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Larchmont Chronicle
JuLY 2011
SECTION ONE
EntErtainmEnt
Blank hits an ‘11’, X delivers, wasted talent on ‘Lantern’
We’re “Roaring to Go” to the 18th annual
Taste of Larchmont Village on Monday, August 22 from 6 to 9pm
Have fun and raise funds for Hope-Net Food pantries Purchase Tickets at www.hope-net.info
©LC0711
Sample the cuisine from Larchmont’s leading restaurants.
Lucy’s El Adobe
Cine Gear Expo (at Paramount) jump-started the summer celebrating. Now in it’s 16th year, the premier Film, Video & Digital Media Expo had sponsors, exhibitors from Mole-Richardson Co., Panavision, FujiFilm, FotoKem, Zeiss & more taking over Lucys. Among the cinematographers Norways’ Stian Olberg. Amy Breneman & Adrian Pasdar enjoying a late lunch on quiet afternoon. On the same afternoon, Ed Lautner, David Maples with daughter Jolie, son Will, waiting for Mom, Holly who was putting the finishing touches on Larchmont Charter School’s Annual Fiesta & Silent Auction. On the patio the McDonough Clan: Ruve, Neal, Morgan, Catherine and Lucy playing with Baby London. Also on the same night: Mary & Phil Hawley enjoying supper for two.
with
Tony Medley
in the prior films. However, one needn’t be familiar with the other films to enjoy this, because it’s a Bondian-type thriller that stands on its own. In fact, it might inspire those who haven’t seen the other films to go see them now. This one is clearly set up for sequels. names of Love (8/10): Can love survive between two people who are desperately different? Sara Forestier plays a very young, leftwing Arab liberal. Jacques Gamblin plays a quiet, middle-aged moderate Jew. Both seem to be running away from their roots. While Jacques is discrete to a fault, Sara is shamelessly sexual. The film contains lots of nudity, including an abundance of shots of full frontal female nudity, but is a thought-provoking love story about two people using their roots as a tapestry from which to build their lives instead of being a
Get an up-close look at T. Rex and dine al fresco at the 2011 Dinosaur Ball on Sat., July 9 at 7 p.m. at the Natural History Museum at 900 Exposition Blvd. The black-tie fundraising gala includes a sneak-peek at the new Dinosaur Hall and an expedition-themed dinner on the new Car Park. Contact 213-763-3422, or dinoball@nhm.org.
Let us help you entertain... We make wonderful summer basket meals!
LARCHMONT VILLAGE
127 N. Larchmont Blvd. (323) 464-5160 Open for lunch & Dinner 7 Days a Week
• MOUSSAKA • GREEK SALAD
Chan Dara ot The Nd ry a n i r So O Restaurant Thai In LA
Paramount’s Madeline Herdrich & Geremie Camara hosting an ‘adios’ party for Jay Shah who is heading to Netflix. Digital Distribution’s Jessica Abrahams & WorldWide Television’s Wendy Ferren & Sharyl Holtzman along with Google’s Malik Ducard. July 5th marks the 21st Anniversary of the passing of our Fearless Leader, Frank Casado, husband, father, guide, counselor, and everlasting conscience of the restaurant. This giant is missed every day.
5536 Melrose Ave. At PlyMouth Blvd. • 323-462-9421
Dinosaurs, dining at NHM gala
• SPINACH PIES •
LC0905
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KTLA’s Lynette Romero bringing in the entire Morning Show for an early lunch, Michaela Pereira, Frank Buckley, Ginger Chan with Baby Ryder, Chris Schauble, Allie Mac Kay and Wendy Burch all enjoying the Summer Solstice in the garden.
At the Movies
• S A L M O N • B A K L AVA
Here’s What’s Happening at
X-Men fans will find this especially interesting because it not only delves into the hitherto unknown relationship between two people who became known as Prof. X and Magneto, but it explains lots of things that were just assumed
• LEMON CHICKEN •
Save the date
Point Blank (10/10): This thriller about a male nurse whose pregnant wife is kidnapped is so good that I’d like to give it an 11. I was so mesmerized that when I left the theater, I couldn’t even remember that I had been reading subtitles. If it’s not the perfect movie, it’s close enough. Writing any more about it would just spoil the fun of viewing it like I did, without knowing anything in advance. In French. City of Life and Death (8/10): “The Rape of Nanking” is, to most, just a phrase from history. The Japanese certainly didn’t keep much photography of their inhumanity to show to posterity. This film brings the horror of the coldblooded murder of 300,000 Chinese to life. The Japanese were as unsympathetic to the people they conquered as were Genghis Khan’s Mongols. The main criticism I have of the film is the benign way writer-director Lu Chuan minimizes the agony of “comfort women” which was a Japanese euphemism for conquered women, mostly Chinese and Korean, who were turned into sex slaves for Japanese soldiers, sometimes performing sexual intercourse 30 times a day, seven days a week. Even so, this is a first class film that tells a story that has begged to be told for three quarters of a century. That said, it is harsh and depressing. X-men First Class (8/10): One could say that this is James Bond meets “The Dirty Dozen.” While prequels often are greatly disappointing (see “Star Wars”), this is one of the best ever filmed. Although
prisoner of them. In French. Green Lantern (5/10): Little did I know when I was a lad reading the comic books that I was reading “literature” that would one day inspire billion-dollar movies. What I was reading in the mid-20th century was aimed at the pre-teen intellect. Now here we are in the 21st century and one thing has remained unchanged from the 10-cent comic books I used to read so many years ago; the movies made out of comic books are still written for pre-teen intellects. “Green Lantern” is no exception. Despite one of the world’s best directors in Martin Campbell and a star I have hitherto admired, Ryan Reynolds, this is little more than derivative drivel exacerbated by flat 3D that dims the colors. Campbell and Reynolds may have gotten big bucks for this, but they should heed Longfellow’s advice that “art is long and time is fleeting,” and not waste their talents on junk like this. Read full reviews at www. tonymedley.com.
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LARCHMONT 323-467-1052 310 N. Larchmont Blvd.