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Cavatelli and the Composer's Love Story

           Saturday I went to Compana for dinner with my parents. It is a small Italian place on NE Oneonta. It is on the bottom of a modern looking apartment building. There are vines growing on the side of the building. They were only seating outside. Which had a nice atmosphere with hanging lights. I did get a peek inside. It had a Cuban contemporary vintage feel to it. The walls were dark. One wall by the kitchen had a vintage wallpaper with flamingos on it. There were modern hanging lights as well as a small chandelier. There is lots of parking on the streets in the surrounding neighborhood. The service was ok. I mean she brought us what we wanted and was timely. She just wasn't the nicest. I got a caesar salad appetizer. It was actually pretty big so I shared it with my dad. It was the kind with whole pieces of romaine. It was good. It had a unique flavor. For my main dish I had the Cavatelli. It came with pork ragu and whipped ricotta. There was a light sauce and what I'm guessing is rosemary. It was good. Good flavor. It was a small dish. But I think that is because cavatelli is like gnocchi and you don't need a lot to fill you up. My mom misled me to believe that the olive oil cake on the menu was just a regular cake but made with olive oil instead of butter. That is not what I got. The cake itself had an odd taste to it. There is whipped cream. But then it is heavily drizzled with saba. Which I thought at the time was like a vinaigrette. But upon further research I found out that it is like a wine sauce. I hate grapes so no wonder I didn't like it. Overall the dessert was odd but not terrible. Maybe if it didn't have the saba on it I would have liked it more. My mom got the Pork Blade Steak and my dad got the Spaghetti. They liked their entrees.  Compana was a hit for my family. We would all go back.

Tuesday: Lady Sings the Blues (1972)

         This movie is about the jazz singer Billie Holiday. Billie had a hard life. She lived with her aunt for a while but after she is raped she runs away. She tries to get help from her mom who works as a maid. Her mom sends her to live in a boarding house. For years Billie has to work as a house cleaner. Then she gets promoted to the same night time profession as the rest of the women in the house. Her dream is to be a dancer and singer. One day she up and quits the house. She wins over a club owner with her singing voice. Soon she meets Louis. He is sweet to her. The piano player at the club warns her against him. But it's too late, she loves him. A band of all white men want her to join them on tour. She is just the talent they need. When they get back she is assured success is bigger clubs. On tour she starts using drugs to keep her energy up. Billie soon becomes addicted. She struggles with it. When she is home she gets clean and marries Louis. The stage calls her back and she soon gives into taking drugs again. This is a good movie. Diana Ross plays Billie. She did a good job. It's a sad story. 

Wednesday: Song of Love (1947)

         Also based on a true story this movie is about the composer Robert Schumann and his wife Clara. Robert was a promising student living at Clara's house and studying under her father. Clara was a very talented piano player. The two fall in love. They have their struggles but they make it work. Years later they have seven children. Robert is having a hard time getting his songs noticed. Clara's career has gone to the side as she raises their children. A young composer, Johannes Brahms, has come to live with them to study under Robert. He soon becomes a friend and an essential part of the household. Robert starts to struggle with depression when his work continues to be rejected. Johannes has to leave because he is in love with Clara. Clara does her best to hold the family together. This is a good movie. Katherine Hepburn was Clara. I suspect Robert had something more than depression. Maybe a brain aneurysm or a stroke.

Friday: The New Mutants (2020)

         Danielle wakes up one night to find her reservation is on fire. Her father tells her to run. Something is chasing her. She gets knocked out and wakes up in a secret facility. The doctor tells her that she is a mutant. She has special abilities. It can be dangerous while she is discovering her abilities so she has to stay there until she can control them. There are four other mutant teens staying there as well. They all have trouble controlling their abilities and had a troubling past. As Danielle tries to figure out what her ability is, she and the other mutants realize that the facility is not what it seems. There is something but darker going on. This movie was ok. The acting and writing weren't the best. I did like that the lead was a Native American girl. Regal is closing again. So this will be the last movie I see in theaters for a while. Which is sad. But I understand why they have to do it with no big movies coming out. 

Sunday: The Devil All the Time (2020) 

         I'm not sure how to summarize this movie. It is complicated and the storylines are twisted together. It takes place in small towns in Ohio and West Virginia. It starts after WWII and goes into the 60s. Complicated love stories end with a teenage boy, Arvin, living with his father's aunt and uncle. As well as their adopted daughter. Arvin does his best to protect his sister. Most of the characters in the movie do extreme things in the name of religion that go very wrong. They are corrupt and ignorant. I thought this movie was alright. It has a great cast which is the main reason I watched it. I don't normally like these backwoods western like movies. 

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