Xtravision Summer Deal Part 2-Movie Update.

Following on from my post last Sunday 21st I went ahead and bought the Xtravision Summer Pass. Since then Dublin has experienced freakishly high rainfall causing flooding, Luas trams to be struck by lightening and Dart station closure. Feeling that I may have caused this as fate intervened to give me reason to stay inside and watch the movies a slight wave of guilt washed over me....

Despite this I have spent a good week watching movies, some from my list and other new releases/ spontaneous choices. As a result this week I have seen:

- Side Effects; Jude Law, Catherine Zita-Jones, Rodney Mara and Channing Tatum.
A good movie "One pill can change your life" about a psychiatrist and his patient with depression that has an unexpected turn of events. Recommended.


-Arbitrage ; Richard Gere, Susan Sarandon, Tim Roth and Brit Marling.
Very good. A golden life of a successful businessman and his perfect family hides a darker side. Understated and excellent performance by Richard Gere and a very believable plot.


-Marvel Avengers Assemble ; Robert Downey Junior, all the expected Marvel actors.
Realised five minutes into this movie that I'd seen it before and slept through it first time round. Left it on and had another good sleep.


-Beautiful Creatures ; Alice Englert, Alden Ehrenreich, Jeremy Irons.
A spontaneous off-the-list selection which was most pleasing. Some silly turns but a good escapist fantasy and impressed by Ehrenreich's performance as book loving geeky Ethan Wate who befriends Englert as Lena Duchanne.


-The Incredible Burt Wonderstone ; Steve Carell, Steve Buscemi, Jim Carrey, James Gandolfini and Olivia Wilde.
Released mid-week and so decided to give it a go. Funny and much better than I expected. A good story with an feel-good ending, it is a good pastiche of the Las Vegas glitzy magicians. Worth a look.


The Host ; Saoirse Ronan, Max Irons, Diane Kruger, William Hurt and Jake Abel.
Another one released mid-week so decided to try it. Given 9% by Rotten Tomatoes and now I know why. Ronan's vocalised inner voice approach to the two characters of her host body and her human character sounded more like mad Jan from the Brady Bunch Movie and her schizo episodes ("Marcia, Marcia, Marcia!"). Waste of time and slept through most of second hour.
  

Roll on another DVD week!

Dublin vs Cork - The Duchess of both Counties?

Tapping away in this virtual world, other Bloggers will testify to the pleasure of reader feedback and comments to confirm that someone out there a) is reading your words and b) that they liked it enough to comment. Authors and publishers are frequently kind enough to acknowledge and thank on Facebook and Twitter links to the blog post. However, this week I had a most pleasant comment from a Twitter follower about this blog and not wanting to blow my own trumpet I hope the author of this comment will not mind me repeating it below;

 

2. Andrew Haworth ‏@Andrewrhaworth25 Jul

   Due to hard work and talent @dublinduchess has become an influential figure in Irish literature and publishing. Pity she is not Cork Duchess

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3. Dublin Duchess ‏@dublinduchess25 Jul

   @Andrewrhaworth What a great compliment- the Duchess is blushing! #lol

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4. Andrew Haworth ‏@Andrewrhaworth26 Jul

   @dublinduchess You are very welcome, your blog is always worth browsing and reading now and then

   
   

'Coco's Secret' by Niamh Greene

Every so often it's nice to read a good old 'happily ever after' story to escape the realities of every day living. After all, isn't that what fiction is all about? Escaping to another world for a period of time, absorbing yourself totally in the lives of the characters only coming up for air when meal times/toilet breaks/journey's end beckons. Niamh Greene's new novel Coco's Secret is exactly that- a feel good escapist happy-ever-after story that wraps all the loose ends neatly leaving every character pleased with their outcome.

         
Coco, named after her mother's heroine Coco Chanel, is thirty-something, awkward, un-stylish and living with her grandmother after her boyfriend left to move to New Zealand. In fact she is everything that does not come to mind when you think of the name 'Coco'. After losing her mother as a young teenager, never having known her father, she has grown up with her loving grandmother Ruth and her best friend Cat. Working in the family antiques shop, she is a home bird, satisfied living in a provincial town and attending auctions to add to the shop stock. It is at one of these auctions that she unwittingly makes a purchase that is to change her life. Encouraged by her family and friends to follow her instincts, it is a find that takes her out of her comfort zone and allows her to 'find herself', climaxing in a truly moving end.


Due for publishing on the 15th August, Coco's Secret is Niamh Greene's sixth novel and it is really a great story. A little of everything can be found in here - parents with teenager problems, OAP's experiencing new found love, long kept secrets finally coming into the open plus a good dollop of good humour. Smiling quietly to myself as I read the last few pages on the Dart I was almost tempted to hand it to the lady sitting across from me. Because that's the kind of book it is, one that makes you feel good and that anyone would enjoy reading. As it turned out I brought it home but handed it straight to someone as I came in the door, "read this, you'll like it" I said confidently.

Coco's Secret is published by Penguin Ireland on 15th August. http://www.penguin.ie/ 

Opera in the Open - August 2013 in Dublin's Civic Offices

Following on from my post about the Opera in the Park that was held in Merrion Square, August sees the launch of Opera in the Open. These are held in the amphitheatre that is behind the Dublin Civic Offices on the Quays at the end of Temple Bar. Get there early because the concrete amphitheatre seats fill up quickly but there is a large grass area around where you can sit with your blanket or deckchair. The lovely thing about watching opera this way is you can wander in and out as you like popping in during your lunch hour or after a shopping visit. It's free, and depending on the weather it's just a lovely way to spend a couple of hours in the city.