January 19, 2019

Saturday movie review: First Man

January 19, 2019/ Lisa Carpenter

Stargazers and moon enthusiasts will have their eyes on the skies this weekend, seeking prime views of the Super Blood Wolf Moon Eclipse set to reach its peak—and glow red—the night of January 20/21, 2019. Which is tomorrow night.

The spectacular lunar event makes this prime time for my review of FIRST MAN, the breathtaking biopic of Neil Armstrong, the first man to walk on that far-off, endlessly intriguing moon.

December 22, 2018

Saturday movie review: The House With a Clock in its Walls

December 22, 2018/ Lisa Carpenter

Jack Black is quickly becoming my favorite star of thrillers. Thrillers of the family friendly sort, that is. I was intrigued by his turn as author R.L. Stine in 2015’s GOOSEBUMPS and endlessly amused by his role as Bethany—yes, a girl!—in the slapstick silly yet oh-so suspenseful JUMANIJI: WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE. Three’s a charm with THE HOUSE WITH A CLOCK IN ITS WALLS, wherein Black plays mysterious and mesmerizing Jonathan Barnavelt, who lives in a creaky, creepy mansion that has a tick-tocking heart heard in the dark of night.

May 19, 2018

Saturday movie review: The Rider

May 19, 2018/ Lisa Carpenter

What can I do now? Who am I? What am I worth? Is my past the best I'll ever be?

Many folks ask themselves such questions when circumstances or age put an end to beloved careers, the pursuit of dreams and goals not yet realized. The existential quandary usually rears its head around retirement age or perhaps amidst some midlife questioning.

Lakota Indian cowboy Brady Jandreau was far from retirement, not yet even near midlife, when he was forced to weather such weighty wondering. In 2016, Jandreau was riding higher and higher as a professional bronc rider on the rodeo circuit. Then a tumble from a bronc and a foot snarled in the stirrup resulted in his skull being crushed by the animal. Brady’s professional riding career ended in an instant—at the age of 20.

May 18, 2018

Movie review: Book Club

May 18, 2018/ Lisa Carpenter

I have never read the infamous 50 Shades of Grey by E.L. James. I'll try not to judge (too much) those who have. From all I've heard, it just seems too trashy—not fun-trashy just trashy-trashy—for my tastes and time. There are far too many other books on my to-read list and far too little time in which to tackle them for me to squander even seconds on trashy-trashy.

The four 60-something, forever friends of BOOK CLUB initially seem to agree with me on such. Diane (Diane Keaton), Vivian (Jane Fonda), Sharon (Candice Bergen), and Carol (Mary Steenburgen) have met monthly for decades to discuss books—reading selections made on a rotating basis—men, and more. 50 Shades of Grey is not the sort of selection the refined readers read. Initially.

April 28, 2018

Saturday movie review: Tully

April 28, 2018/ Lisa Carpenter

I can't tell you much about the plot of TULLY. I watched every moment of the engrossing film. I was affected—and often amused—by Diablo Cody's story, Jason Reitman's directing, the entire cast's acting.

Yet I can't tell you what TULLY is about. If I do, it'll ruin the movie for you. Because TULLY isn't what you expect.

April 14, 2018

Saturday movie review: A QUIET PLACE

April 14, 2018/ Lisa Carpenter

My husband and I saw A QUIET PLACE last weekend, opening weekend for the drama/horror flick directed by John Krasinski and starring him and wife Emily Blunt. The nerve wracking film was, of course, the feature of our theater-going experience, yet it was the audience that delivered the most interesting performance. Because they were quiet. Silent, in fact. Each and every viewer.

That never happens at the theater. Ever. People talk, laugh, question what's on screen, peek at phone screens that light up, ruffle wrappers, slurp sodas, and loudly gobble handfuls of popcorn.*

Not so during A QUIET PLACE. The entire place was quiet as can be. Which I found crazy... and compelling... and a huge compliment to Krasinski, Blunt, and all involved in making the movie.

A QUIET PLACE is so very...

April 07, 2018

Saturday movie briefs: Three to see on DVD

April 07, 2018/ Lisa Carpenter

The week before the 90th Academy Awards, my husband and I scrambled to screen as many of the nominated films we'd not yet managed to see. Twas a task made much easier thanks to my access to select free screeners courtesy Fox Home Entertainment (thanks, Fox!).

So mere days before oodles of Oscars were doled out, we watched several movies.

Then I failed to share my thoughts on each with you in a Saturday movie review. Now those films are out of theaters and available on DVD (plus streaming, premium channels, and more).

With sincere apologies for the belated sharing, here are three of my faves from our pre-Oscar scramble. Though sans full reviews, I strongly recommended each for viewing as they definitely live up to hype you've likely heard.

March 31, 2018

Saturday movie review: Still Dreaming

March 31, 2018/ Lisa Carpenter

As our parents age and we consider how we can best assist and accommodate them in their later years, we baby boomers become more and more familiar with assisted living centers, nursing homes, and similar facilities Mom and/or Dad might at some point consider home. Many of our parents already reside in such spots, others of us may be in the researching-for-someday phase of the sandwich situation.

As is the case with most things, negative stories and worrisome aspects of assisted living centers and nursing homes get the most headlines, cause the most headaches. Yet there are indeed many positive—and true—tales to tell of facilities doing fun, fabulous, innovative, and invigorating things for the elderly folks they care for and, in many cases, consider family.

March 24, 2018

Saturday movie review: Finding Your Feet

March 24, 2018/ Lisa Carpenter

In real life, a cheating husband and an estranged sister are hardly cause for warm fuzzies or fits of giggles. In the British romantic comedy FINDING YOUR FEET, though, the husband gets what he deserves, the sister holds the key to healing, and the audience reaps the uplifting reward of watching a spurned woman dance her way to a happy place she never imagined might exist.

March 10, 2018

Saturday movie review: The Leisure Seeker

March 10, 2018/ Lisa Carpenter

As of today, my husband and I have officially been together thirty-seven years. Which means we have much in common with longtime married couple John and Ella Spencer whose late-life road adventure is told in the comedic drama THE LEISURE SEEKER.

Unlike John and Ella Spencer, though, my husband and I don't own an RV in which we could make an impromptu — and mildly madcap — getaway from our grown kids. Also unlike the Spencers, we Carpenters are thankfully not facing the effects of Alzheimer's and its devastating effects on even the most dedicated marriage partners and their future.

Despite those differences between us and them, my husband and I were thoroughly captivated by THE LEISURE SEEKER. As we watched, we alternated between chuckling at...