Pizza and a Movie: Vacation

This weekend’s Pizza Toppings at Corner Pizza:

Chicken
Poblano Peppers
Sun-Dried Tomatoes

Movie:

Vacation

UGH. Unless you’re a fan of crude, offensive, gross-out humor, RUN, don’t walk, away from this film!

After last week’s Trainwreck, I thought I could handle anything raunchy, but…Well, I hate to say anything bad or to criticize a movie that some people (might) like – I’m a “If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all” kind of person, when it comes to reviews of movies and books. So, I’ll tell you what (little) I DID like about Vacation:

There were a few genuinely funny moments/gags, if you can get past the silliness. One was a redux of a highway scene in the original Vacation (when a much younger Chevy Chase was driving); another was during a dialogue between Audrey (Chevy’s grown up daughter) and her husband, Stone, at their patio table in Plano, Texas *
I like Ed Helms from The Office in anything, most of the time; as Rusty Griswold, he did fine
Hmm… can’t think of anything else

I’m not a huge fan of Vacation or Christmas Vacation (though we have the latter, to watch during the holidays, and I do think it’s funny). As I sat through this Vacation, I thought of another, much better movie about a cross country road trip that was also pretty crude but was far funnier, much better done, and had another The Office actor (Steve Carrell) in it: Little Miss Sunshine.

[Let me add that, in Little Miss Sunshine, the purpose of the trip and its destination seemed much more important. Not only that, but in Vacation, they took detours that didn’t make sense, even from a plot standpoint.]

Plot? What plot? Oh, yeah…

Now for the Pizza:

Occasionally, my husband makes individual pizzas from scratch for dinner (he’s the family chef). The toppings we chose this time reminded me of those, because he uses ingredients we have in the fridge, like (leftover) chicken, sun dried tomatoes, and poblano peppers, among others. This pizza was just as good, and very tasty.

Going to the movies as often as we (currently) do, we’ve seen some bad films, some mediocre ones, and some really good ones. But our pizzas are almost always fantastic.

* I got married there, and I don’t think it looks anything like the Plano, Texas in this film!

August 2, 2015 0

Pizza and a Movie: Trainwreck

This weekend’s Pizza Toppings at Corner Pizza:

Banana Peppers
Jalapeños/Extra Cheese *
Pepperoni

Movie:

Trainwreck

* For this week’s pizza, I agreed to moitié jalapeños, moitié extra cheese (that is, half and half), so my husband wouldn’t have to wait for years – or forever – to choose jalapeños.

I don’t really care for them, except in Mexican food – and even then, I’m not crazy about them. Why anyone would want them on a pizza, I don’t understand. But, to each his own.

As he was eating his second slice – and no, we don’t (necessarily) each eat half a pizza – I noticed his blue eyes getting watery. A minute later, well, it was like in that song by the Rolling Stones: [the jalapeños made] a grown man cry.

But he still claimed he likes them!

We had chosen to see Trainwreck because we heard it was funny, and good. I agree with that assessment, but my favorite scenes were the ones with LeBron James. He played himself, and he was fantastic. Super funny…awesome (and funny) in a scene playing basketball…and necessary in the plot. The only complaint I have about this film is that it’s just a little too long. But some of the dialogue and scenes in the movie had my husband and me still laughing, long after it was over.

I guess that’s just us. While we don’t agree on everything – or have everything in common – we do agree on many things (like Banana Peppers). We get each other’s sense of humor, and we laugh at the same things.

Which is pretty handy – and important – when a grown man cries. **

** Or woman

July 27, 2015 0

Pizza and a Movie: Mr. Holmes

This weekend’s Pizza Toppings at Corner Pizza:

Corn
Greem Olives
Ground Beef

Movie:

Mr. Holmes

The Pizza: I know…corn?

It’s the second time we’ve had it on a pizza this year, and maybe because my husband grew up eating Jersey corn in the summer (always after the meal, not during), he selected it. I picked the ground beef because I didn’t want to go vegetarian, and we chose the green olives together.

Kind of like a summer meal with a martini.

Someone I met at a reception for my books (and book signing) asked me earlier this week if the pizzas at Corner Pizza are as good as those at Fellini’s. I haven’t been to Fellini’s in a few years (though I met the founder, Clay Harper, through a family member who knows him). So…I don’t know the answer. But I’m sure that Fellini’s pizzas are quite good.

So was ours, this weekend.

The Movie:

Lots of people loved this film, and my husband wanted to see it, so we did. I found it a little long, sad, but a moving story nonetheless. Ian McKellan was great, and if you’re a Sherlock Holmes fan, you’d enjoy this movie. (My husband is one, but I’m not.)

Maybe, like corn on a pizza, you just have to have a taste for it.

July 19, 2015 0

Pizza and a Movie: Amy

This weekend’s Pizza Toppings at Corner Pizza:

Bacon
Black Olives
Shallots

Movie:

Amy

This weekend’s toppings were (eerily) similar to the “BBC” pizza we had a few weeks ago when we saw the film Inside Out, and there was a little negotiating involved:

My husband initally suggested something other than Bacon (I don’t remember what, exactly, but I think it was vegetarian). I vetoed it, though, saying we needed something with a little crunch, so we chose Bacon.
I pushed back on the Black Olives (proposing Green ones), but he didn’t agree.
And – the Shallots were his idea.

Like every pizza we’ve ever shared at Corner Pizza, it was delicious. However, we decided that we’ve had enough Black Olives * for a while.

Now, for Amy:

I like documentaries, and this one was very good. I didn’t know much about Amy Winehouse before I saw it, but I learned a lot. The music was fabulous and haunting at the same time. And there’s something about true stories…

I knew how the story would end, and watching such a talented singer spiral down so fast and so hard was difficult. But – maybe because of that, and because she was so talented – I still enjoyed it, tragic though the story was.

Life can be very complicated, even – or, especially – when it’s short.

* And after last week’s film and then this one, I’ve had enough of sad movies for a while, too.

July 12, 2015 1

Pizza and a Movie: Me & Earl & the Dying Girl

This weekend’s Pizza Toppings at Corner Pizza:

Fresh Garlic
Portobellos
Spinach

Movie:

Me & Earl & the Dying Girl

This one was another vegetarian pizza, and all topping selections were my husband’s.

Initially, I balked at the choice of garlic, and even offered to switch it for jalapeños (on only half the pizza, though). But I like garlic, it’s healthy, and with all the other ingredients on the pizza, I knew it wouldn’t be overpowering. Besides, he didn’t agree to switch.

The pizza was very good, and someday, I’ll agree to jalapeños – just not yet.

Now for the movie. Poignant, witty, cleverly done, well cast, and well acted…and, in the words of one reviewer, “rips your heart out.” Shades of the films The Fault in our Stars and 50/50. The awkwardness of high school faces cancer (the “dying girl” has leukemia) – and the result is both relatable and difficult to imagine.

However – as a mom (and a caregiver), not as the patient – I could relate to the film more than I couldn’t. My son was in college, so a little older than the dying girl, when he was diagnosed with cancer. In my latest book, ALL THE ABOVE, I tell his story from my perspective.

The movie brought one particular passage in that book to my mind:

“My thoughts traveled back to when I was nineteen and in college, a time when my biggest concerns were writing papers, studying for exams, and meeting boys. If I had been told one day that I had a brain tumor, my whole world would have crashed and collapsed.

I would have cried for days, if not weeks. Like Jack, I would have mourned the loss of my summer, the plans I had looked forward to. [But unlike Jack,] I would have felt very sorry for myself. I would have wanted to stay in my room and hide.

I wouldn’t have been able to deal with the crushing blows that just seemed to keep on coming for Jack.”

Unlike pizza topping choices, you can’t even try to bargain about cancer, notwithstanding that bargaining is one of the stages of your grief.

But you can hold onto hope.

Me and Jack in Fall 2010. His hair was just starting to grow back after radiation treatment.

July 5, 2015 0

Pizza and a Movie: Inside Out

This weekend’s Pizza Toppings at Corner Pizza:

Bacon
Black Olives
Capers

Movie:

Inside Out

Call it our BBC pizza, and like the British (maybe), it was a bit salty. I didn’t tell my husband, but I had mentally selected the toppings before we arrived (I don’t know why, but they just randomly occurred to me). When it was time to place our order, though, he agreed to my choices. We had talked about another vegetarian pizza, but bacon seemed appealing, for some reason.

You can hardly see the capers, but they’re there. And we hadn’t had black olives in forever.

The two of us had decided earlier on what film to see. We love Pixar, and I was expecting another Toy Story-like experience. I liked Inside Out a lot, and it was very clever, but was just a tad less good than Toy Story (any of them). It was funny and heartfelt, however; you may have heard that some of the characters are actually the main character’s feelings.

If you ever had to move when you were a kid but didn’t want to (I have), you’ll relate to it. All in all, I thought the movie was well done and very enjoyable, and it had a satisying ending. As a bonus, all the feelings had (sometimes, surprisingly) important roles…

There was one scene in particular I found very funny (but there were many). This isn’t a spoiler, but it had to do with remembering people’s phone numbers, the names of presidents, and a vacuum cleaner, of sorts. That’s all I’ll say about that. 🙂

Final verdict: entertaining, funny, and well-written. On the pizza: tasty, and unusual. Both were memorable, and evoked very good feelings.

June 27, 2015 1

Pizza and a Movie: Jurassic World

This weekend’s Pizza Toppings at Corner Pizza:

Ground Beef (hamburger)
Mushrooms
Sliced Tomatoes

Movie:

Jurassic World

Okay – it was a hamburger pizza, complete with toppings you might put on one, and I guess it was in honor of Father’s Day this weekend. But it was tasty, and lighter than burgers would have been. And then we went to see Jurassic World.

We had gone to see Jurassic Park, I think (or maybe, with four young kids at home then, we rented it), and I had read that book by Michael Crichton. I had read and heard a little about this film (“it was the same story, basically”), and like Jurassic Park, it was suspenseful and scary. But I enjoyed the earlier film a lot more.

Although – don’t get me wrong. I’m as glued to the screen when I see (fake) dinosaurs gobble up people as the next person is. The story line was clever enough, and the little bit of dialogue was okay. But the thing that got me thinking the most was, how did that woman run so far, so long, and so fast in high heels?

A lot has been written recently about the same issue, and before I saw the film, I read the New York Times article Science Weighs in on High-Heels. But until I watched the heroine in action, I forgot about what I’d read. Then, I saw the actress wearing them early in the movie. And I kept waiting for her to take them off, especially after another character pointed them out to her.

But she didn’t – at least, I saw her still wearing them, at the end. If a movie (or book) calls for it, I’m happy to engage in the willing suspension of disbelief for the sake of the story, but I must say that in this instance, I had a hard time with it.

Who runs in high heels, anyway? If I were her and a dinosaur were chasing me, kicking off those heels would have been the first thing I’d have done. I do wear heels (and flats), and the last time I wore heels and regretted not taking them off was a couple of years ago, when I danced for too long at a wedding. My feet and ankles ached for days afterward, and I learned my lesson. I don’t really know why I kept them on that night, but I suspect it was the combination of vanity (I had just bought those shoes) and champagne.

In any case, back to the movie, and to the pizza. My husband seemed to enjoy both, and I don’t think he noticed the high heels marathon – he didn’t remark about it. He rarely takes note of what size heels I wear (even though he’s only a few inches taller than me), but once, he did marvel that I had packed four pairs of beige (nude) shoes of various heel height on weeklong trip to Texas and California. I smiled then and took it as a compliment.

Today, I’m off to a book signing at The Book Worm Bookstore in Powder Springs, Georgia, along with two other authors. I wasn’t sure whether to wear heels or flats, so I compromised. I’m wearing the heels and taking the flats along in case I need them.

But I won’t be running!

June 20, 2015 0

Pizza and a Movie: I’ll See You In My Dreams

This weekend’s Pizza Toppings at Corner Pizza:

Arugula
Corn
Poblano Peppers

Movie:

I’ll See You In My Dreams

My husband and I are as fond of Arugula as anyone else is – but neither of us had ever had it on a pizza before. Interestingly (to me, since I don’t know how to cook – and my husband seemed bemused at my surprise, since he does cook), the chefs added it after the pizza had been baked. So it kind of felt like a (substantial) garnish.

I guess if they hadn’t done that, it wouldn’t have worked out too well. But I was all prepared for something warm and wilty, like spinach.

In any case, it was the vegetarian pizza we had agreed on last week. The arugula made it feel kind of salad-y, too, and it was colorful, light and tasty. Afterward, we headed to the cinema, and here’s my review of I’ll See You In My Dreams:

I’ll start with what I liked (in order):

The singing. Blythe Danner was fantastic at that, and I thought she did a great job acting in the film.
The fact that her character was always asking for, offering, and drinking wine.
The pool guy (not your typical one, but I thought he was sweet, and I wanted the best for him).
Sam Elliott was great, too, and well cast, but I’ve always been kind of 50 – 50 on him, for some reason. However, I thought all the actors were well cast.
The dialogue, for the most part. In one scene, there was a much needed reference to an imaginary guy named Alphonse that I thought was particularly funny.

What I didn’t like:

Basically, the story.

In short, it was sad – sadder than I thought it would be. I felt for Carol (Blythe Danner) and wanted her to find happiness. What she decided on at the end just didn’t quite do it for me.

I’ve read that some people found the movie touching, even witty, and I didn’t think it was a bad movie. But I didn’t enjoy it as much as I had hoped I would.

Maybe it’s like Arugula, in that you kind of have to be in the mood for it. And you might just love it.

June 14, 2015 0

Bon anniversaire, part 2

I always worried someone would notice me, and then when no one did, I felt lonely.

– Curtis Sittenfeld

Today is the anniversaire (birthday) of yet another of my August birthday friends. For some reason, I seem drawn to people born this month (and they to me, I hope). Other “birthday months” that work for me in terms of friendships are February, November, and May; a greater number of friends have birthdays during those months. My birthday is in October, and a handful of friends’ birthdays are, too.

I love birthdays–whevever they fall–and all sorts of other important dates, especially wedding anniversaries, and not just my own. My husband was born in February and we got married in June; it’s been nice to alternate celebrating one of our birthdays and our anniversary, every 4 months. When I was growing up, I always felt that my parents’ anniversary was more important than anyone’s birthday in the family; after all, it’s when we they became a family. If not more significant than a birthday, it was at least (way) more romantic. It meant they weren’t just alive for another year, but were together another year…and they continued to be, for 58 years, when my father passed away.

I grew up the middle child in my family, and tried to stay under the radar as much as possible. It wasn’t all that difficult. Not being noticed equaled having more autonomy and independence. But being forgotten about can have its downside.

It’s the paradox of a writer’s life, I guess: you need to want to work alone (I do), and not mind being alone (I don’t)–but you need to connect with others, too (I try). When I’m under the radar, I can get a lot done, but it’s a solitary endeavor–and sometimes it’s easy to feel a bit malheureuse.

La solution? For me, it’s to notice others, to connect, and to celebrate.

Bon anniversaire!

August 27, 2014 0

“How is that romantic?” – 4 ways, and a comment

During a recent family vacances au Colorado, I was asked this question about Paris.

Imaginez! (Imagine!)

To be fair, I think the person who asked me has never been there. I joined in his conversation with another (male) family member about Italy and France, and I was ~~probably~~ the person who brought up the idea of romance. But when he asked the question, I was speechless at first. What was the answer, and how could he not know it?

I started to say something about the history, museums and art, and then he they quickly seemed to believe that it was that simple, and didn’t let me explique.* Non, messieurs! C’est pas vrai!

Because I’m an esprit de l’escalier** kind of woman, and a list-maker, I thought about it later, and here is the réponse I might have given:

1. It’s not just the art and history; it’s their relationship – their connection – to the people, and to the city. It’s something tout à fait français – absolutely French – and something you just feel. New York City and Washington D.C. have a lot of museums and history, but I don’t find either place particularly romantic. For other reasons, I really, really like them, though.

2. It’s the streets, the restaurants, the gardens and the neighborhoods of Paris…and it’s les français (the French) themselves. What (American) woman doesn’t know that Frenchmen are (normalement) très romantique?

3. It’s La Seine, the river that runs through Paris! A body of water*** (whether sea or river) at sunset or later, makes everything more intimate. How? Je ne sais pas.

La Seine

4. It’s l’amour – love. It’s in the air in Paris, whether you’ve just discovered one another, or are rediscovering…Trust me.

Enfin, the “comment:” Another (short) conversation came up about becoming fluent in French, and someone (who doesn’t speak a foreign language) asserted that “you have to live there.”

Hmm. I diligently studied the language, il y a longtemps et récemment, lived in France for a year as a student, and now I practice and speak it autant que possible. I’d love to live there again un jour, but in the meantime, I’m going to continue speaking it and improving my fluency. C’est possible, madame!

Sunrise at a beach on the Atlantic in Florida earlier this year

* With over thirty members of the famille converging in two cabins in the Rockies for a week, it was hard to finish your sentences without being interrupted (and I’m just a belle-fille et belle-soeur – much nicer sounding than ~~“outlaw”~~ daughter- and sister-in-law)

** See my post L’esprit de l’escalier, spiral staircases and faux-amis

*** While there’s romance in my novel MAKE THAT DEUX, there’s more water than romance in my upcoming Suspense novel…. More later!

July 17, 2013 0