Hurray! We finally have a movie theater in Bayonne, the first to be located in Bayonne since the early 1980s. South Cove Cinema is a state-of-the-art theater. It has all the accoutrements the fussiest moviegoer could want. There are 12 screens, first-run films, comfortable stadium seating, easily accessible rest rooms, and a concession stand loaded with all the goodies one shouldn’t eat. I had an especially satisfying experience at the popcorn counter. I timidly (yes! I can be timid) asked if popcorn was available without butter and without salt. The answer came back with an obliging smile from Lucy, who amazed me. Not only did she say a smiling “yes,” but she made a fresh batch and invited me to taste until the seasoning was just right for my palate.
I went into the theater happily clutching my custom-made popcorn, sat down in a most comfortable seat and was ready to enjoy, but, oh no! I had picked the wrong film. The movie was “Bewitched” – and I wasn’t. I had a hard time keeping my eyes open. Its only redeeming feature was seeing Nicole Kidman looking so-o pretty with her saucer eyes and swinging skirts. But the script lets her down with a thump – and me too. When “Bewitched” didn’t get any better, I left – after I had devoured all the popcorn – and here’s the good part: It was a great pleasure to easily get to my car, pay no tolls, drive only a few easy minutes and, zip, I was home. My hope is that the movie offerings will include foreign and independent films as well as the blockbusters.
Oh yes, every Wednesday there’s a free 2005 children’s summer movies series. Features start at 10 a.m.
I never lived in a home that didn’t have a piano. In fact, at one point there were two pianos in my living room. My mom, who was a fine pianist, had her upright, but for my “sweet sixteen” my folks bought me a baby grand – the best present I ever received (and it’s still with me in my Bayonne home). For a couple of years my mother and I enjoyed playing duets. To this day my son, James Adlai, says I sound “just like grandma” when I play “You Made Me Love You.” As a result, I agree with Irving Berlin’s song, “I Love a Piano.”
I’m always interested in things connected to that instrument. So-o when I read that there is a movie titled “The Beat That My Heart Skipped” I hastened to see it. It’s an unusual and interesting film. The hero is both an artist and a thug – what a combination! His late mother was a famous concert pianist; he inherited her skills and her love of music. After she died he lets the music go and falls under the influence of his monstrous, slumlord father. The result is a young man torn between loyalty to his baleful, old gangster father’s way of life and his desire for a career in classical music. The hero is a tormented mess split down the middle. I kept thinking – music could be his redemption. Will he make it? Will he play? Even though there’s plenty of music in “The Beat That My Heart Skipped” it’s a thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat.
“The Talent Among Us” is an uncommonly confessional and perceptive movie. The director’s real-life parents play versions of themselves, like everyone else in the film. It made me feel like a voyeur! Impulsively, the retired couple in their 70s hit the road, setting out from Manhattan in an SUV, with their two grown daughters in tow, to drive to L.A. to visit their screenwriter son. Their cross-country odyssey is both painful and funny. The parents are natural, articulate and lacerating. After their 45 years of marriage, we hear about alleged adulteries, long-running disagreements, and old wounds.
There’s a refreshing frankness and lack of sensationalism in “The Talent Among Us,” particularly concerning sexual relations between the older folks. The director’s parents’ bickering is nonstop, no-punches pulled, the most naturalistic performance I’ve ever seen. Their candor is remarkable – like spending a memorably hilarious, harrowing and unforgettable weekend with wacky in-laws.
The above two films are an example of the kind of movies I hope to be able to see at our South Cove Theater.
My friends, Sonya and Wolf, were in town from Washington, D.C. for a couple of days and I was happily caught up in their high-energy whirlwind of activities. I only have space to write about some – will save the others for September’s “In Tune!” There was theater, museum, and even an unusual dining experience.
First the play, “Glengarry Glen Ross.” I had seen the movie years ago and wondered if I’d be able to get the stars, Pacino and Lemmon, out of my mind and accept different actors. Also, it has an all-male cast and I’m prejudiced against that (but I must admit that I readily accept an all-female one!). No problem! The David Mamet play is still fixating, and Alan Alda and Liev Schreiber as well as the entire cast are outstanding. It’s a dream-team ensemble and they deserve winning the Tony.
The entire cast sparkles in this story about conscienceless real estate salesmen. The play takes place in a dog-eat-dog real estate office in Chicago. If I were a real estate broker I would take umbrage at the depiction of a profession made up of crooks – but I’m not! This suspense comedy wowed and entertained me.
Now on to the unusual dining experience where you usually need to make reservations weeks in advance – and I’m not crazy enough to ever do that! Somehow, my out-of-town friends managed to get us in. They seem to have a magic touch.
Are you salivating to know where we dined? I’ll give you a hint: It’s a restaurant attached to a museum, the Museum of Modern Art. Logically, its name is The Modern and it’s a glossy, upscale dining room. You don’t need to visit MoMA to dine there. However, it’s a happy commingling of art and appetite – both of which hugely appeals to me.
The Modern is actually two restaurants: one is a semi-frenetic bar café, the other is a fancy joint with a view into MoMA’s sculpture garden – and that’s hard to beat. Both are for special occasions. The space is gorgeous and creative with fashionable small plate portions and high prices (four dollars for a cup of coffee – come on!). Service is excellent; each plate is designed and tastes even better than it looks. Again, save it for a special occasion. Don’t take the kids.
While at MoMA, we saw “Pioneering Modern Painting: Cézanne and Pissarro, 1865-1885,” which I plan to write about next month since it’s on view through Sept. 12.
June Sturz can be reached at intunejune@optonline.net