1 of My Stories

Unforgiven starring Clint Eastwood This movie I saw about 14 years ago when it first came out in theaters. I remembered it being a really great movie. It is number #98 on the AFI Greatest Movies of All Time List, but this time the movie seemed very depressing.

For those of you that haven't seen this movie, here is a summary. Clint Eastwood plays William Munny, a man who in his younger days killed all sorts of people, committed a multitude of crimes, was perpetually drunk, and mistreated animals. It turns out that sometime later, he meets a woman who is virtuous and kind. Against her family's wishes, she gets married to the nefarious Mr. Munny. We never learn why she did or even meet her. When the movie starts she is dead.

Two years later, Munny is a pig farmer raising two kids by himself.

Shall We Dance starring Richard Gere and Jennifer Lopez
Richard Gere plays an overworked estate attorney. After your loved one dies, he makes sure all the papers are signed and all the "i's" are dotted. Gere is bored of his life: he and his wife pass like two tumbleweeds, each running to an endless series of work and school-related meetings. One night while riding home on the metro, he looks up and sees J.Lo looking forlornly out the window. Enraptured by her face, he continues this stalker-like behavior until he gets the guts to go into her dance studio and sign up for ballroom dancing lessons. It turns out that J.Lo is the assistant at Madame Mitzi's School of Dance. He and two other guys, one an overweight dude who wants to impress his girlfriend and the other a guy who wants a girlfriend (or so he says), take lessons from Madame Mitzi herself. He begins to enjoy the dancing and feels more alive. Even his daughter starts noticing a change in him. Okay, so …

Defining Dulcie by Paul Acampora
Who would like it?: I am guessing mostly girls, ages 12-14. Fans of books like Dovey Coeby Frances Dowell, Shug by Jenny Han or Pictures of Hollis Woodsby Patricia Giff,, which have strong female characters. Dulcie has a lot of independence but also tenderness. Well, what can I say? Dulcie is a winning character. I really liked this girl and wanted to meet her in person. She plays a stubborn sixteen-year old girl whose father has just died. In a mad rush to get away from her past and make a new life for herself, Dulcie's mother decides to pack up her daughter and drive from Connecticut to California. Dulcie hates this idea and just to prove it, she steals her dad's truck (the one and only possession left behind) and drives on back to her hometown by herself. When she gets there, her grandfather, a school janitor, decides to let her stay if she works for no pay as one of his staff. Dulcie, by the way, had always worked as a janitor wit…