What I Watched -- The Godfather

Many find this difficult to believe, but until this past weekend, I had not seen The Godfather. 

Sure, I had seen a few clips here and there, and knew some of the more famous quotes ("Leave the gun; take the cannoli"), but I had never seen the whole things start to finish.  I didn't really know much about it other than what one knows about every mob movie just by knowing that it is a mob movie -- vendettas, murderous rampages, etc.

When S and I got to our B&B in Louisville on Friday, we were greeted with a giant wall of DVDs lining the second-floor landing of the staircase up to our room.  We discussed many possible options, but lighted on The Godfather because apparently I am not the only person in the world who had not yet seen it!

We made it through the first half on Friday night and the second half on Saturday.

It was everything I expected from the movie -- vendettas, murderous rampages, etc.

Bottom line: after all these years, it meets expectations.  In a good way.

What I Watched -- Amour

S picked up Amour from the library a while back.  I had it on my list of movies to see, but I couldn't remember the details of it.

Having now seen it, I remember why I wanted to, and I can say that it is heavy. It's the tale of a long-married couple, whose lives in retirement are lovely until Anne suffers a stroke.  Georges takes wonderful and delicate care of her in her limited state.  The end of their relationship leaves so many questions and so much space for reflection that even many weeks later I don't know how I feel about the film.

Perhaps that's the sign of a well-made movie.

Bottom line: a story of life and love and loss that will leave you thinking for a long time to come.

Goals 2017 -- September Edition

We are nearly halfway through September (as we also were when I published my August recap), but no matter.  I can still have a goal.

And my goal is to have a truck load of stuff for K&J's new place by the end of the month when J drives into town.  I worked a bit already on packing up some kitchen goods, and I'm hoping to have more fun stuff to fill the truck before October starts.

I hope you guys are ready!

What I Watched -- The Bad and the Beautiful

The Bad and the Beautiful is another one of those film classics that I never saw, since somehow in my younger years I never developed a taste for old movies.  Now that I'm trying to correct that oversight in my cultural development, I've moved this one from the "haven't seen" to the "seen" list.

What I liked about it immensely were the multiple story lines.  The story comes at you from three different points of view: an actress, writer, and director.  Each one recalls his or her interactions with a director they all worked with in one capacity or another.  The common thread: each one refused to take his call when he reached out to them in need, because he or she felt slighted by him in the past.  As they share their stories, we find out why.

Bottom line: there's not much that's terribly surprising about this film, as is true with so many of the classics.  But watch it at least once, so you know what it's all about.

Goals 2017 -- August Recap

I have a craft table!  And most importantly, it has a rug underneath, a chair in front, and a sewing machine (or two) on top!

I have organized some of my gift wrapping supplies in the notions cabinet, though many of my sewing tools and supplies are still in my old box.  I have relocated several fabric remnants to the drawers of the notions cabinet, though.

And I get great natural light so I can really see what I'm doing!