Dinner and a movie
I had dinner last week (and lunch this week!) at a great little Mexican place in Rankin county called Fernando's. I've been to several other Fernando's in the central Mississippi area, but this one is different. First of all, it's in a totally new facility, decorated carefully in an ethnic (but not campy) style. The kitchen is open to the dining room, and you can see the restaurant staff making homemade tortillas and cooking meals to order. The menu has the standard choices for a Mexican restaurant, but it also has some more inventive items that you don't usually see on Mexican menus in the area. (There are some fabulous items listed in the "Nueva Latina" section of the menu.) We were served homemade, seasoned chips with fresh salsa that reminded me of what I ate during my honeymoon in Mexico. Then, I ordered the Tacos Pastor, a tasty blend of beef, homemade salsa, and spices, all wrapped up in a fresh tortilla. It was excellent. I highly recommend Fernando's; they are located at 115 Village Square in Brandon, and their phone number is 601-992-8710.
I also saw Being Julia this week, and I was sorry that I'd waited so long to get around to it. The screenplay for the film is based on "Theatre" by W. Somerset Maugham. No wonder there was so much buzz about Annette Bening in this role; I thought she was superb. (Her Golden Globe was well-deserved.) Bening plays successful but aging stage actress Julia Lambert. Julia is at a point in her life where she feels things are beginning to fall apart. Her son doesn't feel any particular affinity for her, her husband (played by Jeremy Irons) chastises her about her sagging performances on stage, and she worries that she's getting too old. Enter Tom, a very young American who declares his desire for her almost immediately. The two begin a love affair, and Julia feels that she is truly alive again. (Even her husband notices that her performances perk right up!!) However, when Julia learns that Tom is also having an affair with a much younger actress, she begins to suspect (and rightly so) that he may be using her. After her initial despair, the manner in which Julia exacts her revenge is both cunning and delicious.
Bening did such a fabulous job in this film, primarily because she really played Julia as a flawed character. Julia is an overacter, she's terribly vain, and (as her own son points out) she acts her way through her own life. However, the way that Julia finds herself (both by seeing herself, adored, through the eyes of a much younger man and as a skillful queen of her kingdom - the stage) is wonderful to watch. Bening embodied this woman with keen insight. Impressive.
I also loved the use of Julia's "Inner Director" Jimmy Langton (played by Michael Gambon, whose face alone is a story) in the film. It's so true; I DO get the feeling that actors and actresses are always looking at themselves from the outside, as a director does, when they go about their daily life. Self conscious, but in a studied way. It was a nice addition to the film, as was the sweeping, swelling score.
This film is not for families; there are a couple of revealing love scenes. However, it makes for a thrilling evening of entertainment for mature audiences. A must-see.
I also saw Being Julia this week, and I was sorry that I'd waited so long to get around to it. The screenplay for the film is based on "Theatre" by W. Somerset Maugham. No wonder there was so much buzz about Annette Bening in this role; I thought she was superb. (Her Golden Globe was well-deserved.) Bening plays successful but aging stage actress Julia Lambert. Julia is at a point in her life where she feels things are beginning to fall apart. Her son doesn't feel any particular affinity for her, her husband (played by Jeremy Irons) chastises her about her sagging performances on stage, and she worries that she's getting too old. Enter Tom, a very young American who declares his desire for her almost immediately. The two begin a love affair, and Julia feels that she is truly alive again. (Even her husband notices that her performances perk right up!!) However, when Julia learns that Tom is also having an affair with a much younger actress, she begins to suspect (and rightly so) that he may be using her. After her initial despair, the manner in which Julia exacts her revenge is both cunning and delicious.
Bening did such a fabulous job in this film, primarily because she really played Julia as a flawed character. Julia is an overacter, she's terribly vain, and (as her own son points out) she acts her way through her own life. However, the way that Julia finds herself (both by seeing herself, adored, through the eyes of a much younger man and as a skillful queen of her kingdom - the stage) is wonderful to watch. Bening embodied this woman with keen insight. Impressive.
I also loved the use of Julia's "Inner Director" Jimmy Langton (played by Michael Gambon, whose face alone is a story) in the film. It's so true; I DO get the feeling that actors and actresses are always looking at themselves from the outside, as a director does, when they go about their daily life. Self conscious, but in a studied way. It was a nice addition to the film, as was the sweeping, swelling score.
This film is not for families; there are a couple of revealing love scenes. However, it makes for a thrilling evening of entertainment for mature audiences. A must-see.
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