I’ve been going through some of the “Oscar Nominated” movies that TCM runs for a month before the Oscars Ceremony.\u00a0 Lately they have been adding in films from the 1970’s, 80’s and even later.\u00a0 It’s interesting that some movies that I saw when they came out back in the old days really didn’t age well. As an example there was a movie, “Mona Lisa” from 1986.\u00a0 It was Bob Hoskins break out role.\u00a0 He earned an Oscar for best actor.\u00a0 It’s about a small time London crook who is assigned to drive a high priced black hooker to her hotel appointments.\u00a0 The story revolves around his emotional involvement with the woman and his attempt to help her save an underaged girl who has been swallowed up by the sex trade.\u00a0 Some things in the movie are interesting but the grittiness of the portrayal of the sex trade in 1980’s London is a bit much to watch.\u00a0 I didn’t remember it being so ugly and so extremely downbeat.\u00a0 And that movie is just one example.\u00a0 Especially in the 1970s the attempt to portray realism ended up making for a very tawdry product.\u00a0 There are exceptions but it is worth commenting on as a feature of the era.<\/p>\n
I have been remiss in finishing off season two of Star Trek and then finishing out season three.\u00a0 It’s because I really am not in the mood for it.\u00a0 I’ve been wanting to start the Jackie Gleason series, “The Honeymooners.”\u00a0 But I am going to rededicate myself to slogging through the rest of Star Trek.\u00a0 It has to be done.\u00a0 But I may decide to start the Honeymooners before I finish.\u00a0 There’s nothing wrong with a little variety.<\/p>\n
I spent today outside working in the fields.\u00a0 I have some of the scariest thorn bushes growing at the borders of my woods.\u00a0 The trunks of these things get as thick as saplings, two or three inches thick.\u00a0 If I wait until summer they will form an impenetrable wall of thorn brambles.\u00a0 The thorns are bigger than the ones you find on roses.\u00a0 They are formidable.\u00a0 And we had some invasive trees to remove.\u00a0 There are Russian Olive trees that have gotten way out of control.\u00a0 So I went back there with my triangular saw and my large pruning shears and attacked them with all the enthusiasm I could muster.\u00a0 I’ll have to say I was surprised how much satisfaction you can get from beating up on brush.\u00a0 It was tiring but when I finished the job I felt better than I have in weeks.\u00a0 Physical activity takes your mind off the political madness going on.\u00a0 Sure it is temporary but I really did clear my head.<\/p>\n
So with renewed enthusiasm I say to this fallen land we live in, “Bring it on, bring it on!”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
I’ve been going through some of the “Oscar Nominated” movies that TCM runs for a month before the Oscars Ceremony.\u00a0 Lately they have been adding<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mi_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1263],"tags":[43,580,154],"class_list":["post-14295","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-stuff-that-personally-interests-me-miscellaneous","tag-movie-review","tag-ocf-update","tag-tv-review"],"yoast_head":"\n