November 27

Betty, Allison and Lucy correctly identified, "You get what you settled for." coming from Thelma and Louise.

Try this one: "God made men." "Men made slaves."

In Theaters:

Unstoppable - Since I spent Black Friday shopping with my family, Sy and the "guys" went to this movie. This is his guest review. (after reading it, I think I need to up my game!)

Based on a true story, Denzel Washington and Chris Pine are truly “Unstoppable” as they chase Locomotive 777 and 39 freight cars filled with explosive toxins at high speed across the state of Pennsylvania. It’s a frenetic, heart-pounding 90 minutes that holds your attention throughout. Chris Pine, alias Captain Kirk from the Star Trek prequel, is well cast as the young brash train engineer, feverishly working with the seasoned veteran, Washington, and the local train yard manager, the beautiful Rosario Dawson, as they pull out all the stops trying to avert one of the worst train disasters in American history.

On Netflix:

The Back Up Plan - Save your netflix choice and don't rent this DVD. The story has been done time and time again with just a little twist. Jennifer Lopez is artificially inseminated on the very day she meets the man of her dreams. Needless to say she becomes pregnant, like that usually happens on the first try, and at the same time tries to start a relationship with this guy. The story is dumb and the two leads don't have chemistry. Although I usually like light romantic comedies, this one did not fill the bill.

DWTS Update:

For those of you who have been following the show, the viewers finally got it right and crowned Jennifer Gray as the new champion. She was everything you want in a champion; elegant and can actually dance. Kyle Massey was an honorable runner up. I swore if Bristol Palin won, I would never watch the show again. Even though I never vote, it is not a political contest, but dance one. They will be back in the Spring I believe. I won't be watching "Skating With The Stars." I do have some taste!

We will be seeing the new Harry Potter tomorrow, so look for my review. There are a number of movies I am interested in seeing as this is the movie season. So enjoy the movies.

Roberta

November 14

Florrie, Yolanda, Carol Frank and Allsion were correct in identifying "They asked me if I'd seen any strangers in the neighborhood." coming from Close Encounters of the Third Kind.

Try this one:

"You get what you settle for."

On Netflix:

The Secret in their Eyes - This foreign film is an engrossing story about a retired criminal investigator in Argentina who is writing a novel about a case that has haunted him throughout the years into his retirement. There are twists and turns and the action goes back and forth from present day to the past, but it holds your interest throughout. It won an Academy Award for best foreign picture in 2010. Since there are subtitles, you need to watch this when you are alert as the subtitles go fast at times.

At Theater J in Washington DC:

"The Odd Couple" - Sy is a huge Neil Simon fan so when I saw this on Goldstar, I ordered tickets. As an aside, if you haven't used Goldstar yet and see tickets for productions you are interested in, use them. I have never been disappointed. Anyhow, "The Odd Couple" is one of Sy's favorites. In fact, throughout the production, he was saying the lines with the actors. The play is wonderful and the storyline is timeless. They performed the original script which seemed a bit dated with references and costs of items (where can you get a brisket for $9.00) Anyhow, the actors are very good. It is difficult to do a play where the original cast is the ones you relate to. Who doesn't think of Tony Randall when they think of Felix or Walter Mathau when you think of Oscar, but the actors were all quite accomplished and did a very good job. For a fun evening or afternoon, get tickets to this show.

Next week Sarah Kamen makes her debut in her school's Fall production of skits. You can bet I will be there to see how she does!

Roberta

November 6

Carol Frank, Betty and Yolanda correctly identified "Twelve dwarves took turns doing handstands on the carpet." coming from Bugsy.

Try this one:

"They asked me if I had seen any strangers in the neighborhood."

Betty Jenkins commented on the Hair production currently playing at Kennedy Center in Washington DC: "I saw Hair again this afternoon. If you enjoyed it in 1968, you'll love the energy of this new production." "Goldstar has reduced price tickets for some performances, too. "

On Netflix:

Death at a Funeral - Sy and I both were not sure if we had seen this film or not, but we enjoyed it just the same. I have a soft spot for black comedies and I don't mean dark ones; ones that have a majority of African American actors. Perhaps in my former life, I was African American, but that's another story. This is a silly film starring some of my favorite comedians; Chris Rock, Martin Lawrence and Tracy Morgan. It felt like a poor man's English farce. Someone dies, someone is given potent drugs and acts crazy and a secret is revealed. Great movie - by no means, but a fun way to wile away 90 minutes - yes.

On Netflix and Instantly:

Babies - This documentary follows the first year of four babies in San Francisco, Tokyo, Mongolia and Somalia. It is delightful especially if you have recently had a baby or in our case a grandchild. It is amazing to see how the four develop with and without the "things" we think you must have. I was particularly interested in how the children were surrounded by animals of all kinds and how the animals intuitively knew how to react. For a feel good film, see this film.

Holy Rolers - This 2010 film stars Jesse Eisenberg, from Social Network fame, as Hasidic Jew Sam Gold who gets mixed up in an international ecstasy ring. Although you may be saying this is far fetched, it is based on a true story. Being from New York and Jewish, I found the film fascinating and engrossing. Since it is instantly on Netflix, you might want to sample it. It is only 88 minutes so you don't have to invest a great deal of time watching it. Watching Eisenberg in this film shows me that he has a lack of depth in his acting. He looked and acted very much like his character in The Social Network in this film as well.

DWTS Update:

This is usually the time of the competition where I swear I will never watch the program again. Although Rick Fox is no dancer, he certainly can dance better than Bristol Palin. Not that I want to offend anyone, but I thought it would have been sweet justice if she had been booted out on election day, but not so. Her days are numbered as is Curt Warner, but what do I know? I really shouldn't complain as I never vote on DWTS, but I did vote on Election Day.

Tomorrow we are off to see "The Odd Couple" at Theater J in DC. Look for my posting next time for my review.

Roberta