July 27

Don't know if it's the meds I am on, but I forgot to list Edna in the list of people who correctly identified last week's quote from On Golden Pond.  Sorry.

Florrie, David, Sheila, Carol Frank and Yolanda correctly identified  "Wait a minute, Wait a minute, you ain't heard nothing yet." coming from The Jazz Singer.  Hopefully I didn't leave anyone out this week!

Try this one:

"Life is a banquet, and most poor suckers are starving to death!"

On Netflix:

A Thousand Words - Eddie Murphy plays a literary agent who spends too much time talking and not enough time caring about those who are close to him.  In a silly turn of events, he is told when a certain tree loses its leaves which does when he utters a word, he will die.  Murphy is at his best when he does physical comedy and that he does in this film.  Too bad the story was not fully developed as it could have been a much better film. 

On HBO and Netflix (to be saved)

Game Change - This film based on the best selling nonfiction book, recounts the rise of Sarah Palin from an unknown Alaskan governor to Vice Presidential candidate.  Her evolution from "obedient" into someone to fear is scary.  Julianne Moore and Ed Harris as Palin and McCain are terrific and look so much like the politicians.  Woody Harrelson steals the movie.  For a thought provoking movie especially if you are a Democrat, you need to see this film   

Fascinating Read:

Unorthodox by Deborah Feldman - this memoir takes you into the interesting world of the Hasidim.  Feldman describes her life as she goes about her day to day activities until she finally has had enough and leaves the fold.  Although I lived in Brooklyn and observed this group, it was interesting to get a first hand although biased look at its workings. 

New on HBO:

"Newsroom" - This goes along with the political theme of Game Change.  Although the critics did not like this show, it is terrific.  It revolves around a CNN type newsroom with Jeff Daniels playing the anchor with a host of talented actors surrounding him.  What I like about it is that Daniel's is a Republican who is concerned with the way his party is being taken over by radicals.  It is nice to see a balanced report of participants in the various political parties.  All Republicans are not to the extreme right and all Democrats are not to the extreme left.  If you have HBO give it a try; you won't be disappointed.

Another hot day here on the east, so catch a movie.

Roberta

July 22

Carol Frank, Ursula, Don and Florrie were correct in identifying "Listen to me, mister.  You're my knight in shining armor.  Don't you forget it.  You're gong to get back on that horse, and I'm going to be right behind you, holding on tight, and away we're gonna go, go, go."  from On Golden Pond.

Try this one:  "Wait a minute, Wait a minute, you ain't heard nothing yet."

On Netflix

Joyful Noise - I needed a film that would lift me up and not take too much brain power and this film fit the bill.  It stars Dolly Parton and Queen Latifah who belong to a church choir who dream of winning a national contest.  The voices of the two young stars are outstanding and it is just a plain feel good movie.  No awards in sight, but just good fun.

Footloose - Continuing with the feel good movie, I moved this film up on my list this week.  Although I didn't watch it constantly, the plot was not too difficult to follow.  It is a remake of the older film about a town who bans dancing after a horrific traffic accident takes the life of five teens after a dance.  My granddaughter Amanda liked the move, but mostly the dancing.  Julianne Hough of "Dancing With The Stars" is one of the stars.  It met my need. 

Pariah - This indie film traces the steps of an African American teen who comes to terms with her sexuality.  Knowing that her family will have a difficult time accepting her choices due to their religious beliefs, she tries to hide them from her lifestyle. A very short film, less than 90 minutes, but interesting,.  I did not know any of the stars, but Spike Lee was one of the producers. 

Excellent Read:

The Lost Wife by Alyson Richman - A love story that spans decades as a old man finds his lost wife at his grandson's rehearsal dinner.  The novel is told as a flashback and the background is the Holocaust.  How these two people meet, fall in love and what happens once the Nazis take over is a powerful read.  It is graphic, but not so much as to be sensational.  A very fast read and one that will stick with you days after you complete it.

Enjoy,
Roberta

July 14

Carol Frank, David Heymsfeld , Allison, Juli, Florrie and Yolanda correctly identified, "A boy's best friend is his mother." coming from  Psycho

Apologies to Florrie as she too got last week's quote correct as well.

Try this one:  "Listen to me, mister.  You're my knight in shining armor.  Don't you forget it.  You're gong to get back on that horse, and I'm going to be right behind you, holding on tight, and away we're gonna go, go, go.

Bill wrote about my review of Magic Mike last week:  "For your own validation, a bunch of my gay friends saw Magic Mike and left with the same review as you. I would never call you a prude!"

On  Netflix

In Darkness - This movie deals with the Holocaust as the Nazis overrun Warsaw.  A group of Jews take shelter in the sewer with the help of a Polish sewer inspector.  It is an important movie to see, but you have to be in the right frame of mind to see it.  It is very dark, both subject matter and the cinematography.  It also was a bit too long for my taste going almost two and a half hours.  It is based on a true story and shows how the reluctant hero's point of view changes as he interacts with the Jews.

God on Tria l - As I stated previously I am taking a class on Holocaust and Faith and this week the instructor showed this film to illustrate life in the camps.  It was powerful to say the least.  It is about a group of Auschwitz prisoners who decide to put God on trial. The tale is based pn anecdotal reports of an actual band of concentration camp inmates who convened a rabbinical court to determine how such evil could exist in a Godcentric universe as they awaited the determination of their own fates -- death or hard labor.  Difficult film to watch, but once again one that should be viewed. 

On HBO and Netflix:

Something Borrowed -  Last week I reported on the novel that this film is based on and this week I caught it on TV.   It is a romantic comedy of two lifetime friends, Kate Hudson and Ginnifer Goodwin who are polar opposites, but who pine for one guy.  The Hudson character is engaged to him, but the Goodwin character is really his match.  Things unfold over a few months.  A pleasant film, but nothing special. 

Glee - The Concert -  For those of you who don't know, I am a Gleek a fan of the TV show Glee.  The talented cast has me singing along and tapping my toes to the music they perform each week.  The stories are OK, but the music divine.  This film was made from their US concert.  Many of their signature songs are performed as "Don't Rain on My Parade" sung by Lea Michelle.  For an entertaining 90 minutes, look for this film. 

As some of you know I had surgery Friday and am recuperating this week, so I will probably be watching more movies than usual.  Look for my reviews in the coming week.  If I had to review a hospital VA Hospital Center in Arlington would get high marks.

Roberta

July 6

Yolanda and Carol Frank correctly identified"One morning I shot an elephant in my pajamas. How he got in my pajamas, I don't know."
Animal Crackers

Try this one:  "A boy's best friend is his mother."


Sandy Esterson just went up to New York to see "The Book of Mormon" and this is what she has to say:

You may want to give your readers a heads up on Book of Mormon.  It is totally irreverently good and campy as can be.  However, so funny and well done you can’t help but enjoy it.  I would say, anyway you can, get tickets for next summer at the Kennedy Center and get ready for a great show. So worth it!

As you know, Betsy Kemp, one of the recipients of Roberta's Reviews, daughter Erin Driscoll appears frequently in the Washington area and is married to James Gardiner who also appears around town.  For those of you who live in the Northern VA area, you might want to catch some of these shows.  This is what James wrote: 
"It's time for a little shameless self promotion. I'm doing my very first Signature Theatre cabaret of all James Taylor music on Friday, July 13th at 7:00 and 9:00 and would love to see your "Smiling Face" there ... get it?!? Get it!? Tickets are only $25, but seating is limited so try and get them as soon as possible. Tickets can be purchased online (at the links below) or over the phone at 703-820-9771. And check out the rest of the Sizzlin Summer Cabaret Series including my wife's cabaret "Get Happy: The Songs of Harold Arlen" on July 25th and Nick Blaemire and The Hustle #thesummerofnerdsoul on July 25th. "

Signature Sings James Taylor
Friday, July 13 @ 7pm Buy Tickets
Friday, July 13 @ 9pm Buy Tickets
James Gardiner (The Boy Detective Fails, [title of show]) teams up with Emmy Award-winning pianist Lenny Williams and guitarist Steven Walker to salute the musical legacy of one of America’s favorite songwriters, James Taylor. With the help of Helen Hayes Award winners Carolyn Cole (Hairspray), Natasica Diaz (Brother Russia, Kiss of the Spider Woman), Erin Driscoll (Hairspray, Urinetown) and Nova Y. Payton (Hairspray), the evening will explore everything from “Fire and Rain,” “Carolina in My Mind,” “You’ve Got A Friend” to “Steamroller Blues.

This is what Erin wrote:
"On July 25th, I am doing a cabaret of Harold Arlen songs at Signature theater as part of their Summer Sizzlin' Cabaret Series.  Now you might be asking, who is Harold Arlen?  He composed some of the best known songs in american music theater, such as Somewhere Over The Rainbow, Stormy Weather, Come Rain or Come Shine.  Should be a great night with special guests, the amazing Gabriel Mangiante on piano and even an upright bassist!  The link is below about tickets!  Hope to see you all there!"

http://www.signature-theatre.org/sizzlin-summer-cabarets

Also, coming up is Pirates of Penzance at Encore Stage and Studio and Best Little Whorehouse in Texas at Signature.  Info below for those shows as well.  

http://www.encorestageva.org/on-stage/now-playing/

http://www.signature-theatre.org/shows/whorehouse

In Theaters:

Magic Mike - This film is loosely based on Channing Tatum's experience as a male stripper.  It received wonderful reviews, but I was not impressed.  After seeing the men gyrating and showing their very taut asses a number of times, it got stale.  Cody Horn who plays the love interest never smiles and I had no idea why a hottie like Tatum's character would fall for her.  I did enjoy seeing Matt Bomer of "White Collar" as one of the strippers as well as Adam Rodriguez.  I know the critics thought Matthew McConaughey did a great job as the sleazy owner of the club, but once again not my cup of tea.  All the actors have exceptional bodies and can dance, but after the first 30 minutes the novelty wore off for me.  Perhaps I am showing my age, but I don't consider myself a prude, just thought is wasn't a very good movie.  By the way, Sy agreed with me.   

A Beach Read:

Something Borrowed by Emily Giffon - Sometimes you just want to read a light book and not think about any deep meaning.  This book fits the bill.  I read it in two sittings and believe me it will not win any prizes,but it was an enjoyable way to spend the time.  It is about two life long friends and what happens when one falls for the other's fiance.  It was made into a movie this year and I have it on my Netflix list so I'll be reviewing it in a few weeks.   Not a Pulitzer, but enjoyable.

Once again this weekend's temperatures will be in the triple digits so you might want to see a movie.

Roberta

July 1

Carol Frank and Florrie were correct in identifying  “A real woman could stop you from drinking.” “It’d have to be a real BIG woman.”coming from Arthur.

Try this one:
"One morning I shot an elephant in my pajamas. How he got in my pajamas, I don't know."

In Theaters:

People Like Us - This is a lovely feel good movie starring Chris Pine, Elizabeth Banks, Olivia Wilde and Michelle Pfeiffer.   There is great chemistry between Pine and Banks.  In fact, Sy thought they should make another movie together where there is more of a romantic theme.  If you haven't seen the trailers, I don't want to give away too much of the plot just to say it is about finding family.  Once again the young actor playing Bank's son, Michael Hall D'Addario, is great.  You might shed a few tears, but will feel good with the film's end.  A great way to get out of the oppressive heat we are experiencing here on the east coast. 

This is the second film from my Gene Kelly class:

On Netflix:

The Pirate - This 1948 film stars Kelly with Judy Garland.  Whenever I see Garland in a film her acting is just a copy of how she was in The Wizard of Oz not sure why she became such a big star.  That being said, this is another silly story about a traveling troubadour who ends up with his group  on a Caribbean Island and promptly falls in love with Manuela the Garland character. She is engaged to the town mayor and mayhem occurs due to mistaken identity.  It is very dated!!  The actors don't even attempt a bad accent and they are supposed to be of Spanish descent.  It is striking how minorities are treated in films of that era.  The only song I knew was "Be a Clown."  The lyrics by Cole Porter are intricate as Porter's songs always are.  For a stroll down memory lane, you can see this film.

Amen. - I am taking another OLLI class on the Holocaust and Faith.  This week the instructor showed this 2002 release that is based on the play "The Representative".  He showed it so that we could get a sense of what the Vatican and other countries knew about the Nazi's solution to the Jewish problem and what they did or more precisely didn't do.   The central character is Kurt Gerstein a Waffe-SS officer employed in the SS Hygiene Institute, designing programs for the purification of water and the destruction of vermin. He is shocked to learn that the process he has developed to eradicate typhus, by using a hydorgen cyanide mixture called Zyklon B, is now being used for killing Jews in extermination camps.  The only person moved to act is Riccardo Fontana a young Jesuit priest.  The Gerstein character is historical, but the young priest and plot are fictional.  Gerstein hung himself in prison, but twenty years later he was vindicated.  An excellent film. 

New on HBO:

The Newsroom - Although the critics gave this a lukewarm review, both Sy and I found it quite good.  Jeff Daniels stars as the head anchor of a news program.  He is surrounded by some very good actors whose names I do not know except Sam Waterson playing the head honcho.  In future episodes, Jane Fonda will appear as the owner.  Check it out for yourself to see if you like it as much as I do.  It is on at 10:00 Sundays, but repeated throughout the week.

Hope most of you now have your power back and are in cool quarters.

Roberta