Movie Monday - 7/31/2023

I watched two documentaries about the same topic- I may have mentioned one of them before, but I rewatched it; so I’ll mention it again.

Fyre: The Greatest Party That Never Happened on Netflix and Fyre Fraud on Hulu tell the story of Billy McFarland’s scheme of producing a big, exclusive music festival in the Bahamas that ended up being a big, fat nothing. McFarland ended up being charged with wire fraud charges for his actions. Both films were entertaining in a jaw dropping way.

And, I went to the movie theater twice in the last week.

Barbara Millicent Roberts and I are the same age. She rolled out of the factory in the same year I was born. It’s a given that I would go see Barbie. Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling, Kate McKinnon, Will Ferrell, Michael Cera and many others play all the Barbies and Kens living blissfully in Barbie Land. Blissfully, until Barbie and Ken visit the real world and find out life is a lot more complicated than they thought. I loved every bit of it.

Oppenheimer, starring Cillian Murphy, Emily Blunt and Robert Downey Jr. tells the story of how the atomic bomb was developed. J. Robert Oppenheimer was the director of the Manhattan Project’s Los Alamos Laboratory during WWII. The acting was superb, but the movie was about an hour too long. 

Good Streamers:

The Crowded Room - Apple+

Minx Season 1 - Starz

MK out.

Movie Monday - 7/18/2023

We are back from our visit to the beach. 

The main characters return in what is supposed to be the last chapter - Indiana Jones and The Dial of Destiny. Let’s hope it is, but too bad it won’t be going out on a high note. I found myself bored with the continuous action scenes and with each getting more ridiculous. Meh.

The documentary Rock Hudson: All That Heaven Allowed takes a look at the life of one of Hollywood’s celebrated leading men. It was very good.

The Sound of Freedom is based on a true story. A federal agent rescues a child from human traffickers and finds out the older sister is also being trafficked. He sets out to find her too. The movie was rejected by all the major studios; so, the makers have been distributing it themselves and it has been wildly successful. It was very good. Go see it!!!

MK out.

Book Chat - 7/13/2023

I have two books to tell about this time. The authors happen to be a married couple. Both are very talented.

The Guncle by Steven Rowley

A former sitcom star takes care of his niece and nephew while his brother completes a course of addiction treatment. It was very good.

Big Gay Wedding by Byron Lane

A guy comes home with a secret, but it’s not the news his mom wants to hear. Will she come around? I loved it!

That’s it for now.

MK out. 

Movie Monday - 7/3/2023

It’s hot, Y’all! It’s the perfect time to stay inside and watch movies. 

In No Hard Feelings, Jennifer Lawrence plays a young woman who is hired by a wealthy couple to date their socially awkward son before he heads off to college. The message is actually a little deeper than most people will catch because of all the lowbrow comedy in it. It was entertaining.

Scarlett Johansson and Jason Schwartzman star in Wes Anderson’s Asteroid City. My husband deemed it beyond quirky. A group of students and their parents gather for an astronomy convention. The drama that ensues centers around the fact that each person processes grief differently. It was quirky.

I voted for the man, back in the day, but I never knew our 39th President loved all kinds of music. Jimmy Carter: Rock and Roll President is a documentary about how his love of music gave him the edge to win the highest office in the land. It was good.

The Booksellers is a documentary that peeks into the world of antiquarian booksellers. They buy and sell old books. It was very interesting.

Recent streamer:

Only Murders in the Building Season 2 - Hulu

Stay cool!

MK out.

FO Friday - 6/30/2023

I have no FOs to show, but I have a sad tale to tell.

Remember when I told y’all about a swatch for a new sweater being spot on and I started it? I was so happy. I was knitting along, minding my own business, but it soon became apparent that something was off. I kept knitting for a bit more until I couldn’t stand it anymore. I measured the gauge and it was the post block gauge. 

For the muggles, the stitches were bigger on the swatch I had made, but when I blocked (soaked and then dried) the swatch, they were smaller. They measured at the gauge the pattern was written. (The stitches shrunk to the right size after the sample swatch was washed.) I thought I was home free, but now the stitches are knitting up at the correct gauge and I’m worried that the garment will shrink and not fit after I wash it.

I was so frustrated!!! I was ready to frog (rip-it, rip-it - get it?) the whole thing and re-swatch.

A wise knitter told me to put the thing in time out for a bit. Then, take the whole shebang off the needles and block it.

Today was the day. I’ll keep you posted.

MK out.

Book Chat 6/29/2023

I think vacation should be real life. Who’s with me?

Maame by Jessica George

Maddie is a young woman who lives at home taking care of her ill father while her mother galavants far away. Her mom comes back and Maddie moves out and starts to live on her terms with varying results. It was very good.

Winter Stroll by Elin Hilderbrand

It’s Christmastime again and The Quinn family gathers at the Inn one year after we last left them. The more things change, the more they stay the same! It was good.

MK out.

 

Movie Monday - 6/26/2023

It’s officially summer!!! I’m looking forward to a relaxing week. I finished a big paperwork project and am taking a little break. 

In the documentary Hotel Coolgardie, two Finnish girls who were backpacking in Bali got robbed. They made it to Australia to find work and save money to go home. They were hired by a bar in the western Australian mining town of Coolgardie. I was appalled at the sexual harassment from the patrons and the boss/manager who started verbally abusing them from their very first shifts. He expected them to be instant experts at bartending. The regulars were insulted because they wouldn’t play along with the abuse. It was interesting.

Spoiler Alert is based on the memoir Spoiler Alert: The Hero Dies by Michael Ausiello. Jim Parsons stars as Michael and Ben Aldridge stars as Kit. The film tells the love story of the two men and Kit’s death from a rare form of cancer. Sally Field and Bob Irwin also star. It was very good.

Recently streamed:

Picard 3rd and final season - Paramount+

MK out.