Exploring Food and Movies

 Tuesday: Michael Clayton (2007)          Michael is a fixer for a law firm. Arthur is a lawyer for the same firm. He is working on a big case defending a chemical company. The chemical company is under fire for doing harm to people who live near the plant. Arthur has a mental breakdown. Michael has to go and fix it. He comes to realize how far gone Arthur is. And how he has switched sides and started to work with the people who were harmed. Michael gets in deep fast. I thought this movie was ok. Wednesday: The Piano (1993)         This movie is set in the mid-19th century. Ada is a mute woman with a young daughter.  She is passionate about playing the piano. Her father marries her off to a man in New Zealand. She travels there with her daughter and beloved piano. Ada's new husband Alisdiar lives in the bush. It's a huge adjustment for Ada and her daughter. Also because of where he lives they have to leave the piano on the beach, at...

 Tuesday: Conrack (1974)        This is based on a true story. Pat is a young white teacher who gets a job working on a small island near South Carolina. His students are poor black children. The school system has failed them. Most of them can't read, write, or do basic math. They know very little about anything. Pat has to start from the beginning and try to teach them as much as he can. His methods are unconventional, but they work. The students start to learn and become very knowledgeable. They love Pat, who they call Conrack because they couldn't pronounce his last name ConRoy. Pat's teaching methods get him in trouble. He still made a big difference in these children's lives. I thought this movie was good. I've said it before, but I'm a sucker for a good teacher story. Wednesday: Mrs. O'Malley and Mr. Malone (1950)        Hattie O'Malley is a widow from Montana. She wins a trip to NYC where she will collect a cash prize. At a stop in Chi...

 Tuesday: Julia Misbehaves (1948)           Julia is a down on her luck chorus girl. She's having a hard time finding work. One day she gets an invitation to her daughter's wedding. Julia gave up her daughter, Susan, when she was a baby. Julia's estranged husband, William, raised Susan. Julia is surprised to be invited but is excited to go. She wants to make it up to her daughter. From the moment she arrives it is clear she was not meant to be invited. They do what they can to get rid of her. But she is determined to get to know Susan. While she's there William remembers why he fell in love with her in the first place. I thought this movie was good. Wednesday: Athena (1954)         Athena is a numerologist who runs into Adam at a garden nursery. Adam is very uptight. But there is an attraction and by figuring out their numbers she knows they are meant to be. Doesn't matter that Adam is engaged or that they just met. Adam is annoyed by At...

 Tuesday: Running on Empty (1988)          Danny is the son of political activists. When his parents were younger they blew up a weapons lab to protest the Vietnam war. The building was supposed to be empty but it wasn't. They went on the run and never stopped. Danny and his younger brother have been on the run most of their lives. They are constantly having to move and change their names. As Danny grows older he becomes tired of always being on the run. He wants to make a future for himself. A music teacher discovers how talented Danny is and encourages him to apply to Juliard. Danny has to decide what's more important to him, his parents way of life or his future. I thought this was a good movie. Wednesday: Flatliners (1990)        A group of medical studies want to experiment with near death experiences. They figure they essentially die and then be brought back. Their medical knowledge will help them. One by one they all die and come ...