February 20

In Theaters:

The Monuments Men - As most of you know, this film is based on true events.  A team of art historians and museum curators are put together to recover renown works of art stolen by Nazis before Hitler destroys them.  The cast is amazing - George Clooney, Matt Damon, Bill Murray, John Goodman, Jean Dujardin, Bob Balaban, Hugh Bonneville and Cate Blanchett.  With that lineup you would expect an extraordinary film, but it wasn't.  It was good, not great.  The true story was so riveting, but the film not so much. I expected more tense scenes as the group found and then returned the art, but it just wasn't there.  Also, both Sy and I thought the music was inappropriate at times. It is an important story to be told, but I wish it had a bit more excitement.

On Netflix and Streaming:

Side Effects - Was surprised to see this on streaming so soon.  It was quite good.  Lots of twists and turns so I won't give away any details.  It has a good cast with Jude Law, Rooney Mara, Catherine Zeta Jones and  Channing Tatum..  A young woman is given a drug for her depression and things go from bad to worse.  

At GMU Center For The Arts:

Peter Nero - Music of the Heart - When I asked Sy if he wanted to go to this concert, he replied. "Isn't he dead?"  Well we are here to say, at 79 he has more energy and talent than both of us put together.  We were amazed by his playing and stamina. His style is timeless as he played songs from Broadway hits (a 20 minute set of the entire score from West Side Story) to jazz greats from Duke Ellington.  He did not have a piece of music in front of him and played flawlessly.  We once again got tickets from Goldstar and for $33 a ticket this was a steal.  Unfortunately the concert hall was not filled.  My question to all of the people I went with was does he need the money or does he do it for the sheer pleasure of it.  It is probably a combination of the two, but we were the fortunate recipients of his marvelous talent.  If he plays at a venue near you, don't think twice, but go see him.

An Interesting Read

My Name is Mary Sutter by Robin Oliveira - This histroical fiction story is set as the Civil War is just about to begin. It  tells the story of a determined midwife who longs to be a surgeon and how she obtains the skills to become one as she nurses soldiers on the battlefield as well as in horrible conditions in make shift hospitals in Washington DC.   The scenes of war are terrifying, but you learn so much about how things were especially the conditions in our nation's capital.  Although I know some found it a bit gruesome, it painted an accurate picture of the times and how women were treated and what opportunities they were given and limited to in the not so distant past.  A love story runs through the novel as well.  This is Oliverira's first novel and I think well written.  If you like history, read this historical fiction novel you won't be disappointed..

February 14

On Netflix:

Thanks for Sharing:  Although the topic seems raunchy, this film is very poignant and touching.  The film stars Mark Ruffalo, Tim Robbins, Joshua Gad and Pink as sex addicts.  It tells their story and how hard it is to maintain sobriety and a healthy relationship.  Gwyneth Paltrow costars as Ruffalo's love interest.  Carol Kane, from Taxi days, has a small role as Gad's mother.  The actors are outstanding and the story sweet, touching and thought provoking.  I would highly recommend you put this on your list.  

Last Vegas - With a snowy day and nowhere to go, Sy and I watched this film.  Will it win any awards - no, but it was a delightful way to spend a few hours.  The cast is great with Michael Douglas, Morgan Freeman, Kevin Kline and Robert DeNiro playing best boyhood friends.  Douglas is planning on getting married and they all reunite in Vegas.  Nothing new, but as a more senior viewer, I enjoyed a lot of the jokes. 

At the Northern Virginia JCC:

Last weekend the JCC had their annual comedy show.  A number of our friends decided not to attend the show due to the very raunchy comic they had last year.  I am here to say the center learned their lesson.  This year they had not one , but two outstanding comics.  The opening act was Jay Szeck (not sure of the spelling)  He was a teacher in addition to a comic and did a fine job in opening the program with a short set.  Being in the education field, I laughed  the most at his teacher jokes.  The headliner was Monica Piper.  She is about 60 and had a lot of life experience to work with.  She is a writer and single Mom. Sy was impressed with her timing and in addition to just telling jokes, she would preface her story with , "I call this..." and then retell that story.  She was on for almost an hour and had the audience in the palm of her hand throughout.  If you have the opportunity to see either of these comics, do so you won't be disappointed.  

Reston Community Players:

Les Miserables - When I first heard that the Reston players were going to stage this production I thought no way.  It can't be good.  Well friends raved and I got tickets.  It was amazing!! For a community production it was marvelous.  The actors were first rate, scenery creative and lighting effective.  The orchestra was put to the test as the show is all singing and they played such an important part.  If I had one complaint, at times the orchestra was a bit too loud and the tempo of the music was faster than I had remembered.  These are really nit picking items as it was wonderful.  Since it was such a sellout, they will be performing an additional weekend so see if you can get any tickets.

House of Cards Returns:

Sy and I just watched the first episode of the second season of House of Cards and all I can say is OMG!!!  There is a real surprise element in it.  Spacey and Wright are still their most evil selves, but it is like a car wreck, you don't want to look, but you  can't take your eyes off of it

Stay warm and be safe as you drive in this snow, ice and then 60 degrees later this week in the Northeast!

Roberta

February 5

Netflix and Streaming

Invisible War  - My AAUW group showed this a while back and I am just getting to see it.  It is so powerful.  The documentary follows a few women and men from every branch of the service who have been sexually abused.  It is amazing how this problem has been brought up time and time again with no real action being taken.  I was particularly incensed by the women in charge who constantly defended the preventive programs and said things were being done.  The only hope was in the very last screen shot when the producers indicated that Leon  Panetta, the then Secretary of Defense, had changed the organizational structure of reporting sexual abuse from that of being to your commanding officer to an outside force.  It is horrifying that so many of our men and women are not only subjected to this abuse of power, but are helpless once it happens.  It is an important film for all to view.

At the JCC - Jews Who Rock:

As I mentioned in an earlier post, the Jewish Community Center of Northern Virginia has recently upped their game in the types of performances they are offering. Recently we saw the group "Gathering Time"  They are described as a high energy Peter, Paul and Mary or a co-ed Crosby, Stills and Nash.  The title of their performance was Jews Who Rock.  They sang songs from great Jewish composers from Simon and Garfunkel to Carole King to Neil Diamond to Carly Simon and so much more.  It was a walk down memory lane as all the songs they sang were ones we grew up with.  They finished the official concert with "Light One Candle" and as an encore did an original piece.  The group is made up of Stuart Markus, Hillary Foxsong and Gerry McKeveny. They offer other programs such as Great Folk Rock Festival (featuring the acoustic classics of the 60's and 70's) and Songs of Conscience (focused on songs of social justice).  Go see them if they play a venue near you, you won't be sorry.

A lovely story:

I posted this on my Facebook page, but am posting it again here so that those of you who are not my facebook friends might hear this wonderful story  Recently we met friends for brunch at Chef Geoff's in Tysons Corner. Before Sy and I arrived, the waiter had spilled the coffee creamer on our friend. They did apologize and offered him a choice of pre brunch item or dessert. In addition they offered to dry clean his pants, which in itself was the right thing to do and was appreciated. A little while later, the manager came over and asked how he was doing. Since he was going to a performance after brunch, he mentioned that and had previously asked if they had a hair dryer to dry the pants. Well you won't believe what happened next, the manager asked his size and went and bought him a new pair of pants at Norstroms. I can't believe this and needless to say we will be back. The restaurant has a number of sites in Northern VA, MD and DC and the food is very good and reasonable. Do yourself a favor and patronize this restaurant!

Where Frustrated Actresses Go!

As many of you know, Sy and I went out to visit with the Shermans in San Francisco this past weekend.  Lisa got us tickets for the San Francisco Children's Theater production of Cinderella.  First of all, all the actors were females and not to be nasty a bit over the hill.  Even Cinderella wasn't young, but had the dress.  After the show the actors met with their fans and signed autographs.  The four of us almost fell asleep during the production, but Abby was enthralled.  She loved every minute of it and got all the major players' autographs.  I will say that the wicked step sisters were the best.  During our stay. Abby and I spent a lot of time reenacting Cinderella and I must say our version rivaled theirs!

A place off the beaten path:

The Walt Disney Museum - Located on the Presidio in SF is the Walt Disney Museum.  It is a loving tribute to the man by his daughter.  This museum is NOT for children as they would be bored, but a fascinating trip through Disney's life. Through photographs and interactive exhibits, it retold how he first became an artist, animator, film maker and finally the inspiration behind the construction of Disney Land.  We spent about two hours there, but could have easily spend another hour.  In addition, they show movies that are included in the price.  When we were there, Mary Poppins, was playing.  We thought getting to the museum we thought would be tough, but we were able to take BART to a nearby shuttle that took us right to the museum. The shuttle was free and a bonus was that it went through Chinatown and other parts of the city.  The cost for the museum is $20, but $15 for students and seniors.  

The Northeast is bracing for yet another storm.  Will this winter ever let up!!  Have your supply of movies on hand!!

Roberta