Year: 2013

“Orphans”–Fostering and Festering

Written by diana on June 3, 2013. Posted in Theater: plays and musicals. No Comments on “Orphans”–Fostering and Festering

This year the 1983 play “Orphans” by Lyle Kessler is nominated for two Tony Awards: Outstanding Revival of a Broadway Play and Outstanding Featured Actor (Tom Sturridge). I hope that this emotional tour-de-force wins both awards! This play debuted with Ben Foster (from “Six Feet Under”) as Treat, Tom Sturridge (“Being Julia”) as Philip, and Alec Baldwin (“30 Rock”) as Harold. The story opens in a dilapidated Philadelphia house shared by two brothers: Treat, a small-time hoodlum, and his younger mentally disabled brother Philip, who hides in...

“The Great Gatsby”–Revisiting an American Classic

Written by diana on May 28, 2013. Posted in movie reviews, Unhealed Wound. 4 Comments on “The Great Gatsby”–Revisiting an American Classic

The new version of the F. Scott Fitgerald’s celebrated classic (1925) by Baz Luhrmann (of Moulin Rouge fame) has divided critics. Half of professional movie critics praised the movie, the other half panned it. There will be endless reinterpretations of a novel that has become burdened as a literary icon, the Great American Classic. Mr. Luhrmann’s reverence for the source material is evident. Occasionally he quotes dialogue directly. But he has also made the narrative his own: a wayward, lavish theatrical celebration of the emotional and material extravagance that Gatsby embodied. For...

“Shadow Dad”– Flash Fiction in “The Story Shack”

Written by diana on May 19, 2013. Posted in Literary and Art Journals, Unhealed Wound, Writing and Blogging Tips. 2 Comments on “Shadow Dad”– Flash Fiction in “The Story Shack”

“Shadow Dad” was just published in the online literary journal, The Story Shack. The inspiration for the work came to me during a creative writers’ group exercise involving writing within a 15-minute time period. It was fun and revealed how sometimes “over thinking” can detract from the power of the original thought. Go to The Story Shack online to read “Shadow Dad”. Let me know your comments!

Wakuriya–A Little Bit of Kyoto Heaven

Written by diana on May 15, 2013. Posted in Restaurants. 3 Comments on Wakuriya–A Little Bit of Kyoto Heaven

Sake flight Last week we experienced kaiseki (Japanese haute cuisine) at a tiny tucked-away restaurant in a strip mall in San Mateo–Wakuriya. What a surprise find! Kaiseki cuisine is as much an art form as a type of gourmet dinner. Not unexpectedly, kaiseki has its origin in Zen monastic cuisine and aesthetic taste. Leaves and fresh flowers, often edible, suggest animals and seasonal variations in the moon and night sky. Passing through a long draped noren curtain, we opened the artisan wooden door, and stepped into a long narrow restaurant dimly lit and minimalist in decor. The ambience...

“Orphan Black”–Adopting a New Model

Written by diana on May 8, 2013. Posted in Television reviews, Unhealed Wound. No Comments on “Orphan Black”–Adopting a New Model

This new BBC America television series premiered on March 30, 2013. In the opening scene the camera zooms in on Sarah (played by Tatiana Maslany, a Canadian newcomer to television), a grifter desperate to escape her drug dealer boyfriend. Seizing an opportunity to escape her past, Sarah watches as her doppelganger jumps in front of a subway to her death. Stealing the identity of the suicide victim (“Beth”) who looks exactly like her, Sarah assumes that the dead woman’s identity will be an improvement over her own, but she is proved wrong. Proud of her independence, even with...

“Top of the Lake”–A Top Notch Thriller

Written by diana on April 29, 2013. Posted in Television reviews, Unhealed Wound. No Comments on “Top of the Lake”–A Top Notch Thriller

While some cable and television distributors fund their own productions (note the excellence of “House of Cards”, the final season of “Damages”, and the forthcoming “Arrested Development”), Sundance is in the enviable position of previewing thousands of entries for their annual Sundance Festival. “Top of the Lake“is an exciting option from the Sundance Channel, created by Gerard Lee and Jane Campion (who produced and directed the Academy Award winner “The Piano”). The first episode opens with the disappearance of a 12-year old pregnant...