“The Upside”

Part of the Palm Springs International Film Festival, “The Upside” is a heartfelt comedy starring Brian Cranston (from Breaking Bad).

I’m not going to dissect this scene by scene, because sometimes you just need to laugh. This comedy/tragedy did the trick.

I didn’t realize at first that it is a remake of a French film called “The Intouchables” from the Weinstein company which was an International success, shown here in 2013. It was one of the most successful French films in the history of French cinema. Otherwise, I might not have chosen to see “The Upside” because I don’t understand the need to make Americanized copies or adaptations of original foreign films that have proven to be excellent. One example: I loved “La Cage aux Folles”, the 1978 Franco-Italian comedy. Later in 1996, “The Birdcage” was a remake directed by Mike Nichols and starring Robin Williams. In most cases I find the original to be the best version. But since they continue to recreate these films reasonably well and with an excellent English speaking cast…

“The Upside” stars Brian Cranston as a wealthy yet very cynical quadriplegia who is looking to hire a full time caretaker. When he decides to hire a fast talking parolee, the fun begins. Kevin Hart (who may or may not host the 2019 Oscars – it’s still up for debate) plays a down on his luck, wise-cracking guy trying to prove to his parole officer that he’s looking for work. I would say this is an unlikely pairing except for the fact that it is based on a true story and confirms the fact that opposites do indeed attract.

Nicole Kidman plays a humdrum assistant. For such an amazing actress, this part does not do her justice.

Julianna Margulies has a small part as potential love interest which comes to an embarrasingly unfortunate ending in a restaurant.

Overall, this movie was entertaining and the characters were excellently portrayed. It brought many laughs. Sometimes I think that’s enough.

A little trivia: this was the first film production for Malia Obama, daughter of Barack & Michelle Obama. She worked as an intern for The Weinstein Company during filming.

Originally to be distributed by The Weinstein Company in March 2018, the film was shelved and sold off following Harvey Weinstein sexual abuse allegations. It was eventually bought by STX Entertainment and Lantern Entertainment, who then scheduled it to be released in the United States on January 11, 2019.

Art & Culture

“Botero” – a documentary

A good painter looks for solutions. A great painter looks for problems – Fernando Botero.

A fascinating behind-the-scenes profile of Columbian artist Fernando Botero. The North American premiere of “Botero” at the 30th Palm Springs International Film Festival was one of the most compelling documentaries I’ve seen in a long time. The figurative painter and sculptor is known as the world’s most recognized living artist – although someone I knew very little about and was curious to find out more.

For starters, many people only know him from his illustrious paintings of distorted fat ladies. Well…turns out he’s much more well rounded (pun intended) than that. He does not only people but landscapes, animals, fruit and sculptures.

Botero’s style is familiar in the same manner that other famous artists are, no matter what they paint. Picasso, Warhol, Monet, Pollock….their style is always identifiable. Botero’s colorful whimsical work with a touch of satire tends to appeal to the masses.

I was blown away by Botero’s body of work including enormous sculptures which grace some of the world’s major landmarks and institutions. You don’t have to like everything, however you can’t help but admire and respect it. Not all art critics understand the thought process behind the artist. Some get it, some don’t. It’s pretty simple. A great artist makes you feel because there’s a story behind every piece of art whether it’s abstract or otherwise. It’s not just brush strokes.

For instance, Botero did a series of paintings of a young boy – boy is sitting atop a wooden horse, dressed up as an officer. We learn the young boy was Botero’s son, struck by a truck early on in life and died instantly. This was Botero’s way of honouring his boy. For a long while the young boy is all he painted. It must have been torturous for him to do so. But we look at the painting not knowing the story behind it and feel what we feel .

Director Don Millar who was here in person for a Q&A afterwards delves not only into the psyche of what makes Botero tick, he also interviews Botero’s daughter and two sons. You see the love and respect they have for their father. They are clearly family people, educated and articulate.

On display: many works by Botero are on display at the Botero Museum in the center of Bogotá, Columbia.

Botero also very generously donated ALL of his private paintings, drawings and sculpures (including works he owned by Picasso, Monet and more) to the Museo de Antioquia in Medellin, his hometown in Columbia. He now spends most of his time in Italy but the donation in Columbia is a positive way to take the focus off of a city which conjures up images of drug cartels, gangsters and kidnappers. The collection is the largest of his work anywhere to date.

Film Reviews

“The Wife”

“Don’t portray me as a victim. I’m much more interesting than that” – Glenn Close in “The Wife”

“The Wife” was the first movie I chose to see at the Palm Springs International Film Festival. There are over 200 movies and I’m only interested in seeing a handful (or two). My process is to first skim through the titles of all the films, see if I recognize any of the actors in the film, although it’s not a major deciding factor on whether I will go see it or not, then read synopsis of shortlisted ones I think I’m interested in and finally…hope I made the right choices.

“The Wife” was a good choice. The title appealed to me instantly, even before I knew what the movie was about. You realize there has to be more behind a title that is as powerful as it is undermining.

With the film already playing in major cinemas, the fact that Glenn Close is up for another Oscar nomination and was here in person to talk about the movie, the character and other juicy tidbits were only icing on the cake.

Many of you may already know the storyline by now. In a nutshell: Joseph Castleman, the husband played by Jonathan Pryce wins the Nobel Peace Prize for Literature. But Joan, his wife (the wife) is not totally satisfied. As the story unfolds we discover her secret. But it is her reticence and her facial expressions in closeups that unveil her true feelings. It’s all about the closeups: they are the most revealing and “Glenn Closeup” is a genius at displaying her emotion… ever so subtle. You come to realize quickly why she is nominated for an Oscar.

This film has some similarities to another movie I recently saw at the Vancouver International Film Festival called Collette with Keira Knightley. In the sense that both are intelligent, strong women who take a back seat to their writer husbands and let them have all the glory while they do all the necessary work to get them to where they are. Clearly the writing motif is key.

What is also fascinating in this story is that the Nobel Prize people gave the go ahead to re-create an exact replica of what goes on behind the scenes when someone gets the prize. It gives you more than a glimpse into the proceedings, some of which are grand, some of which are unbelievably nutty.

The Word according to Glenn:

In the backflash scenes, young Joan Castleman is perfectly played by Annie Starke who also happens to be Close’s daughter in real life. She is very rightly proud of her daughter’s portrayal and did not want to be a part of her creative process, preferring to let Annie have her own space, not once coming into contact with her on set.

The movie took 14 years to complete, of which the last five she was a part of. Being independent filmmakers, they could not come up with the funding. Finally the money to put it all together came from across the sea in places like Sweden and England, but not America.

She was previously nominated six times for an Academy Award in: The World According to Garp, The Big Chill, The Natural, Fatal Attraction, Dangerous Liaisons and Albert Nobbs. She said not to feel bad if she doesn’t win this time around – why ruin her track record.

She’s a bit naturally reserved preferring to read a book over partying. But when she did the Big Chill she was coerced by co-star Mary Kay Place into partying in the room which Jeff Goldblum and Kevin Kline shared and causing a bit of a ruckus. The girls played pranks like buying and hanging really large underwear & bras in the rooms of Jeff Goldblum and Kevin Kline by the fan so it would start to blow as soon as they turned it on. Stuff like that. Stuff you wouldn’t perceive Glenn Close with being a part of.

Close had a Canadian boyfriend during filming of The Big Chill who invented a game which everyone played to pass the time on set – a lot. It was called “Trivial Pursuit.” Heard of it?

In a nutshell… I really enjoyed this movie, thought all the performances were top-notch and have been thinking about playing TRIVIAL PURSUIT again.

Art, Architecture, Culture

Ringing in the New Year starting with….

I look forward to this time of the year. It always starts off with a bang. The bang being fireworks for New Year’s Eve and after a day or so of recuperation (depending of course on how much partying I do)…..my favorite way to start the year is by viewing & reviewing a bunch of great films at the Palm Springs International Film Festival; one of the largest film festivals in North America. It’s always an exciting time to be in Palm Springs.

On Thursday, January 3, the annual Film Awards Gala will kick off the festival at the Palm Springs Convention Center. The gala honours the best achievements of the film year by a celebrated list of talents.
The screening portion of the festival will run Friday, January 4 through Monday, January 14.

The Festival welcomes over 135,000 attendees each year for its lineup of new and celebrated international features and documentaries. Produced by the Palm Springs International Film Society, the Festival offers 12 days of events and film screenings featuring over 200 films from 78 countries.

I don’t present myself as a movie critic or pretend to be one. I only attend the films and documentaries that interest me personally and blog about it for this website. So I am obviously hoping to “like” everything I see and am aware that what I like, you may not. I’m looking to be entertained and learn something new. And I feel privileged to be given media passes to premieres and special events.

**YELLOW IS FORBIDDEN.** Star Chinese fashion designer Guo Pei, the face of the “new China,” gave documentary filmmaker Pïetra Brettkelly an all-access pass for this fascinating — and occasionally troubling — behind-the-scenes look at Guo’s life and the run-up to her make-or-break Paris runway show.

See you at the movies!

News

WELCOME 2019 – we’ve been waiting for you.

It is always important to know when something has reached its end. Closing circles, shutting doors, finishing chapters, it doesn’t matter what we call it; what matters is to leave in the past those moments in life that are over. ― Paulo Coelho, The Zahir

For my Girlfriends:

“Time passes. Life happens.
Distance separates. Children grow up.
Love waxes and wanes.
Men don’t do what they’re supposed to do.
Hearts break. Parents die.
Colleagues forget favors. Careers end.

BUT – Sisters are there, no matter how much time and how
many miles are between you.
A girlfriend is never farther away than needing her.
When you have to walk that lonesome valley and you have to walk it by yourself,
the women in your life will be on the valley’s rim, cheering you on,
praying for you, pulling for you, intervening on your behalf,
and waiting with open arms at the valley’s end.
Sometimes, they will even break the rules and walk beside you,
or come in and carry you out.
Girlfriends, daughters, granddaughters, daughters-in-law, sisters,
sisters-in-law, mothers, grandmothers,
aunties, nieces, cousins and Extended family all bless our life.
When we began this adventure called womanhood,
we had no idea of the incredible joys or sorrows that lay ahead,
nor did we know how much we Would need each other.
Every day, we need each other still.”

“Anonymous”
Author: Unknown

FUN

Festive Feel-good Friday

Trying hard not to be naughty….it’s too close to Christmas!

I’m dreaming of a white Christmas, but if it runs out I’ll drink Red.

Cheers to the weekend!

THINKAboutit

Food for Thought – the Best Dog Food!

Below is a link to a very helpful article on what is best to feed your dog….aside from the usual kibble.

I’ve been meaning to publish this for months but put it on the back burner. I strongly believe that dogs deserve to eat real food the same as humans for health purposes mostly.

All living creatures deserve real food.

It is narrow-minded to think that dogs should eat only kibble. Perhaps the thought of eating kibbles for the rest of your own life helps make the point that pets forced to do so are being shortchanged.

I’ve been making simple real food meals for my dogs for dinner since day one (day one being the day they came into my care). Unless we’re travelling they get homemade. Not in the morning, just in the evenings. Sometimes in the morning they get oatmeal or eggs but mostly good quality kibble. Aside from health benefits, the enjoyment of watching them polish off a bowl of freshly prepared food, knowing how much they love to eat it, is enough for me to want to make it.

My male sheltie is almost sixteen. I met him when he was eight, and he became mine furever when he was ten. He was used to eating only kibble once a day. But on several occasions he went into a hypoglycemia shock where he could hardly function. Twice I didn’t think he’d even recover. So I decided to change his diet by feeding him twice a day with the second meal consisting of ‘real’ meat & veggies. No filler. Since doing so, he has not gone into shock syndrome once.

Cost wise, buying real food is not as much as you think. You can buy stir-fry beef or chicken on sale, mix it with plain rice, add steamed veggies like yam, sweet potato, zucchini and carrots. Then mix in frozen or canned peas. Ground turkey & fish such as salmon are also good choices. Just like us, they like variety. You can buy canned pure pumpkin and give them a bit of that too. Make enough for several days and refrigerate in portions. Your dog will love you even more for it.

When it comes to buying kibble for your dog please carefully read the label. Animal protein should be at the top of the ingredient list with whole vegetables, fruits and grains next. Don’t forget to check the best before date.

Let’s keep our furry family happy and healthy for as long as we can. It’s the least we can do for them. They enhance our lives, we should do the same for them.

ARTICLE:

https://www.yourpurebredpuppy.com/health/articles/feeding-homemade-dog-food.html

Food + Drink

Full of Goodness Soup

Winter vegetable soup for the soul

A friend requested I post a vegetarian/vegan soup recipe. I’ve never followed one so this is a kind of non-recipe recipe. All you need are a variety of vegetables and patience for chopping. Because literally you just chop & toss everything into a pot. This soup is chock full of nutrients & tons of flavor. Because vegetable soup can lean towards being more bland than other kinds, you can play with your spices. Add 21 vegetable spice mix, pepper, sea salt and Herbs de Provence. Of course ***bay leaves are a necessary addition while cooking.

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients
4 cups of vegetables, roughly chopped. Use a mix of spinach, kale, zucchini, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, yam, sweet potato, parsley, etc.
1 medium onion, chopped
2-3 cloves of garlic, chopped
2 Tbsp coconut oil or *ghee (Note: if using ghee, the recipe is no longer vegetarian/vegan)
**4-6 cups vegetable broth (I made mine from scratch but you can use better than bouillon.
Or; water to cover
Salt and pepper to taste
Lemon juice
Spices

When serving add 1-2 Tbsp olive oil & sprig of parsley to garnish

Directions
1. Heat coconut oil or *ghee in large pot or a Dutch oven.
2. Add onions and garlic, stirring until fragrant, then add vegetables and stir for a minute or two longer.
3. Add broth or enough water to cover the vegetables. Let simmer for about 30 minutes or until tender and puree in a high speed blender (or with a hand blender) until smooth.
4. Season as desired and serve with a squeeze of lemon, a splash of olive oil and some sea salt (Maldon is a good choice).

*Ghee is a type of clarified butter that’s made from heating butter and allowing the liquid and milk portion to separate from the fat. The milk caramelizes and becomes a solid, and the remaining oil is ghee. Ghee has a long-standing reputation as one of the healthiest cooking fats available. You can buy it at many grocery health-food stores like Whole Foods.

This ingredient has been used in Indian and Pakistani cultures for thousands of years. When used in place of butter, ghee has several benefits. Ghee is rich in conjugated linoleic acid, or CLA, a fatty acid known to be protective against carcinogens, artery plaque and diabetes. So it is known.

**Homemade Veggie Stock: I’ve been freezing ends and skins of vegetables like carrots, onions and herbs like parsley, cilantro, etc. to use for making stock. I wash everything before freezing then place them in a pot & heat with covered water. It offers more flavor rather than using plain water. Of course you must discard the vegetables and use only the stock when making veggie soup.

***Nutrient Packed Bay leaves offer us a healthy dose of vitamins A, C, magnesium, calcium, manganese, potassium, and iron. Bay leaves apparently help to soothe body aches. You can add 4-5 bay leaves in 1 litre of water and add to bathwater to relieve sore muscles and rejuvenate the body. Supposed to ease joint pain from arthritis. Try it!

Hope you enjoy it. Let me know how it turned out. xo

DESTINATIONS

EVEN in Eugene

A Happy Hotel

EVEN is the name of a new hotel concept by InterContinental Hotels Group which is marketed to travelers’ holistic wellness needs. It’s a hotel with a conscience. It was the first overnight stay on my drive from Vancouver to Palm Springs. And it will be the last on my return.

My very first thought when I walked through the reception area was “they’re onto something.”

For a reasonably priced hotel they offer a lot. Others should follow suit. They set out to defy that travel needs to be a total disruption to your routine. They give you choices designed to help you stay on track. You can rest easy, keep active, eat well all under one very well designed roof.

The rooms not only have natural eucalyptus fiber bedding which create a cooling effect to promote deeper sleep, they also have workout equipment inside each room. Aside from a co-ed gym with cork flooring and fitness videos. Bonus: you can also get Netflix in your room.

The room:

The restaurant offers delicious healthy calorie-counting options. You can count on it whether you want to or not. Great cocktails too. Fresh squeezed orange juice and local organic coffee roasters make for a perfect morning start.

Stay hydrated with fill your bottle water options like lime/ginger + lemon/mint.

Did I mention the friendly, savvy hotel staff?

Not bad right?

Locations to date: New York, Washington, Miami, Sarasota, Fl., Eugene, Or., Seattle (new). More to follow.

The writing’s on the wall.
Photo: d. king

Visit: https://www.ihg.com/evenhotels/hotels/us/en/reservation

inspiration

Moving forward as another year comes to a close…

Reflections on what 2018 taught me

About Staying Strong: while I lean towards improving overall bodily strength in the new year, 2018 was mostly about building inner strength. Inner strength will help get you through tough times and give you the courage to move forward. That, plus a good glass of wine and a hearty laugh. Speaking of;

My witty friend Michael has this to say about humour: humour is like a tickle with a pitchfork. The purpose of using humour is about expressing aggression, fear, taboo desires and life’s absurdities in an engaging and entertaining way.

About Feeling it Fully – the good, the bad and the ugly. Learning to embrace it all whatever that may be. Staying open. Learning to accept whatever life throws my way has been a happy, hurtful, grateful, sad, sometimes infuriating, overall empowering learning experience.

I like this excerpt from Living Beautifully with Uncertainty and Change by Pema Chödrön:

You build inner strength through embracing the totality of your experience, both the delightful parts and the difficult parts. Embracing the totality of your experience is one definition of having loving-kindness for yourself.

About Relationships: when you spend more time analyzing a relationship than enjoying it – something is wrong. But you know what? – maybe we should try to analyze what’s wrong. Because maybe we can resolve it; or not! If it’s worthwhile it will be resolved. In the meantime….respect is essential and enjoyment is key. As Oscar Wilde once said:

Never love anyone who treats you like you’re ordinary.

About Good Girlfriends: always keep your girlfriends close – they are a gift. They’re the ones who know you, know what’s good for you and how to make you laugh. A good friend will always stab you in the front. ― Oscar Wilde

About Dogs. No matter what, they never change. They love you for all that you are and all you’re not. I aspire to be the person my dogs think I am.

About Life: it’s pretty simple actually….if you keep it simple. Confucius said: Life is really simple but we insist on making it complicated.

About making a leap:

Most importantly of all, there’s hope, perhaps the most powerful force in life.

Wishing you a Happy Holiday!

Website: https://www.ihg.com/evenhotels/hotels/us/en/reservation