Burn After Reading, Coen brothers legacy

So many good movies by Joel and Ethan Coen that it’s hard to pick a favourite, but this one stands out. I’ve watched it more than once and it stays with me even though it is ten years old.

So when Frances McDormand won best actress at the Oscars for Three Billboards in Ebbing, Missourit, this movie came back to me. Talk about black comedy. We laughed through the first part until the body turned up in the closet. Then we sat with our mouths open in horror.

As reviewer Laura Hiros put it —
“It’s not for everyone, or funny all the time, but it’s worth it for the performances, the cast, the cinematography and of course the complicated and even absurd plot.”

The cast is fantastic. George Clooney plays a role that I never would have imagined him playing—note his list of allergies, the sex toys made in his basement. Brad Pitt is hilarious as a dumbass employee of a gym—he runs daily, monitors his heart rate, his blood pressure, his protein intake, with very little else on his feeble mind.

Tilda Swinton is good, John Malkovich hilarious. France McDormand deserved an Oscar back then as well as this year. Well worth watching again.

What are some of your favourite movies?

Beware the Ides of March, upheaval all around

The Ides of March were a position on the Roman calendar that occurred around the 15th of the month. This was the time the Romans held religious observances and was seen as the deadline for settling  debts between them.

That was also the day Julius Caesar was assassinated in 44 BC, changing the course of history.

Does March signify a time of change or upheaval for you?

I’ve decided to wake every morning with a feeling of joy and anticipation for the day. That’s my upheaval for the month!

Makes me feel great, no matter what is going to occur during the day. I figure I’m taking back some control, not letting someone else’s mood or feelings determine my good nature.

So from the Ides of March onward, I wish you joy. Watch for the release of Magic Rising!

 

 

Moon Shine – Some secrets are too dangerous to keep…

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Some secrets are too dangerous to keep…

A thrilling novel of romantic suspense from author Sylvie Grayson.- Released soon, watch for it.

After losing her husband to a deadly illness, Julia Butler is determined to look after her family, but this is the 1930’s and times are tough for everyone. As the endless string of jobless men trudges past her farm, she does her best to hang on. Then two strangers suddenly appear at her home. They are hiding something that places her family in danger, and nothing will ever be the same.

Dr. Will Stofford has become disillusioned with women. In an effort to heal his broken heart, he leaves his brothers behind and sets up his medical practice in the Kootenays where no one knows him.

Meeting Julia throws his plans into chaos. Will can’t turn his back on a challenge and he won’t rest until he solves this puzzle and puts things right.

If marrying Julia is part of the solution, then so much the better.