I watched the Coen brothers' "Blood Simple" last night. It's their first film and absolutely fabulous. If you like a really good thriller then I highly recommend it, plus...look how adorably young Frances McDormand is in it. This interview cracks me up:
But it doesn't pass the Bechdel test.
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Saturday, June 5, 2010
Friday, June 4, 2010
Friday morning
I've been so busy and anxious lately that I haven't really noticed the wonderful things which have been happening around me. That's no way to live a life. So I went to the bookstore a couple of days ago and bought "Hunting and Gathering" by Anna Gavalda, because I enjoyed her latest book "Consolation" so much. This morning I woke up with a half hour to spare and it was pouring with rain outside so I settled in to reading the last few pages of the book, in bed, with the shutters open so I could look out at the rain. The experience was made doubly wonderful because I knew I had a time limit - Master Cb cannot be late for school.
I should explain here that Anna Gavalda ROCKS the endings of her stories, so I just knew each page of the story would make me feel happier and happier. Then, Mr. Cb (who is addicted to watching the Airbender series every morning while having breakfast) came upstairs during the ad break with a perfect latte made in my orange Grumpy Cafe mug. He placed it on my night-table, and I told him that this very moment was indeed the happiest moment of my entire life. He smiled, kissed me and went back to the Airbender. Then....then....Blue came jingling up the stairs, jumped on the bed and lay down on my feet, and then I read the last five pages of the book while sipping my coffee.
That's all I need. Really, I tell you. That's all I need.
I should explain here that Anna Gavalda ROCKS the endings of her stories, so I just knew each page of the story would make me feel happier and happier. Then, Mr. Cb (who is addicted to watching the Airbender series every morning while having breakfast) came upstairs during the ad break with a perfect latte made in my orange Grumpy Cafe mug. He placed it on my night-table, and I told him that this very moment was indeed the happiest moment of my entire life. He smiled, kissed me and went back to the Airbender. Then....then....Blue came jingling up the stairs, jumped on the bed and lay down on my feet, and then I read the last five pages of the book while sipping my coffee.
That's all I need. Really, I tell you. That's all I need.
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Say yes to the dress
Miss Cb and I are completely addicted to this show. The combination of family/friend relationships and fashion is, in my opinion, exactly what my writing teachers mean when they say they want life and death stakes and a ticking time bomb in the first 15 pages.
And it's all real life.
And it's all real life.
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Louise Bourgeois
I just heard that Louise Bourgeois died today, she was 98 years old. That's a long and beautiful life.
I never met Louise Bourgeois, and yet she had a profound effect on my own life. Ten years ago I visited my parents in London; Miss Cb was eight, Master Cb was five, and my parents were eager for me to go off and enjoy myself so that they could spoil the grandchildren. I obliged, with pleasure. One of the places I visited was the Tate Modern, and I was lucky to enough to experience Bourgeois' incredible sculpture entitled "I Do, I Undo, I Redo," a more apt title for my emotional landscape at that time I could not have found. I stood on line and waited patiently at each of the three towers, I walked up the stairs, I sat on the chairs and stared at the giant mirrors, I walked down the stairs and stopped at each tiny sculpture on the way. Louise Bourgeois had somehow managed to physically sculpt my feelings, and I shall be eternally grateful to her for that.
I never met Louise Bourgeois, and yet she had a profound effect on my own life. Ten years ago I visited my parents in London; Miss Cb was eight, Master Cb was five, and my parents were eager for me to go off and enjoy myself so that they could spoil the grandchildren. I obliged, with pleasure. One of the places I visited was the Tate Modern, and I was lucky to enough to experience Bourgeois' incredible sculpture entitled "I Do, I Undo, I Redo," a more apt title for my emotional landscape at that time I could not have found. I stood on line and waited patiently at each of the three towers, I walked up the stairs, I sat on the chairs and stared at the giant mirrors, I walked down the stairs and stopped at each tiny sculpture on the way. Louise Bourgeois had somehow managed to physically sculpt my feelings, and I shall be eternally grateful to her for that.
Monday, May 31, 2010
Consolation
It's been a while since I read a book, it really has. I've been spending most of my time reading scripts and watching films, so when a friend of mine gave me this book and assured me it was "my type" of book I was simply annoyed. But she was right, it is completely and absolutely my type of book and it is exactly what I needed to read this weekend.
I shall link to this article here, which I think does a very good job of describing the many joys hiding between the covers of this book. The joys and treasures are indeed hiding, because the beginning of the story is dark, slow and mysterious. The way to read the first few chapters is to be completely open to the not-knowing, what I mean by this is that you have to almost pretend that you understand the intricacies of characters and plot, go with the flow, and have faith that all will become clear. It all eventually becomes miraculously clear, and then you suddenly feel this tremendous surge of love for life which could only have been created through those final revelations.
It's a story about parenting and mothering which actually, really and truly, I swear, captures that painful struggle and those moments of joy. It's a story which I wish I had read a decade ago because I could have used some of its consolation; then again, reading it now is pretty much damn perfect. So many wonderful scenes at the end of this novel, oh boy, so many smiles I smiled. I don't want to give anything away, but there's a scene with a selection of cookie-cutters that simply kills me, and a story told by a little girl after an architect builds her a play-house, and...all right...I'm not going to say anything else. I'll leave it for you to discover.
I shall link to this article here, which I think does a very good job of describing the many joys hiding between the covers of this book. The joys and treasures are indeed hiding, because the beginning of the story is dark, slow and mysterious. The way to read the first few chapters is to be completely open to the not-knowing, what I mean by this is that you have to almost pretend that you understand the intricacies of characters and plot, go with the flow, and have faith that all will become clear. It all eventually becomes miraculously clear, and then you suddenly feel this tremendous surge of love for life which could only have been created through those final revelations.
It's a story about parenting and mothering which actually, really and truly, I swear, captures that painful struggle and those moments of joy. It's a story which I wish I had read a decade ago because I could have used some of its consolation; then again, reading it now is pretty much damn perfect. So many wonderful scenes at the end of this novel, oh boy, so many smiles I smiled. I don't want to give anything away, but there's a scene with a selection of cookie-cutters that simply kills me, and a story told by a little girl after an architect builds her a play-house, and...all right...I'm not going to say anything else. I'll leave it for you to discover.
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Oh my gosh Eleanor's posting photos!!!
Here is Blue in the library, supervising me as I finish my scene breakdown at 2am. As you can see, he's concerned.
Here I am, posing in front of one of Fifilastupenda's artworks, on the opening night of her exhibition last month. I am wearing my "best" glasses and a scarf which I had hoped would allow me to seamlessly blend in amongst the artists. Unfortunately, upon entering the gallery, I immediately began gushing loudly (much to Miss Cb's horror) about the BEAUTY and the JOY of it all, and how jealous Eurolush would be if she knew where I was and "Don't you WISH, with all of your HEART, that all these people drinking wine would disappear so that you could lie down in the middle of the room and look around at the paintings and feel like you are swimming with Fi?"
These are lollies, which Miss Cb just made this afternoon, from SCRATCH. The red are strawberry, purple are rosewater, and they are all about to be placed in a glass jar and presented to her friend tonight as a birthday gift.
Miss Cb is enjoying her gap year. Before leaving for a trip overseas she is very busy getting the house in order, which includes sorting through Mister Cb's 367 ties which he no longer wears because his office has a very casual dress code. Blue is pleased, yet still somewhat concerned.
Here I am, posing in front of one of Fifilastupenda's artworks, on the opening night of her exhibition last month. I am wearing my "best" glasses and a scarf which I had hoped would allow me to seamlessly blend in amongst the artists. Unfortunately, upon entering the gallery, I immediately began gushing loudly (much to Miss Cb's horror) about the BEAUTY and the JOY of it all, and how jealous Eurolush would be if she knew where I was and "Don't you WISH, with all of your HEART, that all these people drinking wine would disappear so that you could lie down in the middle of the room and look around at the paintings and feel like you are swimming with Fi?"
These are lollies, which Miss Cb just made this afternoon, from SCRATCH. The red are strawberry, purple are rosewater, and they are all about to be placed in a glass jar and presented to her friend tonight as a birthday gift.Needless to say, Miss Cb is self taught. Her mother was napping at the time.
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