Year: 2011

Napa Valley Film Festival–Is this the next Sundance?

Written by diana on November 15, 2011. Posted in Film Festivals, Local travel, Unhealed Wound. 2 Comments on Napa Valley Film Festival–Is this the next Sundance?

Last week (November 9-13) I attended the inaugural Napa Valley Film Festival (NVFF) with a friend who lives in Calistoga and has volunteered in the festival’s planning. Over 100 films were presented, many for the first time at any film festival, in 12 screening locations from Napa to Calistoga. Along with viewing films we had the pleasure of tasting fine wines from local wineries and delicious food at the welcome party (for holders of Pass Plus and patrons). In the next two or three posts, I will be reviewing several of my favorite movies from NVFF. While this year marks the 30th anniversary...

Profile in Scribbles–“All About Me”

Written by diana on November 7, 2011. Posted in Blogging, Writing and Blogging Tips. 3 Comments on Profile in Scribbles–“All About Me”

I will be reviewing some movies from the upcoming Napa Valley Film Festival in the next few weeks. But in the meantime, I am posting a recent interview profiling my background writing “scribbles” in the newsletter by the same name distributed by my writers’ group, Central Coast Writers. Some of you have been asking for more information about my future writing plans. Here it is–“All about me”. MEMBER PROFILE in the October issue of Scribbles, the newsletter for Central Coast Writers From semiconductors to Buddhism, Diana Paul’s writing subjects reflect...

“The Mayor of Casterbridge”–A Victorian Drama for Today

Written by diana on November 2, 2011. Posted in movie reviews, Unhealed Wound. 3 Comments on “The Mayor of Casterbridge”–A Victorian Drama for Today

Victorian values seem remote — the language is obtuse, the character development Shakespearean in complexity. However, I adore Thomas Hardy. As the master of labyrinthine plots, Hardy surprises when the viewer least expects it. And the BBC/A & E mini-series, “The Mayor of Casterbridge” (2003), capitalizes on every deviant turn with brilliant acting, cinematography, and contemporary sensibility. Hardy’s novel is immensely captivating in cinematic form. “The Mayor of Casterbridge” is an astringent tale. The dark and mordant Michael Henchard, mayor...

Genealogy–Seeking Connections Past and Future

Written by diana on October 26, 2011. Posted in Internet usage. 2 Comments on Genealogy–Seeking Connections Past and Future

How much do we know about our own parents, let alone grandparents? To one degree or another the lives of our parents remain a mystery. Some families assign the responsibility of “family historian” to a designated relative to create and maintain a family tree. Our daughter, Maya, has just been entered into her husband’s family tree, immediately after her wedding. We are at a loss ourselves about our family trees. Keith, for a high school project about family history, found faces on the Internet that remotely looked like us and made up first names (and some last names) for...

“The Ides of March”–Beware, Beware!

Written by diana on October 18, 2011. Posted in movie reviews. 2 Comments on “The Ides of March”–Beware, Beware!

Is it possible for any political candidate to win and yet remain true to his or her original values? Movies about dirty politics such as “Wag the Dog”, “All the President’s Men”, “The Manchurian Candidate”, “Primary Colors”, “Bob Roberts” and “The Candidate” (to name a few) has yet another winner in this category–“The Ides Of March”. Based upon the Beau Willimon play, Farragut North, “The Ides of March” explores new ground as well as covering familiar territory about media’s...

Moss Landing–Cruising around Santa Cruz

Written by diana on October 13, 2011. Posted in Local travel, MPC Print Club, Restaurants. 12 Comments on Moss Landing–Cruising around Santa Cruz

Last weekend, driving back from our daughter’s spectacular wedding at Costanoa Lodge, we stopped in Moss Landing to introduce some relatives to a small, going-back-in-time sort of place along the coastline. Not the typical, tourist-designed site for buying tchotchkes, Moss Landing retains its quaint, historic fishing village vibe! Located on Monterey Bay at the mouth of Elkhorn Slough, Moss Landing is one of our local best-kept secrets. First we went to La Galeria, where there is a Monterey Peninsula College printmakers’ exhibit. Not so easy to find. You turn onto the main street...