Film Festival 2020 – Part 3

Movies



At the 2014 Film Festival the documentary When I Walk was shown. This year we have a sequel to that show. The film director was diagnosed with Primary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis in 2006. His first movie captured his struggles in coming to terms with his disease and disabilities. This documentary details the breakdown of his marriage and his separation from his young son.

I can't say it was an "enjoyable" film but it certainly highlights the issues people living with disabilities face.



This was the show everyone was waiting for. The selection committee for the Festival usually pick winners but to have this screening the week after it won four Academy Awards was brilliant. In spite of a glitch at the first showing the organizers managed to get it back for two screenings. What starts out to be a comedy turns into something a bit more brutal.



The film tells the story of a young male dancer, Merab, hoping for a spot in the National Georgian Ensemble. When a newcomer arrives in the group what starts out as a competition between the two soon becomes a forbidden love story. The last dance shown on screen was incredible.

Hello, Sunshine

Books

Author: Laura Dave

This was the February pick for Reese’s Book Club; our library didn’t have a copy but I was able to get one in from a library in North Vancouver.

Sunshine Mackenzie is at the top of her game and is heading to new heights. She has a very successful internet following, she has published a line of cookbooks, and she about to start a show on the Food Network. Sadly, Sunshine has no clue how to cook, her recipes are the work of her producer’s wife, and she lives her life in the media spotlight.

In one day Sunshine’s world falls apart when a hacker gets into her accounts and starts to reveal her secrets. In the aftermath she loses her career, her husband and her life. When she is forced to return to her hometown she has to find a way to put her life back together – but will it be her fake life or a real one.

Goodreads Rating: * * * *

Happy Birthday Kevin

Cards

February 10, 2020

Happy Days from the Splendid Sampler 2 collection

I can still remember where I was when I heard the news of Kevin’s birth – standing in the hallway of our Fort Smith apartment.

This is one of the easier patterns in the series. The polka dot fabric is from a bundle I purchased specifically for these patterns.

Have a Happy Day Kevin!

Film Festival 2020 – Part Two

Movies



As we drove to the movie I was thinking this might be a contender for my favourite movie. The scenery was beautiful, the acting was good. What it lacked, in my opinion, was a story.

We learn very early that Frankie's family have gathered for a family vacation. We also find out early in the story that Frankie is dying. I thought the big reveal to the family would be Frankie's illness but everyone already seemed to know. So I'm not sure what the point of the story was. The dysfunctional family weren't drawn any closer together and the long, very long, closing scene left me thinking maybe I missed something in the movie.


It was lovely to hear the Inuktitut language again. How can a vast expanse of snow and ice be so breathtaking? The humour and laughter of the characters, particularly the translator, were wonderful. The theme of the movie is an Anglican priest (who assures the Inuit that he is different from the Catholic priests) who is trying to persuade a group of hunters to move to a settlement. When persuasion doesn't work he tells them it is the law that they have to move.