Unhealed Wound – Page 18

“Philomena”–The Story of a Mother’s Loss

Written by diana on May 4, 2014. Posted in movie reviews, Unhealed Wound. 1 Comment on “Philomena”–The Story of a Mother’s Loss

It has been almost eleven years after the groundbreaking and award-winning film “The Magdalene Sisters” (2002), a fictionalized drama based on three young Irish women who survive the dehumanizing abuse as inmates of a Magdalene Sisters Asylum, one of many that existed in Ireland and other parts of the Catholic world in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Now, we have the remarkable and moving story of Philomena Lee, in the movie named after her, in which she searches for over fifty years for the little boy taken from her as a teenager. “Philomena”, nominated for...

Netflix Instant Queue–My List

Written by diana on April 28, 2014. Posted in movie reviews, Television reviews, Unhealed Wound. 1 Comment on Netflix Instant Queue–My List

My last blog on the pleasure of curling up to watch past episodes of favorite TV programs or programs and movies you missed while they were being released for the first time was on February 6, 2012 (“Netflix Instant Queue”–BBC’s Your Best Bet). Netflix is now a juggernaut. For me the pleasures of Netflix downloading has tripled just like their stock. And just as Amazon is challenging the distribution of bricks-and-mortar publishing by promoting e-books, so Netflix is challenging the entertainment world of cinema and television with instant streaming. A few recommendations...

Top Ten Movies of 2013

Written by diana on April 5, 2014. Posted in Unhealed Wound. 3 Comments on Top Ten Movies of 2013

Every year I have taken a look back at the movie reviews I have written. When I counted the reviews I have written this year (=18 plus 3 this year about movies released in 2013), I wanted to see what would be my top ten (actually twelve) favorites. It wasn’t easy, as both television and cinema have upped the ante on story-telling. This list is not ranked in order of quality –only my top ten for 2013, grouped by genre, and one additional because I couldn’t help myself. Independent Studios (Quirky themes): 1)Dallas Buyers Club (February 24, 2014 review): character-driven as well as plot-driven,...

Art on Vacation

Written by diana on March 18, 2014. Posted in Art, Unhealed Wound. 3 Comments on Art on Vacation

When we were in Napa Valley recently, the concierge at Bardessono recommended a local artist for a private in-room art workshop. Karen Lynn Ingalls was an extraordinary instructor with a very engaging teaching style. Her specialty is mixed media in vibrantly charged colors. This delightful painter introduced acrylic painting techniques combined with stenciling and collage, and used a simple paper plate to illustrate the effects from a variety of acrylic media. These different techniques can be quite confusing, but Karen made them fun for experimentation with different papers and stencils. ...

“House of Cards”–Season 2: The Main Course

Written by diana on March 12, 2014. Posted in Television reviews, Unhealed Wound. 6 Comments on “House of Cards”–Season 2: The Main Course

House of Cards–season 2 I just binged on the second season of the Emmy-award winning “House of Cards,” the Netflix-produced political saga starring Kevin Spacey as Frank Underwood and Robin Wright as his wife Claire as it continues its narratively complex drama– even better than 2013’s! (See my February 2013 review of the first season, “House of Cards”–A Bulimic Buffet for Couch Potatoes?) In this riveting thriller of political ambition, power, and hubris of Shakespearian proportions, we see the Underwoods cement their lethal relationship as...

“Dallas Buyers Club”– Not for Cowboys (or, A Lone Star in the Fight against AIDS)

Written by diana on February 24, 2014. Posted in movie reviews, Unhealed Wound. 3 Comments on “Dallas Buyers Club”– Not for Cowboys (or, A Lone Star in the Fight against AIDS)

Dallas Buyers Club Jared Leto as Rayon The true-life story of Texas AIDS pioneer, Ron Woodroof, set in 1985 Dallas, depicts his battle to fight for his life after being diagnosed as HIV-positive. His search for life-supporting experimental drugs via Mexico to help fellow HIV-positive people is the heart of “Dallas Buyers Club“. Part-time rodeo bull rider Ron Woodroof (the skeletal Matthew McConaughey in an Academy Award-nominated performance) is rudderless–smoking heavily, snorting cocaine, having a lot of sex with prostitutes. He is also grossly unsympathetic for...