Movie Monday 1/27/2020

I only watched one movie nominated for one or more of (what I consider) the major awards in the past week. I also have a couple of others to mention.

Little Women, screenplay and direction by Greta Gerwig, is a beautiful adaptation of the novel by the same name. I think it definitely deserved its Best Picture Oscar nod, and I am sorely miffed that Greta Gerwig did not get nominated for Best Director. At least she got nominated for her screenplay. Of course, I haven't seen all of the movies yet, but I'm fairly confident I'll be able to stand by my thoughts when I do. The film is the story of the four Marsh sisters, each different in their personalities and abilities, but able to sustain a strong bond while waiting for their father to come back from the war. It was very good.

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, is the final episode of the nine-part Skywalker Saga. The film brought back the beloved characters (even Carrie Fisher as Princess Leia by the use of repurposed, unreleased footage from The Force Awakens) and wrapped up the story in a satisfying manner. I really liked it. 

In Late Night, Emma Thompson plays Katherine Newbury, an acclaimed talk show host with falling ratings. She hires inexperienced Molly Patel (Mindy Kaling) to help freshen up her comedy and diversify her all while, male writing staff. It was pretty good.

Michelle Williams, Juliette Moore, Billy Crudup and Abby Quinn star in After the Wedding. The co-founder of an orphanage in India travels to New York at the behest of a potential benefactor. When she gets there, she meets the wealthy woman's husband, who just happens to be a former lover. Long buried secrets have a way of coming out, and that is true in this film. It was good.

MK out.

Movie Monday - 1/21/2020

Movie season is in full swing. The Oscar nominations were announced recently and, as usual, I'm a little behind watching all the films. I have several still to watch, but I'll tell y'all about some that I've seen over the last several weeks:

It's a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood is the story about how Mr. Rogers became friends with a journalist who wrote about him. The movie was more serious than I expected. It's based on a true story, but it wasn't totally true to fact. That's Hollywood for you. Tom Hanks played Mr. Rogers. Matthew Rhys, Susan Kelechi Watson and Chris Cooper also starred. It was good.

Adam Driver and Scarlet Johansson play a divorcing couple in Marriage Story. Laura Dern and Alan Alda also star. I can't watch Adam Driver without thinking "Kylo Ren," but he did a good job in this film. They all did. Divorce isn't pretty and this movie illustrated that point, but it showed one way to do it better. It was good.

I've been wanting to see Jojo Rabbit for a long time and missed it the first time around in theaters. Since it's been nominated for an Academy Award or two, it's been re-released; so, I high tailed it to the theater. I'm sure glad I did. This quirky dramedy is about 10-year-old Jojo, a German boy, who finds out his mother is hiding a Jewish girl in their attic. There's the added treat of Adolf Hitler popping in as Jojo's imaginary friend, Roman Griffin Davis, Thomasin McKenzie, Scarlett Johansson and Sam Rockwell star and all do a great job performing. I loved it!

Parasite, in Korean with English subtitles, is a delightfully quirky black comedy about a poor family who, one member at a time, make themselves indispensable to a wealthy family. The Kim family lives in what is nothing more than a tenement apartment. All four work low-paying hourly jobs, until the son gets a job filling in as a tutor for the well-to-do Park family. He assesses the situation and identifies ways to finagle jobs for his parents and sister with the family. The Parks are not aware that the four are related. All goes swimmingly until it doesn't. The film stars Song Kang-ho, Lee Sun-kyun, Cho Yeo-jeong, Choi Woo-shik and Park So-dam. It is SO good!

Ford v. Ferrari is based on the true story set in the 1960s about Ford building the GT40 to beat Ferrari in the 24 Hours of Le Mons race in France. Matt Damon plays Carroll Shelby and Christian Bale plays British car racer Ken Miles. I know I'm a WOACA, but I didn't know this story before I saw this film. It was a good movie.

And now, a rant: In my humble opinion, just because a film is a good movie, it doesn't mean that it is Oscar worthy. Nine films have been nominated for Best Picture this year. I've now seen five of them. While I think they are good movies, Ford v. Ferrari and Marriage Story should not have been nominated for this honor.  I mean, Ford v. Ferrari garnered a nomination over Motherless Brooklyn? Seriously? And, no love at all for Ed Norton's performance? Really?

MK out.

FO Friday - 1/10/2020

Y'all! I made a hat for me! And it's my first finished object in 2020.

Pattern: Wavy Legs by Jodi Brown
Yarn: Spun Right Round Squish DK in Cursed
Comments: This hat is most certainly not cursed, despite the name of the colorway. In fact, the colorway is gorgeous. Fun pattern, pretty and squishy yarn = beautiful hat. I really like everything about this hat.

Here's one of the hats I made for Christmas. 

The pattern is called Scrap Hatty. True to its name, I used leftover yarns. The recipient loved it.

MK out.

FO Friday - 1/3/2020

How long has it been since I've finished anything?  Actually, the finishing has been happening, but the documenting has been on hold since I started working on December gifts earlier this fall.

I'll show a few today:

Pattern: Slip-Stitch Cap by Thea Colman/Tin Can Knits
Yarn: Cascade 220 Superwash in various colors
Comments: This pattern is so cute and fast to knit. The Kid and The Husb didn't want pompoms. When I knit the red/gray hat and The Kid saw the pompom, he changed his mind.

Here's a pile of knitted gifts. Some were made a while back and you have seen here. Others will be shown off soon.

I also made pillowcases for everyone in the family again.

I'm not sure how much longer I will continue the pillowcase tradition, but I have bought more fabric; so, I've got at least another year in me.

MK out.

Book Chat - 1/2/2020

I've read books, Y'all!

The Testaments by Margaret Atwood

In which we get the rest of the story of The Handmaid's Tale. It was a fitting end. I loved it.

The Overdue Life of Amy Byler by Kelly Harms

After not seeing him since he left for a business trip and never returned three years prior, Amy runs into her ex-husband at the grocery store. Will she take him back into her life? I really liked this book.

The Bookish Life of Nina Hill by Abbi Waxman

Nina prefers books to people. She grows up as an only child and leads a fairly structured life. One day, attorney enters the bookstore where she works and gives her news that changes her world. It was very good.

Room to Breathe by Liz Talley 

A divorced mother of a grown daughter has designs on one of her daughter's former boyfriends. There's a little more than face value here, but it was a delightful and light rom-com.

Enjoy!

MK out.

Happy New Year!

Another new year! Another bright and shiny clean page in the book of life!

I don't know about you, but I can't start my year without reflecting on the past year. On the whole, it was a good year for the Merry Karma. I celebrated a milestone birthday in October and there were many other blessings bestowed throughout the 365 days.  

One of the past year's blessings is that The Kid graduated from college. It has been a long time coming, but we are beyond thrilled and proud of him. Another blessing is our grandson's graduation from high school. And still another, I became a great grandmother. Of course, I also count my health, my family and friends, the roof over my head, the clothes on my back, the food in my stomach, and all kinds of things as incredible blessings for which I am humbled and grateful.

However, and I know y'all knew there had to be a "however," it had some bumps. I suppose the overriding, or under riding, theme of the past year was and still is to some extent, I've lost my place. I'm not really sure what I want to be or who I am right now. Having that milestone birthday made me reflect on the whole of my life thus far, and while I have more blessings than I can count and a heart full of gratitude, there is a feeling of time slipping by and so much left I'd like to do.

I suppose I am now a woman of a certain age (WOACA), but what does that mean? On the inside, I feel 27 on my best days and not all that much older on my worst. On the outside, well, I certainly don't look as young as I feel, but I can deal with that.

Since moving to Fort Worth, I've tried to make new friends, join new clubs and really engage with my new town. I've been successful at some things, and not so successful at others. I follow some precious young women on Instagram who have kept me abreast of all my new town has to offer. I've met some in real life, and they are fun and precious, but I had a startling realization recently, which added to my cloud. I don't really fit in. There are a plethora of women-empowering platforms in this city, but when I look around, they comprise groups of younger women. I feel as if they are thinking, "What's this old lady doing here?" 

Don't get too sad for the Merry Karma though. In the last several weeks, I've been feeling the sunlight. I've been trying to figure out what I don't like and how to change it, as well as what I want and how to attain it. 

I hope to share the journey with y'all from time to time. It helps keep me accountable. 

Now, I will get back to my regularly scheduled New Years Day activities and let you get back to yours.

MK out.