There haven't been any great movies lately, but that doesn't stop me from viewing as many as I can.
JACK RYAN SHADOW RECRUIT-global thriller set in present day.starring Chris Pine, Keira Knightley, and Kevin Cosner. Cosner was the only redeeming feature of this movie for me. I suppose it might be a decent home movie. Thumbs down.
MONUMENTS MEN-based on a true story .Platoon rescues art from Nazi thieves. Compelling plot. Too long and edited poorly. Lots of people liked it; I wasn't one of them. See it and Decide. Thumbs sideways.
GLORIA-about a free spirited, likeable older woman, a divorcee. She is looking for love. The trailers seemed so promising. The movie was boring and fell flat. Very dis-
appointing. Thumbs down.
AT MIDDLETON-an on demand movie starring Andy Garcia and Vera Famiga. Two parents accompany their respective teens to a college tour. They have a brief connection after they ditch their kids for the day. I love Garcia and found the story endearing and clever. Good at home movie to watch. Thumbs up.
MATCH POINT-just rewatched this old Woody Allen movie. It was really terrific.
One of his best. Opening scene with the tennis ball is the key to the entire movie. Flash to the end when the wedding ring bounces off the railing-sometimes you just get lucky! Thumbs up.
As for recent books, I have read a few.
ME BEFORE YOU-by JoJo Moyes. I knew I would dislike this book and I did. If you were a fan of The Lovely Bones (I was not), then you will probably like this too.
Calculated dribble.
THE WIDOWS GUIDE TO SEX AND DATING-by Caroline Radziwill. Her debut of a fiction novel. A RHONY, she shouldn't be taken seriously, but a former journalist for ABC news, she is surprisingly witty, humorous, and writes good dialogue.
STILL LIFE WITH BREADCRUMBS-by Anna Quindlen. This was awful. It was
predictable and boring. Quindlen should stick to NY TIMES Op Ed pieces. She is far better at that than writing fiction. Hated it.
THE GOLDFINCH-by Donna Tartt. Not for the faint of heart. 771 pages. That being said, it was beautifully written with perfect sentences, a compelling plot, and complex
characters. Loved it A lot.
THIS IS THE STORY OF A HAPPY MARRIAGE-by Ann Patchett. Interesting essays discussing her life, her writing, her loves and friendships. Really a great read.
On to my favorite pastime-Television.
As for all the talk shows:
THE TONIGHT SHOW-Jimmy Fallon excels in music bits with guests and playing games. Don't love his monologue or interviews. In fact, I find his increased 10 minute monologue too long and not too funny. He is too nice-not edgy enough for my taste. Maybe it takes time to grow into this role.
THE LATE SHOW-Seth Meyers. I find him funny and engaging. Liked his first show and think he will be great.
MSNBC at 1pm-Ronan Farrow debuts his new show this week and I caught it today in
the gym. He is a boy genius (college at 11 years old and law school at 16), and Rhodes
Scholar. He has an appealing presence and is pitching the show to a college demographic. Jury is out, but I think it is not going to fly.
As for the series:
BANSHEE-on Cinemax. in season 2. Ex con becomes sheriff of an Amish town. Lots of violence and tons of sex and nudity, so beware. Awesome (Thanks Scott!)
HOUSE OF LIES-on Showtime. Don Cheedle stars as head of an Ad Agency. Like this a lot.
SHAMELESS-on Showtime. Great characters, good plot development, wonderful actors. Very enjoyable.
GIRLS-Lea Dunham creates beautiful, witty dialogue. This season has been excellent-
especially Shoshanna. Who can forget her line to Ray: "Sometimes I love you like the way I feel sorry for a monkey"? Really worth watching.
DOWNTON ABBEY-OMG. Loved the ending scene in the finale Sunday night. The most touching scene I have ever watched on tv was Mrs. Hughes and Carson walking hand in hand into the ocean. Mrs. Hughes tells Carson: "you can always hold my hand if you need to feel steady". Don't we all feel that way about the person we love? I was moved beyond tears. A real joy to watch....
And finally, stories in the News:
FRUIT FLY MAY BE KEY TO CURING SOME CANCERS. A fruit fly geneticist has been able to create a fruit fly that has an exact genetic copy of a patient's tumor. They then test FDA approved drugs in thousands of combinations until they find a cocktail that works. This is being done at the Center for Personalized Cancer Therapeutics at Mt. Sinai Hospital in NYC.
POLIO LIKE ILLNESS SHOWING UP IN CALIFORNIA. Over 20 cases of a virus has shown up in California. All cases had been vaccinated against polio and treatment doesn't help. There is a sudden onset of weakness over the course of hours affecting one or more limbs. The virus is believed to come from Enterovirus 71. Washing hands frequently and avoiding contact with sick, coldy people is the only prevention.
GOVENOR JAN BREWER OF ARIZONA ASKED TO VETO ANTIGAY LEGISLATURE. Arizona lawmakers want to pass a so called religious freedom bill which allows business owners to refuse service to anyone that does not agree with their religious beliefs. This is totally unconstitutional. I am feeling sick about visiting Arizona next week if this bill is not vetoed. We are going backwards in this country. This has got to end. Very scary stuff.
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