kimmgould

Jamie Lee Curtis nailed it in one of her interviews. This is a movie about the degradation of women at the end of their lives. The use of the glamour of Las Vegas showgirls to show the slow decline with an eventual fall off a cliff edge - poverty, homelessness - when they are no longer young and sexy. Eddie gives us a view of how older women *are* sexy, but only when they are not being objectified.

The audience laughed quite often in poignant moments, and I suspect it was to cover their discomfort with the journey of the two older women.

The photography was often very close, and it created an intimacy, also showing the flaws of aging bodies that were at odds with the on-stage showgirls.

Some reviewers said the characters were superficial, but I think perhaps that's a lack of personal experience with the issues these women were facing. I enjoyed this movie. It's not tragic, but it is gently heartbreaking at times.

I was looking forward to listening to the music. I came away feeling like I saw the perfect movie.

The depth of emotional connection I n, bringing the feel of the early 60's -the uncertainty about where the world was heading. Those clinging to the older ways, and the shocking breakthroughs - the death of JFK and Malcolm X, the Freedom Marches - were woven in at every level of the storytelling. Through the music, the politics, I felt as if I was there, in the mix as it was unfolding.

I was struck by how Dylan was driven by his creativity - the songs were pouring through him. He had to write them, he had to perform them.

Another reviewer described him as ambitious. I think it was less ambition and more fate that drove Dylan. Timothy Chalamee was flawless.

As others have said, the period was perfectly reflected. A few times I wondered if they had a time machine and had taken the whole film crew back.

Last thing, the layering in this film - emotionally, visually, musically, historically, is exceptional. Each layer makes the others more meaningful. There's one scene where Dylan is about to go on stage and in the shot we can see Joan Baez, Johnny Cash and Pete Seeger lined up - each stage of his career so far.

A film that will be studied and emulated, I'm sure.

My son wanted to watch this series with me. I looked at it - hmmm, another testosterone fuelled male-centric show about a hitman trying to be a real human, struggling with his own evil acts. No thanks. But then, my son REALLY wanted to watch this series with me so I said okay. And I am so very very glad I did. There is something so achingly real about this show. Even if Ray wasn't a hitman, it would still be amazing. But the hitman and crime thing is important, because its saying something about the violence men have to deal with in a culture that expects them to be unbreakably 'masculine', while also expecting them to be vulnerable and caring.

It's one of those shows where you don't see the actors, it's as if you are just watching real people live their lives, even the kids. There are so many good reviews that can explain better than me what makes this show great. For me, this show is about how we all get by as best we can. The brilliance of it is in its intensely observed humanity.

I'm early into Series 3, and just wanted to add that there is a character arc, it is simmering beneath the surface of the apparently unconnected 30 minute episodes, slowly building in small moments of angst that you hardly notice until you do. Sometimes it's just staying a moment too long on Ray's face as he realises something about himself. Subtle, and no big deal, just another day in the life. But also, big, important, life-changing.

I can't imagine anyone who wouldn't love this show.