Arrival

Arrival
~ cinema December 17

Sci-fi film given to rave reviews.
Excellent photography, effects, and drama
A little bit about time and space continuums and the possibility of knowing the future as well as the past, the Circle of Time as it were.

Worth the visit!

Daniel Lapp's Home for the Holidays

Daniel Lapp's Home for the Holidays
~ Victoria Conservatory of Music - December 16


This was the 13th annual show put on by students and faculty of the VCM, at the Alix Goolden Hall.

Excellent music, especially by Maureen Washington

David Myles

David Myles - A Christmas Tour
~ Sid Williams Theater, Courtenay BC  Dec 10 2016




Yes, a Saturday night in Courtenay! 
Seeing that there was a musical event at the Sid, I purchased tickets and we went to see David Myles.
Sight and sound totally unknown at the time, but now, a definite favourite artist

Tower Of Song Tribute

Tower of Song - Tribute to Leonard Cohen
~ December 09, 2016 

Beautifully presented by Oliver Swain and Glenna Garramone and friends!

This was incredible!!!

Interpretation of LC, plus many original songs by this talented duo

Please support them when they appear in your area.

Inspiration to so many people, Leonard Cohen's music and words will live forever.

Video link

Testimony by Robbie Robertson

Testimony

~ by Robbie Robertson

Readings and interview at U Vic auditorium

Wonderful storyteller

loved this evening

Also, it snowed in Victoria this day!!

War Horse at the National Theatre UK

War Horse
~ National Theatre London UK

Presented at the CinePlex, Victoria BC

WOW!
This was so intense, such a fabulous production of the play

The Revelers!

The Revelers Band from Lafayette LA
~ Dec 2nd in Victoria

Lovely Cajun music here, excellent musicians, great sense of humour, lovely evening.

Songs of Joni Mitchell

I Think I'm Fallin'
The Songs of Joni Mitchell
~ as seen at the Belfry Theatre, Victoria BC

Wonderful presentation of her songs, I enjoyed this so much.
Lots of love went into this.

The Crown

The Crown
~ NetFlix series

the story of Princess Elizabeth and her family

Love this so far, beautifully acted and presented, it's an intimate glimpse into the behind the scenes era of Post WWII England, specifically the Royal Family.

Alpha Yaya Diallo Concert

Alpha Yaya Diallo in concert
~ Oak Bay, Rec Centre, Victoria BC
What a great musician, and showman!
Excellent guitarist, appeared in Victoria this friends, on a Friday evening Nov 4th.

Having never heard his music before, I wasn't sure what to expect.
Was I ever delighted!!

Great songs, rhythms, musicians, and venue.

Facebook Page

Freedom video

Jim Witter; Billy Joel and Elton John, The Piano Men

Jim Witter; Billy Joel and Elton John, The Piano Men

~ at the Sid Williams Theatre, Courtenay

This was billed as a group playing hit songs of Billy Joel and Elton John, but ended up as a 70s Nostalgia trip!!

It included a segment on 70s TV theme songs.
I don't give a rats ass about those Ok??

Gilligans Island, Partridge Family, Monkees, duh!
I wanted more songs from the superstar guys!

What they played was great, but it seemed like they yapped for too long. 

Ultimately I was disappointed.

I was looking for details from Jim on how, why, when these songs were written, what the artist was thinking, the nuances of each particular piece. Too much to expect I guess. 

Matthew and Jill Barber

Matthew and Jill Barber, The Family Album
~ at the Sid Williams Theatre, Courtenay BC


Hadn't heard of this brother and sister before, so was interested in hearing their musical stories
Well received by the locals here, I enjoyed the mix of original and covered versions.
Musicians were excellent, and a mighty fine time was had by all.

~ Jill Barber music

~ Matthew Barber music

Anything Goes, the musical

Anything Goes!

~ the music of Cole Porter, at the Sid Williams
Rainbow Youth Theatre Group has put on a fabulous production of the antics on the S.S. America as it crosses the Atlantic.

Wonderful choreography, strong voices and acting by the Theatre Group.

5 Stars excellent

Into The Forest

Into The Forest
~ CVAG Fall Film Series

Loved this movie!
The premise is a huge power outage in the NorthWest causes a family to struggle through; no electricity and then no gas, no food.

Powerful camera shots, wonderful acting, beautiful scenery lends itself to a spell binding afternoon here.

Definitely one of the best films I've seen in a long time.


Into The Forest Actors discussion here


Into The Forest book review here

Miss Peregrine's Home For Precious Children

Miss Peregrine's Home For Precious Children
~ movie by the same name out now
Recommended to me by Marie of the Driftwood Malls Coles bookstore.
I'm loving it!
I admit, the title turned me off, made me think it was a children's story, but clearly it's in a similar vein as the Harry Potter fantasy novels.
Must see the movie as it's a Tim Burton show.

*** update Oct 13 ***

saw the movie, and as expected, not quite as interesting as the book. Couple of things to note:
- they changed the sex of one of the main characters in the movie
- the ending of the movie was VASTLY different from the book.
- 3D and not really worth the extra price.

Easy

Easy
~ NetFlix series
watched this after seeing it was rated similar to Life in Pieces.

It is similar, however the show is 1 chapter at a time vs 4 for LiP, and Easy is much more developed character-wise and ahem, sexier too.
as in lots of sex ... at least in the first episode.

They always do that right, to pull you in.....

Life in Pieces

Life in Pieces
~ NetFlix TV series
consists of 4 separate chapters within each show, all using the same cast, all quite funny and almost slapstick.

Can be a little long after a while so, take it in small doses.

Genius

Genius
~ CVAG Film series Fall 2016


starring Jude Law (as Thomas Wolfe), Colin Firth (as Max Perkins), Nicole Kidman and the authors, F Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway, played by Guy Pearce and Dominic West 

This was beautiful, wonderfully acted by all, especially Jude Law as the weirdly, over energized Tom Wolfe.

Explores the hows and whys of getting his books edited from the 1000 page length to a more reasonable publishable size.

It was Max Perkins who had the stamina and patience to do so, all the while, seeing the intoxication of Tom, infiltrate his own life as it had the life of Tom's mistress Aline Bernstein, played by Nicole Kidman.

Alone Together Again

Alone Together Again

~ a Courtenay Little Theatre presentation
~ at the Sid Williams Theatre Oct 1, 2016

In the hilarious Broadway comedy, Alone Together, Mom and Dad have spent the last thirty years raising three active sons. How they looked forward to the peace, the quiet and the privacy of an empty nest. After considerable comic turmoil and revelation of deep feelings, the nest is finally emptied. Peace now? Quiet? Not for long. The empty nest fills up again by the sudden, unexpected arrival of their parents, each with a problem which is dumped on Mom and Dad. How to empty the nest once again so Mom and Dad can be alone together. Cleverly comic, witty and wise. Alone Together Again has delighted audiences in Europe as well as the U.S.


here's a little clip from a production of the play by another troupe

I enjoyed this, a rainy Saturday evening, comedy close to the heart.

Sully

Sully
~ Tom Hanks, Director Clint Eastwood

Remember the day in January 2009 when a US Airways jet was forced to land in the Hudson River, right in the heart of NYC

This is the story of that flight and the story surrounding the aftermath, the investigation into the what and why did it happen

Very well done, and of course, a very feel good outcome

The Opposite of Loneliness
 by Marina Keegan

Times review

Huffington Post review

Short stories from a young writer, whose life was cut short by an auto accident.
I found most of them enlightening, told from the view of a young 20 something student in the early 21st Century.

Worth a look if you can find a copy, check your library

Love and Friendship
~ CVAG Film Series Fall 2016
first in a series of 5 films this season, presents an adaptation of a Jane Austen novel.

very well received by the audience, I enjoyed the characters, especially the main female character, the scheming Lady Susan.
Lots of laughs!


Guardian review

Florence Foster Jenkins
~ at the movies...
during birthday week, Mom and I went over to the Rialto for an afternoon showing of this Meryl Streep film. She's one of Moms favs.

Also starring Hugh Grant. I was pleasantly surprised here. Very touching the relationship between Florence (Bunny as he called her) and her husband.
The part of the pianist Cosmos, played by Simon Helberg, was very well acted and deserves recognition by the powers that do that sort of thing.

Hillary Clinton
~ 'Hard Choices'

Got this for pennies at a thrift shoppe, so why not? she may become President, let's see what she has to say....
GOOD, very detailed re: her years as Secretary of State.
Amazing, how many leaders she met and was able to converse with
She comes across as a tough negotiator, but with a sense of democratic liberal morality.
She went thru all the hot spots, the crises, and comes out looking pretty keen.
Someone who appears to be well qualified to be President.

The Old Man and The Sea

The Old Man and The Sea
~ Ernest Hemingway
When I saw books at Coles 3 for $10, I checked out the pickins and found 3 Hemingways. I know I took this one in high school but I didn't pay attention nor did I remember much about the story.

Great short story of the fisherman, the boy, the boat, the sea, the fish, the Great DiMaggio, the weather, and talking to oneself 

Can see why it's a classic.

here's a short film adaptation beautiful animation true to the story

Jersey Boys

Jersey Boys
~ story of the group Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons
~ directed by Clint Eastwood
Love this group, the songs from the 60s as a teenager, the 70s and 80s even the 90s when I took my daughter Julie to see Frankie Valli at a free concert in Boston's Government Center Plaza.

I liked it, although most reviewers found something about it they didn't like.

Guess you had to have lived in the era.

Bruce Cockburn

Rumours of Glory

~ Bruce Cockburn

My daughters gave me this signed from a concert Bruce did in Prescott Park, Portsmouth NH

beautifully written by the artist, it contains many lyrics to his works, and his travels throughout the spots they refer to.
Well worth it

Never Cry Wolf
~ Farley Mowat
The Canadian classic story of a government employee sent out to the North to survey the wolf population
At the time, wolves were regarded as evil creatures, responsible for the killings of Caribou herds.
This book brought to the attention of all, of the creative family structures within the wolf populations, how they cared for their pups, how they ate, what they ate, and the importance of the wolf to the caribou herds.
A great story, I had never read it before.
I enjoyed the humour Farley had in his story telling.

 

Bridges of Spies
~ Tom Hanks and others

Directed by Spielberg, this is based on true events surrounding the Cold War period of the late 50s to early 1960.
Specifically, the spying on each others by the Soviet Union and the USA.
Wonderfully acted and great visuals, kept me interested throughout.
The acting by the Russian spy (Mark Rylance) won Best Supporting Actor and he was superb.

Still Game
~ the humour of the Scots.
~ Sub-titles definitely required!
On Netflix, this is a half hour comedy sketch, set in Glasgow and a old time pub, its customers, bartenders and a local shopkeeper.
So funny, when I need a break from the stress, or just a good laugh, this is the show I watch.

The Girl On The Train
~ Paula Hawkins
Really enjoyed this one, see it's been on the best seller list for over a year, plus I saw it at a thrift shop for $3, couldn't pass it up.

Set in the English London rail commuter area, it well written, exposing the psychological issues facing the main characters, their dysfunctional lives felt like home to me!!!

May be tough to follow this one, Paula but give it a go, will ya?

review by The Guardian
movie coming out in Oct 2016, here's a trailer

Irrational Man
~ written, directed by Woody Allen
~ with Emma Stone, Joaquin Phoenix

Loved it, troubled philosophy professor at a Rhode Island college, tormented by the meaning of his life decides to commit a crime.

Didn't receive the greatest of reviews but so what, I was entertained.
Loved the music by Ramsey Lewis Trio

Filmed in the Newport RI area.

Occupied
~ thriller based on current events set just a little bit in the future
Very well done, this Norwegian production has excellent acting, and video.
Just one season on NetFlix at the moment, can't wait for the next one.

Shooting For Glory
~ Paul Henderson with Mike Leonetti
Who doesn't remember the Summit Series of 1972?
That unbelievable hockey tournament between Team Canada and the USSR, or CCCP as their sweaters noted.

The drama of that first game loss in Montreal, the disgust after the Vancouver loss, then the first loss over in Moscow.
Followed by 3 successive victories with Paul Henderson scoring the winning goal in each.

This book was a story about that tourney, but also about how Paul survived the attention, then moved on into a Christian lifestyle.

To be honest, that didn't interest me!

There are a few photos, only 1 of the historic goal, otherwise, a way to pass an afternoon on the couch.

Lady in the Van
~ Maggie Smith
the final movie of this seasons CVAG list, this was highly anticipated as it's trailer is very humourous.
On the contrary, the movie as a whole was rather a sad affair, I couldn't help but pity the people in it, how this woman was using some, even abusing them, to satisfy her own self.
Starting with a tragedy, she tries to hide this, whilst a knowing police officer trails her and even blackmails her with the truth.
Very well acted mind you, and the scenes of London area are lovely.

Wearing The Green Beret
~ A Canadian with the Royal Marine Commandos
~ Jake Olafsen
written by a man from BC, Vancouver Island, to be exact.
Describes his journey from enlisting, training, graduating and earning the Green Beret, then dispatches to Afghanistan, then finally a sea voyage around the South East Asia.

very detailed re: the missions, and descriptive re: his unit and the things he saw. A bit lacking on the emotional aspect of the journey, yet one certainly feels that this must've been an incredibly intense part of his life.

P.D James
~ A Mind To Murder
The late great UK writer shows up in my thrift store basket for $0.50 so here we go, gotta give it a try.
You see, I'm not really a mystery reader, although I do enjoy the mystery detective shows, most commonly viewed on our local PBS or Knowledge network channels. Oh, and NetFlix.

So, it's an Adam Dalgliesh Detective mystery, he of this and many others books.
I found it very well written, the plot was very intricately laid out, I obviously couldn't follow it, but enjoyed her writing, language and the characterizations.
I've another to read so will get to that one sometime soon!

Good-bye and Amen

by Beth Gutcheon

Found this for $5 at the local reads, so I figured 'what's to lose eh?'
Could not get through this. Did not like the style, where she had each character headlining a paragraph, as if it was a TV Documentary.

Sorry Beth, no go, do not collect $200.

SLAM 
   by Nick Hornby
I enjoy his writing style, as if he's just besides you talking away.
Previously, I've read How To Be Good.

this is about a teenager boy and girlfriend, their families rich and not so rich. Voiced from the perspective of the young boy, with a little help from Tony Hawk, skateboarder.

 

The BIG Short


enjoyed this, despite it being all sub prime economic banking mumbo speak! the move was good with excellent acting by the crew, editing was superb, and funny at times.
won Best Picture and Screenplay 2015. not too shabby!

Drama about a cop with tendencies to go beyond the 'rules' of the office, in order to get his man. We wonder;

 - what is it that drives this person, 

 - why does his wife leave him for another, then seem to want him back, 

 - how does the psycho Alice stay in the shadows without getting caught, all this makes for a very dramatic and engrossing watch

Luthor

45 Years
  with Tom Courtenay and Charlotte Rampling
This was poignant, very good about a relationship of 45 years, about to celebrate with an anniversary party, when secrets from before the marriage are revealed.
They change the relationship, but for the worse? or for better?
Wonderful acting by the two stars, lovely visuals of the English countryside

Sutton
   J.R. Moehringer
'Historical fictionalized novel' about the famed bank robber Willie Sutton.
Very interesting read, as it is based on many facts of his escapes and captures, his banks, his image in the 30s, the Depression years. Plus, it's augmented with the authors imagination of what happens between the lines, what were the reasons for Willie doing what he did.
I enjoyed it, and after a slow start, I couldn't put it down.

 - NY Times review       - NY Daily News article

 - Author speaks

Best of Enemies
   the Buckley-Vidal debates 1968
I remember these guys, two of the brightest, wittiest men on the planet at the time.
This doc was riveting for me, I was in Toronto 18 at the time, but watching the US political conventions during the summer evenings
The year of the assassinations, Robert Kennedy and Martin Luther King, the riots in cities all over the US.

Vexed
   BBC TV comedy cop show on Netflix
Started to watch this series, only 2 seasons apparently were made.
Mildly funny, but strangely addictive, if only to see how stupid the character Jack Anderson can become.
Season 1 also stared Lucy Punch, now my new fav actor
Season 2 she somehow disappears and is replaced. All good tho her replacement is still eye worthy.
It's about 46 minutes, so not too long a waste of time.
2 1/2 starts out of 5

What Happened Miss Simone?

Netflix

I had a CD of Nina Simone's and as it played in the car, I was struck by the beautiful genius of this artist.
Never realized much about her until I saw this flick.
Lots of pain, abuse from her husband (idiot!) manager.
She was another individual genius, with struggles that defined unhappiness.
Worth a second view someday. 
Companion book

This movie relates to the Boston Globe Spotlight teams investigation and reporting of the systematic abuse of children in the Boston area and the subsequent cover-ups by the hierarchy of the Church, all the way up to Cardinal Law.

I lived in New Hampshire at this time, so I enjoyed the Boston references, and loved reading the Globe.

Spotlight
Only makes sense that I'd see this movie after reading The Bishop's Man.


eBook on the story

The Bishop's Man

   by Linden MacIntyre

took me awhile to get thru this as it skipped back and forth between years and places too quickly for my slow brain to keep up.

It won a Giller Prize, that's why I picked it up, plus I knew of Linden from the Fifth Estate on CBC.

Set on the East Coast with sorties to Toronto, Boston, Nfld, it's about a priest, troubled past, questionable activities and rumours galore.

Al Purdy Was Here ...

January 24, 2016
CVAG

This was what I like, seeing a movie that tweaked my interest, made me look up more about the subject, and was a positive surprise.
I had heard the name from when I lived in Toronto during the 60s, early 70s and had seen from the listing that a number of 'famous' types were in it.
So, got a good seat this week, and thoroughly enjoyed the night.

A troubled man, who was abusive to his family, ignored his children, plainly selfish in that respect., yet was a very talented, inspired writer.
I got a kick  out of this verse..

At the Quinte Hotel  I'm a sensitive man

Wellington, The Iron Duke
   by Richard Holmes

keeping with the 19th Century theme here, I read this book, since I did get from the Crimean War book that he was still alive, at least in the run up to the hostility.
Course those days, there was always some battle going on in Europe.
I didn't realize that Wellington, or Arthur Wellesley as he was named, was Prime Minister at one point. Quite the lady's man apparently, his wife must've been very lonely.