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Viewing 1 - 4 out of 4 Columns.
You know how some movies have action that goes on and on and on and you can't catch your breath and you realize your body is completely tensed up and you wish it would just give you a moment's break? This isn't one of those movies.
Smart People, by director Noam Murro, is a slice of life movie that, fortunately, I was in the mood to see. Centered on the widowed Professor Lawrence Wetherhold (brilliantly played by Dennis Quaid), his daughter Vanessa (Ellen Page, of "Juno" fame) and his (adopted) brother Chuck (Thomas Haden Church), the slow but steady pace of the movie beautifully reflects the real-time daily pain of Prof. Wetherhold's loss of his wife.
Wetherhold is an English professor who has become a curmudgeon, cruel to his students, dismissive to his family, and angry at the world. He wears his pain like a porcupine suit. His daughter Vanessa and his (adopted) brother Chuck try to reach him through academia, logic, and practicality. But it isn't until he meets and gets to know Dr. Janet Hartigan (Sarah Jessica Parker) that a mirror is held firmly to his face to see what he's become, and he is eventually re-introduced to the world around him and the people who love him.
Dennis Quaid is completely enveloped in his character. His portrayal of Wetherhold is so complete that I never saw Quaid on the screen, the sign of a great actor. Every facial muscle, hand clench, and crooked step is Wetherhold, not Quaid. I love it when I stop watching the actor and care about the character. Quaid is fantastic.
Ellen Page turns in a performance totally worthy as a follow-up to her spectacular portrayal as a pregnant teen in "Juno". She's a college-bound, Republican straight arrow, inhabiting her character with every inflection and turn of the head.
Sarah Jessica Parker provides an adequate performance as an emergency room doc turned love interest, but I couldn't get past the fact that it was SJP. I got tired of the constant close-ups as well, which distracted me even further.
I found myself simultaneously a little bored and drawn in to the daily drama of their lives. The story moved one step back for every five steps forward, just like real life. While I left the theater considering whether I liked it or not, I realized later that I had been in the mood for a quiet, gentle drama, and this movie provided that little fix.
Overall, the story is like a tiny itch you have to continually scratch: a little irritating but satisfying when you can reach it, even though you know it's coming back. It's when you at last find the source of the itch that you get final relief.
Tags: Movies Reviews
I just have to take a moment to rave about Heartsong Chai and their people. At the AIFF fundraiser I won three jugs of Pepperbrew and four boxes of chai in the silent auction. I had to go to Heartsong, in front of Shop 'n' Kart, to pick them up. First of all, the young man who helped me made the experience so great that I'll go back just because of him. While I'm pretty sure he gave me his name, I'm sorry to say I don't remember it. But he was so fun, and so upbeat, and so generous of spirit that I found myself with a huge smile on my face while browsing the shelves as he retrieved my auction spoils. I was thrilled to load up the back of my car with clinking half-gallons of various colors and flavors of the pepperbrews and vividly colored boxes of loose chai that I'd bid on and won. (I'm a loose tea snob, so I couldn't wait to try them!) No sooner had I gotten home than I busted open the Habanero Pepperbrew. (Well, not literally, silly! It's glass!) The flavor combination of spicy (but not too) and sweet (a definite honey flavor) was mind-blowing. It danced and sparked on my tongue before sliding smoothly down with nary a tingle on the back of my throat. The Dragon brew was just as delightful, with a tart yet sweet bite that takes my mind off everything else around me. I have yet to tap the Mate Fire; I'm saving it for a special occasion. I'll know it when I see it. I'm living off the loose chai teas. The Rooibos is my favorite; I drank this rich, red sliver-looking tea years ago and it's modernized with Heartsong's unique Chai blend of spices. While I find the Hemp Chai needing help from honey, the other flavors are quite satisfying and flavorful. I'm a new fan and I'm hooked! If you haven't visited the Heartsong storefront on Ashland Street, I strongly urge you to drop in and say hi. I have no doubt they're all as friendly and warm and helpful as the young man who took care of me. Could you have him stop by The Phoenix and remind me of his name? I'd ask for him again. 
Tags: Tea Local Business
Penelope is a young woman who was born with a family curse that deformed her nose into that of a pig's snout. The only way to break the curse is for her to be loved by one of her "own kind", i.e. a blue-blood. Men run from the sight of her and it appears the curse will never be lifted, as she's so ugly no one can get to know her. Of course there's a young man (James McAvoy) whose greed lifts to reveal a true heart. It's a predictable tale of personal acceptance, with a well-meaning but damaging screech of a mother (Catherine O'Hara) and an indulgent, loving, guilt-ridden father (Robert E. Grant). All turns out well in the end, and I daren't give it away here. You'll have to see for yourself. It's been a long time since I was 13, but that's where this fairy tale movie took me. (Not to mention that I took my newly-13-year-old young girlfriend with me.) There are no big bad scary parts nor any evil incarnate. You really need to be a teenager to appreciate it for its message, which is to love yourself no matter what anyone else says. The PG rating must come from the two innuendos I counted that came from the always delightful Reese Witherspoon, which blew right over the top of my young friend's head. Ms. Witherspoon's performance as a zany, outgoing straight shooter made the movie much more fun for me and shook up the plodding blandness in which the movie was threatening to bog down. Christina Ricci (Penelope) is entirely too pretty, even with a snout nose, for the audience to believe that young men would run in fear at the first sight of her. James McAvoy is pleasant and easy to watch (from our 13-year-old point of view), and the rest of the cast are familiar faces with exaggerated acting. It wasn't difficult to enjoy this movie, as there really isn't anything offensive or objectionable in either the storyline or the characters. It's a fun movie to take a young friend to, and we had a good time crushing on McAvoy. However, I recommend that you DO take an adolescent to it, or be one yourself, or the overall blandness will bore you silly.
Tags: No Comment
Yes, spring is right around the corner and your toes will soon be peeping out of boots. Don't scream  when you see the little piggies all scrunched, yellowed and chipped from the long winter hibernation. Help is on the way!! Yes, getting a pedicure really does make all the difference on how soon you'll let the little kids out of those dark and dreary leathers! We have a pedicure for every foot at The Phoenix Day Spa & Salon in Ashland, the Rogue Valley's very first day spa and salon. (We're celebrating our 12th year in business this summer!) From express pedicures (toesies in pretty good shape)  to spa pedicures (need more work) and our Delux Barefooter (major overhaul) , your feet will be tapping and dancing in no time! We've never seen feet that are too far gone, so schedule some time for yours today! The Phoenix, 488.1281
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