"Much Ado About Nothing"

"Much Ado About Nothing" was our choice for tonight's date night viewing. We missed it when it was in the theaters and I actually had mixed feelings about whether I wanted to see it or not. What a fun movie -- full of dirty tricks, betrayals, love gone wrong, and humor. The cast is marvelous - Kenneth Branagh (also director), Michael Keaton (plays an "ass" very well!), Robert Sean Leonard, Keanu Reeves (does a great job of portraying an evil half brother to the prince -- a dark role for him), Emma Thompson (always a pleasure to see in any role and she brings incredible life to this role in which her character and Branagh's character spend a lot of time sparring with words.), and last, but not least, Denzel Washington. Denzel says this was the first role he had considered since Malcolm X. This is also the movie that introduced Kate Beckinsale and she is the perfect choice for her character. Richard Briers (from the British TV series, "Good Neighbors") is cast in the role of Kate's father and I love him in this role. Brian Blessed portrays her uncle. There were more familiar faces that I'm sure I've seen in other movies or series that rounded out the cast and I wish I knew their names so I could give them credit, too. The music and dancing are also fun.

My grandmother inherited a huge volume of Shakespeare from a Scottish friend and I would try to read it when I was younger but never made it very far. I wish I had it now but I suspect I'd still not find it as entertaining as Branagh's version of "Much Ado About Nothing." I suggest you give this movie a try -- nothing to lose and, if you like it as well as I did, a lot to gain!

pazt

"Mission Road"

This Tres Navarre series by Rick Riordan really heats up in "Mission Road" when Ralph Arguello, a close friend of Navarre's, comes to him for help to prove he didn't shoot his cop wife, Ana DeLeon. While they're on the run from police trying to find out who really did it, Ana is fighting for her life in the hospital and Navarre's lawyer girlfriend,Maia, is trying to help them while keeping a secret of her own. The investigation takes them back to a cold murder case that Ana was working on involving a not so nice mafia family in San Antonio. It starts out with a bang and the suspense doesn't let up. I couldn't put it down and now I'm off to the library to find the next book in the series!

pazt

"Strong Poison"

Date night this weekend included two nights watching the three episode series of Dorothy L. Sayers Mysteries -- "Strong Poison" -- DVD. This is the first of Sayers mystery series featuring writer Harriet Vane who is on trial for murdering her lover. Lord Peter Wimsey falls in love with her from afar and sets out to prove her innocence and only has four weeks to do it after the jury in her first trial can't agree on a verdict. Harriet Vane is played by Harriet Walter and Lord Peter Wimsey by Edward Petherbridge. Lots of twists and turns kept us guessing as to the lady's innocence or guilt and, if not guilty, who the culprit was?

Happy viewing - pazt

"Extraordinary, Ordinary People"

This memoir by Condoleezza Rice gives the reader an inside look at her extraordinary parents and the life they provided for her. She admits that her parents made a lot of sacrifices to give her all the advantages and she did have a lot of them. On the other hand, she did not waste those advantages as she became an accomplished ice skater, pianist, tennis player, and much more. She also started school at a young age and excelled and graduated early from college going on to complete her master's and her doctorate. She was very close to her parents -- both were educators plus her father was a Presbyterian minister. She gained a love of music from her mother and a love of sports from her father. I have to admit I did get bogged down in all her degrees and trying to understand what she studied and her various positions in the government. What I did get is that she is brilliant and not afraid to stand up for what she believes.

The most interesting part of this memoir for me was Condi's relationship with her parents and the events around the nation and in Birmingham (where she lived at the time) leading to the passage of the Civil Rights Act and the impact the passage of that bill had on her life personally.

Condi, who is eleven years younger than me, grew up in a middle class black neighborhood in Birmingham. I grew up in a small town in southern Kansas and I didn't realize until I was almost grown that this town had a "Sunset Law" -- meaning no blacks were allowed to be in town after sunset. It wasn't until my brother wanted to bring home a fellow college student from Africa that I learned the truth -- The friend had to be housed with a family from our church who lived in the country.

So...my world was far different than the world Condi grew up in. I was sheltered and naive growing up in a pretty "artificial" environment compared to the real -- and sometimes harsh -- world that Condi lived in.

My oldest daughter was just a few weeks old when President Kennedy was assassinated in November of 1963 while my sailor husband was on a six month tour of duty in the Western Pacific. That assassination is one of the first events that really touched my life as an adult. Although I don't remember watching a lot of TV in those days, I did keep it on at that time so I was constantly aware of the latest news.

However, in 1964 when the Civil Rights Act was passed -- a momentous moment in Condi's life -- I was barely aware of the impact of this act. I had been raised in a world where I had no contact with blacks except when I was shopping in Wichita or Hutchinson with my mother and grandmother. My mother taught me to treat everyone with respect and not to use words like "nigger" so, when I began working with a black woman in Wichita in the late 1960's, I saw her as just another co-worker and had no clue that her life might be a lot different than mine. In retrospect, I realize how very naive I was about the way of the world.

As I read this memoir, I realized how different my world had been and I admired even more the sacrifices Condi's parents made to give her such a great life as well as her efforts to take full advantage of those opportunities. I highly recommend this biography!

pazt

"Date Night"

I picked up a few DVD's at the library for this long holiday weekend - not that our life changes much because the banks and post offices are closed on Monday for President's Day! Tonight we watched "Date NIght" with Steve Carell, Tina Fey and Mark Wahlberg. Tina and Steve play a married couple whose life consists of 2 working parents, two kids and a household to maintain. While the husband of one of their friends confides to Steve's character that he and his wife are divorcing and asks him to keep it a secret, his wife is confiding the same info to Tina's character. As they ponder what might have happened in that "perfect" relationship, each begin to think of how they might prevent that happening to them. Steve's character decides to take his wife into the city for a nice dinner and make date night a little more special than usual. When they show up late at an exclusive restaurant and learn that reservations are made at least a month in advance, they decide to wait in the bar and hope that a table opens up. When the hostess comes through the bar calling a couple's name and doesn't receive a reply after several attempts, Steve tells her they're that couple and they are seated for dinner. That's when the fun begins as midway through dinner a couple of guys show up wanting to speak to them outside. These two are after the blackmailing couple who originally made the reservation and they won't believe that Steve and Tina aren't that couple. This is the start of a more exciting date night than they'd ever expected and, in the end, it does add a little spice to their life but first there are some twists, turns, and evasions along the way. Although it's not quite as hilarious as the movie trailers led me to believe, it's a fun movie and this couple (the Fosters) also begin to look at what's really important! Enjoy!

pazt

"ffolkes"

My spouse picked up this oldie but goodie at our library for our Friday night date night viewing. I don't recall ever having seen it but thoroughly enjoyed Roger Moore as the lead, Rufus Ffolkes, an underwater expert who trains and leads his own elite commando team. They're called in to help the British government resolve a request for ransom or a vital North Sea oil rig will be blown up -- along with all the workers on it. In a race against time, the good guys (Roger Moore and James Mason)must figure out a way to outsmart the baddies led by Anthony Perkins' character. Have you every seen Anthony Perkins play a good guy? Let me know if you have because I can't think of a single role where he's not been the ultimate baddie!

Roger Moore's character is the opposite of his 007 roles because in this movie he has an intense dislike of women! The movie's fast paced, exciting, and humorous so, if you like espionage thrillers, check it out.

pazt

"Home to Holly Springs"

"Home to Holly Springs" by Jan Karon is the first of the Father Tim novels -- based on Father Tim Kavanagh, a 70 year old Episcopal priest from her Mitford series. I decided to read this book based on a post my brother put on his Facebook page because it sounded like a mystery that I might like. This is my first Jan Karon book and, although I did enjoy the book, and plan to read the second one in the series, I had some difficulty with the heavy "religious" content. I consider myself to be a spiritual person but my beliefs have changed significantly from what they were when I was a child when they more closely matched those of the characters in this book.

The story, though, has a lot of merit. Father Tim receives an unsigned note saying simply, "Come home," and based on that returns to his home town of Holly Springs after a 32 year absence. It's a very personal journey -- just he and his dog as a companion -- leaving his wife and adopted son at home. However, it's a profound journey of reconnections, forgiveness, and discoveries about his past and present that have the ability to forever change his life.

There is a quote I like (on page 307 of the hardback copy): "Women and cats will do as they please, and men and dogs should relax and get used to the idea." On that note, I'll sign off!

pazt

"The Rhetoric of Death"

Judith Rock is the author of this well written historical fiction novel - "The Rhetoric of Death" - and it has a mystery to be solved, too. Therefore, it combines two of my favorite types of fiction -- history and mystery. Rock must have done some incredible research as this book is rich in detail. It's set in seventeenth-century Paris and I felt like I was there because her descriptions are so vivid.

The hero in this story is Charles du Luc who is a former soldier turned half-fledged Jesuit. His uncle, the Bishop of Marseilles, has discovered that Charles has been helping heretics (also known as Protestants) so he sends him to Paris to teach in a different school hoping to shield him from the king's dragoons. However, murder of a student and the attempted murder of another student leads him into an investigation that has him busy trying to save his vocation and his life.

Good news for me -- Charles and his Paris are returning late this year. Updates and details can be found at the author's website at www.judithrock.com.

The paperback copy that I picked up at the library comes complete with discussion questions at the end so it would be a great Book Club pick.

There is a quote in the book on page 107 that resonated with me: "But I have learned to be very wary of any man who is sure that he is as right as God." I believe it resonated with me because I have a difficult time with any person or religion that is so sure they have the right answer that they are willing to persecute -- even kill -- others to make their point. What kind of religion is that?

pazt

"Legend of the Jade Dragon"

I'm reading Yasmine Galenorn's Emerald O'Brien series in order and finished "Legend of the Jade Dragon" in January which was another quick read for me since I couldn't put it down once I started it. Emerald inherits a Jade Dragon and has to set about discovering its history as well as figure out how to break its spell of bad luck. Old and new relationships are impacted and more than one mystery must be solved. I liked this one better than the first book because the romance was there but not in the detail of the last book -- just what I'd hoped for! I'm looking forward to reading the next book in the series. Check out Yasmin's website at www.galenorn.com.

pazt

"Nine"

After checking out the DVD, "Nine," from the library numerous times and not being able to watch it before it was due again, I finally took it with me on a week mini-vacation my spouse and I took locally. Since we were on vacation and alternating nightly choosing what DVD to view while there (and it was my birthday month!), I finally persuaded my spouse to watch it with me. I would have to say that the story line was difficult to follow for both of us but, when we got to the end of the movie, it made sense and even prompted some serious discussion. We both liked the music and the incredible talent -- dancing, singing, etc. -- displayed in this movie. I'm sure the actresses spent a lot of time learning the dance steps and the music. It has an all star cast that includes Daniel Day-Lewis,Marion Cotillard, Penelope Cruz, Judi Dench, Fergie, Kate Hudson, Nicole Kidman, and Sophia Loren. It's directed by Rob Marshall who was also the director of "Chicago." Although they all displayed incredible talent, I think Kate Hudson's singing and dancing surprised me the most -- possibly because I don't think I've seen her do either before. We did watch the 8 featurettes and 3 music videos that were included on the DVD and I would highly recommend them -- really gives you a feel for backgrounds and preparation for this musical. Enjoy!

pazt

"South Town"

Rick Riordan has written another great P.I. Tres Navarre mystery. This time there's been a jail break that has his boss, Erainya, very scared. Her deceased husband and his rival P.I.Sam Barrera put away one of the escapees (Will "the Ghost" Stirman)and his escape is bringing Erainya and Barrera together despite their business rivalry. Tres is in the thick of it trying to help both of them while keeping the peace between them at the same time. There's more at stake than Barrera and Erainya's lives because Erainya's adopted son might also be a target of revenge. How do they protect him and themselves while putting Stirman back behind bars? As usual, there's a lot hidden that comes out during this investigation making for a satisfying mystery to unravel. I hope Riordan never stops writing the Tres Navarre books as each one just seems to get better than the one before.

pazt

"Gosford Park"

Another date night movie and what fun it was! If you have difficulty keeping track of the players, though, this may be one you'll need to watch more than once -- I already think I need to view it again.

It's a fun look at the divided household ("Upstairs, Downstairs") in the 1930's English society pre-World War II as scenes alternate between what's happening in the servant quarters downstairs (including the gossip about what is going on upstairs)and the gathering going on upstairs to entertain a weekend hunting party. When a murder occurs, it's up to a bumbling detective to solve it but he doesn't seem to have a clue and won't listen to his fairly clever assistant. The murder does get solved by one of the downstairs visiting maids in the end. There's an all star cast of British performers -- too many to name them all.

Enjoy!

pazt

Harper

My spouse and I chose to watch a young Paul Newman and a young Robert Wagner in "Harper" (from 1966, I think)for our date night. We both thought we'd already seen this movie but, as we were viewing it, we realized we hadn't. It has a great cast of characters -- Lauren Bacall, Julie Harris, Arthur Hill, Janet Leigh, Pamela Tiffin, and Shelley Winters along with Newman and Wagner. Paul Newman plays Lew Harper, a private detective with standards that interfere with his relationships -- particularly with his wife. This was the first detective film that Newman starred in and it's based on "The Moving Target" by Ross MacDonald. Lauren Bacall plays Harper's wealthy client whose husband has been missing for a day and she wants Harper to find him. He was recommended to her by her family attorney (played by Arthur Hill) who is a friend of Harper's. Other players include her young adult stepdaughter and her husband's personal pilot along with a slew of other characters who are drawn into play as Harper investigates the husband's disappearance and eventually discovers that it's a kidnapping. During the investigation Harper is also trying to reconcile with his estranged wife (played by Janet Leigh). The plot is cleverly written with some twists and turns and a rather surprising ending. I highly recommend this movie but watch out for the late 60's-70's music and dancing. That wasn't particularly a trip down memory lane that I wanted to take!

pazt