Pretty much every weekend you can find Jon and me watching a documentary or two on the Kindle. While the kids are on the Xbox we're taking a little time browsing categories to see what looks good.

I watched a few by myself this week so I thought I'd share some of my favorites.

If you're missing Downton Abbey, the 2009 docudrama, The Queen, might fill a British void. It shows Queen Elizabeth II at different points in her life which was portrayed by a different actress in each episode. The first one, of course, is a little scandalicious.

source

 

Speaking of Queens, The Queen of Versailles is an American documentary that depicts Jackie and David Siegel, owners of Westgate Resorts, and their family as they build the largest and most expensive single-family home in the United States, The Versailles house. It shows how the recession hit them personally and the crisis they face. It was a Sundance hit in 2012. You can even buy the house here for oh, mere millions.


source

And since I am on some sort of unintended royal theme, you can't forget the American royal family, The Kennedy's. The Lost Kennedy Home Movies tell the story of the children of Joe and Rose, as they grew up in the 1930s and 40s and through the last weekend that John and Jackie spent with their children before the assassination in Dallas. There are behind-the-scenes footage and never-before-seen home movies filmed by Robert and Ethel Kennedy in the early 1950s. I confess I have always been a fan of the Jackie/John F. Kennedy mystique and can't get enough of seeing young Caroline and John.

source

 

The Queen of fashion, Anna Wintour, is the subject of a great 2009 documentary, The September Issue, which chronicles the staff and the Vogue editor-in-chief's work on the then, largest ever issue. She comes across much more subdued than the character that was supposedly modeled after her in The Devil wears Prada. I find her skillfully decisive which is a quality I admire. The Creative director, Grace Coddington, is a genius and I love that she'll go to bat for her vision. The clothes and photographs - oh yeah, love it all.

source

 

Happy viewing!

 

I'll be back for some fun thrift store scores this week and I barely spent anything...

Probably the worst movie critique

I am not a movie critic nor do I play one on my blog. Writing critiques doesn't really interest me and I don't know enough about movies to offer much of an opinion anyway. While a professional critic has merit, their overuse of words such as intoxicating, ostensible, visceral, unapologetic, and genuine sometimes feels tedious to me. Do you feel that way? I think I'm just more of a "get to the point" person.

Really, I'd rather see a little check box, "Is this movie good? Yes or No." Kinda like the notes passed to you in sixth grade from a boy named Bobby. It was suuuper embarrassing when the teacher would catch you and you had to read it out loud, though. Oh, the humiliation.

Yes, Les Misérables, I like you. alot.

 

 

Enduring films

Classic movie night at our house has consisted of each of these enduring films. There are so many to choose from but these were a few off the top of my head. When the kids started coming along we added good old fun 80's flicks. Ferris Bueller is still on the top of their list. Jon tried to add Old Yeller once and it took me back to when my family watched it and how we were in a sobbing heap on the floor so I vetoed it. We'll get to it later.

Rear Window

The Heiress

Some Like it Hot

Arsenic and Old Lace

The Quiet Man

The Way We Were

*bring lots of tissues for this one...

Un Temps Magnifique!

Come along on a little tour...

At the Plaka in Athens.

Jon at The Louvre

Laura visiting the Vatican.

Our train to Paris

 

 

Last night Jon asked me out on a date and took me to see the movie, "Julie & Julia."

His idea.

I say that because I want to give him credit for thinking of me. It makes me feel secure knowing that someone knows what I would like, especially the one who should know the most about me.

We took in a later show because we had other stuff to do around the house.

Jon bought me popcorn, water, Raisinets, Goobers and Junior Mints.

We didn't eat it all.

As a matter of fact, I am enjoying some raisinets right now. One of my pleasures of motherhood - hiding and enjoying a bit of candy anytime I feel like it. I'm sure the kids will sniff it out sooner or later. They have as keen a sense of smell and tracking skills as a Bloodhound. Except for getting dirty socks out of their room or finding that lost library book.

The movie was great. It was clever and interesting and a nice love story of sorts.

Now I want to dive into Julia Child's Parisian cooking. When we were at the Smithsonian we saw the recreation of her kitchen and all the vintage copper pots she used. It was fascinating.

I only have one copper pot of my own. Not vintage.

On the way home we talked about our own trip to France a few years back. We walked all over Paris as I pinched myself making sure I was there. The Louvre, the architecture, the fashions, the food...I was in love. I came home raving to my mom about their scarves and pashminas. My mom surprised me with a cashmere pashmina for Christmas that year. Sadly, I think it was lost in our move.

We both would love to travel abroad again and savor the flavors of Europe. As we walked the pretty Parisian streets, I saw people holding baguettes, wrapped in paper, tucked under their arm like a newspaper. I wanted a baguette. We were on the Champs Elysees and I did not see a patisserie. I finally asked where I could find a baguette and a nice person said to go off into the side streets and I would find one. So we did. They were lovely little cobblestone streets with shops closely lining their edge. Things like that make me giddy with excitement.

I saw a patisserie and the Parisians lining up to get their daily bread. I waited, nervously, knowing I would have to speak in French. I had a friend who spoke French so she wrote out things for me. So when the clerk asked what I would like, I was ready, hoping she didn't ask anything else because I only memorized one easy conversation.

Success! At least to my ears anyway...

I proudly held on to my baguette and we enjoyed it on the overnight train to Italy. ( That was a story!)

It was a little challenging to find the bread but I savored every little bit.

I don't know when we'll get back to Europe so I'm glad that we crammed as much enjoyment into our whirlwind trip as we could.

Just as in life, even though our days can give us some challenges,

we need to savor every little bit, filling them with as much enjoyment as we can.