Jaye's Musings

I'd been looking forward to this movie ever since it was announced and was known as "Keepers" (a title that I feel they should have kept).



It is very loosely based on a true story in which three lighthouse keepers who, in 1900, vanished without a trace from a remote lighthouse on a small island west of the Outer Hebrides. When the relief crew arrived they found the table set for dinner, an overturned chair, and nothing else. To this day no one knows what happened there. The Vanishing creates a story of what might have happened, but aside from the lighthouse and the three keepers, it is fiction.

( It's a slow burn thriller )

I've just got back from a wonderful week at my sister-in-law's, house sitting for her. It was even better than I imagined it to be, especially the last four days. #2 son and I, were on our own while hubby stayed up at the house to work on it, and we only had to go up one day. It was yesterday that I realized that I haven't felt that relaxed or comfortable since gmnoonie and I spent our week in Williamsburg last October, and other than that...almost a year. Not that I did much, and it was almost like being on my own since #2 son spent most of the time in the bedroom playing computer games. It was a much needed break in which I indulged in plenty of crap TV...or just surfing through channels and 8 times out of 10 ending up on HGTV anyway...but I haven't been able to enjoy even just having TV as my background for nearly a year. As my internet was fast and unlimited, I did get to catch up on so plenty of my favourite shows that I've missed as well. I've also been binge viewing "Once Upon a Time" Season 2 DVD set that I bought with a Amazon gift card...it's research as I'm writing Hook in a couple of RPs. And my Season 3 "Game of Thrones" arrived, so I'll be watching that as soon as I've finished with OUAT as I haven't seen it yet, at all (yes, I know about the Red Wedding...looking forward to it as I loved being shocked by it in the book!).

But today, son and I headed back to the inlaws, our mini-vacation over (fortunately, end of March...I'm having a week away at the same place I stayed with gmnoonie in Williamsburg...but this time all by myself!

Hubby has returned from the house and is making maple syrup from the sap that he's collected from the trees on his dad's property. There's a lot of it, but once you boil it down, you're lucky to end up with a cup full, however, it is really good!


( MOVIE REVIEW )

Okay, to keep up with at least semi-regularly updating this journal.

I'm going to give reviews/thoughts/opinions on movies that I've seen recently (or at least the ones I remember!). So today's is going to be Bollywood.

Yes, I'm still a total Hrithik fangirl, and most of my Bolly watching involves him...because, well...eye candy is very nice. However, I did watch one without him in that I'd been wanting to see since I heard about it.

( My Name is Khan )


( Kites )


( Guzaarish )

First the mish mash.

I spent a very enjoyable day doing something I hadn't done in a long time, and that was to make an RP date. Manda and I threaded quite a bit between Danny and Cody and their little hook up after Hsu's ruling on Boukun, which is quite intense, and a lot of fun. I had to lock Mr. Grumpy Pants away to stop him bitching.

In between tags, I started work on making my first mood theme. This one for Danny (and Altaaf, if I ever get him a paid account). I think I got the hardest part done, looking for the right pics...although really how hard is it looking at pics of Hrithik? And I haven't even capped Jodhaa Akbar yet! Now just to size, crop and load. After that I just have Hsu, Mark, Stelios, Azazeal, and Ath to go. *sigh*

Did find a very cute pic of Hrithik from his first movie...I'll load it later as it's back on the other puter.

Now for Jodhaa Akbar

I've had this movie since September, and I never got around to watching it. It was worth the wait! Yes, I loved it! Not only for Hrithik and Ash, but the sets and costumes were just beautiful. It is a visually stunning film, with so much detail paid down to the smallest piece of jewelry. I don't know much about that period of the Mughal Empire, other than very basic facts (but it's prompted me to buy a book on Indian history to learn more), so I can't say how historically accurate it is, but I would guess it probably butchered history no worse than the standard Hollywood period film.

Hrithik, as the Mughal Emperor Jalaluddin Muhammed Akbar, was perfect as he can pull off the bearing of a mighty king...and I could picture Hsu in his place in parts (not all as it is a romance story *g*). One scene, he executes his brother by having him thrown from the fortress wall...head first. When he is told his brother survived, he orders him be brought up and thrown off again. Also the elephant taming rocked! Aishwarya plays his Hindi princess bride, Jodhaa Bai who must find her place in the Muslim court while making Akbar work to win her heart and so the people of Hindustan. And she is just so completely beautiful, she is my #1 girl crush right now without a doubt.

There are few songs, considering the length of the movie, and only two dance numbers. One a group of Sufis celebrate their wedding, and another huge piece in praise of the achievements of the Emperor. Only one complaint is the overuse of the 'dramatic chords' at every so-called dramatic moment -- so called because some weren't. It was very cheesy and annoying.

In the deleted scenes they had two wonderful ones with Mahesh Das (Idrajit Sarkar), who through his wit and wiles becomes a Birbal of the Mughal court. They should have kept those scenes in as he was just brilliant as he outwitted Akbar, a vizier (?) and a guard.

Based on Anton Chekov's play, The Cherry Orchard has lovely cinematography and is a sedate drama. Now, I've never seen nor read the play before watching this, so I don't know what's been changed or how well it compares, but I found it passably good. Good enough to make me not want to fast forward to all the Gerry bits. It's another early Gerry part, and he plays Yasha, a valet to a broke-but-still-living-like-she's-not Russian noble. He's cocky, cynical, easily amused, chauvinistic, rogue. It's not a large part, but Yasha's role is really to explain things to the audience that are not made clear by the other characters. He is easily the most charming of the cast...although they all put in solid performances, especially Charlotte Rampling, Owen Teale and Michael Gough, but there is really no one who is likable.

( Now to the picspam! )

Edit: Because celticdreamz just reminded me. He is credited as Gerald Butler!! You think they could have checked.

( Torchwood finale...duh spoilers )

( Nim's Island...spoilers again, if you need to be warned )

Now, off to catch up from the weekend. Prompts then tags.