fosteronfilm and I went to see an advance screening of Miss Potter yesterday. Almost didn’t make it. Got a couple massive bills to edit plopped in my intray late yesterday afternoon, and it looked pretty likely that I’d have to stay overtime*, but the edits didn’t take as long as I’d thought. I rushed home, Matthew handed me a sandwich, fed Hobkin, and we were off to the Tara Theater.
The movie was an absolute delight; I was charmed by it from minute one. It’s the story of Beatrix Potter, the author and illustrator of the Peter Rabbit books, her life, how her books came to be the best selling children’s series ever, and her romance with her publisher. Renee Zellweger plays Beatrix, and Ewan McGregor plays her publisher–which is a great pairing, even if there were several Down With Love déjà vu moments and Zellweger’s accent sounded more Bridget Jones’s Diary than Jane Austen. The movie is punctuated by charming Ally McBeal-esque animations of her illustrated characters, whom Beatrix calls “her friends,” coming to life. And the countryside, where chunks of the movie is set, is a lush and gorgeous backdrop. And yes, as I demanded of Matthew, there were bunnies. The only complaint I have is that it’s going to totally perpetuate the belief that children’s writers need to illustrate their own stories, but I’ll just sweep that gripe into the “irrelevant industry minutiae” cubbyhole and pretend that I can’t see it.
I suspect it’s not going to be particularly appreciated by a male audience. My husband’s as whimsical as I could ask, and even so, the movie wasn’t to his taste, although he appreciated the beauty of the cinematography and animations. We’ve probably hit the “chick flick” barrier with this one, but I happen to like good chick flicks, and Miss Potter is one of the best. I highly recommend it.
* And so the legislative rush begins. The pace has been nonstop here all day. I expect that Miss Potter was probably the last time I’ll get to spend quality time with my husband until after the session ends.
Writing Stuff
Received:
– Contrib. copies of issue #23 of Faeries with the French translation of “Of Two Minds in Lanais” in it.
– A Nice review in SF UK Review for my story, “Wanting to Want,” in Hub:
“It’s quite a brutal description of the life of a junkie. . .The narrative really gets inside the characters head. . .A very well written piece.”
— Gareth D Jones
That movie sounds wonderful! Thanks for the review! 😀
I didn’t even know this one existed! Thanks for the tip. And two of my favorite actors, too.
Be sure to take good care of yourself as you launch into session. Get lots of sleep and be sure to sleep and eat well. Remember, everyone deserves at least half-an-hour for lunch!