The Crown (2016-)

The Crown (2016-)

Season three picks up with a new cast as it covers from the mid-60′s to the mid-70′s. I”ve heard said this season is more filler until we get to season four which will feature Margaret Thatcher and Charles and Diana. 

Stand outs for me are Erin Doherty as Princess Anne and Josh O’Connor as Prince Charles. Growing up Windsor could not have been easy at all. Charles had enough baggage and then to fall in love with someone his family didn’t approve of - oh, my. Anyway, O’Connor does a great job as the awkward, troubled Prince of Wales - complete with awkward, slouching posture.

Olivia Colman and Tobias Menzies portray a kind of more mellow Queen Elizabeth and Prince Phillip. It’s hard not compare them to Claire Foy and Matt Smith from the first two seasons. I think Tobias does a better job playing Prince Phillip - the Apollo episode is one of the best episodes of the season. Olivia does well as the Queen, but is maybe not as flashy as Foy. 

Helena Bonham Carter and Ben Daniels replace Vanessa Kirby and Matthew Goode as Princess Margaret and her husband, Lord Snowdon. I’m a bit biased, but I missed seeing Matthew Goode as Tony - especially since we only saw him for a handful of episodes in season 2. Both do great jobs though as Margaret and Snowdon. It was quite the dramatic relationship. 

Can’t wait to see what happens in season four!

Matthew Goode and Vanessa Kirby were so electrifying as Tony Armstrong-Jones and Princess Margaret in The Crown (2016-). 

Airport 1977 (1977)

The second sequel to Airport (1970), this one is about a bunch of thieves that hijack the plain and end up crashing it into the ocean in the Bermuda Triangle. Jack Lemmon is the captain, Brenda Vaccaro his girlfriend. Christopher Lee, Lee Grant, Olivia De Havilland, Joseph Cotton, and Kathleen Quinlan are all passengers. Most work for James Stewart who owns the plane and is having all his artwork flown to a new location - hence the attempted art heist.

The heist is kind of cool, but never gets pulled off. I like the love story between Lemmon and Vaccaro - it’s very sweet. Lemmon can save the day any day. 

There’s a more melodramatic love story between Lee and Grant. Way too much screen time is devoted to this drama. She’s a lush who is cheating on Lee and she treats him like dirt. He’s just trying to do his job and she keeps heckling him. Eventually, Lee is killed trying to send up an emergency buoy (he plays the floating corpse very realistically). 

Another powerhouse is De Havilland. She makes a grand entrance and immediately tries to win a few hands of poker. She rekindles a love with Cotton and tries to get her friend {and maid} to have a relaxing trip. Unfortunately, De Havilland loses her friend by the end of the film. I could have used more of this plot line than Grant’s screechy histrionics. 

Eventually, the film turns into a commercial for the Navy as they try to raise the plane before it floods completely. 

Overall, this is my favorite Airport movie. It’s not as soapy as Airport (1970). I like the idea of this being a heist gone wrong. Too bad it then kind of turns into a Navy training film with no suspense - we know the Navy will save the day! 

I’ve discovered a new-to-me book series by Tasha Alexander. Her heroine is Lady Emily Ashton, a recently widowed young woman in the late 1800′s. She learns her late husband was wrapped up in a art forgery scheme. She begins to investigate and learn more about his passions - namely art and Greek history. She learns more about herself and learns that she enjoys her newfound freedom and fortune and doesn’t rush to get back into the typical role of proper Victorian English lady. As I was reading, I pictured Jenna Coleman as Emily and (of course) Matthew Goode as Colin Hargreave, Emily’s late husband’s friend and future suitor. I enjoy reading more of these books and the future adventures of Lady Emily!

Mary, Queen of Scots (1971). Kind of on a period film kick - The Lion in Winter, Anne of a Thousand Days, A Man for All Seasons, Elizabeth R, Elizabeth I: The Virgin Queen, Elizabeth. This Mary had killer performances from Oscar nominee Vanessa Redgrave & Glenda Jackson. Also, watch out for a blonde Timothy Dalton acting out as Lord Darnley, Mary’s ill-fated husband.

If I could talk to younger me

If I could go back in time and talk to the young me, this is what I would say: 

1) Don’t let anyone bully you out of your dreams. Otherwise you’ll be left with no career and hating yourself.

2) Don’t let fear overrule your world. Move to a different state and stay there. Try new and scary things. Don’t be afraid to show emotion and be vulnerable. Don’t be afraid to fail - at least you tried. Don’t be afraid to be different. Normal is so boring.

3) It doesn’t get much better but it can always get worse.

4) It’s ok to be single. Some people just are.  And if there’s no happily ever after for me, that’s ok too. 

5) Learn to drive. Life is much easier if you can. Plus, folks won’t look down on you like you’re a freak. 

6) Save your money. Even if it’s a little bit a week. 

I wish I had done a lot of things differently. Hopefully, it’s not too late to change.