February 14, 2008
Bonneville, Our Book Club, The Grammys, and faces that don't
move
The Three Tomatoes were just commenting last
week on what a “mild” winter we’re having in New York, which is of course why temperatures have now plummeted into the
single digits and the wind gusts were so high we thought we’d be blown to Kansas. So yes tomatoes, we will take full
responsibility for jinxing our winter. But what great weather to curl up with a good book, watch awards shows, or get yourself off
your couch and out with your girl friends to see a fun movie. Like the soon to be released Bonneville, that actually stars three “women who aren’t kids”, Jessica
Lange, Kathy Bates, and Joan Allen. And seven lucky tomatoes will get (2) tickets each to this month’s preview in
Manhattan. (Read on.)
First, about the books
Today starts off our first week discussion of A Thousand Splendid
Suns at The Three Tomatoes Book Club. It’s one of those books that will stay
with us for a long time. If you read it, all you have to do to participate is post a line or two with your thoughts about our
questions, or pose your own. The good news is you can do this in your flannel PJs, in a front of a cozy fire while sipping a
hot toddy.
And, we need you to vote for our next book selection from one of these three
choices. The Friday Night Knitting
Club, which is set in Manhattan, and by the way has been made into a movie starring Julia Roberts for release in June; The Senator’s
Wife, which is currently on the NY Times Best Seller List, and Ellington Boulevard, a new
release that critics are loving about various tenants in an apartment in Harlem. So read the synopses and vote for your choice at
The Three Tomatoes
Book Club. We’ll announce the winner next week and that will become our March book.
The Grammys
This is our favorite awards show because it’s all about performing and
last night’s 50th anniversary Grammys did not disappoint. We loved the performances of some of music’s legends
teamed with younger artists, starting with Alicia Keys singing Learning the Blues along with video footage of
Frank Sinatra But our favorite moment was Keely Smith and Kid Rock singing “That Old Black
Magic.” Yes, we know there are those of you are saying who the heck is Keely Smith, and others saying
“is she still alive “(our thoughts too), and there she was, looking great, and sounding great. It even made us like
Kid Rock.
And we have to say, we think Amy Winehouse is an amazing talent, and we hope she lives
long enough to realize her potential. But back to the “oldies but goodies.”
We loved the Proud Mary duet with Beyonce and
Tina Turner who still knows how to rock it, although a little slower these days; we wish Cindi
Lauper had performed with Amy Winehouse; and we have to ask, what has Cher done to
her face, and what happened to Aretha Franklin's waist; Jerry Lee Lewis still knows how to kill
that keyboard, although his singing shows his age, but Little Richard hit all the right notes in one of our all time
favorite rock n’ roll songs, ‘Good Golly, Miss Molly.” And cheers to Herbie Hancock for
winning best album of the year, with River, the Joni Letters, giving jazz lovers reason to celebrate. And to watch it all while
tucked under our electric blanket was just perfection.
Bonneville, a “Coming of Age” Movie for
us
A special treat for The Three Tomatoes over the holidays, was
getting an advanced DVD screener of Bonneville, which previews this
month, and opens in theaters nationwide in March. It’s the story of three friends, played by three of our favorite
actresses, Jessica Lange, Kathy
Bates, and Joan Allen, who take off in a 1966 Bonneville convertible, from Pocatello, Idaho to deliver the ashes of
Arvilla’s (Jessica Lange) husband Joe to his “witchy” daughter in Santa Barbara, played by another one of our
absolutely favorite actresses, Christine
Baranski. You see Arvilla was married for twenty years to the
older Joe, and had promised to scatter his ashes. But, Joe’s daughter wants them, and threatens to take Arvilla’s
home away from her if she doesn’t show up at a memorial service with Joe in the can. (It seems Joe neglected to make a will
and Arvilla doesn’t “own” the home.)
Their road trip takes them through some of the most breathtaking scenery, like the
Salt Flats in Utah, and Bryce Canyon. They pick up a hitchhiker along the way, played by the young and super hunky Victor Rasuk, whose role in the movie is mostly to provide eye candy, but we’re not
complaining. And they meet a trucker, played by Tom Skerritt (who played the deceased philandering husband of
Sally Fields in the TV series Brothers and Sisters), who has a surprising and sweet romance with one of these
charming women. Although we have to say, Tom, even in overalls is such a classy charmer, it’s a little hard to
believe he’s a trucker (but then there’s a back story.)
The movie’s predictability and gaps, are overcome by the acting talents of
these three amazing women, whose banter is so natural it hardly seems like written dialogue. We only wish that Christine Baranski had been given a
richer role (she’s a bit one-dimensional). And like our Cher question, we have to ask “what has Jessica Lange done
to her face”? (Honestly, faces that move have a lot more character than those that don’t). That
said, the movie is a great celebration of fun, adventure, and living life to its fullest, no matter what your age or what hand life has dealt
you.
So grab a couple of your friends, and head to a theater to see it.
And if you send an email to akousakis@senartfilms.com right now, and mention The Three Tomatoes,
you may be one of the first seven people to get (2) free tickets to the February 25th preview screening, right here in
NYC.
So here’s to that old time rock ‘n roll, ’66
Bonneville’s, and great friends.
‘til next week,
The Three Tomatoes
Copyright©2008. The Three Tomatoes. All rights
reserved.
