June 24

Martha Furniss and Yolanda were correct in identifying "Martha, in my mind, you're buried in cement right up to the neck." "No, up to

the nose, it's much quieter." coming from Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf

Try this one:

"Generally you don't see that kind of behavior in a major appliance."

After my last posting, Estelle sent this comment:

I felt the same way about Sherlock Homes. We were at the theatre, otherwise, I too, would have put on the captions--it really would have helped.

We loved City Island-one of the best movies around---though predictable--great acting.

In Theaters and my take on it:

City Island - What a delightful way to spend about two hours. Andy Garcia is wonderful as a prison guard whose passion and secret is to be an actor. Each of his family members have secrets of their own. It is almost like an American English farce, with lots of funny twists and turns. It is poignant as well. The supporting cast is quite good. Highly recommended -

On Netflix:

Antigone - As some of you know I take classes at OLLI (Oscher Life Long Learners Institute) associated with George Mason University. I signed up for a series of classes on Greek Idealism in the Classic Period. Although I missed a few sessions, I was lucky to attend when the instructor showed Antigone to illustrate one of the Greek tragedies. It debuted in 1964, is in black and white and is adapted from the theatrical stage. Antigone tells the story of King Creon who has assumed the role of King of Thebes when Oedipus's sons kill one another in a bitter fight for the throne. Creon prohibits anyone from giving the dead brother who betrayed him a proper burial. His sister, Antigone, goes against his wishes and the typical Greek tragedy begins. It is interesting to see a film of this age without all the technology of today's films. At times the scenes and actors are unrealistic, but the story stands the test of time. For something different, rent this film. There is a newer version starring Stacey Keach which you can watch instantly, but I haven't seen it.

A Wonderful Read:

Cutting For Stone by Abraham Verghese -This is one of those novels that you sink your teeth into. It is epic in scope about the lives of orphaned twins who are born of a secret relationship between a nun and surgeon at a mission hospital in Addis Ababa. The story involves their lives as children and then doctors. Taking place in Ethiopia and the United States, you are caught up in their lives and the situations they must endure and come to terms with as the story enfolds. It is over 500 pages, but worth every minute you spend reading it.

With these very hot days, it's a good time to catch up on your movie watching and reading.

Roberta

June 19

Martha Hutchinson was the only one to guess and guess correctly that "Disturbing the peace? I got thrown out of a window! What's the fucking charge for getting pushed out of a moving car, huh? Jaywalking?!" came from 48 Hours.

Try this one:

"Martha, in my mind, you're buried in cement right up to the neck." "No, up to the nose, it's much quieter."

Estelle sent this along:

Alan dragged me to see "Splice"-don't know how Adrien Brody, who is such a wonderful actor got duped into this one..science fiction gone bad!

We saw "Karate Kid" last night--we loved it. Jaden Smith is superb and Jackie Chan is an excellent Pat Morita! It's the old story--but done in China with magnificent scenery of the Great Wall, the Imperial Palace and the Chinese countryside, sweet Chinese love interest and superb fighting competition.

On Netflix:

Precious - I finally got around to watch this film that was the vehicle for Monique to win the Academy Award for best supporting actress. It is a powerful movie, but I think the hype was overblown. We've seen this story before. Poor family; daughter raped by mother's boyfriend; has two children; really smart; finds courage to pull herself out of her situation with the help of a caring teacher and social worker; leaves abusive mother behind. The performances are powerful and Monique did deserve the award. The young girl playing Monique was quite good for her first acting job. You won't recognize Mariah Carey who also does a fine job. It is certainly not a movie to see with your children as the f word and other curse words are used throughout. I am mixed about my feeling so I'll rate it

Sherlock Holmes - This Guy Ritchie version is Sherlock Holmes meets Harry Potter meets the Da Vinci Code. It is not your father's Sherlock Holmes. The setting is dark and the story is similar to the Dan Brown books. The relationship between Holmes and Watson is akin to House and Wilson on the TV program "House". Robert Downey Jr., who portrays Holmes, has put on an accent that is quite hard to understand at times. I felt I was missing important dialogue, so midway through the film I turned on the subtitles and that helped not only with understanding, but made the movie more enjoyable. I found the beginning slow, but it did pick up . It is a long film running over two hours. Jude Law did a good job as Watson, I am not sure how I felt about Downey Jr.

Sy and I are off to see City Island this afternoon to keep cool. I have heard good things about the movie so I hope I won't be disappointed. I'll report next week.

Roberta

June 13

Last week's quote ""You're like the thief who isn't the least bit sorry he stole, but is terribly, terribly he's going to jail." was correctly identified by Kathy Luke, with help her from her sister, Yolanda and Lucy (who noted this is her all time favorite film.) It came from Gone With The Wind.

Try this one:

"Disturbing the peace? I got thrown out of a window! What's the f****** charge for getting pushed out of a moving car, huh? Jaywalking?!"

On Netflix:

Serious Moonlight - As most of you know, I usually like to choose indie type movies and this film seemed to fit the bill. It stars Meg Ryan and Timothy Hutton actors who usually do a good job with the material they are presented with. Unfortunately the material in this film gave them very little to work with. It was simply about a couple having marital problems and the unique way the wife tries to save the marriage. The ending was poorly developed and the last scene left me asking myself, "What was that?" Sy didn't even stay for the film and I recommend you do not spend the mere 85 minutes to watch it.

Smithsonian Exhibit

The Running Fence - Two weeks I ventured out with two friends to the Smithsonian American Art Museum; the one attached to the Portrait Gallery on F Street to see this exhibit. The Smithsonian Associates offered movies and a docent led tour. You don't have to have tickets to see the films and latch on to a tour. For those of you who are unfamiliar with The Running Fence it is another epic project of artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude (the artists who draped Central Park in orange a few years ago.) Running Fence was just that a nearly 25-mile long and 18-feet-high display that consisted of a white-fabric-and-steel-pole fence that stretched across the properties of 59 ranchers in Sonoma and Marin counties, ending in the Pacific Ocean. It was constructed in 1976 and stayed up a mere two weeks. The exhibit consists of drawings, collages, photographs, film, and actual fence components drawn from the artists archives. This exhibit will be at the Smithsonian American Art Museum through September 26.

A place to go:

This past weekend Sy and I were invited to a party at Fosters Clambake at National Place on the shores of the Anocostia River. We had never been to National Place and it is a lovely place to spend an afternoon. There are many shops, lots of restaurants and the harbor. On a cool day (the day we were there the temperature reached 90), it would make for a nice destination.

The movie selections at the local theaters have been limited in my opinion. I am hoping for a few better choices in the coming weeks. So in the meantime, catch up on some of the good movies you may have missed.

Enjoy,
Roberta

June 6

Yolanda was first with correctly identifying: "Well, we went skinny dipping, and we did things that frightened the fish." coming from Steel Magnolias.

Try this one:

""You're like the thief who isn't the least bit sorry he stole, but is terribly, terribly he's going to jail."

At the Signature Theater in Roslyn, VA"

(title of show) - Sy and I went with two other couples to see this show and the reviews were mixed. We all thought all the performers were very talented. The other couples really did not like the story. Sy loved it and I thought it was quite good. This is actually a true story about two young men who write a play about writing a play. I thought it was clever and being someone who is interested in lyrics found them to be intricate and helped move the play along. It is playing, I believe, for a few more weeks so you might want to see it and decide for yourself. Gold Star had half priced tickets and there is not a bad seat in the house.

At your local movie theater:

Sex and the City 2 - To Hell with the critics, I loved this film. Even Sy liked it.. If you are a Sex and the City fan, it is for you. Of course it is not PC and the "girls" are getting a bit old to be romping around as they do but, it is just like eating that extra piece of cheesecake; not good for you, but you love every bite. The fashion is as outlandish as ever, Samantha is horny as ever; Carrie and Big have issues; Miranda has job issues and Charlotte has child issues. Yes, the beginning has a very inappropriate gay wedding, but the movie is fun; no big message, no theatrical masterpiece just plain fun and I loved it!!!

On Netflix:

Coco Before Chanel - This foreign film starring Audrey Tautou tells the story of Coco Chanel before her rise to fame as a leader in the fashion world. It is beautifully told and the scenery is breathtaking. Audrey Tautou is lovely and reminds me of a young Audrey Hepburn. It has subtitles and I found them low on my screen; not sure if it was my TV or the format of the film. For a film that just tells a nice story with no violence, little sexuality see this film.

This is the beginning of the summer movie season and I did see some interesting trailers for movies today so be prepared for yet another summer of great, good and not so good movies.

Roberta