Weekend!!! and "The Last King of Scotland"

[alexandral]

Weekend
This was a fabulous and eventful weekend. We went to my father-in-law's 70s birthday on Sunday. It was a very special event for a special person. He is always full of energy, optimism and love for life. Everyone had a nice time –his children organised a "surprise" party for him and invited all his friends. We made some nice pictures, Sasha took the majority of them. He-he! She is really interested in photography!

Shoes!!
I was reminded of this by elspethsheir's post of shoe goodness: last week I bought new shoes from Clarks! Shoes+me= endless obsession and this new pair is particularly comfy. Also it has that cute buckle on a side that (I think) looks very interesting. I don't want to take them off my feet when I go to bed. :D





Cosy Cellar
And this is my den: Last summer we cleared our cellar, painted it and made into our computer/DVD room. This is my heaven, a place where I hide away from the world. :D





"The Last King of Scotland" is an awesome film. I watched it on Saturday, but some of it's harrowing images and ideas are still standing before my eyes every time I get them closed.




The story is told from the POV of Nicholas Garrigan (James McAvoy) ,a fictional personal physician of one of Uganda's most bloody dictators, Idi Admin. Something that Idi Admin tells Nicholas Garrigan at the end of the film sums it all up for me: "You came to Africa to play the white man. But we aren't a game. We're real. This room is real." This is what I often feel when I talk to my friends who are refugees from Uganda, Angola or other countries. The reality of their lives is so far from ours…

The meaning of reality is explored in the film in the portrait of Idi Admin. Who is the real Idi Admin? It is very easy just sign him off as a terrible dictator, a cardboard figure of a maniac because he was all that. But he wasn't only that, he had some magnetic animal charm and big personality, he was very loved in Uganda at the beginning of his "presidency". Forest Whitaker received an Oscar for this role and he absolutely deserved it. He shown something very interesting about Idi Amin, something I often feel must be true about many of the dictators: the fact that Idi Amin didn't view himself as a crazy murderer. He honestly believed that he is hearing voices from above and that he is the best thing that had happened to Uganda. But during the cause of the film these layers of his views about himself fall one by one in the front of our eyes and all that we are left at the end is a mutilated, rotten core.

I felt that James McAvoy made a very strong performance as Idi Amin's personal doctor, Nicholas Garrigan. Nicholas starts as a young man, idealistic and spoiled by his privileged life. At first he comes across as someone who has pink glasses permanently glued to his face to the extent that he doesn't see reality around him. As the film progress these glasses are taken off his face and at the end Garrigan emerges as a brave and honest man, even with all his imperfections.

But of course I was very distracted by the fact that James McAvoy's eyes are a very deep shade of blue. :D




























Gillian Anderson had a small role in this film. This actress is shining in everything she does:

Comments

[queenofthorns.livejournal.com]

Yes, I had quite the awful nightmare about the last scene between Amin and Garrigan.

I thought this was a fantastic movie, partly because Garrigan is a weak man, and you can kind of see how he DOES, in a lot of ways, believe that his skin will somehow protect him (and so he succumbs to that desire he feels for Kay, with disastrous consequences.) I think the book is very interesting too, though quite different - the book's Garrigan is older and more cynical and kind of knows what he is doing more. (OTOH, the book Garrigan doesn't have an affair with Amin's wife!)

[alexandral.livejournal.com]

Yes, I had quite the awful nightmare about the last scene between Amin and Garrigan.

This and Kay's fate. And some of the pictures that Stone shown to Garrigan ( it even feels like some of them were real pictures of that period

I thought this was a fantastic movie, partly because Garrigan is a weak man, and you can kind of see how he DOES, in a lot of ways, believe that his skin will somehow protect him (and so he succumbs to that desire he feels for Kay, with disastrous consequences.)

I also liked that. Garrigan comes across as someone very immature (and may be this fits well with his age) but the events around him make him grow up.. Hard way to grow up..

I also like how his and Idi Amin's interaction is a little like some of the stories on the news – sometimes our governments choose to play with fire and try to make a pet figures out of dangerous organizations and men..

I think the book is very interesting too, though quite different - the book's Garrigan is older and more cynical and kind of knows what he is doing more. (OTOH, the book Garrigan doesn't have an affair with Amin's wife!)

I want to read the book now, even tough I liked Garrigan to be this stupid boy. :D

[winterspel.livejournal.com]

I saw LKoS over a month ago and loved it. I thought everyone did a terrific job and it was very thought-provoking. I'm glad you liked it, too! (and I adore James McAvoy)

I'm also glad you had a good time at your father-in-law's birthday party! :)

[alexandral.livejournal.com]

I believe this is the first Western movie (of any sort) filed in Uganda since 1950 and "African Queen". I think this definitely added some extra.

I'm also glad you had a good time at your father-in-law's birthday party! :)

Wo-ho! I had eaten too much and could not sleep today. :D

[arathesane.livejournal.com]

it sounds like you had a lovely weekend and that's great that Sasha's already interested in photography!

I thought The King Of Scotland was great, simply amazing performances all round and I thought the art direction was quite good, there were some brilliant uses of color. after seeing it I discovered that James McAvoy will be playing the character of Robbie Turner in the film version of Ian McEwan's novel Atonement and that makes me quite happy, because I cannot imagine more perfect casting. I love the novel so of course I am worried about how it will be translated into film, but I have hope that it will be well done.

[alexandral.livejournal.com]

Sasha's already interested in photography!

She made three pictures of the dessert!!! :D

I thought the art direction was quite good, there were some brilliant uses of color.

I read that this was the first Western movie filmed in Y=Uganda since 1950. I think the cinematographer did an amazing job utilizing the natural colours of Uganda- the colours of soil, forest and water.

after seeing it I discovered that James McAvoy will be playing the character of Robbie Turner in the film version of Ian McEwan's novel Atonement

I have heard about this film, it's promo pictures and the trailer look really good. I haven't read the book yet.. I did buy it some time ago and you totally make me want to read it!

[catdecember.livejournal.com]

i see the blue Ikea kiddie step stool. *lol*

LKoS was awesome, yet very disturbing. i also get weird mental flashbacks of movie scenes after seeing it. it also makes one realize on how much we take for granted the freedom we have! and that ruthless people can be ultimatelty charming at first!

[alexandral.livejournal.com]

i see the blue Ikea kiddie step stool. *lol*

He-he! I stole it from Sasha, she doesn't need it anymore!
it also makes one realize on how much we take for granted the freedom we have! and that ruthless people can be ultimatelty charming at first!

This is what I thought too – our freedom and the way of life are so unattainable for so many people in the world.. Makes you feel like going to Africa to do some volunteering work. May be one day when Sasha is older..
And Idi Amin – I absolutely "bought" him.. I think this is because he himself believes in his lies.

[ginger001]

This movie is my list to watch one of these days (soon, anyway). I don't want to miss anything with James McAvoy because I think he's an amazing actor and as you say, incredibly blue eyes!!!

Besides I'm sure the rest of the cast in this particular movie is also great, and the plot is something we don't usually find, so... it's a must.

[alexandral.livejournal.com]

You will not be disappointed! It is such a brilliant film and as others pointed out James McAvoy's performance was Oscar-worthy!

[nutmeg3.livejournal.com]

I'm so excited that Sasha's become a budding photographer! It's great that you had such a nice time and that she was the one to document it. And I've been meaning to see that film, because I've heard only good things about it.

[alexandral.livejournal.com]

He-he! She made at least three photographs of the big dish of profiteroles. :D I will try to post the pictures, I like the ones she did of our niece!

And "The last king of Scotland" is brilliant. I keep thinking about it, it is not letting me go!

[elspethsheir.livejournal.com]

Love the shoes, and I LOVED LKoS. As you know! Amazing, gut-wrenching, riveting... I still say James should have been nominated for an Oscar!

[alexandral.livejournal.com]

Amazingly this Oscar year had quite few really brilliant films and fabulous actor performances. I am absolutely in love with "The Lives of Others" too..

[miss-dian.livejournal.com]

Your cellar looks so comfortable :) I can imagine you LJ-ing and all there ^^ And the shoes! They certainly look comfortable - Mary Jane's with cute heels :D

[alexandral.livejournal.com]

I am so glad you like!!! I usually like to wear sgoes with a heel (shoes without any heel make my feet a little sore), and these ones are very comfortable too!!

[endlessdeep.livejournal.com]

Your computer area looks very cozy. And the shoes are cute...Mary Janes right?

The Last King of Scotland is on my list of movies to see. I just got something in the mail from Netflix. I need to see what it is. And probably watch it. :)

[alexandral.livejournal.com]

I am so glad you like the cellar. I think when we were clearing it out I didn't know how much time I am going to spend there. :D

Hopefully you will get to see "The last king of Scotland" soon!!

[teh-haley.livejournal.com]

You came to Africa to play the white man. But we aren't a game. We're real.
That's why I hated most of the people who, in my faculty, pretended to do some work-in-groups talking about Africa: for them, it's like they have to talk about it because they feel like it's right to talk about it, and they're not really interested in doing something; they're always looking at people who don't join their groups - for many reasons, of course - and labelling them, without knowing that behind their empty words, we can do more - for example, adopting a child supporting him from Italy, helping him study, like my parents do, and they don't need to show people they do that. So that's why I think it's true, we don't have always to play the white men, they're real.

he fact that Idi Amin didn't view himself as a crazy murderer
That's interesting, too. I often wonder about this kind of problem when talking about dictators, and I'm not really sure most of them trust in the fact they're actually the best thing for their country - or maybe they tend to feel like omnipotent?

[alexandral.livejournal.com]

for them, it's like they have to talk about it because they feel like it's right to talk about it, and they're not really interested in doing something; they're always looking at people who don't join their groups - for many reasons, of course - and labelling them, without knowing that behind their empty words

I absolutely agree with you! Volunteering and charity has become (and always was) like something to show off. But sometimes I think - fine, at least they are doing something. The only thing that I really don't like is that they quite often behave in condescending way towards the people in Africa.

I often wonder about this kind of problem when talking about dictators, and I'm not really sure most of them trust in the fact they're actually the best thing for their country - or maybe they tend to feel like omnipotent?

It must be different in different case but I truly believe that many of the dictators must be some kind of sociopath personalities and that they don't view the reality the same way we do, other wise they would have not done what they done.

[allbloomedout.livejournal.com]

EEE!! Cute Shoes! The tea cup near your computer reminds me of Rui when he's sipping tea on the couch in F4 lounge. :P I think part of me still missed Handan. YAY! I finally get to see your den I remember you telling me about before. It looks very cozy and nice place to enjoy doramas. :D The Last King of Scotland sounds very interesting. I'll have to check that out. :)

[alexandral.livejournal.com]

I am so glad you like! This cup is of my favourite set, a really good English bone china. : I was thinking about the resemblance too and included it for your amusement. :D

The Last King of Scotland is one of these heart-wrenching movies that make you change your views about the world. Absolutely brilliant!