Windmills of the Mind
From an editorial at nypost.com, edited by yours truly: Mayor Eric Adams has issued an executive order forcing city agencies to “reduce needless fines and penalties and slash red tape” — clear support for local businesses. Hurrah!
Robin Wright has been pleasing audiences on the big and small screen since the early ‘80’s. There are 60 titles under her name at IMDb, including 538 episodes of the Santa Barbara soap opera, and 73 of House of Cards, ten of which she directed. She received eight Emmy nominations for her work in the series, two for production. She’s also been at the helm of a short. She now has a full length feature under her belt, Land (2021), which I watched last night courtesy of Netflix by mail. It’s the story of a woman who takes her sorrow to a very remote cabin. She wants to isolate herself from people. It doesn’t turn into a thriller where she has to defend herself against creeps. It’s a serious character study. It’s obvious the woman has suffered horror. No surprise, Wright is terrific in the role, and ably supported by Mexico’s Demian Bichir, who’d received an Oscar nod in 2011 for Best Actor for A Better Life. Jesse Chatham and Liz Hannah wrote the screenplay. 8000+ users at IMDb have rated Land, forging to a consensus of 6.7 on a scale of ten. I was unable to find the cost of its production, but I’d be surprised if it was high despite the spectacular scenery, shot in Alberta, Canada, cinematography by Bobby Bukowski. I’d guess the film was profitable, as it brought in four-million-plus at the box office and through DVD sales, rentals, and streaming, remarkable in this day and age for a downbeat film, especially given the pandemic. I hope it has earned Wright a shot at another flick. She deserves it. Here are the leads in character:
RIP Brooklyn born master lyricist Marilyn Bergman, 93, who teamed with her husband Alan to create the Oscar-winning The Windmills of Your Mind (music Michel Legrand), the Oscar-winning The Way We Were (Marvin Hamlisch), the Sinatra standard Nice ’n’ Easy (Lew Spence) and the chart-topping You Don’t Bring Me Flowers (Neil Diamond), earning them a place in the Songwriters Hall of Fame. They also received a ton of other awards and honors. Thank you.
Total luck out for the floating book shop today. I needed a parking spot in the sun, out of the wind and clear of snow, and I waited only a few minutes to get one. My thanks to the woman who bought Frankenstein by Dean Koontz, The Rescue by Nicholas Sparks, and Bones by Jonathan Kellerman; and to the one selected The Messenger by Lois Lowry; and to the couple who took home a book in Russian; and to Bill, who chose The Sellout by Paul Beatty; and to the gentleman who purchased DVDs of High School Musical (2006) and George of the Jungle 2 (2003).
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