Follow Me on Bookbub

https://www.bookbub.com/profile/cindy-roe-littlejohn

OLD AGE IS NOT FOR SISSIES

NOTHING IN LIFE IS TO BE FEARED

Gone Girl: A Movie Review

by Filed Under: Movies

Ever gone to see a movie, and walked away just hating it?  Well, I did that last night.

Harold wanted to go see the movie “Gone Girl”.  I checked its reviews, and it seems that everyone loves this movie.  So we went.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=esGn-xKFZdU

I found myself mesmerized by the plot, the characters, the actors, even the fashions.  Then something happened.

Gone Girl4

It ended, and I hated the entire movie.

I told Harold as I left the theatre, “That movie is what is wrong with America today.”  He told me that I needed to come down off my high horse.

Well, I cannot help it.  Lately, I’ve been wondering about our ability as humankind to look at someone and determine if they have an unsavory character or if this is someone we can depend on.

We idolize movie stars, who live lives totally different from our own.  We place politicians on a pedestal that no one can remain upon, and then we tear them down until they are the lowest of the low.  And we place our faith in their hands, even before we get a chance to understand them.  How can we understand them, when our media gives us only what they want us to see.

We take a violent juvenile, and then we take their side even when our gut tells us otherwise.  Lines are crossed constantly, and our young people are always watching.

And now I sit through a movie that takes me on a ride and lines are crossed again until I watch something totally wrong, totally out of character, and I am expected to chuckle when it is over–to not take things or it too seriously.  I find myself slipping away, wondering if I will reach a time when I can no longer judge right from wrong for myself.

So I hated this movie, because I felt duped again.  I fell into the trap, and I could have easily shrugged it off and gone my way.  The problem, though, is that my better judgment says otherwise.   There is a bigger picture here, but we all tend to just sweep it under the rug–especially to be remain cool.

All the values that I gained from my parents, my childhood, my teachers and my extended family tell me that watching all this media that seeks to distort my mind is just not good for me.  I feel myself changing, and I do not like it.

Gone Girl3

Those values that I gained from my earlier days are what guide me to help others, to be patient, to be understanding, and to be kind.  I worry that we and our children are not getting enough of the these attributes and are getting too much of the distortions.

Gone Girl2

The movie was good, but I wish I had never seen it.

Lucy – A Movie Review

by Filed Under: Movies

Lucy2

I don’t usually care much for these action-packed crazy movies where the main characters wreck cars–lots of cars–and leap tall buildings.  Well, at least not since Superman; but the trailers for the movie, “Lucy” intrigued me.  Harold was super surprised, when I said that I wanted to see this movie.

Lucy played by Scarlet Johansson is a woman, who accidentally gets caught up in a dark deal.  I would call it a drug deal, but this drug is more than your common street drug.

Something happens to Lucy, and she turns the tables on her captors and transforms herself into a warrior, a superhuman.  She evolves beyond human logic; but the role of Professor Norman, played by Morgan Freeman, helps explain what is happening to her.

These are great performances by both Johansson and Freeman.  The science fiction story line is intriguing and gets you thinking.  In fact I woke up the next morning doing just that–thinking about the entire concept.  Don’t you love it, when you are still thinking about a movie long after you see it?

If there is a criticism, it would be the weird ending or a lead character who is using almost all the capacity of her brain but continues running in high heels.  I guess that part was for Harold and all the other male viewers.

In all, though, I enjoyed the movie very much.  It was interesting, thought provoking, and unpredictable.  For you who love action-packed movies, there is plenty of this as well.

Lucy realizes that she can visualize all the communication from cell phones, etc.

Lucy realizes that she can visualize all the communication from cell phones, etc.

Most of all, it got me to thinking about what the human mind is really capable of if it were used to its fullest potential.  This story would have made a great “Twilight Zone” episode.

Favorite Quote of the Movie by Morgan Freeman’s Character:  “We humans are more concerned with having than with being.”  So true.

What movies have you seen that we should check out?

Now, Voyager: A Movie Review About a Classic, Romantic Movie

by Filed Under: Movies

Harold and I watched a wonderful, old classic movie last night. Neither of us had ever heard of it. Released in 1942 the film is best described as a romantic melodrama, but a very good one. It was voted #23 of AFI’s Top 100 Romantic Films of All Time.

IMG_6682.JPG

Bette Davis does a wonderful job of acting. Initially, she plays the un-glamorous late-born, baby sister Charlotte Vail, who is dowdy, overweight and frustrated by a domineering high-society mother, who is more like a grandmother than a mother. Claude Rains plays the psychiatrist who comes to her rescue, and the good-looking Paul Heinreid plays the romantic stranger.

The plot begins simple enough. Charlotte’s kind sister-in-law worries that Charlotte is unwell and moving toward a nervous breakdown, and she asks a psychiatrist to help. He sees Charlotte as repressed and then works to help her transform into a modern woman, with the strength and confidence to free herself from her repressive mother.

It is on a cruise where she spends time alone, blossoms into the glamorous socialite that she becomes, and meets a romantic stranger. What happens from there is a seesaw of emotions, especially when she moves back home with her domineering mother.

IMG_6683.JPG

The title of the movie and book was taken from Walt Whitman’s Leaves of Grass.


The Untold Want
By Life and Land Ne’er Granted
Now, Voyager
Sail Thou Forth to Seek and Find

Directed by Irving Rapper, the movie’s screenplay was based on the novel of the same name by Olive Higgins Prouty. The film was nominated for a total of three Academy Awards, including Best Actress (Bette Davis) and Best Supporting Actress (Gladys Cooper), with Max Steiner’s nomination for musical score as the sole win (his second Oscar). Bette Davis’s cruise wardrobe and gowns are best described as timeless glamour.

IMG_6684.JPG

Without giving away the story, their relationship becomes a romantically-complicated love, as evidenced by the film’s last stirring line of romantic dialogue: “Oh Jerry, don’t let’s ask for the moon. We have the stars.” A line made immortal to its movie goers.

Harold and I both loved it; but then again, lately, one of Harold’s favorite lines is, “Gosh, Ann, you’re turning me into a chick!”

IMG_6686.JPG

Have any of you ever heard about this film? What other romantic classics would you suggest?

Watch for The Book “Far Outside the Ordinary” to Become a Movie — A Book Review

by Filed Under: Books

I don’t know where to begin, except to say that I absolutely loved this book. It is a quick, captivating read. Whether or not you can relate to the situations in the book, you will still not be able to stop turning pages. You will love Prissy Elrod’s style of writing.

IMG_6429.PNG

Southerner Prissy Elrod, the author, is the steel magnolia in this story when she does what she has to do to save her husband, her family and herself. It has a fairy tail beginning and a fairy tail ending. It is what is in between though that tugs at your heart strings.

What many don’t know is that a magnolia blossom is very fragile, and the least little bump leaves a bruise that shows up almost the moment it happens. Prissy Elrod is a steel magnolia. She bruises, but she maintains her outward metal, and she survives. This book is her proof.

There is nothing ordinary about dealing with a loved one and their cancer diagnosis, but what Prissy Elrod did was ordinary. She did the best she could.

IMG_6428.JPG

What happens to her, though, is far outside the ordinary. There is a twist in the story that is never expected.

All of us who have been in her shoes found ourselves living each day one at a time and making decisions for which we were never prepared, all the while on a cacophony of emotions sweeping us along whether we were ready or not. She captures this in her memoir.

Expect a roller coaster of tears, desperation, persistence, laughter, zaniness, hope, heartache, heartbreak, humor, pain, anger, anguish, sorrow, hope lost, fear, compassion, frustration, and renewal. Sometimes, you will feel the bewildering and competing emotions all at once, like when I found myself laughing through my tears.

Elrod hurled me down into the darkness of despair when she reminded me of my own experiences in this realm, when the unintended consequences make us realize that the decisions were never easy. She tells her story so well.
.
Mostly, I was amazed by her candor and humility. Years ago my elderly great aunt who was a prolific reader told me that she was disappointed in the new books. She said that it was as if each younger author was simply trying to out-shock the last.

My aunt felt that contemporary literature was lacking in honesty, and that the stories seemed to be written for their ability to provoke massive fear, anxiety or disgust.

I wish she had lived long enough to read, “Far Outside the Ordinary,”. She would have loved this moving, honest account of a family’s tragedy and perseverance through adversity.

The book has small-town living, fashion, international travel, intrigue, shamans, shady medical clinics, a capitol city’s political high-society, tragedy, miracle treatments, love stories, and the uplifting love of family and friends. Elrod carried me for a ride through her life.

Though a memoir, it reads like southern fiction at its best. It reminded me of a cross between “Steel Magnolias” and “The Help”.

I hope she will continue writing, because she has a voice I would like to hear again. I also believe this would make a great movie. The characters are rich.

She did a great job of describing their uniqueness. I believe the characters will get her a movie deal in the end. They are zany, comical, quirky, and just what we have come to expect in southern movies.

So do yourself a favor and read this wonderful book before it becomes a movie!

Why the Movie “Farmland” is Really Worth Seeing

by Filed Under: Movies

Every single day, every one of us consumes food.  It is an element of our survival.  We must eat, and we must eat continually.   “Farmland” is a documentary film about six young Millenial farmers–five young men and a young woman.  All six are in their 20s.  All six are part of the 2% of our population who feeds all the rest of us.


Years ago, I took my ten-year-old niece on a vacation to show her the Old Florida in which I was raised.  We visited an Alligator Farm, rode an airboat in the Everglades and swam in many of its cool, deep springs.  We also visited my cousin’s cattle ranch, because my niece told me earlier in the trip that she thought farmers were kind of boring and sad because they were stuck on the farm.  Of course, I begged to differ; and I took her to meet my good looking cousin who was passionate about what he did for a living.  He personally took her for a tour of his ranch.  It was a great lesson for her.

What the Critics Said

I heard about this movie called “Farmland” and decided to take the time to check it out, though the critics panned it.  I liked the movie and wondered why it got such poor ratings.  After reading the reviews, I wondered if it had more to do with their dislike of the message than the actual production of the movie itself.

Frankly, I couldn’t help feeling sad.  It seems that many in our artistic community are the first to yell “freedom of speech” until they don’t like the message.  Then they want to squash it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-p3BZwJ4xt0&feature=youtu.be

I found the movie well done with really beautiful scenery.  It did a wonderful job of showing the lives of these young people, two of which grow organic crops.  “Farmland” demonstrated how much risk and responsibility goes into producing our food.  So what did I rate it?  On a five star scale, I gave it four stars.  I took off a star because it got a little slow in the middle.

“The movie helps the viewer understand a little something about what it feels like to be a farmer. Today we in America are far removed from the land which grows the food we eat.  Most of us have never even seen a farm or ranch up close, let alone had a meaningful conversation with a person who grows the food we eat.  This movie would be excellent for children to help them understand the importance of work and responsibility.


The only thing irregular about these six farmers is that they are all fairly young and there was only one woman. Farmers, in general, are disproportionately older. The average age of a farmer in America is 58. Also, about 30% of our farms are either owned or managed by a woman.   Other than that, one gets a good sense that farming is both a business and a passion. It is certainly not the romanticized view of farming practices of years gone by but then that romanticized view was not very accurate anyway.

These six young people explain how they must tend to the financial bottom line or go out of business.  They also demonstrate how farming is about hard work, long hours, and an enormous amount of uncertainty and risk.  It is also about family, community, and doing something that they love to do.

Most Farmers Are Passionate About What They Do

This seemed very real to me.  My cattleman cousin once told me that he couldn’t imagine doing anything else for a living.  I also come from an agricultural community.   Most farmers I know are passionate about what they do.
Most people think of farming as unsophisticated and behind the times, yet the statistics do not support this.  Only three percent of our population feeds all of us.  Agricultural production is becoming an exact science.  Successful farmers today must have a thorough grounding in some type of science.

To be successful, a farmer must know a great deal about his land and the products he plans to raise.

The difficulties associated with keeping a farm in the family are well illustrated as well as the hardships that come about when one generation passes away before the next generation is ready to step in. It deals with the misinformation supplied by groups such as PETA, though it doesn’t dwell on the subject.

Farmland may not be the best documentary ever made but it is far better than the 1/2 star given by one of its critics.

Are Most of our Everyday Aches and Pains Postural in Nature?

by Filed Under: Aches & Pains, Books

So I’ve been having neck and shoulder issues lately on my right side.  I’ve had such great success with Robin McKenzie’s books, “Treat Your Own Back” and “Treat Your Own Neck”, that I bought “Treat Your Own Shoulder”. 

treat-your-own-shoulder-robin-mckenzie33

I began reading it today at lunch.  Here’s my problem.  After doing a self-test (suggested in his book) to see if it really is my shoulder or if it might be my neck, I discovered that it is not my should.  It is my neck.  He referred me back to “Treat Your Own Neck.” 

 

I continued to read “Treat Your Own Shoulder” though, because I periodically have trouble in Yoga with my upper arm and shoulder on my left side.  It is always a little stiffer than the right.  I was hoping to learn how to loosen up that side of my torso.

Neck Ache

 

I’m glad I continued reading, because he confirmed what I found a few years ago about postural changes that were needed.  It seems I needed a refresher.  Just identification of the changes needed will help me correct these.  For example, several years ago I figured out  that I had been sleeping on a pillow incorrectly.  I liked to lay on my back with my head on my pillow and my shoulders off.  I learned as I got older that I needed to have my shoulders supported, as well as my head.  So Mr. McKenzie just reminded me to be more conscious of how I sleep on my pillow. 

 

He also added that I shouldn’t sleep with my arms raised over my head.  Darn, that feels so good when I’m falling asleep, especially if the night is a little warm.  I guess I need to stop doing this, too, because he says that I’m over stretching my arms. 

 

Also, he talked about postural problems with sitting or standing with your arms in a raised position.  I sit a lot at my computer and my right arm is always raised when working with my mouse.  I just realized that having my mouse higher than my keyboard may be causing problems for my right shoulder.  My right arm is always in a raised position, which probably causes problems for that shoulder.  I’ll try to correct this.  I should have suspected this, because lately I’ve been periodically trying to maneuver my mouse with my left hand, just to give my right side a rest.  Was that my body trying to send me a message?

Neck Muscles

 

Also, I’ve noticed that sitting in arms chairs with my arms resting also raises my shoulders.  I am of average height, but most chairs today seem to be bigger and made for taller people.  I have to rethink sitting in arm chairs, and purposely not using the arm rests.  I find that if I let my arms rest down by my sides in the chair, I do much better.  

 

I also like to lean from one side to the other, and this is a serious “no no”.  I learned this years ago when I drove an SUV which had a nice console armrest between the seats.  I liked to lean on my right elbow on long drives.  Consequently, I developed neck problems on the right side of my body.  I stopped leaning, and the pain finally went away.

 

So many of our problems are postural.  Looking forward to reading more of Mr. McKenzie’s fine book and then getting back to his “Treat Your Own Neck” book

Treat your own Neck

which I keep in my medicine chest. 

I don’t remember any of these aches and pains until I turned forty.  I guess before then, we healed so quickly that none of these problems surfaced.  Maybe all it took then was a good night’s rest.

Digging Around in my Mental Attic?

by Filed Under: Books

“I’m so glad I’m not famous. I would hate to have this guy digging around in my mental attic.”

I’m reading the biography of P. L. Travers, the woman who wrote “Mary Poppins”. I found this quote in the book, “Mary Poppins, She Wrote: The Life of P. L. Travers” by Valerie Lawson.

Another quote was from a biographer…

“…biographer Michael Holroyd, who has said,

I discriminate between the rights of the living and the dead…When we are living we need all our sentimentalities, our evasions, our half-truths and our white lies, to get through life. When we are dead different rules apply.”

I have this book and am reading it myself. I’ll review it when I’m done.