March 29

David and Carla Heymsfeld, Lucy and Florrie identified "I pray that I may never see the desert again. Hear me, God." coming from Lawrence of Arabia.

David sent in this quote for you to try:

“don’t be stupid,be a smarty, come and join the Nazi party”

As many of you know, I have been watching Amanda and Sarah while Wendy and Howard have been in Barcelona, so I haven't had the opportunity to watch any Netflix movies this week. We did go see a kid's movie Sunday.

At your local theaters:

Diary of a Wimpy Kid - This movie is based on the very popular novels by Jeff Kinney that so many kids are reading. Sarah is a big fan and really wanted to see this movie. It is cute and the kids will like some of the gross things that happen to the main character, Greg. The characters are over the top. Sarah, who saw the author at the annual book festival in Washington, DC, said the books are based on his life and the movie left lots of things out. The girls liked it. As an adult it was tolerable so I asked the girls what they would rate it and they both said between two and three smiles so its:

"Dancing With the Stars" - As many of you know the show kicked off its season last week. I am not as engrossed with the show as in previous years, but will probably continue to watch. Some impressions from week one:
1. I thought they underrated the football player who is Cheryl's partner
2. I thought they overrated Pamela Anderson
3. Why do people subject themselves to this competition when they should just leave their reputations intact i.e. Buzz Aldrin??


Roberta

March 22

It is good to be home and getting back to normal although jet lag is still effecting my sleep patterns. On my way to Spain and going home, I was able to watch four movies and during the flight and on the trip I read three books so I am happy to review them all for you.

On my last posting, the last quote was correctly identified by Florrie and Lucy. "You have brought music back in to my life. I had forgotten." as coming from one of my all time favorite movies The Sound of Music.

Try this one:

"I pray that I may never see the desert again. Hear me, God."

On Netflix and Air France:

An Education - The star and film were up for academy awards,. It is an interesting story about a coming of age teen whose parents made sure she would be going to Oxford until she becomes involved with an older man and gets a different kind of education. It is a tender and poignant film that also reinforces the importance of an education.

A Serious Man - I have never been a fan of the Coen Brothers movies and this one is by far the oddest. It was nominated for an academy award which blows my mind!! It is about a Jewish family unraveling with divorce, freeloading relatives, children in religious school and Bar Mitzvah in the 1960's. The ending is unsettling to say the least. I would like comments if you've seen the movie and your thoughts regarding the ending.

Time Traveler's Wife - If you didn't read the book, you will be totally lost!! It does stay true to the book to a degree, but does jump around and doesn't fully develop the characters. Eric Bana and Rachael McAdams make an attractive pair. I didn't like the book and therefore didn't care for the movie. The movie is about a person who time travels and how it effects his relationships especially with his long suffering wife.

The Princess and the Frog - This Disney film was a breakthrough for Disney as it featured the first Disney Princess of color. Although they tried to make the characters realistic, the Prince, in particular, looked as the other Princes, but with a darker complexion., It takes place in New Orleans and the animation is Disney quality. Small children might be frightened by the Voo Doo characters. Music is good, but not one of Disney's best. A good movie to take children over 8.

Some Good Reads (some are more for a plane ride than literary value)

The Red Tent by Anita Diamant - This novel was written in 1992 and at that time everyone raved about it. I don't know where I was, but I didn't read it then, but thoroughly enjoyed reading it now. It was a New York Times Bestseller. It is the story of Dinah who is mentioned briefly in the Bible. Through her voice you understand what life was like in the ever growing family of Jacob. Her mothers Leah, Rachel, Zilpah and Bilhar are described and come to life as Dramant takes actual events and fleshes it out with her imagination. Even if the Bible and history is not your thing, you won't be disappointed.

The Camel Club by David Baldacci - I am a fan of Baldacci and enjoy his books as they are set in Northern Virginia. This one is a page turner with very interesting characters especially the members of the camel club. The plot is a bit unrealistic and at times confusing but engrossing nonetheless.

All Around The Town by Mary Higgins Clark - If you've ever read one of her books, you've read them all, but they are fun to read, keep your interest and a very easy read at that. This time the story is about a young woman who was kidnapped as a child and develops multiple personalities to cope with what happened to her. There are lots of twists and turns and all is resolved by book's end.

A note about books on trips:

I didn't realize that the library sells old paperbacks for $1.00 to as low as .25. We picked up these and an additional one for less than two dollars. While on the trip, as people finished a book we traded them to one another.

Tonight is the beginning of the tenth season of "Dancing With The Stars." I am getting a bit tired of it, but will probably watch it in spite of that.

Glad to be home, but won't have a lot of time to watch films as Wendy and Howard are on their way to Barcelona and I'll be staying at their house with the girls so I probably won't be posting again until after the first. For those of you celebrating Passover, have a Happy Passover and those celebrating Easter have a Happy Easter and those of you who are indifferent, Happy Spring!!

Roberta

February 28

No one even hazarded a guess to last times quote submitted by Florrie:

"You might as well question why we breathe. If we stop breathing, we'll die. If we stop fighting our enemies, the world will die." From Casablanca and said by Victor Laszlo.

Try this one:

"You have brought music back in to my life. I had forgotten."

On Netflix and Instantly on Your Computer:

Departures - This academy award foreign film winner is worth the rental. I say rental since it is over two hours and I think hard to watch on your computer even though the subtitles are closer to the eye. It is touching, funny and beautiful. The premise is a musician loses his job as his orchestra is dissolved. He returns to his native home and falls into a job as one who prepares the body for the afterlife. Although it sounds dreadful, it is quite lyrical in its telling. It is not a fast paced movie. but stay through it to the end and you won't be disappointed.

On Netflix:

Couples Retreat – I would not have seen this movie had it not been offered for free at the Reston Theater. It is a very ordinary film starring Vince Vaughn, Kristen Bell, Jason Bateman and Kristin Davis. It is silly at times and predictable. There are times when you will crack a smile, but the talent of these actors is wasted on the plot. Don’t waste a rental on this one. If you must see it, wait for it to be on HBO or commercial TV.

Love Happens – This romantic comedy stars Jennifer Aniston and Aaron Ecrkhart. It is not your typical story of boy meets girl, boy loses girl and then finally boy gets girl. It is somewhat of an odd story of a grief stricken author who needs to heal himself before he can love again. Although I like Aniston, I didn't feel the chemistry between the two main characters. Once again I wouldn’t waste a rental on this one.

On HBO and Netflix:

17 Again - Since this film was on HBO, I decided to watch it. Surprisingly it was a cute movie. It is predictable and reminded me of 13 going on 30 and Big. In all these movies, the main character has some kind of wish to either redo their lives or want to grow older quicker. This film has the main character (Matthew Perry) unsatisfied with his life and wishes he could redo it. He has his dream come true and realizes he had the best of everything all along. Tweens will love it as it stars Zac Efron. If you have HBO give it a try.

Through March 31:

The Terra Cotta Warriors Exhibit at the National Geographic Museum in DC - This small, but wonderful exhibit is not to be missed. It always amazes me that we think we have come so far, but when you see what ancient civilizations did with the limited technology they had at their disposal, it is truly awe inspiring. Life size clay figures of soldiers, charioteers, archers, musicians, generals and acrobats were buried nearly 2,000 years ago in massive underground pits to accompany China's first emperor, Qin Shihuangdi, into the afterlife This discovery in 1974 outside the city of Xi'an in 1974 is one of the greatest archaeological finds of the 20th century. .Don't expect the warriors to be lined up as they were as they protected the emperor. This exhibit has limited figures and artifacts, but you certainly get the feel and magnitude of the site. Do rent the auto tape players to get the most out of this exhibit.

My Oscar Picks: I have to say that I haven’t seen many of the nominated films or films of nominated actors, but I’ll give you my guess as to who will win plus my favorites:

Best Picture: I loved The Blind Side, but don’ t think it is meaty enough to win. Avatar is a front runner, but I am going for a dark horse with The Hurt Locker.

Best Actor – Jeff Bridges has won every award so far, so I am not going to go against the tide. I did like George Clooney and Morgan Freeman, but this is Bridges’ year.
Best Actress – Sandra Bullock was fantastic in The Blind Side and she too has won almost all the awards so far. I loved her and believe she deserves it.

Roberta

February 15

Florrie, Yolanda, Carol Isaacs, Lucy correctly identified "Moses supposes his toses are Roses." "But Moses supposes erroneously as coming from Singing in the Rain.

Florrie sent this quote in. See if you know where it came from:

"You might as well question why we breathe. If we stop breathing, we'll die. If we stop fighting our enemies, the world will die."

On Netflix:

Public Enemies – At first Sy and I thought we would not like this film as we thought it would be too violent, but we were surprised. The film starring Johnny Depp and Christian Bale is a well constructed movie set in the thirties when crime was rampant. Depp play John Dillinger and Bale Melvin Purvis the G-man who finally captures him. The scenery and costumes really capture the time and the actors portray the individuals as multidimensional figures. As stated violence is included, but only to depict the times and add to the storyline. Marion Cotillard plays Dillinger’s love interest making him quite likeable.

Netflix and Instantly on your computer:

Bolt – This Oscar nominated best animated feature was a surprisingly delightful movie. The animals are voiced by John Travolta and Susie Essman and the girl by Miley Cyrus. It is a heart- warming story about friendship and the need for everyone to be loved. The animation is well done. There is enough clever material to keep adults engaged and children will relate to the animals. Some of the scenes are scary and a bit violent so may not be appropriate for very young children.

A Classic novel to reread:

A Tree Grows In Brooklyn by Betty Smith – This coming of age novel at the turn of the 20^th century give wonderful insight into the life of Francie Nolan as she matures from an 11 year old to a 17 year old woman. Through her eyes you see her neighborhood of Williamsburg and the lives she encounters. Topics such as union involvement, the plight of the poor, education and sex are explored by Francie. It is a book that even Oprah has on her book shelf. Even though it was published in 1943, it remains a best seller to this day and is considered a classic.

Although we are scheduled for a bit more snow today on the east coast, they are saying it won't amount to much so try to get out and shake off some of these winter blues, but remember there are always the movies to keep you company and allow you to escape from the everyday stresses of the day (like ice dams in your windows!!)

Roberta

February 11

I have decided to list all the people who correctly identify the quote from now on. This way those of you who have limited access to your computers will be acknowledged as well. This time Florrie, Wendy, and Yolanda correctly identified "I don't think I've ever drunk champagne before breakfast before. "With breakfast on several occasions, but never before, before." coming from the lovely Audrey Hepburn movie Breakfast at Tiffany's.

Both Florrie and David sent it quotes for me to use. I will save one for next time and use the other today. Here it is a quote to follow up on the Ten Commandments quote:

"Mose supposes his toses are Roses." "But Moses supposes erroneously."

On Netflix and Instantly on your computer

Sunshine Cleaning - This indie black comedy stars Amy Adams, Emily Blunt and Alan Arkin. As a frustrated maid the Amy Adams character Rose starts a business removing biohazard materials and cleaning homes of crime scenes with her sister. It is more about the relationship between the sisters, the baggage they both carry and how their lives evolve. When it first premiered it was advertised as the next Little Miss Sunshine, but the critics didn't like it as much. I thought it was engrossing and a fine movie.

Confessions of a Shopaholic – This light-hearted chick flick based on the best selling series of Shopaholic books by Sohpie Kensella stars Isla Fisher as a young woman whose shopping gets her into horrible debt. She secures a job with a money magazine and the unrealistic plot goes from there with a handsome boss, beautiful competitor and unlikeable villain.

Wall-E – This Oscar winning animated film was slow to start, but once Eve comes into the film and they leave earth, the movie takes off. It is about taking care of our planet, friendship and love. I am not sure it is engaging enough for kids, but as adults if you stick in there it is a lovely movie.

For those of you who do not live on the east coast, I wanted you all to know how we now feel about the record breaking snowstorm we've received:

You know you've had enough winter when you see this:

I have had a good time watching films on my computer to wile away the time as the snow melts. If you venture out, be safe, but continue to enjoy the movies.

Roberta

February 7, 2010

Yolanda and Sandy Esterson were the first to correctly identify ""The city is made of bricks." "The strong make many, the starving make few, and the dead make none." "So much for accusations." as coming from The Ten Commandments.

Try this:

"I don't think I've ever drunk champagne before breakfast before. "With breakfast on several occasions, but never before, before."

On Netflix:

Paper Heart - I didn't quite know what to expect from this film and in fact had eliminated it from my Netflix list, but too late as they had already shipped it. I am happy they did. It is a pseudo-documentary starring Charlyne Yi who tries to learn the true meaning of love. She goes across the country asking individuals what true love means to them and comes away with some lovely and unusual answers. In addition, she begins a relationship with actor MichaelCera (the boyfriend from Juno) and their budding romance is filmed. This is a sweet poignant story which won the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival for Yi. A nice film for Valentine's Day.

On HBO:

Yes Man - Since I am stuck in the house due to the snowstorm on the east coast, I DVRed this movie from HBO, but it is available on Netflix as well. I am not a Jim Carey fan and he is the star of this movie based on the comedic memoir of Danny Wallace. It also stars Zooey Deschanel who starred in 500 Days of Summer. The premise is that the Carey character has to say yes to everything (Carey starred in a similar themed movie where he could not lie - I believe it was called Liar, Liar so he is simply playing the same role). Although Deschanel is adorable, I did not see the chemistry between the two actors. Carey is a bit too old for her. As a way to entertain myself between shoveling, it was just OK so.........find something better to do than watch this film.

A suggestion:

Since I don't think the mail will be delivered in the next few days, I made a list of films that can be watched on the computer. To see a listing of what is available and if you have Netflix, go to the instant viewing tab and surf through the selections. I found that even though it says Starz, and says you need particular equipment you can see those films on your computer as well.

One to put on your reading list:

The Life of Pi by Yann Martel - This novel was published in 2001 so it is easy to get from the library. If I had to sum it up in a few words, I'd say it was Castaways on the Pacific Ocean. Actually before the novel takes off in that direction, it explores the life of the main character Piscine (Pi)Molitor Patel as he is growing up in India and his life as the son of the local zookeeper. Although I would recommend the novel and found it both interesting and engaging. I did have difficulty getting into it and found the ending somewhat confusing. My son Eric loved the book and these are his thoughts about it after I asked him what he thought about the ending and the book in general.

"So I think the ending of the book is meant to be ambiguous. I took the story of the tiger as a metaphor for what really happened. You could also believe that he was covering up his story since no one would believe him anyways. That's the interesting part."

"I found the first part of the book, the philosophy book, to be just as amazing as the adventure part. I liked the part when he's praying at the mosque, the synagogue and the church all at the same time. The encounter with all of the clerics was really great."

Note about library books - One of the women in AAUW is a former librarian for Fairfax County Libraries. As you all know, the budget here and probably all over the country is being slimmed down to the bare bones. The library is losing lots of funding. Part of the funding that is being reduced is new materials. That means there will be less copies of new and "hot" books. To that end, she suggested that book groups look to older novels when choosing books to discuss. In fact, another book group I belong to is reading A Tree Grows in Brooklyn and still another will be revisiting Jane Austen novels.


Stay warm and be careful.

Roberta

February 3, 2010

Well Florrie's quote was not as hard as she thought, Yolanda and Lucy were able to identify "If you're not over here in fifteen minutes, you can find a new best friend."

as coming from Ferris Bueller's Day Off.

Try this:

"The city is made of bricks." "The strong make many, the starving make few, the dead make none." "So much for accusations."

On Netflix:

Adam - I really liked this movie and am not sure if it had to do with the fact that the major character is on one of my favorite TV programs and the other lives a good life even though he has Asperger's syndrome. It was poignant to see this romance between Adam and Beth,develop. Having worked with students with Aspergers, it was nice to see how Adam is able to take part in this relationship. Both people grow to become better by knowing each other. Hugh Dancy and Rose Byrne play the two leads. It is interesting to note that although they play Americans, Dancy is British and Byrne is Australian. I was surprised to learn this as Rose Byrne plays Ellen on Damages and I had no idea she was from Australia. Watching the additional features on the DVD was of interest. I particularly enjoyed the interview between Rose Byrne and film students.

Instantly on your computer or on Netflix:

Rudo and Cursi - This foreign film was a Sundance film selection and is a good story about two brothers who compete not only on the soccer field, but for the affection of their mother. It gave a good insight into how these young men from Latin American countries are "found" as they play the sports they love on fields that are no more than a clearing with a goal post. It also shows how people who amass large amounts of money don't know how to conserve it or gamble it away and end up with nothing. Even so,the film reinforces the fact that the love of family is something that can never be taken away. I like to watch these foreign films on my computer as it is much easier to read the subtitles.

Made for TV Movies:

Since we had yet another snowstorm on the east coast I had taped two made for TV films; one on Lifetime and the other on the Hallmark channel. Although these films will never win any awards, are not as fully developed as I would like to be and are very predictable, they are a good way to spend a cold afternoon. I watched The Pregnancy Pact which was based on the story that came out of the Northeast about some high school girls making a pact to become pregnant. Although the acting was lame, it is a good story for young girls to watch especially as they enter middle and high school. I was glad to see that they didn't sugar coat the issue and showed how the lives of the girls change. The other movie I watched was Ice Dreams. This was totally predictable, but if you like to watch ice skating, you will enjoy it. The thing about the two movies is how stars of the past are now forced to take on these movies. In Ice Dreams both Shelly Long and Jerry Stiller had supporting roles and in The Pregnancy Pact Thora Birch, Nancy Travis and Camryn Manheim have starring roles. I guess a buck is a buck!

Once again I am home due to snow and they are predicting yet another snowstorm this weekend. I need a break, but it does give me the time to view more movies.

Roberta