Brooklyn, the Movie

Brooklyn is a wonderful new movie that centers around Eilis, a sweet but strong young woman who has just emigrated to Brooklyn from Ireland in hopes of a better future. She leaves behind her sister and her mother and everything she has ever known. As might be expected, such a big change is initially challenging for her but in her new environment she slowly grows and blossoms into a more confident and assured version of herself. Her adventures in Brooklyn lead her to improvement in all areas of her life. She gets a new job in a fancy department store, enrolls in night school and is wooed by a charming and earnest Italian plumber. 

The movie beautifully shows Brooklyn of the era and I have to say that while watching it, I fell in love with Brooklyn as well as with the movie. If the story that unfolds is sweet, so too is the telling of it. The movie depicts with great tenderness the events that happen to Eilis and the difficult choices she is faced with.

Without giving too much away, events unfold that force Eilis to choose between the new life she is creating for herself, or a promising and familiar path in her old life. As you watch her make these difficult choices, your heart breaks and for her. Each path seems to have much to offer. One can’t help but think of circumstances in our own lives in which there has been a fork in the road and only one path can be taken. The immense pressure and yearning that we all feel for the new and fresh, or for the familiar, safe, and secure is depicted so beautifully here. In the end she chooses with her heart. Which path she chooses might not be obvious however, as the movie unfolded, I didn’t know what our heroine was going to decide. That is one thing I loved about this film.

This movie is universal because it deals with the crossroads in our lives and with themes of new beginnings, comfort, safety, and the challenge of choosing between family, and what we want and love. It displays these choices, and the paths we must take with care, beauty and tenderness. Brooklyn creates a beautiful and magical world that I was happy to be lost in.

Why this Blog

So I was starting to feel like I should start to write a blog about movies, show biz, and life in the business and in the city. I was sitting there thinking to myself, “what do I call this blog?” I was also thinking that in the blog I’d share thoughts about different movies I saw amongst other things. Then I thought about the movie I saw the other night called Spotlight. I saw in in Hollywood and I thought viola and so “Spotlight on Hollywood” was born.

It’s been over a year since I moved to the LA area. I came to expand my horizons, for the wonderful lifestyle (and weather) the city affords, and for show business of course! I’ve moved all around too, staying with friends in Thai Town, Silverlake and West Hollywood before settling down for a year in Burbank. Even though my process for moving around was non-traditional, it gave me a great taste of different areas before I settle into Burbank. Living in the Valley provided me with a nice smooth transition as living in the valley was more gentle than the intense energy of Hollywood and some of the other areas in the city. Burbank was also a great place to be close to the film and television industry. Many don’t know that Burbank is home to many big studios including Warner Brothers, Disney, ABC, Cartoon Network and Nickelodean, plus Universal Studios is really close too. Being based out of there meant that could go to screenings, feel connected in the industry and I booked many clients in my psychic business as a result. Burbank was also a bit of a smaller pond so I could make a name for myself there more easily.

Fast forward a year and it was time to move! I’d really appreciated my time there but I was starting to feel antsy, when this happens, it is often time to make a change. So I’ve moved and I am in Hollywood, for now anyway. I look forward to sharing my adventures and thoughts on film, life, and music with you. It’s just the beginning of this new adventure, who knows where it will lead?