Outlander - Series, Season 1

2014 Season 1

8 episodes (2 discs)

5 Stars

I read the first Outlander books by Diana Gabaldon, as they came out years ago, and have been reading them since. I figured it had been long enough, I could see and enjoy someone else's interpretation. I was right. This series is delightful, and it will be difficult to wait until next year for Season Two. Claire Randall Frazier accidentally tumbles through a stone in the Highlands of Scotland from 1945 where she is on a second honeymoon with her husband after WWII into the war-torn countryside of Scotland of 1743. The costumes are magnificent, though probably not all that historically accurate, and the kilts are a tad long. Sigh. Some nudity, some sex, some violence. Probably not for Family Night at the movies, unless you're prepared to have discussions with the wee bairns. Wonderful scenery.

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Incident at Oglala: The Leonard Peltier Story

1992

90 minutes

5 Star

Memories are not always 100% correct, and I was curious how much of my memories of this incident were what I remembered, what happened, what the media fed us over dinner. If you're interested in the history of the American Indians, and how they have been treated and mistreated by our government, I recommend this documentary. It is a story of the shooting of two FBI agents on the Pine Ridge Reservation in 1975, and the subsequent conviction of Leonard Peltier, complete with interviews of Peltier and others who were, in one form or another, involved. Perhaps I am biased, but I'd dearly love to see a new trial, with real evidence presented. Watch this and form your own opinion.

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The Cat Returns

The Cat Returns  

2002

75 minutes

Japanese w/subtitles (Probably in English, too)

I've seen this movie twice, and loved it both times. One of my favorite Studio Ghibli movies. A young girl, Haru, rescues a cat from starvation, and later she rescues another cat from being run over and soon learns that this is no ordinary cat, but the Crown Prince, and she is to be rewarded with all sorts of wonderful (to a cat) things — mice included. When she learns she is to marry the prince, she also learns she cannot turn all this marvelous largess off, and must find the Cat Bureau to seek help. Pulled into the Prince's land, she begins the process of becoming a cat in order to marry him. She doesn't want him, he doesn't want her, and oh, myyyy. Totally Family Friendly.

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Game of Thrones -- Season 4

Season 4 of Game of Thrones

4 discs

5 Stars

I admit it, I'm hooked on the series, even if I have to watch it by DVD a season late. I also admit that I'm in deep and incurable lust with Peter Dinklage. If/when they kill him off, I'll stop watching ;-) I was not at all disappointed in Season 4, though I admit I am getting just a tad tired of  Jon Snow and the Merry Men of the North. And, maybe, just a tad tired of Daenerys Stormborn and her dragons. OMG! I'm tired of dragons? I just wish there were more of them, and fewer guys trying to get into her bed. I'm not going to tell you what happens, but I admit I can hardly wait for Season 5. Some wonderful scenes in this season. Honest. Trust me.

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The Fallen A Roundtable 

Girl with a Pearl Earring

2003 99 minutes

4 Stars

The acting, costumes, and photography deserve 5 Stars. The adaptation from the novel, 3 Stars. I think they left out one of the most important parts of the book, which may have added an additional five minutes, easily made up by removing the bratty girl, who added nothing. If you haven't read the book, do so, AFTER you see the movie. It begins with her chopping vegetables and arranging them on the plate, as in the movie. Only we also know that because of her father's injury her parents are sending her to be a maid, and the Vermeers come to meet her as she works in the kitchen. He notices her artistic arrangement, the balance of colors, etc., and later refers to it in the book. Every painting has a story, and every viewer makes her own.

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The Hundred-Foot Journey

The Hundred-Foot Journey

2014 122 Minutes

5 Stars

A marvelous story of a family who left India to eventually settle in a village in the south of France. They decide to open a restaurant—right across the street from a 1-Star rated Michelin restaurant. The new comers are loud, cook spicy food, the total opposite of the snobby Helen Mirrin's restaurant. The Indians are friendly, Miss Mirren's character is not. War is declared. Until the young chef, Hassan Kadam declares if you can't fight them, join them, and walks across the street. Boy meets girl, woman meets man, the village sighs with love. And a second star is rated. Laugh out loud funny. A movie to share with family and friends, or just enjoy alone.

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