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The Gardener (2016)
A daytime TV ritual.
Whereas taking out time for trimming trees, shrubs and pruning is an essential part of gardening, in our house Monty Don has become the hero of daytime television viewing. Off hand, I recommend season 19 episode 6 wherein you may learn the basics of plant feeding: the three primary grow nutrients are nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, apply once a week. Monty Don's easy going manner makes learning about horticulture a pleasure. Plus, the wife always giggles when his dogs make an appearance.
There are other, more agriculture based programs from BBC, whereas this one is focused mostly on flower gardening and vegetable raising. With write-in (home video-in) guests on every episode equally shifting between Monty's pleasant demonstrations of his work on Long Meadow at Herefordshire in western England. It's no wonder this is a very popular series in England.
Various gardens and parks are featured in short segments, shooting from throughout England and including many guest videos from overseas. Always attention is payed to learning exactly what has gone into the growing of various featured plants as well as an appreciation of how gardening can help everyone's spiritual, nature bound attitude toward life. Watching this program somehow better inspires me toward environmentalist issues than watching how the world's environment is being destroyed in TV news shows. Both are valid, but this is the one that gets me off my butt to do something about it.
The show works as both a gardening aficionado check-in and a general public learn-about. I love watching and always come away feeling closer in touch with nature and with a newfound desire to enhance my own suburban house's backyard and front yard gardens. Here in an extremely dry and windy, difficult-to-grow area: a Spanish styled home located in the high deserts of dry Ventura County, southern California USA.
Nonetheless we are determined to infuse shaded areas with moisture helpers of brick and running aquifers, fountains etc in order to grow our bushes, ivy, flowers, veggies and fruit trees right along side all of our desert succulents. Thanks so much for a great documentary program!
The Gardener (2016)
A daytime TV ritual.
Whereas taking out time for trimming trees, shrubs and pruning is an essential part of gardening, in our house Monty Don has become the hero of daytime television viewing. Off hand, I recommend season 19 episode 6 wherein you may learn the basics of plant feeding: the three primary grow nutrients are nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, apply once a week. Monty Don's easy going manner makes learning about horticulture a pleasure. Plus, the wife always giggles when his dogs make an appearance.
There are other, more agriculture based programs from BBC, whereas this one is focused mostly on flower gardening and vegetable raising. With write-in (home video-in) guests on every episode equally shifting between Monty's pleasant demonstrations of his work on Long Meadow at Herefordshire in western England. It's no wonder this is a very popular series in England.
Various gardens and parks are featured in short segments, shooting from throughout England and including many guest videos from overseas. Always attention is payed to learning exactly what has gone into the growing of various featured plants as well as an appreciation of how gardening can help everyone's spiritual, nature bound attitude toward life. Watching this program somehow better inspires me toward environmentalist issues than watching how the world's environment is being destroyed in TV news shows. Both are valid, but this is the one that gets me off my butt to do something about it.
The show works as both a gardening aficionado check-in and a general public learn-about. I love watching and always come away feeling closer in touch with nature and with a newfound desire to enhance my own suburban house's backyard and front yard gardens. Here in an extremely dry and windy, difficult-to-grow area: a Spanish styled home located in the high deserts of dry Ventura County, southern California USA.
Nonetheless we are determined to infuse shaded areas with moisture helpers of brick and running aquifers, fountains etc in order to grow our bushes, ivy, flowers, veggies and fruit trees right along side all of our desert succulents. Thanks so much for a great documentary program!
Dune (2021)
Learn a language, gain a modesty.
This gargantuan epic Science-Fiction feature adventure film will hold up throughout your November month of horror and the dead saints etc. Pay a fee and flip the switch to "on" as the screen then lights up your living room in dismal grays and ominous dust storms meant to suffocate all mammalian creatures heretofore lost in the alien deserts of life.
Deep in humanity's future, mutations have occurred, including mental telepathy as a religion and discovered spices on distant planets which may be used as fuel for hyperspace travel. Quests for land and resources accompany and/or conflict with deeply religious throngs of species ensnared in philosophical, environmental mantra.
Seven stars for sheer visual and audio entertainment on our big screen.
I never read the book even though I'm old enough to remember its popularity circa 1960s-70s. Consequently I feel for viewers who get lost in the vagueness of lacking plot transparency. Dune has carried that notorious serendipity since the beginning, adding to its mysteriousness, so they say.
Never mind. The solution is simple. Mosey on over to the Plot Summary link on the front page and click it, then read. It will be long and, however you will thank yourself in the end for doing it.
This is like Star Wars without the obligatory camp. Classier and thankfully so. Science Fiction and Horror stories reach for philosophical ministering and find it hopefully in a whimsical manner that is entertaining for the observer. The Sorcerer's Apprentice comes to mind, in terms of music piquing one's imagination. Edgar Allen Poe as well, or Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451, a read that always sends the imagination reeling, but which merited qualification has fretfully eluded all performance and recording media artists who attempt to re-arrange it in another agency.
Dune's epic fashion of mysterioso seems timely. Ready-made for a French gift to American Sci-Fi techno-anime film production work, Cinéma du look. The director famous for a slow, ethereal pace is welcome in this line and the synth-heavy music is, like its predecessor, also hospitable here.
The message includes but is not limited to Lucas' spiritual redemption and freedom from tyranny mantra; here the audience is also treated to a smattering of ancient as post-modern sociology 101. Mass movements of various folk, whether from spiritual awakening, greed driven acquisition or what not, is plenty realistic. Particularly in a desert setting. Reflecting in today's audience mind contemptuous if eradicable colonialism spawned industries of hate periodically arising in media news.
The bear, also massive, bigger than Godzilla (Big), is a deadly worm through which Dune sequels undoubtedly will reveal ever more detail. As the protagonist must bravely, if reluctantly ride a giant worm for any self-respecting Dune fan to approve of the proceedings.
Thank goodness the word "dune" conjures such a dry, remotely dangerous image in all humans' minds and imaginations. It will suffice for the danger factor. On top of the fact that this planet, like Tom Hanks' latest robotic Finch on a sky-scorched Earthling environ only decades in the future, has an atmosphere so dry and hot that survival in said desert is dubious at best: one needs seek shelter from the heat, or else! And whatever you do, don't expose your skin to this burning sun like you were thinking of getting a sun tan. New rules for suntan lovers: Just Don't Do It.
Masses of enslaved or otherwise compromised, hood-flocked innocent folks at northern African locales and points east is the rule of the day in such epic Science Fiction tales. Lucas filmed in Libya with hardly any attention paid to this kind of picture. Whereas Villeneauve films obligingly large crowd scenes in Jordan deserts, Middle East. Reminiscent film-wise of Spielberg's classic remote exterior chanting African crowds ala Close Encounters of the Third Kind. All of it is near to areas known to be politically charged today. Which may add to the fantasy of conflicts plotted deep in our species' future and/or on alien fantasy worlds yet to be explored.
Throughout this, a young protagonist (Timothée Chalamet) experiences various metamorphoses. Dressed first in urban dark gray/hues of black royal cloaks, and then changed to the dirty, covered in dust, vanilla colored clothing obligatory in harsh desert climates, here thankfully not named corny things conjuring tattoos on desert biker gangs. All, complete however with special hydration unit attached for necessary survival gear: this is serious Sci-Fi fantasy.
We do get a preferable, neat catharsis. Perhaps obvious to some viewers from the beginning of the show, it's the protagonist Paul Attreides discovering the beauty of modesty over his former, overly proud and affluent regal state of mind.
Now it becomes the crowning moment in ours, this first set of a trilogy clearly meant to explore that environmentalist subject: modesty over greed. Hopefully with as much slick, ethereal production quality as is found in this rather large, yet desirable feature film. Well worth two hours of viewing time. Although its broader appeal may be limited to Sci-Fi fans and a few strays they can serene over to the couch for company.
Grayson's Art Club (2020)
An easy winner.
"Perry combines various techniques as a "guerrilla tactic", using the approachable medium of pottery to provoke thought." (wikipedia) ... "..creativity is in us all - and it's good for our minds and spirits." (The Independent) ...Award winner at Koestler Trust exhibition (Art By Offenders, 2011), accomplished sculptor Grayson Perry listens to guests' deepest inspirations and the crew captures some touching real-time moments in Grayson's Art Club (Prime, BBC, 2021). Former guerilla artist slash cross dresser Perry is teamed with candid dialogue from Philippa Perry in this 60-something docu-romp as reality TV sleeper. The result, an earnest, spiritually and holistically warm vibe suitable for making your big screen also your family room mentor on all things visually creative, while keeping it all going as the entertainment babysitter for pandemic era purposes. Basically rock n roll Grandpa and Grandma are veteran, skillful visual impressionists (painters, sculptors of modern art); quirky, irreverent in the way your better grandparents should be if they were this progressive-minded and talented. The duo's sheer creative output attracts heavy local artists like Boy George and many others, at which point the brilliant competence overflows. Imagine spending an afternoon with John Cleese and his transvestite significant other who frets around the studio in this prankster emotional condition resembling the personality of Roger Waters and one gets the general idea. Notwithstanding Grayson's shrill, Dickensian satirical cackle punctuating the difficulty in finding comedic pace in utterly candid, homey reality mocku-drama, the utter beauty of artistic curiosity and this peaceful, experienced understanding of visual art and philosophy that is at hand shines however as per the talented and smart Perrys. A quality sheen of high-tech camera work, editing and direction, top notch professional production from Swan Films brings an exquisite finishing touch making this release quite palatable indeed. Like Chevy Chase, or Conan O'Brian for that matter, notoriously difficult live film comedy sketch is simple and easy when witty, intelligent talent is present. Speaking of X-mas presents, this one is a go, captain. Ten thumbs up for spiritually nutritious TV fare.
SparkShorts: Kitbull (2019)
A random lucky choice, and I am now a fan.
Some months ago we moved and then bought a TV system for the living room and bedroom. I was promptly overwhelmed by the sheer magnitude of available programs to watch. After browsing around for several hours, I started to make a list of my "favorites" for later viewing. I don't remember who chose Disney+ as one of the add-on applications, probably me. Browsing around on that, I was somewhat intrigued by the category of short films. So many shows looked potentially interesting, and I am not an educated TV viewer, just a random dude.
Finally I chose this film. It was one of the first and after watching all nine minutes of it, I felt that I had lucked into something good. It was so good that I watched it a few more times and then raved to whomever would listen. I love this cartoon. It stands out as one of the best pieces of film I've ever watched.
The animation isn't fancy. More like Angry Beavers humorously minimal style. This sets the tone at Light Comedy, perhaps satire. This one is not at all a satire, but drawing-producing it in that vein allows the feeling to stay hip and not melodramatic. The story itself is plenty melodramatic, two disparate urban runaway animals who find companionship. It sometimes makes me cry.
Everything stays realistic from beginning to end. This is one of the landing points giving it a serious quality. A tiny stray cat, small enough to be a kitten like some adolescent and adult cats are, lives in an urban junkyard and is thus hugely threatened without shelter. Rough urban people come and go, and now a new tenant appears to be perhaps illegally dog fighting on the premises, or at least mistreating their dog, We only see things from the protagonist cat's perspective. Peering from under a box out in the junkyard, kitty can see the dog, a pit bull is thrown outside and miserably chained.
The dog is supposed to be rough and mean, but he's really just a sweet pushover. This is good. The tiny feline is hesitant but eventually attempts to make contact. Things don't go so well at first, as to be expected from a cat and a pit bull dog. But eventually kitty manages to soften what is actually a sweet pit bull, and then helps the larger mammal to escape his enslaved predicament. This is well filmed for suspenseful effect and the result is a romp giving us plenty of reason to root for these two barely drawn characters in a minimally drawn setting.
The quality of the film lies in using the bare minimum of animation drawing, to tell a classic tale of freedom from oppression, and how a little luck goes a long way. Highly recommended and only takes ten minutes of your time. I was, for example, able to draw an artist friend, who dislikes animation, into watching this cartoon. She cooed at the happy ending and now likes it as much as I do.