All Dressed Up for a Change

 

The Market Cross, Chichester  

After my training yesterday morning I quickly went home to clean up and change in readiness for a couple of hour’s involvement in our business meeting up with clients. To that end I had dressed with a more care than I usually do when we are just going to drift off the Chichester to catch a movie when Jeans and a sweater will pass. The result was that when I parked the car in Arundel to go to meet our regular client’s and friends of many years now, Ben and Ross from Acquisitions in Raleigh NC USA, I walked through the town in neat boots, long skirt and my favourite little military jacket. I had thrown some slap on my face to try to look a little lady like. The down side of that was that strangely, I met several friends that I see swim training and two of them cracked the old chestnut of a comment, “I didn’t recognise you with your clothes on”. Guess I had that coming. 

I had gone there to pick Steve up after he had bee to work to pick up the van ready to make Ben and Ross’s collections along with goods bought by clients of theirs too confusing this story a little maybe. By the time we got there the whole party of American buyers had moved on to our warehouse, so we were chasing around for a while until we finally caught up with them. In the end there was not much time for a catch up chat but still nice to see Ben and Ross, but with no time to socialise as we usually do.  

So I was all dressed up with nowhere to go and not really attired for trucks containers  and the warehouse. We stayed long enough to sort a few things out and then with the main plan concluded, Steve decided that we may as well go catch a movie anyway even though that had not been in the plan for the day.

 

We stopped in Chichester town centre and while Steve queued to park I dashed to buy a present for a family member with a birthday coming up and met him in Starbucks for coffee and a bite to eat before driving around to the multiplex cinema.

 

Dakota Fanning and Ewan McGregor in American Pastoral 

We plumped for American Pastoral. Although it is brilliantly acted by all the stars it seemed like one of those films where you just wished that you had read the book first and that this must be a potted version of something with more depth. Neither of us had read the Philip Roth book. It left us feeling that there must have been a lot left out of the film that might have made it a better experience but as it was, it was not a pleasure and definitely not entertaining.

 

Valorie Curry with a strange mop of curly hair in American Pastoral 

Yet, having said that, the star’s of this film and the entire great cast were all excellent. Ewan McGregor is a great favourite of mine though Steve said he didn’t even know it was him until the credits went up which I thought was a bit odd. Jennifer Connelly was equally good in her part of the troubled mother, and Dakota Fanning was amazing as the daughter with the alternative thinking who was easily gathered into a terrorist bombing cell. I do like Valorie Curry, who was so good in The Followers, and was also very worrying as another unpleasant cell member. It’s hard to say nice things about a film that gives you such a bad headache. Should have read the book first for sure….. or, just read the book. Thought the actors must still gain well deserved credits from it.

 

Dakota Fanning as deadly fanatical bomber

Ewan McGregor and Jennifer Connelly as the stunned parents 

Once we got home, we had dinner and then watched a bit of the ISU Figure Skating Grand Prix that Steve knows he has to record for me or I might not be best pleased. Fortunately he has been watching figure skating with me for so many years that he understands and enjoys it almost as much as I do.  Eurosport and their most excellent coverage of all our favourite winter sports, Skiing, Ski jumping, Biathlon as well as Skating, is something that makes the dark months bearable for me. I must have been a bear in another life and slept through the darkness and the cold.