One Direction, The Oscars and Monday Mornings.

I hate the first day back to school after the holidays.  Freddy is not an early riser and during the holidays he loves to lie in until he naturally awakens to the sounds of his sisters and wakes up happy and full of beans.  This morning he was unceremoniously yanked from his slumber and wore the saddest frown that broke my heart.  He has been poorly too with a lingering cough that has refused to shift.  Dropping him off at nursery gave me a heavy heart as his sad little face watched me leave and implored me to take him with me.  It took every fibre of my being not to scoop him up and bring him home for another day of doing nothing together, just enjoying each others' company.  But with the prospect of school beckoning in just 7 short months, I have to get him back into the swing of things.  Monday mornings are never easy.

To make me feel better about leaving my baby boy, I settled down to watch The Oscars that I had recorded on my Sky planner the night before.  It is my annual thing.  Recording it to watch while the kids are at school, noting down the bits I think the kids will enjoy so they can watch my specially chosen highlights later.  My eldest sister used to love the Oscars, staying up all night to watch them live.  I am not that hardcore but this is my yearly homage to my big sister's passion. However, just to compound my shitty morning, I discovered that I had actually recorded one of the pre-Oscar shows, failing completely to record the main event.  Searching through the listings in hope that the ceremony was repeated in full proved utterly fruitless.  There is a highlight show at 10pm tonight.  It just isn't the same and I feel genuinely sad about it.  By then I will know most of the results and the spark of excitement will be much fainter.  The Oscars always makes me feel close to my sister as I remember her famous Oscar parties and her zest for life.  I feel like I've lost my annual Oscar related opportunity to emulate the one person in the world that I miss everyday.  Sorry Carol.

As ever, when things don't go to plan I resort to carbs.  Half a Bakewell Tart, half a loaf of bread and half a dozen profiteroles later, I am wondering will I ever learn that a cake binge is never the answer?

On a much more positive note, I have had so much fun this week with my girls.  Kizzy's love of One Direction has taken itself to a whole new level after seeing them perform on The Brits.  We made the journey to Sainsbury's to buy the CD and stocked up on other Comic Relief merchandise which was fun.  I have heard the new 1D single at least 300 times in the past few days and mostly jump up to rock out with Kizzy to the One Way or Another/Teenage Kicks mash up.  How thoughtful of them to cover two old school songs so us mums can impress our kids by knowing all the words!

We've also watched some great films making the most out of our TV which was such a great investment.  We loved Looper.  It was a great watch and had a very cute kid and Bruce Willis in it.  What is not to love?  Taken 2 was pretty good for a silly action film, but Liam Neeson is just so cool.  Madagascar 3 in 3D was an unexpected triumph of feel good, eye-popping cartooniness.  While Paranorman was such a brave movie venturing into a brilliantly dark storyline, which left me moved and in tears. The long awaited return of Dexter to Fox last night was brilliant and lived up to my hopes for one of my favourite TV shows ever.  So it's not all bad.

Ian has what we hope is his final consultation with the surgeon that we hope will be doing his operation on Wednesday.  It has been such a long drawn out and complicated process.  The private health insurance route has been so difficult, but the NHS won't do the operation that he needs to be 'cured' of his problem.  They will only do another quick fix that will inevitably fail after another 12 months.  I just want this over with so we can get on with our lives.

I'm off now to go and pick up my son and I hope he will be happy to see me so I can bring him home for an afternoon of snuggles and Cbeebies.  I'm sure tomorrow will be better!

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close Film Review

Extremely Loud &Incredibly Close is a film that received huge critical acclaim following its cinematic release, making it into the Best Picture nominees at the Oscars.  After seeing the publicity surrounding this film, I was intrigued and put it on my must-see list. Now, thanks to Warner Bros I have had the chance to watch this movie on Blu-Ray.

The film is based on a novel by Jonathan Safran Foer, written following the devastation of 9/11.  It focuses on the life of Oskar Schell, a young boy trying to come to terms with the unfathomable loss of his much adored father (Tom Hanks) following the terrorist attack on the Twin Towers.  

Oskar is a very sensitive and highly intelligent child with an inconclusive Asperger's diagnosis.  His father always challenged his condition in a fun way giving his son adventurous expeditions to complete in order for him to face his fears.  Losing his dad in such a sudden, violent and inexplicable manner leaves Oskar feeling bereft and helpless. Hanging on to his memories and to his father's final ansaphone messages made on "the worst day" Oskar is desperate to make sense of his loss and find answers.

When he finds a key hidden in a blue vase in his father's closet on the anniversary of his death, Oskar is certain that it is a final mission that will bring him closer to his dad.  The name 'Black' written on the envelope that the key is in, leads Oskar to search out all of the residents of New York with that surname, a daunting task for someone with Oskar's fears and one that he calculated would take 3 years.  He meticulously plans his mission and sets out to find the lock that the key will open.

On his journey he discovers many people who all have their own story to tell and who are touched by this special little boy and his quest. He forms an unlikely friendship with a mute man that rents a room with his grandmother.  Communicating by scrawling down notes in a book, there is humour and warmth in their encounters.  There is also an unanswered question as to the true relationship between Oskar's family and 'the renter'. Newcomer Thomas Horn who plays Oskar is an incredible actor with such depth and emotion in his portrayal of a lost boy looking for answers in a world which makes no sense.  Definitely a face to look out for in the future.

For me, it was Sandra Bullock's performance that really tugged at my heartstrings.  Her character doesn't feature heavily in the film but is pivotal to the whole story.  As a mother to a troubled boy, she struggles with the loss of her husband alongside the loss of her relationship with her son.  She seems distant and unable to offer any support or provide any answers to Oskar.  Her grief is palpable and her helplessness is a reflection of Oskar's in the aftermath of 9/11. The film is a testament to the endurance of love in the face of both personal and national mourning. I wept buckets at the end of the movie, but I won't give any of the plot away by explaining why!

Although Oskar doesn't find the answer he is looking for, his mission brings him and the people whose lives he touches so much more.  The resolution is one of acceptance and forgiveness.  Many questions remain unanswered because as in life, some things just can't be explained.

I really enjoyed this film as did my husband and 16 year old Ella.  It is quite a long film (2 hours 10 minutes) but I didn't feel it drag at all.  It is gentle storytelling with a powerful edge.  The subject matter is very emotional as Oskar's grief is so raw and something we can all relate to.  Don't expect action or a fast paced plot line.  Instead immerse yourself in this moving and unusual journey and enjoy some excellent acting performances along the way.

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close is available to buy now (certificate 12).