“Oy.”
That word is spoken – silently or otherwise – as I haul my butt out of bed, knowing that I need to hit the streets for my morning walk.
My feet, my ankles, my Achilles tendons, my knees, my sciatica – everything hurts. I’m no more than a litany of body parts that would keep an orthopedist in business indefinitely. I stretch, worrying that I’ll simply aggravate the offended body parts. I hear the “snap, crackle, pop” of my knees and shoulders as I get ready. And I so don’t want to go. I have other things to do. Or I’ll go later. Right, I can walk later. But I know I won’t, so I go.
I throw on a shirt with some strange logo (where did “Hartford Health Care” come from?). I check the weather to see if it is safe to wear shorts or whether I’d be better off putting on long pants. I don the baseball cap I bought during a sudden 10-minute rain storm while visiting St. John. I grab the phone and headphones, tune into Pandora or Amazon Music (since I will never be able to figure out how to access my 5,500 songs on “the Cloud” from my iTunes account without my iPod), and I hit the streets. I wonder if there is an Olympic medal for just getting out of the house and walking when things hurt and you don’t want to go. And then I remember how lucky I am to have the time, to have a place and to have the ability to do something others might want to do but can’t. So I keep walking.
As I walk through my development, I make a mental note of the houses with generators so I know whose door to knock on in case of a power failure. I envy the people whose homes have newspapers in the driveways since the Star-Ledger broke its promise to find my house and deliver the paper to me. (I must admit, not getting a daily paper really cuts down on the clutter and the recycling.)
I dodge the sprinklers and the dogs on long leashes as I sing along (silently), hoping I can still recall all the words to “Love Child.” I figure that if I can, I have avoided Alzheimer’s, at least for now. I can actually hear the real words to songs I’ve known for decades, thanks to the headphones, although I still am not sure of the lyrics to “Louie, Louie,” but that, I’m sure, was the Kingsmen’s intent. I think about the wonders of Stevie Wonder and the marketing genius of Berry Gordy. I do, really.
Since I have been more stressed out than usual lately, I have even switched up the musical selections to include some New Age or spa music. The music is soothing, although I find that nature sounds don’t work for me if there is running water in the background. Saying more would be TMI. I feel relaxed, but if only I could stop thinking for just a bit, I would really de-stress myself.
I stop periodically to remove tiny, almost invisible stones that somehow find their way into my shoes. I’m like the character in “The Princess and the Pea:” I feel every little imperfection. I’m such a delicate little flower.
I notice the flowers and the variety of mailboxes from one street to the next. I check the landscaping for ideas for my own property. I take in the smells of the plants and the people who appear to have showered and put on clean clothes BEFORE their walks. They smell like Tide. I don’t. I don’t even comb my hair (see baseball cap, above).
Because I live in an “active adult” community, there are plenty of other people out walking, too. Some are older and some are younger, but very few look like they would be carded if they tried to buy the senior citizen ticket on the train. There are some people who run, but I assume they are either younger and living with someone here who qualifies as 55 and older or they are visiting. There’s one crazy woman who walks fast and far. One morning I spotted her on the dangerous road outside the development. When I returned two hours later, she was still powerwalking, but this time in another area. Give it a rest, woman. I note that no one I see has any kind of “cool factor” that is inherently mine. Some sport fanny packs – and don’t tell me they are “back in style,” because these folks never gave them up. I’ve seen people walking with umbrellas for the sun, carrying walking sticks, cross-body purses and wearing slacks and polo shirts, all looking totally dorky and uncool (compared to me, with my hugely oversized t-shirts and aforementioned St. John hat).
Sometimes I venture to a nearby park, where the views include a lake/pond, plants, people fishing, picnicking, riding bikes, walking dogs and playing tennis. I can walk to Colonial Park, where I can literally “smell the roses” at the wondrous rose garden there. That route isn’t as practical as noting the houses with generators, but it is much more life-affirming. Or I walk along the tow path for the nearby canal, looking at the meandering path of the adjoining river. Mother Nature is one cool chick.
These solitary sojourns give me time to think about the issues of the day. What’s for dinner? What’s my schedule for the rest of the day? Can I get in my 3.2 miles/10,000 steps on just this walk? Whose call do I need to return? When can I do this again? What’s the subject of my next essay?
I guess I have that one figured out.
Friday, July 15, 2016
Friday, July 1, 2016
Tina's June 2016 Movies
I didn't even reach a dozen movies in June, but I achieved one milestone for me: Every movie I watched was new to me. Maybe I should have added a few old favorites to the list, because there's nothing here I would watch again (the OJ program was excellent, but it is too long to sit through more than once). Movies are rated on a scale of 1-5 cans of tuna, with 5 being the highest. Numbering picks up from the previous month.
60. For All Mankind* (1989) – Only 12 men have landed on the moon, and this absorbing documentary features the actual footage they shot of their voyages and of Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin’s landing. There are plenty of scenes showing items floating around the spacecraft and even a discussion on some – to put it delicately – practical matters. How does one make a sandwich while floating in space? The astronauts record their activities and express their wonder at the universe as they peer through tiny windows to capture Earth in the distance. We haven’t seen a moon landing in decades, but this film brings back that initial excitement. 3½ cans.
61. Me Before You* (2016) – Book before movie. Movie = meh. Maybe if I hadn’t read the book and didn’t know what was going to happen, I would have enjoyed this movie more. Screenwriter JoJo Moyes faithfully adapted her book, so the story I loved reading is exactly what I saw on the screen, but the lead actress (Emilia Clarke) was just a little too perky for my taste. The story is about a handsome young man (Sam Claflin) who suffers a tragic accident and the inexperienced but spunky young woman hired by his mother as his companion/health care worker. Sadly, this potato is twice baked. 3 cans.
62. The Finest Hour* (2015) – Chris Pine plays a brave young Coast Guard seaman who is charged with the seemingly impossible task of taking a small boat out to sea to rescue the crewmen who are stranded on a tanker that was split in two by a violent storm. The woman he loves and has plans to marry waits and worries, while the men on the nearly-destroyed ship work ingeniously to keep their half afloat. This is a movie that is better seen in a theatre than on a TV set, because there is plenty of action, but my usual objection applies: It is too dark. Even the scenes not at sea are shot with little light. In addition, the action takes place off the coast of New England, and the Boston accents are extremely hard to follow. Pine is stoic, determined and destined to be a hero in this true story. Maybe a little more light and hearing the dialog would have helped, so I can only give it 3 cans.
63. OJ – Made in America* (2016) –I was captivated with the FX docudrama on the trial of OJ Simpson that aired several months ago, and this engrossing documentary is even better. Produced and directed by Ezra Edelman, this multi-part program is one of ESPN’s “30 for 30” series, and probably its best effort to date. It is a look at the life and times of OJ Simpson – not only his life, but of the culture of sports and celebrity, racial tensions and police treatment of African-Americans in the burgeoning Los Angeles. And then there’s OJ himself, handsome, winning, an outwardly great guy who eschewed black power and his potential as a leader in the black community in favor of seizing marketing opportunities and fame that came his way because of his prowess on the football field and his affable nature and good looks. But beneath that veneer is a real sense of entitlement. And, by the way, he beats his wife. The documentary asserts that he repeatedly flew into jealous rages and beat his wife Nicole, who called police only to see them downplay the incidents because OJ was such a good guy – right? Did OJ kill her and Ron Goldman? The jury said no, but you can draw your own conclusion. His after-trial life is carefully documented, though we never see OJ fulfill his promise to “track down the real killer(s).” His fall from grace wasn’t swift, but it was complete, as today he languishes in prison on unrelated charges. An American tragedy for all parties. 4 cans.
64. Stuck in Love* (2012) – Greg Kinnear is generally a likeable, low-key kind of actor, and he brings those qualities to this role as author Bill Borgens. His wife Erica (Jennifer Connelly) left him for another man 3 years ago, but he is convinced she’s coming back. He still sets a place for her at the table as he shares holidays with his nearly-grown children Samantha (Lily Collins) and Rusty (Nat Wolff), who try to persuade him that their mom is gone for good. Of course, he should know that since he goes to Erica’s house every now and then and peeks into her windows. Meanwhile, both kids are aspiring authors and Samantha, a college student, is having her first book published. Bill hasn’t published a thing since his marriage went south, so he’s a little jealous, and Samantha wants nothing to do with her mother because she abandoned her father. High school student Rusty smokes too much pot and falls for a girl with a drug and alcohol problem who thinks he can help her. Samantha is a sassy young woman who unexpectedly falls for nice-guy Louis. Everyone here is stuck on love, whether or not they have the right partner. This movie has a good cast, but the story just kept getting stuck in the mud for me. 3 cans.
65. Renoir: Revered and Reviled* (2016) – Presented by the Barnes Foundation, the owners of the largest collection of the work of Renoir, this documentary takes a hard look at Renoir’s artistic evolution. Pierre Auguste Renoir was a late 19th century painter and a member of the Impressionism movement, along with cohorts Claude Monet, Edward Manet and other French artists of the time. This film carefully shows his style and brush strokes, his use of various kinds of painting techniques, and, most important, his shift from strict Impressionism to a more modern approach that was later emulated by Pablo Picasso and others. In his later years, where much of the focus of the film lies, he painted numerous nudes. All were fleshy, sometimes out of proportion women, and the question is raised as to his intentions. Was Renoir misogynistic? Was he objectifying women? Many of this subjects have blank faces, which makes the critics think they seem to lack intelligence. But who knows what Renoir was thinking? That doesn’t stop the art experts here from either asserting their views on his intentions or speculating on his view of women. Art criticism, like all criticism, is subjective, so there is no right or wrong. Watching this movie made me examine the canvases more closely than I might have otherwise, and reminded me how much I love the Impressionists. I think the title of this movie is inaccurate, because reviled is too strong a word for what is presented here. 3½ cans.
66. The Identity Theft of Mitch Mustain* (2015) – Mitch Mustain seemed destined for greatness. As a high school quarterback in Arkansas, he was a sought-after recruit who committed to playing for the local University of Arkansas. This documentary takes to task the recruiting of high school students and the staffing of college football teams. Despite prolific talent on the field, Mitch was caught in a power struggle between the head coach and the offensive coordinator (who had been his high school coach and who was undoubtedly hired to deliver Mitch and several of his teammates) and he ultimately transferred to USC, where he slipped off the depth chart. This movie is an indictment of the fame that comes to young men simply because of their youthful achievements and potential and how the public’s expectation of them can turn to anger and derision should they not live up to the hype. Meanwhile, far too many people have a stake in and a say in this young man’s life. Today he is no longer involved in sports at any level. And that seems a shame, given his abilities and accomplishments, but if that is his choice, then he has mastered the game. 3½ cans.
67. Lovely, Still* (2009) – Martin Landau plays Robert, a lonely old man rambling about in a house clearly too large for him. He goes to his job at the local market but he just sits there and draws. One day a vibrant older woman named Mary (Ellen Burstyn) introduces herself to him and they begin a cautious but sweet relationship. It doesn’t take much to throw Robert out of his routine, which is terrifying for him, but he develops real feelings for Mary. This movie was so slow in reaching its crescendo that more than once I thought about abandoning it, but I’m glad I stuck around for the ending. It was heartwarming and worth watching. 3 cans.
68. The Wednesday Morning Breakfast Club* (2013) – I cannot imagine a cornier or more amateurish movie than this little ditty about three grumpy old men who gather every Wednesday at the local small-town diner. However, while as treacly as they come, the movie does have a certain charm, as the earnest young waitress Megan (Stacey Bradshaw) works diligently to accommodate their demands (a seat cushion for one, burning hot coffee for another). She eavesdrops on their conversations, as each man discloses bits of his past, experiences in his native country and in the military. She learns by listening that one man recently lost his wife, and she goes out of her way to visit when another is ill. I can’t recommend this movie for most of you, but I did appreciate the reminder that everyone has a story and sometimes it helps just to listen. And to keep the coffee hot. 2 cans, and no resemblance whatsoever to the Brat Pack’s “The Breakfast Club.”
69. Maggie’s Plan* (2016) – Maggie (Greta Gerwig) had a plan and she should have stuck to it. A single working woman, Maggie wanted to have a baby, and she enlisted a former college classmate as a sperm donor. But when she meets unhappily married professor/author John (Ethan Hawke), her plan abruptly changes, and she and John marry and have a baby. John is an overwrought author who will never finish that damn book or face his responsibilities, so Maggie is stuck with him, his two kids, their baby and a hopeless future. Her plan then is to reunite John with his first wife, Georgette (Julianne Moore, with an accent), with whom he has maintained a relationship. Seriously, Maggie, enough with the plans. You should know by now that you aren’t good at it and they don’t always work. The baby is cute, the movie is annoying. If you are planning to see it, I say you should reconsider your plan. 2½ cans.
70. The Fundamentals of Caring* (2016) – In this Netflix original movie, the ageless Paul Rudd plays Ben, an unemployed writer desperate for a job who becomes the caregiver for Trevor (Craig Roberts), an 18-year old fatherless young man with a form of muscular dystrophy. Despite the warnings of the young man’s mother, the two strike up a friendship, and Ben agrees to take Trevor on a road trip – medicines, wheelchair and all – to see some roadside attractions that he finds appealing. The movie soon becomes a buddy/road movie, complete with the addition of strangers they meet along the way who introduce Trevor to parts of life he’s never experienced. The two main characters have a grudging bond and affection for each other, but it often manifests itself in cruel pranks and yelling. I wanted more from the movie, because helping someone with a disability seemed like a different take on the typical road trip movie, but it didn’t end up much different at all. The last scene, where Trevor gets to fulfill a lifelong dream, is modestly entertaining, but otherwise, this was pretty routine. 3 cans.
60. For All Mankind* (1989) – Only 12 men have landed on the moon, and this absorbing documentary features the actual footage they shot of their voyages and of Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin’s landing. There are plenty of scenes showing items floating around the spacecraft and even a discussion on some – to put it delicately – practical matters. How does one make a sandwich while floating in space? The astronauts record their activities and express their wonder at the universe as they peer through tiny windows to capture Earth in the distance. We haven’t seen a moon landing in decades, but this film brings back that initial excitement. 3½ cans.
61. Me Before You* (2016) – Book before movie. Movie = meh. Maybe if I hadn’t read the book and didn’t know what was going to happen, I would have enjoyed this movie more. Screenwriter JoJo Moyes faithfully adapted her book, so the story I loved reading is exactly what I saw on the screen, but the lead actress (Emilia Clarke) was just a little too perky for my taste. The story is about a handsome young man (Sam Claflin) who suffers a tragic accident and the inexperienced but spunky young woman hired by his mother as his companion/health care worker. Sadly, this potato is twice baked. 3 cans.
62. The Finest Hour* (2015) – Chris Pine plays a brave young Coast Guard seaman who is charged with the seemingly impossible task of taking a small boat out to sea to rescue the crewmen who are stranded on a tanker that was split in two by a violent storm. The woman he loves and has plans to marry waits and worries, while the men on the nearly-destroyed ship work ingeniously to keep their half afloat. This is a movie that is better seen in a theatre than on a TV set, because there is plenty of action, but my usual objection applies: It is too dark. Even the scenes not at sea are shot with little light. In addition, the action takes place off the coast of New England, and the Boston accents are extremely hard to follow. Pine is stoic, determined and destined to be a hero in this true story. Maybe a little more light and hearing the dialog would have helped, so I can only give it 3 cans.
63. OJ – Made in America* (2016) –I was captivated with the FX docudrama on the trial of OJ Simpson that aired several months ago, and this engrossing documentary is even better. Produced and directed by Ezra Edelman, this multi-part program is one of ESPN’s “30 for 30” series, and probably its best effort to date. It is a look at the life and times of OJ Simpson – not only his life, but of the culture of sports and celebrity, racial tensions and police treatment of African-Americans in the burgeoning Los Angeles. And then there’s OJ himself, handsome, winning, an outwardly great guy who eschewed black power and his potential as a leader in the black community in favor of seizing marketing opportunities and fame that came his way because of his prowess on the football field and his affable nature and good looks. But beneath that veneer is a real sense of entitlement. And, by the way, he beats his wife. The documentary asserts that he repeatedly flew into jealous rages and beat his wife Nicole, who called police only to see them downplay the incidents because OJ was such a good guy – right? Did OJ kill her and Ron Goldman? The jury said no, but you can draw your own conclusion. His after-trial life is carefully documented, though we never see OJ fulfill his promise to “track down the real killer(s).” His fall from grace wasn’t swift, but it was complete, as today he languishes in prison on unrelated charges. An American tragedy for all parties. 4 cans.
64. Stuck in Love* (2012) – Greg Kinnear is generally a likeable, low-key kind of actor, and he brings those qualities to this role as author Bill Borgens. His wife Erica (Jennifer Connelly) left him for another man 3 years ago, but he is convinced she’s coming back. He still sets a place for her at the table as he shares holidays with his nearly-grown children Samantha (Lily Collins) and Rusty (Nat Wolff), who try to persuade him that their mom is gone for good. Of course, he should know that since he goes to Erica’s house every now and then and peeks into her windows. Meanwhile, both kids are aspiring authors and Samantha, a college student, is having her first book published. Bill hasn’t published a thing since his marriage went south, so he’s a little jealous, and Samantha wants nothing to do with her mother because she abandoned her father. High school student Rusty smokes too much pot and falls for a girl with a drug and alcohol problem who thinks he can help her. Samantha is a sassy young woman who unexpectedly falls for nice-guy Louis. Everyone here is stuck on love, whether or not they have the right partner. This movie has a good cast, but the story just kept getting stuck in the mud for me. 3 cans.
65. Renoir: Revered and Reviled* (2016) – Presented by the Barnes Foundation, the owners of the largest collection of the work of Renoir, this documentary takes a hard look at Renoir’s artistic evolution. Pierre Auguste Renoir was a late 19th century painter and a member of the Impressionism movement, along with cohorts Claude Monet, Edward Manet and other French artists of the time. This film carefully shows his style and brush strokes, his use of various kinds of painting techniques, and, most important, his shift from strict Impressionism to a more modern approach that was later emulated by Pablo Picasso and others. In his later years, where much of the focus of the film lies, he painted numerous nudes. All were fleshy, sometimes out of proportion women, and the question is raised as to his intentions. Was Renoir misogynistic? Was he objectifying women? Many of this subjects have blank faces, which makes the critics think they seem to lack intelligence. But who knows what Renoir was thinking? That doesn’t stop the art experts here from either asserting their views on his intentions or speculating on his view of women. Art criticism, like all criticism, is subjective, so there is no right or wrong. Watching this movie made me examine the canvases more closely than I might have otherwise, and reminded me how much I love the Impressionists. I think the title of this movie is inaccurate, because reviled is too strong a word for what is presented here. 3½ cans.
66. The Identity Theft of Mitch Mustain* (2015) – Mitch Mustain seemed destined for greatness. As a high school quarterback in Arkansas, he was a sought-after recruit who committed to playing for the local University of Arkansas. This documentary takes to task the recruiting of high school students and the staffing of college football teams. Despite prolific talent on the field, Mitch was caught in a power struggle between the head coach and the offensive coordinator (who had been his high school coach and who was undoubtedly hired to deliver Mitch and several of his teammates) and he ultimately transferred to USC, where he slipped off the depth chart. This movie is an indictment of the fame that comes to young men simply because of their youthful achievements and potential and how the public’s expectation of them can turn to anger and derision should they not live up to the hype. Meanwhile, far too many people have a stake in and a say in this young man’s life. Today he is no longer involved in sports at any level. And that seems a shame, given his abilities and accomplishments, but if that is his choice, then he has mastered the game. 3½ cans.
67. Lovely, Still* (2009) – Martin Landau plays Robert, a lonely old man rambling about in a house clearly too large for him. He goes to his job at the local market but he just sits there and draws. One day a vibrant older woman named Mary (Ellen Burstyn) introduces herself to him and they begin a cautious but sweet relationship. It doesn’t take much to throw Robert out of his routine, which is terrifying for him, but he develops real feelings for Mary. This movie was so slow in reaching its crescendo that more than once I thought about abandoning it, but I’m glad I stuck around for the ending. It was heartwarming and worth watching. 3 cans.
68. The Wednesday Morning Breakfast Club* (2013) – I cannot imagine a cornier or more amateurish movie than this little ditty about three grumpy old men who gather every Wednesday at the local small-town diner. However, while as treacly as they come, the movie does have a certain charm, as the earnest young waitress Megan (Stacey Bradshaw) works diligently to accommodate their demands (a seat cushion for one, burning hot coffee for another). She eavesdrops on their conversations, as each man discloses bits of his past, experiences in his native country and in the military. She learns by listening that one man recently lost his wife, and she goes out of her way to visit when another is ill. I can’t recommend this movie for most of you, but I did appreciate the reminder that everyone has a story and sometimes it helps just to listen. And to keep the coffee hot. 2 cans, and no resemblance whatsoever to the Brat Pack’s “The Breakfast Club.”
69. Maggie’s Plan* (2016) – Maggie (Greta Gerwig) had a plan and she should have stuck to it. A single working woman, Maggie wanted to have a baby, and she enlisted a former college classmate as a sperm donor. But when she meets unhappily married professor/author John (Ethan Hawke), her plan abruptly changes, and she and John marry and have a baby. John is an overwrought author who will never finish that damn book or face his responsibilities, so Maggie is stuck with him, his two kids, their baby and a hopeless future. Her plan then is to reunite John with his first wife, Georgette (Julianne Moore, with an accent), with whom he has maintained a relationship. Seriously, Maggie, enough with the plans. You should know by now that you aren’t good at it and they don’t always work. The baby is cute, the movie is annoying. If you are planning to see it, I say you should reconsider your plan. 2½ cans.
70. The Fundamentals of Caring* (2016) – In this Netflix original movie, the ageless Paul Rudd plays Ben, an unemployed writer desperate for a job who becomes the caregiver for Trevor (Craig Roberts), an 18-year old fatherless young man with a form of muscular dystrophy. Despite the warnings of the young man’s mother, the two strike up a friendship, and Ben agrees to take Trevor on a road trip – medicines, wheelchair and all – to see some roadside attractions that he finds appealing. The movie soon becomes a buddy/road movie, complete with the addition of strangers they meet along the way who introduce Trevor to parts of life he’s never experienced. The two main characters have a grudging bond and affection for each other, but it often manifests itself in cruel pranks and yelling. I wanted more from the movie, because helping someone with a disability seemed like a different take on the typical road trip movie, but it didn’t end up much different at all. The last scene, where Trevor gets to fulfill a lifelong dream, is modestly entertaining, but otherwise, this was pretty routine. 3 cans.
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