My picks for entertainment ~ suggested movies, TV shows, music, and books ~ so you can enjoy some quality ME time! (ATTN Korean drama addicts! This blog has lots of K-drama love.)
Do you fancy BBC Masterpiece Contemporary Mystery movies or television series?
The BBC political thriller titled “Page Eight” is about a British intelligence analyst who refuses to compromise his integrity.
What happens to him is what usually happens when civil servants will not budge on their principles and ideals of Right versus Wrong, and their principles and ideals do not line up with their boss, i.e., the chief executive leader who says: I know what is best for our country and I am the one in charge, with the authority!
In his case, Mr. Worricker (the character masterfully played by Bill Nighy) butts heads with the British Prime Minister. He found some real information on page 8 of an intelligence report that points a finger in the direction of the Prime Minister and … Oh dear!
He has to leave his job? No. Rather he chooses that it is time for him to resign from the MI-5 service and move on. To spice up this not “atypical” political thriller plot, he meets a young woman (played by Rachel Weisz) that he has the power to help because of his access to confidential official government secrets. Does he help her? But of course! She helps him as well. In his line of work, it’s really hard to find someone you can trust.
I was
born in the 1950s. That means that I am from the first generation
that got to experience television in the home. What a marvelous
invention! I know my late mother never intended for the TV set to
become her babysitter but my sister, my brothers and I spent hours in
front of the television. There were so many wonderful programs to
watch that educated and entertained us. I especially loved to watch
movies with my big sister. The movies back in my day were memorable
and made a lasting impression on my young developing mind. Below are
three (3) films from my childhood that created indelible memories.
Heidi (1937) ~ This is a classic children's story written
by Swiss author, Johanna Louise Spyri, adapted to film. Famous child
star Shirley Temple played Heidi, the little orphan girl who was
taken to live with her grandfather. After she and her grandfather had
bonded and become close, she is tricked into leaving “the
grandfather” and sold to be a servant in a wealthy man's household.
If I tell you more and you have not seen the movie, that would spoil
everything. So I'll stop right here.
The Wizard of Oz (1939)~ I loved this movie!! It was a
musical but everything about it was magical. The Yellow Brick
Road, the Wizard, the Munchkins, the Wicked Witch, Glenda the Good
Witch, the ruby red shoes that Dorothy wore, and that song she said
that melted everybody's heart: “Somewhere
Over the Rainbow”. Judy Garland was cast as Dorothy. Yes,
it was also based on a book. L. Frank Baum's 1900 children's fantasy
novel titled “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz”.
National Velvet (1944) ~ This is a film about a horse
race. Not just any race. England's Grand National Sweepstakes horse
race. There is a young girl who has a dream that she can win. It is
based on a story by Enid Bagnold. Famous child star Elizabeth Taylor
played the role of Velvet Brown. Did she win the race? You'll have
to watch the movie.
My preference is historical
romance, set in say the 16th to 19th century, in Europe, with
an intense plot that keeps you engaged, a passionate romance that
unfolds, and where you also learn little tidbits and trivia about
life during that period of history.
Here are four (4) romance novel you should add to your reading list:
- A
Rose in Winter - Set
in 1792 England. Erienne Fleming's father forces her into an arranged
marriage with the mysterious and disfigured Lord Saxton to settle his
gambling debts. It's almost like a beauty and the beast tale. She
begin to see the gentle side of her husband and is drawn to him,
although she's never seen him in the daylight. But Erienne also
meets Christopher Seton, a handsome American, and is attracted to
him. Can she be in love with another man and betray her husband?
She feels strongly toward both of them. But which one does she truly
love?
- Shanna - Shanna
Trahern, makes a desperate attempt to avoid an arranged marriage by
contracting a marriage with Ruark Beauchamp, a condemned prisoner,
facing the gallows. She reasons she’ll be a widow in a short time, and her father can not easily marry her off. As a widow, she has a
certain liberty. However, Ruark does not die. He manages to escape and decides to find Shanna and claim her as his wife. She is legally
his wife.
- Skye
O'Malley - Skye
O'Malley, is a beautiful and strong-willed Irish heiress, who is
forced into a marriage with a brutish lout. On her wedding night, the
lord claims the droit du seigneur ('right of the lord'), meaning he
can be the first to bed the virgin. The lord wanted to do more than
bed her, he wanted her for his own. But Skye's life is filled with
dramatic twists and turns. She encounters several lovers. At the
beginning of the novel, she was a young innocent teenager. By the end
of the novel, she was 28 years old and had lived quite an adventurous
life, pirates and all!
- The
Velvet Promise - Set
in 1502 England. A marriage is arranged between Judith Revedoune, a
noblewoman, and Gavin Montgomery, a powerful and handsome lord.
Their relationship does not get off to a good start, but once they
worked through their misunderstandings, they fall in love. Finding
their path to happiness is not easy, but once Judith and Gavin learn
to trust and love each other, they develop a heartfelt and enduring
romance.
At one time, Cary Grant (1904 - 1986) was one of Hollywood's main leading men. He was certainly one of my favorite actors. He has been acting since the 1930s but most of the movies I remember watching when I was growing up were released in the late 1940s and the 1950s.
Watching old movies is one of my favorite things, especially during the holiday season. Christmas is not until December but I hope no qualms about starting the celebrations as soon as the autumn season is officially declared. The last week of September is usually the first week of the fall season. Here are my 2 picks for Cary Grant movies to watch for the Christmas season. It's best to watch in December.
Movie #1: The Bishop's Wife (1947), leading lady, Loretta Young Cary Grant is an angel from heaven named Dudley. He came down to earth in response to the Bishop's prayer for guidance and in the process of performing his ministerial angel duties, ends up spending most of his time with the bishop's unhappy wife. The answer to the bishop's prayer lies in him realizing that in the performance of his duties as bishop and a husband, he had somehow misplaced his priorities. All he needed was to put back on the right path. It's a warm and fuzzy feel-good kind of movie that is best watched during the Christmas holiday season.
Movie #2: An Affair to Remember (1957), leading lady, Deborah Kerr
What happens when two (2) lovers make an arrangement to meet at a certain place, on a certain date, at a certain time, with the intention to get married and living happily ever after … only one of the lovers does not show up at that certain place and time, as per the arrangement? Another love story and a real tear-jerker! My favorite part of the movie was where Deborah Kerr started crying but she took her handkerchief and started wiping the tears from Cary Grant's face. He gently took the handkerchief away from her and started wiping her years. She was the one crying. Not him! It was a love affair to remember. I remembered it and have rewatched the movie more than once. It wasn't a Christmas movie but that touching love scene happened during a Christmas holiday.
One of my favorite leading male actors when I was growing up was Cary Grant (1904 – 1986). Why did I like him? He reminded me of my father. No he didn’t look like my dad at all. But he dressed like my father. Always neat, well groomed, and very dapper! Grant was much like my father in that the suits he wore fit him perfectly. He was always well-dressed, even when his clothing was supposed to be “casual”, i.e. not a suit and necktie.
Admirers or fans have described Cary Grant as “debonaire”, “sophisticated” and “funny”! But before being described that way, when he was an unknown, he must have had enough confidence in himself to believe that he would be a “survivor”. Born and raised in Bristol, England, he did not have a very happy home life as a child. He was expelled from school at the age of 14, and so he had to go to work and fend for himself. His mother had been committed to a mental hospital and he and his father did not have much of a relationship. He went to work in a theater in his hometown. That introduced him to the world of entertainment and that put him on the path to Hollywood stardom.
He came to America at the age of 16. He was traveling with a group of entertainers from England. His first stop in the USA? New York City. When the people he came with went back home, he decided to stay in New York. When he grew into manhood he was quite a dashing figure. His handsomeness was attention-grabbing! Yet he did not get his first Hollywood acting contract until he was age 27; using the name Cary Grant.
He established himself as a comedic actor. His humor was really clean too! You don’t mind watching all of his movies, where he played comedy roles, with young children around. It was said that he only accepted roles that he thought portrayed him as a good moral character. He wanted anybody including children to be able to watch him on screen. That was the public image he always wanted to maintain and he did. The movies he starred in for the first half of his career were wholesome clean comedy. But when he teamed up with the great director Alfred Hitchcock, he proved that he could also play dramatic roles quite convincingly. Whether comedy or drama, he maintained that image of being a decent and upstanding gentleman.
Grant became an American citizen in 1942 and the naturalization process allowed him to legally change his name from Archibald Alexander Leach to “Cary Grant”. He made 70+ films over three (3) decades (1930s – 1960s), but it was easy for me to narrow down my 3 favorite films (listed below) because, in addition to being a huge Cary Grant fan during my youth, I was also a huge Alfred Hitchcock fan. Hitchcock is known as the “Master of Suspense”; and his films and his television show were extremely popular back in my day. One may wonder however since comedy was not really Hitchcock’s specialty, why he would even approach a comedic actor to star in his films. But isn’t the answer obvious? Cary Grant made a very attractive leading man and if you paired him with an equally attractive leading lady, how could your movie not be a hit? Of course, I don’t know if that was in Mr. Hitchcock’s mind, but that’s what I would have been my thinking.
Notorious (1946), leading lady, Ingrid Bergman
To Catch a Thief (1955), leading lady, Grace Kelly
North by Northwest (1959), leading lady, Eva Marie Saint
All of the women chosen to star in the films with Mr. Grant were just as popular as he was; and onscreen they made the perfect pair.
Notorious (1946), leading lady, Ingrid Bergman
This movie is a Hitchcock classic that will not disappoint anyone who loves old movies about espionage. Most of the action in this film takes place in Brazil, but the opening scene is Miami, Florida, the city where I was born and raised. For that reason only, the movie instantly captured my attention. Ingrid Bergman plays the daughter of a man who was convicted as a Nazi spy. She is as American as apple pie and there is no reason why she should be punished for the sins of her father. Cary Grant works for the United States government as an agent and he persuades Ingrid Bergman to accept an assignment because it is her patriotic duty. They caught her father and convicted him but they need to catch another bad guy. Grant and Bergman fall in love almost immediately and that makes her carrying out the assignment “complicated”.
To Catch a Thief (1955), leading lady, Grace Kelly
Cary Grant was a professional thief and he was a very good one known as “The Cat”. But he retired to the quiet life of a bachelor in a gorgeous villa where he grew beautiful flowers. Unfortunately, there is a copycat cat going around committing burglaries and stealing people’s jewels. Naturally, he becomes the prime suspect. He needs to catch the real thief to prove his innocence. While trying to find the victims, i.e. jewelry owners, that the copycat thief is likely to rob, he meets Grace Kelly, the daughter of one of the victims, and falls in love. She helps him catch the thief and she steals his heart as well.
North by Northwest (1959), leading lady, Eva Marie Saint
I have often heard people say that everybody in the world has a “twin”. I don’t really know if that it’s true, but in my own life experience, I have had people mistake me for being someone else. The person’s name was Julie. I never met her but people have approached me or waved at me from a distance calling out the name Julie. That’s not my name! Nevertheless being mistaken for someone else didn’t really disrupt or interrupt my life. In this movie, Cary Grant is mistaken for someone else and his life is turned upside down! There’s a lot of spying going and one of the spies is a woman. No worries. She’s one of the good guys. He’s no experienced secret agent but he decides to help her accomplish her mission. The two most memorable scenes in this movie? The one where the couple is on Mount Rushmore and the scene where Grant is running, and trying to avoid being run over by an airplane!
♦ These are my top 3 picks for favorite Cary Grant movies. My favorite leading lady was Ingrid Bergman. Agree or Disagree.
I grew up during the 60s and the 70s. Amy Winehouse recreated that throwback vibe. It’s a pity she departed so soon.
Amy Winehouse passed away July 2011. But her music endures.
“Back to Black” is the signature song by Amy Winehouse that she left for us to remember her by.
♫ ♫ ♫ ♫
Enter Amy Winehouse. 14 September 1983
Exit Amy Winehouse. 23 July 2011
♫ ♫ ♫ ♫
Music is my weakness. So many songs have left an imprint on my life and as life passes those songs still move me. No doubt, it’s that way with everyone.
But in my generation, so many talented souls departed this life way too early than they should have — like Janis Joplin (1943–1970), Jim Morrison (James Douglas “Jim” Morrison, 1943–1971), etc.
I grew up during the 60s and the 70s and always tell my kids that the music of my generation was the best! That’s why the artists and musicians of their generation “sample” it. But every now and then there are singers from my kids' generation that hearken back to that old-school sound I remember.
You would think the artists in later generations might learn from the tragic stories of others and not repeat history. But they don’t learn and they do repeat the tragic history.
Yet when another bright one finally gets to shine their light, and no sooner than they are in the spotlight, their candle is blown out.
I was just starting to enjoy her raspy soulful sounds when it was announced that she was gone.
Glad she did a duet with Tony Bennett to leave as part of her legacy.
The
harp is mentioned more often in the Bible than any other musical
instrument.
The
harp is an earthly instrument with a heavenly sound. It can soothe a
troubled soul.
In
Jewish history, it is written that when King Saul was tormented, he
asked for someone to play the harp for him to calm his spirit. A
young harpist named David was recommended. The lad was surely an
extraordinarily talented musician because he was often summoned to
play for the king to relieve his distress. When David grew up, he
succeeded Saul as the second king of ancient Israel. Music continued
to be an integral part of his life, and in addition to being an
accomplished harpist, he also wrote psalms (songs).
Unfortunately,
none of the harp music of King David was preserved, so we can only
imagine what those hauntingly beautiful and caressing melodies may
have sounded like.
Fortunately,
Jeff Majors is a harpist with a great imagination!
The
American music audience no longer insists that the harp is just for
classical music thanks to breakthrough artists like jazz/gospel
harpist Jeff Majors.
Now
a well-known and much-appreciated African-American
artist/composer/harpist, Jeff Majors followed his dream. Literally.
He actually had a dream about playing the harp and decided he would
learn.He was taught by the late Alice Coltrane (1937 -2007), jazz
pianist and harpist, and the spouse of the legendary John Coltrane
(1926 -1967).
Along
with Alice Coltrane, Mr. Majors credits the late Dorothy Ashby (1930
-1986) with influencing his musical style. These ladies proved that
the classical harp instrument could be easily and effortlessly
integrated into jazz compositions. Once Mr. Majors mastered the
instrument, he set out to share his musical gift with others. Through
collaborative efforts with other artists, he has set to music some of
the Psalms written by King David.
Do you heart Amy Jackson? Do you even know who Amy Jackson is? She’s an actress. OK. Yeah. She’s a hottie! I discovered her by accident, because of two music videos on YouTube.
The first music video attracted my attention because it looked like an Indian version of Beauty and the Beast.
In the other music video, Ms. Jackson was a female photographer who was being taken on a tour in India.
Watching the music videos piqued my interest. Had to seek and find what movies these videos were associated with. I was extremely pleased with the results of my treasure hunt!
♥ But first, let me share a little background info about Amy Jackson.
Her nationality is British; born on the Isle of Man and grew up in Liverpool. She was the winner of several beauty pageants including Miss Teen Liverpool and Miss Teen World. At the age of 16, her modeling career began.
Her acting career blossomed almost instantly when she caught the eye of director A. L. Vijay who thought she looked like a perfect fit to play the part of the leading lady in a Tamil language historical period drama. (He was right! IMHO.)
She has appeared in several Indian films and is currently included in the ranks with other female Bollywood superstars. She is also included alongside female superheroes. She is Imra Ardeen / Saturn Girl in the popular American TV series “Supergirl”.
The two South Indian (Tamil) films discovered after watching the related music videos, that made me join the Amy Jackson fan club are Madrasapattinam (2010), a historical period drama. I (2015), a drama sci-fi thriller.
What hooked me about these movies? I’m a sucker for romance. Both were love stories.
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If parents want to choose a vintage movie to watch with their kids, especially young girls, pick "National Velvet" (1945), which starred Elizabeth Taylor and Mickey Rooney.
One of my favorite films as a kid was “National Velvet” which starred a 12-year-old Elizabeth Taylor, alongside Mickey Rooney. This child had a horse she believed could win a race if only she could ride him to victory. She entered the race and her horse won. But they disqualified her as the champion. Why? Because she was a girl and girls were not allowed to compete. Her spirit was not broken. She beamed with pride and joy. She was so proud of her horse because she proved that he could win the race and that they could be "the best that they could be". I loved that movie!!
For those who enjoy watching the movie and reading the book, National Velevet was adapted from a book by the same name, written by Enid Bagnold.
In my humble opinion this movie is a timeless classic that children of every generation would enjoy; especially young girls.
Remember Vanessa Williams? 1st African-American Miss America who had to give up her crown like the next day to the 1st runner up who also conveniently happened to be an African-American. Ms. Williams was Miss New York and the other girl whose name nobody really remembers was Miss New Jersey. Ms. Williams had to relinquish her crown when nude photos of her were published in Penthouse. Booo! Booo!! Whatever! That contest was rigged anyway. That's my opinion and you're not going to change it with facts.
Anyway … after all the brew ha ha died down, the young lady had gotten married and her husband … at the time … was instrumental in helping her get an album released. Her comeback video was The Right Stuff (1988). The girl has talent. She wouldn't stay down! Kudos to her! She has stayed busy professionally singing and acting. She was even invited to perform at the Miss America 2016 pageant. In her personal life, she became a mother of 4 and has been married 3 times. As of the date of this post, she is in her late 50s, but she still looks fabulous! Even though she has starred in many films and TV series, I enjoy her singing. My favorite song is "Save the Best for Last".
This movie which starred Russell Crowe is a movie I could watch again and again.
For the record: Marcus Aurelius was not murdered by son his Commodus like in the movie and he did arrange for his son to succeed him as emperor. His son was a horrible character as the movie depicted and according to historical records he was killed by a gladiator. Before he was ultimatley disposed of, Commodus managed to outsmart and kill most of the people who opposed him. But in the end, the senators finally figured out a way to get rid of him!
The real history would have made for a good movie. Nevertheless, whoever wrote the movie script decided to take some “artistic license”.
Anyway! Who cares if the film was not historically accurate? It was a terrific movie!!
“Are you not entertained?”
Yes! Yes! I was very entertained. Best movie of the century!! 😊
This blog post is in celebration of her birthday. Most people know her as the author of "Little Women", which was adapted for film several times. The film adaptation I remember starred Elizabeth Taylor, released in 1949. There was a much later remake with Winona Rider, { Little Women (Collector's Series) }. Of course, Ms. Alcott wrote many more novels and poetry; and she also did other interesting things in her life during a time when the movements, actions, and decisions of women were restricted or limited. She is worthy of double honor.
Louisa May Alcott was born in Germantown, Pennsylvania and she had three sisters. Her father made sure that they were all educated. Louisa began her writing career publising poetry and short stories. She used a pen name, Flora Fairfield. Before she became famous she also published Gothic thrillers under the pseudonym A.M. Barnard. At the age of 35, in 1868, she published “Little Women”, an autobiography, which was an overnight success and has become a classic. Her company of friends included successful authors Ralph Waldo Emerson, and Henry David Thoreau.
Her life was far from glamorous and sophisticated, but she lived a life worthy of admiration. She volunteered as a nurse to serve during the Civil War; however contracted typhoid fever and was sent home. She was a suffragette and in 1879 when the laws were passed allowing women to vote in Concord, Massachusetts, she was the first woman who registered to vote. She never married and her health was very poor. Nevertheless she took care of her parents when they were ill until their deaths, and adopted and cared for her niece when her sister died. Louis May Alcott died of a stroke, two days after her father's death. She was 55 years old.
I once worked for the federal government. I understand how a young man like Christopher Boyce who came from a typical middle class white American Catholic family ... could become disillusioned he when comes to the knowledge that his beloved country, the United States of America, is not ... "perfect". After all, that's not what he was taught or raised to believe.
Even though I'm African-American and grew up in segregated neighborhood, I can empathize with how he felt. I was taught the same thing. America is the land of the free, the home of the brave, We're righteous and the other countries should follow our example. Even though I understand Mr. Boyce, I refuse to justify what he did. Ideals or not, HE WAS WRONG!
So America is not "without sin". But can any other country say that they are sinless? You don't like what's happening in America? Stay here and change it!! At least you care. The other country you're selling out to, could care less.
This is a very good movie. I rate it 5 out of 5 stars. The soundtrack gets 10 stars! David Bowie is English but he sang the song "This is Not America", like he was an American
"The Falcon and the Snowman" starred Timothy Hutton and Sean Penn. I think the movie should be incorporated into an orientation training class for all civil servants who work in the law enforcement agencies “ CIA, NSA, ICE, FBI, etc. The movie was intense. Riveting! A favorite word used by official movie critics. The best part of the movie for me is David Bowie and Pat Metheny on the soundtrack. But I digress.The movie is about a young guy (Christopher Boyce, played by Timothy Hutton) who works for the government and learns that "things" are not what they appear to be and feels betrayed by his country. He gets angry about it “ as any red-blooded patriot would - and decides to sells secrets to "The Enemy". He recruits his childhood friend (Daulton Lee, played by Sean Penn) who is a dope head! Long story short. In the end, they both go to prison. There is also a book written about this story as well.
In between, Mr. Lee gets caught and accused of murder. Of course, he didn't commit the murder but that didn't stop the law enforcement authorities who captured him from grilling him, thoroughly interrogating him, and torturing him to get the truth out of him.After all is said and done “ they say "He did!," - he say "He didn't! He's just a tourist, a businessman." - there's a scene where he's about to be released and a man walks in and says something to the effect: "We're going to give you 2 choices." Before the man could tell what the choices were, Mr. Lee (Sean Penn) looks up at the guy, weary, scared, demoralized and says in questioning tone of voice: "Costa Rica?"I CRACKED UP LAUGHING!!I thought to myself: 'Now ain't that sumthin! They done beat the crap about this boy and he is totally weakened and confused, but he still had the clarity of mind to try to negotiate to get sent to Costa Rica!!' :)
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. There was a much later remake with Winona Rider, { Little Women (Collector's Series) }
. Of course, Ms. Alcott wrote many more novels and poetry; and she also did other interesting things in her life during a time when the movements, actions, and decisions of women were restricted or limited. She is worthy of double honor.
A treasury of treasured holiday tales written by Louisa May Alcott, painting a vivid picture of Christmas in America during the 19th century.
