JOAN: I often think that my enjoyment of movies contrasts greatly with that of my friends! I have spent a lot of time defending the great success of La-La-Land since I drooled over it a few weeks ago. It was frothy and light yet brought me feelings of nostalgia as
it reminded me of the Fred Astaire-Ginger Rogers-Gene Kelly musicals of my youth. The music was delightful and the song, City of Stars runs through my head most of each day. However, most people I discussed the film with thought it was 'boring, 'superficial', 'a nothing'.
I dread any request to comment on Lion which we saw recently. The story is poignant, based on the book which described the longed-for return to India of a young man adopted out of poverty there when young. I thought the early scenes were excellent, portraying his early childhood of deprivation and cruelty and contrasting it with his cherished upbringing in Australia. Yet the film was too long for me. It was obvious that a return to his birth mother would occur and the build-up to that seemed so unnecessarily detailed. I found it hard, also, to feel empathy towards his adoptive parents and girlfriend from the way they were presented in the movie. But whoops! Every time I have quietly said this, I have been shot down in flames. Mike emerged from the Embassy with dewy eyes as did most of those who attended the same screening. I was disappointed by it!
Hidden Figures has a good ring to it as a title. We were intrigued by the story - another film based on fact. This time we were presented with three impressive African-American ladies. At the time that John Glenn was to be sent into Space by NASA these three ladies showed themselves to be the brains behind the maths needed to programme the flight. An achievement in itself, their ability was not at first recognised. After all, these were 'coloured' women working in a segregated environment where white males were all powerful. Bit by bit, these proud ladies advanced through the intolerance and triumphed. A great story. However, for me, the script was trite and the editing unbalanced. It was a story to know about but it could have been told so much better. Sorry!
I had heard nothing about Fences but I am always keen to see Denzel Washington on the screen. This is an intelligent actor. I found this whole film quite wonderful. The script, the actors, the photography, the editing were of the highest quality. I loved every minute of it. It moved with the rhythm of a good play and I was not surprised to read later that Denzel and the marvellous Viola Davis, and in fact all but one of the cast, had appeared in the play in 2014. Written by, for me, an unknown playwright, August Wilson this play wowed Broadway and won the Pulitzer Prize. I read more and discovered that Wilson has written remarkable and deeply-loved plays about African-Americans, based on his own segregated background. I really felt that I was watching the actual play, even though it had been adapted for the screen. It was not photographed during a stage production, but taking the fine words, pace and strength of this great play and adding the intimacy of the screen, Denzel, as director, has created a memorable movie. Speeches were powerful as were the relationships between the characters. There was a certainty amongst the crew that they were doing everything right that shone throughout the film. I just hope that when you see it, you feel as I do about it. It is a rarity.
MIKE: The official opening of the eighth La Fiesta certainly took off with a bang, as the small (but perfectly formed!) Space Gallery welcomed more than 100 guests early on Saturday evening. Curated by Sarah Williams, the owner of Space, the exhibition An Artist's Response features the works of a dozen participants. Last year, women of Whanganui were asked to write their memoir, in six words only, which were then displayed in the La Fiesta festival. Loath to have these personal thoughts left in abeyance, Kelly Scarrow, the event organiser, asked local artists to each select a memoir and create a work to respond to it. The result? An eclectic exhibition, some thought-provoking, some extremely moving - all with their own individual message,
Raymond de la Haye's I'm too broken to repair, a head in cold cast bronze, had, however, an explanatory note for self-reconstruction. When one door closes is a work in pencil by Lindsay Marsh, a greyhound in the foreground, with a door either side. Her memoir reads, 'redundancy-depression-greyhound-studio-rehabilitation-breath'. I also enjoyed another piece by Lindsay, a watercolour entitled The Daily Dip, encapsulating 'passionate about frolicking in the sea'. Two contrasting mixed media items by Rachel Garland also grabbed my attention. 'From my mother's mistakes I grew' is a hair-raising (literally!) portrait, entitled Bloom, whereas Dance is a small delicate figurine, suspended on wire, reflecting the phrase 'she danced with grief, bare foot'. Two hands, sketched in pencil, about a metre apart, are linked by a pattern of red cotton, exemplifying 'a thread runs through my life'.
It was fitting that the inspiration behind La Fiesta, Carla Donson of the Women's Network, should also be featured on the walls. Perhaps this is Carla's artistic debut? She has assembled a variety of objects - photographs, an embroidered handkerchief, plus other small items - in a tender, touching tribute to her mother.
Running until March 3, this exhibition is well worth a visit.
JOAN: I thought it would be pleasing to choose events during La Fiesta that would be perfectly new to me. I think the Chronicle must be doing the same! The small but intimate group who meet each Sunday 'for the love of dance' were rather overwhelmed by my presence and that of the daily paper. At least I took part in the event ... and it was well worth it. Every Sunday in Tawhero School Hall at 10am, this group, male and female and of all ages, come together to spend an hour in free-form, self-expressive dance. We danced in absolute silence, having joined first in a circle and said how we were feeling and how our week had been. This was NOT touchy-feely or inhibiting. Robin Williamson, who led the group, offered us five very different pieces of music during which I found I could unwind, relax, focus on meditative feelings and thoroughly enjoy the moments. The experience was purely mine and I felt that each person gained from the morning what they were looking for. I am no dancer but that wasn't the point. Mind and body were united and daily thoughts and cares slipped away in the joy of the dance. I felt refreshed, happy and calm. I most definitely recommend this as a time for self, for replenishment. Thank you to Robin and the group for making me so welcome.
