It is December 25,
very little is open and it is quite cold outside. Our grandchildren are
visiting their other grandparents this week, so we took advantage of the
downtime and saw a couple more movies.
First, we saw “American
Hustle.” This movie was loosely based on the FBI’s ABSCAM operation
of the late 1970s and early 1980s that investigated public corruption among
elected officials. The movie had received excellent reviews, and has been
included on many critics’ “top ten” lists for this year. Despite all this, I
probably should have known that I would not particularly enjoy this movie. Not
only was it quite confusing, it is just not a topic that particularly captures
my curiosity. I do remember talk of this operation when our daughters were
young, but it was never something that particularly piqued my interest. My
feeling about the movie was that it was a waste of what I am sure many would
argue was an excellent cast. I just could not get past my dislike of the
characters or the story.
So, on a much lighter note, today we saw “20 Feet from Stardom” which focuses on the (mostly female) backup singers behind some of the top singers of the 20th century. Although much of the music was familiar, the names and faces were not. The music was terrific and uplifting, and the interviews with the stars, which included Bruce Springsteen, Mick Jagger, Stevie Wonder, and Sting, were fascinating and often heartwarming. But as lucrative as music was for these four, the same was not true for the women who provided such an integral part of their sound. The movie left us wondering how some people become big stars, while others who may be at least as talented just never make it. Like so many things in life, while talent and hard work do play a significant role, the formula for being in the right place doing the right thing at just the right time is much less well-defined. Gradually, by the 1980s or so, the role for these backup singers diminished. Although most bands that have succeeded may have a “lead singer” and even a lead composer, more often the lead vocals and composition are shared among the group. It was an enjoyable, upbeat, and interesting documentary, which I needed after the previous film we had seen.
It being December 25th, the City is rather deserted today. In the old days, people used to flock to Chinese restaurants on December 25th because they were among the few open. Kosher restaurants are open, but tend to be quite crowded. But now New York has many other ethnic establishments, including many Indian restaurants, a good number of which are vegetarian. Like many things in Manhattan, they are all clustered together along Lexington between 27th and 28th Streets. Seems funny but this is something that has always been true in Manhattan. I can remember years ago being extremely impressed with Barry’s late father: if we needed to buy something, no matter how obscure, he could advise us on precisely where to find it in New York. We tried a relatively new Indian vegetarian restaurant called Bhojan. At first it looks like a little hole in the wall but when you walk towards the back it is a lovely room. Most of the Indian restaurants have similar menus, so we ordered our usual favorites and they were very good.
Stay warm, and enjoy the time off with your families and friends if you have it.
Love,
Rebecca
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