Whatever Wednesday - Gone Before Forgotten

 Gone Before Goodbye unites authors Reese Witherspoon and Harlan Coben in a suspenseful and successful collaboration.  Maggie McCabe, highly skilled and renowned Army combat surgeon, is at a low point. Her medical license is revoked, she's lost her purpose, and takes on a job from a former colleague - an elite plastic surgeon. 

An anonymous client, crazy money, total discretion. What could go wrong?

cover blurb - Maggie does her job in this realm of unspeakable opulence. But when the patient suddenly disappears while still under her care, Maggie must become a fugitive herself - or she will be the next one who is..

gone...before...goodbye. 

Yikes! 

This is a total fun summer pool kind of read. Brain  candy for the summer heat.  Enjoy!

Movie Review Madness - A Wrinkle in Time

I had mixed emotions going into A Wrinkle in Time. I’d read the book by Madeleine L’Engle and really liked it (read as a girl and recently with an adult perspective – it is a classic for a reason). I had also read so-so reviews, but the previews, to me, looked promising.  Drum roll results – I give it a B-/ C+.  I believe Ava DuVernay, the director, had grandiose plans and she did okay. But there are a lot of buts – like at times the movie felt slow. I was ready to tesseract (space/time travel) into some new scenes.  I’m not going to discuss story line – read the book to experience a lot of grand ideas about science, and girls, and confidence, and empowerment.

I will say that Storm Reid, our heroine Meg, is quite good. I look forward to seeing her in more projects. She seemed “real”. As for the fairy godmothers of sorts – Reese Witherspoon was annoying, Mindy Kaling did not have much to do, and Oprah played Oprah. Her Mrs. Which is supposed to make pronouncements and help Meg see her strengths, etc. I was very conscious that  it was Oprah on the screen doing her Oprah thing well, and when was Dr. Phil going to show up? That’s a problem.  The younger brilliant brother, Charles Wallace (Derie McCabe) was too winsome and precocious. I kept thinking of the kid who plays Young Sheldon on television and I felt he would have been better in the role.  See, I had time to think about this random stuff while watching the movie.

But then some of the stuff would work, and I was certainly rooting for Meg to find her Dad (Chris Pine), to get confidence in herself, to realize that everyone has issues (even the mean girls in school), and to get out of her rut. I was happy with the final results and a lot of the special effects were cool. For my matinee dollars, I was entertained. However, I think this is a movie many will be happy to snooze through on Netflix on a Saturday night. Your own microwave popcorn is cheaper than the theater. So, I’ve saved you some dollars. Use them to buy the book and read it!! That’s the Wrinkle in Time to explore.

Movie Review Madness - Home Again

I paid $4.33 for Home Again and it was worth every penny.  I just wanted a movie at this time (2 ish) that was not too long ( 96 minutes) and that required NO thinking whatsoever. Home Again completed the mission as a total fluff piece.  Thank you Reese Witherspoon for delivering a worthy performance that only required looking adorable. Her big blue eyes never looked bluer or bigger. Her smile was never more radiant. And she pulled off that cute wrinkle the nose look.  As for the young men in the movie – oh so cute. Generically good looking, okay acting, and yes, total fluff puppy dog eyes. The girls playing Reese’s daughters were equally way too adorable. Michael Sheen is fine as the on-the-outs artsy husband. Candice Bergen (good to see her) is Reese’s mother.

This is a Nancy Meyers production and the writer/director is her daughter Hallie Meyers-Shyer. That says enough. Absolutely fabulous LA home setting with a kitchen to die for, and of course the pool, guest house, etc are decorated to perfection.

Shall I discuss plot? Nah. Why muddy the waters? I didn’t go to think. I went for fluff, light drama, humor, cuteness, and a happy tidy ending. BAM!!!  Totally nailed it.

Movie Review Madness: Wild

Here’s a winner – Wild, starring Reese Witherspoon.  She is very deserving of an Oscar nomination. I was a huge fan of Cheryl Strayed’s memoir Wild.  The movie is worthy of the book thanks to the Nick Hornsby screenplay and Reese’s acting. Cheryl is a mess – her beloved mother (played in flashback by a radiant Laura Dern) died, she cheated numerous times on her husband, and is now divorced. Alcohol, drugs – she has sunk to the depths. Now what?  

On a bit of a whim, she decides she’s going to walk the Pacific trail – from the far south desert near Mexico to Oregon. Just in Day 1, mile 5 her feet hurt, she’s almost dehydrated, and her boots are too small. Each day proves a challenge, but she perseveres. As she runs across a fox or a deer, she feels the spirit of her mother urging her on. Her journal features “I quit” almost every day, but she trudges on. Chance encounters with other hikers buoy her spirits. She learns about herself, her ability to survive, and appreciates nature.  

The movie is glorious, the scenery spectacular, and the journey of Cheryl Strayed digs deep into the human soul. Reese Witherspoon has always been a smart, spunky actress and this role is perfect for her. She grows in confidence, and you root for her to turn the corner, to know that she’s going to be okay at the end of the trail and beyond. Put on your hiking boots and get to the big screen. Life can be Wild.  

Movie Reviews

Fresh in the Queue -

Drive - Ryan Gosling is a stuntman who moonlights as a getaway driver. He lives a very isolated life until he meets his pretty neighbor (Carey Mulligan) and her son. However, her violent husband is released from prison and Ryan's character is drawn into the crime scene. Albert Brooks plays an exceptionally nasty man, and there's some double crossing going on. Ryan's a good actor but very expressionless in this movie. Guess he's going for stoic, reserving his inner strength. Plenty of chase scenes, great stunts, and lots of tension. This is a dark and violent movie. Not suitable for kids. It was good. I was expecting better, but it had some twists and turns, and a rollover or two.

Abduction - Here, Team Jacob (Taylor Lautner) stretches from the Twilight films and stars in his own tween flick. His shirt is off a few times, so as far as this critic is concerned, I give the film a thumbs up. When it came out in the theaters, real critics panned it. Aw c'mon, it wasn't that bad. Basically, here's an only child who's been raised and trained how to fight and think for himself. Well, turns out he was adopted by CIA type parents in a unique program. They are killed and he has to figure out who are the good guys, who does he really belong to, and adapt to his newfound freedom and identity. Sigourney Weaver, who's been his shrink, is on his side and helps him escape. Alfred Molina, for the government, claims to be good but is suspicious. There's plenty of chase scenes, guns, and action. This is brain candy and Taylor is adequate for the job. Good cast and it ties up well in the end, plus the boy does get the cute girl. Fun rental.

In Theaters Now:

This Means War stars Reese Witherspoon- too cute for words, Chris Pine - dreamy blue eyes, and Tom Hardy - British actor and a brute look, but a pussycat heart. Reese doesn't date, but her best friend (foul mouth Chelsea Handler) signs her up on a dating site. Well, Tom checks out the site and meets her on a date. They hit it off. After she leaves the coffeeshop, she meets Chris in the video store. He was just hanging there to keep tabs on his buddy Tom. Well, Chris falls for Reese. Now she has two great guys vying for her attention.

With a gentleman's agreement, they'll allow the best man to win and she has no idea. Plus they both work for the CIA and are trying to catch a notorious Russian terrorist. But that's merely side tension. The main thrust of the film is how they put their spy tactics to use to thwart each other's dates. It escalates and is quite humorous. Meanwhile, Reese is torn. She has a love/hate time with Chris, and Tom's almost too nice.

I know who I rooted for to win her heart. You'll have to see This Means War to make your own choice. This is a good date flick - plenty of blow 'em up action, plenty of luscious flirtation, down and dirty humor courtesty of Ms.Handler, and it's fun. It has Reese and she's so charming and smart and helpless and then heroic. It's been a dry spell for a good version of this kind of movie. It's your obligation to make it a night - dinner and movie, and hold hands, and laugh together. This Means War = Truce.