December 24

arol Frank, Yolanda, Betty, Kathy Luke, Florrie and Martha Hutchinson correctly identified "The fact that you're not answering leads me to believe that A) You're not home. B) You're home but you don't want to talk to me, or C) You're home, desperately want to talk to me, but you're trapped under something heavy. If it's either a or c, please give me a call." coming from When Harry Met Sally.

Try this:

"...Greed, for lack of a better word, is good. Greed is right. Greed works. Greed clarifies, cuts through and captures the essence of the evolutionary spirit. Greed, in all of its forms-greed for life, for money, for love, knowledge-has marked the upward surge of mankind."



On Netflix:

Incendies - This film was nominated for best foreign film in 2010. It is an intriguing story of twins who are directed by their mother's will, to deliver letters to their father, who they thought was dead, and a brother who they never knew. Much of the film takes place during the Lebanese civil war in the 1970's. The story takes many twists and turns and flashes back and forth from present day to the past. It can be confusing at times. The daughter and mother look a lot alike so you need to be patient until you get to know who is who. A story that grows on you; worth the time.

On Netflix and HBO:

The Adjustment Bureau - Normally this is not my type of movie; a sci-fi thriller with a love story thrown in for good measure is not for me, but Matt Damon and Emily Blunt are such a convincing couple, it was worth the time spent watching. The story is improbable, but the message that love conquers all and can change your fate, is eternal. If you want to escape from reality, it is a fine film to see.

Las Vegas: As many of you know, Sy and I took a short trip to Las Vegas the week of December 19 and had a lot of fun. Just in case any of you are planning a trip there, here are some hints:

Shows: We saw three shows while we were there:
The Magic of Rick Thomas - Before you say how lame, think about seeing a tiger disappear. No matter how many of these shows we go to, we are always amazed. There are a number of magic shows on the strip and downtown. This one is at the Tropicana Hotel and is mid-priced at about $40
The Improv - Whenever we go to Vegas we go to Harrah's Improv Comedy Club. Three comedians usually are on the bill. This time we saw Lachlan Patterson, the headliner, Steve Mittleman and Dava Krouse the emcee. They were all funny with Patterson the funniest. This show was $37, but we laughed the entire hour.
Lastly we were able to get tickets to The Lion King at the Mandalay Bay Hotel. This is a full Broadway scale production. The theater holds about 1000 and all the seats were filled. In fact, Sy and I could not get seats together, but we loved the production, music and dancing. A must especially if you have little ones. We sat pretty far up as I got the tickets the day before for $75 a piece.
I did want to go to see O, but it was sold out. I hate to buy tickets in advance. If something happens and you don't make the trip, you are out of luck. There is a concession called Tickets4Tonite that sells tickets for shows at a discount, but they don't have all the shows. We did get the magic show from them, but I think we could have done better by ourselves.

Food and Exercise:Vegas is a great walking city so even though we overate at many restaurants and buffets, we walked a lot of it off. We stay at Harrah's which is right in the middle of the strip. We averaged at least four miles a day of walking, but with stops in casinos along the way. Note about buffets - if you get there right before they change to their next meal, you pay that price, but reap the benefits and selections of the next meal. A waiter at the Golden Nugget told us this when we were heading in for a late lunch. There are many fine dining restaurants in the hotels along the strip. So whatever your taste, you'll find something to fit you.

Casinos: I did find my $5 blackjack tables in some of the big hotels. I especially liked the casinos at Monte Carlo, Excalibur, Tropicana and Harrahs on the strip and Four Queens downtown. $5 can change to $10, but with some warning and can be $5 one day and $10 the next (that happened at Tropicana) If you play the cheaper tables, the dealers and participants are usually friendlier as not as much money is being bet. You won't break the bank, but you won't lose your shirt either. This time we came out ahead by winning a little more than $200.

Hotels: Every time we go to Vegas the skyline changes with bigger and more elaborate hotels. As I said before, we tend to stay at Harrah's because of its location. The price this time was also unbeatable. I got the hotel for $27 a night. It is older, but still nice, clean and for the most part quiet. There are some new hotels like Aria, Cosmopolitan and Encore which are quite lovely. There is also a very upscale shopping center in front of Aria called City Center for those of you who like to shop.

As you can see, there is something for everyone. The one group I would keep away from Vegas are children. It blows my mind every time we go to see kids walking with parents along the strip. Although there are things for them to do, the atmosphere is not what I think appropriate for children; gambling, drinking and sex!

I hope everyone is enjoying their holidays. Happy New Year.

Roberta

December 12

Yolanda, Carol Frank, Betty, and Florrie correctly identified "God, she's beautiful. She's got the prettiest eyes. She looks so sexy in that sweater. I just want to be alone with her and hold her and kiss her, tell her how much I love her, take care of her. Stop it you idiot, she's your wife's sister." coming from Hannah and Her Sisters.

Try this:

"The fact that you're not answering leads me to believe that A) You're not home. B) You're home but you don't want to take to me, or C) You're home, desperately want to talke to me, but you're trapped under something heavy. If it's either a or c, please give me a call."

At Theaters:

J. Edgar - Although the critics gave this film a less than stellar rating, I enjoyed it very much. Leonardo DiCaprio did a fine job playing the lead character. The supporting actors were very good as well. The make up job on DeCaprio was outstanding, but for his right hand man, it was not very good unless this gentleman really did age so poorly. I learned a great deal, although I probably should check the facts with another source. The one complaint I had was the film jumped back and forth from his early years to the years just before he died. All in all, a good film.

Guest Reviewers - Sy, Amanda and Sarah

Jack and Jill - Since I had to go out and the girls were staying with us, the decision was made to go to the movies. Amanda wanted to see The Muppet Movie, Sarah wanted to see New Year's Eve and Sy didn't care. Since we didn't want Sarah to be alone and Amanda didn't want to see her movie they settled for Jack and Jill. They were the only people in the theater and during the film Sy texted Sarah with the message: "This is the worse film I have every seen." The girls agreed with him. Although they said it was funny at times, they said it was stupid - this coming from a ten and thirteen year old, One wonders why Al Pacino took the role he did! Save your money, your Netflix pick and your time if it ever appears on TV! Don't see it. (would have given no smiles, but Amanda said it was somewhat funny.)


On Netflix:

The Next Three Days - This film starring Russell Crowe and Elizabeth Banks, although improbable, was quite engaging. Banks is arrested for a murder and Crowe, as her husband, plans a daring escape. The trial is not developed at all. The majority of the film deals with Crowe's plan. Sy thought it stole a lot from The Fugitive, but it kept our interest and kept up at the edge of our seats until the end.

Good Place to Visit:

National Gallery of Art:

For a lovely afternoon, take a ride into DC and visit the National Gallery of Art. Presently they have an Andy Warhol exhibit featuring his headline artwork. My friends and I latched on to a tour that we thought was for the general public. Little did we know that the women had bid on this private tour given my the museum's curator who actually put this show together. Further coincidence was the group was from Great Falls Elementary where I had taught. What a wonderful coincidence! We learned so much on the tour. This exhibit last until the beginning of January. Next we headed to West Wing to see a painting of Samuel Morse entitled "Gallery of the Louvre." Who knew he was a painter before he became inventor of the Morse Code. A very interesting piece. This exhibit is here until July 8. Lastly, we went back to the East Wing to see an exhibit by Mel Bochner. This artist uses synonyms for his paintings. It is something we ask all our students to do when we ask them to elaborate on their writing. For example his Unnameable is a list of words in a vivid colors. The title word is followed by nameless and anonymous and so on. I was fascinated with it. If you go, you won't be disappointed. This exhibit lasts until April 8.

On another note:

Once again I would like to apologize for the email sent out today. AOL said I probably opened something I should not have and the hackers were able to get into my address book. I certainly learned my lesson!

For those of you who will be celebrating Chanukah next week - Happy Chanukah; for those of you celebrating Christmas - Merry Christmas and for those of you who just aren't celebrating - Happy New Year. We will be Las Vegas next week, but hope to see some shows while we are there. Look for my reviews then.

Roberta

December 1

Mark, David, Pat,Gil, Sara, Carol Frank, Paula, Alison, Caroline, Estelle, Florrie, Betty and Lucy were correct in identifying "You know what you look like to me, with your good bag and your cheap shoes? You look like a rube. A well-scrubbed, hustling rube with a little taste...Good nutrition has given you some length of bone, but you're not more than one generation from poor white trash, are you, Officer Starling?" coming from Silence of the Lamb.

Try this one:

"God, she's beautiful. She's got the prettiest eyes. She looks so sexy in that sweater. I just want to be alone with her and hold her and kiss her, tell her how much I love her, take care of her. Stop it you idiot, she's your wife's sister."

In Theaters:

The Descendents - Let me first say that I can watch George Clooney read the telephone book, but I found this film a bit slow. It is VERY depressing. Without giving the story away, if you have problems with seeing movies about death and dying, this is not for you. There are two side stories regarding his wife and extended family and the land they own in Hawaii. The star of this movie, in my opinion, is Hawaii. Having spent some time there, it was lovely to see the scenery and remember places we visited. The young actors playing his daughters and jerky friend are well cast and give solid performances. Is it well acted? yes. Were the characters likable? yes. Is it a downer? yes. Will you like it? perhaps. See it for yourself and decide.


On Netflix:

Win, Win- This heartwarming story stars Paul Giamatti as an attorney and wrestling coach. His practice is in trouble and he takes on the guardianship of an old man, whose grandson appears out of nowhere. The relationships bloom and a lovely story unfolds. I like how Giamatti never type casts himself. We just saw him in Ides of March and who can forget him as John Adams. Once again he shines in this role. The supporting cast is solid including: Jeffrey Tambor, Amy Ryan, Burt Young and Alex Shaffer. Bobby Cannavale is a hoot as Giamatti's best friend. For a feel good movie, see this one.

When we went to the theater this week, the previews for the holidays looked promising. So take some time to see some of the new films out there.

Roberta