Evening, The Movie....

....opens everywhere, this Friday.

It's based on Susan Minot's luminous novel by the same name and the adaptation for screen is by Michael Cunningham (The Hours). Meryl Streep, Vanessa Redgrave, Claire Danes and Toni Collette share starring roles. By all accounts, it should be a blockbuster. I'm looking forward to seeing it, but was really disappointed to learn that it was filmed in Rhode Island. A movie set partially on a Maine island is shot in RI?

No disrespect to Rhode Island, but its coast can't hold a candle to the breath-taking beauty of the Maine coast, and quite frankly, the state (and mostly the local mid-coast people) need the money generated by a huge production such as this.

The movie is co-produced by Ms. Minot, who lives on a Maine island.

Majesty

In honor of Her Majesty's upcoming visit to Kentucky (big local news here in the Nasti), I watched The Queen on the 57 inch HD flat screen TV in my Hyatt Place Hotel Room. They've configured the set up so that attaching an ipod or computer is fantastically easy.

The Hyatt Place is swanky, hip and possibly Manhattan-esque uber-cool. It's also very affordable and still has a free breakfast.

84 Charing Cross Road

I've a new favorite movie, 84 Charing Cross Road, starring Anthony Hopkins and Anne Bancroft. The surprise payoff is that Judi Dench plays the small role of Anthony's wife, but that's just one of the many reasons to love this movie. It's charming and lovely and smart.

Anyway, I'm guessing that the book, 84 Charing Cross Road, might be the first "book about books". For 20 years, Helene Hanff, a feisty New York writer, corresponded with a small antiquarian bookstore in London, primarily with one man, called Frank Doel. She originally answered an ad in the book review, hoping to find inexpensive, rare books. Over the years, they became friends, bonding over their love of books, but sharing news of family and baseball and the coronation of Queen Elizabeth. Sadly, they never met and Helene never visited Marks & Co before it closed. But she did write a wonderful book that was made into a wonderful movie. Hats off to the screenwriters.

Amazing Grace

Amazing Grace, a British film about William Wilberforce and his efforts to end slavery, had some help from York resident and historian, Kevin Belmonte. Belmonte wrote a biography of Wilberforce, entitled William Wilberforce: A Hero for Humanity. Based upon that work, he was asked to be the lead historical consultant for the film, working with the screenwriter and director to ensure the story was historically accurate.

Over the last year, Belmonte has been consulting on two Wilberforce related documentaries -- one for the BBC and another U.S.-based documentary. He has also been speaking to various governmental and civic groups in the United Kingdom and the U.S.

The film is playing in Portsmouth at the Regal Cinemas (stadium seating, y'all), and around the country.

The Islander

The Islander Trailer

I've been viral marketed....but not guerrilla marketed and I'm not going to call out Homeland Security, either. Someone named Eben Cole has been commenting on this site for a while and has been posting to message boards in Maine, and earlier today, Eben, star of the movie was kind enough to leave a comment announcing the website for the movie, The Islander.

The movie was filmed in Rockport and Vinalhaven, Maine and will open in Cambridge, MA on March 9 (although it's been shown in other theatres during the fall). The Portland Phoenix says it's a vibrant portrayal of island life, and judging by the trailer, it's at least a visually accurate picture of Maine island life. From the website:

On a small fishing island off the coast of Maine, families have lived and worked off the sea for generations. Everyone knows each other. Birthright is akin to law and men inherit their fishing territories. Eben Cole, like the other fishermen, continues his family’s legacy of harvesting lobsters from the waters surrounding the island.

Islander is a classic American story, portraying the gravitas in the everyday as one man learns to accept the consequences of his choices with grace. Eben discovers that self-respect is the hardest thing to earn and that in community he must find it. Islander is a authentic portrait of human weakness and human courage

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