Quirky. A movie that engages the brain, tickles the funny bone and doesn’t telegraph where it’s going. Funny, and shocking and weird all at the same time. And, oh boy, what a cast. I think I might have to watch again to catch all the stuff that is going on because I suspect not everything is clear on first blush.
Current temperature: here 45C/7C, there 13C/64F
Fluff. Yes, this film is gratuitously violent and the plot is completely stark raving bonkers but it passed the time pleasantly enough as we snacked on popcorn and soda. Plus Angelina Jolie rocks!!!
Current temperature: here 61F/16C, there 18C/64F
Blargh! I detested the beginning of this movie, talk about nails on a blackboard, it made me want to wretch. The twist comes along, which was so highly sign posted that it was not exactly a surprise. Incredulity makes itself at home in my brain so I concentrate on enjoying the popcorn and soda to stop myself falling asleep. This movie was a complete waste of time and talent.
Current temperature: here 55F/13C, there 6C/43F
Underwhelming. This film was such a huge disappointment. About half an hour too long, there’s little to engage the brain and stop one’s thoughts from drifting to plans for dinner. I didn’t give a damn about any of the characters. Maggie Gyllenhaal seemed merely to be window dressing though whether it was a failure in the script or the actor I’m at a loss to identify. Usually she’s quite marvellous. The only performance of any note was that of Heath Ledger. Wow, he was worth watching, and I must say blew my mind with the nuances of his performance.
Current temperature: here 79F/26C, there 13C/55F
Fun. This was such a hoot. Yes, is a light and fluffy confection with few redeeming features but it was a lot of fun to watch. Made me laugh out loud numerous times and want to sing and boogie along with the actors. Meryl Streep was fabulous and played it exactly right. This definitely brought back happy memories from my not very mis-spent youth.
Current temperature: here 79F/26C, there 13C/55F
OMG! OMG! OMG!
This is one of the scariest movies I have ever seen. In some ways I’m glad I didn’t see it in a movie theatre as, I imagine, it would have been ten times more horrifying. Though there are a number of actors involved basically the movie rests on how good a job John Cusack does and I thought he was fantastic. The other element that really ramps up the horror is the soundtrack. It’s incredibly subtle but so disturbing.
By the end not everything is explained which suited me just fine and left me to imagine all sorts of disturbing scenarios. It really freaked me the heck out!
Current temperature: here 86F/30C, there 15C/59F
Cute. The first half hour is quite enthralling and the best part of the movie. It then devolves into a fairly typical kids movie from there but isn’t too bad and I didn’t fall asleep, which is always a good sign.
Current temperature: here 86F/30C, there 15C/59F
Green. So this was 2/3rds a good movie. Edward Norton kept me interested at the beginning. When the hulks went mano a mano I fell asleep, the ultimate sign that all is not well with a movie. Sigh.
Current temperature: here 57F/14C, there 11C/52F
For our last trip in the UK we took my mum up to Castle of Park, a Landmark Trust property in Glenluce, Scotland. How cool is that, spending four nights in a castle? It was a great place to spend time and I highly recommend a visit if you have the chance. We used the time to recover from the three weeks of activity in Spain and took it easy. We made two trips of note. For the first we walked a mile up the road to Glenluce Abbey which was beautifully cared for and the steward in charge was a mine of interesting information. For the second we drove to the Mull of Galloway, the southern most point in Scotland where I got my sea/standing on the edge of a cliff fix. My brother was able to join us for a couple of nights so it was quite a family get together.
The trip home was relatively uneventful though the plane transfer in Chicago raised the old heart rate a little more than I liked. Our airline, BMI, had scheduled less than two hours to do immigration, customs and the terminal change. To make matters worse we left Manchester late as one of the crew got sick. Fortuitously for us everything went super smoothly and we arrived at our departure gate with 5 minutes to spare. Phew!
The kicker for this trip was that I got a pretty serious case of jet lag, something I’ve never had problems with before. My sleep patterns have been hugely disturbed and my brain has had a seriously hard time functioning properly. Things seem to be more on an even keel now though.
Current temperature: here 59F/15C, there 10C/50F
We’re headed towards the end of our time in Spain and enjoying the slower pace of our trip as we finish off here in Cordoba. We began our visit here with a meeting with friends of friends and a little tapas that even I could eat. The conversation was both enjoyable and enlightening as we received recommendations on where to dine and what to visit.
Cordoba has been another great place to wander through the old town. A little like Toledo in many ways but flatter and hotter. I’ve been quite surprised that there seem to be a lot fewer tourists here compared to both Toledo and Granada.
The highlight of our time in town has been visiting the Mezquita. Originally a mosque, after the reconquest they built a cathedral right on top of it. Inside it is an amazing mixture of Christian and Islamic elements. It quite takes your breath away.
Another beautiful space here is the Synagogue which was much simpler than the two in Toledo, (We have now seen all the the synagogues that remain from before the expulsion of the Jewish population from Spain in 1492.)
Julio Romero de Torres was an artist who came originally from Cordoba and there is a museum here in his honour. Much of his painting features Spanish women of a particular look and Cordoba always seems to put in an appearance somewhere in his pieces.
We took a night tour of the city which was a pleasant experience as by 9.30pm much of the heat of the day has gone. The tour took us to several parts of town that we had not visited outside the wall of the old city. Our guide did a sterling job as she coped with two different groups at the same time, the Italian speakers and the English speakers. The tour ended with free tapas which was very enjoyable.
Tomorrow we head back to the UK and further travels to the north and a stay in a Scottish castle.
Current temperature: Cordoba 32C/89F, mum’s place 14C/57F, our place 72F/22C
