May 29

The last quote "Where the Lord closes a door, somewhere He opens a window." was from one of my favorite movies," The Sound of Music. It was correctly identified by Bill who was first, followed by Yolanda, Florrie, and Pat..

Try this one:

"Well, we went skinny dipping, and we did things that frightened the fish."

On Netflix:

Did you Hear About the Morgans? This is a guilty pleasure for me. Although this movie was panned by the critics and follows the formula pattern of romantic comedies, I couldn't help but enjoy it. Two of my favorite actors played the leads: Sarah Jessica Parker (I can't wait for Sex and the City 2) and Hugh Grant. The plot is slim. Two highly successful individuals are in the process of getting a divorce and witness a murder. They are placed in Witness Protection and moved to Ray, Wyoming. You can write the rest of the story, but I love Grant's accent and comedy is Parker's thing. To see a mindless film, rent this one. Note: If you want to see good drama about the Witness Protection Program, tune into "In Plain Sight" on USA. It is a very good series.

Inglorious Basterds - Any Quentin Tarantino movie has violence and this one is no exception so as a warning for those with squeamish stomachs, you might want to pass this one by or like me have a pillow nearby to cover your eyes during some of the more gruesome parts. That being said, it was a good movie. Although over two and a half hours, it was quick paced. I now know why Christoph Waltz won the Academy Award for Supporting Actor as he stole the movie. Brad Pitt does a good job as well. It is the fictitious story about a radical group of Jewish soldiers aka Inglorious Basterds and their antics leading up to the blowing up of a cinema where the heads of the Nazi party are in attendance.

If you're in Washington DC visit:

The Hillwood Estate and Museum - The past week I went on a tour of Hillwood the home of Marjorie Merriweather Post. Ms. Post was the only child and therefore heiress of entrepreneur CS Post who founded the Postum Cereal Company that grew into one of the largest business empires of the early 20th century. She became a businesswoman, diplomat, philanthropist and distinguished collector. The estate and gardens are magnificent. In fact, I think you need more time than we had for the tour. We first toured the gardens. Flowers are in bloom throughout the year, but since Ms. Post stayed at Hillwood only during the Spring and Fall, those are the times when the flowers are at their peak. In my opinion, the house tour could be broken into interest areas. Perhaps they could have a tour that gives an overview of the house, one that focuses on the decorative furniture and artwork and yet another on the porcelain. Since we had to be back to the bus by a certain time, we had a good overview, but there were many places I would have wanted to linger. Do yourself a favor and visit this lovely museum. A word of caution, if you are hungry, don't eat there. Like great artwork, my lunch looked like a piece of art; a very beautiful presentation, but not enough to eat!

Enjoy this lovely Memorial Day weekend.

Roberta

May 18

Martha Hutchinson, Lucy and Florrie correctly identified "A guy told me once, :Don't let yourself get attached to anything you are not willing to walk out on in thirty seconds flat if you feel the heat around the corner" coming from Heat.

Try this one:

"Where the Lord closes a door, somewhere He opens a window."

On Netflix:

The Hurt Locker - This Academy Award film tells the story of the elite military group that disables bombs. The three main characters are unknown to me, but make a lasting impression. I was concerned that it would be a hard film to watch, lots of blood and gore, but in the end it was never gratuitous, but added to the storyline. The film focus is on three soldiers whose job it is to find and disarm bombs. Not only is it an action film, but one in which you get into the heads of these soldiers. We watched it in three sittings which I would recommend to cut down on the intensity.

On Netflix and Instantly

Play the Game - This delightful film stars Any Griffith, Doris Roberts. Liz Sheridan (Jerry Seinfeld's Mother in Seinfeld) Marla Sokoloff and Paul Campbell. Joe, a lonely grandfather living in a retirement home, gets pointers from his grandson David on dating and he becomes a bit hit with the women. In the meantime, David strikes out when he tried to woo Julie (coincidently Doris Roberts granddaughter who lives in the retirement home as well). It is a cute movie, but make sure to stay around for the very end as it has an adorable twist.

A Note about Netflix:

The film Play the Game was on my instant view list. A few weeks ago I received a notice from Netflix telling me I could play my instant picks through my Wii onto my TV. I ordered the disc at no charge and it was a simple set up. So instead of watching this film on my computer, I was able to watch it on the TV as if I had received the disc from Netflix. It is quite neat.

In these dreary days, it is good to catch up on some good movies.

Roberta

May 11

Although I though the last quote was difficult, a few of you identified "Stanley, see this? This is this. This ain't something else. This is this. From now on you're on your own."
coming from The Deer Hunter. My brother Jeff actually identified it as Robert DeNiro to Jon Cazale during their deer hunting outing. Florrie and Yolanda were also correct guessers as well.

Yet another quote:

"A guy told me one time, "Don't let yourself get attached to anything you are not willing to walk out on in thirty seconds flat if you feel the heat around the corner.'"

On Netflix:

My Sister's Keeper - This film based on the popular novel by Jodi Picoult stars Cameron Diaz, Abigail Breslin, Jason Patric, Alec Baldwin and Joan Cusack. It is the story of a couple who has a designer baby for "spare parts" for their dying daughter. The daughter sues her parents for medical emancipation. There is a twist which I didn't know as I hadn't read the novel. I especially enjoyed Abigail Breslin and Alec Baldwin as her lawyer. In his later years, Baldwin has become not only a fine comedic actor, but a dramatic one as well. It is a tearjerker, but since you know the outcome, not as upsetting as I thought.

Fame - As a fan of the original movie and TV program, I was eager to see this film. I was disappointed. The storyline of the students was not well developed with little drama, the singing was OK, dancing quite good and acting sequences fine. Do yourself a favor and find the original or the TV series or better still watch "Glee" on Fox Tuesday nights at 9:00. Debbie Allen, from I believe both of the originals, makes a cameo appearance.

DWTS Update:

Tonight is the results show and at this point in the competition, Chad and Neicy are not in the same category as Erin, Evan and Nicolle so I think one of them should go. My pick would be Neicy. As far as the winner of the whole competition, Nicolle is the best dancer, but I would like to see Erin win. Both Evan and Nicolle have some dance experience and as the judges say often musicality, but Eric is a sports reporter! I couldn't believe she was in the bottom two last week. Well stayed tuned tonight to see what happens.

Roberta