Carol

Definitely a Sunday movie. Not really a movie for a first date. well mainly not for heterosexuals I would say as a first date. Lesbians could go for it unless there was no vava voom. Then it could be awkward. it would be a good conversational point after I guess. The subject matter being that of lesbian life in 1940′s America. Or more to the point a married woman living a lie. It made me think of my own life and how hiding being gay is a way of life at times. Young gay and lesbian people today, truly do not know the pain endured by those before them. So they can walk hand in hand. I digress

The lead in this film being none other than Cate Blanchet. A rather sophisticated and slightly older lady. With a slight predatory aura about her.

I must admit I struggled with Cate playing a lesbian. I don’t know what it was, but something was a miss. I truly did not find her believable. Don’t get me wrong the actual story I was interested in. Kate Winslet, yes, believable in this type of role, Jennifer Lawrence, hmm yup probably Emily Blunt yes. Angelina, well that is always a winner. But Cate. AS a gay woman. I struggled. And the young Rooney Mara I just could not see the connection between the two. Maybe that was what they wanted, maybe, I was supposed to believe they were not really connecting like most people do when they first meet. Or is that just the online dating thing.

But it should be like that spark that you get where you can not be apart, you know that fabulous tingle but all I sensed was an A9 battery type tingle. You know the one where you lick both ends of the battery but it is more an annoying tingle on your tongue and actually can’t stop.

I guess for the women of that time, being gay, would have been difficult. You have the people telling you its wrong the press telling you you religion telling you. So acting on that wow factor would have been quite hard.

After all, it was only a few years after having the vote, and supposedly having rights to their children. Not sure what Americas time line was on that, maybe should have googled it before writing this. We come to the sex scene, well a sort of slight sex scene. Yes, Cate got naked but no we don’t see her fully it’s the side way profile shot. Rooney on the other hand obviously drawing the shorter straw and hade to do full nudity clause written in. Let’s face it no way they would tell cate that she was doing it nude. So, there is some skin on skin titillation. Hmm wee (scots for small) bit. After that night wow, what a night it must of been for they seemed so loving and well just together. I didn’t see that happen on screen, well just a tiny bit. Oh I know that’s how you would be if it was someone you truly wanted to be with.

https://youtu.be/EH3zcuRQXNo

Carols husband knows that she is into the ladies, however he doesn’t cope very well with it, even though they are no longer together. It is the old chestnut of, “If I can’t have you, I will do something to screw you over” scenario. Carol has had e previous female relationship which os why he is defensive. He feels threatened his man hood not able to cope with the fact this stunning woman does not get her boat floated by him. So when carol meets Therese, he knows he has to play dirty.

Therese is the very young, shop assistant she admits she doesn’t have her own thoughts, her choices are all of others. At first glance of seeing Carol from across the room we are lead to believe it was love at first sight. So after a couple of rather ill timed short visits they go away for a few weeks. Carol running from her issues asks Therese to join her.

So when Carol is threatened with having her child taken away from her. She freaks out. This is actually due to fact her husband had her followed and bugged, not with actual bugs, but the F.B.I way. He had their one night of passion recorded. He wants to prove she is an unfit mother and lacking in morals. She leaves Therese without actually telling her. She wakes up with Abby watching over her and they return home.

Carol is having a really bad time, where we are led to believe she is attending therapy. The reason for her visiting a therapist is never spoken of. But we can guess by the nature of the story that it is not for true mental health issues but to treat her gayness. After all, so many people were tortured and placed into asylums for being gay. I must say I am quite glad that was never on the table for me. And I am fully appreciative of what has gone before me to allow my freedom.

Therese does not hear or see from carol, she is lost. However, her career takes a jolt and she is working for the times paper and now has a career. Going cold turkey on not speaking to someone you love or loved, is quite hard. Trust me. so Therese tries once to call, but carol does not say anything on the phone. We then are taken to the pre court meetings with regards to the daughter. Carol get brave and can no longer deny her inner self. Telling her husband, he can take custody, for Carol knows she has lost her child. But she begs him to stop trying to hurt her and him. She states she wants full visitation. And walks out.

She decides to go in search of Therese, finding her she begs for her to meet, Therese makes it difficult at first, but then agrees to meet. Carol tell her she loves her wants her to move in and they can have it all. However, Therese who was always eager to please. Is now found her inner voice. Carol disappointed by being rejected goes on her way. However, while at a party Therese can see she does not belong there and goes back to carol. Film ends with a I found you smile.

The Hunger Games. The Mockingjay part 2

Writing after what seems like a pint of baileys should be fun. I want to say it was amazing and everything i had been anticipating. Sadly no, I was disappointed, in the mail part of story and the ending. But it’s The Hunger Games, I only ever wanted to watch the films due to fact I hated Twilight, yes thats right. The acting in those films was terrible, so I never watched The Hunger Games until around two years after first was made.

I was never a Twilight fan till the last one where I actually felt the cast moulded together. And the characters become believable.  In hunger games I felt it was the opposite, cast seemed so well rehearsed and believable. It seemed to make sense, maybe it was the fact it was strong female cast in the role as leader, or the action which I seem to love. But The Hunger Games gave me what i wanted as a viewer. Till the last one. Maybe the author, could not longer face the fact they had started something which just could not maintain or like me started drinking baileys. But that just it, it had to have all the answers to the lack of action was always going to be the victim.

But the movie a stand alone film will work , not full of action as first two. We get a small taste of it when the Mockingjay and crew enter the city of Panem.

I was slightly disappointed but glad in the end, that katnis made a decision between the triangle she created of Gale and Peta. katnis acts like a mother around those that are injured and weak, constantly feeling the need to help and comfort.

The shock was when Prim, Katnip’s sister died and it changed everything. Also Gale becomes the hardened warrior. Whether change by the war or changed by the fact the woman he loved does not reciprocate his admiration. That and he was the one that allowed the bombs to be dropped that killed katnis sister.

So after a couple of twists , which you sort of see coming. We then know katnis is going to choose Peta, after all he always had her back he seemed weak but really has more strength that Gale.

Film ends very similar to Twilight, in the future where she is in her meadow with two children and Peta by her side.

Suffragette

Today, I didn’t go to see the new james Bond movie, I went to see Suffragette. Now this movie to many will not be worth watching. However, I think it should be shown in every school and college all over the world. If women today could fully see what their counterparts only 70 years ago had to endure for the right to put a cross on a piece of white paper. Then maybe, just maybe the female race would appreciate what has gone before them. For i feel today too many women do not vote, it maybe a right, but when you see full footage of women being dragged through streets ,kicked, punched ,raped and incarcerated, force fed due to hunger strikes. The press being told what to write by the government,( not much changed there) not once was there a true reflection of what was going on in Britain at the time in any of the press. It takes one women walking calmly onto a race course being run down by the Kings horse Anmer ,for it to make a difference. This story is amazing, the cinematography however was quite poor in places. I get they wished to make the audience see what would of been chaotic moments in time, but it just was blurred and unwatchable at times. This happens quite a bit during the movie.
Carey Mulgrew was slowly fitting into the role of a women wronged by men. We are lead to believe she has been raped from age 12 in the laundry where she works by her boss. Who seems to take what he wants, after all he is man. We then find her slowly loosing her husband, he is embarrassed by the women that stand up for themselves. As she learns that women truly have been dealt a bad hand. she is incarcerated purely for being there when a fight breaks out at a government vote she attends with a fellow work mate.
She meets the leader of the Suffragettes, Mrs Pankhurst a very militant woman who lead her foot soldiers into achieving the right for women to vote. After this very brief meeting, Carey’s character Maud Watts looses her family, not from war or death. Her husband ashamed by what his wife has done in being arrested, throws her from the house, she has no rights to see her son and is destitute. She sleeps rough in the safe haven of a church with only a blanket and a candle.
What else can this woman loose, she has lost it all, Then at her sons birthday she finds her husband giving her son away. Broken, Maud finds new wind and helps her fellow suffragettes to gain more ground. She is again incarcerated and is force fed as she goes on hunger strike along with most of the women in the prison, for most at that time were political prisoners and they did not wish to make any of them Martyts ( something again no one hears about due to government dictating what we read).
They decide to do something big and go to a race day, where king George will attend, and the world watches. On this day, it s they day that changes the women’s fight for ever.
After a failed attempt to get King George’s attention the women then follow Emily Davidson a militant suffragette jailed on nine occasions, towards the race track. She turns to Maud and states “keep up the fight” And walks onto the track where she is killed outright by the Kings horse coming round the track. This lady was force fed FOTRTY NINE times. I feel the need to make that a point.The government did not want anyone dying in their care so they would get them to the brink of death and release them. Then arrest for the most petty of things. Then it would start all over again. They knew if any of the women died in prison They knew it would be start of the end.

We see all the suffragettes preparing themselves for Emily’s funeral. As they leave and taken into the street the actual footage of Emily Wilding Davidsons funeral the streets lined with people.where thousands of suffragettes followed the coffin. Quite a poignant moment, when scrolling writing starts giving dates countries age women the vote. Going from 1918 all the way to today women in other countries still waiting to vote. On reading about this film and the characters, it has amazed me that although Maud was fictional most of those surrounding her were not. And the things she endured during this film were actually carried out on her fellow suffragettes.

I do not wish to get political, but i have today been in awe of the women from my past who fought with such courage to have allowed me the privilege of sitting where i am writing this. With the knowledge i can vote choose what I want to do where I wish to go, without asking permission and sadly we still do not have equal pay but there are not enough women like those mentioned above to stand up for what is right.
History may be our past, but it is certainly part of our future.