No Singing in This Wizard Movie

If you're in the mood for more childish fantasy, Oz The Great and Powerful is just the movie for you. I saw Wicked on Broadway, and the storyline was a more mature rendition with an interesting plot. This prequel Oz story felt much more like the innocent version with Judy Garland. The special effects were magnficent, but the story sagged in the middle, leaving Larry and I feeling a little less than enthused when the final credits rolled.

The movie begins in black and white. Oz as the carnival wizard from Kansas is portrayed as a gigolo and a cad by James Franco. He lures innocent women in to be his magician's assistant and offers them each the gift of a music box he claims belonged to his warrior grandmother. Also, like Garland's original, characters from the Kansas carnival become Land of Oz residents.

When the strongman finds he gave such a box to his smitten wife, he comes tearing after the magician. Oz narrowly escapes in his hot air balloon and is immediately sucked up in a tornado. After a harrowing ride, he glides through in an incredibly beautiful and unique landscape to finally crash in a swamp. There he meets Theodora played by Mila Kunis. Theodora is by far the most interesting character in this movie. Her costumes are beautiful and her eyes couldn't be bigger if they tried.
 Theodora escorts Oz to the Emerald City, and there he meets her sister, who also seems enamored with this handsome Wizard who fell from the sky to fulfill their father's prophecy.

This story is about the three witch sisters and their dysfunctional relationship: Theodora from the West, Evanora of the East played by Rachel Weisz, and Glinda from the North, portrayed by Michelle Williams. At first we are lead to believe that Glinda is the evil witch who poisoned her father to gain his throne and all the gold that comes with it. But soon we see that Endora controls Theodora, and it is in Theodora's transformation that the rest of the ride takes place.

Endora shows the wizard around Emerald City, and finally introduces him to the room filled with gold. Oz is greedy and wants to be the important, and soon to become very rich, king of the land that bears his name. But Endora tells him that before he can be king or get any gold, he must kill the evil Glinda by breaking her wand. Oz is convinced this quest is worth the risk, so he embarks down the yellow-brick road towards the Dark Forest.

Oz is accompanied on his journey by Finley, the flying monkey he rescued from tangled vines on his way to the Emerald city with Theodora. Finley swears allegiance to the death in exchange for his rescue, only to be told by Oz out of Theodora's earshot that he is not the great wizard the people of Oz have been awaiting for. But, Finley swears he will remain silent. Finley is played by Zach Braff, and is just adorable.

Along their way, they come upon China Town. It has been destroyed by evil flying monkeys, and they hear the crying of a little girl. They find China Girl, played by Joey King, and she couldn't be cuter if she tried. Her legs were broken in the rampage and the Wizard used his "magic" to repair her legs. At least his glue could repair china legs, when his carnival magic could not make a crippled girl walk after she begged him during his performance in Kansas. China Girl insists she accompany Oz and Finley to the Dark Forest and now we have three heading into danger.

Glinda seems demonic when she first appears, but we soon find out it is really Endora who is the evil one, and the three companions accompany her to her northern outpost city where she convinces Oz that he can be the Wizard they await. Apparently, she and Endora both realize he is not the one. Endora sees this realization as a way to win the throne for herself, while Glinda sees it as a way to save her people.

Theodora is then told by Endora that the Wizard loves Glinda, and has abandoned her; betraying her trust. This causes the volatile red witch who throws fire balls when she's angry to implode and become the green witch we recognize from the original movie. Her transformation is magificent, and Ms. Kunis' portrayal is the best of this movie.


The movie's magic was fun, and the landscapes created were reminiscent of the movie Avatar. I loved the huge flowers. Everything was brightly colored, and fantastic. But the story fell flat for us, and we were a little bored. The movie is worth seeing on the big screen for the sets alone. We paid $4.50 each for a 1:00pm show. Otherwise, wait for it to come on TV and see it for free.

The Grass Is Always Greener

I hate getting in a funk. It's just so debilitating. I keep trying to control events in my life only to be reminded once again that I am not in control. I react out of desperation driven by that need to control, and never get the results I think I will get from that action. Head against brick wall again and again. Ouch. My head hurts.I can't function. I am depressed. I can't sleep.

I sit in the rainy albeit warmer weather of our lake house in South Carolina wishing I were closer to my family in cold and snowy Massachusetts. I miss my life in Rhode Island: my new friends, the gym and the chorus. I was happy and I walked away from it thinking I could hurry up and get the lake house sold so I can focus on one life and not be pulled in multiple directions. I feel foolish. When will I learn? Re-acting out of desperation never works out.

I became worried over money in the long-term. Worried about our future. Worried if we will have enough to survive on for as long as we live however long that is. So, I thought I could come down here to kick-start off-loading property I feel stuck with to downsize and simplify our life. I thought this property would be easy to sell first. Property sales are not moving no matter where we live or own. I do feel stuck, and I'm a little scared. But, something has to move. Stuck energy is never a good thing.

Our resources are being slowly drained over time paying property taxes and utilities in multiple locations, and I worry it won't last. We are healthy and stand a very good chance to live a long time. My worry over our long-term finances makes me want to be unhealthy so I can relax and enjoy what we have now and not worry about the future. I won't live as long that way, and it is sure to last. What kind of sick thinking is that? It is where my head is at right now. I see other people living just this way. I don't want to be one of them, but I am leaning in that direction out of worry for the future. "Be here now", Ram Dass preached. Live in the "Now", Eckhart Tolle writes. "Some days are diamonds, some days are stone," sang John Denver. He was right.

Sail Boat at night on Rte. 378

I am blessed. I know I am. I see my friends pine over their troubles on Facebook, and realize I have it better than many. I see what's happening to family and friends all over and know I am doing well. Why, then, do I envy them? Big Brother Bob Emery's theme song keeps coming into my head:

The grass is always greener
in the other fellow's yard.
The little row
we have to hoe,
Oh boy that's hard.
But if we all could wear
green glasses now,
it wouldn't be so hard
to see how green the grass is
in our own back yard.

Bobby McFerrin sings, "Don't worry; be happy." I'm not happy right now; I'm frustrated and worried. Breathe. Just breathe. Be quiet. Just sit. My ass hurts.

Yippee Ki-Yay!

I love Die Hard movies, and this one lives true to form. It grabs us with action from the first moment and keeps us riveted to the very last. The McClane boys do not disappoint. Jai Courtney as Jack, John's son, is a great fit for Bruce Willis. They even look a like to some degree. Jack is as angry and jaded as John was in the earlier movies, and after some "bad boy" bonding (if one would call it that), the boys join forces in a big way.

As usual, this movie is chock full of great explosions, car crashes (oh! the car crashes!), shoot-outs galore and surprises. The dialog has its usual imbedded humor, and the Rolling Stones even sing the theme song, "Doom and Gloom"! Talk about bad boys singing about bad boys. The movie is great. Go see it.

I was angry after a phone call today over southern family drama stuff, and I needed to punch something. "A Good Day To Die Hard" took all that crap out of me and then some. Thanks boys. I feel better now. "Yippee Ki-Yay, Mutha F.....!"

Romance on Love Day

I love Valentine's Day. I always have. Even when I was single, I took myself out on dates: a movie double-feature with fancy coffee and decadent chocolate dessert in between was my favorite. I looked for a man sitting alone and asked if I could join him. It was in a bookstore, so I also brought along my recent purchase and read as I enjoyed my treat in the silent company of a man across the table. Why not? This year my wonderful husband drove to join me in South Carolina where I arrived two weeks early to get a jump on selling our lake house just to be with me on the "day of Love". Before arriving, he sent me an early valentine in the snow of our Rhode Island yard.

Last night, we went to the Columbia Museum of Art (CMA). We got in free with our (retired) Smithsonian Institution IDs, and saw the Monet to Matisse Impressionists exhibit in the afternoon. We also walked around the entire museum as this was our first visit. It's not nearly as big as the MFA in Boston, but had quite a lot of interesting exhibits anyway with pieces from Botticelli and Sargent included. It was impressive. But one of the most impressive was an exhibit on "healing" sponsored by the Lexington Medical Center. It included many select pieces from high school students in the Lexington County area. We were in awe of the talent of these young people and I became saddened to see their pain from the illness of a friend of relative depicted in paint, photography and multi-media projects. It was a very impressive display indeed. An entertaining exhibit in progress was one of women's fashions created out of everything: paper, old pieces of fabric, crayola crayons and painting supplies. It made me think of my young friend and God-daughter, Sophie. She was clearly ahead of her time in creating shoes and a dress for her sister to wear to prom out of duct tape years ago. She could have easily submitted one of her projects into this exhibit.

After our tour, we went to a family-run Italian restaurant a few blocks walking distance from the CMA: Villa Tronco. It was located in what is now a historic building, and was originally a fire house. The atmosphere was intimate and charming with lots of wood and small rooms. The dining room where we sat had a lovely little bar and terrazzo flooring, just like we have at the lake, except with red tiles. We laughed at this discovery. The rear main dining room's walls were of the original brick and was just lovely with very nice architectural features of trusses in the ceiling. Lastly, on the wall of our dining room was an award presented to the legend husband, Henry Martin, of the family's granddaughter for being the first 1,000 point scorer in USC basketball history. We had delicious, very fresh dinners of Veal Oscar and Chicken Saltimbucco; a bottle of Nero, and shared wonderful chocolate pudding with fresh strawberries and raspberries for dessert. It was a fabulous dinner that was healthfully cooked and not loaded with cheese or breading. My tomato sauce had fresh tomatoes and the pasta tasted homemade.

We returned to the CMA after dinner to attend the "CMA Chamber Music on Main" concert, featuring Artistic Director Edward Aaron on cello. Both of the other original performers for this performance cancelled because of a repetitive stress injury (violinist) and a career enhancing opportunity (pianist). So he was able to have his personal valentine, his wife, perform on piano and Tessa Lark play violin. All three performers hail from the northeast because he talked about the "Storm of 2013" causing problems with their driving to the Columbia concert. But, the concert was magical.

The first piece by Stravinsky was replaced by a Bach solo for violin to open the concert. This is where we saw how adept Ms. Lark is at performing her craft. Her technically perfect fingering was magnificent and her Tononi violin's sound was magical. It was so beautiful, I just closed my eyes and drank it in. Next we were treated to "Mozart-Adagio for Piano, Violin and Cello" by Arvo Pärt. This piece was filled with dramatic dissonances and silences. It was not my favorite piece, but its performance was really interesting.

My favorite piece came next: "Piano Trio in A-flat Major, Hob. XV:14" by F.J. Haydn. The harmonic dissonances and silences of this piece were melodic perfection. We enjoyed watching Mr. Aaron look to Ms. Lark for direction as clearly she was in charge of conducting the concert.  Lastly, we enjoyed a long piece, that was beautifully executed, but not my favorite: "Piano Trio in E-fat Major, D.929" by Franz Schubert. Mr Schubert, we were told, died at age thirty-one, and wrote this piece the year before he died. I was mesmerized to watch each performer become one with their instruments: fingers flew across strings and keys while arms flowed up and down with dramatic effect. It was an extremely difficult program, but absolutely beautifully executed. The acoustics in this hall were wonderful. All in all, it was a fabulous concert.

Lastly, we were treated by Ms. Lark to a bluegrass "ditty" from her home state of Kentucky called, "Bows and Strings" as her valentine to us. It was a rousing piece that had us all clapping and once again in awe of her talent. Her fingers flew impossibly over those strings as the "ditty" kept speeding up. It was fabulous!

We noticed that the audience was comprised of mostly people our age and older. We saw only a few young people. We thought that was interesting. The best treat for Larry, though, was running into one of his professors from the University of South Carolina. Each time we attend something in Columbia, he looks for people he may have known from his past, but never finds anyone. He was very happy to engage with one of his professors and get as caught up as forty years would allow. He was very sweet and looked like the epitomy of a college professor: rumpled, wearing a sweater and suspenders.

It was a very romantic date-night, and we both had a really great time. Happy (day after) "Love" Day to you all! I hope you enjoyed a little of your own romance, whether shared with a special someone, or with your Self. It's all about the Love after all.

Life of Pi 3D

It's been a long time since a movie made me laugh and cry. Pi did. This story is truly touching and fantastic. The cinematography is magical and beautiful. I felt sad and good at the end and loved watching the credits in 3D. This technology has come so far. I forgot after a while that I had on the glasses, and the entire movie felt up close and personal. It also helped that I was the only one in the theater for the 5pm show.

 Suraj Sharma as the teenage Pi was perfect in the role. His beautiful face lit up the screen, and his emotions truly moved me. This young man never acted before this movie. I hope he wins an award. He really deserves it.Irrfan Khan as the adult Pi was also wonderful. As he told his character's story, he moved me to tears. I normally love Gerard Depardieu, but he was despicable in this tiny role. The music was perfect.

There are lots of philosophical lessons in this movie. Pi grows up searching for God, and finds Him in his love for Richard Parker, an adult Bengal tiger. The tiger saved his life as Pi saved the tiger's life while stranded together with a zebra, a hyena and an orangutan on a lifeboat after a devastating ship wreck in which he lost his entire family. But, it is also about loss and survival. Pi listened to his father and uncle and learned their life lessons well. Those lessons helped him survive as well as the supplies in the lifeboat and its manual for staying alive at sea.

The movie did a wonderful job of portraying what it would be like to survive something like this: the terrible force of waves in a huge storm, looking into clear water, up from it, and reflections that prevent one from determining up from down. It is a beautiful movie that must be watched in 3D on a huge screen in the dark.

I am so happy I saw it. Go check it out for yourself. I think you'll be happy you did.

Les Mis

I must admit that I have successfully avoided viewing every performance of this production until now.With all the hype about the movie, I decided it was time I "did the deed" and watched it. I even owned a VHS copy of the version with Liam Neeson! I couldn't even get through half of that one. It is a most depressing story, and I think that is the reason I avoided it. That said, this production had some very impressive performances and aspects. But, it did drag in the middle. I got fatigued and forced myself not to nod off during these slow times, and tried not to focus on wishing we had gone to see The Hobbit instead.

The standouts for me were Anne Hathaway as the tortured Fantine, a single mother forced into prostitution to pay for her daughter's care by others. This woman can do anything! Anne's voice is the strongest of the entire movie. It is impeccable, and her talent is unmatched. I have watched her grow as an actress over the years, and then venture into song and dance, but this performance deserves an award. When she sold her hair and cried her song, "I dreamed a dream," I felt her torment in my very soul. She is a great crier.

Hugh Jackman as Jean Valjean was also excellent. I have heard his voice sound better, but his performance was very strong and powerfully portrayed. Another tortured soul on the run, he was ruthlessly hunted for decades by the infamous defender of the law, Javert, well played by Russell Crowe. I have seen critics say that Crowe's singing prowess leaves much to be desired, but I thought he did a very good job. He carried a tune well, hit every note, and sang powerfully. He just didn't have the warble in his vibrato that everyone else did. But, I was impressed to say the least.

The makeup in this movie was just incredible. The misery portrayed by les pauvres in this film was totally believable. They were filthy, lived in filth, and I could almost smell the stench. It was really disgusting. The sets were fabulous. I hope this movie wins kudos of awards for makeup and sets alone. It was truly impressive. They transformed Valjean from a young man to an old man, very believably, although I didn't totally buy how old his character was purported to be by the look of him. Jackman is handsome no matter how dirty he gets or how old they try to make him. He's a total hotty.

And who knew Amanda Seyfriend was such a high soprano! I loved the young Cosette, Fantine's daughter, played by Isabelle Allen. She was so talented, and what a voice! Amanda's performance as the grown Cosette was very sweet, as Amanda's roles often are. But, her voice is just exceptional. It truly shines in this performance like it never had occasion to do in Mama Mia.

But, the total standouts for me in this film were Helena Bonham Carter as Madame ThÉnardier and Sacha Baron Cohen as ThÉnardier. A worse couple of ne'er do wells I have never seen. They were just despicable! I loved them, and found myself routing for their horrible antics until the end when they were literally thrown out after being caught crashing Cosette's wedding to Marius, exceptionally played by Eddie Redmayne: another very strong voice.

The cast in this movie was wonderful. The acting was very moving, and everyone cried so believably. I felt all their pain and torment. The final "big finish" did also not disappoint. I just love big finish numbers in a musical. Speaking of watching musicals: they take getting used to the rhythm. I remembered this as I got tired of it and had trouble with actors singing every line of dialog, just about. But, I remembered this problem from watching the myriad of musicals in my youth. I just loved them, but they took a little while to get used to. So does this movie. In the end, I loved it. It was a bit long, but it moved me and I teared up in a couple of places. I hope it does well at the Golden Globes and the Oscars. "Hear, hear!"

Resolved...

Tunnel spider web on the hose.

I stopped making new New Year's resolutions. Instead, I have maintained the same one for several years: "I resolve to continue to be healthy and happy." This resolution is broad, I know, but remains apropos nonetheless. Yes, I want to lose another twenty pounds, and I also want to increase my activity level a bit, but those specifics put too much pressure on me. I prefer to remain general, yet resolute.

On New Year's Day morning, I walked to the glider on our dock in SC. It was a lovely, albeit gray morning with mild temperatures. I was dressed in my pajamas and wool shawl, which seemed to be enough warmth. The air was slightly crisp but humid with impending rain showers predicted. The water was like glass, and I could hear birds calling through the pines. The only disturbance was the intermittent gunshot from hunters in the distance. It was peaceful on the lake.

I breathed deeply, closed my eyes and prayed. Thanking God for all my blessings: my wonderful family, our dawgs, and our good health, along with the myriad of other blessings we enjoy and are extremely grateful for, I also asked for courage and guidance. I can't always find the courage to be who I Am, so I asked for it. I also asked for loving, patient, tolerant and wise words and thoughts to be given me before I take any and all actions. As a spiritual being, it is very important to me that I act, say and do as much as I can to assist the "Keepers of the Light" in this world. During the "dark times", rays of light are even more important to maintain for our human family. I ask to be guided as one of those, whose mission in this life is to keep Joy and Happiness alive.

When life causes us to be consumed by the various "lacks" we experience: lack of money or time, I ask for everything I need, so that I can help others to shift their focus to having fun and allowing more time for that. "Be like the little children..." I believe in the importance of keeping our "inner child" alive and well in every moment of every day until the end. Life will always present challenges, but remaining focused on innocence in adulthood remains the greatest challenge. Playing with childlike abandon is also of utmost importance in trying times. We must remember to not allow "dark forces" to consume us. Love always wins.

Happy New Year! Next time it snows, lay down and make a "snow angel". Next time it rains, walk through a puddle, not around it. Look fear in the eye and say, "Poo on you!" I "double dog" dare ya.