MY NEWEST CATCHPHRASE IS, “IT IS better to meet here (or almost anyplace such as a restaurant, park, theater, ballpark or store) than at the cemetery.” What I mean by this catchphrase is it is better to get together for a happy/good occasion instead of a sad one at a funeral. When talking to a friend or family member, where they are not sure they want to travel to visit their friends or family, I ask them if they would go if the person, they were thinking of visiting was dying. They almost always reply in the affirmative; they would not hesitate for a moment. That is when I then ask wouldn’t they rather visit and do stuff with their friend/family member instead of mourning them. This may sound harsh to some of you, but I am just being honest and unfiltered. Also, I practice what I preach. I was recently talking to a friend about attending a wedding. They were questioning the time they would have to be away from their pets and the cost of traveling out of state to attend the wedding. I asked what they would do if it was their friend’s funeral. There was no pause, they said they would plan to get to the funeral. I told them they now have their answer on what they should do about the wedding. They could not help but agree with me.      BACK WHEN I WAS YOUNGER, I never thought about people dying or getting gravely ill. Maybe I had that mindset that many people in their youth have: being invincible. My actions back then were not decided with life and death being in the equation. Interestingly, I wished I had a little of that awareness about getting the most one can out of the day; in other words, live life to the fullest. To get enjoyment, satisfaction and pleasure out of each moment. There were times when I felt I was only existing instead of living. Going to work, getting home, making dinner, cleaning up, sleeping, then waking up to an alarm the next morning to start it all over again was my basic pattern of existing. I was too tired to do anything during the weekday; so, the weekend consisted of catching up on stuff and maybe I would meet up with a friend or relative for a dinner. I am not sure what triggered a mental reset, maybe maturity or the death of a close one; but I started to appreciate the things around me and make a point of staying in touch with friends and family. It comes down to this, one never knows what tomorrow will bring; so, it is better to get as much as you can out of today. I loved how this dramatic film presented this idea.      IT WAS NOT UNTIL THE GOVERNMENT worker received the diagnosis from his recent tests, that he learned how to live again. With Bill Nighy (About Time, Emma) as Williams, Aimee Lou Wood (The Electrical Life of Louis Wan, Uncle Vanya) as Margaret Harris, Alex Sharp (The Trial of the Chicago 7, The Hustle) as Peter Wakeling, Adrian Rawlins (Harry Potter franchise, Breaking the Waves) as Middleton and Oliver Chris (Miss Marx, Motherland-TV) as Hart; this Oscar nominated film was an absolute joy to watch. Bill Nighy, who is nominated for best actor, was utterly fantastic; it was an honor to watch him display his skills. Set in 1950s London, the film production was perfect. From the way the story was filmed to the sets and costumes; everything fell into place to make this a complete picture. The story took a little time to fully grab me; but once it did, I thoroughly enjoyed the experience. And the message I took from the story confirmed one of my beliefs. I am glad I took the time to seek out and view this Oscar worthy movie.

3 ½ stars