Movie-Watching and Procrastination

I’ve been promising myself for weeks and/or months that I’d catch up on listing movies we/ve seen — failing to do so seems occasionally to result in renting a movie a second time, only realizing we’ve already seen it once it begins and we’re comfortably ensconced with our wine and snacks — do you ever do that? Who has to make the trip back to the DVD store? At our Vanc’r apartment, it’s not so bad — the store’s a five-minute walk from us; here on the island, though, it’s a bike ride to the boat, then a boat crossing, then the car, then the whole thing in reverse. . . In the dark months of winter rains, when we have to go to town for something in the evening, we generally decide to do without instead — in the dark months of winter rains, we try to remind ourselves how wonderful it is here in the summer . . . .

Anyway, I’ve been promising myself, and finally I’m going to start:
Before we left for London/Paris (Yes! That’s how long I’ve been promising! Since May), we watched
Mike Leigh’s Happy-Go-Lucky. If you’re considering driving lessons, only watch this movie as a cautionary tale. You’ll probably end up avoiding the lessons. The driving instructor is both hilarious and frightening. The movie itself balances precariously at the edge of many adjectives — charming, funny, poignant, energetic.
Run, Fat Boy, Run — One adjective only — Hilarious!
On the plane, we finally got to see Slumdog Millionaire. Everything that can be said about this movie already has been. If you haven’t seen it, do. Now that I think about it, I suppose Pater’s current interest in visiting India might have begun with this, rather than with reading Amitav Ghosh’s Sea of Poppies or Aravind Adiga’s The White Tiger.
Last Chance Harvey — has both Dustin Hoffman and Emma Thompson. Need I say more? I also loved the taste of London (as with Fat Boy) since that’s where we were heading at the time.

I have to run now — I’m finally getting some routine lab tests that the doctor ordered a year ago and I never got around to. If I miss the 8 ferry, I won’t be able to resist my morning tea for another hour and I’ll have to wait another day to do the glucose test fasting. That day will turn into a week, and soon I’ll have gone another year — But hey, I’ve caught up my record of movies to mid-May now, and it’s only August. Procrastination? Not around here . . .

8 Comments

  1. Anonymous
    21 August 2009 / 5:28 pm

    thanks, Frances, for the movie tips. And hope the blood tests were easy (I've been avoiding them myself, though took action on the dentist and mammogram this summer–the latter surely being evidence of the deplorable state of women's health services on this planet…shouldn't someone be charged with something for doing that to someone else?! didn't I see that in a horror movie a while back?!)
    happy weekend–Lisa

  2. Patricia
    21 August 2009 / 6:04 pm

    First of all, I second your first commentator re. the mammogram!!

    We have also seen Happy-Go-Lucky and Last Chance Harvey – saw the latter only the other week. Truth be told, not that much happens in the movie, but I could watch those two anytime. It's such a joy just to listen to them and watch them. Our summer is up as of Monday – the boys go back to school. On the one hand, I'm not looking forward to the early mornings and the stress of school, but we need some order around here! Patricia
    P.S. We are going to see My Life in Ruins tonight – a Nia Vardalos movie set in Greece. She plays a tour guide on a classical tour, and our tour guide last year in Greece told us it was coming out (she had seen the movie being filmed)!

  3. Duchesse
    22 August 2009 / 2:25 pm

    Is Pater going to India? Are you going too? A truly life changing trip for me. I was not wholly charmed by Slumdog; am a huge Mike Leigh fan.

    For an easy way to rent dvds, see zip.ca: no one has to go to the store!

  4. Puttermeister
    22 August 2009 / 3:18 pm

    It's so nice to get some recommendations–I haven't seen several of these and will drop them in the queue (Netflix) shortly. Thanks!

    Have you read White Tiger, too? I downloaded it on Audiobook and haven't been able to stay with it, but that's so often a function of the reader's pacing and inflection, it's difficult to know why I didn't follow through.

  5. indigo16
    22 August 2009 / 3:19 pm

    I have finaly caught up with your posts, the first time I read them my brain was still in 'mush' mode and I was unable to piece together a coherent riposte. This remains true so I will bullit point instead in no particular order.
    – I LOVE Nola's denim trousers, seriously you could make a fortunes selling those in Cornwall. Adult sizes too! I love the way that cotton fades and I have somewhere in anothers house's attic a couple of fisherman sweaters that could do with a revival.
    – Sad news about pater, what a shocker, and so glad he is back to rude health.
    – Your family gathering looked amazing and reminded me that our once huge clan is now flung to the far corners of the globe and will probably never reunite. To have so many so close is a gift.
    – Thank you for the meme I am not sure your "superficial" is correct, maybe self depreciating would be closer to the truth. I would add intelligent thinker, certainly capable of deeper thoughts than most blogs I read.
    – Sunrise images were lovely, I tried but failed to catch any in Cornwall, I was too sleepy.
    – %100 behind your right to bare arms. Hell have we not earned that right? Why should we suffer the heat just because a few idiot fashionitsa's delare they should be always covered. They will regret such rules when they hit that 'certain' age too.
    – DVD's We are back on my old box set of SATC It is Daisy's first time and I guess she could do worse for a basic sex education!

  6. materfamilias
    22 August 2009 / 7:56 pm

    Lisa: I don't mind blood tests, but don't get them done very often. Ditto, really, for the mammogram — the one I had done two years ago was the first in almost 20 years, and now they want me to do another??! Who has the time? Between that, the dentist, and the hair maintenance?!! (and I don't add hair in their lightly!)
    Patricia: I remember exactly those feelings about school's return from when my kids were that age. And yes, the big charm of Last Chance Harvey for me was watching Thompson and Hoffman together.
    Duchesse: We'd never thought of travel to India before, but Pater's brought it up a few times lately. I think it would have to wait 'til post-retirement, though. Anyway I know who's gone says what you do — that's it's life-changing. And thanks for the advice re zip.ca. I've heard that before, just haven't got 'round to trying it out.
    PM: I can't do Audiobooks, partly because I'm a bit impatient (can read so much faster on my own), but probably mostly because of my hearing limitations. But yes, I've read The White Tiger as well, and wrote about it over on my reading blog. For me, it was a quick and entertaining read, but packs a devastating message.
    IndieAl: So glad you're back! And truly, one could do worse than provide one's daughter sex-ed via SATC!!

  7. Mardel
    22 August 2009 / 11:47 pm

    Oh I loved Last Chance Harvey just because I loved Hoffman and Thompson. Slumdog didn't thrill me.

    I would love to go to India someday. One of my knitting friends is going this fall and I am quite jealous. But G doesn't want to go, and I can't consider leaving him behind at this point. Someday.

  8. materfamilias
    24 August 2009 / 3:27 am

    Mardel: There's much fall travelling that's making me envious as well! I just have to remember that staying home offers rewards as well, right?

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