Posted on March 10, 2012 in Movies
I really enjoyed this film, and I had a feeling I would because I like silent films and black and white movies. I spent most of my high school years watching old movies and really appreciating them. It has been awhile since I’ve seen a black and white film let alone a silent one. I am glad I caught some of the references, there were definitely allusions to Singing in the Rain, Astaire/Rogers, Charlie Chaplin, Errol Flynn, Greta Garbo and much more. I liked the music and the cinematography, but with any silent film, the star is key. Jean Dujardin was perfectly cast; he looks like a silent film star: his face is expressive, debonair, and he has great comic timing.
I did have a small issue with the actress playing Peppy Miller if only because Bérénice Bejo does not look like the kind of girl who would have been famous in that era. There is a distinct look to women of that era either being cherubic and cute (Lillian Gish, Mary Pickford), mysterious vixen (Marlene Dietrich, Louise Brooks) or just plain arresting and distinctive (Greta Garbo, Katharine Hepburn, Bette Davis). I know a lot of people disagree with me on this, but there was something about her that didn’t fit that era. It took me out of the film at times. Maybe it’s because I am so use to watching movies from that era. She was good though, and I think she has expressive eyes. Also the woman who plays Valentin’s wife looked older than him and I checked that is she almost ten years older. I’m not sure what that was suppose to mean if anything. I really liked the other cast such as the adorable Jack Russell that they used. I like how it humanized George’s ego in awhile too. Same with James Cromwell playing Clifton the chauffeur/valet who clearly cared about George.
The romance aspect of this movie was sweet, but I really think most of the film was about George’s journey and the film’s role as a homage to that era of movies more so than the romantic aspect. I really recommend this film because I think it could introduce people to silent and older films. It’s a good film fullstop and very entertaining and touching.
I wrote the above review before watching the Oscars, but I’m really glad the film won, especially for duJardin and direction.
Watched 23 February 2012.
Posted on March 8, 2012 in Books
There are moments in every book by Sophie Kinsella where I become annoyed by the female protagonist. Then I wonder momentarily why I keep reading her books since I’ve read almost all of them. I find the Shopaholic series’s protagonist the most annoying, and yet, I still continue to read those books. I don’t read a lot of chick lit, but there are a couple of chick lit authors who I tend to read. Kinsella is one of them because as annoying and unrelatable as her protagonists tend to be, I always feel satisfied by the end of her books. In this novel, Poppy, the protagonist, steals a phone and is ridiculously nosy and intrusive. There’s always silliness in Kinsella’s plots. In this one, she even employs footnotes which I ignored a lot of the time because I was reading it on Kindle which meant I had to stop and move my rudimentary cursor to click on the hyperlink. The protagonist goes head long into situations, makes a mess of things, and in the end, everything turns out ok. Somehow every time, Kinsella manages to charm me with some of the dialogue and the ending. I think there are genuinely cute and humorous lines in her books especially when it is used in dialogue for the bantering between the female and male leads. I always get swept up in and slightly irked by the mess the character makes, but feel good when everything turns out alright for her (after she learns some things about herself of course) and she gets the guy. The books are nice and easy reads. They are short and in my case, somewhat addictive. Even though Kinsella’s books are based in reality (except Twenties Girl), I often feel they are taking place in a parallel universe. The female protagonists are such a disarray at the beginning, but in a short amount of time, they gain a lot of self-growth and a very good looking, successful (and usually wealthy) partner to boot. If only life were like that! That’s what escapist female literature is for I guess. I’ll still read Kinsella’s books; I liked this one as much as the others. They are reliable in their ability to make me feel a bit better.
Read on Kindle February 25th, 2012.
Posted on March 4, 2012 in Books
I think only fans of the Outlander series will care about this review. This is actually my first Lord John book. I meant to read more of them around Christmas, but I got distracted. Lord John Grey is one of my favourite characters from the Outlander universe. Jamie Fraser is also featured heavily in this book too. I adore the relationship John Grey and Jamie have; it’s strange but also good relationship in many ways. The unrequited love that John has for Jamie is touching and kind of adorable actually.
In contrast to the regular Outlander books, thee is just one or two rather self-contained mysteries. In the main series book, there are usually several threads going through the book itself or across books. In some ways, this book felt less intense than reading a regular Outlander novel. It had less narrative perspective, less characters and less things to keep track of. It was noticeably shorter. I still enjoyed myself and there was a snippet of the next Outlander book and it was nice to be teased.
Read February 24th, 2012.
Posted on March 1, 2012 in Knitting & Crafting
I love Kauni Effetkgarn. In 2010, I bought three balls of the EQ colour in Switzerland. I used up two that summer, but I had one left to save for the future.
In February, I finally used the third skein in two projects. First, I wanted to make a sweater with the yarn. I picked Margot and decided to stripe it and make it short sleeved. My Margot on Ravelry 
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Secondly, the Stripe Study Shawl. It was inevitable for me to knit this striped shawl. My Stripe Study Shawl On Ravelry
Both projects have been striped with Briggs & Little Sport in natural/undyed which is the right weight and has the same rustic appeal as the Kauni wool. Also, the B&L was inexpensive. I used 1.5 balls of the B&L for both projects.
This is the last of the Kauni I have and since it isn’t sold locally, I am not sure when I will buy it again. If I do, I’ll probably stock up. I get a huge kick out of knitting with this yarn and it is easily one of my favourite yarns.