Hail Caesar in 1950's Hollywood

This Coen Brothers film is both confusing and entertaining. The confusion is around whether we are watching the films being produced or the drama behind the scenes; are we watching or living the dreams that are being created across several movies? The entertaiment is led by George Clooney in leather sandals and a toga, Scarlett Johansson as an emerald mermaid diving into a pool of red and yellow synchronised swimmers, a brilliant sequence of sailors tap dancing on table tops in a small bar and a submarine emerging and disappearing into the ocean! There are many random scenes linked together in 1950's memorabilia and style. And the storyline takes us into the life choices of Eddie Mannix who is too busy trying to solve all the problems of the actors and filmmakers at Capitol Pictures to be either a family man or be seduced into a corporate position in the nuclear enabled defence force. We enjoy Ralph Fiennes playing a patient director, coaching a singing cowboy to speak with style. It is fun watching Tilda Swinton playing twin sisters competing as journalists in brilliant suits and stylish hats. The fact that George is kidnapped by a group of disgruntled screenwriters, pretending to be communist sympathisers in a Malibu waterfront mansion is another opportunity for ridicule of the morality and purpose of Hollywood....

still learning...how to be single

I was hoping to see the film, How to be Single, on Valentine's Day. I have had to wait a few weeks, but it was worthwhile. It is an interesting contrast between Manhattan loft apartments and Rebel Wilson's somewhat bawdy humour and feels a little bit like a stylish and grown up American Bridget Jones Diary. The film opens when Alice (Dakota Johnson) decides she needs a break from her college boyfriend Josh. She moves to New York for a job as a paralegal, where she meets Robin (Rebel Wilson), a wild party-loving co-worker. As Alice learns how to get free drinks, meet men and enjoy the single lifestyle, we meet a variety of other single men and women who variously have some important lessons to learn. While Lucy flirts with Tom in the bar as she checks out online dating sites, David finds his date with Alice interrupted by his hidden demons. Alice is shocked when she tries to reconnect with Josh and realises he has moved on. So this thinking woman's romcom weaves lots of certainties and uncertainties in a patchwork of friendships and relationships. Unlike most American movies, the characters are not all paired off at the end, and we are reminded of some important lessons about friendship and self-awareness. The best thing about being single is that it is a transitory state to be appreciated for its own experience.

enjoyed escaping to The Choice

What better choice on Valentine's Day to see a rom-com with my girlfriends! This is my first Nicholas Sparks novel-informed movie. It was a wonderful escape to a gorgeous North Carolina waterfront. We zoom into the lives of beautiful people, who have perfect houses, boats, dogs and children. While the plot is predictable, and the romance is on, off, twisted and back on; the emotional roller coaster is real. The classically handsome Travis Parker (played by Benjamin Walker), is a country vet who works with his father (Tom Wilkinson). Travis lives on his own with his boat and rescue dog, until his parties disrupt his new neighbor Gabby, (Teresa Palmer) a med student, who is currently dating a fellow doctor. She plays the precocious and independent woman, who needs a little help with her pregnant retriever... At the end of the day, it is a wonderful escape to the place you want to live, the friends and lifestyle you want to have...and you want everything to work out in the end as well!