Movie Review--The Commuter

by Peter J. O’Connell        

The Commuter. Released Jan. 2018. Runtime: 105 mins. MPAA Rating: PG-13 for some intense action/violence and for language.

Lately, train rides in movies have been getting as dangerous as stagecoach rides through Indian country used to be in movies back in the day. In 2016 Emily Blunt’s character in The Girl on the Train becomes drawn into a mystery involving adultery, a disappearance, and murder, based on something she sees while riding the train. In 2017 Hercule Poirot (Kenneth Branagh) and his mustache become involved in attempting to solve the eponymous crime on the eponymous mode of transportation in Murder on the Orient Express. Now in The Commuter, Liam Neeson, Hollywood’s favorite senior citizen action hero, is sucked into a murderous conspiracy that turns a usually placid choo-choo ride into an hour-and-a-half life and death struggle. 

Neeson is Mike MacCauley, a former top profiler for the NYPD, who has been working for ten years as an insurance salesman in NYC in order to improve his family’s somewhat shaky financial situation. Mac lives in a northern Westchester County suburb and rides the train to and from the city each workday. At the beginning of the film, a barrage of brief scenes from different times of the year establishes that though the weather and Mac’s clothing may change, his daily journeys are pretty much always the same. Chat briefly with wife (Elizabeth McGovern) and son (Dean-Charles Chapman); ride to Grand Central reading one of the books that son is studying at school and chat with fellow commuter, Matt (Jonathan Banks); go to office—repeat in reverse.

One day, however, becomes dramatically different from the routine. Mac loses his insurance job and fears that at age 60, he will not be able to get another good one. After drinking with a cop (Patrick Wilson) who used to be his partner on the force, Mac begins his train ride home. A flirty femme fatale with a silkily suspicious manner (Vera Farmiga, perfect) sits with him and offers him $100,000 to find, before the last stop, a

person on the train who is using the alias “Prynne” so that person can be killed. If Mac doesn’t do this, it develops that his own family will be killed.

The movie then unfolds in just about the amount of time that it takes to reach the last stop. Mac desperately prowls the cars trying to find Prynne--but to save that person from murder rather than to set him/her up, and yet somehow save the MacCauley family, too. He suspects first one then another of the diverse passengers on the train of being Prynne. Some turn out to be buddies, some good guys/gals. Mac engages in fierce struggles with the baddies and sometimes is helped by the good guys/gals—but the identity of Prynne remains elusive.

The cinematography depicting Mac’s prowling, fights, and some spectacular events at the climax is impressive. Liam Neeson has played the role of aging hero frequently in recent years, and he is always effective at it. The movie is interesting, too, for casting “overqualified” actors in minor roles: Jonathan Banks, Elizabeth McGovern, Sam Neill, Florence Pugh. Hitchcockian allisions abound, from The Lady Vanishes, to Shadow of a Doubt, to (of course) Strangers on a Train, to Rear Window, to Vertigo, to North by Northwest, to Torn Curtain. The allusions, however, lack Hitchcockian psychological depth and nuance. There is also a surprising borrowing from Stanley Kubrick’s Spartacus!

The Commuter provides a thrill ride, but its plot is a train wreck. Or, perhaps, a Rube Goldberg machine. You know, one of those fascinatingly complicated devices constructed to carry out a simple task. With the movie’s complex conspiracy as with a Rube Goldberg machine, one gains some pleasure from watching it in operation but has to ask: “If you wanted to do that, why didn’t you just . . .?”  

Something Green in Your Artichoke Dip

Spinach and artichoke dip is a classic appetizer-time offering; you can even acquire it ready-made. It’s an appealing alternative to beany, cheesy, burger-filled, scoop-worthy goo found on the Big Game Day snack table. Not, mind you, that this dip with its hearty portions of cream, cheddar cheese, and sour cream will qualify as a serving of vegetables even if you eat it all.

So here comes February, and we are enjoying the fruits (and vegetables) of our summer labor stashed in the freezer. Somehow, we always manage to eat all the spinach we grow fresh from the garden, so there is never any for the freezer. The cut and come again, and again, and again chard, on the other hand kept spurting new deep green leaves and gloriously colored stalks. The variety called Bright Lights is a favorite of mine. I plant it in April, and it is one of the last things to give up the ghost in October, and it is beautiful all the time.

To freeze it, I usually separate the green leafy part from the stems, which I cut into two to three inch lengths, blanch and freeze. The leaves I chop coarsely and barely wilt before packing in zip-closing bags. Depending on what I am making for supper, the stems and leaves may reunite (as in soup) or go their separate ways as in this dip for which I used chard in place of spinach. I suppose you could use tender kale or any dark green leafy vegetable you like in this recipe.

If you use frozen spinach, make sure to squeeze as much liquid out of it as you can before adding it to the dip, or plan on cooking it until very little liquid runs out. If you start with fresh spinach or other greens you will have to cook them dry as well. It is kind to your family and guests if you chop the greens quite small. Nobody will appreciate tendrils of spinach or chard trailing from their chip or cracker.

Your best artichoke choice is the canned one without oil or dressing. But use what you have; drain them well if they have an oil and vinegar dressing, and chop them well, too. Click here to continue reading.

Movie Review—All the Money in the World

All the Money in the World
Theatrical release poster

by Peter J. O'Connell              

All the Money in the World. Released: Dec. 2017. Runtime: 132 mins. MPAA Rating: R for language, some violence, disturbing images and brief drug content. 

It was said that oil magnate J. Paul Getty (1892-1976) was not just the richest living man but the richest man who had ever lived. He was also notoriously frugal. He even had a pay telephone booth installed in his mansion for guests to use in calling out. Getty's frugality, however, did not preclude him from being a great collector of art and antiques. Yet, apparently, it did preclude him from paying ransom for his favorite grandchild (out ofr 14), John Paul, when 16-year-old Paul, as he was known, was kidnapped in Italy in 1973. Director Ridley Scott tells the story of this kidnapping in All the Money in the World. 

Paul (Charlie Plummer) is seized off a Rome street by a scruffy band of thugs affiliated with Calabria's version of the Mafia and taken to a hideout in a rural area. A $17 million ransom is then demanded from the Getty family. J. Paul (Christopher Plummer) refuses to pay, saying that paying would simply expose his other grandchildren to possible abduction. An argument can, of course, be made in favor of Getty's stated position. (The U.S. government, for example, says that it will not pay ransom to terrorists who kidnap Americans.) However, Christopher Plummer's canny portrayal of Getty in the film suggests that the tycoon's motivation was either simple miserliness or, perhaps, an attachment to “the art of the deal” greater than familial attachment.

But young Paul's devoted, strong-willed mother, Gail Harris (Michelle Williams), has a history of choosing children over fortune. Through flashbacks we learn that she and Paul's father, who is drug addled, are divorced and that she rejected any alimony in exchange for full custody of her children in the divorce settlement. The wrenching irony in her devotion to her children, however, is that in the kidnap crisis she lacks the means to pay her son's ransom. 

Gail desperately attempts to persuade J. Paul to pay the ransom before time runs out as the kidnappers become increasingly more determined, brutal, and volatile. But the old man will not be moved. As the advertising tagline for the film puts it: “J. Paul Getty had a fortune. Everyone else paid the price.” Gail “pays the price” by being excoriated in the media, with many believing Gail to be rich herself and blaming her for the refusal to pay the ransom. 

After a while J. Paul does ask Chase (Mark Wahlberg), a former CIA operative who has become a Getty oil negotiator, to involve himself in the case by attempting to locate Paul's whereabouts and secure his release—and also to keep an eye on Gail to see that she does not get too much “out of control.” As it develops, however, Chase finds himself allied with Gail as he ascertains where Paul is being held. A police raid there does not, however, free Paul. The youth has been sold to a new, more brutal, and more organized element of organized crime. 

The new group lowers the ransom demand to $4 million. J. Paul finally decides to contribute to the ransom, but only $1 million—the maximum amount that he can claim as tax deductible. But when the kidnappers cut off one of young Paul's ears and mail it to the media, old Getty finally relents and gives the full ransom money to Gail and Chase. The two follow the kidnappers' instructions about the money, but a suspenseful situation results, ironically, when Paul, not knowing what is going on, escapes from the kidnappers after being passive for most of his captivity and is pursued by them with the intention of killing him. 

The film's story is fascinating and the performances by the leads, backed up by a solid Italian supporting cast, are both compelling and nuanced. For some reason, however, Ridley Scott has chosen to have the film shot mostly in a kind of murky palette, with muted colors just this side of black-and-white but lacking strong contrast. Perhaps the idea is to convey a sense of moral ambiguity. In any case, All the Money in the World is well worth the price of admission.

“Footnotes” to the film: (1) After initially considering Christopher Plummer, Jack Nicholson, and Gary Oldman for the role of J. Paul Getty, Ridley Scott chose Kevin Spacey. However, when a sexual harassment scandal involving Spacey arose shortly before the film's release date, Scott (age 80) decided to rebuild sets and reshoot all 22 scenes in which Spacey (age 58) appeared, replacing him with Christopher Plummer (age 88). Astonishingly, the reshooting was accomplished in only nine days. (2) Surprisingly, Christopher Plummer and Charlie Plummer are not related. (3) Ransom! (1956), starring Glenn Ford, and its remake, Ransom (1996), starring Mel Gibson, are films in which a family head refuses to pay a ransom but instead offers the amount of it as a bounty for information about the kidnappers if the victim is not returned alive and well. The two are interesting attempts to get out of the dilemma postulated by J. Paul Getty when he refuses to pay the ransom demanded for his grandson.     

Neil Diamond and Coping with Parkinson’s Disease

Fans of Neil Diamond grieved this week to learn that the longtime pop singer has canceled the remainder of his 50th anniversary tour following a diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease.

“Very sad news,” one fan wrote on Twitter. “My brother and I listened to Neil Diamond in the back of the family station wagon growing up. So many wonderful memories with his music. Need a cure for Parkinson’s.”

The creator of such classics as Sweet Caroline, Song Sung Blue and Cracklin’ Rosie said in a statement on his website that his doctor recommended the move.

“It is with great reluctance and disappointment that I announce my retirement from concert touring. I have been so honored to bring my shows to the public for the past 50 years.” The remaining shows were scheduled for New Zealand and Australia beginning in March.

What Is Parkinson’s?

Parkinson’s is a neurodegenerative disorder, meaning it progressively causes nerve cells to lose function and die. Those cells produce dopamine, which coordinates movement. Parkinson’s affects about 1 million Americans.

Symptoms vary, but often include:

• Resting tremor, which can worsen with stress
• Slowness of movements
• Problems with balance
• A shuffling gait
• Limb stiffness
• Difficulty chewing or swallowing
• Cramped handwriting
• Speech changes
• Apathy and depression
• Constipation
• Sleep problems
• Loss of sense of smell

Many people with Parkinson’s may also develop dementia or signs of cognitive impairment. “As Parkinson’s brain changes gradually spread, they often begin to affect mental functions, including memory and the ability to pay attention, make sound judgments and plan the steps needed to complete a task,” according to the Alzheimer’s Association. Click here to continue reading.

What Will Senior Housing Look Like in 2028?

The first of the boomers — the population born between 1946 and 1964 — turned 65 in 2011, and the last will turn 65 in 2029. By 2030, boomers over 65 will make up 20 percent of the U.S. population, numbering around 60 million people, according to a report from the U.S Census Bureau.

“Significant changes are coming as we move out of the World War II generation to the baby boomer generation,” says Steve Maag, director, residential communities, at LeadingAge, a national association dedicated to advocacy, education and research on aging. That’s because boomers have higher expectations as consumers and a history of having those expectations met, Maag says.

Senior Housing in 2028

With that in mind, what will senior housing look like in 10 years? A Place for Mom checked with experts on aging, senior living communities and technology to find out.

Here are some significant changes you’re likely to see by 2028 and beyond:

Boomer Consumers Transform Senior Housing

The baby boomer generation has never been one to accept the status quo, and that won’t change when it comes to senior living communities, says Maag.

“Historically, we’ve had a pretty trusted delivery system because customers of the past accepted it and weren’t as demanding,” says Maag. “Customers of the future are going to push to do things more the way they want to do it.”

According to Maag, retirement and senior living communities will have to respond to consumer demand by providing greater diversification of services that include:

• Dining options and restaurant-menu meal variety with more choices, including gluten-free, vegetarian and even Japanese, Thai and other culturally diverse foods
• Greater emphasis on lifestyle and wellness programs
• More choices in apartment fixtures, designs and furnishings
• More variety in payment structures

“Baby boomers want to have a voice in decisions in things like financial structure and payment systems and will push back and be assertive if they have questions and concerns,” says Maag. Click here to continue reading.

Movie Review—Star Wars: The Last Jedi

Theatrical release poster

by Peter J. O'Connell             

Star Wars: The Last Jedi. Released: Dec. 2017. Runtime: 152 mins. MPAA Rating: PG-13 for sequences of sci-fi action and violence.

Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Episode VIII of the uber-popular sci-fi epic, an epic whose first appearance on movie screens was in 1977, has a central situation as old as that of The Iliad. In the ancient Greek epic, Achilles, the great heroic warrior, is in his tent refusing to rejoin the war against Troy. In The Last Jedi, written and directed by Rian Johnson, Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), the great Jedi knight, lives alone on a rugged island on an oceanic planet, absenting himself from the struggle of the Resistance fighters of the New Republic against the tyrannical First Order, which has arisen after the fall of the Galactic Empire. 

Far from Luke's island, things look grim for the Resistance. Despite a gallant effort by Resistance craft, a First Order space fleet incapacitates General Leia Organa (Carrie Fisher) and necessitates planning for an evacuation of the Resistance base, now under the command of Vice Admiral Holdo (Laura Dern). Discontented with Holdo's passive strategy, fighter pilot Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac) instigates a mutiny and travels with several companions to a casino on Canto Bight in order to acquire the help of DJ (Benicio del Toro), a hacker who can disable a tracking device used by the First Order to follow the Resistance in its moves.

In the meantime, Rey (Daisy Ridley), a spunky young warrior, arrives on Luke Skywalker's island and attempts to persuade him to aid the Resistance. Disillusioned by failures of the Jedi order and under a self-imposed exile from the magical, mystical The Force, Luke at first refuses but then agrees to teach Rey the ways of The Force. But unknown to Luke, Rey begins to communicate telepathically with Kylo Ren (Adam Driver), son of the heroic Han Solo (now dead) and Leia Organa. Kylo has aligned himself with Snoke (Andy Serkis), Supreme Leader of the First Order. Believing that she can redeem Kylo, Rey leaves the island alone, but carrying Jedi books. The ghost of Jedi Grandmaster Yoda (voiced by Frank Oz) then appears to Luke, declares that Rey has all that she needs to learn, and encourages Luke to reevaluate his outlook.

The long movie's complicated plot continues to get more complicated as Poe's group and Rey both infiltrate Snoke's ship. Poe's group is captured, but a rescue effort gets under way. Rey and Kylo become both allies and enemies. A mutiny ensues against Snoke, just as one did against Leia, but with much gore, which that earlier one did not have. Eventually, matters reach a spectacular climax on the salt flats of the planet Chait. First Order “Walker” war machines (a memorable feature of Star Wars' 1980 episode The Empire Strikes Back) and other First Order uber-high-tech weapons are deployed in battle against the Resistance. The First Order seems destined to prevail until . . . . 

The Last Jedi has the expected noteworthy computer-generated imagery pioneered by the epic, particularly in battle scenes, and wonderful locations. (Luke's island is Skellig Michael off Ireland, and the planet Chait is in Bolivia.) All the performances are competent, and some more than that. Mark Hamill covers the range from jaded to intense, and Daisy Ridley is quite appealing. (But does anyone in Hollywood have a longer neck than Laura Dern in this movie?) The film has an appropriately mixed tone, both elegiac and forward-looking, and it's sprinkled with allusions to past Star Wars episodes and to classic films, particularly ones dealing with World War II. So, you might say, The Force is definitely with The Last Jedi.              

What to eat to prevent Alzheimer’s

If you’re misplacing your keys, forgetting names and struggling to concentrate, it might already be too late, says Dr. Steven Masley.

That’s why Masley, author of the new book “The Better Brain Solution” (Knopf), recommends changing your diet to improve your cognition now, well before the symptoms of memory loss start.

After spending the better part of his 30-year career helping patients overcome heart disease and other age-related conditions, the St. Petersburg, Fla., physician began studying the brain — specifically, the connection between memory loss and insulin, the hormone that tells your body how to store energy.

When everything works properly, insulin helps convert food into glucose, which in turn powers your cells. But when cells are flooded with sugar day after day, they become insulin resistant, meaning they can’t absorb glucose anymore. This can lead to Type 2 diabetes, an epidemic illness in this country. According to Masley’s research, insulin resistance is also a key risk factor for developing dementia and even Alzheimer’s disease.

And the typical American diet is heavy in sugar and simple carbohydrates, which can cause insulin resistance and leave you feeling less than sharp.

“If you have brain fog and you’re sputtering through the day,” Masley says, “you’ve had enough danishes.”

So put down the pastries and eat this brain food instead. Click here to continue reading.

Two Pourable Chocolate Sauces to the Rescue

Things were getting pretty dire around here. There was no chocolate sauce for the ice cream, always vanilla, customarily eaten by one of the inhabitants here. This situation is almost as bad as running out of popcorn during the NFL divisional championships, and something had to be done.

For a couple years now, for the family standard chocolate sauce, I have relied on a favorite sauce of mine made with copious amounts of butter, sweetened condensed milk, corn syrup and chocolate chips. It is fudgy, smooth, and rich. Problem is, after being zapped repeatedly in the microwave to reheat it, it becomes remarkably caramel-like and you need a very strong arm to pry it from its jar. From time to time I would intercede and add milk to thin it down. Clearly the solution was to find a chocolate sauce that didn’t stiffen up when cold.

And so last week I inquired of you readers if anyone had a good recipe and, by golly, you did. Kristine Bondeson and Sheila Cookson came to the rescue. The two recipes are actually quite different. Each has its own unique virtue, and I will share both.

Sheila’s recipe came from her friend Kathie. Sheila said, “This is a favorite of mine…I don’t think it will stiffen in the fridge although it doesn’t last long enough to find out.” This is the sauce to make when you need sauce in a hurry. It is quite sweet, and goes together in a flash and remains pourable when cold.

Kristine’s recipe takes a little longer, is richer, and she says, “It’s just so good. Too good. Awfully hard on the hips.” When her son was in high school, she’d find a finger swipe mark in the sauce if she left it out, so she took to putting it away in the fridge. “Although it may not pour as well the second day, it does not crystallize and stays nice and creamy.” I found that it needs to be warm to pour, and could easily be thinned with a little more milk to keep it soft when cold. Perfect.

Generally, I don’t put my chocolate sauces in the fridge. Around here they are consumed quickly enough that they never grow mold, even though they reside in the kitchen cupboard. Click here to continue reading.

Movie Review—The Shape of Water

The Shape of Water

by Peter J. O'Connell   

The Shape of Water. Released: Dec. 2017. Runtime: 123 mins. MPAA Rating: R for sexual content, graphic nudity, violence and language. 

Elisha (Sally Hawkins) is a mute woman on the cusp of middle age. She leads a life of routine. Wake to an alarm clock at the same time every day. Get ready to go to work. Take a bath. Masturbate in the tub. Boil eggs to take to work. Ride a bus to the job.

That job is as a night cleaning woman at a high-security federal laboratory in the Baltimore area dedicated to research projects for the space program. It's the early 1960s, and the space race between the USA and the USSR is under way, part of the Cold War between the two superpowers. The civil rights movement also is intensifying. 

But one evening Elisa's life becomes far from routine. She finds herself in what might be called a dark, modern fairy tale. This tale is presented by director/co-writer Guillermo del Toro, a master of  mixed genres, as he showed previously in the acclaimed Pan's Labyrinth (2006).  

A strange creature (played by Doug Jones), called “the Asset,” is brought into the lab and kept under secret conditions. The creature, somewhat reminiscent of the eponymous one in the 1950s sci-fi classic movie Creature From the Black Lagoon, is a kind of anthropoidal amphibian. The Asset is under the control of Strickland (Michael Shannon), an official who brought the creature in from Latin America and treats it brutally. 

Strickland attempts to persuade the facility commander, Gen. Hoyt (Nick Searcy), to have the creature killed and dissected in the hope of learning information useful for the space program. Hoffstetler (Michael Stuhlberg) is a staffer at the facility who opposes killing the creature and wants to study it alive out of a love of acquiring scientific knowledge. However, Hoffstetler has “handlers” from the USSR who want him to function as a spy rather than simply as a scientist. And, like Strickland, the Soviets want the Asset killed. Their aim, however, is to prevent the US from learning anything useful by observing it alive. So, ironically, Cold War enemies actually are similar in having a death wish for the creature, though for opposite reasons! 

Before the arrival of the Asset, Elisa's main interaction with others had been through sign language chats with Giles (Richard Jenkins), a closeted gay artist who lives in the apartment next to hers—both apartments are above a movie theatre—and Zelda (Octavia Spencer), an African-American woman who works with Elisa at the facility. 

But Elisa's curiosity leads her to make covert contact with the Asset. She starts feeding him eggs, teaching him sign language, and caring for him in various ways. After a time a kind of romance occurs. It is as if the “ugly duckling” Elisa becomes a princess and sees the “frog” as a prince. The real monster in the tale is not the creature but Strickland, even though with his Cadillac, suburban home, Stepfordian wife, and two kids (one boy, one girl), he is ostensibly the epitome of normality. And Hoffstetler's Soviet spymasters also are morally monstrous.

Eventually, the members of various marginalized groups—women, the disabled, African-Americans, gays, idealists—come together to try and save the most marginalized being of all, the Asset, who really is an asset because of the virtues that he has come to show in his relationship with Elisa. The climactic events are exciting, and del Toro's combination of science-fiction, romance, thriller, and social drama is consistently enthralling throughout.

That combination is carried out with superb cinematography, dark but luminous, and performances—the brutality of Strickland, given a deep, inner layer of self-doubt by Michael Shannon; the friendly and forthright qualities imparted to Zelda by Octavia Spencer; the conflicted but courageous approaches given their characters by Richard Jenkins and Michael Stuhlberg; the humanity imparted to a nonhuman creature by Doug Jones. Above all, the mesmerizing, almost magical, ability of the wonderful Sally Hawkins to create, in a completely convincing way, a middle-aged maiden in love with a merman. This review will not disclose if the story ends “happily ever after,” but viewing this fine film should make anyone happy.                                                                                   

16 Genius Ways To Keep Your Feet Toasty, According to Lumberjacks

Because if these tips are good enough for snow-sleeping, ice-jumping, freeze-faring folk...then they should be good enough for you and me.

1. Thicker doesn't necessarily mean warmer.

Alison Caporimo

"The biggest mistake I see is that people wear socks that are too thick for their shoes," climber and Fox Mountain Guides and Climbing School owner Cristin Julian tells BuzzFeed Life. "If a thick sock causes enough pressure on the foot, it could cut off circulation to your toes." Ideally, if you're serious about a pair of socks, try them on with the shoes you're most likely to wear them with. You should be able to wiggle your toes freely with the sock on your foot and inside the shoe.

2. Avoid cotton. Seriously.

Alison Caporimo

"Not only does cotton get wet with sweat very quickly, but it will won't keep its warmth when wet, which means it'll freeze and you'll have a bad day," Vancouver-based lumberjack and snowboarder Mark Hamilton tells BuzzFeed Life.

3. Always go for merino wool.

Alison Caporimo / Via gearjunkie.com

"Merino wool is the best fiber on the market to keep your toes warm," snowshoer, winter hiker, and REI retail sales manager Sam Mackey tells BuzzFeed Life. "Unlike raggwool—a tougher fiber used in more 'rugged' items—merino is itch-free, thermostatic (temperature-regulating) and inherently offers superior moisture management."

4. Why? Because wool both repels and absorbs water, which means that it's a magical material.

Alison Caporimo

"Socks that are able to help manage foot moisture pull water vapor away from the skin before it is able to become sweat and, as a result, that vapor is able to evaporate into the air," Mackey says. "To get a little technical, wool fibers are hydrophobic and hygroscopic, which means that wool socks both repel and absorb water at the same time." Click here to continue reading.