheme is varying shades of black, white, grey, and beige, we do get varying sparks of blood red (it's actual blood) and sky blue (eye color only) which really stand out, since they are the only colors we see outside of black, gray, sandy yellow aka beige and white.

This is not a colorful film.

[ETA - since everyone appears to be commenting on that last line - clarification? It's not a colorful book. The film shouldn't be colorful. That was Lynch's mistake with the 1984 film - it was too colorful and over-the-top. Dune isn't a colorful book. It's not meant to be.]

4. What about plot? Will I be bored? Is it exposition heavy? Would it be better to watch at home, take breaks, rewind, etc? Does it help if you've read the book first?

One of my many Cousins complained online that it lacked plot. I don't think that's true, but I can see why he felt that way. Like I said above, under #3, it's not really an action film. The book isn't either. There's a reason the book was so difficult to adapt, and has to a degree defied adaptations. It's more of a cerebral book than visual one. Heavy emphasis on world building and character, with a convoluted political plot. There are appendixes, and it has its own language, religion, political schematic, etc. As a result, there's a lot exposition in the first film - in order to get to the plot, and the plot kind of gets lost within the exposition. Because of this - it kind of helps if you've read the book at some point?

I read the book over thirty years ago. Sometime around 1981 or 82, I never really got around to re-reading it, mainly because I was so obsessed with it in the 1980s, that I kind of devoured and memorized it. I also saw both of the previous adaptations. (This is by far and away the best adaptation that I've seen to date, and the best casting. The casting was surprisingly spot on.) Note? I only read the first book, and around the age of 14 or 15 years of age. I couldn't get into the others - mostly because they didn't have much plot at all, and were all about the world-building, so 15 year old me got bogged down and kind of bored. (I was geeky, just not that geeky.)

Anyhow, as I watched the film, the book began to come back to me - and I could visualize it in my head - which helped greatly. The film follows what I remember from the book. (Which is admittedly vague - since I read the book thirty years ago, but helped.)

So - if you are expecting a space opera or an action film? This is not it. It's far more interested in explaining to you in detail how a stultsuit (Freemen) suit works, the necessity of spice, and showing Paul training, visions of the future, and the military might of these families. Also what sandworms are. Like I said - lots of exposition.

Personally? I found it to be compelling - but that sort of thing turns me on. It is not for everyone. [I explained this to my friend Wales, who is a cinemaphile and wanted to see it for the visuals, I explained that the visuals are basically a lot of women in black running through the rain backlit by a space ship (which yes, cool, I rewound a couple of times, but not for everyone), sandstorm that goes on for ten minutes, and watching sand rumple underneath a sand streaked sky. Lawrence of Arabia, it's not.

It drags in places...I honestly thought they went overboard with Paul and his visions. I'd have cut it back a bit? And I didn't need to see all the over-shots of the military on Harkonnon, Caladon and Arrakis. I get the feeling they were very proud of their set design and wanted to show it off?

And, it would have helped if a good portion of the action/suspense sequences didn't happen in the dark? (This may have been less of an issue in the movie theater, I don't know.)

So that may have been why the plot got lost on my cousin? Also, about 50-60% of the film is exposition or the set-up for the plot.

The plot? It's not really that complicated. Typical boy's hero's journey.

( plot spoilers )

**

Overall? I enjoyed the movie. I found it compelling, far more so than expected. And seeing it on HBO Max helped, because I could take bathroom breaks, and rewind to pick up errant pieces of dialogue. The dialogue isn't easy to hear in spots.

It reminded me of why I enjoyed the book. It has some nice little philosophical quotes here and there,( Spoiler )

But I think you can enjoy it on HBO Max, depending on the size of your home theater options? Also, keep in mind it's not an action film, it is more world building and character focused with a slower pace. And filmed in dark corridors, with a dark color palette. Cinematography wise? Some excellent and gripping shots. But nothing you've not seen before.

1. Just because Kate ‘Middleton’ McGrath, wants a man to call ‘daddy’ in bed doesn’t mean—
Oh, you stopped reading. Cool.

LOL! Yep, I did.

That was blurb from Smart Bitches.

2. On reading, I'm actually really enjoying the audio book version of A Gentleman from Moscow. Currently an old Count is babysitting? Or just taking care of? A small girl. This is Sophia, the daughter of Nina, a young girl he befriended several years ago. Nina had to follow her husband, who has been sent to a work camp up in Siberia. She's getting a job nearby, and needs someone to take care of her daughter while she's gone. Meanwhile, the Count is working for a restaurant, a tutor, and living in an old Hotel in Moscow. He returned to Russia because of the Revolution, he'd been exiled prior due to a duel.

Some of it - I'm missing of course, because audio book, but it's not plot heavy so doesn't really matter.

[writing this post inspired me to write an email to college buddy who rec'd it.)

3. Finished Becoming by Michelle Obama - which was okay. I liked aspects of it. I think it was too long in places, and kind of repetitive.
Also I wish she talked more about the last years in the White House, then again maybe not - they were depressing, and anything regarding Trump set my nerves on edge.

Also finished Renegades - the Spotify podcasts with Barack Obama and Springsteen, which served as a nice chaser to Becoming. Barack comments on some of the same things Michelle does in her book.

Of the three - Promised Land, Becoming, and Renegades - I think I got the most out of Promised Land. Becoming felt a bit on the preachy side, and I got annoyed with the writer at various points. Although overall its a good book and I recommend - gives some interesting insights into the White House, and what it is like from the First Lady and first family's perspective. Not a cake-walk that's for certain.

4. The flick Promising Young Woman won't quite let go of my head. It's the kind of flick you want to discuss after you've seen it. Very dark black comedy. I didn't find it funny so much as haunting. With that gut punch of an ending.

It kind of puts it in high relief - the raunch culture - and lambasts it. The whole "walk of shame" bit. Where the woman gets drunk, has a night of sex that she can't quite remember, and creeps out the next morning? Well this film kind of underlines how that is date rape. And no, the woman being too drunk to remember is not an excuse for you to have sex with her. Or anyone who is really drunk.

But...what is haunting about it, and kind of disturbing, is how it subverts so many of the myths and preconceptions. The guys aren't hunks. They are just kind of boy-next-door types. The sort you go to college with. Adam Brody from the OC. And the raunch talk is the type you'd hear in frat houses or bars.

Also all the excuses are highlighted and derided. It's a haunting and disturbing film on multiple levels. Did I like it? I don't know. But unlike a lot of flicks it stuck with me.

Actually four of the five Oscar nominated films I've seen stuck with me:

Nomadland, Sound of Metal, Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, and Promising Young Woman. (I can't remember Trial of the Chicago 7 quite as well - although it does have a resonance, but it was no where near as good as the other four. And I couldn't get into One Night in Miami - gave up half-way through (I was bored) or Judah and the Black Messiah - gave up after twenty minutes - also bored.)

Well, I'm another year older today. Other than that not much to commemorate it by. I did have a long conversation with my brother - who called my landline and not my cell-phone, which was a surprise. He usually texts or calls my cell - I think he realizes that I'm alone on my birthday. Alone in a city of 12 million, or possibly less than that as result of the pandemic. No we haven't lost millions, but we have had a lot of people flee the city to the burbs.



As you can see - it was a beautiful spring day - where everything looks dead. In the upper fifties, it felt like sixty degrees in the sunshine.
And I was edgy - so wandering through the cemetery on my own with few folks around was a lovely thing. The Gate-Keeper was also happy with me, because I prevented a little girl from bringing her scooter into the cemetery - I was going to let him do it. But I decided he might not see it, and it would be better if I advised them before they came through the gate. (I did see a jogger - you aren't supposed to jog in the cemetery - but I decided she was wearing a mask - and I'm not in the mood to chase after her and play traffic cop.

A bit aggravated today - due to delivery issues. (I wanted those binocolars. They looked like Vortex Optics Diamondback Binoculars. I got a full refund instead, along with $5 added. Also got a $25 gift certificate from Wales.
( Read more... )

Mother sent me flowers, which did come and are blooming finally - they looked a bit limp when I took them out of the box, removed the water sack, cut the stems, put them in the vase with water. I'm glad she sent me vases with each flower delivery - because I appear to have either misplaced or gotten rid of the ones I'd owned. (My apartment isn't that big - I've no idea how stuff disappears in it.)



In the graveyard - my doctor felt the need to call me for the pre-screening. ( Read more... )



I have a fondness for the brownstones along Canton Avenue. If could afford it - I'd buy one. But alas, I cannot. And I'm making a good salary - that should tell you right there how bloody expensive the city is - although rents have dropped dramatically. I could potentially find a nicer apartment for less cost - if I felt like doing that right now. I do not.

I tried two movies today. Neither was very good. I need movie recommendations. Stat.

Movies tried?

Blithe Spirit adapted from the Noel Coward play, starring Dan Stevens, Judi Dench, Leslie Mann, Isla Fisher...it was, well it reminded me of Emma. Very broad and stylized but not funny.

I liked the 1945 version better, also the play (which I've seen as well). This wasn't funny. It was in fact, remarkably unfunny. It desperately wanted to be funny. It tried really hard to be funny - but it was just tiresome.

I am striking out on the movie front folks. This is the third to fourth one I've tried that sucked.

Timeline - was the other one. It's based on a Michael Crichton Novel, and directed by Richard Donner. But alas the cast wasn't that good, B or C list, and the writing not there, and there was far too much emphasis on fighting. I fast-forwarded through some of it - it was getting repetitive.

I really am striking out. Also tried television shows, but can't find anything that is grabbing me. Tried Normal People on Hulu, may go back to it. Or not.

Ugh. Oh well. It is what it is.



Mother called twice to wish me a happy birthday. She spoke with my father, who wanted to call me too - but wasn't certain that was a good idea.

ME: Oh how sweet...but it would confuse him, poor Dad.
Mother: Oh he's okay, and maybe not. He'd been running a meeting with the nurses and the doctors - or so he said, when I talked to him. I told your brother this and he said, Good.
Me: Well, at least he's entertained.
Mother: Exactly.
Me: It could be worse - be nightmares, glad it's not those.
Mother: Yep.

Speaking of? I keep having the recurring one of going to a University but unable to remember any of my courses, and somehow skipping an entire year of history. I just kept forgetting to go the classes. I wake up around the time I start trying to figure out how I could possibly graduate without ever going to class or completing the paperwork. I'm somewhat panicked about it - and realize upon awaking that I'm no longer in school. This is a recurring dream, with a few variations. It's so common, and so real, that it feels like it actually happened - although I know for a fact that it didn't.

I can't help but wonder is a lot of folks memories are actually dreams made up by their subconscious?

Anyhow, overall I'm a year older. I'm luckier than most. I managed to survive my 53rd year on this earth, without getting COVID-19. That's an accomplishment. With any luck my 54th will be better. Also, I've managed to keep the lines of communication open with family and friends for the most part. Lost contact with a few here and there - but life is like that.
Didn't, to my knowledge, lose anyone to COVID - another accomplishment.
I also kept my job, managed to give money to others, and well survive.

March 9th I consider my New Years in a lot of ways. And a lot has happened over the past year - it was kind of the watershed year to end all watershed years.

Here's hoping for a better year to come, all around.

I leave you with wild geese meandering in a graveyard.

1. Wonder Woman 1984

This was a major disappointment, and I don't think it worked on multiple levels. While the first film was admittedly flawed in spots, it did work overall and is among the better superhero flicks I've seen. But this one..meh. Kind of the comparison between Superman and Superman II, to be honest.

I could see what the filmmakers overall intent was - or what they were aiming for, but felt it was poorly achieved. And the theme heavy-handed. (I liked the theme - I just felt it was executed and delivered poorly.) This was partly due to poor casting choices in the supporting roles, specifically the villains, and the overall plot.

Gadot and her character aren't quite solid and/or charismatic enough to hold the film on her own - as evidenced by the first film - where she had plenty of support. You know there's a problem - when the best parts of the film are either in the Amazon with Robin Wright and young Diana, or after Chris Pine pops up.

The plot - oh dear, while thematically well-intentioned, was cheesy even for the superhero genre. (It kind of took comic book-y a touch too far, which may well have worked in 1980s but not so much now. Also the 1980s bits barely register. And Diana is in desperate need of a good side-kick or a less tragic romantic love interest. I was kind of disappointed with what they chose to do with Dr. Barbara Minerva (the geologist), Kristen Wigg's character. Because she could have been a good counter-balance to Diana. In the first film - we had that - a group of people who kind of counter-acted the "Goddess" - who is aloof, and counter-acted Steve. In this film, we don't have that - and it is a problem. Most superhero films have that going for them in either the Kents, Miss Potts, Jarvis, Jimmy, Gordon, Alfred or even Lois Lane. Wonder Woman tries with Steve Trevor - but it worked better in Wonder Woman than it does in the sequel. In the sequel it feels a bit awkward and you kind of know that Steve has one foot out of the door throughout.)

I should probably mention the plot in a bit more detail?

( spoilers )
Overall? C-, and be happy you didn't see it in the theater. I saw it on TV, for free. I don't recommend paying for it.


2. Soul - by Pixar on Disney Plus.

This was a pleasant surprise. I'd read it was good - its made a lot of critics best lists. But seeing is believing - and I agree with critics who've stated that when Pixar is good - it's really frigging good.

I was blown away by this film. It's so innovative. And it's plot while simple in structure - works so well, and feels so new. In addition, it's cast is either African-American or heavenly bodies that are definitely not of human form or structure. It gets props for the most innovative construction of the after-life, I've seen. It's not exactly an after-life - it's more a before life. We never see the great beyond. There is no hell.
No threat of hell. Just new and old souls.

It blew me away. I mean it was so creative and different. Also, it's philosophical without bogging you down with it - actually playfully so. The characters are interesting and well-developed. The main character has multiple layers. And while his goals are seemingly simple, they are relatable and layered as well.

He also goes on a definite journey.

Soul, an animated film, basically does everything Wonder Woman did wrong, right - granted they are apples and tangerines, but still.

Plot? ( Read more... )

One of the best films I've seen this year (not that I've seen that many).

The voices include: Jamie Fox, Tina Fey, Wes Studi, Phyllicia Rashad...and others.

I kind of went into it blind, not sure if that affected how I saw it or not.

Overall rating - A++

1. I May Destroy You - the Michaela Cole British Dramedy that is premiering on HBO this month...and got rave reviews in the UK Guardian and New York Times made me realize that my taste has somewhere along the line greatly diverged from today's television critics and pop culture's.

I tried to watch it. I made it through about three episodes before I gave up. It's well...an HBO series, and like 98% of HBO's series, feels the need to go towards graphic hyper-realism. Actually, in regards to this series? That may well be an understatement. Here, you feel like a voyeur, and not always in a good way - although I'm not sure there is a good way..

Micaela Cole is definitely brave - ( Spoilers )

So, once again, I find myself at odds with the television critics, and realizing how subjective an art-form television truly is.

2. Beecham House - it airs on PBS, and is one of the more compelling things I've seen on Masterpiece Theater - from the BBC in recent years. It's less soapy than Dowton, and does a better job with diversity than Sandition. I gave up on Sandition - since I adored the novel I read, and this kind of drifted away from it. Howards End - I also kind of gave up on. Beecham House is a bit more compelling and far more happens in it.

John Beecham and his family have made a life for themselves in Delhi. He has a son by a native of the country, who is also a member of an important family. And as a result, he must keep his son hidden along with the truth.
Unfortunately, an old friend shows up from London, and from the East India Company - which John has long since left. The friend who initially saves John's life, appears to have nefarious reasons for doing so. Nothing is quite as it seems, and the series revolves around political intrigue and a mystery. Well-cast, and compelling - also rather easy to follow for a historical - it's better than expected. It is directed and written by an Indian director/writer, and filmed in Delhi.

Takes place during the French occupation of India.

3. The Mandalorian this is written and directed by John Faverau and stars various people, including Nick Nolte in voice acting role, Takiti Wakiti, Carl Weathers, and various others. It's a space western that takes place in the Star Wars Universe shortly after the Rebellion won in Return of the Jedi. The Mandalorian is part of guild of bounty hunters, in his sect, they wear body armor and never remove it. He's kind of a gunslinger of sorts. Not unlike Boba Fett, but tougher. Needed more money that he's received with smaller bounties - he goes after a big score from an ex-Imperial leader. And given little to no information on what it is.

It's well-written, fun, easy to follow, and fits neatly within the Star Wars Universe. Faverau unlike Rian Johnson and JJ Abrahams, actually is a decent story-teller. He keeps things simple, and is a huge Star Wars geek, who fell in love with Lucas' world at an early age. Lucas, while not a great story-teller, is excellent at world-building. (If you enjoyed the stories in Star Wars, Empire and Force Awakens - you can thank Lawrence Kasdan for that.) Lucas is among the greats at setting the stage and building a world. But not that great at direction or story-telling. Faverau is good at story-telling, dialogue and direction, he doesn't need to worry about the world - someone else took care of it. Faverau as proven by the Marvelverse is particularly good at playing in someone else's world. Not everyone is.

Star Wars due in part to how well Lucas built the world, and how open-ended he left it, lends itself quite well to fanfiction, franchise writing, and spin-offs. You can do a lot with Star Wars. And unlike Star Trek which has a rather rigid rule-book (just ask Ron Moore and the folks who tried to break the rules in DS9 etc), Star Wars is fairly open-ended. You're not stuck with the Federation. People don't have to be moral or nice. There's no political correctness. It can be gritty and quite dark, or the exact opposite. It's in some ways more like our own - in part because Lucas wrote it as a parable on the Vietnam War and wanted it to be gritty, yet hopeful.

You don't need to be a fan to follow this - I don't think. But I also wouldn't know - since Star Wars was among my first fandoms or film franchises that I fell in love with. ( being a star wars fan, why this is better than the last three movies, and what I want in a series )

4. Heart and Souls - old Robert Downey Jr. flick, circa 1980s, with Kyra Sedwick, Alfre Woodward, Charles Grodin...

It's not as good as I remembered. And I apparently blended it and the one he was in with Cybil Shepard and Peter Gallagher in my head. They are two separate films. ( Read more... )

I saw it on HBO of all places.

1. ) Meditation is teaching me how to let go of things...it's very helpful. When I was younger, my mother used to complain about her older sister, Audrey. Audrey always had to have the last word in every argument they had. If she got the last word she won. But most arguments are unwinnable. Why? Because people aren't interested in the other person's perspective so much as validating their own. That connection is what we hunt for -- we want people to agree or be on our wavelength. In argument, they aren't. And it becomes frustrating. A creative writing teacher once told me that all conversation was jockeying for position. I feel that way at times when I talk with folks or my mother - as if we jumping over each others words to get to what we each want to talk about. It works best when we're on the same wavelength and wish to discuss the same thing. If all she wants to do is tell me stuff - and all I want to do is tell her stuff - it becomes an exercise in frustration. In order to have any type of discourse, the first requirement is to listen. And I'm beginning to think it is so much harder to "listen" really "listen" than it is to talk. I know it is harder to read than to write, which is an odd thing to say now that I think on it. But it is. And to read well, you have to do it without thinking. To listen well, you have to stop thinking first.

There should be nothing else in your head but the words and pictures or thoughts they convey. But I think the human brain takes what it hears or sees and changes it somehow to fit with the thoughts inside. Making it really hard sometimes to hear what the other person is saying. I think also there's a tendency for the mind to apply judgement, criticism, without hearing. I misunderstand so much...by letting my thoughts get in the way of what I'm seeing and hearing.

2. Conversations with my mother:

( My Uncle Goes to Tuscon and Decides He Should Have Stayed in Seattle )

__

( Sisterinlaw hunts roller skates...finds guns instead. )

2. I watched two interesting films tonight. Ford vs. Ferrari which made me angry at humanity, and Harriet which gave me up and I found uplifting. This surprised me. I was expecting the opposite. Both are very well made films on multiple levels. And stuck with me after I saw them. I find myself rewinding at various points to get the words and scene.
( spoilers for both films )
While I recommend Ford vs. Ferrari with reservations, I wholeheartedly recommend Harriet. Harriet is a film that is worth seeing. It made me hopeful and reminded me that as a species we've been through far worse than what we are going through now.

Finally saw Parasite - which became available "On Demand" along with Motherless Brooklyn, Terminator: Dark Fate, and Harriet. (I think I'll try Terminator: Dark Fate next or Harriet.)

Anyhow, I'm still ambivalent about this movie. ( spoilers )
It's a well-written, well-directed, well-acted, detail-laden film that does make you think afterwards. Is it great cinema? Eh. It didn't blow me away. I didn't dislike it either. Found it a tad slow in spots. It runs 2 hours and 13 minutes -- or really just two hours, so shorter than most.

I'd say it was worth the $5.99 rental, but I'm glad I didn't see it in a theater.

[ETA: This is NOT a horror film. There are no actual parasites. There's no gore. The violence is minimal. Everyone on my flist should be fine. If you could watch Buffy, Supernatural, Star Wars, Star Trek, any of the MCU films, X-Files, etc -- you'll be fine. The film is a black comedy-thriller about classicism in Korea. I don't know why people went nuts over it. I was kind of bored.]