Today the weather has not been much like spring at all, but over the weekend it was in the 80s and the spring trees were in full bloom! I so love taking photos of these pretty pink trees & they smell so beautiful! I wish they could be like this all season, sadly the beauty doesn't last for long...
Anyway, these photos reminded me of the song, "La Vie En Rose", which is french for "Life in Pink".
Of course, that reminded me of one of my favorite movies...
"Sabrina" with Audrey Hepburn! So, I had to share this video too! :)
My weekend was full of so many happy things! I enjoyed the beauty of the spring blooms & the amazing spring weather. I ate the best cheeseburger & fries at a favorite local restaurant. & I played tennis, twice!!
Also, I saw this movie...
I won't say anything about the movie itself, but I will say that I believe in the messages of this movie
& I believe everyone should see it! It was very moving & beautifully created!
Over the past few months I really enjoyed reading Emma by Jane Austen! It was definitely bittersweet when I finished it. But one of the best parts about finishing it was that I could finally allow myself to watch BBC's version of Emma (2009)!! I haven't seen either of the other versions (with Kate Beckinsale or Gwyneth Paltrow) & I am glad, because there was just something about this Emma that seemed to fit the book best, at least to me!
I believe that Romola Garai did a perfect job at capturing the spirit of Emma. At some points, Emma is not very like-able, but the way Romola portrays her, I could not help but love her! Of course, I got that she was a bit spoiled & selfish, but I also saw an innocence & warmness that I believe is a very important part to the character that Jane Austen wrote. I loved to watch Emma grow & learn about her own heart, from beginning to end.
Mr. Knightley was played by Jonny Lee Miller and Mr. Woodhouse was played by Michael Gambon. They both did a great job at playing two of Jane Austen's best characters. I really loved to see each of their relationships with Emma.
Emma was a beautiful mini-series, that I know I will enjoy watching again & again!
A few years ago I really started to fall in love with Jane Austen's books (& the movie adaptations...) there is something so special about escaping to the charming English countryside in the early 1800s. I love the style, the language and the stories of life & love from back then... I guess, I first fell in love when I saw Pride & Prejudice (the 2005 Keira Knightley version)... I know there are many debates about the different movie versions, but this one will always be my favorite, because it was pretty much where it all started for me. (In my opinion, the movie was cast perfectly and the cinematography & music were done so beautifully that I could just watch it over & over again...) After watching the movie, I definitely wanted to read the book... and as I read the book, I really enjoyed getting more into the story, as it was originally written! Since then I made it a goal to read all of Jane Austen’s books...
Just recently I finished reading Sense & Sensibility! Except this time, I had not seen the movie yet, so it was fun to first see the story unfold in the pages of the book this time! I really enjoyed the story of the Miss Dashwoods and their relationship with each other... I love how they are so different, as represented in the title of the book. Yet they love each other so much... it's a wonderful story!
Over the weekend, I was so excited to finally get to watch the movie...
I loved seeing the interpretations of the characters from the book to the movie. I think that the characters were really well cast & acted! Emma Thompson wrote the screenplay and played Elinor! She was very good in the role, and even though she was quite a bit older then Elinor is in the book, she made the part very believable. Kate Winslet played "sensibility" perfectly, just as I imagined she would! They are both amazing actresses, so that alone made the movie so good! I also really loved Alan Rickman, as Colonel Brandon, such a gentleman! :) It was really wonderfully done and for a 2-hour movie it covered the whole book very well!
This movie is definitely on my favorites list now! :)
Do you have a favorite movie adaptation of a Jane Austen book?
on saturday, my mom, sister & i went to see "soul surfer"! we didn't get the chance to see it when it first came out, but they were showing it at the dollar theater near where we live, so we thought we would go see it! we had lunch before the movie at red robin! & went to baskin robins for ice cream after the movie! yumm!!! it was a perfect day!!! & wow! what an amazing movie...
it is based on the very inspiring, true story of bethany hamilton... (in case you don't know) she is a pro-surfer from hawaii, who lost her arm in a shark attack in 2003, when she was only 13 years old. it was a miracle that she even survived & it was her amazing faith & family that got her through everything, so she could surf again! i can't imagine how hard it must have been, but she never lost hope in God's plan. the story was so inspiring! the cinematography of hawaii was so beautiful. & the surfing scenes, which bethany did herself, were amazing! it's definitely a good one to see!
& this week... it's all about vbs at my church... yay!!! my sister & i are teaching the 1st & 2nd grades! on Sunday afternoon we decorated our classroom with the new york theme for lifeway's "big apple adventure"... anyway, all the fun is about to begin, so i am sure it will be a crazy week, but i am looking forward to it!! i will share a few photos soon....
over the weekend i watched "finding neverland"... i hadn't seen it in a while & i was reminded of what a wonderful movie it is! the acting is obviously amazing, with johnny depp & kate winslet. & it is SO beautifully filmed! it really is such a sweet story. & yes, it's a bit sad, but in a really beautiful way... maybe these photos will show a little bit of it's loveliness, but if you haven't seen it,
i think it is definitely worth the time! :)
"finding neverland" is a semi-biographical film about j.m. barrie, the writer of "peter pan". it tells of his life & of his inspiration behind the story of "peter pan". this film was nominated for several academy awards.
i love it because it's a beautiful story that teaches us that we never have to loose our imaginations, no matter how old we get...
& that we shouldn't always be in such a hurry to grow up.
over labor day weekend, i watched one of my most favorite ever musicals, my fair lady, with my mom & sister. i love this movie!! it is so funny... has amazing acting & costume design... & the music is so fun to sing along with!!! & of course, i love audrey!!! :)
{click the picture to view them larger}
here is one of my favorite scenes, with the song, "loverly"... :)
it is about about a mother, who moves to a small French village with her daughter and opens a chocolaterie. her chocolate begins to strongly impact the whole village. it's a really lovely story.
there is a quote from the movie that i have always really loved:
"we can't go around measuring our goodness by what we don't do."
i think that is an important thing to remember everyday.
"Bright Star" is a film by Jane Campion, that is based on the last 3 years of the life of poet, John Keats (1795-1821) and his romance with Fanny Brawne. the cinematography in this movie is so beautiful! the time period, the music, the poetry, the story, the acting.... it is all beautiful! i am going to watch it again this weekend, with my sister. i know she will love it!
