September 18

Carol , Julie identified "We can stay up all night swapping manly stories and in the morning, I'm making waffles!" coming from Shrek

Try this one:

"Never hate your enemies, it affects your judgement."

In Theaters (limited distribution):

Therese -  This 2012 film was the closing night selection at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival and is presently playing at Cinema Arts in Fairfax.  I assume it is playing nationwide at "art" houses. I had seen the previews last week and was under the impression that the film would be going into an entirely different direction.   It is a period drama that deals with the heroine's troubled struggle to remain autonomous as a member of her oppressive husband's family.  Audrey Tautou  stars as the unhappily married women.  It is very slow, but after the film we all talked about it a lot!  All of us were not sure how we felt about the movie, but if a movie gets you talking, doesn't that say something about the film?  The way Therese deals with her unhappiness is bizarre and the film dangles carrots and then does not act on them.  So....did I like it, not sure.  It is not presently in the Netflix bank, so you can't see it yet at your home or on streaming.  Look for it and if it comes along, see it and let me know what you think.  

At Signature Theater in Arlington:

Miss Saigon - All I can say is WOW!!!  Sy and I tried to get to see this last weekend, but there were no decent "Rush" tickets so we left.  Yesterday was a beautiful day here in Northern VA so we left in late afternoon and were the second group of people waiting on line.  We did secure good seats and enjoyed the performance.  I had never seen Miss Saigon, but it is loosely based on Madame Butterfly set in the Viet Nam War. The leads are amazing.  As a side note, the young man playing Chris, Gannon O'Brien, had to take over last minute as the lead pulled his vocal chords and could not perform due to doctor's orders.  He did a lovely job with the role.  Diana Huey, Kim,  has a lovely voice that is put to the test as the entire play is sung.  Thom Sesma as the Engineer brings a bit of comedy to the role.  Of course our favorite, Erin Driscoll, is wonderful as Ellen Chris' American wife.  A new song was added to this performance that Erin sings.  I was especially impressed with the staging.  If you remember in the Broadway version, a helicopter lands on stage.  Of course, Signature could not do that, but with lighting and sounds effects you feel a helicopter is there.  Kudos to the orchestra as well.  Their playing was flawless.  Another hit for Signature.  If you can, go see it before it leaves.

DWTS Update:

So the first episode was been put to bed and these are my thoughts.  Judges were overly generous to some and too harsh on others.  I know Valerie Harper is battling cancer, but her dancing did not deserve all 7's.  Although Bill Nye did not dance well, neither did Keyshawn Johnson the football player and his scores were higher than Bill's. I am happy that the show will only air one night a week.  The results show was a waste of time.  Here is my evaluation:

Front runners:

Amber Riley

Christina Milean

Elizabeth Berkley Lauren

Corbin Bleu

Middle of the Pack:

Jack Osburne

Brant Daugherty

Leah Remini

Snooki Polizzi

Bottom

Valerie Harper

Bill Nye

Keyshawn Johnson

Bill Engvall

Enjoy this beautiful fall weather.  If you are in the Washington area, this weekend is the annual National Book Festival on the Mall.  It is always fun to go to.

Roberta