It was cold this week - for Palm Springs, that is, and there was snow on the mountains....
As promised, I scouted out the film festival on Tuesday. Not only did I find parking (free - eat your hearts out, Vancouver), but when I got to the box office, someone had turned in a ticket for the movie I wanted to see, so it too was free. So, first at bat was Beloved Sisters, a German film about the famous German author Friedrich Schiller (another one of my father's favourites) who had a long standing love affair with two sisters. I rated it a five, for story, acting and production values.
It was a morning movie (I squeezed it in after the gym and before bridge). I was obviously on a roll on Tuesday, because Nancy and I scored points at bridge too!!!
No movies on Wednesday (for me - there were lots on tap, of course, but the ones I wanted to see that day were sold out), so, instead, had breakfast with friend Gerry. He has been in town (from Vancouver) since December 24, but has been with his partner Katrina, who was deathly ill with whatever it is that is going around. Anyway, she is back in Vancouver, and Gerry suggested Billy Reed's for breakfast, previously mentioned in these pages (upscale diner type, a Palm Springs tradition, etc.), where I am always game to go. we had a good time catching up.
And, in the afternoon, finally, some pool time.....
(just in case you forgot what my pool looked like....)
Between being sick, the cold weather. and the fact that the pool heater has been broken for a while, there haven't been too many pool days. It was, as always, a little piece of heaven.
Thursday, it was back to bridge, this time with Art (no points, but lots of fun), and then off to an evening movie. Here's me, and a small portion of the extremely long line...
The movie was called Lucky Stiff, and it was adaptation of a Broadway musical for the screen. As to be expected, the plot was silly, but the cast - which included Jason Alexander of Seinfeld fame - was great, the music delightful, and it was altogether charming. And, it being Palm Springs and all, there was a Q & A afterwards, with the director and some of the case (although, alas, no Jason Alexander)
I gave this one a three.
Two films on Friday, one in the morning and one in the late afternoon (there were five venues, by the way, but all reasonably close to one another, with lots of parking everywhere, and a million volunteers to make lines and seating go smoothly - absolutely a five for organization). Friday morning was, perhaps the weirdest of the six films I saw. It was a Croatian film called The Reaper, It won best actor and cinematography for the festival, and I agree. But I have seen paint dry faster than this film, and it was a depressing film about not ever being able to escape ones past. It is hard for me to rate this one - I am still digesting it. On the other hand, I suppose that is the sign of a good film.
Friday afternoon's offering was not very cheerful either. It was a film from Luxembourg called Never Die Young, and buzz has it that it might get the Oscar for best foreign language film (the other Oscar nominees in this category were also here, but I didn't get to see them). It was about the life of a heroin addict, who becomes paralyzed from the waist down at the age of 20. It was fascinating - you never once saw him after his childhood (lots of pictures of the empty wheelchair in various places), and yet one cared what happened to this man. It was brilliant. I gave it a 5.
Saturday morning was perhaps the best of the films I saw, Effie Gray. Dakota Fanning played the lead, playing the wife of Victorian art critic and writer John Ruskin, who caused a scandal when she left him for a painter, John Everett Millais. The script was written by Emma Thompson, who also played a role, and it was as lush a period piece as I have ever seen. Loved it!
But it couldn't last. After a Sunday snuggled up to the New York Times, I headed off to my last movie, something called Good Night Mommy. It had good buzz - I picked it on the basis of someone else's recommendation. The Hollywood Reporter said "The story's acceleration from anxiety to panic to hellish chaos is expertly managed..." Maybe, but I didn't stick around to find out!!!
Altogether, though, the festival was a great experience. I will definitely go again - and to more movies - next year. As mentioned, very well organized, and lines - which I am not a bit fan of - were made part of the experience by the star sightings, the volunteers and the great people sharing their experiences while waiting. Lots of fun.
And so we start another week. I'm back to full speed at the gym (1 1/2 hours per day), and Robin and I scored some points at bridge today as well. I dashed off to the library today, as my last book, The Hand of Justice (a medieval mystery) got finished in the off hours last week. So, I am ready for my week, including some more movies, of the general distribution variety, more bridge, more books, and, weather permitting, more pool time.
As promised, I scouted out the film festival on Tuesday. Not only did I find parking (free - eat your hearts out, Vancouver), but when I got to the box office, someone had turned in a ticket for the movie I wanted to see, so it too was free. So, first at bat was Beloved Sisters, a German film about the famous German author Friedrich Schiller (another one of my father's favourites) who had a long standing love affair with two sisters. I rated it a five, for story, acting and production values.
It was a morning movie (I squeezed it in after the gym and before bridge). I was obviously on a roll on Tuesday, because Nancy and I scored points at bridge too!!!
No movies on Wednesday (for me - there were lots on tap, of course, but the ones I wanted to see that day were sold out), so, instead, had breakfast with friend Gerry. He has been in town (from Vancouver) since December 24, but has been with his partner Katrina, who was deathly ill with whatever it is that is going around. Anyway, she is back in Vancouver, and Gerry suggested Billy Reed's for breakfast, previously mentioned in these pages (upscale diner type, a Palm Springs tradition, etc.), where I am always game to go. we had a good time catching up.
And, in the afternoon, finally, some pool time.....
(just in case you forgot what my pool looked like....)
Between being sick, the cold weather. and the fact that the pool heater has been broken for a while, there haven't been too many pool days. It was, as always, a little piece of heaven.
Thursday, it was back to bridge, this time with Art (no points, but lots of fun), and then off to an evening movie. Here's me, and a small portion of the extremely long line...
The movie was called Lucky Stiff, and it was adaptation of a Broadway musical for the screen. As to be expected, the plot was silly, but the cast - which included Jason Alexander of Seinfeld fame - was great, the music delightful, and it was altogether charming. And, it being Palm Springs and all, there was a Q & A afterwards, with the director and some of the case (although, alas, no Jason Alexander)
I gave this one a three.
Two films on Friday, one in the morning and one in the late afternoon (there were five venues, by the way, but all reasonably close to one another, with lots of parking everywhere, and a million volunteers to make lines and seating go smoothly - absolutely a five for organization). Friday morning was, perhaps the weirdest of the six films I saw. It was a Croatian film called The Reaper, It won best actor and cinematography for the festival, and I agree. But I have seen paint dry faster than this film, and it was a depressing film about not ever being able to escape ones past. It is hard for me to rate this one - I am still digesting it. On the other hand, I suppose that is the sign of a good film.
Friday afternoon's offering was not very cheerful either. It was a film from Luxembourg called Never Die Young, and buzz has it that it might get the Oscar for best foreign language film (the other Oscar nominees in this category were also here, but I didn't get to see them). It was about the life of a heroin addict, who becomes paralyzed from the waist down at the age of 20. It was fascinating - you never once saw him after his childhood (lots of pictures of the empty wheelchair in various places), and yet one cared what happened to this man. It was brilliant. I gave it a 5.
Saturday morning was perhaps the best of the films I saw, Effie Gray. Dakota Fanning played the lead, playing the wife of Victorian art critic and writer John Ruskin, who caused a scandal when she left him for a painter, John Everett Millais. The script was written by Emma Thompson, who also played a role, and it was as lush a period piece as I have ever seen. Loved it!
But it couldn't last. After a Sunday snuggled up to the New York Times, I headed off to my last movie, something called Good Night Mommy. It had good buzz - I picked it on the basis of someone else's recommendation. The Hollywood Reporter said "The story's acceleration from anxiety to panic to hellish chaos is expertly managed..." Maybe, but I didn't stick around to find out!!!
Altogether, though, the festival was a great experience. I will definitely go again - and to more movies - next year. As mentioned, very well organized, and lines - which I am not a bit fan of - were made part of the experience by the star sightings, the volunteers and the great people sharing their experiences while waiting. Lots of fun.
And so we start another week. I'm back to full speed at the gym (1 1/2 hours per day), and Robin and I scored some points at bridge today as well. I dashed off to the library today, as my last book, The Hand of Justice (a medieval mystery) got finished in the off hours last week. So, I am ready for my week, including some more movies, of the general distribution variety, more bridge, more books, and, weather permitting, more pool time.
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