A Jewish Grandmother: Original, unedited daily musings, and host to the monthly Kosher Cooking Carnival. **Copyright(C)BatyaMedad ** For permission to use these in publications of any sort, please contact me directly. Private accredited distribution encouraged. Thank you.
We used to be big movie goers, but in recent years it's rare. Actually, the last time was an occasion like last night. My husband's a retiree from the the Menachem Begin Heritage Center and now volunteers there, so he's invited to some of the staff events. This was a family event in Jerusalem's Cinema City. It included an "all you can eat" dinner in their VIP room, lots of pasta, pizza, salads and more plus a choice between two movies, neither which he had ever heard of. One was described as suitable for kids and the other seemed "childish," too, but we're a generation or two or even three older than pretty much everyone else who'd be attending. We agreed that if we didn't like it, we'd just walk out. Yes, the movie was ANACONDA.
I looked it up on the internet first to get a bit of an idea as to what to expect. It didn't sound impressive at all, but the evening was free. We even travel for free... So we figured there was nothing to lose.
To be perfectly honest, we had no positive expectations... but within a few minutes we were mesmerized...
ANACONDA is a movie within a movie and a comedy. It's fantasy for sure. That's genre #1, but I was reminded of John Belushi, not just because the main character is heavy. If there's such a thing as a John Belushi genre, this would be it... John Belushi in the Jungle.
Apparently an anaconda is a dangerous jungle creature, whether fact or fiction, it's irrelevant. The acting was great; the characters seemed totally real, though it was obviously unrealistic. We recommend it, and yes, there were people who walked out in the middle...
One more thing... it's a clean movie, neither nudity nor sex. You can take your kids.
PS I took these pictures of the screen while watching the movie. We sat in the back row, and the footrests didn't work in many of the seats. It was still comfortable, lots of upholstery... so different from the Jerusalem movie theaters from way back when.
Oppenheimer did really well in the recent Oscars aka Academy Awards, but IMHO they didn't deserve all those awards.
The other night I saw that Oppenheimer movie. Actually we didn't go to the cinema; we saw it in a neighbor's home where she has a nice big screen.
I'm glad that I hadn't paid to see it. It was rather torturous to be perfectly honest. One neighbor walked out in the middle saying that he know the plot/history. I stayed hoping it would get better, even though trying to run a marathon would probably have been more pleasant.
Just because it won lots of prizes doesn't mean it's good. I'm a cynic, realist, pragmatist, and I don't follow the crowds. Some movies which had won barely any awards have have held up and today over half a century later, like Some Like It Hot, and are now treasured, praised and viewed more than ever. Compare it to Roman Holiday and The Sting, also great award winners. They're favorites with many, though over a half a century old. If I'm even in enforced bedrest, please keep me cheerful and fascinated by watching movies like those. I doubt if people will will willing to watch the three hours of Oppenheimer in sixty 60 years, or even in ten, unless they're already unconscious.
Good cinema, like good literature must show character development, challenges and changes. Granted Oppenheimer did face challenges, but Cillian Murphey's expression, tone and expression never changed. Maybe it's because his facial skin had been stretched too tightly...
I was surprised to discover that Emily Blunt was the actress who played Kitty Oppenheimer, because, at least to me, she was unrecognizable and looked miserable. Kitty was a very poorly written character, which makes little sense. Do you consider that good acting for an attractive actress who did such a great job as in The Devil Wears Prada?
The only aspect of the movie that impressed me was the visual at times, so I would have nominated them for the Academy Award for "Special Affects." Not only didn't they win it, but they weren't even nominated for that category.
If you're thinking of seeing Oppenheimer, think again. It's not worth three hours of your life. For me the test of what's a great movie is answering "yes" to the question:
"Would you like to see this movie another few times for enjoyment?"
For the month of March, just a coincidence, my local Shiloh book club has decided on the classic Little Women. This past Tuesday we rushed to see the new movie version in Cinema City, Jerusalem, taking advantage of the special NS10 senior discount ticket. I had started this post a few days ago, before the Academy Awards. My friends and I were totally blown away from the movie. It was amazing, especially the way Greta Gerwig adapted Louisa May Alcott's classic Little Women to the screen. It's beyond my comprehension how she didn't get an Oscar for that category. Just the Costumes won the coveted prize.
I've been rereading Little Women, after a break of over half a century. Since it's a very old classic, you can get it for free e-reading. To be honest you don't need a special e-reader/kindle. I use my phone and don't even need an app.
Back to the movie Little Women. It mixes times and sequences, which may be confusing, but the truth is that it makes sense. Jo is the main character, and she thinks a lot. Her thoughts and memories of the past are an important part of the movie. Actually, that whole package is the movie.
There's a color-schemed clue to put you on track for the era, past versus present. Jo's, or is it Alcott's, memories are bathed in sepia, while the movie's "now" is brighter and bluish.
All the aesthetics were stunningly perfect, yes, the costumes, too, of course. We were spellbound. On the whole the acting was perfect, but although Amy (Florence Pugh) could almost pull off looking younger than her sisters, her voice jarred. She has a mature woman's voice which was rather distracting when she was supposed to be young. Also, Timothée Chalamet, playing Laurie, wasn't consistent. Granted it's harder for a man to simultaneously play a teen and a grown man convincingly, but Chalamet, even at his best, was unconvincing.
With those exceptions, every other actor in main and minor roles was excellent and totally convincing. Little Women is definitely worth seeing. This version is like no other before it. I'd recommend reading the book beforehand if you can. Otherwise be prepared for a unique journey. Get into the head of the young writer, Jo, obviously based on Alcott herself. Everyone in the audience seemed mesmerized. And if you're in a book club, like I am, choose the book and see the movie together. The adaptation is totally brilliant.
At first we had trouble choosing a restaurant in Cinema City; there are so many. But despite the fact that Tereza bills itself as a "Pasta Bar," we chose it. It looked more interesting, and was relatively quiet. Apparently it's a chain, and I couldn't find a phone number for the branch itself, 1-700-700-338.
Tereza offers those popular lunch specials in which for the price of just the main course you get a starter and juice, bottled water or soda. We all chose different menu items, breakfast, fish and pasta.
My first course of grilled eggplant, which included salad and white cheese, was so large and filling, I had them pack it up for me to eat the following day for breakfast. I chose a fish which was delicious. The bones had all been removed, so it was easy to eat. As you can see, there was also a large green salad, which I chose from the side dish options. The others were all carbohydrates.
My friends ordered us a celebratory waffle with ice cream and whipped cream for my upcoming birthday. It was the perfect end to a birthday lunch with close friends. And for me, eating a quarter of such a treat was enough to satisfy my sugar cravings. On that we were split. Half of us said that we were glad to share it, while the other half would have been happier eating an entire portion.
We all agreed that Tereza was a great choice. We loved the food and the atmosphere. Service could have been a bit swifter, but we made it to the movie on time.
Being that it was a Tuesday afternoon, the senior tickets were reduced to NS14, if I remember correctly. We also enjoyed the movie and agreed that the screenwriter did a pretty good job adapting it. With the exception of the non-American actor playing the fiance, who had an awful fake accent, casting was on target. I love the fact that British actors have real faces, unlike Americans who look like they've come off an assembly line in a toy factory.
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society is a movie suitable for all ages.
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