I walked out sans plant. Earlier this evening though, I had to go back and exchange something when I walked past- you guessed it- plants.
So meet Phyllis' sister, Dolores! I will try my best to take better care of her. And like they say, third time's a charm...right?
I watched this film during DIFF last year, but only got around to writing the review now. What can I say, I'm a busy girl...
This film is the directorial debut of Mami Sunada, and is a documentary about her dad's life- who was diagnosed with cancer- up until he died. I really should have gone more prepared, because by the end of the screening my face was a mess- tears streaming down my face, puffy eyes, mascara everywhere. If you thought Braveheart and The Notebook were bad, think again. They really should mention this sort of stuff on the ticket…
Mami told the story through footage of her dad- Tomoaki Sunada- every step of the way, from the day he was diagnosed right up until the funeral, with her voice narrating his possible thoughts in that point in time. It took a little while to get used to that, but I found it to be an interesting approach. I also admire her strength in being able to go through with the project, as I can only imagine how hard it could have been; it's a wonderful way to celebrate someone's life and preserve their memory.
Her father was a man who worked his way up the company ladder (the same company) up until retirement, only to discover shortly after that he has cancer. He decided not to let it get him down though, and continued to spend time with his family and doing things he enjoys.
It was also an interesting glimpse into the Japanese way of life: the incredible dedication and loyalty towards the company they work for, family dynamics, and what they do for fun. The family dynamics caught my attention. For example, Mr. Sunada and his wife were pretty much separated until he retired from work (it took a toll on their marriage), after which they started dating again…only to find out he had cancer shortly after. That was heartbreaking to watch, and it's just another reminder that time is precious. Don't wait until you're old to do the stuff you love or spend time with people who matter to you. On the other hand, I found it amusing how his children had so much respect for him and their mum, and were there for them no matter what, yet their approach was very pragmatic and logical.
Another thing I found interesting was the way they talked to the doctor. They're so polite, and proper, and constructive in their conversation, and they have full faith in the doctor's skills and abilities. No drama, no panic- nothing. I expected *something*, but nope; the whole time they were just polite and proper and constructive. Maybe I've been watching too much of The Big C...
The most bizarre thing to me was how her dad planned his funeral. He made a list of people who should attend, what his family should say to those who want to be there but aren't allowed (his co-workers aren't invited because it's only for family and close friends…!!!), where it should take place, the proceedings, and so on. The funniest thing was during his last days he asked his son to retreive the list from his computer, but when the son returned he told Mr. Sunada that the list is no longer on the computer, and the dad responded 'oh it's ok, I made a back-up!'. He just really thought of everything, didn't he?!
But it felt like he was planning a birthday party, not a funeral. I found it quite strange as our funerals aren't anything like that- you wear black for 3 days, people show up to your house to give condolences (friend or foe- it's the time to put those differences aside at a time like this), and you have arabic coffee available.
The last moments before he parted with this world were very emotional…waterworks.
There are just so many angles to this film that it really is worth seeing. I look forward to seeing more of her work in the future.
Rating: I highly recommend this film, but make sure you have a box of tissues next to you. I give it 4 Oi's out of 5.
If you want to the final rating on the book and can't be bothered reading the whole post, scroll to the bottom.
This was not an unusual pick for me. I read His Dark Materials trilogy by Philip Pullman and enjoyed it a lot, so I thought this novel would be something along those lines.
The Left Hand of God, by Paul Hoffman, is about this kid who is supposedly the one who will destroy the world. A skilled fighter, he was brought up in The Sancturary of the Redeemers who train them to be emotionless, thoughtless creatures using a lot of violence and religious bullshit.
The character that develops the most throughout the book is the main character, Thomas Cale. There's a lot of suspense and action in this book, with the escape from The Sanctuary and that whole journey, and showing off Cale's fighting skills. It was also interesting to see how, for a 14 year old, his way of thinking is sometimes like a child, and in other things- like planning for war- he is way beyond his years. The book also showed how a change in environment can affect a person's actions and reactions, and how there are some characterstics at our very core which we cannot change about ourselves, even though our opinions and ideals may evolve. One of the most intriguing characters I found was Kitty the Hare- he's so evil it creeped my out.
I couldn't put the book down- it was that good…until the last 5 chapters. Then it just imploded. Really disappointing ending and, in hindsight, the whole escapade and war with the Redeemers dragged on for way too long. I later find out that this book is the first of a planned trilogy, so I would imagine the other characters would develop a bit more in the second book, and parts of the story line in the first book would be better explained. I'm not expecting anything grand though, so I don't think I'll be picking it up any time soon.
Rating: Read it if you like books about religious conflicts and fantasy, and trilogies. Otherwise, don't bother. I give it 2 Oi's out of 5
If you want to the final rating on the book and can't be bothered reading the whole post, scroll to the bottom.
I love the Bronte sisters and their books. Even though I'm not considered the 'romantic type', I just love the way they write, the (often tragic) story lines, and the way they intertwine the lives of the characters with each other. One of my favourite books is Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Bronte.
So you can see why I would pick a book called The Bronte Project to read. It's about a scholarly woman- Sara Frost- who's doing her doctorate on Charlotte Bronte love letters, but it's wasn't really going anywhere for her and at the risk of being dropped from the program. Her fiance, on the other hand, is a successful writer and has published several books. They go to this party, and enters Claire Vigee- a 'Princess Diana expert' (if there is such a thing- if you haven't lived with someone, you don't know jack about them. But that's just my opinion)- with her charm and wild red hair. And that's when Sara's life starts falling apart, only then to pick up the pieces and watch Claire crumble as they become friends. Yea, it's kind of weird.
I have to say though, I have never been more disappointed in a book. Jennifer Vandever (the author) did a fabulous job boring me to death, with a flailing story line. The characters are plain; Sara had my eyes rolling the whole time. And the love letters, which are the premise of the book, ended up on the sidelines; that made reading the entire book rather pointless, really.
Rating: Don't bother reading it, even if it was the last book on Earth. I give it 1 Oi out of 5 (if that).
This is way overdue. I've got a few more book and film reviews coming up, and hopefully this will be something you'll see more regularly on the blog. If you want to the final rating on the book and can't be bothered reading the whole post, scroll to the bottom.
I read this book while I was on holiday, and initially bought it because of the plot at the back- that's usually how I decide on whether I'm going to buy a book or not. Anyways, this book, written by Isla Dewar, starts with the life of Lily, her mum- Mattie- and her sister Marie…
It starts off talking about their lives- that's actually the whole book- but as it progresses, you see how Lily's life seems to look perfect on the outside (when it isn't), and how she, Mattie and Marie judge each other- and themselves- as a result of all sorts of secrets they uncover about one another. The once-saucy Mattie, who became a housewife and somehow lost herself along the way; the rebellious Marie who married too young and faced consequences of one bad decision; and the goody-two-shoes Lily who's got a fantastic job and fiance, but is obssessed about neatness and secretly wished she was like her younger sister.
It was interesting reading about their family dynamics and how each of the women changed as the story progressed. I'm sure each one of us can relate to their family dynamics in one way or another. I will sadly admit that I saw a lot of myself in Lily- yikes!
Rating: Read it for a bit of a change from what you usually pick up. I give it 3 Oi's out of 5.
