Mondays, Moaning & a Movie.
Lordy, I’ve been a lazy blogger. My only excuse is I’ve been holed up in the eighteenth century with Jennifer Cloud’s great aint Elma Jean. Since wrapping up my work in progress (WIP), I’ve returned to the twenty-first century only to take you back to the eighteenth century with my review of the movie, The Favourite.
Before I dish out my thoughts on the academy award nominated movie, I’ve decided to start each Monday by pushing out the negative thoughts. That’s right, I’m moaning! Getting it all out of my system. This way I can go on about my week feeling a little lighter.
Let’s get started with the moaning.
For today’s moan: I’m officially off the couch, tell me what you want!!
Why can’t my family ask me to get them what they need when I get up? In fact, I often ask them, can I get you anything while I’m up? Or, Hey, I’m in the pantry, anyone needs a bag of chips, cookies, dog treats? I mean you get the picture, right?
And don’t wait until I’ve dug to the bowels of my purse, fished out the gum, retrieved a piece for myself, and then returned the pack to the bottomless Mary Poppin’s bag, to ask for a piece!
Sooo much better! Please feel free to moan in the comments and get it out of your system. It clears the mind to plan for the week ahead.
A few spoilers here:
As for moaning, Queen Ann had a lot to moan about in The Favourite. I know it was up for a multitude of awards, and I purposely try to avoid these because I’m more Star Wars than Jane Austin, but I caught myself laughing a few times.
The movie takes place in the early 1700s. Queen Anne’s (Olivia Colman) rein is ending. She suffers horribly from gout, and if someone had told her to quit eating meat and lose weight, she might have ruled another twenty years. But alas, my time travelers weren’t there to lend a hand. Instead, Queen Anne suffers with illness and depression symbolized by 17 rabbits that sadly fill an emotional void for each of her failed pregnancies.
Lady Sarah Churchill (Rachel Weisz), the Queen’s confidant and lover, often persuades the Queen in the political direction most favorable to Churchill’s husband the Duke of Marlborough (Mark Gatiss). Churchill’s role to entertain the outrageously bewigged and painted aristocrats with duck racing and apple dodge ball while keeping the Queen completely satisfied becomes challenged when her penniless cousin, Abigail Masham (Emma Stone) arrives. Sarah takes Abigail under her wing, but when the politics of war against the French become time-consuming for Sarah, Abigail sees a chance to take Sarah’s place, not only as the Queen’s companion but a climb up the aristocratic ladder as well.
I found the satirical scheming by both women humorous at times, and their witty dialogue kept me involved in the movie. Who doesn’t love a good power struggle for the Queen’s attention?
The supposedly frail Queen sticks it to them in the end, and I had to give her a standing O for that, which is what she ended up with as well. (Hehe).
