4 posts tagged “relationships”

I'm surprised that I have never sat through this movie before - it was made in the 80s, it was a Brat Pack film...those two facts alone should have made it something I would have watched a number of times.  Somehow though, this one slipped through the net, but tonight I finally got around to seeing it.  The plot focuses on a group of college leavers in Washington D.C., who struggle to adjust with life after college.  There are seven in the group - Billy (Rob Lowe), a selfish but charming man who shirks his responsibilities to his wife and child; Alec (Judd Nelson), who has a good career and a great girlfriend who he really wants to marry, but he can't stop sleeping around; Lesley (Ally Sheedy), Alec's girlfriend who is struggling with whether or not she should commit to Alec; Kevin (Andrew McCarthy), a writer who harbours a secret desire which he is too afraid to talk about; Wendy (Mare Winningham), probably the nicest of the bunch - she wants independence from her family, and also has an unrequited love for Billy; Kirby (Emilio Estevez), who becomes obsessed with a woman who seems unattainable; and Jules (Demi Moore), a good time girl whose partying seems to be spiralling out of control.  As they all struggle with life and adulthood, they all learn a few lessons about themselves and each other.

This is certainly an enjoyable film - as with most 80s movies, there is all the usual nostalgic humour to be found in the fashions and hairstyles of the day, but there are also a few funny moments, and even a couple of touching scenes.  However, on the whole, the characters are shallow and self-obsessed, and it was hard to feel much for any of them.  Billy and Jules in particular were exasperating!!  Andrew McCarthy and Mare Winningham did manage to bring a nice touch to their roles and I did particularly like Kevin and Wendy.  Overall though, I suspect this movie was a lot more enjoyable when it could be watched at the time that it was set in.

This is the 36th book I have read this year, and the fourth one in the Inspector Montalbano series.

As with all of the others, I enjoyed it very much, although it does slightly feel like more of the same.  The books are pretty formulaic, but that does not in any way detract from the pleasure of reading them.  

In this book, Montalbano investigates the violent murder of a beautiful woman.  There appear to be many possible suspects for the murder, and as always, Montalbano manages to upset his superiors, his colleagues and even his girlfriend, the long suffering Livia, during the course of his investigations.  Things of course, are not what they initially seem, and it is up to Montalbano to find his way through the web of lies, and get to the truth of the matter.  In the meantime, there are problems in his personal life, where events do not unfold as Montalbano and Livia had hoped.

All in all, a very good read.