Grant Gooding points out that the fall schedule for Monday Night @ the Movies is now out. The first film was In a Better World from Denmark/Sweden. It had won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 2011. Other dates are Oct 3, 17, and 28, and Nov 14 and 28. All films screen at 7:30 p.m. at AMC Winston Park Drive (be there early to avoid the lineup). Tickets are $8 at the door. More details on the films can be checked out at the website: http://mondaynightatthemovies.blogspot.com/
Helmut Erxleben, our book critic, reports on Lost in shangri-la by Mitchell Zukoff. The book recounts the true story of three survivors (out of 24) of a fatal plane crash in an inaccessible area of Dutch New Guinea in 1945 just as the war in the Pacific was drawing to a close. Coping with injuries and trekking through a dangerous jungle they are confronted by natives who have been living a stone-age existence since time began in this remote and inaccessible valley. Thus the visitors are viewed as white spirits who are the fulfillment of an age old myth. Using extensive interviews plus a diary and photos of the events, Zukoff stitches a remarkable story together into a captivating narrative. In this valley you are never sure who is friend or foe, or which cultural gesture is helpful or an insult. Any incursion into enemy territory (the valley’s native population was estimated to be close to 100,000) is met with lethal force and
past wrongs are never forgiven. Military ingenuity finally comes to the rescue of the survivors and the world is treated to an amazing story. Reading it will definitely take your mind off the gyrations of the stock market for a while.
Our movie critic Harold Erlendson took in several movies since the last edition of the Newsletter. The following are ranked in order of best to … less best.
The Help. Three very different extraordinary women in Mississippi during the 60’s who build an unlikely friendship around a secret writing project that breaks societal rules and puts them at risk. From their improbable alliance a remarkable sisterhood emerges, instilling in them the courage to transcend the lines that define them. This is an important story that tells it like it was. If you don’t get moist eyes at least once, check your pulse.
The Debt. An espionage thriller about three retired agents who track down a Nazi war criminal. A gripping movie with solid performances and some unusual twists and turns in the story.
Crazy Stupid Love. An enchanting light comedy with romantic confusion. An amusing study of contemporary behavior.
One Day. A romantic drama that follows a couple on the same day for each of 20 years who are obviously made for each other but don’t quite make it. There is an appealing mix of romantic locations.