This is one of the most bizarre films I’ve seen. It’s based on the novel of the same name by Virginia Woolf, which I have not read (and am not inspired to read, having seen this).

Tilda Swinton stars as Orlando, in a historical panoramic play that begins in the court of Queen Elizabeth I where he longs for love and freedom, and is cursed to remain at the same age forever. It then leaps forward across the centuries, about fifty years at a time, showing new aspects of life and attitudes to women.

The scenery is good, the costumes stunning, and taken as snapshots of society through the ages, it’s quite interesting. But it’s strangely surreal to have the same person appearing in different roles, never growing any older, and then making an even more dramatic change in Central Asia, part-way through.

There are one or two mildly amusing moments, some violence which didn’t appeal to me, and some decidedly ‘adult’ scenes which, I would have thought, should raise the rating to at least 12 rather than the actual PG rating.

The blurb on the back of the DVD says that it’s a ‘brilliantly original story of self-discovery, romance and adventure’. That much is true. And it was very well done. The film seems to have won great acclaim from the critics, too… but it didn’t do anything for me, other than leave me faintly puzzled.

This is a wonderful film based on a true-life story. It stars Meryl Streep as Lori, a contented, if slightly harrassed mother with three children. Out of the blue, the youngest child, Robbie, is diagnosed with a serious form of epilepsy. Everything has to go on hold as he goes into hospital for tests, and then increasingly unpleasant forms of treatment. The first drugs he is given turn him from a likeable, friendly child into a hyperactive violent screamer, and the family is told that when the first drugs taken do not help the condition, there is increasingly less chance that future ones will.

Since this takes place in America, the family get into increasingly difficult financial straits as they have to deal with Robbie’s problems, due to some small print on their medical insurance. They seem to be at the mercy of the doctors, who are proposing drastic surgery on Robbie’s skull as his seizures increase and his behaviour becomes worse.

Then Lori discovers that an unusual diet has helped a significant number of children with severe epilepsy. The doctors insist that it would not help, and that to take Robbie to a clinic to try it out would threaten his life. So the family have to make some very difficult decisions on his behalf….

I was totally captivated by this DVD, as were a few other people who watched it with me. Meryl Streep is always excellent, able, it seems, to play almost any role to perfection. The child who played Robbie was also extremely good. It was well-made and interesting as well as somewhat educational, and felt like a story rather than a documentary.

The one thing that spoiled the film – and which means I can’t give it the five stars it deserved – was an appalling and screechy rendition of ‘Somewhere over the rainbow’ not just once but twice in the film, making us put our hands over our ears and wanting to turn the sound off.

Despite that one problem, I’d recommend it highly.

This was a great film. I wasn’t too sure at first: it’s about Michael, a guy with severe cerebral palsy who lives in a home for the disabled. He can’t speak comprehensibly although he’s clearly bright, and gets around by wheelchair. Then Rory arrives. He also is wheelchair-bound but has no problems talking, and can understand Michael pretty well. They strike up a friendship, and Rory starts to show Michael what life is like outside the home… leading to a bid for independent living.

The story is bittersweet, with some humour as well as a real insight into the lives of the severely disabled. The acting is wonderful. We couldn’t decide whether or not the actor playing Michael really did have cerebral palsy; so we watched the extras, which showed him as a young man with normal movement and speech. What an incredible actor.

Well worth watching. I just wish there hadn’t been quite so much bad language – although in context it wasn’t inappropriate. But it was enough to give the film a 15 rating despite there being no violence, nudity or sex. Recommended nonetheless to anyone wanting to see a little more of the world from the point of view of someone permanently in a wheelchair.

I doubt if I’d have chosen this teenage film… but my son gave it to me, and said that I would probably like it. He was correct :-) Lindsay Lohan is extremely good as the home educated Cady (pronounced Katie) who grew up in the African bush, but finally starts American high school at the age of sixteen. She finds it bewildering at first, with so many different cliques, but is adopted by two rather strange people… and then finds herself part of the ‘plastics’ set. These are attractive but not particularly intelligent girls who consider themselves role models and fashion leaders.

Cady begins by laughing at the idiocies of the ‘plastics’ but gradually becomes drawn into their world, including being nasty about some of the other students and teachers.

The plot is a bit bizarre, and I find it hard to believe that any high school could actually be that unpleasant… but Cady’s development as a character works well, and it’s encouraging that a popular teen film is (basically) so positive about homeschooling. She certainly appears to be the most well-balanced and interesting person in her entire grade, seeing much of the behaviour of her classmates as barely distinguishable from the wild beasts she has come across in Africa. A pity her parents are portrayed as so weird… but less so than some of her new friends’ parents!

There were some moments that made us laugh aloud; all in all, I thought it an enjoyable and well made film, albeit not very deep.

Some excellent recipes in this book, with clear explanations about how to use a slow cooker (also known as crockpot). Chapter divisions are into poultry, different meat and veggie dishes, and there are photographs for each recipe.

I’ve made three or four of them since being given this book four months ago, and they were all excellent; not necessarily ultra-hot, but aromatic, spicy and delicious. It’s a good book for inspiration too. Some of the ingredients are not necessarily easy to get hold of, but most seem widely available. A few do use curry powder but the majority use individual spices or some form of curry paste.

All in all, a great addition to my recipe book shelves. Recommended to anyone with a slow-cooker who enjoys spicy recipes.

This is the story of two sisters, estranged for 19 years, who get together when one of them receives bad news.

Bessie is almost too good to be true, caring for her bed-ridden father, and eccentric Aunt Ruth. Almost, but not quite. Her sister Lee, by contrast, has made her own way in the world as a single mother, with a rebellious 18-year-old son and a bookworm younger son.

The production is good, the acting excellent. Meryl Streep excels herself as Lee, by no means typecast yet quite believable. There are some moments of humour that made us chuckle, and some medical moments that made us cringe. The family dynamics work well, and it was encouraging to see the potential for healing – no spoiler there; this is part of the blurb on the back.

Unfortunately the movie ends far too suddenly, leaving many threads wide open. It wasn’t a particularly encouraging ending, either, so I can’t give it four stars. On the other hand, it was better than a run-of-the-mill three.

A film based on a true story. Roberta (played by Meryl Streep) is devastated by her husband’s sudden departure, and needs to support her two young sons. She persuades the headmistress of an inner city Harlem school to take her on as an extra music teacher, to teach children to play the violin. The music teacher is highly cynical and the Head is not sure it’s possible… but Roberta works miracles.

The theme is a bit like that of ‘Mr Holland’s Opus’ and similar stories: it’s heart-warming, very moving in places, and extremely well made. The children are delightful, the sub-plots keep it moving, and the ending truly magnificent, with a text epilogue explaining what happened.

Wonderful. I’m sure I’ll be watching this one again, and I don’t say that very often!

I hadn’t read the book – and am not inspired to do so. The movie starts with an upper class couple who are reasonably content, until the bored wife decides to have an affair. Disasters strike, and while there is the occasional humorous moment, the general tone of the film is very depressing. I kept hoping it would get better, but it didn’t.

On the plus side, there’s an all-star cast, who played their roles well, and there are some attractive settings. But overall, I thought it miserable, and don’t plan to watch it again.

I was disappointed in this book. It looks in turn at several genres of short story. But instead of focusing on character-building and plot development, it basically gives extensive examples of how other authors have written in the various genres. The examples given are fairly literary and mostly rather dark, even those labelled humourous; not the kind of thing that appealed to me at all. There were a lot of exercises at the end of each chapter, none of which were remotely appealing.

For someone who enjoys dark and literary short stories, this book might be useful. But I found it rather tedious. It took me over a year to wade through it as I kept losing interest, and I simply skimmed the last couple of chapters, hopeful that I might find something more interesting.

Schmaltzy Disney on a Cinderella theme, but very enjoyable for a relaxing evening in. The plot is probably well-known: Mia, a gauche, clumsy teenage American girl who tries hard to be invisible at school suddenly learns that her grandmother is Queen of a small European country. And as her father (whom she never knew) recently died, Mia is heir apparent to the throne of this country. She is appalled at first, but agrees to some ‘princess lessons’ and a makeover, and is gradually transformed.

Julie Andrews is perfect as the royal grandmother, and Anne Hathaway as Mia is excellent too – she manages both the awkward clumsy stage and the increasing elegancy of the transformation. There are some delightful scenes with the two of them together, and a few low-key ethical issues such as the shallowness of high school cheerleaders and sports stars, and the need for people to stand up for what they believe in.

I found it very enjoyable, and my husband enjoyed it too, rather to his surprise.

There are a few extras; we enjoyed the behind-the-scenes shots and descriptions of how the cast gelled together, and how the film was put together.