Movie Monday - 1/25/2021

I watched a film I've been wanting to watch for a few years called Wonderstruck. There's a girl in 1927 and a boy in 1977 who each are searching for something different in their lives. The movie alternates between the two stories. Both are deaf for different reasons, and each one's footsteps follow the same path. Julianne Moore and Michelle Williams star. It was good.

Mank loosely follows Herman Mankiewicz’s journey to write the screenplay for Citizen Kane. (And he did win an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay.) It was entertaining. I looked up all the main players and the film gets some things out of order, but quite a bit of the stuff really happened. Gary Oldman, Amanda Seyfried, Lily Collins and others starred in the movie. It was very good.

The latest sweater is moving right along.

MK out.

 

Movie Monday - 1/18/2021

I found some movie watching time last week.

In the dramedy, Let Them All Talk, a powerhouse cast (Meryl Streep, Candice Bergen and Dianne Wiest) was assembled to tell the story of three friends trying to reconnect since their last physical meeting of many years prior. Apparently, much of the dialogue was improvised by the actors and it was dang good. Streep plays an acclaimed author traveling to England to receive an award. She brings along her two longtime friends and her nephew. They take the Queen Mary 2, as she won’t fly. It was cute.

Dreamland is set in Depression-era Texas. The teenaged step-son of a police deputy craves adventure. He sets out to help find a bank robber rumored to be in the area. What he thinks he finds is his ticket to Mexico, the place from which he received the only communication from his biological father after the man abandoned him and his family. Margot Robbie, Travis Fimmel, Finn Cole, Garrett Hedlund, Kerry Condon and Darby Camp star in this film. It was pretty good.

In the psychological thriller, Greta, a young waitress finds a handbag on the subway and returns it to the owner. The two become friendly and things go well, until they don't.  Isabelle Huppert, Chloë Grace Moretz, Maika Monroe, Cole Feore, and Stephen Rae are the actors in this film and all do a great job in their roles. It was good.

Hopefully, more next week...

MK out.

Book Chat - 1/14/2021

This week’s selection:

Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart

This novel tells the tale of a bullied boy growing up with an alcoholic mother. It’s set in 1980-90s Scotland. I had a hard time getting into this book, but once I settled in, it got better. It is haunting, as the subject matter isn't pretty, but it is pretty good.

MK out.

WIP Wednesday - 1/13/2021

 I thought y’all would like to see an update of the first sweater of the year:

MK out.

Movie Monday - 1/11/2021

I've watched all the Hallmark Christmas 2020 movie premieres. I'm still binge watching stuff. There's a lot of good ones out there. I watched Bridgerton (good),  Emily in Paris (good) and Ratched (so much camp) most recently.

PBS recently aired Elizabeth is Missing on Masterpiece. Glenda Jackson plays Maud, an octogenarian suffering from Alzheimer's. Her friend Elizabeth is missing and she's desperately trying to find her, because Maud is convinced Elizabeth must be in some kind of trouble. Through flashbacks, we learn that Maud had a sister, Sukey, who had gone missing years ago and was never found. It was an interesting look at Alzheimer's Disease from the patient's viewpoint. It was very good.

In Martha Marcy May Marlene, a young woman (who goes by all these names, and you see why almost right off the bat) escapes a cult and reconnects with her older sister. In flashbacks, her life in the cult is elucidated. Soon, it's clear that she needs some help to heal from her experience. Elizabeth Olsen, Sarah Paulson, Hugh Dancy and John Hawkes star in this film. It was okay.

After I finished the memoir, I did watch Hillbilly Ellegy, starring Amy Adams and Glenn Close. It was a decent adaptation of the book, and the performances shined.

Until next time.

MK out.

FO Friday - 1/8/2021

The first finish of the year, although it still needs buttons:

Pattern:  Rosey Bug by Taiga Hilliard Designs

Yarn: Tedman & Kvist Merci in a lovely red.

Comments:  I had fun knitting this cute little dress. The yarn is really nice. Now discontinued, I won it many years ago from the manufacturer. It’s a blend of merino, cotton, silk and nylon. 

Here’s the state of the newest cast on: 

MK out.

FO Friday 1/1/2021

Happy New Year!!! The most important FO is one we all share - 2020 is over and done!

I do have a knitting related FO:

Pattern: Summer Sorrel by Wool & Pine

Yarn: Brazen Stitchery Soprano Sock in Y’all Means All

Comments: I’m not really sure why this sweater took forever to finish, but I guess it was a casualty of the loss of knitting mojo. The yarn is like buttah. The pattern is really cute and, in the end,  it was fun to knit.

I made nine sweaters in 2020.

Tonight, I’m swatching for another one.

MK out.