BY LILITH
ARIES: Yes, sometimes people aren’t what they pretend to be and no, full-frontal confrontation isn’t recommended. Consider expectation-management instead: primarily your own. Stay cool, take notes, and process emotions before doing anything irreversible. Press pause on that urgent conversation, and who knows, you mightn’t have even have to have it. TAURUS: When the weekend’s once-a-year Taurus new moon opens your cosmic opportunity portal invitingly wide, if one door closes remember you can always open it again if you choose: that’s how doors work. Especially now eloquent, multi-skilled, versatile Mercury in your sign’s urging you to make that move and ask for what you want. GEMINI: New moon in your house of closure puts something to rest, leaving you free to think big about what excites you. The present trifecta of planetary retrogrades are good news for you Gems, blending your intelligence and intuition for a more mature and considered approach to relationships of all kinds. CANCER: Life feeling a bit dry? Water it with some Cancerian nurturing. Humanitarian energy’s strong this week, and being part of a team could make valuable connections. If taskmaster Saturn sends something back to the drawing board for realistic, practical adjusting, aim for an end result that’s more effective – and profitable. LEO: This week’s overstocked on stubborn, fixed energetics which lead to charged situations and drama. If tensions escalate, don’t go overboard and blow things out of proportion – be flexible. And creative. Consider juicy, enjoyable ways of problem solving, like sharing a meal, giving a gift, or going for a walk and talk. VIRGO: Something not quite working out like you planned? As the zen saying goes: Obstacles don’t block the path, they are the path. So collaborate: group-think it through. But be astute, acute, clear, and alert to being pressured or bulldozed into anything by anyone – especially your own inner micromanager.
URANUS, MERCURY, SUN, AND NEW MOON IN TAURUS INVITE US TO ENJOY THE PLEASURES OF NATURE’S ABUNDANT TABLE AND GIVE GRATITUDE FOR THE PRACTICAL MAGIC OF MAY…
BY JOHN CAMPBELL
LIBRA: When this weekend’s sensual Venusian new moon livens up the affection section of Libran partners and playmates, have a go at making those mood swings and relationship tussles into a game. With so many tempting distractions and inviting treats on offer this week you’ll really have to pull focus to balance the work/fun ratio. SCORPIO: New moon in your opposite zodiac sign is romantic rocket fuel for rekindling your love life or jump-starting it. Or launching a team project close to your heart, especially one that benefits the planetary family. If initial setbacks seem disappointing, the silver lining of hindsight will show them as opportunities for improvement. SAGITTARIUS: If life downshifts into a bit of a plod, relax and enjoy time out having a rethink rather than battling against invisible resistance. Check in with your head: are you ‘shoulding’ yourself or someone else with unrealistic expectations? Let your body speak next. Then listen to your heart.. CAPRICORN: This week’s passionate opinions, dramatic reactions, and stubborn unbudgeability could definitely be draining, so tune into the goodnews vein of current energetics: creative thinking, Venusian pleasures, sensual body treats, and artistic endeavours that not only make you feel great, but give you a competitive edge. AQUARIUS: With emotions running hot and cold, clouding our ability to see clearly, if others misunderstand your meaning and misconstrue your intent, you might find the dynamics of this week’s galactic gumbo challenging. In which case comfort food’s. PISCES: With a trio of retrograde outer planets, including Saturn doing its annual backflip, glitches and resets are likely to be inner, subtle, and personal. Someone might not be who you thought they were – but whatever happens, remember that ritual and ceremony nourish life, making it richer, deeper, and more resonant this week and every other.
THE CHAPERONE At one point, Norma, the chaperone (Elizabeth McGovern), says to Louise, the young lady who is in her care (Haley Lu Richardson), ‘I can’t believe you told me that last night’. I had no idea what Louise had told her, because this is one of those movies in which it’s all too easy for your mind to wander. But though you might drift off, it’s just as easy to channel back into what is happening, for the story is uncomplicated and warmhearted, with sympathetic characters. The famous silentscreen actress Louise Brooks grew up in Wichita, Kansas, but all she ever wanted was to study dance in New York. When offered a place at an academy in the Big Apple, her mother hired Norma, whose marriage was floundering after she had learnt of her husband’s long-running peccadillo, to look after her teenage daughter. The ambitious, confident Louise was hurtling towards a glittering future, whereas the Norma was retracing her past, in which she was raised by nuns in a home for ‘friendless girls’. The rapport between the two actresses is the secret to the film’s success – the starlet’s prettiness and cheekiness contrasting perfectly with the older woman’s prim provinciality. Physically, Richardson does not quite convince as a dancer, and at times McGovern’s amazed expression at every performance she sees comes across as extremely twee, but I liked them both and quickly grew fond of their company. Romance arrives in the form of Joseph (Géza Röhrig), the mumbling WWI refugee whose little girl is being raised by the same nuns who were responsible for Norma’s upbringing. With a screenplay by Julian Fellowes Downton Abbey, Gosford Park, among many others), you know that you are going to be gently guided towards emotional crises rather than prodded with a pick, and it is a softly-softly approach that proves to be ideal for his subject matter. It’s an undemanding but charming movie, with an upbeat postscript to make you happy for the way Louise Brooks’s career panned out.
GLORIA BELL There is a lot of hype surrounding Chilean writer/director Sebastián Lelio’s remake of the film of the same name that he shot in Spanish in 2013. As part of cinema’s trend towards movies which look at the status of women in contemporary society, it has been praised to the hilt, but I found it flat, almost turgid with its ponderous pace and, in the end, as frustrating as it was joyless – perhaps it needed a female director to find more positivity in Gloria Bell’s life, to not constantly see her as a victim, and to allow her to live up to her name. As the eponymous central character, Julianne Moore is faultless, but the person she portrays is rather too resigned to her fate, too passive to feel genuine sympathy for. Gloria is twelve years divorced from Dustin BF Baby Friendly SP Kh][aYd Hj]k]flYlagf PS Private Screening
(Brad Garrett), works for an insurance company in LA, drinks too much, goes clubbing, regularly and lives the sort of life that does not countenance the idea of turning off the phone when dining in a restaurant. On the dancefloor one night, she meets Arnold (John Turturro), an evasive but affectionate fellow with whom she hits it off. As far as plot goes, there is not much more to it than that. Initially, Arnold is Mister Right, the next minute he has unaccountably disappeared, hiding from her his domestic circumstances. This is a sad and patronising portrayal of woman ‘who can’t live without a man’. There are instances that are implausible at best, while Gloria’s lack of self-confidence and her fatalism contribute heavily to the movie’s growing ennui. Lelio provides a through-line with probably too many go-to shots of Gloria driving her car and singing along with radio songs that indicate her state of mind, and then attempts her salvation with a nearly funny paint-ball scene at Arnold’s house before letting Gloria lose herself yet again in the nothingness of dancing with the mob. At least in the end she discovers that a cat can be a comforting friend.
ALLIANCE FRANCAISE FRENCH FILM FESTIVAL Times & Tickets - affrenchfilmfestival.org SESSION TIMES: THURSDAY, 2 - WEDNESDAY, 8 MAY THE AFTERMATH (M) Daily: 10:50AM
THE HUMMINGBIRD PROJECT (M) Daily: 9:00PM
AVENGERS: END GAME (M) NFT Daily: 10:00AM, 12:00PM, 1:30PM, 3:30PM, 5:00PM, 6:00PM, 7:00PM, 8:30PM
THE LEGO MOVIE 2: THE SECOND PART (PG) Daily: 12:45PM
BURNING (M) Daily: 3:00PM, 8:15PM
LONG SHOT (M) NFT Daily: 1:15PM, 3:50PM, 6:30PM, 8:45PM MISSING LINK (PG) Daily: 10:00AM
THE CHAPERONE (PG) Daily: 3:45PM, 8:50PM COLD WAR (M) Daily: 1:50PM
PEPPA PIG FESTIVAL OF FUN (G) Daily: 10:00AM, 11:40AM
DUMBO (PG) Daily: 10:10AM
SHAZAM (M) Daily: 1:15PM, 6:00PM
THE EXTRAORDINARY JOURNEY OF THE FAKIR (M) Daily: 10:00AM, 4:00PM, 9:30PM
TOP END WEDDING (M) NFT Daily: 10:50AM, 1:20PM, 3:50PM, 6:15PM, 8:45PM
FIVE FEET APART (M) Daily except Sat, Sun: 11:00AM
WOMAN AT WAR (M) Daily: 10:00AM, 4:30PM, 6:40PM
GLORIA BELL (M) Daily: 12:10PM, 2:20PM, 6:00PM
WONDER PARK (PG) Daily: 12:00PM
108 Jonson St, Byron Bay • 3 hours free parking* • Buy tickets online and skip the queue!
PalaceCinemas.com.au *
Validated in Mercato Centre
BABY FRIENDLY SESSIONS: MONDAYS AND WEDNESDAYS
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FILM SCHEDULE 2/5/19 – 8/5/19
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Adults $15 Concession & Kids $10 Tuesdays all tix $10 La[c]lk YnYadYZd] gfdaf] gj Yl l`] Zgp g^Ú []& www.echo.net.au/byron-echo Byron Shire Echo archives
lëƷ Ǩǽ ǩǧǨǰ The Byron Shire Echo 37