Year: 2011

“Irina Palm”: How Desperate Can You Get?

Written by diana on June 1, 2011. Posted in movie reviews. 4 Comments on “Irina Palm”: How Desperate Can You Get?

When I saw the DVD of this movie with the opening menu, I was not quite sure what I was in for. Was this going to be soft porn or an indie film with an unexpected story to tell? As it turned out, “Irina Palm” is so idiosyncratic and original–but not for everyone–that I wasn’t sure if I should recommend it to friends next door who love movies as much as we do. But I did, and they really enjoyed it too! I’m not quite sure how I found this obscure 2007 movie, but I think it was mentioned in an article I read about legendary rocker Marianne Faithfull (of “As...

“The Conspirator”–Is Anyone Listening?

Written by diana on May 23, 2011. Posted in movie reviews. 2 Comments on “The Conspirator”–Is Anyone Listening?

“The Conspirator” opens with a gripping Civil War battle scene and treats us to incredibly imaginative camera angles, shot in sepia tones to time-travel cinematically to the late 1860’s. This is a story that sits underneath a story we all know– the history-book narrative of Abraham Lincoln’s assassination by John Wilkes Booth at the Ford Theater. What few of us know is the untold story– of Mary Surratt, (played by Robin Wright), a Southern middle-aged widow who ran the boarding house where Booth and five other conspirators plotted to either kidnap (an important...

“The Book of Mormon” and “Avenue Q”–Nothing is Forever

Written by diana on May 18, 2011. Posted in Theater: plays and musicals. No Comments on “The Book of Mormon” and “Avenue Q”–Nothing is Forever

While visiting New York City last week my husband and I had the immense pleasure of seeing two absolutely hilarious musicals, “The Book of Mormon” and “Avenue Q”, the former premiering on Broadway last March, the latter still enjoying a seven-year run. “The Book of Mormon” is the hottest play on Broadway right now. Nominated for 14 Tony awards–one short of the record, it is irreverent, over-the-top, and politically incorrect as only the creators of “South Park”, Trey Parker and Matt Stone, can be. Yet “The Book of Mormon” is absolutely...

“Road Trip”–a short story

Written by diana on May 7, 2011. Posted in Literary and Art Journals. 6 Comments on “Road Trip”–a short story

My short story “Road Trip” has just been released in the Spring 2011 issue of Calliope, the official publication of the Writers’ Special Interest Group of American Mensa, Ltd. This is a condensed portion of a chapter from my work-in-progress, a novel entitled Things Unsaid. I really enjoyed writing this “flash fiction” story and hope you enjoy reading it!

“Bliss”–A Downward Spiral

Written by diana on April 25, 2011. Posted in movie reviews. 4 Comments on “Bliss”–A Downward Spiral

A Turkish movie made in 2007, “Bliss” is anything but. From the opening scene of the hillside in spectacular cinematography recalling “Woman in the Dunes”, “Bliss” is a beautifully acted cinematic gem that pits village customs against modern urbanization, religion against secularism, the disenfranchised against a justice system that blames and punishes the victim of the crime, not the criminal. I found “Bliss” spellbinding. The story is about three characters. Meryem, a seventeen-year-old shepherdess, is brutally raped and then ostracized...

Celebrate Beer!–Awaken Your Senses!

Written by diana on April 17, 2011. Posted in Unhealed Wound. No Comments on Celebrate Beer!–Awaken Your Senses!

Last weekend my husband and I went to a class in the Artisan Series at Montrio Bistro in Monterey. We found it particularly interesting because, although we love beer and have visited microbreweries, we had not been to a seminar on the art and craft of making beer and studying the different types of brews. There were two different presentations on beer and its production and distribution. The first speaker represented English Ales Brewery in Marina, and gave a presentation while we tasted eight different beers they made, each placed on a chart in front of us, so we wouldn’t forget which...