Tag Archives: Movies

My trip to India

 

Well…. kinda!

Yesterday I went to the movies in the afternoon. I went alone in search of a couple of hours of light colourful distraction, from another dull day of wet and windy weather. There was only one other person there for the showing of The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel. I did not see the other patron, the cinema was dark when I entered. I did hear a deep cough at one stage and took it to be male.

We had two trailers for future movies:

Run All Night with Liam Neeson acting tough and beating up bad guys. Plenty of gore, blood & guns. Not my idea of entertainment by a long stretch.

Woman in Gold in which Helen Mirren is Maria Altmann, an octogenarian Jewish refugee, who takes on the government to recover artwork that she believes rightfully belongs to her family. That one, I will add to my list for an outing.

Now to the main feature: The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel.

I had read some very different reviews of the film. I always prefer to make up my own mind. I liked the cast list of Dame Judi Dench, Dame Maggie Smith, and Bill Nighy, Ronald Pickup, Diana Hardcastle, Dev Patel and Tina Desai who were joined this time round by Richard Gere.

It is a sequel with the same theme as the first (which I did enjoy), about a group of people of a certain age all taking a chance on a new experience and deciding that life is not over for them at 60, 70 or eighty!

As Celia Imrie said: “We’re all living longer now, and I feel more optimistic about what’s to come than ever now, and I think that’s what this film will give people hope for.”

Why shouldn’t it? We are constantly reminded that sixty is the new forty, if that is so, then eighty is the new sixty. I remember by father retiring from work at sixty five, at which point he decided his work was done, his life over, and it was a matter of waiting for death. He died at seventy, an old, old man.

I am catching up on the age that my father left us. I am in no hurry to go, I still have some living to do. The banter we had my Facebook post yesterday about the film gives an inkling.

Nick was not very impressed with the movie.

Emily told me to “Ignore Nick’s comment! It is perfect distraction, lovely cast (cue Richard Gere, yum), gorgeous scenery.”

Nick thought that Richard Gere didn’t have much of a part. He basically just stood around looking hot to trot.

Emily decided he (Richard Gere) was hot enough for her.

When I reported back after seeing the movie, Nick asked: “And was Richard Gere hot enough for you, Marie?”

You really want to know how I answered………?

“Nah, I like a little more spark!”

Movies 2

Last Wednesday, I listed Movies that I had recently seen and some I had on my ‘to watch’ list.

Enough Said

 – I considered it light weight and a filler for a couple of hours on a wet evening.

Lee Daniels’ The Butler ****

– I did enjoy this one about the life of a Butler to eight US Presidents.

Philomena (2013) *****

– This movie struck a deep cord within me. I lived every moment of it and it took me several days to move on from watching it.

Being of an age to the real Philomena and growing up beside one of those homes, we were told the girls there were orphans and knew nothing of any babies, this whole era of cruelty from within the RC Church in Ireland, leaves me with a very bad taste in my mouth.

In 1993, the Convent and Magdalene home close to us was to be sold to a developer for public use. It was known by that stage that some 133 graves existed, unmarked, in a cemetery on the convent grounds. The graves belonged to women who had worked in the service of the convent all their lives, they were buried without notification to possible family…unmarked, unremembered.

An initial exhumation order was given for 133 bodies (and only 75 death certificates existed), and at time of exhumation, another 22 bodies were discovered. All 155 bodies were cremated and reinterred in the Glasnevin cemetery in Dublin.

Last Vegas (2013)

– Four guys, all friends in their mid sixties fly to Las Vegas for a weekend bachelor party for their last remaining single pal.   I would describe it as a typical American movie with the guys TRYING to behave like they were half their age.

 The Book Thief (2013) *****

– The tale of a young girl, Liesel, taken from her home and placed with adoptive parents, during the horrors of World War II in Germany. She finds solace by stealing books and sharing them with others. Under the stairs in her new home, a Jewish refugee is being sheltered by the family.

I would put this movie on a par with Philomena.

The Artist (2011)

– I fell asleep. I’ll have another go at it next week.

Jobs (2013) ****

– The story of Steve Jobs,  from college dropout into one of the most creative entrepreneurs of the 20th century. I enjoyed it.

O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000)

– I was utterly bored with this one and not even George Clooney could improve it for me. Perhaps it had something to do with the accents, I struggled with them at times. Voices can make or break a movie, play or radio programme for me.

Museum Hours (2012)

– A disaster for me: I had sound and no picture. I need to sort that one out!

Parkland (2013) ****

– The story of the chaotic events that occurred at Dallas’ Parkland Hospital on the day U.S. President John F. Kennedy was assassinated. Interesting, so long as you do not mind the sight of blood!

Dallas Buyers Club (2013)

– Set in In 1985, a Dallas electrician and hustler Ron Woodroof works around the system to help AIDS patients get the medication they need after he is himself diagnosed with the disease.

Now which of these will I watch next?

The Iron Lady (2011)
Black Swan (2002)
All is Lost (2013)

*  Stars awarded by me.

What is your favorite movie?

Down the years several movies left a mark on my memory. Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, the first film I was taken to see in the Cinema by my Granny. I came home worried that my brothers might go looking for brides in that same fashion!

High Society I remember more for the giggling incident of the black slip* than the movie itself. Oh I did like the fashion, big houses and the singing, but the story made little impact.

Some of the others through the years to remain with me include:

  • To Kill a Mocking Bird (1962)
  • Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966)
  • 84 Charing Cross Road(1987)
  • Shadowlands (1993)
  • The King’s Speech: A Courageous Journey(2011)
  • The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2011)

Over the last couple of weeks, during resting spells with my foot raised I had the opportunity to watch several movies on the Big Screen with surround sound at George & Elly’s.

These movies included:

The Intouchables
Les.Misérables
Scent of a Woman
Quartet
Life of Pi
Made in Dagenham

Life of Pi made a big impact with the scenery, the animals and the story. It had not alone me, but my female companion engrossed for the duration. It was only when Richard Parker, a Bengal tiger, roared and pounced forward that my companion barked ferociously and jumped on my knee. It was not in fear but to protect me and she continued to bark at the screen until things quietened down once more, then she jumped back to her seat to watch the next part.

watching Life of Pi

Buffy watching Life of Pi.

 * The Black slip is a story for another day!

The topic What is your favorite movie? was given to us for today by Shackman. He has stepped back into the shadows for the moment, but we hope that in due course he will return to our weekly LBC party. The names of all the other members are to be found in the sidebar. I have popcorn, so are you coming on the rounds with me?