A BOY - "The Boy in the Striped Pajamas"
Some of my friends chose not to see the movie because they knew it was about the holocaust. True, the theme is about a terrible time in history.
There have been many films that tell the story in different ways, always difficult to see but never the less, worth seeing.
This time it's seen through the eyes of an eight year old. boy. He befriends an eight year old boy who is in a concentration camp.
He has no idea of what is going on but sees some things that he questions. To give you an example of one such moment: the family has a prisoner working in the parents home as a servant. One day the boy falls and injures himself, the servant tells the boy that he is a doctor and knows just what to do.
That day the boy sees the prisoner peeling potatoes and questions his parents, "why would he chose to peel potatoes if he is a doctor?"
If you do see this movie, be prepared for a shocking ending.
A DOG - "MARLEY & ME"
I've never owned a pet, but I must say I thoughly enjoyed this movie. The movie is about Work, Play, Fun, Love and a Dog!!
The movie was largely filmed in Miami and Fort Lauderdale. I particularly enjoyed some scenes that took place in Boca Raton which is a short disance from where I live.
The cast was great! It's the first time that I saw an appealing Owen Wilson act in a film where he was not just a silly guy. Jennifer Aniston was his devoted and understanding wife.
I was pleasently surprised to see Alan Arkin as Owen's editor at the Sun-Sentinal, that's the paper I read here in Florida.
And another surprise was Kathleen Turner as a dog trainer! If I hadn't heard her voice I would not have recognized her.
Enough said.
If you feel like a fun movie, this is it!
A MAN - MIKE BURSTYN
Over the years I have seen Mike Burstyn at least three times. Has he gotten better over time, or has my appreciation of his talent grown? I think it's the latter.
For those of you who may not be familiar with Mike, his father, Pesach Burstyn and mother, Lillian Lux were stars in the Yiddish theatre. He shared the stage with them at the age of three and stole the show!
He has performed on Broadway in "Barnum", "The Rothchilds", "Jolson" and will be doing a show on Broadway, "Lansky."
Mike sings, acts, tells jokes and is a storyteller. Whatever he does, he has the audience in the palm of his hand. Speaking of hands, I was aware of how he was using his hands to get the message across.
After he did his final number the audience yelled out in unison, "MORE." And, he did MORE.
I feel privileged to have seen Mike Burstyn again and to have shared that experience with the audience.