Recent Things

[intertext]

I was delighted today when the first post after the "holidays" brought a small box containing a cat-toy and some dog treats from brinian! Thank you!! That was so thoughtful, and both animals were most pleased with their prezzies. And I loved your special card :)

Today, Robinson and I went for a walk on the waterfront amid the most spectacular storm clouds and positively apocalyptic sky. We got hailed on. Then on the way home there was a beautiful rainbow.

Yesterday, lidocafe and I went to see Slumdog Millionaire. It was fun, but I haven't quite worked out what I think of it. I'm not sure how ironically we are meant to take it, and for some reason I can't believe we're meant to take it as an unabashed "feel-good" movie. I don't know what it says about it that I can't make that distinction. It had a lot of energy and flash, and the lead was believable and sweet, but...

Tomorrow, basically the film-club (minus Eli, who is at home in Ferny, and has been on Facebook so we don't have to worry about him being under an avalanche) is going to see Benjamin Button in the cause of superfoo's birthday. Some people say that movie is terrible; others say that it's absolutely wonderful. We shall see. It will be fun, either way. If it's awful, we can be a large obnoxious group and make rude noises and get ourselves thrown out of the cinema.

Oh, and I forgot to mention that kp and j and I went to Butchart Gardens to see it all lit up for Christmas. This is what it looked like:

Comments

[shikuchi.livejournal.com]

A film club sounds like an excellent idea. :D Now I want to go start one!

I've heard lots of good reviews of Slumdog Millionaire, but I still have no idea what it's about. Also, the adds for Benjamin Button made it look potentially good or bad to me, so you'll have to blog what you think of it. The name sounds like the name of a little kids' book though...

And that photo is ABSOLUTELY lovely. :3

[intertext.livejournal.com]

I think you would probably like Slumdog Millionaire - there's a lot to like about it and nothing really to dislike. I'm not sure if I _loved_ it, but it was enjoyable. I will blog about BB :) Stay tuned.

And thank you - if you click through to my Flickr site you'll see other shots from my visit to Butchart.

And a film club is great fun. Especially if it's people you like a lot anyway and getting together to see a movie is a good excuse just to hang out with people you like :)

[asakiyume.livejournal.com]

We got hailed on

Would you believe, my mind first picture strangers hollering greetings at you? ...and then I realized what you actually meant.

You're the second of my friends to mention Slumdog Millionaire and to have not unadulterated positive feelings about it. My good friend (and guardian angel) described it as a grisly but simultaneously sweet movie, very simple plot but a rich evocation of an India I know nothing about.

What did she mean by "grisly"? Was it the interrogation scenes (are there interrogation scenes? I seem to recall a reviewer saying there were)?

[intertext.livejournal.com]

Yes, there are interrogation scenes, but also un-flinching depiction of aspects of life in extreme poverty - gangsters, exploitation of children, prostitution, and some of the violence that goes along with those things. Nothing really gross and explicit, but some unpleasant scenes and things by suggestion.

But it's also very sweet. But some of the "feel-good" aspect of it is kind of unrealistic in light of the context, so you can't help thinking it's ironic. My friend lidocafe thought it was also a riff on Bollywood conventions, which are also totally unrealistic in the same context.

[asakiyume.livejournal.com]

Aha--okay, that makes good sense.

[pdlloyd.livejournal.com]

What a gorgeous picture. I don't think I've ever seen snow lighted in that way. :)

[heleninwales.livejournal.com]

There was a very short mention of Slumdog Millionaire on TV last night and the plot and some of the clips reminded me of something I'd heard during the year on the radio. Googling reveals that the film is based on a book called Q and A, so that's what I must have heard an adaptation of.

Your snow picture is amazing. It's extraordinarly difficult to decide whether it's a real full-sized garden or a miniature one with bonsai trees!

[brinian.livejournal.com]

So glad everything made it through customs. I always worry.