Snow in the Cairngorms - From Chris Townsend's remarkable blog - this post is not about a new project, amazing new TGO feature or new book - rather something more simple and, maybe, more profound. Rating: 5 of 5 - I admire this quite a bit:
When the showers eased I ventured outside into the strong cold wind and strolled through the meadows and woods. Slowly the hills appeared, bright white against the grey clouds and contrasting with the vivid colours of the woods. Above the trees it's winter. In the forests it's autumn. Now as dusk falls the clouds have lowered again and the hills have vanished. I expect more snow is falling.
The 33 Most Beautiful Abandoned Places In The World - As usual from a popular post there are things that amaze and those that don't - but I certainly spent some time looking up and reading about some of these destinations. Rating: 3 of 5
I ain’t no bubble blowing jellyfisher - It took me quite a few visits to this post to actually read all of the text - every time I would get distracted by the pictures and start dreaming... Rating: 4 of 5
Memoirs of a Geisha (2005) - Yuck. Rating: 1 of 5
Amour (2012) - Brutal realism - an aging couple descends into death, and not so much in a happy way. This is really quite quite brutal - be prepared. Rating: 4 of 5
Europa Report (2013) - I did not see very good reviews for this, and perhaps that set the right expectations, but I enjoyed this rather classic sci-fi story. Rating: 3 of 5 (but don't hesitate if you like sci-fi)
Brick (2005) - loved the tight stylized dialog (glad they didn't dumb it down!), sound track was awesome, pretty good atmosphere and some fun action too - 1/3 of the way thru I thought this was awesome, but frankly it just went on about 25% too long - by then I was a little weary of everything I loved about it. I suspect that this would have been bold and interesting if it had spelled out fewer plot points and - like the dialog - was unafraid to leave the audience behind. Rating: 3 of 5
Howl's Moving Castle (2004) - There are plenty of Hayao Miyazaki films that I have not seen and I am not a rabid fan, but each one I see I am impressed by the blend of love and nostalgia - I am not sure those words are quite right, but maybe gives you an idea... Rating: 4 of 5
13 Assassins (2011) - if you want to watch a fantastic number of people die on-screen with style this is a pretty good way to do it, if... Rating: 3 of 5
Giant (1956) - Wow, another older film that we caught on PBS - it is hard to not be a bit impressed by this sprawling epic set in the dusty Texas landscape and it's condemnation of racism - but I really just didn't connect with this. Rating: 2 of 5
Rebel Without a Cause (1955): As famous as this is I just can not remember ever seeing it - shrug, another older film that I don't have the context/sophistication to connect with I guess. Rating: 2 of 5
Into the Cold: A Journey of the Soul (2010) - The imagery from this journey to the North Pole is stunning and like nothing I had seen! The physical accomplishment/brutality of this trip is also rather amazing and comes thru in this film - brilliant! I will say that I thought the narration and sound track seemed a bit heavy-handed - but still well worth watching. Rating: 4 of 5
Susan Dobson - Sense of an Ending - stunning stunning stunning images, and while the first image is my favorite I loved the series because the images were subtly different from what I imagined would come next. Rating: 5 of 5
Exploring World’s Largest Cave That Was Just Discovered in 2010 - Wow, great photos! Rating: 4 of 5
Two Rivers - Amir ElSaffar - A GREAT jazz album with a unique Iraqi base/sound! Rating: 4 of 5
Published elsewhere this month:
cmiles.info: 4 Days in Arizona, October 2013 First Days of Fall, October 2013
cmiles-outside: There is nothing like being a user of your own work to improve/refine/focus it - I have had enough info up on this site for long enough that I have started to occasionally look up something more as a user than as the author - and for the most part haven't been so happy! Newer 'format' - Pontatoc Canyon Trail
CM