gurdymonkey | Two cool movies and other stuff

Caught two very nice surprises on cable recently.

"Miss Pettigrew Lives For A Day" is an unabashed period romance set in 1939. Pettigrew (Frances McDormand), having just been sacked for a string of failed governess assignments by her agency , steals a client's card off her employer's desk and presents herself for work at the door of aspiring actress Delysia Lafosse (Amy Adams). Pettigrew is soon involved in untangling the mess that is Delysia's love life and career as her social secretary. I was hooked in the first 30 seconds as a big band arrangement of "Brother Can You Spare A Dime" followed Pettigrew through the London streets, then hooked again by the instant conspiratorial chemistry of McDormand and Adams. A comedy with a shamelessly romantic heart and a satisfyingly happy ending (particularly for us garret dwelling spinster types!) involving breakfast with Joe (Ciaran Hinds).

"Millions," directed by Danny Boyle ('Slumdog Millionaire"). Days before the UK switches over from the pound to the Euro, a bag of money quite literally falls from the sky onto Damien's playhouse. Alex Etel and Lewis McGibbon are terrific as the two young brothers who struggle with what to do with the fortune that appears to have dropped out of Heaven. Funny and thought provoking at the same time, as well as fairly kid safe, though there are a few scary bits involving a stranger who wants his bag back and some conversations between Damien and a number of saints which may provoke some interesting theological discussions. Though you have to admit, if you're supposed to play Joseph in the Christmas play, who better to advise you how to say your lines?

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Read a chapter of Magnificent Desolation over my lunch break this afternoon. It should be fairly interesting, though I have to wonder if Dr. Aldrin's writing evens out further along. Bits of this chapter read as though he'd swallowed a thesaurus. The occasional heapings of adjectives notwithstanding, it should be an interesting read. Though I may have to get my hands on Michael Collins' Carrying The Fire at some point. I read it years ago and I recall it being an extremely well written and absorbing account of the Apollo mission. Yes, Virginia, The Curmudgeon is a space geek.

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Some of my friends from various parts of the Known World have found each other in Bangkok and are trying to form an SCA branch there. One of them is trying to credit me as a "partial founder" for having put them in touch via email. That's a bit much. I'm just happy they hit it off and are playing happily together.

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My friend from work told me his wife thinks the computer I gave him is "too nice" to let the kids play with. There's room to install a bit more memory and she's going to use it instead. Even if I did type most of the letters off the ergonomic keyboard I sent over with it.