Ghost (1990)

And so the story goes .. that's the way many stories end. But not this one and this is the way I like to tell it -

Hot shot New York banker, Sam Wheat (Patrick Swayze) and the beautiful Molly (Demi Moore), a sculptor and avant garde are a couple very much in love. Theirs is a romance we all dream of having but this love story is wrought with tragedy. Sam is killed in what is believed to be a mugging and the only way to prove otherwise isn't as simple as all that. Playing detective is Sam's ghost but not alone. He seeks the help of a much sought after psychic, Oda Mae Brown (Whoopi Goldberg). Here unravels a tale of love, treachery, motivated by greed and then culminates with sweet revenge.
Always a favorite with me and if I need a good boo-hoo, it's on, period!

And with goose-bumps and all The Righteous Brothers (1965) - Unchained Melody

My Church Mouse and Frank Sinatra - Cheek To Cheek (lyrics)

My favorite mouse is here!

I hope we all find someone to dance "Cheek To Cheek" with! I love this song! 💃

The God honest truth!

It's amazing how we can learn life's lessons from anywhere, at anytime and from anyone. If only we are open to being educated ...
I was long due to visit the dentist for a routine. It was a Saturday afternoon and as I entered the clinic I was pleasantly greeted by my dentist's daughter... All of 4 years she was a little talker and she regaled me with stories. I heard about a vacation, little red bugs, school and homework (the teacher was rather demanding - too much coloring, you see), a story about some party and a busy social calendar. I must say it was entertaining... Soon I was called in and I had to reluctantly say goodbye. Seeking some parting advice I asked her, "should I be frightened of the dentist?" She looked at me and very seriously replied, "No! He is my father."
I was stumped and speechless. From the mouth of a babe came a reply so honest and true; a truth so profound that it exuded a feeling of immense security, evoking abundant confidence. That is a faith we need to get us through life and it's many hurdles.
FAITH ~

That wobbles and doubts and if we can trust mere mortals how much more should be our faith in the divine. 🙏
The world is our teacher and our classroom! 🌍

As Good As It Gets (1997)

Now there could be only one person who would make the following introductions and still get away with it ~ "Carol the waitress meet Simon the fag". 😐 What! Ha ha ... 😂Get acquainted with Melvin Udall (Jack Nicholson) who has been labelled "a horror of a human being" and probably worse. A novelist living alone in upscale Manhattan, Melvin could be described as being uptight, obnoxious and stuck up. Apart from having an OCD, he is a germophobe too. Some of his many quirks include avoiding sidewalk cracks while schlepping on the busy pavements of NY, having breakfast at the same place, eating the same thing and at the very same table and with his own cutlery brought from home. As if that wasn't hard enough he insists on being served by Carol (Helen Hunt), a single mother of a child suffering from chronic asthma. Carol is the only waitress who can brave up and face the restaurant's most difficult patron.

Now Melvin's gay neighbor, Simon (Greg Kinnear), an artist by profession, is found robbed and severely injured, and until he recuperates it's Melvin who must care for his dog, Verdell - an adorable Brussels Grifon. But soon a surprised Melvin and an equally surprised Verdell are sharing some love and bacon and when Simon returns its difficult for Melvin to part with Verdell. Eventually, Melvin, an absolute angel, proves that there is a heart that beats under a cold exterior. Watch how the lives of these three charcters are gently intertwined. A beautiful tale of people from different strata of society, with equally difficult lives, all coming together to magically touch and transform the lives of the other.

 

After I first watched "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's nest"  I have adored Jack Nicholson ever since; proving his skills as an accomplished actor is the Academy award he won for the Best Actor in a lead role for this film way back in 1975. 👏

Madame Sousatzka (1988)

Madame Sousatzka (Shirley Maclaine) is a loner residing in a cluttered flat in London. She is a talented pianist and a tad bit eccentric and to most her life seems cloaked in a veil of mystery. As a teacher who comes highly recommended and sought after, she is pretty picky when it comes to choosing her students. She has but one condition - that none of her students should give public performances.
She soon has a new favorite - Manek Sen (Navin Chowdhury)  is as talented as they come. But the brilliant Manek is torn between his mother (Shabana Azmi) and his piano guru. Mrs. Sen, an Indian immigrant living in London, has a lot to prove to not only herself but to the world at large. She secretly harbors a desire that Manek performs at a concert. Throwing caution to the wind and going against Madame's wishes, she manages to convince Manek to do just that. But what will be the fallout of this?
I don't really know why I like this movie so much! I love Shirley Maclaine who plays this bright, colorful character who is always wafting on a cloud of perfume dressed in bright clothes, with crazy hair and makeup - a part played to perfection. Then there is Shabana Azmi who epitomizes and skillfully embraces all things Indian .. She is the perfect portrayal of a controlling mother, full of her Indian pride, pushiness and ingratiating mannerism, a role played with aplomb and skill. 👏
A great film!

Boyhood (2014)

Gosh I am at a loss for words! Kudos to director Richard Linklater for delivering a hero of all movies. After watching this film, I was instantly enamored. Such powerful story-telling and also enthralling was the fact that the movie took 12 years to make and the star, Ellar Coltrane who played Mason on whose life this whole story revolves, played his part from start to finish. Amazing! The numerous awards this movie took home is proof of its brilliance.

It was great to see Mason metamorphose from an insecure little boy to a strong and mature adult.

This film could speak to almost all of us. It's about the plight of the little people (my favorite word for children 😊)  and their little/huge challenges they face in their 'oh so important' formative years, personalities waiting to shapen, about single parents and the personal struggles of trying to raise confident and strong individuals, about making the right choices ... what's not to like, Right!

I super like! 👍

Incidentally I happened on this book ↗, a story about growing up in South Africa. Different but gripping nonetheless.

This is my new favorite ... A lovely soundtrack

The Yellow Bench!

It was a long time coming! Vacay time - the coconut trees, warm sun and wet sands beckoned. I was happy to leave behind the smog filled air, the cacophony of rush hour traffic and the pressure filled city life for a brief interlude with life on the beach.

On the long road trip, in the middle of nowhere, I sighted a bright yellow bench amidst the trees. I had to stop. I was struck by the solitude, the intense quiet broken by the song of birds and the quiet rustle of the leaves. I wanted to Buddhify and be lost in deep meditation. No network, the bane and boon of society these days, waiting to crash into the sanctitude. Oh what bliss!

Then I thought to myself, what is that bench doing here after all? I hadn't seen a bus for the entire distance so far, no humans either treading the dusty earth and civilization seemed far removed... The mystery continues ... But that bench I loved ... Yellow, sturdy and alone nestled in the lap of nature.

I had to move on and here I am writing about it and thinking about it!

My relaxation go to!

The sea in the evening

And by day

Some baked goodness with a Cosmopolitan ...