Tag Archives: Love Story

200 and Counting

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Well, I’m not one to brag but sometimes I just have to toot this old horn of mine. For, this is my 200th post.

200!

And, maybe that’s not a big deal to some, but to me it’s the cat’s pajamas. The bee’s knees. For, in the nearly two years that I’ve been blogging, I never thought I’d get this far, and I certainly didn’t think I’d have this much to say! Why, that’s more than 180,000 words on topics that run the gamut, from silly to the ridiculous to plain borderline crazy.

Of course, Henry, my Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, did help.  He’d tell you himself, but he’s in a funk right now as the reality has finally dawned on him, that he’s not going to make it to the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. Worry not, I told him, for he’ll be able to watch it all on The Today Show, and everyone knows how much dogs love to watch Matt Lauer globe trot around the world (not really). He’s living the dream, Henry says, rolling his eyes.

In other news, allow me to fill you in on how I did with my Fifty/Fifty Challenge in May.  I’m getting close to the halfway point, so you’d think by now I’d be honing in on the midway mark to my Fifty/Fifty goal.

Think again, mon frere.

Yes, the clock is ticking, the year is running its course, and right now I’m feeling like Ray Milland in The Big Clock. That’s the 1948 film noir thriller, in which Ray Milland plays a hapless guy whose boss’ mistress is murdered and Ray Milland becomes the number one suspect, caught in a web of deceit, jealousy, intrigue, power and corruption.  Add to that, poor Ray has mere hours to find the real killer (his boss) or get the book thrown at him.

Yep, that’s me. Except instead of facing a murder rap, I’m facing a stack of unread books and a TiVo, so stuffed with films I’ve yet to see, I need a plunger just to get the darn thing working.

So, here’s my official list for May:

Films:

Dark Shadows:  If you haven’t seen this latest film from Tim Burton, starring Johnny Depp, run, don’t walk to the nearest theater. It’s absolute fun. A fond tribute to the campy classic by the same name, back when soaps aired live and props and scenery would fall on the set during what was supposed to be a serious scene. Depp is in high form as the 200-year-old vampire, Barnabas Collins.

Other films I got to see in May? Two that celebrate amore in all its glory: Love Story and Lady and the Tramp.

Yes, Lady. The story of a Cocker Spaniel and the mutt that befriends her. Look for the spaghetti scene. Awfully cute.

Now, as for Love Story, I have to wonder why it was such a big hit at the time—a blockbuster, even—but then I remember that those were different times. I really tried to like it and I almost did, but, for crying out loud, couldn’t Jenny Cavalieri, played by Ali McGraw, have a little backbone? Wasn’t this the height of the feminist movement, after all? And yet, Jenny gives up her dream of studying music in France, just to marry a petulant boy who hates his father.

Then, when Jenny gets a fatal disease, the doctor alerts her hubby, Oliver—and not Jenny. She’s kept in the dark!! The doctor even tells Oliver to try to keep the news from her for as long as he can. What’s wrong with this picture? Shouldn’t Jenny know that she’s dying, so that she can make her final arrangements and say her goodbyes?

Yikes, I hope Hollywood isn’t planning a remake, as I’m not sure it would fly today. What do you think?

Books:

Well, I started two books and am still reading both (don’t judge me).  But I did read a children’s book (so that counts, right? 😉 ) Here’s my review of On My Way to the Bath:

Move over Eloise and Fancy Nancy! There’s a new girl in town and her name is Livi.

Like her two predecessors, Livi is a girl after my own heart. The kind that is creative, sprightly, and capricious. Dare I say this pint-size tyke is “Livi-acious?” What’s more, she’s about to take a bath—ready or not!

On My Way to the Bath, is a new children’s book written by comedian and blogger, Sarah Maizes, and is sure to delight young and old. For Livi will do anything to get out of taking a bath, even if it means having to transform into a snake, or perform a tuba solo in a marching band. Anything, to avoid the dreaded tub of water.

Livi hits a nerve for me, as I can remember many a time I didn’t want to take a bath and all the bubbles in the world couldn’t lure me into the bathtub.  I only wish I’d had an ounce of Livi’s moxie to keep my bath time at bay.

In the end, Livi dipping a foot into the bathwater is inevitable, simply because everyone needs a bath at some point, right? But how will she get there? What will it take? That is the point of the story and remains to be seen. To find out, you’ll just have to read the book!

So, tell me. What movies did you see or what books did you read in May?

Happy 200th to me!

Fifty Fifty Challenge “Marches” On

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For crying out loud! Where did the time go? One minute it’s here, right in front of me, like a red carpet rolled out for the Oscars, and I’m all gussied up getting ready to make the most of my time and ease on down the red—

And, the next minute it’s flown the coop!

Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill are rookie cops who go back to high school in "21 Jump Street."

I mean March has 31 days, not like it’s awkward sister, February, who most years has a meager 28 and, this year had a whopping 29. Close, but no cigar.

So you’d think, with 31 days, I can do plenty of damage on my Fifty Fifty list, right? I mean, think of all the movies I can watch! The books I can read! The sky’s the limit, no?

Alas, no. All that supposed time I had to read books and watch movies got hit by a train and left town.

In other words, I ran out of time and didn’t really make a dent in my Fifty Fifty challenge. I’m embarrassed to say that, in the month of March, I saw only four movies—that’s one a week!—and read just two books, one of which was less than 150 pages. Pathetic, I know. Tsk, tsk.

And yes, I know. I’ll never reach my goal at this rate.

So, laugh at me, if you will, but before you do, I submit for your entertainment, my paltry list:

The Movies:

21 Jump Street – I’m putting my rep on the line here and coming out and saying it: Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum make an awesome team and this is one hilarious film. It’s a laugh a minute, with unexpected moments and ridiculously funny ones, too. I loved it right through the credits. I can’t wait for the sequel (and you know there’s going to be a sequel). Look for great cameo from original cast member Johnny Depp. It is a classic scene, an homage to the series, which, by the way, I never saw. In other words, two thumbs up! If nothing else, see it because it co-stars Nick Offerman who plays Ron Swanson, the baddest curmudgeon you’ll ever meet, on my favorite sitcom, Parks and Recreation!

Friends with Kids – Great cast, nice, sweet, somewhat predictable, slow in spots, great cast (oh, did I already mention that it has a great cast?). This is a film by Jennifer Westfeldt (of Kissing Jessica Stein fame, which I never saw), who convinced her boyfriend, Mad Men’s Jon Hamm, to co-star in it and play a jerk, to boot. First of all, I’m still trying to wrap my head around the fact that The Jon Hamm is her boyfriend. A moment please while I take it in…

…Okay, anyway, as I was saying, this film stars Adam Scott, from Parks and Recreation, along with Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph (have you seen Miss Maya in Up All Night? Simply fabulous!), Edward Burns, and Megan Fox.  Wait for the DVD. You’ll enjoy it more that way.

The Muppet Movie: Fun film. I saw this with my kids (who are grown, as you no doubt know) and we all enjoyed it. Jason Segel wrote the screenplay and co-stars in it with Amy Adams, Rashida Jones (who also stars in Parks and Recreation), and a slew of Muppets. Songs could be better, but everything else, indeed, was. Charming film with lots of cameo appearances, everyone from Jack Black to Neil Patrick Harris.

The Old Curiosity Shop: Charles Dickens, need I say more? You’ll weep for Nell, you’ll despise Quilp and you’ll want to give Derek Jacobi as Nell’s grandfather, a good kick in the pants. This BBC production feels a bit like the condensed version of the book, but worth seeing because it’s a terrific yarn.

The Books:

The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath: I love Sylvia Plath. I first read this book ages ago and the first line is still my hands-down, favorite, all time opening for a book:

“It was a queer, sultry summer, the summer they electrocuted the Rosenbergs, and I didn’t know what I was doing in New York.”

Simple, to the point, and so evocative. Immediately draws you in.

Love Story by Erich Segal:  Another book that I read as a teen. Why did I love it so much back then? Who knows? I was a sap for romance. Why did this become a HUGE bestseller? Who knows? I wasn’t the only sap for romance, I guess.  In retrospect, as far as writing goes, I’ve read better. I can’t help but wonder, if this book were submitted to a publisher today, would it get published? Rather trite and simple, if you ask me.  This coming month, I plan to watch the movie with Ali McGraw and Ryan O’Neal. I’ll let you know if it’s any better.

And one more…

Corduroy by Don Freeman:

Okay, I didn’t read this book this month. But, I read it to my kids, over and over, when they were young. I’m sure you know its endearing story. Corduroy is a teddy bear who finds a home with a girl named Lisa, when she buys him with money she saved in her piggy bank.

Last week, I discovered that fellow blogger, Lisa Rosenberg, is the inspiration for the Lisa in the Corduroy stories! Her’s is an amazing tale, and I encourage you to find out more in her post, The Hunger Games, Corduroy and Me.

So, tell me, what movies or books did you enjoy last month?

Why I’m Doing It

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Why am I doing it? Why did I agree to participate in a challenge that requires me to read 50 books and see 50 films in one year?  Well, I didn’t do it for the films. Seeing 50 films is what I’m pretty sure I already do every year.

No, I did it for the love of reading. Because I adore being transported and carried away by a good read.  Only, in my adulthood, I haven’t been reading nearly as much as I once did, from childhood, all the way through to my college years. Life’s demands and responsibilities have come between me and my passion for reading. And, if I’m going to be honest, I must confess that the number of TV shows I watch each week, hasn’t helped either.

So, basically, for the last 30 years, reading has been at the bottom of my To-Do list. Which, when I think of all my wonderful memories associated with reading, I have to wonder, how could this be?  What made me sacrifice my love for the written word? Was it my work? The advent of the ability to record programs? Did VHS kill reading? Or was it simply the need and desire to raise and spend time with my two kids? Probably all of the above.

My memories of reading start with my childhood in Queens. Every Saturday morning, my mother would drive me to the local library and drop me off at its door, returning a few hours later to pick me up.  It was a routine I grew to love. The children’s section was located on the lower level and I remember the circular staircase that led to it. I’d join the other kids there for story time with the librarian. After which, I’d pick out the books I wanted to borrow for the week. Some of my favorite books included, the Little Bear series by Else Holmelund Minarik and Maurice Sendak, and both the Pippi Longstocking and The Children of Noisy Village series, by Astrid Lindgren. Ah, bliss.

In sixth grade, I read A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, by Betty Smith, and I remember curling up in a comfy chair, reading nonstop until I finished the book. So engrossed was I in this beautiful novel, I imagined myself to be Francie Nolan, the protagonist, and cried profusely when she lost someone very dear to her.

In seventh grade English, I was assigned to read A Lantern in Her Hand, by Bess Streeter Aldrich. I absolutely loved this story about a young woman who marries and heads west during the days of pioneer life. She had so many dreams, one by one they whittled away, because being a pioneer wife and mother got in the way. She had many children and eventually, each of them grew up and ended up fulfilling their mother’s dreams, in their own way. I remember loving this book so much, I read it aloud to my mother, who didn’t have time for books at all. Those were special moments.

In ninth grade, I made a friend who changed my life, when she introduced me to an array of classic works. Like the Bronte sisters’ Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights, Albert Camus’ The Stranger, Theodore Dreiser’s An American Tragedy, F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, along with books by Lillian Hellman, Dorothy Parker, O. Henry and the like. This opened new worlds for me and I’ll be forever grateful to my friend.

When I was 15, I spent nearly a year attending school in Caracas, Venezuela. I craved books written in English. The private school I was attending had a small shelf in the library devoted to such books. One of them was Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott. I had never read this book before and became completely immersed in the story.

Around this time, I saw a book review in an issue of Time magazine that caught my eye. I wrote to my oldest brother, Michael, who was back in the states, and asked him to send me a copy of the book. Well, he sent it along with another book, that I hadn’t requested. He included a note.

“If you’re determined to read the book you ordered, then please, also read this one. It’s better for you.”

The book I asked for was Love Story, a real tearjerker by Erich Segal. Tucked underneath was The Hobbit, by J.R.R. Tolkien.  I loved them both, as I did other books my brother sent me, such as The Godfather by Mario Puzo and Catch-22, by Joseph Heller.

In college, I was deep into mysteries: Mary Higgins Clark, Dashiell Hammett, Raymond Chandler, Ross McDonald, and so on.

When I first married, I realized I had never read The Little House on the Prairie books by Laura Ingalls Wilder. There were nine in the series and, in a few weeks, I devoured them all. Such wonderful, adventurous stories!

When I think back on how so many good books have touched my life, this much I know: That it is for these glorious and meaningful memories that I do it now.

So, tell me, what are your favorite memories about reading?

Please check out my new Fifty Fifty page. And hey, it’s not too late to sign up for the Fifty Fifty challenge. If I can do it, anyone can!