Gotham Gal: Sideways and Motorcycle Diaries

Saturday night, we were on our own so we did a double feature. We started out with Sideways. This movie has been written up everywhere. It was written up in every single food magazine that I get, Food & Wine, Gourmet and Bon Appetit. It was also written up in every fashion magazine I get, Vogue and Elle. Very impressive buzz.

The reviews were fantastic. Metacritic gave the movie an impressive 93 rating. Three of our friends had seen the movie and didn't love it but the content appealed to us so we went.

We loved it. The premise is that 2 best male friends take off to Santa Barbara wine country the week before one of them gets married. The movie is about wine and relationships. There were some hilarious scenes. I loved all the wine talk. The difference between the two friends is so utterly diverse it makes for good comedy. The movie was just a slice of life film. Afterwards, we went to see another film although we were hankering for a Santa Barbara Pinot Noir.

Next film, Motorcycle Diaries. The cinemaphotography in this film is incredible. The story is of 2 friends, Ernesto "Che" Guevera and Alberto Granado, who go on a journey across South America to discover and see the the world at large. It is an interesting film because we all know what happens to Che Guevera so to see that journey through his eyes gives insight into the decisions he made in his life. The relationship of the friends, the people they saw at that time turned their journey into something more than they ever thought it would be. They saw first hand the political and social problems in the early 50's and it obviously made a huge impact on Che's life. It is slow but beautiful and the story has stayed with me. I took a 6 week trip with my boyfriend (now husband) through the US after college and it definitely made an impact in my life to see the rest of America. I'm glad I went to see this film.

After leaving the last film we walked over to Veritas. The wine selection is incredible there. There are literally wines on their list for $15,000. I am not sure who is buying it or for that matter how many bottles of that they have but we were hunting for a Santa Barbara Pinot. We ordered the Ojai which was delicious. The food at Veritas is excellent. We only ordered a cheese platter and a wild mushroom tart but it hit the spot. The tart was made of a puffed pastry and filled with a spicy sharp cheese and wild mushrooms. Small greens were arranged over the plate drizzled with a mushroom vinegarette. Really good! It made me want to return again for dins.

All and all, a good movie week since I had seen Vera Drake earlier in the week. Looking forward to the variety of other good films that are about to hit the theaters.

books of the moment

Cristina Alger: The Darlings: A Novel
i LOVED this book. First time novelist. Well written. She does a great job of describing each character. The story is loosely based on a Madoff type character. Total NY story. Page turner. She knows her town and these people. Really LOVED this book.
Stephen King: 11/22/63: A Novel
This is my first King book. He is an incredible story teller. Quite a book, very creative, interesting idea and story. It is so long. 850 pages. I get why he is one of the best selling authors
Whitney L. Johnson: Dare, Dream, Do: Remarkable Things Happen When You Dare to Dream
I was so graciously asked to write a blurb for this book. It doesn't come out until May when I will write a post but for the time being you can pre-order. Here is my blurb; Every woman, regardless of age or profession, should read this book. Through stories of real women, their dreams and their struggles, Johnson's book has created an instant community. What's more, she has opened the door for women to empower themselves to dare, dream and do.
Russell Banks: Lost Memory of Skin: A Novel
An interesting novel about the underground topic of child molesters. Banks takes on a disturbing topic as he weaves a variety of strange characters into the fold. Maybe I wanted some kind of closure from the book. The book is a big idea which really navigates a slice of America. Really well written but not so sure I'd recommend it. I stuck with the book but I didn't love it.
Susan Weissman: Feeding Eden: The Trials and Triumphs of a Food Allergy Family
The name of the book says it all. Every parent and every teacher should read this book.
Tom Perrotta: The Leftovers
I have read a few of Perrotta's books. He is an incredible writer but I always feel so unfulfilled when his books end. This concept of this book is that one day random people disappear and the world changes. The book focuses on one particular community and a few families. At the beginning I was wowed by the premise of the book but as always his books begin to ramble and the end was so bad it was if he couldn't figure out how to finish it. Literally the last paragraph made me say to myself, "seriously"?
Alice Hoffman: The Dovekeepers: A Novel
I wanted to finish it, I really did. But half way in I moved on. Really beautiful book. A story of four women who lived on Masada who are thrown together through fate as they tend to the doves. Wonderful history and interesting paths of each character. Just super dense. I hope to return to finishing it. After all...it is on my kindle.
Deborah Copaken Kogan: Between Here and April
This book tracks a terrible tragedy of a mother who took her life and her childrens in the 70s. I was interested in it because it happened where I grew up. Unfortunately the book bounces all over the place and only focuses on the authors own issues that she believes to be connected to this but in essence it is a serious reach and rambling.
W. Bruce Cameron: A Dog's Purpose
It took me a while to get into this but a very clever book. Life through a dogs eyes. Really well done.
Kyung-Sook Shin: Please Look After Mom
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Kathleen Flinn: The Kitchen Counter Cooking School: How a Few Simple Lessons Transformed Nine Culinary Novices into Fearless Home Cooks
Flinn writes about how she transformed 9 people to love cooking, understand food and what they are eating and basically changed their lives. Good book.
Julie Salamon: Wendy and the Lost Boys: The Uncommon Life of Wendy Wasserstein
What a fascinating life. I actually liked the last 25% of the book the best. A woman of the generation that was told she could have it all and with all her success she still felt unaccomplished. A worthy read.
Michael Ondaatje: The Cat's Table
A beautiful memoir of Ondaatjes solo journey from Sri Lanka to London as a young boy of 11 to return to his mother who had been residing there for 3/4 years. Those 3 weeks made quite an impact on his life as he threads those stories back to his life as an adult.
Jeffrey Eugenides: The Marriage Plot: A Novel
loved this book. brilliantly written, great character development, literature references abound, questioning of religion, depression issues, post college angst. loved loved.
Julie Otsuka: The Buddha in the Attic
I read Otsuka's first book, When the Emperor Was Divine and really enjoyed it. Her writing is very distinct and her prose is written in a way that is different, imaginative and interesting. The book is a bit of an extension of the first book. The topic is on America's stained past during the war, in our own country, when we locked up all the Japanese people living here because of pure fear of nothing. Otsuka's book gives the read insight into how the Japanese lived prior to that time and really what wonderful immigrants they were and are. Opens up a chapter of American history that we should all be very disturbed by.

Gotham Gal

Sideways and Motorcycle Diaries

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