The Divot Diva: Dallas Film Festival Continued

Thursday, Sheila and I played golf (not in the same group, just there at the same time) with the FWGA league at the Old Course, Firewheel, Garland. I don't know how Sheila did, but I shot bogey golf for 13 holes before calling it a day. I wasn't to dissatisfied with my performance, still taking it one shot at a time til I get more strength in my legs. I did make one birdie, which was the highlight of my day. Since I left early, I didn't get a chance to find out how Sheila did.

Thursday evening, I picked Sheila up and we again went to the Film Festival. Here is one point I want to clarify. Last night, I got a text from Billy wanting me to come to the gym and to work out with him. I went to the gym, and wrote a long blog while riding the bike. I hit the wrong button, and instead of posting, deleted the entire entry. Hence, this is a tad late being posted.

Anyway....... I picked Sheila up at 4:30. Margie didn't go, cause she was going to their condo at Horseshoe bay on Friday, and didn't want to be out too late. We again took the Downtown train to Mockingbird station. We got out tickets, then walked around a bit looking for a place to eat dinner. We settled on Rockfish, and supped on their patio. We both got fish (no duh....), and mine was really good. Sheila liked hers also. Along with that, we had a few margaritas. We figured since we'd be there til midnight, it wouldn't hurt to drink a couple as the effects, if any, would have more than enough time to wear off. Great dinner, and if you go, hopefully you'll get Clifton, and very VERY handsome black gentleman with beautiful salt and pepper hair.

We headed for our first movie........POETRY

The movie opens with an ominous sight: the body of a teen aged girl floating down a river outside a town in rural Korea. Soon the central character, a grandmother who lives alone with her grandson and works as a maid for a disabled man, realizes that the death is connected to her own life in an unsettling way. Her grandson is involved in the continual rape of the teen whose body was found. The grandmother enters a kind of state of shock, though the only visible change in her behavior is that she signs up for poetry class at a local cultural center. She struggles at first but is tremendously devoted to her studies, attending poetry readings at night while her days are spent either bathing the man she cares for or dealing with the aftermath of the death – both practically and psychologically. She is approached by the parents of the other boys involved in the rape, and in coerced into giving 5 Million (some type of Korean money) to the dead girls parents to compensate them for her sons part in the rape. This will prevent the police from becoming involved. By the way, her grandson is the typical teen, refusing to talk to her, embarrassing her when his friends are over, and expecting her to buy him anything and everything his heart desires. She ends up having sex with the disabled man in order to get the money. She pays her part, then turns her son into the police, who take him away to jail.

She fails to show up for her final poetry class, and her daughter also finds that she is missing. She had delivered her poetry beforehand to the classroom, and then vanished. Her instructor read her poetry to the class, and it was one of the most beautiful pieces anyone had ever read. Poetry is a subtle, beautiful movie about pain, loss, and suffering, but almost more importantly, how the experience of these things define and shape our experience of life. SHEILA AND I BOTH GAVE THIS A 4 OUT OF 5 THUMBS UP

During the wait between movies, we tried a couple of scotches. Guess they're always giving away booze at these events. I got some popcorn, and off we headed to wait in line for the next movie. We waited and waited, and FINALLY, the show started approximately 45 minutes or more late. See, there were tons of people there involved with the DIFF and the making of this movie. They hold discussions after the performance, and the previous discussion lasted way too long, so we got started late. The last train from Dodge (sounds good since we were going to see a western, and so much better than Mockingbird Station) leaves at 12:15 am. Instead of starting at 10:00 pm, it started closer to 11. Just remember this fact.

Last movie of the night.....LEGENDS OF HELL'S GATE: AN AMERICAN CONSPIRACY

This is one of Sheila's favorite genres. Westerns, with a little of Texas lore mixed in. It did include some big names....

Kevin Alejandro

Eric Balfour (yup...lead singer for band "Born as Ghosts")

Henry Thomas

(yes, played Samuel in "Legends of the Fall" my all time favorite movie cause of Brad Pitt)

Surrounded by whisky-fueled outlaws and a treacherous wilderness, how is one to survive? Based on real events, this Texas based tale uncovers the mystery of the events surrounding the legendary Hell’s Gate, a cliff formation that rises out of Possum Kingdom Lake in Texas. When a curious errand boy catches wind of one of America’s most infamous crimes, he falls in with two desperate men on the wrong side of the law. Crossing paths with some of the West’s most notorious figures, these three outlaws fight for their lives in the pursuit of fame and riches. Few are to be trusted, as their interwoven stories prove that everyone has a hidden agenda, and by no means is anyone innocent. Fueled by a talented ensemble cast THE LEGEND OF HELL’S GATE blends legend and history into a Western spectacle that recounts the treacherous existence in post Civil War Texas.

That was the official review, but here's mine...... starting with a man hunt, three dudes are chased by people on a horse. Flashback to a dude killing an albino buffalo. Flashback again to John Wilkes Booth admitting that he shot Lincoln. Flash forward to hired killers, lust, thievery, and a chase in a stolen boat full of stolen furs and stolen whiskey. Here's an up to the minute flash...... I got confused by it all. Long story short, we didn't get to see the last 40 or so minutes of the show cause we had to leave to catch our train. Soooooooo...... if anyone has seen the movie, please tell us what the hell this is all about. Our rating for this one..... 2 question marks.

There were no singers or camo crazies on the platform that early in the morning, so it was a peaceful wait. We decided that if we go next year, and we may cause we did have fun, that we'd go in "artistic" attire. We both have scarves that we need to wear at some point in time. Maybe that and a beret. Then we'd fit right in.

This morning, I got up early, around 10 am, and had coffee and read the paper. Chloe didn't spend the night, but did make me take her to...... El Fenix (of course) for dinner. Morgan took the opportunity to spend the night. Today, at 11 am, the big neighborhood Easter egg hunt was held. She and Gary are down there now. I did have to run to Michael's and buy a basket, but Gary has the party responsibility. I took Stella down for a minute so we could take a couple of pictures. It is one big event.