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 “THE WIFE” interweaves the story of one couple’s youthful passion with a portrait of a marriage, thirty-plus years later consisting of compromise, secrets, betrayals and mutual love.

Glenn Close is “The Wife” of the title and of the many fine performances in her career this film performance is an actress at the height of her profession. You never see her acting and in the scenes where the camera concentrates on her face you know just what she is feeling, never letting on to those around her that she is nothing but the perfect wife every man wishes he has.

Jonathan Pryce, plays the husband who seems to have it all and has now won the Nobel Prize for literature with his wife and son in attendance as he is honored in Sweden. Pryce gives Close strong support, but neither he nor the screenplay by Jane Anderson, adapted from the novel by Meg Wolitzer, are quite up to the level of Close’s silent, screaming performance. When  she finally lets loose you don’t know if anyone else is on screen or even what she is saying vocally because she is the wife who represents all the wives ‘behind the man’ in the world.

Max Irons as their son, Harry Lloyd as a young Pryce and Christian Slater as a journalist aren’t really up to par with the leads but Annie Starke as the young Close, her daughter in real life, imparts who the woman might become.

Director Bjorne Runge seems to know when to get out of Close’s way and just let her be the wife but at the same time handles those around her.

“The Wife” is a movie of clichés and really tackles an old theme that harks back to the days of Bette Davis but Glenn Close holds the screen as a star, an actress and a real person. No doubt she will be up for many of the honors coming in the award season.

Movie Trailer

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d81IM0loH7o

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When I started working for Weight Watchers in 1967 I began to learn a lot about nutrition and how foods/liquids can affect your body and weight while also discovering how little is known about how foods/liquids affect your body.

For many years I drank coffee and then I was told coffee wasn’t good for you so looking into it I decided to drink decaffeinated coffee. Shortly after a report came out that regular coffee was good for you so I decided to alternate between regular and decaf.

Also, since 1967, I started to drink diet cola, lots of it, until I found a supermarket brand that didn’t have any caffeine in it which was back in 1979. For the next 39 years I alternated between regular coffee, decafe coffee, diet colas without caffeine except in restaurants as most served regular diet cola with it and, occasionally, tap water plus, even rarer, bottled water which I drank after hurricane season was over.

Little by little more and more reports were coming out that diet colas could make you gain weight and all I can think of is that I have been drinking diet colas for over 51 years including when I was on WW and lost 100+ pounds. It took a while and a couple of months ago I decided to give up drinking diet sodas.

For some reason, though I have never been a tea drinker I did know/read/hear all the benefits of different teas, I decided to add various kinds to my daily intake of fluids plus I started buying bottled water and canned sparkling water.

It has been about 2 months that I stopped diet colas and I have lost 9 pounds since but I am not sure if that was the reason or, maybe, the teas like the ones with Probiotics or, maybe, the infection I got (don’t ask) or possibly the new home delivered fresh meals I was eating, though basically, I am still eating the same amount of food/calories over a week’s time.

Will I continue to lose weight? Will I continue to drink the teas and not drink diet sodas? Let’s talk next month!

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(For the record that is Malek on the left and Hunnam on the right!)

As I was watching “Papillon” a few thoughts went through my mind such as:

1) Why did I come to see this movie?

2) When will I learn it is okay to walk out of a boring movie?

3) Charlie Hunnam could walk into Daniel Craig’s shoes as James Bond and I don’t many would know the difference.

4) Hopefully Rami Malek’s next movie as Freddie Mercury in “Bohemian Rhapsody” will be a big hit because as he tries to make the move from television star, with his series “Robot” going into its last season, “Papillon” isn’t helping him.

5) Why does Hollywood continue to spend millions on making remakes when very few are as good, and even few better, than the originals? Especially those that are thought of as classics or have had unforgettable leads?

6) Does adding more violence and/or more nude males in prison make a movie better?

7) Though I am not familiar with previous works of Charlie Hunnam he does express a lot with just his face and emotions he is feeling but, right now, he is not quite the Steve McQueen of the 1973 original “Papillon”.

Obviously, my thoughts strayed as I was watching the movie or turning my head away with some of the gratuitous violence but the bottom line is the story screenplay and none of the actors drew me into the movie to knock those thoughts out of my head.

The next remake coming up is “A Star Is Born” starring Bradley Cooper, who also directed, and Lady Gaga. I have seen and am a fan of the original and the two remakes, each for different reasons, and am hoping this new version will be the exception to the rule about remakes and be their equivalent.

The bottom line is I found “Papillon” a bore and would suggest you watch the original as that is a film that Hollywood doesn’t make, a two-star action prison film epic that you really believed happened.

Movie trailer

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xqj7XOv9mC8

 

 

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My medicine ‘cabinet’–the morning drugs on the bottom, evening on top!

 

I really do love being old and I could give you a list of reasons such as a major one of not worrying about things anymore because it took you so long to realize it was a waste of time!

In any case I see my primary doctor 4 times a year for blood work to check up on my cholesterol, sugar level, blood pressure, Afib, COPD, PAD among other things that he reminds me, always with a smile, that I am paying for the wild years of my youth.

True I smoked 2-3 packs of cigarettes a day for 60 years (until July 2008 when I had my last cigarette before my aorta valve replacement operation) and I had an alcoholic problem from my late teens until January 1981 when I had my last drink. I could go on but we ended every meeting with my asking him if I could eliminate any meds I was taking and he would answer with a definite, “No!”

Oh well it is a small price to pay for being able to say I didn’t miss a thing in my youth and I say it each time I take one of these 16 pills, inhales or creams. Plus it is the meds that make people say that I don’t look or act 82!

 

MEDICINES

Advair 250/50 One in morning and one in evening

Breo ellipta 100/25  MCG INH  once a day

Warfarin 5mg 5 days a week–7.5mg 2 days a week–in morning latter usually Tuesday & Thursday

Atorvastatin 80mg 1 in evening

Lisinopril 5mg in evening

Allopurinol 100 mg  One in morning

Finasteride 5mg One in morning

Metformin 500mg one in morning and one in evening

Betamethasone 0.05 Once a day in morning (head & ears)

Atenolol 12.5mg One in evening

Furosemide 20mg tab  2 a day

Potassium CL ER 10 MEQ Tablet  two per day—one in AM and one in PM

AS  NEEDED: 

   Lorazepam 1mg tab

   MethyIPREDNISolone 4 mg tablet OR  Colchicine 0.6 mg for gout attack

    Aleve or Aleve PM or CVS Pain Relief PM

Plus:

Vitamins: D3 1000IU and a multi vitamin pill

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I don’t know why but about a year ago I decided to ‘close’ my over/stove—well, maybe because I hated cleaning both?

Since then I have been using the George Foreman grill (on top of the microwave) that Chuck gave me years ago and just stayed on a shelf. I, also, use the microwave that Maria gave me for a birthday years ago but that I have always used from day one. Last, but not least there is the Crockpot that I bought for myself as a present for some reason or other.

All three have cut down my cooking time and certainly the cleaning time! I buy a box of slow cooking liners for the Crockpot which fit snuggly and when you are finished cooking you just take the liner out throwing it in the garbage after dumping the grease in a jar and wipe it out. The microwave is simple to clean with a quick swipe of a paper towel and as far as the grill just let it cool off and wipe it down with a sponge.

Regarding diets, it eliminates the trap of the baking cookies, cakes and then eating them plus grilling the protein gets rid of the dripping fat while the Crockpot is great for cooking batches of veggies in advance.

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Just in case you didn’t read the message!! :O)

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On Saturday I got my second shipment of food consisting of 3 different complete recipes:

1) Sesame-Orange Beef & Wonton Noodles 2) Tuscan-Spiced Pork Roast 3) Seared Chicken & Tangy BBQ Sauce

All ingredients from protein to vegetables to condiments and spices are included plus precise cooking instructions.

Regarding I improvised first by cooking all the individual vegetables on Sunday, separated them, added the correct spices and condiments so all I had to do was add the protein.

I am going to wait until I am all finished with the Blue Apron orders and then going on to HelloFresh orders and will, eventually, write one post with my negative and positive opinions.

By the way both do offer several different ‘diet’ meals.

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ith 4 States, 41 counties and municipalities plus the District of Columbia banning gay conversion therapy and others having it on their agenda it was a perfect time for a film dealing with just that subject but “The Miseducation of Cameron Post” isn’t that film to get an audience. It deals with Cameron, a teenager, caught in the back of an automobile with another girl, Coley, their panties down, and going at ‘it’ at the prom where they had been taken by their boyfriends. Nothing happens to Coley but the consequences for Cameron are that she is sent to God’s Promise camp, one of the many known ‘pray away the gay’ around the States. The topic of whether you are born Gay or learn to be ‘that way’ is discussed very briefly but since this is a ‘Christian’ place God and the Devil are part of a lot of the conversations by the adults. At 90 minutes ‘Miseducation’ moves very slowly with very little drama, except, of course, how we can have a Christian film about gays without one committing suicide! (No it’s not a spoiler.) A big problem with the movie is the stereotyping of gay people by the screenwriters Desiree Akhavan, who also directed, and Cecillia Frugiuele. One lost their parents in a crash years before and is being raised by an aunt and uncle while another, who lost a leg in an accident, was born in commune and is Black while a third is a Native American Indian who was born into a tribe that recognizes a third gender but their father has become a politician and converted to Christianity. There is a boy who is too feminine for his father and a girl who is the boy her father never had, raising her to be a sports fan, as I said, all the stereotypes, no one having a ‘normal’ background so being born gay is really a non-issue. The acting by the 12-14 kids can’t be faulted with Chloe Grace Moretz as Cameron, Sasha Lane who goes by the name of ‘Jane Fonda’, Forrest Goodluck as Adam, Emily Skeggs as Erin and Owen Campbell as Mark, the standouts with Coley acted by Quinn Shephard. Among the adults are John Gallagher Jr. as Reverend Rick, a man ‘saved and finding God’ in a gay bar whose sister Dr. Lydia Marsh, a Christian psychologist, played by Jennifer Ehle, who runs God’s Promise Camp. Possibly I expected too much from “The Miseducation of Cameron Post”, based on the YA book by Emily M. Danforth, but, in any case, I can’t recommend it. Before the film started there was a preview of a coming movie called “Boy Erased” about The son of a Baptist preacher who is forced to participate in a church-supported conversion starring Lucan Hedges, Nicole Kidman, Russell Crowe and Cherry Jones. I am hoping this is what I wanted “Miseducation” to be and wasn’t. Please be respectful in your comments. Movie trailer

The Miseducation of Cameron Post Trailer #1 (2018) | Movieclips Indie

www.youtube.com

Check out the new trailer for The Miseducation of Cameron Post starring Chloë Grace Moretz! Let us know what you think in the comments below. ? Buy Tickets t…

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I wrote the following in a discussion about Padrino’s, a Cuban restaurant, as we were talking about other restaurants back in February:

“Today I went to one of my favorite restaurants–Cabo Blanco on NE 62nd street (had been to the Regal Cinema)–I loved that place when it was on Oakland Park–GREAT lunch specials–I had all 29 and each was excellent.” (No, not all at one time!! LOL)

Once again we were up at the Regal Cinema and we decided to have a late lunch at Cabo Blanco’s and as always we weren’t disappointed.

We both had the Peruvian version of Shrimp on Linguine which is made in a dark sauce and has fresh onions and tomatoes added to it.  I doubt if you will find another restaurant serving as many shrimp in a dish like this, especially at lunch for $9.99. They also include a cup of freshly made chicken soup–watch the bones! and bread with 3 different sauces.

If you aren’t familiar with Peruvian food this is an excellent place to taste the best at reasonable prices from their lunch specials (every day with 29 of them–the shrimp is #28!) to their regular menu lunch and dinner. (They also are on groupon !)

With my 21st Leap Year birthday coming up in 2020 this is definitely one of the restaurants in the running where I will celebrate with THE special dinner! :O)

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Would you like to go to, or even better, have a ‘to die for’ wedding? Would you like to see a romance that is romantic and might even bring a tear or two to your eyes? Would you like to see food made and served that might even have you salivating even though you may not be familiar with all you are seeing? How about getting introduced to a new, hunky, movie leading man in his feature debut coupled up with a beautiful woman who has made a name in television? How about seeing luxury that you may never see even if you are part of the 1%? All this is offered, in the first Asian ensemble in a contemporary setting since 25 years ago, in “Crazy Rich Asians”! Oh yes, how about seeing a really wicked stepmother?

Constance Wu, who you may know as the mother in “Fresh off the Boat” on television, plays Rachel, a professor of economics and Henry Golden, her boyfriend, is a New York professor who tells her that his family is comfortable. He wants her to meet his family and he uses the fact that his best friend Chris Pang, who gives Golden some competition in the looks and charisma department, is marrying Sonoya Mizuno, with Pang wanting Golden to be his best man.

This is NOT a spoiler! What Henry calls comfortable is probably more than most of the audience’s wildest dreams and his family don’t hesitate to show off what they have. Hey, somebody doesn’t like the way they are being treated in a hotel just make a telephone call and buy the hotel!

“Crazy Rich Asians” is being sold as a romantic comedy but there isn’t much of the latter that hasn’t been seen before. There is the wild, best friend of the leading lady, played by Awkwafino, who is seen in almost every romantic comedy played by an all American cast just as we have the gay poor relative of the family but very close to all the women played by Nico Santos and let’s not forget the obnoxious family member, Jimmy O. Yang, who takes, or tries to take, over everything.

The romantic story between Wu and Golden is, more or less, another Cinderella as she was raised by a working-class single mother, Tan Kheng Hua, who ran to New York to get away from an abusive husband and he, of course, is the handsome Prince. His mother, Michelle Yeoh, who believes family comes first and that Wu is not right for her son or family. There is, in a way, a fairy grandmother, Lisa Lu, and forget the glass slipper as what you will see of opulence makes any kind of slipper needless.

The core of “Crazy Rich Asians” is the romance and it delivers beautifully while a secondary romance is unnecessary though, obviously, put in for a good reason. For a comedy, you won’t hear many laughs but that is mainly because very little of it is original.

“Crazy Rich Asians” is certainly worth seeing for the leads, many of the supporting players with Michelle Yeoh outstanding as one of the latter group. It is also a chance to see Singapore in its entire splendor not to mention how wealth is treated there as compared to the western world.

Oh yes, that movie 25 years ago was “The Joy Luck Club” and 25 years is too long a time between that and “Crazy Rich Asians”, hopefully, the next will be a lot sooner!

Movie Trailer

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQ-YX-5bAs0