Movies & Books Into Movies

[nlhome]

I went back to smell my NAC. There is an odor of sulfur, but not all that strong. Mine are capsules. I take them with food.

I have a close friend who lives in The Villages. This was the year I was planning to visit, to see her and where she lives. My impression from her emails and conversations is it is a very insulated place, not particularly "homey". It's all older people, so "the sidewalks roll up at 9 p.m." or so. They play a lot of golf, cards and some other games. I think the draw is the climate, and for some, the taxes. It's in the middle of the state, not on the coast, so no beaches, etc. Of course, I'm not going there this year, and if I read between the lines, they are rather bored.

[Frybabe]

My Mom was allergic to sulfer.

I remember her mentioning the Villages. It did not sound appealing to me who does not play golf and can't imagine playing cards day after day. For golfers, though, I imagine it is a big attractant.

[ginny]

Well now THAT, Jane, was fascinating.  And I see that Nlhome  (I wish you had gotten to visit, I'd really like to hear what somebody from the outside thinks, and here's Frybabe, too, and Jane, who know about this place, and I had no idea).  Never HEARD of it nor realized it was so huge. I did see the golf cart parades on TV in a political ad which did nothing for them, frankly, but I had no earthly idea how big it is.

 We have  Retirement Communities here as well, like everybody else, and some of them have the individual houses, etc., but nothing like this behemoth and it's building more.  What is the attraction?

But Jane's recommendation of where to look was an eye opener and now I really don't know what to think. Jerry and Linda? I looked at their vlog is it on perspectives after one  year...Rules, (which are nothing compared to what some people have  here in some subdivisions which are NOT retirement communities, and which have a representative from the HOA who literally goes about in a car, trying to spot terrible issues such as a tomato planted in the back yard, believe it or not), and quite frankly this in one of those cookie cutter suburbs, I don't know why anybody puts up with it...but the unexpected expenses (Jerry and Linda reveal in a later little film that they have now been there 3 years),  seem a bit strange.

I'm so taken with Jerry and Linda, particularity him, it's mesmerizing. Watch this and see what you think? "Things we don't like after living here one year:"   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7LTglD_j6bY

They have now been there 3 years,they both seem to have changed in appearance, and  they have a new one from 6 days ago (something about breaking the bubble, I haven't seen it yet) . I am finding it fascinating. It's like watching 7 UP, the British series in which Michael Apted (who just died) showed the difference the British educational system makes in  people by following them every 7 years. Fascinating series.

But the commercial for the new movie on the place seems to show one continual life of opportunity for the elderly, sort of a Disneyland Cruise Ship sort of thing. Exactly like a cruise ship. With golf.

So I was surprised to see something which SEEMS? Different. Jerry reveals that he now has to pay 64 dollars..(a round?) , I don't play golf,  is that 18 holes? Unless he plays the Executive? Hours which you get for living there, but apparently it's not the times you want. And then there are the  Snowbirds who somehow manage to keep a full time regime fee membership and residence  in the Villages and live somewhere else 6 months of the year and when they come it's hard to get  in line anywhere, and everything is very crowded.

Are there no taxes in Florida? Is it a tax free zone?

So I still don't know what it costs to live there or the benefits. (There is another one on the prices done by somebody but I haven't watched it  yet).  I WAS startled to see Jerry say the house next door is 5 feet literally away from his, and on the other side it's not much farther.  And she said that sometimes you need a GPS to get home because the houses are somewhat similar. Sounds exactly like the old Levittowns, so there must be....there MUST be something attractive which would lure such attractive  intelligent NICE people there.

Then I watched a local repairman talking about how another resident had been scammed  to paying 10 times more for attic insulation and an air purifier, outrageous, call him instead. So it appears maintenance is yours, too.

Then I watched another one about a man who appears very handsome, personable,  and engaging, coming for his "Lifestyle Visit," and so far all the people we have gotten to meet, and  residents here seem extremely nice courteous very attractive people whom you'd really like to know....

But the movie shows  the other side apparently, featuring residents with other issues, drug addiction, loneliness, ...can you be unhappy in paradise?

Are the benefits the availability of interest groups, the ease of transportation to and from them by golf cart (are you not allowed a car?)  and lots of people if you want them to be around?  Are they going to take care of you if something happens? Some sort of tiers like they have here? Assisted Living, Memory Care, etc?

I guess my question after watching 3 films is WHY? I am so SLOW to comprehend things sometimes,  particularly the motivations of others. WHY would one want to live there?

What do you think?

[nlhome]

Before my friend and her husband bought a place in The Villages (it is a house, has a yard of sorts), they rented places here and there in Florida. One place had rules that denim was not to be worn outside of the house, but people could sit in their driveways in lawn chairs but could not sit in lawn chairs outside the sun porch, which faced a golf course, because it didn't look good. I live in denim, so I told her if they bought there, I'd never be able to visit. They didn't think much of it either. One thing I am envious about, at least right now, is that she is planting flowers and setting out pansies and other blooms in pots. I am looking at snow falling.

[rosemarykaye]

Hi all,

I haven't heard of The Villages, but I did see The Real Marigold on Tour, a series in which older celebrities visit various foreign countries to see how retired people live there. In one episode,  they visited two retirement communities in Florida. The more upmarket of the two was very smart, but it was so sterile, and so 'perfect'. There were tons of rules, and everyone appeared to be very white, very rich and very conservative. There was a lot of support for your soon-to-be-ex-president.

One of the UK group was the actress Miriam Margoyles, who is very alternative and outspoken, so you can imagine how that went. I must say I would not have wanted to live there - it was fine if you subscribed to the same views and values as the other residents, and thought that gun ownership was a fine thing - whereas, I have mentioned before, to us in the UL it is such an alien concept. Only farmers, gamekeepers, criminals, and some specially trained police officers have guns here. Our police do not routinely carry firearms. Margoyles ended up in an argument about politics, and it became very clear that if you didn't fit in, you were unlikely to have a good experience there.

This is what the BBC website said:

'The famous four start their trip north of Orlando in Oak Run, an affordable community for 7,000 residents enjoying daily exercise, hundreds of clubs and weekly bingo. Keen to know the locals, Wayne (Sleep) decides to start a dance class, Rosemary (Shrager - well known TV cook) throws a party for the neighbours, and Miriam takes Bobby (George - darts champion) to the local gun shop, to learn that despite living in fortressed ‘Leisurevilles’, retirees are in fact their best customers.

The group’s second destination is an hour north of Miami. The Polo Club, marketed as the height of retired living and home to some of the richest senior citizens in the states, charges $85k per year to be a member. But arriving at their new luxury home soon divides opinion in the group, and their experience of what many residents here consider to be the idyllic lifestyle is not for everyone.

Barely an hour in to their stay a heated exchange ensues and Miriam learns that talking politics and real life with a bunch of blissfully happy retirees is never a good idea. Meanwhile, Rosemary is intrigued to know how the Polo Club members appear to look so young, and she decides to visit a local cosmetic surgeon in a bid to hold back the years.'

Even in sheltered housing developments in the UK (which usually have wardens, etc but nothing like the kind of facilities you mention), I have heard that the hidden extra expenses can be exorbitant. The most well known specialist company here is McCarthy and Stone - they do have a good name for the quality and design of their apartments and houses, but the costs are, I think, rather terrifying.

I do understand that these communities may make people feel safer, but I'm not sure that living exclusively with people just like oneself is a good idea.  Wouldn't all your prejudices. preconceptions and fears simply become more and more entrenched? Whereas living in an area with a variety of age groups and lifestyles should surely keep the mind more open and engaged?

Rosemary

[BarbStAubrey]

another version of a retirement community is Sun City which is what we have in this area - located in Georgetown which is, now because of traffic, over a half hour north of Austin - to me crazy is that no youngster can stay overnight for I think 2 weeks which means no summer visits from one or more grands over the summer - seems like many prefer living among those who are similar in age regardless if they play golf or not - to each his own...

Yes, I can attest to how as we age we loose friend after friend on top of being less mobile but frankly I cannot imagine living where I do not see kids and no teenager I can hire to help with odds and ends -

Young man next door, who is now in his second year at UT still mows my lawn, on his own brings in and sets next to my garage door my trash cans, takes my vehicle around the block weekly to make sure the battery does not go down again. I prefer being as self sufficient as possible but he is willing to pickup my groceries and pickup my prescription that because of Covid they are delivered free - all that since he was in 7th grade plus I've got trick and treaters making that holiday fun and watch youngsters walking home from school and see Moms or Dads herding their little ones to the playground usually on the weekend. A walk or drive in the neighborhood and there is always a few high schoolers playing basketball in their driveway - it is full of life, energy, fun - nothing staid with quiet concentration to get it right while looking 'right'

[ginny]

I think from what I can see that these retirement communities fill a need for those who have certain ideas about how they want to spend their "Golden Years," and the types of activities they want at hand and included with your "membership" in a place. Tennis, swimming, classes, driving golf carts to the grocery, activities, and people to do it with with a predicable manageable price, and perhaps not so much maintenance to take care of.   People have different needs. If a person did not have these needs or desires  they would not be there.

In the Margoles movie, which consists of two ladies, and two men, the first couple the two ladies meet explains that since they are  alone in the world, everybody becomes your family and you are never alone, which is something  a lot of people worry about as they age and friends die away  etc.  Obviously there is a lot to do and people to do it with. The ability to have choices of things to do, seems important to those of us a certain age.

I would think you'd also need to be gregarious, a person who likes being with people. Somewhere in this has to be the bit about if I can no longer continue as I am  you are  going to take care of me and I no longer need to worry about that part of it and live for today.   If it's in Florida it's a tax situation, too, as the taxes are less.

I have started watching the Marigold on Tour Group and I'm afraid Rosemary is going to hate me but so far it's been a pretty negative experience.


The Retirement Community  in  the first stop in Florida seems modest, the houses are not expensive, large or elegant but many of these people have moved from houses that require  services to keep up, due to their age anyway, and don't  need so much floor space to clean. The neighbors are friendly.

I hate to say it but so far (and I'm not far in) my issue is with the  "celebrities," themselves.

Here are some quotes from Miriam Margoles before they even get to the place:

"I know Florida- it has vulgarity stamped all over it,  so I'm hoping I will learn something that will teach me how to enjoy it there...." That sounds hopeful , but...

 I, on the other hand, am not sure I am seeing what you'd call restrained elegance in our group  so far. I nearly turned it off.  The mugging and loudness of the introduction reminded me of our own "celebrities" on tour, and quite frankly, Come Dine With Me Celebrities. hahahaha I guess once a celebrity always a celebrity?

And then one of the gentlemen (who haven't had much of a part yet), who seems very nice,  cheerfully  rolled back his suit sleeve to reveal a forearm pretty much encased in gold bangles, wristlets,  bracelets, chains, I'd say easily 1/3rd maybe half of his forearm was ringed with gold, and he made the statement "I had better leave these off,  here." Huh?  I find myself confused on what vulgar is, again?


It would appear they have brought their ....prejudices with them? As they ride through a sort of cookie cutter neighborhood of moderately  priced houses,  there are American flags out on every mailbox and Margoles says "look at the flags, and then disgustedly, Oh God."

Says she is not sure how she'll get on, she doesn't care about plastic surgery or beauty. But once  in the first small house where they are to stay she says,

"Looking around at this pretentious rabbit hutch there is no style, no taste..."

I am not sure that the celebrity  ladies themselves exude taste or style or beauty,  either. I'm going to have to rewind it to see what has been judged as  pretension in those small barely furnished houses which I THINK are  a shell which  you are intended to put your own stamp and taste into. I could be wrong.

hmmmm



The lady who is a cook can't understand the need for a "Gated Community," and thinks anybody retiring at 55 has not got much of a life to start with, she thinks it's sad. She seems a nice person and ends that with "or am I being too judgmental?"

Possibly.

So there's definitely a cultural divide here.

I'm being catty. But I think when you start out with a critical attitude you are going to have a critical result.  I realize from this that I am the opposite type of traveler,  that I start any trip with  way too much optimism...perhaps a little too childlike...perhaps naive. It's wonderful, to me.  I like people whom others categorize as  "characters," but sneering causes me to have to look at the person doing it a little more critically, myself.

Perhaps it will pick up.

[rosemarykaye]

haha Ginny - of course I don't hate you!

Miriam Margolyes is and always has been a very provocative person. She was clearly chosen for this series for that very reason - I can't think of anyone in any of the other series of this programme that has been like her, many have been very open minded, really loved the places they visited and even considered moving to them.  Margolyes is, I think, a good actress, and I recently heard her reading The Portrait of Lady on BBC Sounds and was amazed to discover that it was indeed her - she sounded so different from her usual persona. But she would be a nightmare to live with, anywhere! (She does in fact have a long term female partner and they seem very happy together - that's why she lives in Australia - her partner's nationality.)

I do agree with Barb though that living in a community where everyone was your own age and of similar means would, at least for me, be less than ideal. As Miss Jean Brodie famously said 'For those that  like that sort of thing, that is the kind of thing they like' 

And I do think just about everyone I know would struggle with the gun culture in many parts of the US, it is just so different from our own public life (not that that doesn't have many, many issues.)

You also, I think, mentioned Rosemary Shrager (the cook). She reminds me so much of a rather posh friend of mine, Sarah, and I think they probably are, indeed, similar, in that they both speak before they think but actually have hearts of gold. Sarah is. surprisingly, very open-minded but she doesn't hold back from shouting her mouth off at times - when I first met her she annoyed me, but once I got to know her we got on like a house on fire. By contrast, I don't think Margolyes has a heart of gold at all.

I do understand your reaction to this lot, (I can't remember who the guy with the bangles was, but he's definitely not posh - was he a darts playing champion or something? I don't think he would be likely to go on about 'taste'!)  If you can bear it, it might be worth finding one of the early series - the first one, I think had people in it who seriously investigated wherever it was they were visiting. And in the series (can't recall now which one it was) in which they went to India, they (mostly) adored the place.

I am such a stick in the mud I can't imagine retiring anywhere but Scotland. But I can see the advantages in living somewhere where everything like maintenance is taken care of - I suppose the ideal might be a small community like that which is also near other people and other types of housing, etc. My husband has a huge down on gated communities (there are hardly any here I think - except in very wealthy areas of London) but I imagine it does help to prevent burglaries, etc.

It all does so much depend on the kind of person you are and what you want, doesn't it? And I do know so many extremely elderly people who have refused point blank to move out of their no-longer-suitable homes, and are now at risk.  My own in-laws left it far too late, then had to move straight into a care home, which they hated. If they could have been persuaded to move first into sheltered accommodation while they were still able to enjoy life, I think they would have had a much better time, but unfortunately my mother-in-law had a rigid and unassailable notion of what sheltered housing meant (ie she thought it was the worst kind of care home, despite numerous attempts to explain that it wasn't) and would not even go to have a look.

Anyway, sorry about Miriam M!  They are series of this with more sensible participants! Series 4 had Susie Blake, who was already very into yoga and Buddhism, and absolutely adored India, also Henry Blofield (cricket commentator, who also loved it) and Zandra Rhodes - the fashion designer with the very exotic clothes and hair, who was also, I felt , a good and open-minded participant. The only really awful one in that was, in fact, Britt Ekland, not because she didn't like the place, I think she did, but she could nto stop talking about herself, and wanted to be the centre of attention at all times.

[ginny]

Well the strangest thing happened.  For some reason when I went to youtube it came up with a link to Miriam Margoles on some kind of talk show talking about her trip to America.  So  I watched it.   She said she had lived in America  16 years in the past and that she thought the American Dream was dead, but pleasantly, and there was such a contrast between that woman, well dressed, pleasant, and congenial,  and the one on the trip, I could hardly believe my eyes.

I think perhaps she was having a REALLY  bad day when I saw her? But I think I'll pass on the rest of the series.

[ginny]

Watched another episode of Poirot last night, the original series. It's interesting to see how the series originated and to watch the changes somewhat in the characters as the series progresses. In this age of sweats and comfy clothes ruling the world (which I am 100 percent in favor of) somehow it's lovely to see fussy Mr. Poirot and all the characters decked out in their best. Kind of like the 30's movies of the well dressed and fashionable while the rest of the world is in the Great Depression and couldn't care less what they had on. Or did they? Most of the movies of that  period  tend toward elegance and rich displays, aquacades, Billy Rose extravaganzas and Gatsby type scenarios.

  I read one of those "inisider" books  once by a stewardess and how they disdain  people in sweats, etc., they just HATE to see somebody come aboard in sweats for some reason,  but they do make some very nice warm exercise pants nowadays. I've read articles on will we go BACK ever? It's going to be interesting to see. I do think and always have, that hotels take one look and make a decision based on how you appear when you travel and how you act as well so far as the quality of the room you get  (and there are websites devoted to the insider remarks of hotel staff, or there used to be before the pandemic).  I learned a lot on them.  I know I've been given some fabulous rooms, and have definitely  left the  sweats at home.

 On the other hand, I look like the kitchen help compared to some people, so one wonders if one really DID "dress" for the "occasion" what one would be given??...Anyway, I wonder what the fashion trends will be when this is over.

Did you see that charming 80+ year old man and his sea shanties about the  Covid  vaccine? He's priceless.  Nice to see some positivity lately.

For some reason, channel surfing last night I happened on a Will Smith sort of sci fi movie called Men in Black III which I  could not tear self away from, so taped the last of it and then  taped the first two also running. I like him, he's very personable and I did get his I, Robot, which  is up next.

One is somewhat beginning to understand why kids like super heroes and these video games which allow them to deal vicariously with a world which seems sometimes  out of control.

[Tomereader1]

I watched that episode of "Poirot" the other night.  I like the originals more than the updated ones.  And I do love Poirot's fussiness and finery. 

I may have already asked, (if so, forgive my brain-drain), did you watch the PBS episodes about Agatha Christie?
"The Mind of Agatha Christie" and "Agatha Christie's England".  Oh, what gorgeous cinematography in that last one. 
There is a movie out now on Netflix (just started showing I think) "The Dig" with Ralph Fiennes, and for the life of me I can't put a name to the female lead.  (I tuned in after they had shown the Cast info) I know I've seen her in other things, but she is so, so skinny in this one)  I only watched the first few minutes, as it was nearing midnight when I switched on.  So, that is my "to do" for today.  I should set aside time to vacuum my living room, but "I'll think about that tomorrow" !  Anyway, I sidetracked myself, the premise is that she hires Fiennes to "dig" in the "mounds" that are on her property, she's not looking for buried treasure, but historically significant finds relating to the culture, etc. of whoever/whatever may be buried there.

[Tomereader1]

"The Dig" is quite wonderful!  Should appeal to more than one of you on this forum!  IMHO, what movies should be.   Wonderful story line, accomplished actors who can carry off their roles, cinematography that embellishes the story line.

[rosemarykaye]

Hi Tomereader - I haven't seen The Dig (we don't have Netflix) but it is proving very successful here. I think there's an article about it in this week's Radio Times.

I do often wonder if we should get Netflix, but we seem to have more than enough to watch already.

Rosemary

[Tomereader1]

And for frosting on the cake, it is a true story! (I'm sure some things embellished).
I was perusing our TV Weekly, which is sort of a local edition of TV Guide, and just looking through to see what would be on in the Sunday Afternoon time frame (since football --American football is over until the Super Bowl), and some of the channels we were enchanted with back when you had to get a humongous dish on your roof, have simply gone into idiocy.  Like a slate of 5 or 6 continuous hours of "The Real Housewives of ______ (whatever city, NY, LA, Atlanta, Dallas), or same # of hours of Two and A Half Men.  You get the idea of what I'm talking about.  Time was Arts & Entertainment was actually A&E, History Channel, was actually History. (They still have a few good ones).  Local TV is also a Wasteland, with so many "reality shows" which bear no resemblance to Reality.  So, as far as I'm concerned, it is worth the addnl. expense to get Netflix or Amazon Prime Video if those are available.  I am a Dish Network subscriber too, and of late, their programming has taken a real dive;  With those same blocs of endless repetition, in shows that have reached their half-life already.
Enough of my rant about TV Programming. (Since we can't get out to the theatres, I guess we live with what we can find.  A lot of my favorite regular shows have been showing re-runs, so I just turn the TV off and read, or play on the computer!  By play, I mean visiting our SeniorLearn and Seniors&Friends forums to keep up with how our cyber-friends all over the U.S. and World are doing.

[BarbStAubrey]

I too noticed that Tomereader - nothing on PBS either except repeat after repeat - although, this new version of All Creatures Great and Small is turning out to be worth watching - the only one who to me is dull and not coming across is the actor who plays Herriot  - another new one is a silly thing about a late nineteenth century women taking on her father's detective practice after he died and so, like you I'm reading - I've a bunch of movies bookmarked or whatever it is called on Amazon but have not felt like watching - I'm having more fun with my new steamer - yep, I succumbed - much slower doing carpets than if I rented one of the bigger steamers at the HEB but I'm having fun steaming window casings, mine are aluminum and steam cleaning windows etc.

I'm wondering if they are scraping the bottom of their inventory because covid has about stopped production of anything new - this whole isolation thing is getting us back to taking care of ourselves using our own skills that we had gotten away from - some are cooking after not having cooked a meal in years and I noticed many are at their sewing machines and others are using at home exercise equipment - now it looks like we will be entertaining ourselves like we did before TV. 

[rosemarykaye]

Barb - I really enjoyed the new All Creatures Great & Small too. The actor who plays Siegfried is Samuel West, he is the son of actors Timothy West and Prunella Scales, both latterly of the canal boat programmes. I do think Samuel W gets into the role, in fact I soon enjoyed him just as much as the last one (was that Robert Hardy?). And when you get to the Christmas special, he is absolutely lovely.

The most recent series of both the Great British Bake Off and the Great Pottery Throwdown were filmed in a ‘bubble’ - all of the participants - judges, contestants, camera crew, directors, every single one - isolated in a hotel for the entire duration.  The next, and much anticipated, series of Line of Duty has also been filmed in this way.

I’m afraid I just don’t have the skills to do any of those hobbies you mention. I do cook, but although I was quite interested in it many years ago, and we still always have an evening meal cooked from scratch, and never have takeaways or microwave dinners, these days I see it more as a chore than a pleasure. I also bake, and I don’t mind doing that, but again it’s not something I look forward to with excitement.

I do read however!  And write. And as soon as the weather improves, I will be gardening - now that’s something that does float my boat. Yesterday my nearest supermarket had shelves and shelves of primulas reduced to £1 a tray. They were healthy and well established. I bought one tray and have planted two pots with them this morning, and it is so nice to have some colour on the front step again.

Rosemary

[Tomereader1]

Barb, I am also enjoying "All Creatures Great & Small", the new rendition.  I had tried to watch the older ones, but was just terrifically bored, and barely got through 2 or 3 episodes.  (I think the fact that it is filmed in HD, and fills the screen makes the series much more enjoyable.)

[BarbStAubrey]

Y'all were talking about "Dig" the other day and here is a good article and a preview of the movie

https://austin.culturemap.com/news/entertainment/01-29-21-archaeology-drama-the-dig-movie-review-austin/?utm_source=daily-digest&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=website&mc_cid=a0b0e250b5&mc_eid=9c47c294d0#slide=0

[ginny]

And I went in to find Dig last night and discovered Netflix was not connected but eventually Dish got it back up and running ( I have a new Shark robot  Vacuum that needs 2.4 wi fi and I have 5 (but it's a choice)... so the first thing that came up was DIG and it looks wonderful, thank you so much!


History Channel, was actually History  hhahah Tome, you're a hoot! And so true.

All these shows sound great.   I had stopped watching the new Bake Off!! I must resume.

I saw as I said the last of Men in Black III and just had to see the beginning and it's on Dish On Demand and free so I watched it.  I love the sweet little guy character. It's Sci Fi,though and not everybody likes that.

Rosemary, talking about gardening I received a rose in a gallon pot yesterday in the mail and it's in leaf and it's 20 degrees outside at night!!   I don't know what they are thinking! So it's in my rolling iron plant rack which I absolutely love, I can bring in all the outside plants, it's wonderful. and BIG. Plenty of room for all plants.   It's 72 inches tall.  Shelves adjust, there are 4 of them.  The plants love it too, I've got two orchids blooming on it, and another  one opening up,  and if you want to water them, you just wheel it up to  the kitchen sink. It's about 6 feet long and about  3' deep and it's got rubber liners so no water drips. A heck of a lot better than trying to keep a greenhouse warm. Even the chickens hate the cold lately.

Barbara, thank you for the great article on The Dig!

Barb - I really enjoyed the new All Creatures Great & Small too. The actor who plays Siegfried is Samuel West, he is the son of actors Timothy West and Prunella Scales, both latterly of the canal boat programmes.

!!!! I did not know that!!!

Boy this discussion is a gold mine tonight!

[ginny]

 I really liked Men in Black III so when I finished that I started Men in Black I, there seem to be three sequels to it. I think the sequels are better made than the first one, but you need the first one to get oriented.

As I said I like Will Smith so have enjoyed it.


I continue to read nothing but good about The Dig, so will look forward to it, tonight.  It's about Sutton Hoo, right? Very exciting to anticipate.

My DIL gave me a new book about Movies You Must See and why, and I thought what a good idea. They appear all old? And so I thought maybe we should form a Dinner and a Movie Club and watch one and then talk about it?

I tested out the blind opening of the book and hit on  Citizen Kane. I never saw it and really dislike Orson Welles. I thought hmf. And I could not find it anywhere.   

So I chose again and got The Third Man. Another Orson Welles and not able to find it at all except for pay on Amazon Prime.  hmf.

 I am assuming this is not a book of Orson Welles movies, but the premise might be fun?

When I was pregnant   with my first child the local theater here did a Ladies Matinee, about 11 am, with free refreshments, nice doughnuts, etc.,  and an old movie and it was a lot of fun. I remember that and enjoyed it a lot.

Maybe we should replicate it? We could bring our own snacks.


Also continuing to enjoy the Poirot original series, very much.


I see The Crown is up for several Golden Globe awards, and I hope that Gillian Anderson can get one as well as the girl that played Diana (hopefully they are not put against each other),  but I am chagrined that that's about the only one I actually have seen there. I have seen Shitts Creek, which is winning everything lately,  and enjoyed it in the early  years. I like Eugene Levy and Catherine O'Hara, and the whole cast , really. I love the Christopher Guest improv things, like Best in Show and Waiting for Guffman.

[rosemarykaye]

Ginny - I know what you mean about plants being sold at this time of year. Our local store already has roses and hibiscus on the shelves. I wondered about the hibiscus, but luckily I consulted daughter, who reminded me that I already have one on the deck in Edinburgh (ie 100+ miles south of here) and even that is apparently 'not looking very well'....I will have to wait and hope that they still have them a bit later in spring. All of our garden centres are closed, the only places we can buy plants are supermarkets and discount stores, or online, and I'm a bit nervous about the latter as I like to see the plants first - but Madeleine also says that she ordered many plants last summer and was pleased with the results.

I might be up for watching a film then discussing it - do we want to do this people? Not keen on sci-fi, violence or fantasy, but Ok with just about anything else.

I saw a new challenge on Facebook - you only have to do one section of it at a time, and although they called it a 28 day challenge, you don't really have to stick to the rules. I will try to post it:

If that doesn't work I'll try something else...

Rosemary

[Dana]

Am just about finished watching "The Good Fight" which Ginny mentioned here ages ago.  I also rewatched "The Good Wife" for ages, which I enjoyed but it got a bit boring and slowed down when they dwelled too much on her romantic problems.  I guess I like a nice fast pace!
The Good Fight is really political and is very interesting to watch now, with the benefit of hindsight, as it starts at the beginning of the Trump administration. I didn't actually realise at the time, living here in the South, how very very negatively he was viewed elsewhere!
My favourite episode though, is when Christine Baransky wakes up in an alternative reality and Hilary is President.  Things turn out not as wonderfully as she was expecting. 

I now need another long series

[ginny]

I don't think I've seen that one, with Hilary as President, is that a new series? I really think the first series is wonderful and Delroy Lindo should have gotten an award. Christine Baransky is great, isn't she? I'm glad you liked it.

Rosemary, that looks like a great list. I'll put it in the heading of the Library.

I'm not sure we have any takers for the Lunch and  a Movie idea but I'm totally with  you on the violence exclusion!

[ginny]

Oh I've just started The Dig on Netflix! Absolutely love it!

[rosemarykaye]

Well it could be just you and I Ginny!

A friend tweeted yesterday that she and her husband are having fortnightly ‘matinee afternoons’ - before the pandemic, several cinemas used to do these seniors’ afternoons - you got cheaper tickers and tea/coffee/biscuits beforehand (or it might have been afterwards, needless to say I can’t remember...). So they decided to recreate this. They watch a film on TV and have ice cream (or cake) in the ‘interlude’, ie the adverts. I do think this is a good idea, as I always feel so guilty watching TV in the daytime (my mother still can’t bring herself to do it) and as a result I have lots of films - both DVDs and recorded from the TV - that I am never going to get to watch because by the time I sit down after dinner I know I won’t stay awake for 2-3 hours.

I’d never be able to get David to take part in this - he’s working all week then at the weekend he has to be Doing, and will only watch TV in the late evenings.

See what you think - is two people is too small an audience, no worries.

Thanks for posting the challenge. I’ve done the first four days now. My answers were:

1 - (the best book you read in 2020) - of course I couldn’t pick just one, so I chose three:

The Village by Marghanita Laski
Joan Smokes by Angela Mayer
O Caledonia by Elspeth Barker

2 - (a book you have read multiple times) - again three I’m afraid:

Excellent Women by Barbara Pym
Some Tame Gazelle by Barbara Pym
The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame

3 - (your favourite series) - another three:

The Starbridge novels by Susan Howatch
A Dance to the Music of Time by Anthony Powell
The Cazalet Chronicles by Elizabeth Jane Howard

4 - (a book you thought you wouldn’t like) - only two this time!

Mr Todd’s Reckoning by Iain Maitland
The Last Hillwalker by John D Burns

Today it is ‘your favourite author’ and I’m still thinking about that.

Ginny, I’ve just realised I should have posted this in the Library rather than here. Is there an easy way of moving it? Should I just try to copy and paste?

I finished the DVD of The Camomile Lawn last night. I feel a bit bereft now and need to find another DVD out of the many that David would not want to watch (as he’s away till next weekend.)

Rosemary

[ginny]

 Well I AM IN! Two is not too few!!  We will promote this and YOU in honor of your great attitude, get to pick the first movie!!


I'm afraid you will have to copy  it and I STILL need to paste your questions in the heading, (In Edit: Done) so we both need to do some editing here.

I LOVE this: A friend tweeted yesterday that she and her husband are having fortnightly ‘matinee afternoons’ - before the pandemic, several cinemas used to do these seniors’ afternoons - you got cheaper tickers and tea/coffee/biscuits beforehand (or it might have been afterwards, needless to say I can’t remember...). So they decided to recreate this. They watch a film on TV and have ice cream (or cake) in the ‘interlude’, ie the adverts. I do think this is a good idea, as I always feel so guilty watching TV in the daytime (my mother still can’t bring herself to do it) and as a result I have lots of films - both DVDs and recorded from the TV - that I am never going to get to watch because by the time I sit down after dinner I know I won’t stay awake for 2-3 hours.

Why not? Whyever not? Why can't you enjoy  yourselves in an humble way?

I'm in!

YOU to pick the first movie, me to publicize it, I'll ask Jane for a Newsline, she's so good at that, and when will we start, we all (all 2 of us) need time to find it, get it, and see it. I suppose it needs to be on Youtube, so we can ALL see it.

And let's set the starting day a week or so off and the day of discussing to be.....?

And I will bring sinfully fattening refreshments. I may even go out and buy a doughnut.

[ginny]

In other news, till we get our Matinee up and running, (thank you Jane for the great Newsline ad!) , for fans of The Dig, last night I  watched a documentary on it in the Secrets of the Lost series and we got to see the actual Mrs. Pretty and the archaeologist, and it was fascinating. It was first broadcast on December 20, 2020 and it's called Secrets of the Lost: Treasures of the Warrior King. If they are rerunning it now it's possible it might be seen, it was excellent! It IS available on you tube, but you have to pay for it and I don't  know how much it is:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4z8_gShWDkQ

But I will say that I would love to hear an opinion of the totally over the top professor who occasionally  narrates the thing. I won't be cruel but I'd like to hear an opinion.

If one does not  care to pay, there ARE some background series from the British Museum and also the National  Trust which are great:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZaK78BWeO0&list=PLX_8AEtlB_KHREwHHlN6caI4bH2lB6QEq

 I just love The Dig.

[ginny]

 Trailer for The Dig:   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZQz0rkNajo

Excellent 6 minute short documentary on The Dig showing the movie: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a_POvnICuj4

[nlhome]

I'd like to say I'm in, but I don't really watch movies that often. Even so, every once in a while I come across one that catches my interest, so I will be lurking.

[ginny]

OH wonderful!!   So glad to have you,  lurking or not! We'll need plenty of notice for each movie and plenty of time to see it, I think before we meet to chat over it.

I'm kind of anticipating a laid back fun atmosphere, just as we'd do in person,  not a film criticism thing, just our off the top of our heads  thoughts on it. At least that's what I'm going to do, everybody can do their own thing.

At the grocery last Friday I did pause over the sinful refreshments aisle (one of many) in anticipation. I actually came home with a small slice of...hold on...Carrot Cake Fudge.  What on earth can that be? I am afraid to look at the calories, it's decorated on top with the frosting and icing decorated small carrots of a carrot cake but it's fudge.  Maybe we should do a bet on the calories per chunk? Anybody want to bet it's filthy tasting? hahaha

OH and they would have, back in the day, a  Win a Prize, I seem to recall they had take a number and win a prize but I never won one (bag of popcorn or something). Back in the day when things were low key and fun.

hahahaa  Anyway fun and normal, and low  key, that's what we need.

(I never recall worrying about those doughnuts they had at the real Ladies Matinees.)

SO glad to see you here!

[ginny]

I finished The Dig in tears. Wonderful wonderful movie. Just wonderful. The paperback novel came of The Dig and I can't wait to begin.

I wanted something fun and silly so turned to Derry Girls which was an absolute hoot. I will be forever grateful to  Rosemary for suggesting it. I think I will start over with it from the beginning of the first series when this one runs out. This is the second series which so far has been something else! I nearly fell over when they all started doing the "Rock the Boat," I had no IDEA it was a thing in Ireland, I thought it was something from my own childhood on the Jersey Shore, boy was I wrong. It was a group in California which did it originally but I think our local DJ's (that would include Dick Clark and Bandstand) took it over.  That is just amazing. Then I watched the cast of Derry Girls in a Great  British Bake Off Holiday Festival, they were cute. The casting on that show is perfect.

[rosemarykaye]

I do so love Derry Girls! 

Next month I am planning to take part in Read Ireland, which is an annual thing run by a blogger I know. It’s very informal - you read any book by an Irish author, review it, and send her the link - she collates them all. Some people read lots, I just about manage one.  I’ve bought Marian Keyes’ Watermelon - I wasn’t too thrilled with the only other Keyes I’ve read, The Mystery of Mercy Close, but I’ve seen so many people raving about Watermelon that i thought I’d give it a go.

But the reason I’m posting this here (yes there is a point...eventually) is that the blogger also suggests doing anything Irish-related - make soda bread, read Seamus Heaney, watch an Irish film, etc - or ‘why not rewatch Derry Girls?’

Well why not indeed?  So that will be my March treat.

And I can’t remember if you get the Great Pottery Throwdown in the US, but the new host is none other than Siobhan McSweeny (the headmistress in Derry Girls) who is absolutely brilliant, far far better than any of their previous people - it would be worth watching it just for her, though it’s a great show anyway.

I’ve also just started watching a new crime serial set in Northern Ireland, Bloodlands. The first episode was on Sunday night. It seems to have divided optinions, but I loved it and will definitely keep watching. It’s about a detective looking into the abduction of a Catholic businessman, one who used to have (& ?still does have) deep involvement in the IRA and connections to various criminals. The Catholic community is still extremely suspicious of the Northern Ireland police, and sectarianism is still very much alive and kicking in the province (just as it is in Glasgow, only of course much worse in NI). In investigating the whereabouts of this man, the detective realises it is all connected to three other abductions that took place in the Troubles. None of those people have ever been seen again. It was rumoured that only someone with insider knowledge of the police could have committed these crimes. And now the detective guy’s attempts to look into the past are being thwarted by some of his bosses - why?

It’s written by Jed Mercurio, the mastermind behind the excellent Line of Duty, and he is a genius.  It does annoy me when people go onto social media in what appears to be a competition to moan about a new programme - ‘I turned it off after 10 minutes’, ‘well I turned it off after FIVE’ - for goodness sake, how can you judge a new serial without even watching to the end of the first episode?  I enjoyed it very much.

And last weekend when I needed cheering up I happened upon Queer Eye, which I’d never watched beyond seeing a few minutes of it when one of my daughters had it on. It was absolutely hilarious, what a great pick me up. The programme i saw was from the new series when it was resurrected by Netflix. The guys came to the aid of a gay priest who had no self-confidence, a lovely man with so much dedication to the lives of his parishioners in a poor area of Philadelphia.  I don’t think I could watch these programmes back to back, but one at a time they are a tonic.

Since my daughter kindly shared her Netflix account with me I have found so much stuff I want to watch - I’ve even worked out how to make a list, and indeed I wasted/enjoyed an entire afternoon doing just that.

Rosemary

[ginny]

Netflix! The Dig! The Dig! The Dig!

Ralph Fiennes!

Please put that somewhere on  your list!

[rosemarykaye]

Oh dear Ginny, you are not going to like this....I started watching The Dig as soon as I got into Netflix. I have read nothing but good about it so I was really looking forward to this. After half an hour I was bored sick.

Carey Mulligan was great, Ralph Fiennes was great, the scenery was magnificent. But it was all SO slow.  Maybe I just wasn’t in the mood. I should probably revisit it.

But something else I started last night and loved is Unorthodox. If you haven’t come across it, it is a drama about a young woman from an ultra-orthodox Jewish community in New York who runs away. With the help of her music teacher (and even though her family has banned her from taking piano lessons as women in this community are not allowed to) she takes a flight to Berlin. Here she goes to the safe address that the teacher has given her, but the people are not there. She meets and gets in with some music students from the conservatoire.

Back in New York, however, her husband’s family, their numerous male relations, rabbis, etc want her back - especially when they discover that she is (or is she? - it’s not clear yet) pregnant with what they see as ‘their’ child. The husband is young and nice; he seems to accept that, although it is heartbreaking and shaming for him, she clearly wanted to go - but the rabbi says that he must immediately travel to Berlin, accompanied with a thug of a man who will stop at nothing to find her and please the rabbi (who tells him this will atone for previous sins).

I know so little about these communities that I found all the details of their lives fascinating. The girl decides to leave on the Sabbath, while her husband is out - but when she gets to the foyer of their apartment block she finds many young women with pushchairs all hanging about. They were all on their way to have dinner with their families, but they tell her that the ‘eruv’ has been broken so they can’t leave the building. I looked this up and discovered it is an ‘enclosure’ that makes several houses, or indeed a much larger area, ‘one residence’, thereby getting round the rule that no-one can leave their own residence on the Sabbath carrying anything (even medication) except the clothes they are wearing. Thus the women can’t go out because of the pushchairs. The girl (sorry I can’t remember her name) is carrying a bag in which she has her basic needs. One of the other women tells her it is OK for her, as she can just go (they think she is going to local family like them) without her bag. She is so desperate she leaves her bag in the apartment and goes to JFK with just the passport and money that the teacher has procured for her, plus a photo of her grandmother.

In flashbacks we learn about her childhood (she is from a very broken family) and youth - a scene with a woman who visits to tell her about the physical side of marriage and the rules she must observe about this is quite amazing. And I had forgotten about the hair - the way it must always be covered except in the sole presence of her partner. When the marriage is arranged by the boy’s parents and the girl’s aunt, the boy’s mother and another female relative have to ‘observe’ the girl before they will accept her - so she has to walk around an agreed supermarket pretending she does not know they are there, while they look her up and down.

It is both a gripping story and a real insight into a very different community. I’m looking forward to the next instalment tonight. Of course I have no idea how authentic it is, so if anyone knows it isn’t, please be gentle with me! I have seen a couple of very interesting documentaries about families in orthodox communities in the UK, and I must say the women they spoke with for these seemed perfectly happy with their lot - but maybe their communities were slightly more liberal, as they seemed like a jolly bunch, and I suppose if you have been brought up with certain rules you accept them.

Rosemary

[ginny]

hahaha if it's slow, it's slow.

As you say you were in  the mood for something else.  It's a pandemic. You're entitled!

I have a THING, pandemic or not,  about not wanting to do anything somebody else violently recommends.  hahaha I really do,  and have put off a lot of great reads for that very reason. For YEARS.  Usually I come to a "bestseller" years after it sold anything and everybody has forgotten it. It took me...well 50 years to read The Great Gatsby for instance and I liked it, actually.

Such is the stubbornness of an only child. Or me in general.  I actually put The Dig off initially.

Slow when you have my BP is a good thing. hahahaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa, and taste is so individual as is travel.

Vive la difference!

[rosemarykaye]

Well here speaks another only child Ginny!

Maybe that’s why I steadfastly refused to read most of the set books at school - for most of the tests I found you could manage perfectly well just reading the blurb (these were, of course, pre-Wikipedia days!) I have never read The Hobbit (set book), Lord of the Flies (ditto) or The Yearling (ditto again). Maybe one day. It’s probably also why I have never enjoyed any face-to-face book groups in which you all have to read the same book. I much prefer our set up here, where we can just chat about whatever we’ve read or heard about - I think this leads to much more interesting discussions.

My daughter’s friend also recommended The Dig to her. Madeleine asked her what it was about. Friend: ‘well it’s really good. They dig. And then they dig some more...’ Haha - they are all art students, words are not their top subject. Their favourite programme is Rue Paul’s Drag Race....

[Vesta]

My husband and I love archaeology so we greatly enjoyed "The Dig."  We didn't think it was slow.  The best performance was Ralph Fiennes though I didn't recognize him at first.  His character Basil Brown was so gentle, humble and perservering in the face of the prejudice of the educated elite archaeologists.  Glad to learn at the end that his work was finally recognized in a display of the artifacts he discovered posted at the British Museum.  I also saw on Youtube a female curator show and explain the Saxon helmet discovered there and what it looked like after reconstruction.

[Tomereader1]

I read the book "Unorthodox" before the movie came out.  It was sad in the reading, but much sadder in the movie when you could see the people, their rules and regulations, and how it all finally pushed the woman into leaving!
Excellent movie.  And am I allowed to say again:  The Dig, The Dig, The Dig! Yes, slowish, but darn, don't  people realize that when you are doing archeology, digging up ruins centuries old, you H A V E  T O  G O  S L O W.  No front end loaders or tractors or such to unearth such treasures.

[rosemarykaye]

I do really get that Tomereader!  I just did not have the patience to watch them doing it - or more especially to watch them giving each other long looks. I was not having a good day, so really I need to give it another go.

I’ve just finished watching Unorthodox and I did enjoy it, though ‘enjoy’ is not really the right word. The ending was uplifting, but I did think about all the other women who had not escaped - though maybe they didn’t want to.

I thought the actor who played Yanky (the husband) was excellent, very nuanced, and in many ways a victim too. I suppose they all were.

Rosemary

[Tomereader1]

rosemarykaye, in case you hadn't noticed (and this happens more frequently in the network programs) the "long look" you referred to is almost overwhelming.  I find myself saying (out loud) "come on, come on" get with the story.
I can say these things out loud because I'm here by myself.  When hubby was alive, he would speak little "morsels" out loud to the TV too.  Not all were "suitable for all audiences".  LOL! 

I want to pose a question here, and perhaps our regulars in the library would comment also.  I don't know if it has to do with what we are experiencing with the Covid19 strictures, but I find myself very, very short-tempered.  Maybe impatient is also a good word, but it's just as well I am here by myself, as I can get awfully "salty" and will sometimes toss something (nothing heavy or sharp!) to the floor.  Then again, maybe it's the age creeping up on me.  Nah, not creeping, galloping full tilt like a herd of wild mustangs, LOL!  All responses will be appreciated.
Gasp!  I think I'm a curmudgeon, oh dear.