MY CAT IS FAT, BUT I LOVE HIM ANYWAY
Author: Ellen B. Mullally
BRING ON THE MADNESS
My favorite time of year is almost here. No, I’m not talking about the arrival of the cherry blossoms here in the nation’s capital—although I love them, too. I’m talking about March Madness, when college basketball fans across the country fill out brackets and stay glued to their televisions. I usually do two brackets—one where my beloved Maryland Terrapins win… Read more →
ALL I WANT FOR THE HOLIDAYS…IS TO SEE A GOOD MOVIE
I love watching movies and talking about them afterwards. I tend to favor sprawling romantic epics (Out of Africa is one of my all-time favorites) and “chick flicks” such as Sense and Sensibility, but I also enjoy a good black comedy (Ruthless People anyone?). There are a few “guilty pleasures” on my must-see list as well, movies that probably aren’t very good but still manage to draw me in anytime they’re on TV (Millennium, This is Where I Leave You and Fever Pitch come to mind).
Judge me if you’d like. I stand by all my picks. I’m a woman of eclectic tastes.
So far 2016 has been a disappointment, cinematically speaking. Here we are in early December, and I’ve yet to see anything memorable. I was really looking forward to The Girl on the Train, but left the theater disappointed. Same with Captain America: Civil War and Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.
And don’t even get me started on Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. That’s 2 ½ hours I’ll never get back again. Note to directors and editors: Two hours is the perfect length for most movies. Even Out of Africa could benefit from a 20- to 30-minute reduction—as long as you don’t take out any of Robert Redford’s scenes.
Of course, December is usually the best month for movies. That means there’s still hope for this year. I saw 2 of my favorite films of 2015—Spotlight and Brooklyn—around the holidays, and there are a number of promising titles coming out in the next few weeks. In no particular order, here are a few that are pretty high on my list:
- Lion: I got a strong Slumdog Millionaire vibe from the preview, and that’s a good thing.
- Manchester by the Sea: I like Casey Affleck, and this one has end-of-year awards written all over it.
- La La Land: Ryan Gosling, Emma Stone and music. Sounds like a winner to me.
- Rogue One: A Star Wars Story: I’ve always been a big Star Wars fan, so this one speaks for itself.
And while it definitely doesn’t belong on this list, I thought the preview for Why Him? looked pretty funny. As I said before, I’m a woman of eclectic tastes.
Happy holidays everyone. Maybe I’ll see you at the movies!
I’M MOVING ON. WON’T YOU JOIN ME?
I recently saw a post on Facebook that caught my attention. The writer said he won’t forgive anybody who voted for Trump. Not today, not tomorrow, not even next week or next year. Now, anyone who’s met me (or read my blog post from a few months back) knows exactly how I feel about our president-elect. I despise him and… Read more →
A WEEKEND TO REMEMBER
If you’ve talked to me at some point during the past year, you know that October 15 was a major milestone in the Mullally family: the wedding of my son and his long-time girlfriend. Seldom in life does reality exceed expectations, but it did in this case. The bride was gorgeous, the groom was handsome, the weather was perfect, the food… Read more →
A (TRAGIC) DAY I’LL ALWAYS REMEMBER
I NEED TO SAY YES TO A DRESS
My son is getting married in October and I’m thrilled. We love his fiancé. The engagement party was a big success, and the majority of the arrangements—the location, the caterer, the rehearsal dinner, the band—are taken care of. There’s just one major decision left, and it’s stressing me out. I need to find a dress. Unlike some of my friends,… Read more →