February 20

Eric, Betty, Sheila, Linda, Florrie and Carol Frank correctly identified:

Moses: The Lord, the Lord Jehovah has given unto you these fifteen...
[drops one of the tablets]
Moses: Oy! Ten! Ten commandments for all to obey!

coming from History of the World Part 1

Two items about last week's write-up on Coal Miner's Daughter:

• Melissa wrote to tell me that Doo died in 1996 so my instructor was in error.

• Yolanda wrote the following: "The Coal Miner's Daughter, was filmed where my mom grew up in Kentucky, also, my grandmother who will be 100 in Sept, was in the movie in her 1 room school room, playing herself a teacher in the beginning of the movie when they have a dance with children etc. "

Try this one::

"They come from the end of the line, most of them. Small towns you've never heard of, Polaski, Tennessee, Brandon, Mississippi, Port Bend, Utah, Wampum, Pennsylvania....They're the unwanted, yet they are fighting for our society, and our freedom. It's weird, isn't it?"

In Theaters:

The Iron Lady - What can I say about Meryl Streep that hasn't been said before. She is America's most acclaimed actress and deserves all the accolades she receives. She does not disappoint in this film about Margaret Thatcher. At times I didn't know if I was watching Streep or Thatcher. Her portrayal is right on. As her husband Dennis Jim Broadbent does a wonderful job as well. I know the critics gave the film lukewarm reviews, but I enjoyed it and learned and relearned quite a bit. The story does jump from past to present which can be disconcerting, but not too hard to follow. Although I haven't seen two of the actresses up for best actress for the Academy Award, I believe Streep deserves it.

On Netflix:

The Company Men - This excellent film speaks to the situation of many today as they find themselves out of a job due to downsizing, thinking they will find one quickly and have to rethink their options. It also portrays companies as selfish, greedy and uncaring, something we have come to expect. The cast is outstanding with Ben Affleck, Chris Cooper, Tommy Lee Jones, Kevin Cosner and Craig T. Nelson in the leads. It is well done and thought provoking.


On Netflix and Instant Streaming:

Tender Mercies - This was the last film in the series "Not Quite Musicals". It is the 1983 film starring Robert Duvall, Tess Harper, Allan Hubbard, Betty Buckley, Wilford Brimley and a very young Ellen Barkin. It was a film that was rejected by a lot of the big studios and went to cable TV very quickly. But a funny thing happened on the way to HBO, Duvall won the Academy Award for best actor and the film was nominated for best screenplay. Needless to say, the studios wanted the rights back to re-release the film, but couldn't. It was a sweet film about an alcoholic washed up country music singer/songwriter who gets his life straightened out by his new wife and family. I wondered by Duvall won the award and when I looked it up, he was the only American running. His competition were all British Michael Caine, Tom Courtenay, Albert Finney and Tom Conti. Since it is instant streaming; give the film a try.

Limitless - This sci-fi type movie stars Bradley Cooper and Robert DeNiro. It tells of a down and out writer and what happens when he gets hooked on a drug that allows him to use all of his brain and not just a small percentage that the rest of the population does. It held my attention, but was a bit confusing especially at the end. Bradley Cooper has the bluest eyes I have even seen! Once again, since you can get it on instant streaming, you might want to give it a try.

Next weekend is the Academy Awards and I don't think I will be posting before they are announced. Although I have not seen all the nominations, here are my picks for best:

Picture - Although The Descendents will win, I would like to see War Horse or Midnight in Paris
Best Actor - George Clooney will will, I prefer Brad Pitt
Best Actress - Meryl Streep, but Viola Davis might get it which I think is just wrong - no one touches Streep!
Best Supporting Actor - Either Christopher Plummer or Max von Sydow because of their age, but the only actor I did see was Jonah Hill and he doesn't deserve it.
Best Supporting Actress - Octavia Spencer - This in my opinion is the richest field. I thought Jessica Chastain was as good as Spencer in The Help and Berenice Bejo in The Artist was delightful.

Tune in Sunday to see if I got any of them right.

Roberta

February 13

Carol Frank and Betty correctly identified
"Mr. Prosecutor, the road to genius is paved with fumble-footing and bumbling. Anyone who falls flat on his face is at least moving in the right direction: forward. And the fellow who makes the most mistakes may be the one to save the neck of the whole world someday." coming from Son of Flubber.

Try this one: (I know many of you will know it.)

Moses: The Lord, the Lord Jehovah has given unto you these fifteen...
[drops one of the tablets]
Moses: Oy! Ten! Ten commandments for all to obey!

In Theaters:

Safe House - When friends wanted to see this movie with us, I was delighted as Sy is a fan of Denzel Washington and the previews really looked promising. This fair movie could have been excellent. It just missed the mark. Denzel Washington and Ryan Reynolds are on opposite sides of the law and more of a quiet give and take would have taken this film very far. Instead the pace was frenetic, violence was a bit much and the plot unbelievable.

On instant streaming and Netflix:

The Double - This film starring Richare Gere and Topher Grace is intriguing and has a twist ending. It is about searching for a Russian gangster who has seemed to reappear after going undercover since the Cold War. Gere and Grace play agents from the CIA and FBI respectively. Will it win an Oscar? no. Will it keep your interest? perhaps; Do I recommend it? yes (since it doesn't take up one of your mailed films).

Coal Miner's Daughter - This is the third installment of my class "Not Quite Musicals." This is the typical biopic that follows Loretta Lynn's rise from living in the Tennessee hills to the Grand Ole Opry. Sissy Spacek won the Academy Award for best actress. It appears that if you portray a country music star.,you win an Oscar. First Spacek then Reese Witherspoon as June Carter Cash in Walk the Line, Spacek sang all the songs and did a fine job with them. In fact, Beverly D'Angelo, who portrays Patsy Cline, does her own singing too. Tommy Lee Jones plays Doo, her husband. It is amazing that Loretta Lynn and Doo are still married as they married when she was only 13. Believe it or not,she was a mother at 14 and a grandmother at 29. The movie didn't break any new ground, but it was pleasant.

Touching, Poignant Book:

The Story of Beautiful Girl by Rachel Simon - It has been a while since a book brought tears to my eyes while I read it and this one did. Without giving too much away, it is how four lives intersect in a very unusual way. It also deals with a number of social issues. The author takes from the headlines as well as her personal experiences to weave a wonderful, heartwarming tale. If you want more information about this novel, go to Amazon for reviews. But do yourself a favor and read this lovely novel.

February 6

Carol Frank, Florrie and Betty correctly identified "Today you are the law. You are the law. Not some book. Not the lawyers. Not a marble statue, or the trappings of the court. See, those are just symbols of our desire to be just. They are, in fact, a prayer. A fervent and a frightened prayer." coming from The Verdict.

Try this one:

"Mr. Prosecutor, the road to genius is paved with fumble-footing and bumbling. Anyone who falls flat on his face is at least moving in the right direction: forward. And the fellow who makes the most mistakes may be the one to save the neck of the whole world someday."

In Theaters:

The Artist - I needed to see this homage to the silent screen era before the Academy Awards came out and to see what all the hubbub was about. I am struggling with if I liked it or not. The acting is superb. Without saying a word the characters convey the emotions and carry the story along with only their movements and facial expressions. For this reason alone, I believe the two main characters, Jean Dugardin and Berenice Bejo, rightly deserve being nominated if not win the Academy Award for acting. The actual story was has been done before - how it was for actors at the beginning of the talkie movie era. See it for yourself and decide.

On Netflix:

Fair Game - This film based on the Valerie Plame story has been sitting in my house for a few weeks and finally we got around to seeing it. I didn't think I would like it, but it was quite compelling. This is a real interesting and unsettling part of our history. Plame status as a covert CIA agent is leaked by administration in retaliation to her husband's op-ed piece accusing the Bush administration of misleading the public to justify invading Iraq. It is uncanny as much Watts looks like Plame and Sean Penn turns in a powerful performance as her husband, Joe Wilson. If you like political movies, put this one on your list.

On Netflix and Instant Viewing:

Billy Elliot - This was the second showing in my class of "Not Quite Musicals." As previously reported, we did see the show of Billy Elliot at the Kennedy Center. An interesting fact is that Billy Elliot started as a screenplay, then a novel and finally a live musical production. It was interesting to see this film after the show. I found it more emotional. The story was better developed than the show. The final 30 seconds are indescribable. It takes your breathe away! The only actor I knew was Julie Walters who played the dance teacher. It was a lovely film and one worth seeing.

Still some good movies out there to catch, so enjoy the movies.

Roberta

January 30

Carol Frank, Florrie, Betty, Sandy Esterson and Yolanda correctly identified "Three thousand years of beautiful tradition, from Moses to Sandy Koufax... " coming from The Big Lebowski

Try this one: (A bit obscure)

"Today you are the law. You are the law. Not some book. Not the lawyers. Not a marble statue, or the trappings of the court. See, those are just symbols of our desire to be just. They are, in fact, a prayer. A fervent and a frightened prayer."

On Netflix and Instant Play:

I am taking a class called "Not Quite Musicals." The films are not musicals per se, but have music as a dominant theme. The first offerings was:

Brassed Off -This film is a 1996 English production about the threatened closing of a coal mine in the town of Grimley. The one shining light in this town is the miners' band. It follows the typical formula of feel good movie, but is was nice to see a young Ewan McGregor in one of the starring roles. The music is lovely and actually played by this band. You won't be disappointed.

Reston Community Players:

Lend Me A Tenor - Is this play silly? Yes. Is it entertaining? Yes. Are the actors accomplished? Yes. Should you go see it? Sure. For a fun afternoon, I would recommend this play. Although it gets silly, especially in the second act, sometimes you just need to escape from the stresses of the day and just laugh. The one thing that struck me about this production was the quality of the actors. There was not one weak link in the cast. All of them had their timing down pat, which is crucial to this play and executed their lines well. I especially liked the main character Max. He was very talented and reminded me of Matthew Brodderick. It will be playing at Reston Community Center for another weekend. So....if you don't have plans, support this community production.

Student Performances:

As many of you know, my friend Bill produces school productions at his school, Woodlawn High School. This year the students performed Oklahoma. It is always a delight to see students do the things they love. The joy on each of the student's faces, no matter how big or small their role, is worth the price of admission. It is also a wonderful way to instill the love of the Broadway musical not only in the performers, but the other students who attend. This year's performance was great. The production was cleverly staged, the performers were well rehearsed with a shout out to the young men who portrayed Curley, Jud and Ali. Next time you are asked to attend one of these performances, do yourself a favor and support the arts in our schools and attend.

An Excellent Read:

Fall of Giants by Ken Follett - This is book one of the century trilogy. It very long, close to 1000 pages, but a page turner. Since it is historical fiction, the events are true, some characters real, but others are a compilation of many. The intertwining families include those from Wales, English, Germany, Russia and the United States. It is so fascinating how Follett uses the times of his novel to create a wonderful tale that is both educational and interesting. A great read.

Award Shows

Well this is award season and the Golden Globes and the SAG awards have been presented. I have seen most of the movies except The Artist and Iron Lady which I hope to see before the Academy Awards. Golden Globes chose both The Descendents and The Artist for best picture and SAG chose The Help so I guess the Academy Awards is still up in the air. I won't give my predictions until I see these other two movies, but am happy to see a good selection to choose from this year.

January 21

Carol Frank, Betty and Florrie correctly identified "To kill, you must know your enemy, and, in this case my enemy is a varmint. And a varmint will never quite-ever. They're like the Viet Cong - Varmint Cong. So you have to lie back on superior intelligence and superior firepower. And that's all she wrote." from Caddyshack.

Here's a quote given to me by David Heymsfeld; thanks David:

"Three thousand years of beautiful tradition, from Moses to Sandy Koufax... "

In Theaters:

Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy -This film is based on John Le Carré's classic thriller of Cold War espionage. It follows an English spy as he returns to MI-6 to uncover the mole in the operation. I did not read the novel so I found the film most confusing. Sy and I felt that the story was not developed as to why this particular spy turned. We both thought is was slow as well. The acting is excellent particularly Gary Oldman in the starring role. .

On Netflix:

Jump the Broom - This lighthearted African American chick flick was an enjoyable way to spend two hours. Although the plot predictable, the scenery and people were attractive to look at. Plot was rich girl meets falls in love with poor boy who hides his background until families meet the day before the wedding. After that the usual mayhem occurs and all is right with the world by the film's end. I like Angela Bassett and Loretta Devine as actresses, but they played very stereotypical parts. It was not developed, but as I said fun.

Local Comedy:

It is always good to check out local comedy and this past weekend we did. The Jewish Community Center of Northern Virginia stages a comedy night with comics usually from New York. These people are not armatures, but have been on the circuit. This year they had two comics; a young man who did a brief opening act and the headlines. Unfortunately, I did not catch the young man's name, but he was very good and funny. The headliner was Steve Hofstetter. He has appeared on various TV programs and is billed as the "Thinking Man's Comic." He was entertaining although some of his stories went on a bit and I certainly could have done with less jokes about being old. That being said, it was an entertaining show.. If you find yourself without plans for an evening, every big city has a comedy club. Take a chance and see a star on the rise.

Roberta

January 11

Carol Frank, Florrie, Yolanda and Betty correctly identified "For God's sake, ***************, here we are, you got me into your house, you gave me a drink, you put on music, now you start opening up your personal life to me and tell me your husband won't be home for hours..." coming from The Graduate

Try this one - I think it is hard!

"To kill, you must know your enemy, and, in this case my enemy is a varmint. And a varmint will never quite-ever. They're like the Viet Cong - Varmint Cong. So you have to lie back on superior intelligence and superior firepower. And that's all she wrote."

In Theaters:

Mission Impossible:Ghost Protocol - For an afternoon of escapism, catch this film. It is follows the Mission Impossible formula - bad guys, good guys, sexy girl, funny partner, saving the world premise, lots of blowing up of things, gun battles and fights, but lots of fun. No matter what you think of Tom Cruise, this is his movie and he does a great job in it. The English fellow playing the computer expert, Simon Pegg, adds just the right amount of fun and the girl, Paula Patton, not too sexy and able to keep up with the boys. An nicely added addition is Jeremy Renner who is an analyst who is a former spy.


On Netflix:

When We Leave: This foreign film looked promising from the trailers, but I could have watched paint dry and be more entertained. Sy didn't even stay past the first ten minutes. It is the story of a Muslin woman living in Turkey who flees to her family in Germany to escape an abusive relationship. When reading the reviews of others on Netflix, most people liked it and apparently it was panned by Muslin groups for being anit-Muslin. The ending left my mouth open, but still not worth sitting through it. The only thought I had was how people still clung to old ways even though they were harsh and brutal. Do yourself a favor and read instead.

At the Kennedy Center:

Billy Elliot - Wow!! What a wonderful production. The dancing is superb! The young actor who we saw (there are five who rotate in the role) was quite amazing! It is truly a dance play. The music is not memorable, but the dancing terrific. If I had one complaint, it was the dialect of the dialogue. At times it was impossible to understand what the actors were saying. If I was watching it on TV, the closed caption would have been running throughout. In spite of this, I highly recommend you see this production if it comes to your town. If you live in DC, you only have a few days before it is gone.

Interesting Museum - Freer Gallery:

This week a group of us took a trip to the Freer Gallery. This is part of the Smithsonian's Museums that houses a lot of Asian Art. We did tour the Asian rooms and were impressed with Freer's collection. An interesting note is that is was given to the museum with the stipulation that no pieces were to be moved out to go on the road. The Peacock Room is quite interesting. This room was designed by Whistler and is fascinating to see. It is one of the smaller museum, but on a dreary day just the right place to be.

On a dreary day like today, the arts are a great way to spend an afternoon!

Roberta

January 1

Carol Frank, Florrie, Estelle, David, Kathy Luke and Betty correctly identified "...Greed, for lack of a better word, is good. Greed is right. Greed works. Greed clarifies, cuts through and captures the essence of the evolutionary spirit. Greed, in all of its forms-greed for life, for money, for love, knowledge-has marked the upward surge of mankind." coming from Wall Street (the original one)

Try this one (I am leaving out a key name as it will give the quote away):
"For God's sake, ***************, here we are, you got me into your house, you gave me a drink, you put on music, now you start opening up your personal life to me and tell me your husband won't be home for hours..."

In Theaters:

War Horse - This movie has Academy Award written all over it. It is an epic film that families can go to it without winching. It so well done. Do you think I liked it?? It was wonderful. The only human star that I knew from the film was Emily Watson. The young man, Jeremy Irvine, who trains Joey, the horse, is very good and believable as well as all the other characters Joey meets along his adventure. How this was done on stage is beyond me, but Spielberg did an outstanding job transforming it to the screen. There is a particularly touching scene where sides come together in helping Joey. (I am not giving anything away.) I know it will touch your heart as it did mine. For a wonderful two plus hours, see this film.

Girl With The Dragon Tattoo - This American version of the novel does a fine job retelling the story. If you read the book, they changed the ending. If you didn't read the book, it can be confusing at times. It is very long - over two and a half hours!! Having said that, it holds your interest throughout. Rooney Mara and Daniel Craig do a fine job in the lead roles. It was also nice to see Christopher Plummer in n important role. Although it has been a while since I saw the Swedish version, I think I would give that one the edge as it stayed truer to the book. If you haven't seen the Swedish one, you can see it on instant streaming on Netflix and decide for yourself. (Sy is watching it as I write this review.)

On Netflix:

Conviction - This is yet another film based on a true story. Hillary Swank stars as Betty Ann Waters the sister of a convicted murderer, Kenny Waters. played by Sam Rockwell I would want a sister like this in my corner. She believed in her brother's innocence and to prove him so, she finishes high school and then goes on to law school to defend him. Minnie Driver, Melissa Leo and Peter Gallagher co-star. If it wasn't a true story, I wouldn't believe it as she had to beat the odds to achieve this task. Whenever I see a film that deals with an innocent being wrongly accused, I rethink my views about capital punishment. A good story with a disturbing message about flaws in our legal system.

At the Kennedy Center in Washington on its way to New York:

Ann - Holland Taylor of "Two and a Half Men" created, wrote and stars in this one woman show based on the life of Texas Governor, Ann Richards. She does an amazing job! Although I don't know much about Richards so cannot verify its contents, Taylor does a wonderful job assuming not only the role, but taking on the persona of Richards. I believe the Post gave it a so so review and faulted it for lack of political drama, but both Sy and I enjoyed the portrayal of a woman who rose to the top in spite of numerous odds. I thought it would be 90 minutes with no intermission, but it goes for about two hours or so with an intermission. It is will in the DC area for a few more weeks and then, I believe, goes on to New York. We were able to get two for one tickets since, as an usher told me, the tickets are not selling as well as they hoped. Look for deals not only on sites like Goldstar, but the Kennedy Center's site as well. It is worth the price.

A friend of mine sent the following quotes to me that I wanted to share them with all my movie friends. Happy and Healthy New Year to you all!

“When in doubt, just take the next step; make peace with your past so it won’t mess up the present; don’t compare your life to others – you have no idea what their journey is all about; take a deep breath – it calms the mind; get rid of anything that isn’t useful, beautiful or joyful; burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie – don’t save it for a special occasion – today is special; no one is in charge of your happiness but you; frame every so called disaster with these words – ‘In five years, will it matter?’; Forgive everyone; time heals ; believe in miracles – miracles are everywhere; all that truly matters in the end is that you loved; the best is yet to come; and life isn’t tied with a bow, but it is still a gift.”

"Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle." "Forgiveness is the grace by which you enable the other person to get up; and get up with dignity; and to begin anew." (Desmond Tuto)

Roberta