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..