According to the Chinese Calendar, I was born in the YEAR of the RABBIT! And today is the start of the Chinese New Year 2023, and this year happens to be the YEAR of the RABBIT!
Of course, I didn’t know the year of my birth (Year1975) was the Year of the Rabbit till I was like in my late teens or early 20’s! AND even then, I didn’t know which following years were the RABBIT year! But this time I got to know! So here is a quick post wishing everyone celebrating the Rabbit, a very Happy New Year!!!!!!
The 75th International CANNES Film Festival ended last night (rather today morning here, half past 1am). Could not check out as much about the Festival this year, as I’d love to, but did check the fashionable updates on Twitter regularly. Last night, way past midnight, I switched on the telly (cable TV) to France24 just before 1am and caught the final announcements. Congratulations to Ruben Östlund on winning the Palme d’Or for a second time, this year it was for Triangle of Sadness (2022). A big congrats to all the winners at this year’s Cannes Film Festival.
Since am too ill and tired to write a good post, let the pictures do the talking. Two nights in a row I couldn’t sleep a wink, stifling weather, dengue mosquitoes, non-stop migraine headache and a load of stress. Tweeting is easier, but glad I managed to make the above collage for this post, as crude as it may seem. So exhausted.
Mid this year got my Sinopharm injections against COVID19 DONE! One in May and the booster shot in June; and I thought I was done with it, at least for this year. But then, with the new omicron variant as well as other variants and the original coronavirus still going on; yesterday went and got my latest jab. But since the country has run out of all the other vaccines, the only vaccine currently avaible here is the Pfizer vaccine. Thus my new booster I got on Monday afternoon, was the Pfizer.
Post vaccine you are asked to wait for 20 minutes, but the heat under the afternoon Sri Lankan sun is unbearable. A slight breeze came, but lasted only seconds, so after about 10 minutes I left. Nobody there to check if the vaccinated are alright and none of the vaccinated bother to stay on. The side effects of the afternoon sun could be far worse than the Pfizer vaccine itself. Yet the side effects of the Pfizer are much stronger than the Sinopharm (Sinopharm is an inactivated vaccine, unlike Pfizer, an mRNA vaccine am not familiar with, it’s a new technology; which was my only issue of getting a 3rd dose by Pfizer). My left arm feels rock solid, wonder if my blood’s clotting excessively (have had polycythemia and just manage to get my red bloods cells count back to normal), a never ending massive throbbing headache, which I have to deal with 24/7 as it is, has worsened; added to which last night I felt so dizzy outside after dinner, I quickly squatted down touched ground with my hands, so as to balance myself with my fingers spread out and toes. But, rather than just the effects of the vaccine, it could be due to the constant stress I go through residing in an inhumanly stupid society that won’t let me rest even when sick, just adding to the side effects of the new booster. But I guess my immune system is battling away the unknown vaccine in my body. It’s a war in there. This year has truly been dreadful, both physically and emotionally. So tired.
None the less, as heavy headed and down as I feel, I am glad I managed to get my 3rd dose as well, just before Christmas. It’s half an hour to midnight! So Good Night…
Back in October 2013, I did a blog post to celebrate Joan Fontaine‘s 96th Birthday. Sadly she passed away today, in December, that same year. Star of my favourite Hitchcock Film (Alfred Hitchcock being my all time favourite film director) which was Hitchcock’s very 1st venture into Hollywood, REBECCA (1940); based on novelist, Daphne Du Maurier‘s much celebrated novel.
Harnaaz Sandhu, from the state of Punjab, in India, has won the coveted crown at the 70th Miss Universe pageant, which was held on 12th December 2021. She is the third Indian beauty to win the Miss Universe title, after Sushmita Sen and Lara Dutta; but the first Indian in this Century.
Don’t recall the last time I actually watched a Beauty pageant, must be over two decades ago, back in the 1990’s. By the noughties these pageants started to get redundant, and there were way too many of those, it lost it’s appeal for me. Growing up as kids in the 80’s, Miss Universe, Miss World and Miss Asia Pacific were the three leading beauty contests we had heard of, along with the Mrs World pageant for married women, which really wasn’t up to the high standards and sophistication of the above mentioned pageants (of course it was relatively new at the time, as it only started in 1984 and the 1st married woman to win it was from Sri Lanka, Rosy Senanayake, thus we loved it for that reason alone). Back in the early 90’s there was some Miss Tourism held in Sri Lanka, which so was cheap, handled so crudely, that it was the first beauty contest that I found so appalling. To my memory, it was the first time an International Beauty contest was held in this country; and until then I had never heard of a Miss Tourism pageant. The most disappointing Miss World I saw was Miss World 1996 (held during my Freshman year at Delhi University), which was held in Bangalore, in the South Indian State of Karnataka. Was so looking forward to it, as it was being hosted in India, even though this prestigious pageant was nowhere near where I was residing. Yet, there was a reason why this International beauty pageant, organised that year by the Big B’s (Amitabh Bachchan’s) ABCL (entertainment company) could not be up to it’s International standards, with bathing suits round being hilariously way over dressed (looked quite ridiculous). The contest was plagued with controversies from the start and many a backwards, narrow minded, societies protested against holding this events; yet amidst all these issues at least the pageant was held and the show went on without any issues. Yet it was quite poorly organised. Although I didn’t watch beauty shows that regularly back then either, I did, whenever I got a chance to do so. But by the noughties I started to lose interest and found quite a few, really cheap. Added to which there was a lot of talk in Sri Lanka about the reason why Indian beauty queens were winning pageants was not because they deserved to but because the west was trying to sell their beauty products in India. What nonsense???? I never bought that, but I found a lot of these contests coming off looking cheap. Not the main three mentioned above, but in general. Good example is all the unnecessary hullabaloo over the Mrs Sri Lanka contest earlier this year (in April 2021) with that horrible woman, Caroline Jurie (back then the reigning Mrs World 2020) snatching the crown off Pushpika De Silva (the newly crowned Mrs Sri Lanka), just because apparently she was a divorced woman. She also had help to dethrone the new Mrs Sri Lanka. Disgusting behaviour for grown adults. Says a lot about the immaturity and the level of education, in participants at modern beauty pageants. Yet it’s thanks to the foolishness of Jurie & co. that made me check out clips from that show. Otherwise wasn’t even aware of that show. But Miss Universe 2021 was different. Grace, elegance and a class apart, from whatever clips I saw. Beauty and brains won.
When I heard that an Indian Beauty Queen had won, it interested me enough to check out clips online, and when I saw Harnaaz Sandhu’s final answer, she pauses a bit before answering and gave such beautiful sharp reply that took me back to Year1994! Sushmita Sen‘s big win! Although not as eloquent in pronunciation as Sen & Dutta; Sandhu gave a brilliant speech with confidence that showcased her intellect. When asked what advise she’d give young women of today on how to deal with modern day pressures, after thinking for a few seconds she replied,”…… know that you are unique and that’s what makes you beautiful…. let’s talk about more important things that’s happening worldwide. This is what you need to understand. Come out, speak for yourselves because you are the leader of your life, you are the voice of your own. I believed in myself and that’s why I am standing here today”. I was bewitched by her, taking me back to 94’, with an 18 year old me watching an 18 year old Sushmita Sen being crowned Miss Universe 1994.
Chandigarh (capital of the State of Punjab) based, Harnaaz Sandhu is the third Indian, the second Punjaban (as Lara Dutta, Miss Universe 2000, is a Punjabi as well; though Sen is Bengali, and was based in the Indian Capital of New Delhi at the time) and the very first Sikh/Jat Sikh (though all Sikhs are from Punjab, not all Punjabis are Sikh; Dutta is Hindu) to be crowned Miss Universe.
Wishing Miss Universe 2021, all the best in her tenure. Do feel sorry for Andrea Meza (Miss Universe 2020) though. Due to COVID19, last year’s pageant got delayed and thus was held in May this year. Therefor making Meza’s rein, the shortest in the history of this beauty pageant. None the less, a great win for Harnaaz Sandhu, especially with that quick thinking smart answer of hers. Wishing the reigning Miss Universe the best to continue her journey of beauty with a purpose.
Yesterday, the 30th of November 2021; was a momentous day for this year, especially for people with African roots. The beautiful Caribbean island of Barbados finally became a Republic, exactly 55 years, to the day, after gaining their independence from the British, on 30th November 1966.
Dame Sandra Mason replaced Queen Elizabeth II as the head of state. She was nominated by Prime Minister Mia Mottley; as well as the Opposition Leader, Joseph Atherley; to become the very first President of Barbados. The New Republic of Barbados conferred upon Barbadian singer Rihanna, the honour of National Hero of Barbados. Rihanna stunned her fans in a one-off-shoulder golden orange evening dress. Congratulations to the Republic of Barbados and singer/entertainer, Rihanna.
As this Caribbean country celebrated this monumental event; north across the Atlantic, France was honouring the late Josephine Baker by inducting a symbolic casket in her name into the Panthéon in Paris. She is the 1st American, 1st Black Woman, 1st Entertainer and only the 6th woman to enter this prestigious resting place for French heroes.
Famed Cabaret dancer, Josephine Baker, was born in 1906, in St. Louis, Missouri, USA. Her mother was adopted as a child in 1886 by two former slaves. Baker never knew her father, but she is assumed to be a daughter of a white man. She started dancing in her preteens in Chorus lines and local night clubs. In 1925, aged 19, she sailed to Paris, France; and that’s where she gained recognition as an artiste. She was among of the first coloured Americans to move to France, where she was appreciated not just for her body, but as a dancer. Soon she became one of the most famous personalities worldwide in the roaring 20’s, adopted Paris as her home and today she’s an iconic symbol of the Jazz Age. Dubbed Black Venus, she later became a spy during World War II and aided the French Resistance. Baker supported the American Civil Rights Movement during the 1950’s. In 1963, she took part in the March on Washington alongside of Martin Luther King Jr. and was the only official female speaker at the event.
Baker has been awarded the Resistance Medal by the French Committee of National Liberation, the Croix de Guerre by the French military, and named a Chevalier of the Légion d’honneur by General Charles de Gaulle. Now inducting Josephine Baker into the Panthéon, is another great honour bestowed upon her by the French government. Well done, President Emmanuel Macron.
So finally my vaccination is done, both doses!! Got my 1st dose on 22nd May 2021; and my booster shot yesterday (29th June 2021). Glad I managed to get that done through all my ailments! Been continuously ill for the last two months (since the end of April 2021); still really sick, heavy headed, tired and really weak! No stamina left in me at all. Some tests yet to be done! BUT, at least am glad to have been able to get both doses of the Sinopharm injections!
So as another year passes another month of May Movies comes to an end! Though I don’t work on May Movies annually, glad I manage to do a post whenever possible! This is the 4th year am doing a MaiMayMovies series of Films! There have been quite a few reasons I haven’t been able to work on my blog properly within the last two years, and am unsure how regularly I’ll be able continue working on this, but I’ll definitely keep this blog going as rare as my posts might be, and stay in touch with the Blogging community!
So here are all the movies I watched in May 2021; from the Best to the Worst, broken down into different categories!
80’s America
Within the last couple of weeks of this month, I happen to watch five 80’s movies, 80’s American movies, and 4 out 5 films focused on 80’s American youth, specifically White American youth of the 1980’s! So here’s my take on these five creations of 80’s American Cinema!
OSCARS 2021: A Charming little Event held at Los Angeles’ Union Station (LAUS)
On 26th April 2021, I woke up early to catch the Oscars LIVE on this side of the Ocean. It started at 4am here, but I got up close to an hour late, so when I switched on STAR WORLD, Daniel Kaluuya was being interviewed, and next came the man in the 24 karat gold suit (i.e. Leslie Odom Jr.), who then sang in a white trouser suit. Enjoyable show, I specifically found the event with the red carpet interviews, along with the décor at Los Angeles’ Union Station, really charming and a throwback to the heydays of Hollywood. Yet the stars sure did glam up in some WOW attire!
The Award Ceremony, inside the 1930’s built train station, itself had a classic Roaring 20’s & 30’s feel, fitting perfectly well into the nouveau Roaring 20’s of today. The 2020’s playing tribute to the 1920’s! The show went well, but I felt the BEST PICTURE category was announced a tad to soon; whereas traditionally it’s the final & biggest announcement of the day, right at the end. Towards the finalé the show got a bit dull, but I was generally happy with all the winners this year. No Actual Disappointments!
So from Sunday, 11th April 2021 to Sunday 25th April 2021, I’ve been checking out as many Oscar nominees as I could, nominated in various different categories, online (on F.Movies & YouTube). Altogether I got to see 11 Feature Films and 5 short films (3 Live-action & 2 animated). Below is a list of all 16 films I saw, along with my rating for each along with the date I got to watch each one of them. Wished I could have seen a few more. The List is in Order of My Favourite to my Least Favourite!
FEATURE FILMS:-
NOMADLAND (2020) – 10/10! 25th April 2021 (Last Oscar Nominee for this year I’ve seen, so far)
THE FATHER (2020) – 10/10! 22nd April 2021
SOUND OF METAL (2019) – 10/10! 24th April 2021
DRUK (2020) English Title: ANOTHER ROUND – 10/10! 22nd April 2021
JUDAS AND THE BLACK MESSIAH (2021) – 10/10! 18th & 19th of April 2021
PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN (2020) – 10/10! 11th April 2021 (1st Oscar Nominee for this year I saw)
THE TRAIL OF CHICAGO 7 (2020) -10/10! 15th April 2021
LA VITA DAVANTI A SÉ (2020) English Title: THE LIFE AHEAD – 10/10! 23rd April 2021
MA RAINEY’S BLACK BOTTOM (2020) – 9/10! 11th April 2021
THE WHITE TIGER (2021) – 9/10! 16th & 17th of April 2021
THE UNITED STATES VS. BILLIE HOLIDAY (2021) – 5/10! 21st April 2021
SHORT FILMS:-
Saw the 3 Live action shorts on 12th April 2021 and the 2 Animated ones 20th April 2021
Live Action Shorts:
FEELING THROUGH (2020) – 10/10!
THE LETTER ROOM (2020) – 10/10!
AL HADIYA (2020) English Title: THE PRESENT – 9/10!
Animated Shorts:
GENIUS LOCI (2020) – 10/10!
OPERA (2020) – 10/10!
The Winners:-
Nomadland deservedly bagged the BEST PICTURE award; which I was hoping it would win, my favourite among the films I’ve seen so far! I felt The Father came a close second. Am glad Nomadland won. Altogether it took home three Oscars, including a BEST DIRECTOR statuette for Chloé Zhao (making her the 2nd Female Director and 1st Woman of Colour to win this prestigious award), and Frances McDormand took home the BEST ACTRESS Oscar (she was my second choice after Carey Mulligan in Promising Young Woman). Felt Nomadland might win for Cinematography as well, but lost out to Mank (2020), a movie I haven’t watched yet (haven’t even seen Citizen Kane;1941, yet; but saw RKO 281;1999, some years ago). A special shout out to Andra Day for her amazing portrayal of legendary Billie Holiday in The United States vs. Billie Holiday; the only good thing about that movie. If not for her amazing performance that movie would have sunk badly. Day managed to salvage it to an average fare flick.
I was rooting for Anthony Hopkins to take home the BEST ACTOR trophy, and was so happy when he won for The Father. Such a touching take on ageing and dementia. The last sequence with Hopkins was so brilliantly heartbreaking and realistic. This was Hopkins 2nd Oscar (the 1st being for The Silence of the Lambs;1991), and aged 83, this makes him the Oldest BEST ACTOR winner to date. Riz Ahmed’s amazing role in Sound of Metal was the next best performance. If Hopkins didn’t, I felt Ahmed definitely ought to. Wish there were subtitles for all the sign language shown, but it was mostly just casual talk not that significant to the plot, so it wasn’t an issue. We see Ahmed’s character losing his hearing, getting involved with a deaf & dumb community (some are deaf & dumb when they are deaf from birth; as is a cousin of mine), a special school for deaf & dumb children; then he gets a chip implanted but it’s unhelpful as he’s introduced to a high pitched sound that’s unfamiliar and uncomfortable. He’s neither here nor there, and the finalé with the ultimate Sound of SILENCE! Brilliant! Ironically, as I expected, Sound of Metal won for BEST SOUND (presented by Ahmed himself) and BEST FILM EDITING. Many were disappointed that Chadwick Boseman wasn’t posthumously awarded for his performance in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, yet as good as he was (initially I assumed he was nominated in the Supporting Actor category), both Hopkins and Ahmed deserved a win way more. It would have been an insult to Boseman’s legacy if he were awarded just because he was sadly no more, or worse, because he was a black actor. The best of that year should win, and Oscars has had a few misses in the past, but not here and not in this category. May Boseman be remembered for his performances and not for an award he lost out on. Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom deservedly won for Hair & Makeup and BEST COSTUME DESIGN (haven’t seen the other films nominated in those categories though). The Father also won for BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY; awarded to Christopher Hampton and Florian Zeller (Zeller, whose French play Le Père, this movie is based on). I was hoping The Father might also win for BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN; with those two very similar stylish flats adding to the “Father'”s confusion and it’s similarities to the nursing home. From his Bedroom(s) to the corridor and beyond. Chic interior design. Pity it lost out to Mank, as well; which most probably deserved it more. Really ought to check it out. BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY went to Emerald Fennell for her amazingly relevant tale in this #MeToo era; Promising Young Woman. South Korean actress, Youn Yuh-jung won BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS for Minari (2020); yet another movie I really ought to check out. Thomas Vinterberg’s Danish film, Another Round, won for BEST INTERNATIONAL FEATURE FILM, as I had hoped it would. Brilliant movie about getting drunk, with a killer soundtrack.
Am least interested when it comes to the Visual Effects category, for most of the time, that’s the only good thing about those movies (there are exceptions of course). From this years lot, The Midnight Sky (2020) might be the only one I might check out. Tenet (2020) of course won. I wasn’t really surprised. Wasn’t that interested in watching it, still am not, but might in the far far far future; as Christopher Nolan is a good director and love some of his past creations. This is a movie of his that least interested me. Among the Short Films, I was keen on seeing, Feeling Through for Live Action, and Genuis Loci for Animated, win. Feeling Through has beautiful storyline set in one night, with an actual deaf & blind actor, Robert Tarango. The first time in film history to have a blind actor in a lead role. Genuis Loci has some amazing watercolour animation. You end up wondering what just happened? Was it all imagined, or did she wander out and only imagine herself as a dog? Loved it! Of course two short films I haven’t seen won. BEST ANIMATION (feature film) went to Soul (2020), no surprise, there was so much hype surrounding it. I haven’t seen any of feature length Animated Films. It also won for BEST ORIGINAL SCORE, while BEST ORIGINAL SONG went to Judas and the Black Messiah. Out of the two actors in Judas and the Black Messiah nominated for BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR; I felt Lakeith Stanfield performance was more nuanced, playing an FBI informant pretending to be a loyal member of the Black Panther Party, at the same time fighting his own conscience. A difficult role. Yet Daniel Kaluuya was just as brilliant as Fred Hampton, thus deserved the win.
I haven’t seen a single documentary; short or feature length. Among the Short Films, Colette (2020) is the one I was most keen on watching, and it won. Among the feature length documentaries, My Octopus Teacher (2020) about the bonding between a man and a octopus, was the one I was most interested in seeing (and I really ought to). As they showed the clip from this movie, seeing how innocent and trusting all living creatures are unlike humans, an octopus affectionately curling it’s tentacle around a man’s finger, I felt this should win! And it did!
With that I shall end my Blog post for today, my 1st for YEAR 2021! Congratulations to all the winners!
Went & got my Hair turned into a Christmas Tree, yesterday!!! 🎄
Happy X-mas 2020
What’s with the new editing tools WordPress, so confusing????? Took me about an hour or more to figure out how to get back to the classic editing format!!
Anyhow!! Enjoy these pictures and a have fun Christmas!! Take Precautions & Stay Safe; this Year of COVID-19!!!!!! Year 2020!!
The Nouveau Roaring 2020’s decade shall properly start neXt Year!!! Year 2020 was just an interim year, ending 2010’s (going with a no zero year concept) and passing the torch into a new decade!! The 2020’s!!!!
No Nonsense with Nuwan Sen 