July 21

Carol Frank correctly identified "We walk away from our dreams afraid we may fail, or worse yet, afraid we may succeed." from Finding Forester.

Try this one:

"You're a sad, strange little man, and you have my pity."

On Netflix:

 

Broken City - This film involves a private detective, Mark Wahlberg, a crooked mayor, Russel Crowe and assorted twists and turns that has Wahlberg intent on bring the mayor down.  At times it was difficult to understand the actors especially Crowe, but that is the beauty of the DVD, you can simply rewind or put on the captions.  Co-starring Catherine Zeta Jones, Jeffrey Wright and Kyle Chandler the film can be a bit confusing, but engaging.  

In Theaters (The pickings are slim, but here goes):

The Way, Way Back - This is a lovely coming of age film starring Liam James as a teen who is figuring out his life during the summer at a beach town.  His recently divorced mother is in a relationship with a man he does not like.. He finds who he is  and a safe place to go at the local water park whose manager takes him under his wing.   Steve Carell, plays the overbearing boyfriend and Sam Rockwell the manager of the water park.  It also co-stars Toni Collette, Maya Rudolph and  Allsion Janney who is a hoot!  For a sweet film, see this one.  

At Signature:

Spin - This new musical is part of siglab which is a program developed to provide writers of new musicals a chance to see their work in a workshop form in front of an audience before it receives a full production.  Spin had four weeks of rehearsals to work, change and develop the piece.   It is based on a Korean movie and will be rewritten for Korean audiences.  There was nothing pre about this performance.  The performers were wonderful with the leads being performed by James Gardiner and Carolyn Cole.  Can't leave out Erin Driscoll, Betsy's daughter and Sarah's voice teacher as she did a lovely job with the role of the teacher.  Bobby Smith was terrific as the sleazy gossip reporter and a young boy, Holden Browne ably  played the son/grandson.  The story involves a washed up boy band singer who finds he is not only a father but grandfather.  Tickets are only $30 and are a bit less on Goldstar.  The productions runs through July 27,.

Another great restaurant:

Present - If you are looking for good Vietnamese food, look no further than Falls Church VA and this restaurant in an unassuming strip shopping center.  (Don't be frightened off by the sketchy area!)  The food  is divine and the presentation a work of art.  This restaurant was ranked the best Vietnamese restaurant by Tom S. the food critic of the Washington Post and he was not wrong.  We started with lettuce rolls  that were  hearty, but light with a wonderful touch of mint.  (Lisa once made spring rolls for us like this and it reminded us of her rolls!)  Next I had a shrimp dish that was served on a half of a pineapple.  The  shrimp were succulent and there were plenty of them.  Sy had a crab dish that he liked as well.  The price was reasonable and the restaurant decor is nice.  The only surprise was when Sy asked for more rice,  we were charged for it which surprised us. A nice change of pace and we thank the Lummers for taking us there. 

July 14

Carol Frank was correct identifying "Sometimes it's easier to be mad at the people you trust because you know that they'll always love you no matter what you say" coming from The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants .

Try this one:

"We walk away from our dreams afraid we may fail, or worse yet, afraid we may succeed."

On Netflix

Dave:  To mix it up a bit in my OLLI class on political movies, this light-hearted comedy was shown.  Starring Kevin Kline and Sigourney Weaver this film tells the improbable story of a president look alike who stands in for the president after he suffers an unexpected stroke.  Frank Langella and Ving Rhames round out the cast as the devious chief of staff and president's body guard respectively.  Of course things change for the best with the impostor president.  The story is predicable, but enjoyable.  See this 1993 film for a lovely diversion. 

The Vow -  I need to shake up my queue as this was yet another romantic film.  It starred Rachel McAdams and  Channing Tatum, as a couple who needs to reconnect after McAdams slips into a coma after a car accident.  She does not remember the last five years and why she was estranged from her family.  Jessica Lange is not aging well as evident in this film.  The reason for the break up with the family is not believable. A so so film.  

On Netflix Streaming only:

Orange is the New Black -  This is, I believe, the third time Netflix has streamed a series in its entirety for their streaming subscribers.  Written by the creator of Weeds, this series tells the story of a young woman who lands in jail after committing a crime in her younger years.  Taylor Schilling plays Piper the lead and Jason Biggs is her boyfriend,  Kate Mulgrew plays a Russian who runs the kitchen.  I have only seen the first two episodes, but it is an engaging one.

A Classic:

The Great Gatsby  by F. Scott Fitzgerald - This classic was this month's book selection for my book group.  Although I read it in high school, I needed to reread it once again.  It is a short novel that received reviews that were mixed. at the time of publication.  The story is thin, but the language is lovely.  It was a turn in how authors wrote that made it a classic   It can be read on many levels; as a simple story, as a novel that depicts the time it takes place and one where you can delve into the symbolism.  I particularly liked the explanation of the classic cover  The publisher relates and I quote - "Cugat's rendition is not illustrative, but symbolic, even iconic:  the sad, hypnotic, heavily outlined eyes of a woman beam like headlights through a cobalt night sky.  Their irises are transfigured into reclining female nudes.  From one of the eyes streams a green luminescent tear; brightly rouged lips complete the sensual triangle.  Below, on earth, colored carnival lights blaze before a metropolitan skyline."  The publisher also stated that Fitzgerald's symbolic billboard eyes of D. TJ Eckleburg was derived from Cugat's jacket art.  A criticism that the publisher noted was that although most characters were well written and fleshed out, Gatsby was somewhat vague.   It is interesting that there are factual errors in The Great Gatsby that can be divided into external (actual outside world)  and internal (fictional world) errors.  The external ones were based on Ftizgerald's shaky geography and the haste in which the novel was manufactured.  i.e. he was a Midwesterner from San Francisco.  The internal ones  had to do with fictional places on Long Island (East and West Egg)  There are chronological problems too.    Too much action is crowded into late August.  The use of general language: a few days, several weeks and about six weeks cause some of the difficulties. I reas these insights from the preface, forward, The Text  of Gatsby and the publisher's afterward.  This is a case where having the actual book and not an electronic copy added to the pleasure and explanation of the novel. 

A Note About Reviewers/critics:

In today's Washington Post, Hank Stuever, their TV critic compares Honey Boo Boo with The Newsroom.  He pans Newsroom and celebrates Honey Boo Boo.  My questions to him is what planet does he live on. He doesn't like the talky nature, the flashback to the recent past and the major characters on The Newsroom while he enjoys the authenticness of Honey Boo Boo and her family.  I know people don't always agree with me, but what is he thinking.  Most of my friends not only enjoy The Newsroom, but are anxiously awaiting its return to HBO tonight at 9:00 p.m.  If you subscribe to HBO and haven't seen Newsroom, see it tonight and make your own decision.  I won't even suggest that you watch Honey Boo Boo.  If that make me a snob, so be it!!

July 7

Carol Frank, Sy and Yolanda correctly identified "When a defining moment comes along, you can do one of two things. Define the moment, or let the moment define you." coming from Tin Cup one of Sy's favorite movies.  I finally put Sy on my distribution list and this is why this is the first time he was able to answer a quote question.

This was my weekend for romantic comedies.  A good way to avoid the hot, humid weather.

Try this one:

Sometimes it's easier to be mad at the people you trust because you know that they'll always love you no matter what you say.

On Netflix:

Think Like a Man - This film was based on Steve Harvey's book of the same title.  Five couples have relationship issues and the females use Harvey's book to get them what they want.  Little do they know the men get a copy of the book as well and the "battle of the sexes" begins.  Michael Ealy, Taraji P. Henson and Gabrielle Union head the cast of the most beautiful people you would want to see.   A very predictable film, but enjoyable.  

On Netfix and Streaming:

Playing for Keeps - Gerard Butler and Jessica Biel star in this light romantic comedy about a washed up former soccer star who comes back to town to rebuild his relationship with his son and ex wife by becoming his son's soccer coach.  Catherine Zeta Jones and Uma Thurman play two of the love starved soccer moms and Dennis Quaid plays a jealous soccer dad.  Again predictable, but enjoyable.  

Kennedy Center

Anything Goes - This lovely production had its last performance tonight and we were lucky to see it this afternoon.  I thought the girls would like it and they did.  What's not to like - the music by Cole Porter includes many of his classics including the title song, "Friendship"  "It's De-lightful"  "I get a Kick Out of You".  The dancing is devine with the show stoppping production number of Anything Goes concluding the first act.  The book, though dated, funny.  The performers were top rate and production Broadway quality.  What a wonderful way to spend an afternoon with my family!  Make sure to check the Kennedy Center website for discounts.  Although I received an email, discount tickets were available.  We sat in the rear orchestra for $59.00 a ticket.  They do add on lots of service charges,one of my pet peeves, but I paid about $275 for the four of us.  The cost of one ticket with the service charges to see "Book of Mormon" later this summer.

Theater manners:

I am glad the theater reminds people to shut down their cell phones and unwrap the candy before the show starts, but it is a shame that parents don't hush their children during the performance.  I did know there would be many children in the audience and a little aside here and there is acceptable, but the mother and daughter sitting behind us were a bit rude.  Not only did they talk a little too much that I had to turn around and give them the teacher eye, but the young girl chewed gum like a cow during the performance and actually popped bubbles.  The wrappers were scattered around her seat when I looked during intermission.  Sy gave them the evil eye and the Mom actually apologized to him during intermission.  Note - if you know your child cannot sit, don't bring them to the theater and for heaven's sake don't give them gum to chew on.  

July 1

Carol Frank correctly identified:  "And all the while I feel like I'm standing in the middle of a crowded room, screaming at the top of my lungs, and no one even looks up." coming  from Titanic.  

Try this one:  

"When a defining moment comes along, you can do one of two things. Define the moment, or let the moment define you."

On Netflix:

The Last Hurrah - Once again I saw the this film in my OLLI class.  It told the story of political poss Frank Skeffington played by Spencer Tracy. This was a fictionalized portrayal of the mayor of Boston at the time.   In this film, he tries to get reelected as mayor for one last time.  It was a changing time as television starts to play a bigger role in the political process.  An interesting parallel to today's times and the instant news of the internet and social medial.   Skeffington  is portrayed as the old time politicial who strong arms people to do what he wants, but has a battle for this election as old money is against him.  Interesting black and white 1950's film.  

Darling Companion - Diane Keaton heads this all star cast in a heart warming story about families coming together and realizing what is important.  After the wedding of their youngest daughter, their beloved dog is lost and the ensuing search has the various couples find out who and what is important to them.  Will it win an award -no , but it is a nice film to watch with the entire family.  Kevin Kline, Dianne Wiest and Richard Jenkins round out the cast.  

An Act to Catch:

Straight No Chaser - Last year Eric and Lisa gave me a Wolftrap gift certificate for my birthday and it took me until this week to use it and boy was it used well!  Since we were going out with another couple who lived near Wolftrap, I looked at their schedule and saw this group was playing.  Having absolutely no knowledge of them, I went to the internet and googled them.  Was I glad!!  They are an a  cappella group that was formed at Indiana University in 1996.  Once they graduated, they went their separate ways, but reunited ten years later in 2006.  One of their original members put a performance on UTube and it went viral.  The rest as they say is history.  They sing mostly popular music of today, but the type that you could take a grandmother like me to see.  As I sat their listening, I thought how much Sarah and Amanda would have enjoyed the performance as well.  They truly are a group the whole family can enjoy.  So if you see them performing at a venue near you or on the local PBS station, make sure to either go see them or set your DVD to watch them - you won't be disappointed.

Another Restaurant:

Ovations at Wolftrap  -As mentioned above, we were meeting friends at Wolftrap and didn't want to go out to a local restaurant nor did we want to picnic since it was a hot sticky night.  For years I had passed this restaurant as we made our way to the box office so suggested we eat there before the concert..  It is a buffet, but the food was of good quality.  You start off with salads and soup.  The salads were not just greens, but interesting ones that included tomato with mozzarella cheese.  Soups included gazpacho and crab.  The entrees were salmon, chicken, beef and pork and dessert were gourmet cupcakes, ice cream and fruit.  It was $29.00.  Drinks were pricey, but it was convenient and tasty! 

Engaging Beach Read:

Law of Attraction by Allison Leotta -Once again I found another interesting topic to explore at an OLLI class.  Ms. Leotta spoke to the group about her journey to becoming a writer.  She was a federal prosecutor in  DC specializing in felony sex crimes and domestic violence.  Every night she would tell stories to her husband about cases she was handling.  (I am sure she was professional in her tellings.)  She also had an interest in writing so her husband encouraged her to write the stories down and an author was born.  After the birth of her two children, she started writing mysteries full time and this was her first book.  It was a page turner and had a bit of a twisted ending.  I read it quickly and would recommend it for the lazy days of summer.  She also has a blog that explains why some of the things that happen in the present crime shows would never happen.  It is quite interesting. Her website is www.allisonleotta.com.    She has another novel out - Deception and another one will be coming out in August.  

Enjoy the 4th!

June 24

Florrie and Carol Frank (on second try) correctly identified "Will you love me for the rest of my life?  No I'll love you for the rest of mine."  coming from Phenomenon.

Try this one:

"And all the while I feel like I'm standing in the middle of a crowded room, screaming at the top of my lungs, and no one even looks up."

On Netflix and Instant Streaming:

Brooklyn Castle - This inspiring documentary tells the story of Intermediate School 318 in the Bedford Stuyvesant area of Brooklyn and their award winning chess club.  They have taken the championship for many years and have a number of masters among their players.  Last year they won the high school championship beating out elite and private schools including TJ here in Northern VA.  What is unique about this school for those of you who are not familiar with Brooklyn is that this school is Title One which means more than 70% of their students are on free or reduced lunch.  Chess has changed the lives of these students.  If you want to feel good about students and know why we need to support public education, see this film.  As a side note the principal, who was made a superintendent after the documentary was filmed, died suddenly of an attack (didn't say what kind, I assume heart since he was in his 50:s)

On Netflix:

The Heart is a Lonely Hunter - My book group just read this classic and we thought it would be good to see the 1968 film.  Both a very young Alan Arkin and Sondra Locke were nominated for best actor and supporting actress that year.  Arkin lost out to Cliff Robertson  for Charly and Locke to Rosemary Harris for Rosemary's Baby.  The film was true to the novel for the most part, but even though it ran more than two hours, left out some significant stories that were contained in the book.  The story in a nutshell is how a deaf mute effects the lives of those around him and how they all were lonely in their own ways.  Some of the women who saw it with me and didn't read the novel said they now wanted to read it now.  For a thought provoking, well acted and directed movie, see this one.  

Truman -   This HBO made for TV film was shown at one of my OLLI classes this week.  Although I could not stay until the very end, I did see enough  to know that it was a well done movie.  Gary Sinise stars as Truman and does a fine job with the role.  The story tells how Truman "accidentally" came to power, but shows the man he really was.  He was not the simple minded person one thought as he had a good political mind and did not bend to pressure. He did what he felt was right for the people.  Tony Goldwyn, who plays the President in the series "Scandal", is a featured player in this film.  My only complaint was the make-up job on the actress playing Bess Truman.  I plan on getting the film from Netflix so that I can see it in its entirety.  I would recommend it as a film that honestly portrays the man who was president when I was born!  

At Signature Theater in Shirlington, VA:

Company - I am not a fan of Stephen Sonheim, but since Erin Driscoll, Betsy's daughter and Sarah's voice teacher, was in this production , Sy and I decided to go and we were not sorry.  The production was first rate and the story not as dark as some of Sonheim's plays.  Of course I knew some of the songs i.e. "I'm Not Getting Married Today" "Here's to the Ladies Who Lunch" and the actors did a wonderful job in their interpretation of them.  Staging was quite good.  We sat on the side and had no trouble seeing all.  A little tip about Signature - if you go an hour before the production and there are still tickets, they sell "rush" tickets for $30 a piece.  That's what we did.  We called in advance to make sure there were tickets available before heading down to the theater.  The show will be at Signature for another week closing next weekend.  If you want to get some relief from the hot weather, you won't find a better way to spend two and a half hours.

Restaurants in Shirlington:

As many of you know Shirlington is a great place not only to catch a first rate show or movie, but they have a great selection of restaurants to choose from.  One of our favorite is the Carlyle Grand, but this time we chose Ping a Chinese restaurant we had eaten in and enjoyed with the Lummers a few months ago.  Ping has a special on Sundays and Thursdays.  For $40 a couple you get an appetizer and two entrees plus a good bottle of either white or red wine.  We could not believe the value and the quality of the food.  

This would be a good week to catch up on movies as it is going to be a scorcher.

Roberta

June 16

Carol Frank, Emily, Juli, Sheila V., Joyce G, Chris, Betsy, Martha H., Lucy, Betty and Linda. K all correctly identified, "I don’t understand. All my life I’ve been waiting for someone and when I find her, she’s … she’s a fish" coming . from Splash  Try this one:

"Will you love me for the rest of my life?  No, I'll love you for the rest of mine."

In Theaters:

Now You See Me -  I was sure I would like this film, but not as much as I did; it was lots of fun!.  The movie just sailed along and it was non-stop action.  Not the bang em shoot em up action, but magic.  Sy and I love magic so this was a movie that fit us to a tee.  Not only is it fun, but the story is interesting and has a twist ending.  Won't give anything away. This a movie that can be enjoyed by the entire family - adults, teens and younger children.   It has a star studded cast with Jesse Eisenberg, Mark Ruffalo Woody Harrelson, Isla Fisher, Morgan Freeman and Michael Caine.  You won't be disappointed.  

The Impossible - I would rename this film The Improbable, but at the end of the film the credits indicated that this film was loosely based on actual events of a similar family.  Naomi Watts was nominated for best actress for her role as the mother.  Ewan McGregor plays the father, but the young boy playing their oldest son really steals the movie from them both.  It retells one family's experiences during the 2004 tsunami in Southeast Aisa.  It is not for the faint hearted as  some of the scenes are a bit gory.  In fact, towards the beginning of the film, I was tempted to shut it off without seeing the end, but am glad I did not.  For an improbable story that turns out to be true, see this one.  

Good Read:

Winter of the World by Ken Follett - This is the second novel in his latest trilogy.  The book begins where the last on Fall of Giants left off.  Germany is ripe for a new leader and although there are many Germans who think a leader like Hitler is a joke, we all know what happens.  This book deals with the second generation of the families we met in the last book.  Many of my friends did not like this one as well as the first, but once I got past some of the initially brutality at the book's beginning, the storylines were good.  Once again the horrors of war are unimaginable to me. Follett's books are always page turners and this one is no exception.  It is about 1000 pages so if you have a kindle, tablet or notebook, you might consider using it for this one.  

A number the shows I like have returned to TV on cable, but "The Newsroom" our favorite will return in July.  If you have HBO or Netflix see this, you won't be disappointed.

Roberta

May 27

Carol Frank, Yolanda and Betty correctly identified

"Some people can't believe in themselves until someone else believes in them first." 

coming from Good Will Hunting

Try this one:

“I don’t understand. All my life I’ve been waiting for someone and when I find her, she’s … she’s a fish.


In Theaters:

Forty Two - What a lovely movie!  The story retells how Jackie Robinson became the first African American to play in the major leagues. Branch Richey, played by Harrison Ford, was instrumental in making this happen. Ford is wonderful in the role.  It is amazing how far we have come in 65 years, but there is always plenty for us to go.  The actor playing Robinson was unknown to me, but as Sy said that was good as you focused on the person, not the actor. I believed he graduated from Howard University in DC.   For an inspirational movie, see this one.


On Netflix"

To Rome With Love - This is your typical Woody Allen movie. Not as good as Midnight in Paris, but interesting just the same especially if you have been to Rome. Many stories take place at the same time all in Rome. What I expected was they would all come together in the end, but that did not happen. A star studded cast with Woody Allen, Alec Baldwin, Roberto Benigni, Penélope Cruz, Judy Davis, Jesse Eisenberg, Greta Gerwig, Ellen Page, Fabio Armiliata, Alessandra Mastronardi, Alison Pill and Carol Alt.

Reread:

The Heart is a Lonely Hunter - I had never read this novel before, but it was the classic read my book group chose for this month.  The author wrote this when she was I believe 23 and shows her insight into the human soul.  Happy book - no, Thoughtful book - yes.  I've put the film on my Netflix list to see how it was adapted for the screen.  Alan Arkin and Sondra Locke were nominated for Academy Awards for this roles; neither won.  It is a good book to either read for the first time or reread.

Haven't been to the movies or seen many Netflix for some time, but now that most of my TV programs are finished for the season, I will catch up on my movie viewing.