Culture Archives - Page 10 of 16

Summer Movie Recommendations

Julianne HarveyAugust 8, 2017

It’s hot out and if you are looking to beat the heat by going to the cinema, here are a few of my favourite summer movies so far in 2017. Buy that popcorn, snuggle into your seat (go to Landmark Cinemas if you really want to relax by reclining) and get ready to be swept away by some stellar narratives.

If you haven’t seen Wonder Woman yet, what in the world is taking so long? Stop reading this immediately and GO.

It’s the best movie out there. It will entertain, encourage and motivate you. Patty Jenkins has taken a giant leap forward for all women with this film.

Wonder Woman is amazing, on every level. If you want to know more, read this post. And then go see it.

The Big Sick is a modern romantic comedy, but don’t let that appalling category keep you away. This is a story that feels real because it’s based on comedian Kumail Nanjiani’s true life love story.

It’s charming, sad, funny, sweet and genuine. The Big Sick is old-school storytelling, with no special effects or gadgets.

You’ll be won over. I found myself thinking about this movie days after I saw it.

Don’t see this if you haven’t seen the first two movies in the trilogy, but stream both of them and then head to the theatres for this stunning conclusion.

This finale is darker and more violent, but negotiating is over and now it’s all-out war between the apes and the humans. These films are beautiful allegories about the cost of war and the value of peace and compromise.

War for the Planet of the Apes is timely and stirring. Plus apes on horses shooting machine guns is bloody fantastic.

I must admit that I wouldn’t voluntarily choose to see Dunkirk, but my husband had been waiting for months for this one, so I booked it as our anniversary date.

We saw it in IMAX, which is how Christopher Nolan intended for it to be seen, and it blew me away. 107 minutes of tense, anxious fear, where you feel immersed in what those soldiers had to endure to try to get off that hellish beach.

Dunkirk is a daring filmmaking experiment that works on every level. It’s unlike any war movie I’ve ever seen. It’s haunting and beautiful and frightening. Go see it.

Next up:

The Glass Castle is a terrific memoir and Ava and I have been eagerly anticipating the movie. It comes out this Friday and we’ll be there to see it.

I have a soft spot for stories of addiction, mental illness and family dysfunction. My personal experience is tame compared to Jeannette Walls’ memories, but with this excellent cast I’m hoping for a strong cinematic version of her powerful memoir.

What have you seen this summer that you would recommend?

In Books, Culture

Summer Book Recommendations

Julianne HarveyJuly 19, 2017

Summer is here and I’ve been reading so many incredible books that I thought I’d recommend a few of them in case you are looking for something to read on your deck, at the beach or on vacation. I’ve also been watching some fabulous TV and going to the cinema a lot these last few weeks so maybe I’ll do posts on what to watch as well.

But for now, let’s focus on reading. Here are some terrific summer reads for you, in a variety of genres and styles:

I’ve been a fan of John Grisham forever, so I read every single thing he publishes. Even I can admit that his last few books have been misses more than hits, but Camino Island is a winner.

The plot focuses on rare books, jealous writers and summer living on a Florida island with a little bit of the FBI thrown in so it feels like a Grisham novel. This one is light and fun and tailor-made for me and my literary tastes.

Roxane Gay is an incredible writer. Bad Feminist was a favourite read for me and I’ve only just begun Hunger and I’m in love with it.

Her voice is raw, honest and compelling. She tackles the painful, embarrassing, hard topics that many wouldn’t go near. She is my hero – courageous, authentic, vulnerable and willing to take down the walls to show you who she really is.

Rich People Problems is about as much fun as you can have reading a book. This is the third book in Kevin Kwan’s fabulous trilogy about ultra-rich Asians.

It’s a peek into a culture I know nothing about and it’s ridiculously fun to dwell in this wild world for a few days.

Don’t start with this one – be sure to read Crazy Rich Asians and China Rich Girlfriend first, but then you’ll definitely enjoy this in your beach bag.

This book taught me so much. It draws a parallel between the events leading up to Nazi Germany and the state of our world today.

In 20 brief lessons, Timothy Snyder lays out the signs of tyranny and teaches us what to watch for and how best to react in order to fight the authoritarian mindset.

It’s an important read, particularly in these troubling times.

I had serious trouble putting this book down. Lisa Ko’s use of language is so elegant and compelling. The story she weaves is beautiful, stirring and remarkable.

As a debut, this book blew me away. It’s a story of a complicated mother and her son, spanning many years as the boy grows up and they work to find their way back to each other.

At the beginning of the summer I also read The Circle by Dave Eggers (it’s not new as it came out in 2013 but a movie was just made based on the book starring Emma Watson which I haven’t seen). It’s a dystopian book that does a beautiful job warning us of current and upcoming digital dangers. I really liked it.

And in case I haven’t already bored you with this in person or on social media, if you haven’t read Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty (published in 2014), please drop everything and start reading. You’ll be glad you did. I don’t really read murder mysteries but this one is exceptional. And the HBO show with Reese Witherspoon is supposed to be amazing, too.

There’s so much good stuff out there! Here are the next 3 titles I’m reading:

What are you reading this summer? Have you read any of these? Do tell!

In Culture, Identity, Nurture, Personal Growth, Relationships

Hold Loosely

Julianne HarveyJuly 11, 2017

I know I’m on the wrong road when I begin to forecast outcomes for the things I really desire. I roll them around in my mind like cotton candy in a drum, thinking, “And then this will happen, and then this!” until I have it all planned out and now I just have to wait for it to unfold in reality.

But then it doesn’t go my way. And I’m disappointed, but I was never guaranteed any of those magical outcomes. I simply talked myself into them and then I have to deal with the extreme disappointment I feel.

Holding loosely is a much healthier alternative. I wish it came more naturally to me, but for those of us who were raised in less-than-stellar homes, fantasy thinking is one of our go-to strategies for survival.

I know that taking things as they come is a better operating mode. It requires me to live in each moment I’m in. The recovery movement has taught me that expectations are pre-meditated resentments and with my whole heart I know this to be true.

When I’m upset over a few situations I realize again that I’m failing when it comes to holding loosely. I become hurt and confused by the choices other people make and the grief in my chest reminds me that I’ve been clinging to my wishes with a death grip instead of playing it as it comes with open hands.

So I go back to the beginning. First things first. How important is it? Live and let live. Other people are not under my control. I can’t see everything that’s coming. This life is full of twists and turns. It’s healthier to react to what actually happens instead of forecasting a desired outcome that’s nothing more than fantasy.

No matter what our past habits have been, we can change. All we have to do is decide to do better from this point forward, and be gentle with ourselves when we fall back into our old patterns.

For me, I’m going to write HOLD LOOSELY on a piece of paper and put it up where I can see it every day. Hopefully this will help me to recall that both wonderful and terrible surprises happen constantly. It’s better not to be too attached to any one outcome or decision because it will likely shift and change on me.

If we stay present, open to a variety of possibilities instead of narrowly holding onto a set course of action, we give ourselves options. My words for 2017 are open, accepting, anchored. Holding loosely fits into all of these, particularly if the anchor is my true identity and not a specific circumstance.

I’d love to hear a story of how holding loosely has helped you. Any tips for me on how to practice this skill on a regular basis?

In Culture, Identity, Nurture, Parenting, Personal Growth

The Future is Female

Julianne HarveyJuly 4, 2017

Since the U.S. election in November 2016, I’ve been saying some variation of “the future is female” to anyone who will listen (and to some who will not), so to hear Rob Bell use this phrase in his fantastic story A Goat for a Boat re-lit a fuse somewhere in my soul.

For huge global change to occur, the existing power structure must topple. This often involves life-and-death struggle, bloodshed, loss and pain. It’s a long, slow march with a high price tag for the leaders of the movement.

The patriarchy is a long-held institution and its destruction will be costly, ugly and difficult. But also necessary. If the future is female, then we are in for quite a ride before this prophecy unfolds.

It’s interesting that Wonder Woman has been such a smash hit, coming at a time when U.S. politics feel so dangerous and damaging to many of us. I think this is all part of the deconstruction of the patriarchy as we have long understood it. Of course those at the top of this power structure feel threatened. No one wants to lose their hold on power, but as history has shown us, eventually all systems implode when the pressures inside of them and outside of them become too strong.

We are living this out. It’s going to take a long time and be brutally awful before it’s through. But the process of change is stirring. Anyone paying attention can see that something is happening in our world.

As the plot of Wonder Woman so brilliantly demonstrated, compassion and truth are the keys to a future run by women. We are stronger when we lead as a team, with our arms linked, instead of from an outdated top-down hierarchical approach. Those days are behind us. Something new is unfolding. It’s time for love to take the lead.

My 14-year-old daughter gives me hope for the future. She has grown up believing that she is a leader. She promotes fairness, equality, gentleness. Nothing in her says that boys are better leaders. That cultural programming never had a chance with Ava and most of her friends. They simply don’t buy it, and why should they? It’s garbage and always has been.

The future is female. Thanks, Rob, for echoing this sentiment so beautifully in your clever children’s story. The time is now to recognize the obvious limitations of white men holding onto power at any cost. The way forward is to include everyone when the decisions are being made. We need many different voices at the table.

Women have a lot to say. We can contribute. We are leaders with a fresh perspective on local and global issues. It’s our time to shine, to collaborate, to offer up solutions with peace and kindness at their core instead of violence and competition. If the future is female, our outlook is bright and optimistic.

In Culture, Identity, Movies/TV

Why Wonder Woman is so Important

Julianne HarveyJune 6, 2017June 5, 2017

Wonder Woman is critically important for female leadership roles in Hollywood, but that’s not what this post is about. Yes, it makes me furious that Wonder Woman HAD to be a blow-out success to ensure that a woman director could be handed the reins to a 150 million dollar budget in the future. Male directors get that opportunity on a Tuesday, but for a woman it’s a historic moment.

And she NAILS it. Patty Jenkins has made a terrific film that beat Iron Man, Thor and Captain America (among other male-centred movies) for opening weekend box office. All of this matters. Wonder Woman’s success is beautiful and inspiring for a lot of reasons, but it also signifies that a big shift in storytelling and leadership is not only possible but probable. That fact alone makes me stand up and cheer.

What’s remarkable about Wonder Woman, apart from the lighting, the cinematography, the costumes, the music, the performances, the stunts, the story – everything, really – is the message at the centre of it. When a woman is the lead superhero (a goddess, even), she can be kick-ass strong and brave while also being kind and vulnerable. Diana Prince cares about everyone. Not just the ones who fall under her specific mission, but every single person affected by pain, loss, hunger, war, death.

As Glennon Doyle says, “There’s no such thing as other people’s children.” This is a uniquely feminine perspective, living deep in the hearts of women everywhere, and FINALLY, Wonder Woman captures this universal compassion in her story.

It moved me to my core. I recognized it. I felt it in my bones. Since Trump’s election, when the mostly sane and moral world has gone stark-raving mad and human decency began to rot on the vine, I’ve been saying that it’s time for women to have a go with world leadership. We can’t possibly screw it up worse than the men who are in charge and have been for so, so, so long.

It’s reassuring to see a movie come along that demonstrates these ideals in action. Wonder Woman advances the notion that we are all responsible for the problems of our world. No endless cycle of blaming or the myth of redemptive violence. We are the ones we have been waiting for. Chris Pine’s character states, “You can either do nothing or you can do something. I already tried doing nothing and it doesn’t work.” It’s time to pick up our sword and go into battle.

When we come across pain, we cannot turn away, saying, “It’s not my problem.” This isn’t about fairness, as the movie states brilliantly. It’s about what you believe.

Diana believes in love. She comes to understand that the connections we form with other people are the fuel that will sustain us as we pursue justice and wisdom. Diana’s rage reaches a boiling point when she is faced with personal loss and suffering, but she continues to fight for freedom and safety for EVERYONE, not just a select few.

Wonder Woman is genius filmmaking, on many levels (one of my favourite aspects was the way she photographed the intricate action sequences, where for once you could actually see what was happening frame by frame – thank you Patty Jenkins for your attention to detail and willingness to slow it down!), but the icing on the cake is the female perspective on violence, relationships, leadership, empathy and the future of peace in our world.

Brava, Wonder Woman filmmakers. And thank you.