Emma, Brexit, and Runner's delight

After saying that Emma Watson gave the weakest performance in Beauty and the Beast, I thought that perhaps I should see if she's done anything, other than the Harry Potter movies which was anywhere close to being successful.   Nope.  Figures.
I saw that Idiot Theresa May initiated the UK's exit from the EU.  I find it interesting that during the voting the majority who approved of this mistake tended to be middle and lower class citizens, many blaming immigrants, saying they were stealing jobs.  Sound familiar?  In case you're stumped, think Mexicans.  This is interesting because and article in The Guardian makes it pretty clear that Brexit will not stop this influx.  That's funny.  I'd read earlier that a number of the financial institutions now locate in the UK will move to the continent taking jobs with them.  Oops.  The sad thing is that both there, and here in the US, there are a number of people who believe that these nationalistic tendencies are going to pave the way for better wages.  Wrong.  There will always be a lower class gripping and complaining about money.  Nothing is going to change that.  It's simple economics.  Wages go up, so prices go up.  Prices are never going to go down because the prices you pay, are somebody else's wages.  This is how it goes.  No one is going to skip their yearly raise just so your prices stay the same.  Yet all these people believe that both the Idiot in the White House and Brexit are going to make this happen.
On the really bright side, I'm probably go for a run at Planet Fitness tomorrow in the AM.

On the Monday after joining, I decided to use one of their treadmills.  Well, I hadn't been on a treadmill in almost 16 years, and I didn't know how wobbly I would be - remember, my lower three vertebrae are fused because of the arthritis.  However, one of their associates, a very nice ginger man with a beard patiently showed me how it works - quite similar to the Eliptical I have here at home.  I had no problem putting in 30 minutes at 3 miles per hour, so tomorrow morning I'm going to give it shot.  That's right... I'm going to run.  

Dan Stevens, Belle of the Ball

So, I went to see "Beauty and the Beast" last evening.  Over all I thought it was good, some of it being very, very good, while some of it being, well, simply okay.  Most of the 'okay' dealt mostly with the casting.  One of those whom I was expecting to find terribly miscast was Luke Evans as Gaston... and I'll admit he did a good job, except for his interactions with Belle, who seemed to find it easier to shrug off his advances rather than find affront with them.  Kevin Kline was fine, except, again, in his scenes with Belle: she too often seemed more the dutiful daughter rather than the loving daughter.  Dan Stevens was very good as the beast who softens and discovers that he has a heart. the transformation scene at the end, however, ripped the curtains off of this fantasy and reality set in.   Dan Stevens is prettier than Emma Watson.  In fact, her reaction to seeing him as a handsome human is... shall we say muted.  Where the audience should have gotten a "holy shit, this guy is beautiful" moment, Emma gave us a smile.

That's right, casting Emma Watson as Belle was a mistake.  Not that she doesn't have moments, but mostly it's those around her, with whom she's interacting, that have the moments.  When the beast takes Belle into his massive library, you're expecting an "Oh, My God" reaction... nope, not here, in fact she acts dumbstruck rather than awestruck.  Her singing is fine, but whereas the Beast discovers he has a heart, hers is, I suspect Emma was thinking more about the buckos going into her bank account rather than earn them by giving us a believable performance.

There were a couple of other minor issues I had, one with costuming.  I have no idea who made the decision to put Dan Stevens in baby blue at the end, but it was a mistake.  He comes across as too foppish.  And the gay scene all those Crazy Christian Moms were complaining about... which one?  There are a number of them, and they're not quietly hidden away.

So, there you are.  In the end the Beast wins his way into our hearts while the start of the movie seems to prefer playing her part as though she's a stand-in.  That's right, Dan is the Belle of this Ball.

La La Land

So, I went to see La La Land last night.  On a Tuesday night... the theater was filled.  Everybody wants to see this movie, this original musical, this almost forgotten genre.  I liked it... a lot.  The feel is both Retro and Modern.  Colors jump out at you.  The opening number brought a tear to my eye - this is what movie musicals were in their golden era.  Gosling and Watson are both very, very good.  When they are happy, you are happy.  When things get tough the ache filters through the audience, a soft hand on your shoulder that makes you sigh.  Reality peeks through the fantasy with a sly wink.  This movie is about its two stars, but also about Hollywood, about La La Land with its successes and failures.

How good is La La Land?  When the movie was over, there was applause from the audience.  When I heard that I knew I was not the only one touched.