Girls' afternoon out

I took my sister-in-law, HL, on a girls' afternoon out. I arranged it so that my brother took my nephew to see a movie of their choice and I took HL out to see a movie of our choice, but it just so happens that 'Meet the Robinsons' started an hour earlier than 'The Painted Veil' so we could fit in 1.5 hours of speed shopping with a pit stop at the gourmet bakery for snacks and baked goods to bring into the cinema.

Shopping mirror alert: I think the mirrors at Zara at Pacific Place makes you look taller and thinner; whereas the mirrors at Esprit make you look fatter. Perhaps it's the fluorescent lighting? I asked HL to compare my reflection at Zara to me - she said it was the same. Although, I'm not trusting her eyesight at the moment because she has a tear in the cornea of her left eye and the fact that anyone taller than her is tall.

The Painted Veil
I'm sure the book by Somerset Maugham is better than the actual tale told by the movie. However, the scenery was very good for the soul and for the eyes. I haven't watched that much greenery in a movie since Jurassic Park. The movie was shot on location in Guangxi, China where I think has one of the most beautiful mountain sceneries in the world. I went there last year for Chinese New Year.

As a Chinese viewer, I suggest to the producers that they should actually consult a Chinese person if they are making a movie shot in China. For example, there's suppose to be a cholera outbreak in the village and the orphanage is filled with kids who have lost their parents - the children in the orphanage were some of the chubbiest and healthiest looking kids I've ever seen in my life. They should have recruited the kids you find begging in the streets of Shenzhen to play those parts if they wanted authenticity. Also, they can fool the western audience but they can't full a Chinese audience with Chinese people who are meant to be speaking a Guangxi dialect and then out of the blue you hear a Cantonese speaker (playing a local village woman). I don't think I'm being extremely picky but a director should keep in mind of these things and overlooking these little details is just sloppy and careless. I should put myself out there as a "if you are making a film set in China came and see me consultant."
You're wasting your time if you're thinking of watching this movie for the drama and storyline, but if you are going to see it with a National Georgraphic Traveller mindset then it's definitely worth a look.