Year: 2012

“Mud Slide”– A Spa Experience

Written by diana on February 26, 2012. Posted in Local travel. 6 Comments on “Mud Slide”– A Spa Experience

During President’s Weekend I decided to take my daughter, Maya, to Calistoga for a spa decompression treat–a Girls Getaway–that actually was a promotion at the Solage Spa and Resort in Calistoga. Part of the package included a mudslide and complimentary cocktails the day of arrival. After a beautiful drive over the Golden Gate Bridge and through the lower part of wine country, we were greeted at the beautiful Solage with gracious hospitality and the “Mud Slide” treatment. What fun! We were ushered into a stone slab shower and spa bathhouse designed exclusively...

“Safe House”–A Safe Bet

Written by diana on February 21, 2012. Posted in movie reviews, Unhealed Wound. 2 Comments on “Safe House”–A Safe Bet

It seems only fair to see a dick-flick after having recommended rom-coms for Valentine’s Day. And did I pick a winner–my husband gave it a 10, which is very rare for him. The movie is “Safe House” and it stars and is produced by the exceptional Denzel Washington. No ordinary action-pic–although it has ample car chases, staccato bursts of exploding bombs, violent fights with guns and knives, and impossible jumps from one rooftop to another–there are still enough surprising plot twists to keep you surprised throughout. The story is fairly routine–I...

Valentine’s Day–Rom-Coms (aka Chick Flicks) Anyone?

Written by diana on February 12, 2012. Posted in movie reviews, Unhealed Wound. 3 Comments on Valentine’s Day–Rom-Coms (aka Chick Flicks) Anyone?

It’s that time of year again, when guys dread having to let their female partner/friend/spouse choose the movie while they fight back tears having to pass up another testosterone-charged action film (like “Drive” or “300”). Well, guess what? There are a few I thought are just right for snuggling together on the couch with a chilled glass of wine. They have witty, lightweight scripts, without the cringe-inducing mawkish, saccharine dialect of films like “The Ugly Truth (2009). To me comedy is the most difficult to write, since humor is a very delicate but...

Netflix Instant Queue–BBC’s Your Best Bet

Written by diana on February 6, 2012. Posted in movie reviews, Unhealed Wound. 2 Comments on Netflix Instant Queue–BBC’s Your Best Bet

For those of you who like to curl up with a DVD at night mailed to you directly from Netflix, only to be disappointed after watching it for ten or fifteen minutes, or finding that the DVD is defective and unwatchable, let me suggest some of the winners we have seen on Instant Queue in the last several months. Watching a movie via Netflix streaming isn’t much different from renting a DVD, but for TV fans it offers a unique way to view one episode after another of addictive series such as “Mad Men”, “Damages”, or “Breaking Bad”. Viewers can now watch...

‘Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy”–Not Enough Tinkering for My Taste

Written by diana on January 29, 2012. Posted in movie reviews, Unhealed Wound. 4 Comments on ‘Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy”–Not Enough Tinkering for My Taste

This cinematic remake of the landmark mini-TV series from 1980, starring Alec Guiness, is updated with Gary Oldman in the starring role that Guiness made so famous. Based upon the John le Carré espionage thriller, “Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy” dramatizes British secret intelligence–nicknamed “The Circus” –during the early 1970s Cold War. Control (John Hurt), the chief intelligence operative, is forced into retirement because a covert operation failed to identify a double agent or “mole”. Forced into retirement along with Control, Smiley (Gary Oldman)...

“The Iron Lady” — Meryl Streep Nails It

Written by diana on January 21, 2012. Posted in movie reviews, Unhealed Wound. 5 Comments on “The Iron Lady” — Meryl Streep Nails It

Winner of the best actor 2012 Golden Globe for her stunning performance in “The Iron Lady”, Meryl Streep plays Margaret Thatcher, the iconic Prime Minister second only to Winston Churchill in power and impact on Great Britain. “The Iron Lady” is, at times, an exceptional meditation on old age and it is, once more, a virtuoso performance by the genius that is Meryl Streep. First and foremost, however, “The Iron Lady” is a portrait of Thatcher as a woman whose tremendous sacrifices to family and identity were viewed, both by her and by her advisors, as necessary in order...