July 24

Carol Frank, Allison and Yolanda correctly identified "Secret's in the sauce." coming from Fried Green Tomatoes.


Try this one:

"I run a couple of newspapers. What do you do?"

A note about the Reduced Shakespeare Company and the History of Sports show - Yolanda told me that they will be at the Reston Community Center this spring. The price for Reston residents and those who work in Reston is $15. You can call the center for a catalog or stop by and get one and see all the offerings they have.

On Netflix:

The Switch - This is another in the never ending romantic comedies that have come out this past year. It stars Jennifer Aniston as the 30 something with a biological clock that is ticking away and Jason Bateman as her neurotic best friend. The real star of the film is the little boy who plays Sebastian, Thomas Robinson. Needless to say there is a mix up and things progress from there. I did find it a pleasant way to spend one of these horrible days of July. For a movie that will not offend, unless you don't believe in sperm donors, this is a fine movie to watch.

Invincible - Thursday was the last day of my Oscar losers class. The instructor decided to show this film simply because he liked it. It is the true story of Vince Papele who became a player for Philadelphia Eagles. Although the film depicts his coming on the team through an open audition, this was not the real case. He was playing for a minor type league and was asked to try out, but an open audition makes for a better movie. It follows the familiar formula about athletes overcoming odds to become successful. Mark Wahlberg stars as Papele, Greg Kinnear as coach Dick Vermeil and Elizabeth Banks is the love interest. I like these feel good movies and it certainly was a good way to spend a very hot afternoon. An interesting tidbit: someone in the class said the Greg Kinnear went to Lake Anne ES in Reston.

Streaming and Netflex discs:

All Good Things - This film based on the mystery surrounding real estate heir Robert Durst and his missing wife is best left unwatched. Although Ryan Gosling, Kristen Dunst and Frank Langella do fine jobs with their roles, the story which started off interesting and engaging went from bad to worse. I looked it up to see if it was a true story as I found some parts hard to believe and it is. Do yourself a favor and read a good book instead.

Some movies that are scheduled to be released in the next few weeks look promising. In particular Sarah's Key, which will be in limited distribution, and The Help are on my must see list!

I have had a change of heart regarding Netflix and the price hike. After realizing that my bill will go up only $6.00, I decided to keep it as it is. After all, a movie ticket for a first run film is more than that during the afternoon hours!

Roberta

July 21

Carol Frank was the sole identifier of the quote "You see, in this world there are two kinds of people, my friend: those with loaded guns and those who dig. You dig." comping from The Good, The Bad and The Ugly.

Try this one:

"The secret's in the sauce."

At Theaters:

Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows Part 2 - Both Sy and I have been waiting for the conclusion of the Harry Potter series and this final episode was not a disappointment. It leaves off right where part one ended. It is the final chapter of the meeting of Harry and Voldemort. There are lots of special effects, but the real stars are the three friends who have grown up before our eyes: Harry, Hermine and Ron (Daniel Radcliff, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson). They have all turned into fine actors. A note of caution; if you have not read the books or seen all the movies, you will be lost. It is also a bit scary for the younger set. Thoroughly enjoyed it!

On Netflix:

Mao's Last Dancer - This film with both Chinese and English is based on the autobiography of Li Cunxin. It is a beautiful story with wonderful ballet scenes. Even though ballet is not my favorite form of entertainment, the dance scenes were magnificent. You get the feel of how difficult it is to become a dancer and the hardships they go through to make the grade. All the actors/dancers are well suited for their roles. I don't want to tell more of the story, but highly recommend it.

Kennedy Center:

Reduced Shakespeare Company in "The Complete World of Sports" - This company takes on different subjects with their varied shows. It is a three man production and it is a hoot. The rapid fire delivery and the wonderful talent of each of the performers makes this show fly by. Goldstar has half price tickets and the Terrace Theater at the Kennedy Center is a great venue. There is no bad seat in the house. They are here only until Sunday so get your tickets. If not, they return to the area many times during the year so look for them. You won't be sorry!

With the horrible heat we are experiencing in the east, it is a good time to catch a movie!

Roberta

July 14

Betty and Carol Frank correctly identified "I see men-sixty, seventy years old breaking their balls to stay fit." "What for?" "When I die I want to be sick, not healthy." coming from The Witches of Eastwick

Try this one:

"You see in this world there are two kinds of people, my friend: those with loaded guns and those who dig. You dig."

At Theaters:

Larry Crowne - This film starring Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts won't win any awards and is very predictable, but a nice way to spend about 90 minutes. Although the story is one we have seen time and again, it does have a good message about education. Being a teacher for so many years, I like to see that theme in movies..

On Netflix and Cable:

Rebecca - Sy is taking a class through OLLI that is showing Alfred Hitchcock movies and this week I decided to tag along with him. This film is based on the Daphne du Mauree novel by the same name. I say based as Hitchcock took liberties with the story to make it his own. It was released in 1940 and received the Academy Award for best picture. In fact, they delayed release so that it would not come up against Gone With The Wind. It is a Gothic romance, but with the Hitchcock twist starring Joan Fontaine, Lawrence Olivier and Dame Judith Anderson as the villainous Mrs. Danvers. In fact, Anderson was voted number 37 as the most convincing villain by AFI. Although at times the dialogue was hard to understand, it does endure the test of time. It will hold your interest and you will be surprised by the ending. Look for it on TCM.

At Wolftrap:

Huey Lewis and The News - Our long term health seller invited us to this concert last night at Wolftrap Park in Vienna, VA. Since it was free and free food too, we went. We were a little anxious about the weather since we had horrible downpours in the afternoon, but the evening proved to be nice; a bit sticky, but nice. I have to say that I am not a fan of outdoor theater, but crowd watching is a show unto itself. I guess this group has a big following as the lawn and theater was packed and it was a Wednesday night. The opening band was Paul Thorn Band and I must say he was quite good. Didn't get full audience attention, especially on the lawn, but was quite an accomplished singer and his lyrics were interesting. We did not stay for the entire show, but what we did see of Huey Lewis was good and entertaining. I can't believe they have been around for over thirty years. Sitting so far back, I couldn't see how well he has held up, but his voice has. A note to the seniors out there: if you want to see a show and don't mind waiting for the last minute, Wolftrap sells half price tickets 30 minutes before the show starts to those 65 and over. As long as that person is buying the tickets is of that age or close to it, they don't ask about the others in the party.

Netflix's new pricing policy: By now all of you who are subscribers have received their new pricing policy. I heard on the news today there has been an overwhelming negative response to it so I assume it will change. If it doesn't, Sy and I will probably go back to just getting DVDs. We don't watch streaming that often and although the $7.99 is less than a full price movie ticket, we will probably opt for that program. Stay tuned for the latest news.

Roberta

July 2

Florrie,Carol Frank, Yolanda and Betty correctly identified, "How did you find America?" "Turned left at Greenland." coming from A Hard Day's Night. Most of them even knew it was John Lennon who said it - and I thought this was a hard one!!

Try this one:

"I see men-sixty, seventy years old breaking their balls to stay fit." "What for?" "When I die I want to be sick, not healthy."

Another guest reviewer (Wendy) writes:

Judy Moody Not So Bummer Summer - If you are looking for something to do with your 7 - 11 year old daughter/granddaughter, this is just the thing. The movie follows the characters of the Judy Moody book series as Judy and her brother Stink get into some funny situations with their Aunt (played by Heather Graham). There is a little plot but the main reason to see it are the hijinks that the characters get into while their parents are away for the summer.

On Netflix:

Life As We Know It- Although this is a very predictable romantic comedy, it was a nice way to wile away almost two hours. Katherine Heigl and Josh Duhamal star as the two romantic leads who become guardians for an orphaned child. Watching them deal with instant parenthood is amusing and Duhamal is easy on the eyes. An award winner - no, but in this day and age of films with gratuitous violence and sex and crass content, it is fun to see this cute movie.

On Netflix and Cable:

A Night At the Opera - My class this week showed this Marx Brother's 1935 classic. Let me start by saying that I am not much of a slapstick comedy fan which I believe this is, but the students in my class were laughing out loud. The Marx Brothers were truly talented; not only as comedians, but as accomplished musicians as well. Harpo played the harp and piano, Chico played the piano, Groucho played the violin and Zeppo was the vocalist. This was the first film without Zeppo. We were told that the "silly violence" was tampered to attract more female viewers, but there was plenty of that. Co-starring in this film is a very young Alan Jones and Killy Carlisle who played the romantic leads and Margaret Dumont playing the wealthy supporter of opera. Who knew that Carlisle was a trained opera star and sang for this film. Not my cup of tea, but you certainly will get a chuckle out of it.

We are off on a short vacation and unless the plane has films, I won't be seeing any films for a week or so. I do have some films still on instant Netflix and might review them when we return. Right now the pickings at the theaters are slim. I am anxiously awaiting the release of the final Harry Potter movie the weekend of July 16 other than that I don't see any blockbusters on the horizon. Let me know if you find some hidden treasure out there.

Roberta