movies
fancy schmancy delancey
There’s a quiet little movie from 1988 that I absolutely love, although it probably didn’t pull in big numbers at the box office and you may not even have heard of it. Crossing Delancey. To me, it’s a sweet little love story with a basic plot. Girl meets boy; girl is pursued by boy; girl […]
if they only had a clue
I’ll admit it – I’m probably the only person out there who can’t stand The Wizard of Oz. What was meant to enchant, enlighten, and entertain just leaves me endlessly edgy. While I know that the film has been a classic since its 1939 inception – and while I get how the transformation from black […]
sounds like magic
At a time when headlines blare what once seemed inconceivable news, the cacophony is enough to send so many of us searching for the sounds of peace. Of quiet. Of simply a silence to the awful noise. On a recent evening when just one more newscast was one too many, B. and I looked at […]
just one look
We’ve all seen it. That look. The one that changed the course of your moment — or of your history. That kept you from making the wrong choice — or pushed you into making the right one. That gave you confidence to leap — or propped you up when you fell. (Or, on a lighter […]
backwards and in heels
An old Hollywood story has it that when the legendary Fred Astaire was asked whom his favorite dance partner was — his choices included Ginger Rogers, of course, as well as names like Leslie Caron, Cyd Charisse, Judy Garland, Rita Hayworth, Eleanor Powell — the ever-gentlemanly Astaire responded, “Gene Kelly.” In considering the challenge of, […]
role call
Awards season is here in full swing and, I’ll confess, I do love it. While New York has Times Square on New Year’s Eve and Chicago has its green river on St. Patty’s Day, awards season belongs to LA (spoken like someone who has called this place home for nearly 24 years). Because the season […]
time after time
When it comes to movies and books, there is one genre that I love to hate. And that would be time travel. While its intention, I believe, is a good one, and its creation comes from a good place, no other genre can make me quite as unsure, unsettled, and unwaveringly uninterested. First of all, […]
counter point
As a single working woman in New York for many years — many years ago — one of my favorite lunch-hour pursuits was to browse those big, beautiful department stores, some of which no longer exist. Stores like B. Altman, Lord & Taylor, Saks Fifth Avenue, Bloomingdale’s (the last two are still there) offered something […]
written in the stars
If you’re hesitant to see the newest incarnation of A Star Is Born — because “Hey, I saw the 1976 version with Barbra Streisand and Kris Kristofferson and that was enough for me. Besides, who can do that story better than those two?” — I’m here to allay your doubts. Go see it. Go now. […]
blonde spot
In the realm of classic film noir there are certain factors — and actors — you can always count on in any combination: a private eye in a sharp suit; a cop with a New York accent; a good man gone bad; a murder needing to be solved; a sordid affair; a femme fatale, frequently […]
rice on your head 