She says…….Me Too

mulligan & Kazan

 Journalistic dramas are not new in Hollywood. They can make riveting viewing left in the right hands and this powerful microscopic look into the abusive reign of the sexual predator that was Harvey Weinstein is a sobering, fascinating and intimately ground breaking movie which tells the story of tenacious journalism and institutional sexism within the Hollywood machine, something which would ultimately spark a world wide movement against sexual harassment. 

Two reporters from The New York Times, Megan Twohay ( Carey Mulligan) and Jodi Kantor ( Zoe Kazan) start to investigate an accusation that for decades Miramax film producer Weinstein had abused dozens of junior production staff as well as actresses on the Miramax payroll. 

Weinstein’s legal team had effective buried any of the Women’s’ stories by legal non disclosure clauses, bullying and by other holes in the Justice system, so Twohey and Kantor have to chip away at an ever growing list of victims in order to substantiate their story.

It’s a fascinating tale, intelligently told by writer Rebecca Lenkiewicz and director Maria Schrader.

Time and time again the two women have to face dead ends , frightened witnesses who won’t talk and the money fuelled Hollywood legal system , that is until actresses Rosè McGowan and Ashley Judd risk all by opening their mouths at last.

Jennifer Ehle

A star turn by Samantha Morton

She Said is essentially a succession of “ victim interviews” by Twohey and Kantor, and as the story unfolds two pivotal scenes will linger long in the mind. The first is where former Weinstein aide Zelda Perkins ( Samantha Morton) tells the reporters of how he abused her colleague and friend, (an event she amazingly stood up to him for) and this scene , set simply in a London cafe it is a true masterclass of acting by Morton who I wouldn’t be surprised be nominated for an academy award for just ten minutes on film.

Another British actress Jennifer Ehle puts in a moving turn as another victim haunted by the abuse and Hollywood stalwart Patricia Clarkson puts in a solid supporting turn as the journalist’s editor Rebecca Corbett. 

I can’t praise this film enough. 

It covers so much ground,so much misogyny and so much abuse  

And it seems incredulous to me that this investigation only happened in 2017

Friday

 Don’t you hate that anticlimactic feeling a busy, productive and enjoyable 24 hours often leaves you with.

I feel a bit like that today

So much so, that I’ve trolled through Walking Dead tiktok videos at the kitchen table until my bucket of coffee grew cold and the chill from the wet winter sun has seeped through the cottage’s 18 inch walls.

I need to make a move..

Affable Despot Jason has just texted , incredulous that his eldest daughter is 17 tomorrow. I hope to see him later at the village Casino night. 

Old Trev is home now. I’ve just been round to check on him and he tried to impress me by marching around the living room doing knee lifts to show how fit he was.

I hope I show as much chutzpah if I ever get to 98

My fridge is more or less empty. 

I rooted through the deep freeze and found some garlic breaded mushrooms which I cooked in the air fryer.

I’m eating them for breakfast

Leo has just texted me too. He’s planning to see four films in one day today ( he wanted to beat my previous record of three when I was in Sheffield) 

“ Uncle John, you will note that I’m going to see SHE SAID, which is, I think an important film to see”

She said is the filmed account how two female journalists investigated Harvey Weinstein and is one off my radar list….I think Leo is right …I will go and see it this lunchtime.

Roger is winding Dorothy up.

He’s staring at her and is employing “ the slow tail wag” in order to intimidate her.

She’s growling under her breath as she knows I won’t allow her to initiate a fight 

It’s too cold to sit at the table any longer

I’ve wasted two hours already

Nephew Catch Up

Chinatown 

 I’m exhausted, and on the train about the depart Euston 

My train home, as my inward train was cancelled, so after dropping Leo off at St Pancras I’ve grabbed the next train north .

The rail system is a bit shambolic .

I met Leo yesterday at the station .we checked in the hotel and I was touched just how excited he was at the prospect of having a room all to himself. 

The things we take for granted eh? 

We then walked up to Shaftesbury Avenue , where I remembered  the forbidden planet megastore was located and let Leo submerse himself in everything geek for a good hour.

We then ambled up to long acre and walked into Dishoom past the queues that were already snaking along the pavem

Dishoom staff could not have been kinder. I had already texted  that it was Leo’s and they made a fuss of him, and even proudly  presented him with a birthday pud with candle on it.

Which was sweet.

The food, as usual, was divine

He spent a great deal of time texting on his phone ( which I didn’t mind at all) but we talked too about the merits of Black Panther 2 compared to the Black Panther 1 and other films he has seen this year.

From Dishoom we walked around Chinatown , then down to the Southbank where we had a drink at the BFI 

I was knackered when we walked down the Strand to see Six

After a shaky start Six won me over.

Think of a superior Spice Girl tribute band ( plus one) who can really sing and act 

Give them tons of sass, seven or eight uvula wrenching songs and some costumes to die for and you have a joyful pop exploration into the lives of the six wives of Henry VIII

Standout was Dionne Ward Anderson who was playing Anne of Cleves, 

She couldn’t have injected more life into her role if she had inserted a stick of dynamite up her drawers

Amazing

We got a tube back to the hotel were I soaked my feet under some cool shower water.

After a nice breakfast…We are now both on the way home .

Our next meeting Is London Comic Con 2023
 

Leo

My favourite photo of Leo , watching ducklings

Administering antibiotics to one of the ghost hens

I’ve arranged to meet my nephew at St Pancreas around 2pm but my train connection from Crewe has been cancelled.  

At least they texted and emailed me the news.

I’ve caught the earlier train just to make sure.

Trendy Carol’s husband Ewan agreed to sort the dogs out.

What a star.

No comic con today, we are keeping it simple.

Check in to hotel, visit to superhero mega store on Shaftsbury ave.early dinner at Dishoom in Covent Garden and Six the musical down on the Strand .

I haven’t seen him for a year so we have lots of films to mutually review and news to catch up on. 

Leo isn’t my blood nephew, but I’ve known him since he was a baby

Over 20 years now 

Man and boy…..

I wonder how long he will keep in touch as we lead very different lives on opposite ends of the country

Who knows 

Where Is Fanny Stain When You Need Her !

 I always spell my surname out when I encounter any officialdom.

It’s a habit, I’ve got into as many people spell my surname as in the colour and not the Scottish/Irish monika.

The receptionist was polite enough, though I did have to wait a little as Karen still hadn’t come back from her break yet , cue much eye rolling.

The ultrasound department is like any other small hospital outpatients. 

Faceless and sanitized.

Another two men, patients too were sat in a gown to my right. 

One looked nervous .

Another receptionist called out “ Thomas Jefferson “ but no one reacted.

She snorted and picked up the phone

The three of us sat in silence for a while longer.

I got out my phone and started to write this blog after Karen or was it Annette could be heard muttering 

“ I don’t know where Mr Jefferson has got to…what does he look like?”

We are all invisible, I thought to myself , invisible  men in our sixties

I galloped backwards in my mind to the minors unit at Sheffield’s Royal Hallamshire Hospital.

Circa 1989

A student nurse with a set of false notes was calling a patient into minors for a procedure, she was blushing with the importance of calling the next patient in whilst surrounded by the poorly general public 

“ Fanny Stain? Is there a Fanny Stain here?” She called out hopefully

And from behind the nurses station came the muffled hysteria only hospital staff can be responsible for .

No More Walking Dead

 

For nearly 12 years I’ve stuck with The Walking Dead and it’s been a variable ride all told.

I’ve always thought of it as a 1970s disaster movie with zombies and that is how it has felt for most of its history.

It’s a shame that the tv series followed the comic novels, most of which feel cold and rather absurd.

Most of the action scenes in the finale were rushed in order for everything to be wrapped up so neatly we are left with only a few threads to be answered.

The Walking Dead, has always been shite at crowd scenes anyway but it crammed in it’s Easter Egg moments….Daryl mimicking Shane’s hospital moments in season 1.The dinner party scene in Alexandria.

Amy’s death scene in season 1….which was fun

I didn’t mind that as much, because the characters were left to shine and in probably the first time in the Walking Dead history, the remaining characters stopped and told each other I love you.

Diane, who hasn’t spoken for three seasons survived too!

Rosita ( Christian Serratos) had the biggest role in the finale and her death scene with best friend Eugene (josh mcDermitt) was incredibly moving to watch as it was left centre stage and wasn’t hurried at all.

  Daryl and Carol voiced their love for each other when they came to say goodbye and with the exception of Luke all of the  other characters all settled down to a normal life in Alexandria or the Commonwealth with hugs all round.

Will I watch the spin offs? 

I’m not sure…..I doubt it. 

I wonder how long my Walking Dead T shirt collection will last? 

Who knows..

David Harewood

 

This afternoon Gorgeous Dave and I went over to the Storyhouse to see “an audience with…” 

The 1:1 talk between David Harewood and the new director of the theatre proved to be an interesting listen. With much candour the actor, director and writer explored some rather painful memories of childhood racism in Birmingham in the 1970s before linking that ingrained trauma to a psychiatric breakdown when in his 20s.

The subsequent racism he experienced as a patient ( mostly concerning being over sedated by a fearful mainly white nursing team) resonated with me, and I recalled one snowy night in York where I faced my own inherited racism during one pragmatic shift

It was 1987 and it was winter night filled with snow in York.

I was transferred to take charge of an elderly ward as staffing was dire.

I was a very junior staff nurse supported by two support workers.

The support workers were two Jamaican ladies of mature years.

I was told to refer to them with a respectful " Mrs Lewis and Mrs Williams by the handover nurse

" They will show you the ropes" I was told carefully.

I had never really spoke to a person of colour before. You never saw many non whites back then in North Wales and Chester, where I grew up and trained as a psychiatric nurse, but I was bright enough even then not to pull rank on two experienced nurse aides, and so I stepped back and allowed myself to be told what to do.

Mrs Lewis and Mrs Williams worked at their own pace. They were unhurried and respectful, as they washed dirty bottoms and undressed the confused and the mute and I watched with some awe as together they bedded down 25 confused elderly ladies with the tired and practiced ease of two broad hipped grandmothers that had seen some hardship over a 40 year career.

They sang together as they worked and they laughed and hugged their patients with some warmth when hugs were needed and by midnight the ward was quiet as they dished out their own suppers of rice and peas and jerk chicken at the nurses station.

I was given a plate too, with a napkin and a glass of homemade ginger cordial and as I listened to them chat and laugh and I answered their questions about my home and family I realised just how sheltered I had been for the first 20 years of my life

At 6 am I asked their Christian names.....Matilda and Angel, I was told and we all laughed....

It was a cold and snowy night in York and I took charge of an elderly ward of 25 senile patients

And I learnt more about good nursing care and life from two big hearted support workers in 10 hours than I ever did from six months of my psychiatric nurse training.

Blazin Fiddles

Lovely night at the hall…great to see The Manleys, Boffin Cameron’s parents, Pippa , village leaders Ian and Helen, Velvet Voiced Linda , Nick, Claire and Other choir members all enjoying the music