The Week in Reviews: Films, Books, Food and Meditation

[I review movies "Iron Man," "This is the End," "John Dies at the End," "Stuck in Love" plus a great foodie book and dole out some cooking tips.]

 

 

***Films***

Iron Man 3 (2013)

 

Yet another installment in the Superhero franchise.  I already have expressed that I don't like films with precocious kids.  Well, I also don't like films with smart ass superheroes, either.  I much preferred Robert Downey Jr. when he played losers like Julian in Less Than Zero. (And remember when James Spader was hunky)?  I know this was well-reviewed but I thought everyone in it was annoying.

 

 

Rosy the Reviewer says...I am starting to think I don't like the big adventure movies anymore.  First "World War Z" was a disappointment and now this.  Not a fan.

This is the End (2013)

While attending a party at James Franco's house, he and his other celebrity guests must face the end of the world together.  All of the stars play themselves.

Rosy the Reviewer says...Now this was a funny movie.  See it!





John Dies at the End (2012)

 

Slackers John and Dave consume some special "soy sauce" and find themselves with otherworldly abilities.  This is Harold and Kumar meet "Ghostbusters" meet Quentin Tarantino.

 

Rosy the Reviewer says...this is either the most original comedy horror film ever made or the worst.   Could end up a cult classic but mostly I say...what the...?

 

Stuck in Love (2012)

An acclaimed novelist hasn't been able to write since his wife left him and he is not above peeking in her window to see what she is up to while his teen-age children are having their own angst.

Rosy the Reviewer says...why, at my age, am I always so drawn to films about teens and twenty-somethings? 
Because of little gems like this one.  It might be a bit predictable in its outcome, but it's a charming rom com with some complexity in its message and I am always a pushover for anything literary.  Lily Collins (Phil's daughter) is a delightful up-and-comer. Give it a try.

 

 

 

***Books***

Blue Plate Special: An Autobiography of My Appetites by Kate Christensen (2013)

Frances Mayes started it all with her book "Under the Tuscan Sun" - memoir and recipes (which should not in any way be confused with the movie) and there have been many since.  Here Christensen, in the tradition of Ruth Reichl (another favorite), combines her memories of a chaotic life growing up in the 1960's with the recipes that gave her comfort.  Food sustains her as she matures and comes to grips with love, broken hearts, pain and joy.

 

 

 

 

Rosy the Reviewer says...This is my new favorite book. 

A sharp non-self-pitying story of loneliness growing up in the 1960's punctuated by the food memories that helped her cope.  It has inspired my next blog.

***Food***

Knife Skills

Took my first cooking class this week and it was all about knife skills.  And I discovered I have been doing everything wrong for years.  It's a wonder I haven't cut off a finger.

Here are some tips I learned that could help you with your cutting, slicing and dicing:

• First don't cut yourself...This may make you say duh but you would be surprised.  Don't leave a knife in soapy water (so you can't see it - been there done that), when it falls get out of the way (our instinct is to try to catch things that fall) and don't carry it around like you are going to cut someone and scare your family.  All good common sense.  Actually I discovered I didn't really have to worry about much of this because my knives are all so dull. 

• A safe knife is a sharp knife. While you are sawing away on an apple with your dull knife, the apple could roll around, the knife could fall, you would try to catch it (see tip above) and you are down one finger.  So sharpen those knives.  You are supposed to hone everyday (you know, that long skinny thing in your knife set you didn't know what to do with?) and get professionally sharpened twice per year (that is, if you have been honing every day and you don't want to get a whetstone and do it yourself which takes hours).

• To avoid round items from rolling around while you are trying to cut them...Make a small cut on one side so that one side is flat enough to lie still on the cutting board. This really works and is a revelation.

• To cut an onion, don't cut it through it's equator but north and south from one little hairy end to the other. Then make cuts just enough through the onion so that when you slice it the other way lovely little chopped onions appear. 

       This probably explains it a bit better.
        How to chop an onion.

• Likewise, slicing an apple or orange.  Cut it north to south rather than around the center, slice it and, splay them out and you can easily cut off the core and ends and you have lovely slices and especially easy to peel the orange at that point.

This varies slightly from what we learned in class but is very close.  Bottom line, cut through the core, not through the center.

Those are just some of the tips but it was very helpful. 

Rosy the Reviewer says...Cooking classes rock!
Now I am looking forward to my next class, "Simply Seafood," to see what else I have been doing wrong all of these years!

***Meditation***

 

Om...

 

By George, I think I've finally got (sic) it!

 

After doing Oprah's 21 Day Meditation Challenge, I purchased the set of CD's. 

I know, I know, that was the point, I get it.  But it has been a good thing for me.  I have completed the first 21 day series - "Miraculous Relationships" - and am working on "Perfect Health."  Then it's on to "Creating Abundance (does that mean I am going to finally win the lottery?). 

Each session is about 15 minutes long starting with a pep talk from Oprah about the topic of the day, followed by Deepak giving me the "centering thought" for the day and the mantra.  And then I meditate for about 10 minutes listening to New Agey tinkling music.  All very serene.  But you know, I find it has helped me.  What can possibly be wrong with a soothing voice telling you how to be kinder, healthier and richer?  Hubby says he can sense a difference which makes me wonder if he was saying I was a bitch before.  

But I am not going to go there.  Om....

 

Rosy the Reviewer says...Namaste.

 

 

If you have movies, books or knife skills tips to share I would love to hear from you. 

And are you meditating?

 

Catch me on Tuesday when I will be sharing Baby Boomer memories and recipes from my Mother's kitchen circa 1950.

 

 

 

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25 Things You Don't Know About Me

You already know I am addicted to TV.  In addition to my addiction to TV, I also have an addiction to magazines. 

It's part of my morning ritual while drinking my tea.  I read everything from "Allure" to "US Weekly" to "Vanity Fair." 

(By the way, your local library may subscribe to Zinio, a great source for all of your favorite magazines to read online or download to your mobile device all for free!  So check out your local library's web page to see if they are providing this service.  That's my library plug for today).

Anyway, I digress. 

Speaking of "US Weekly," in addition to that all important celebrity gossip, it also has a feature called "25 Things You Don't Know About Me," where celebs list...guess?  Things we don't know about them.  It's a fun little diversion.  For example, it was enlightening to discover that Cher has an elephant collection  (and you know how I feel about Cher)!

So in the interest of enlightenment, I thought my readers who think they know me would like to know what they don't know about me and those of you who don't know me can get to know me by finding out what you already don't know.  Make sense?

So let's get started...

1.  I have never seen an episode of "Friends."
I must be the only person on the planet but it's true. That must be why I am not a big Jennifer Aniston fan.  I just don't get her appeal.

2.  I have never broken any bone in my body.
News alert...I just took a break, went downstairs and stubbed my toe.  I think it's broken.  If it doubles in size and turns black is it broken?

3.  I didn't learn to ride a two-wheel bicycle until I was 12.
Despite my Dad buying me a lovely two-wheeler, I just couldn't get the hang of riding it much to his consternation.  My friends were all riding around on their two wheelers while I was trying to keep up on my tricycle.  An 11-year-old on a tricycle is not a pretty sight.  Must have been why my sister called me a "motor moron."  It upset me so much that I would have dreams that somehow I would wake up and could magically ride.  But it wasn't until I was visiting my friend Barbie that I was able to master it.  She had a little mini two-wheeler and I got up on it and off I went.  Must have been because it was closer to the ground.  And I was 12, for god's sake.

4.  I have no idea what my real hair color is.
I think it was red once.

5.  I starred in a play directed by Karl Malden.
He came to my college my senior year, and since I was the reigning diva, I starred in his pastiche of Broadway memories.  He would reminisce about shows he was in or were on Broadway in his heyday, and then we would perform scenes from those shows. 

I starred in "Tea and Sympathy."  It involved an older woman seducing a young man in the interest of proving to him that he wasn't a sissy, something he was teased about because he didn't partake in more "masculine" pursuits. Not sure how this would hold up today, but I loved the last line of the play, where I got to say while unbuttoning my sweater, "Years from now, when you talk about this, and you will, be kind."  What a line!

I think I blew it with Mr. Malden when I asked him what Marlon Brando was really like.  I thought it was funny and charming.  He didn't.  He was rather a cranky sort and his nose...seeing it up close, it was a thing to behold.

6.  I have three tattoos.
I guess the most interesting part of this is that I got my first tattoo when I was in my 20's, which you might expect (it was the 70's after all), but the other two in my 60's (and I don't mean the 1960's), which is not so expected.  The tattoo parlor for the first one was the renowned Lyle Tuttle studio in San Francisco, and it was over the Greyhound station.  I loved that.  So seedy.  I used to brag I was probably the only person who wasn't drunk when I got my tattoo. That first one was a rose in my décolletage (not shown here) and my last and most recent one: two hearts with wings on my forearm.  This was a mother-daughter bonding experience as we both got tattoos together.  I recommend it!

Each heart has an "A" in it, one for each of my children, whose names begin with "A," and the wings symbolize my giving them the wings to fly successfully away. 

And boy did they! 

It was fun while it lasted!

The third is a depiction of "The  Little Rabbit Who Wanted Red Wings" on my back.  Sort of a family joke.  I guess I must say "I wish" a lot or "if only." My daughter calls me "Bun Bun." That tattoo was a family affair - hubby's first, daughter's (who knows)?  And my second, after 30+ years. 

7.  I can read music.
And play the piano, though not very well.  But that's on my list...to get back into playing and improving my skills.  And I can type 80+ words per minute so I guess I must not be that much of a motor moron.

8.  I always wanted to play Sheila in "Hair," so I could sing "Easy to be Hard."
I guess I am too old now, though a geriatric version might be fun.  Just imagine the end of Act I when all of the Baby Boomers take off their clothes!

9.  I am not allergic to anything.
And I don't pretend to be allergic to things that I just don't like, as some people do, and they know who they are!

10.  I cured myself of panic attacks.
I really suffered from terrible panic attacks. 
I remember exactly where I was when I had the first one. 

And then, of course, when you have one, you are then encumbered with the fear that you will have another one.  I could barely stand in line at a supermarket without thinking I was going to die or do something to humiliate myself.  So I did some research and found this book and it was a miracle!  I am certainly not denigrating the severity of panic attacks and agoraphobia and people who suffer from them, but I think when you do some exercises that help you build up resistance to the physical sensations and are able to ask yourself, "What's the worse thing that could happen right now?" and realize it's not likely that you are going to die, it helps.

The book is "Stop Running Scared! Fear Control Training:  The New Way to Conquer Your Fears, Phobias and Anxieties" by Herbert Fensterheim.  (It is out of print but can be purchased via Amazon or ordered at your local library via interlibrary loan).

11.  I can do 10 full-on push-ups.
On my good days.

12.  I kiss my dogs on the lips.
And they kiss me back.  Maybe that's why I never get sick.  I have built up a resistance to germs!

13.  I have more than 75 jackets.
I know, yet another addiction.  I think it stems from hanging out with kids who could afford the expensive clothes, the cute little suits and vests I would see in "Seventeen Magazine" when I was a teen.  When my son was young, it got so bad that I had to store some of them in his closet, which he was not happy about.  I remember him looking for sympathy by taking one of his friend's mother into his room to show her all of my jackets in his closet.  Poor kid.  I feel bad. Well, kinda.

14.  I do not wear a wedding ring, though I have been married enough times to qualify.
I definitely had feminist fever back in the 70's and do consider myself a feminist now.  It is not a dirty word.  But I got this idea that a wedding ring was a "slave band," which I am sure went over well with the hubbies who then didn't have to fork out for one. And then time went by.  But NOW, I certainly wouldn't mind a nice big rock to wave around.

15.  I almost failed the Existentialism philosophy class in college.
Now that I think of it, I did fail. How existential is that?

16.  I didn't get my ears pierced until I was 25.
I have always been a big scaredy cat so I put this fashion forward move off until I lost so many earrings, I couldn't stand it anymore.  I had a friend in library school who made beautiful dangly earrings and I just had to wear them.  So I bit the bullet, had my ears pierced and then, of course, in my excitement, started wearing the heavy, dangly earrings right away.  A blood fest ensued but I was wearing those damn earrings if it killed me.  Remember, in the famous words of Billy Crystal's Fernando Lamas character on SNL:  "It is better to look good than to feel good!" 

17. I have a Scarlet O'Hara doll with every costume from the movie.
Now I just need a granddaughter who will play with her with me.
Fiddle-dee-dee.

18. Princess Diana's ghost visited me the night after she died.
I am sure I have talked often about what a big Princess Diana fan I was.  Her death was right up there with John Lennon's when it came to how devastating it felt. I liked being in a world with her in it, if you can understand that, and the world just didn't seem the same after she died.  That may seem irrational but I think that's what fuels our admiration for people we look up to.

Just as it was with John Lennon, I remember exactly where I was when I heard the news.  I stayed up all night to watch the funeral procession take her body to Althorp for burial.  The night after she died, I was lying awake and my robe that was hanging on the back of our bedroom door took on Diana's shape.  Now why Diana's ghost would be visiting me is a bit of a stretch, even if I was one of her biggest fans, but it was strangely comforting so I am sticking to my story. 

Did I mention I also have a Princess Diana doll?

Though I need to do something about her hair.

19.  I have been to Europe more than 10 times, but even though I have lived on the West Coast for over 40 years, I have never been to Hawaii.
I know.  It's on my list but when Europe calls to me, I can't resist.  Especially England.  I think I must have been British in a past life because I feel so at home there.  Love Paris but London is MY town!

20.  I am addicted to a British soap opera called "Eastenders," have been watching it for 28 years and never missed an episode.
Well, almost never missed one.

I would tape it (remember VHS?) when on vacation or at work and go to extraordinary lengths to watch it. I started watching it on PBS but when that stopped, BBCAmerica started showing it. But you should have seen the sturm und drang when BBCAmerica stopped showing it.  There we fans all were, innocently watching the Friday episode, right in the middle of a particularly juicy storyline and when it was over, there was an announcement that that was the last episode they would be showing.  NOOOOOOO!!!!  The Internet blew up as people tried to keep the addiction going.  Long story short, fans find a way and I made some new friends.  And you all know who you are!

21.  I have beautiful feet.
If Joy Behar can say that about her feet, I can give her a run for her money. I would show you a picture...

Oh, OK.

22.  When I was young, I thought everyone in other countries spoke a different language but translated everything into English in their minds.
What can I say?  I was young.

23.  I shook hands with Prince Charles.
We were in one of our favorite places, Victoria, BC, and heard on the news that Prince Charles and Camilla were in town. I'm a fan but never thought we would run into them. Well, we did!  We were on one of our walks about town when we saw a large crowd gathered across from a church.  We discovered that Charles and Camilla were attending church and would be out in about a half hour or so.  And so they were.  Camilla chose not to come over to the crowd (and that was fine with me as I have never forgiven her for Diana), but Charles came over and shook hands.  As he took my hand, I said, "Your tie is fabulous!" or some such brilliant comment.  I am always quick witted when it comes to my encounters with royalty.  But despite my outburst, he looked me in the eye and graciously thanked me.  A gentleman and a Prince!

24.  I didn't have a microwave for many years because I believed if God meant for a potato to cook in six minutes, he would have invented a potato that cooked in six minutes.
I have since been converted since I love six-minute potatoes.

25.  My first job was running a concession stand in a hockey arena for 85 cents per hour.
I was 15 and had never seen so many athletes with no teeth! This job started me on the road of hard work.  I had to work on Christmas Day and almost didn't get to go to the Prom because I was supposed to work. And being the good little worker bee that I already was, I probably would have bitten the bullet and worked. But when I cried, my boss relented. And I went to the prom. 

 I have never been to a hockey game since.   

And now that I am retired 50 years later, I don't have to worry about missing Prom or anything else, because I am now my own boss!

***What's something that people don't know about you?***

Check out my blog on Friday when I will be reviewing films and books  you might not know about and my first cooking class!

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The Week in Reviews: Films, Books, Fashion and Fun

[I review movies "World War Z," "Fill the Void," "The Great Gatsby," the Martin Short concert, share a couple of good books and dole out fashion tips.]

**Films**

World War Z (2013)

I have three questions about this movie:

1.  If zombies are the living dead, how come we can shoot and kill them?  Aren't they already dead?
2.  Why do zombies bite people i.e. non-zombies?  Why do they want to turn people into zombies?   What's it to them?
3.  Why did Brad Pitt agree to star in this mess?

Rosy the Reviewer says...the beginning was very intense, but the film became laughable as it went on.  On those grounds alone, though, it could become a cult classic.  But Brad Pitt is one fine looking man.





Fill the Void (2012)

A young Hasidic Jewish woman is pressured into an arranged marriage in this small but compelling Israeli film.  Yadas Haron's performance is exquisite.

Rosy the Reviewer says...an uncritical and rare glimpse inside an ultra-conservative religious group filmed by an adherent of that group.  Fascinating.

The Great Gatsby (2013)

Speaking of fine looking men, Leonardo DiCaprio is one, and I don't think he has yet gotten the acting recognition he deserves.  I was expecting to not like this film as I find Baz Luhrmann a bit over the top as a director, but I really, really liked it.  There have been many attempts to film "The Great Gatsby" and my daughter's theory is that the book doesn't translate well into a movie because the book's strength lies in Fitzgerald's beautiful prose, but I was totally captivated by this film.  I don't think the critics agreed, but this film is definitely worth seeing.  All locations were in Australia.  Could have fooled me.  I thought it really was East and West Egg.

Rosy the Reviewer says...A colorful, poignant take on a literary classic, but I could have done without the modern soundtrack.  Highly recommended.





Mud (2012)

Two young boys befriend a fugitive.  Don't like movies with kids as the main characters and don't like Mathew McConaughey, especially with fake teeth.

Rosy the Reviewer says...if you like movies starring kids and Matthew McConaughey, you might like this but don't expect him to look hunky here.  He doesn't.





Wizard of Oz in 3D

What a fun way to spend an afternoon. 

Went to see "The Wizard of Oz" in 3D and on Imax and what a treat it was. 

It brought back many memories.  My Dad bought me the 78 records of the movie and I don't mean just the soundtrack, it was the entire movie.  As I watched the film I realized I knew every word of the script and songs!  I also remembered that when I first saw the film, we went over to my grandparent's house to watch it because they had a color TV and we didn't.  When the movie started, I cried because the movie was in black and white.  I thought something had gone wrong with their television.  I haven't seen a feature film in 3D before and I am a believer.  I just wish I hadn't seen the preview for the new 3D Hobbit movie (which I am definitely going to see now), before Wizard came on.  It just can't compete with the modern effects, but it still has some surprises.

I was wishing I could take my grandson to this, but as I thought about it, I wondered if the classic films like this can compete with the Disney films like "Cars," my little grandson's favorite film and one he is an authority on.  The classic films move at a slower pace than many of the current offerings aimed at children, even with the added 3D effects.

Here is what went into converting the film to 3D.

Any classic films you think would benefit from the 3D makeover?

  

Rosy the Reviewer says...if you have little ones, take them to this.  Or if you just want to have some happy memories, take yourself. 

Just for fun, here are some "Wizard of Oz" factoids (thanks to IMDB):

• The horses in Emerald City palace were colored with Jell-O crystals. The relevant scenes had to be shot quickly, before the horses started to lick it off.
• Many of the Wicked Witch of the West's scenes were either trimmed or deleted entirely, as Margaret Hamilton's performance was thought too frightening for audiences.
• The ruby slippers were silver (like in the book) until MGM chief Louis B. Mayer realized that the Technicolor production would benefit from the slippers being colored.
• The famous "Surrender Dorothy" sky writing scene was done using a tank of water and a tiny model witch attached to the end of a long hypodermic needle. The syringe was filled with milk, the tip of the needle was put into the tank and the words were written in reverse while being filmed from below. (We've come a long way with special effects)!
• During the "Wash and Brush Up Co." scene in the Emerald city, the lyrics "We can make a dimpled smile out of a frown/Can you even dye my eyes to match my gown" are sung in counterpoint to the orchestra playing "Somewhere Over The Rainbow." 
• In 2007, the American Film Institute ranked this as the #10 Greatest Movie of All Time. 

For more trivia, click here.

And if you are a Pink Floyd fan, you will enjoy the coincidences between the film and their "Dark Side of the Moon" album, which can also be found on that trivia link.  It's really quite amazing considering the band denies any connection.

**Concerts**

Martin Short at the Paramount

He was all over the place - he sang, he told stories, he was Jiminy Glick and Ed Grimley and it was hilarious.  I can't imagine anything scarier than doing a one-man show - up there all alone on the stage - but he pulled it off, 90 minutes of Martin Short hilarity.  Hard to believe he is 63.  He moves around the stage like a young man.

Rosy the Reviewer says...If he comes to your town, go see him.  You will have a wonderful night.

And did I tell you I have my tickets to see Cher?



Well I do!

**Books**

The Astor Orphan  (2013) by Alexandra Aldrich

A memoir by an ancestor of John Jacob Astor, one of the richest men of the earliest 20th century, except she was a poor relation.  I like to read about rich folks but this one misses the mark.  Doesn't really shed much light on this dynasty.

Rosy the Reviewer says...Kind of a bore.  Not enough stuff about rich people.  You can skip this one.

The Girl: Life in the Shadow of Roman Polanski (2013)  by Samantha Geimer

Here is the "real story" of the infamous rape case involving Roman Polanski and an underage girl and why he left the U.S. never to return. 

Rosy the Reviewer says...This won't win any writing awards, but it's a compelling story  with a twist in that "the girl" feels Polanski got a bum rap.

**Fashion**

According to Harper's Bazaar, there are 10 key buys for fall. 

Mmmmm...I wonder how my wardrobe measures up?

Ankle boots - check

Soft cuddly oversized clutch -

   Does a koala backpack count?

Turtleneck

   I already have one of those.  It's called my neck.

Tulip skirt

   Yeah, but I may never wear a skirt again

Hand held bag

   Nope but does a gym bag count?

White coat

   Not a chance.  That's all I need.  I would look like Frosty the Snowman

White pant

   Yes, but, hey, it's after Labor Day.  I thought those were a no-no

Motorcycle jacket

   Sigh.  Yes.  I just need a motorcycle and someplace to wear it

Chelsea boot

   In case you don't know what a Chelsea boot is (I didn't) it's a "low flat jodhpur style boot," if that helps - "the ultimate work to week-end shoe."  Since most of my days are weekends, not sure if I need this

  

Over-the-knee boots

   Yes, but I can no longer pull them over my knees.

Just for fun, I thought I would add Sofia Vergara's "Must Haves," from the same Harper's Bazaar issue, but she lost me at the Van Cleef and Arpels necklace.

Other tips:

Mixing prints is a hot trend for fall. 

The key is to keep everything in the same color palette.  Here is my attempt.  A Nordstrom saleswoman complimented me so I must be on the right track. 

And the double chin in this picture is an optical illusion.

And smoking slippers are also hot. 

These are not slippers in the "hang around the house" sense.  These are meant to be seen!

 What are your fall fashion tips?

Well, that's it for this week.

See you next week when I will share 25 things you don't know about me.  I just know you can't wait!

Until then, I wish you much happiness!

 Thanks for reading!  If you enjoyed this post, feel free to subscribe or share it with your friends.