Movie Club Meeting September 20th!

For our local Blossom members, our meeting this month is September 20th.


We will be watching Little Women (1949)
Click here to view the trailer for the movie.
Running Time: 122 Minutes
Movie Description:
Louisa May Alcott's autobiographical account of her life with her three sisters in Concord Mass in the 1860s. With their father fighting in the civil war, the sisters: Jo, Meg, Amy and Beth are at home with their mother - a very outspoken women for her time. The story is of how the sisters grow up, find love and find their place in the world.




The menu for this meeting is themed to the year the movie was released, 1949:

Ashley: Alcoholic Beverages

Jennifer: Non Alcoholic Beverages

Angela: Appetizers

Mary: Soup/Salad

Amanda: Main Dish

Mesha: Dessert

Trish: Vegetables (2)


Members: Most of you have already let me know which item from your category you are bringing but feel free to bring more then one if you would like. Please be sure to bring enough food for everyone especially if your dish is something small. And don't forget to bring whatever serving utensils needed for your dish.

September Meeting Reminder

Ladies dont forget our meeting was moved due to the holiday. See you all next week to discuss Good Enough To Eat by Stacey Ballis.

The Help

Click to watch trailer

Running Time: 146 Minutes

Movie Description:

The Help is a 2011 drama film adaptation of Kathryn Stockett's 2009 novel of the same name about a young white woman, Skeeter Phelan, and her relationship with two black maids during Civil Rights era America in early 1960s. The film stars Emma Stone, Viola Davis, Octavia Spencer, Bryce Dallas Howard, Jessica Chastain, Sissy Spacek, Mike Vogel and Allison Janney.

Movie Club Member Reviews:

Angela:  

"The Help" makes you laugh and cry. What an amazing story set in Jackson Mississippi during the 1960's about white women and the relationships with their maids. The movie gives an understanding of the maids and their fears and lives they led during the dangerous time in Mississippi. The story exemplifies how two people share more in common than they realize. Definetly a movie worth watching again.

Trish: 

I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED this movie! It was very sad, funny at moments. The movie introduced issues that many of us have only heard about. Should be an award winner-- the acting was phenomenal!

Jennifer:  

I loved this movie for so many reasons. First off the acting was amazing. Whether you loved or hated a character the actresses played their parts very well. The story was that where you would laugh and cry throughout the whole movie. It really brought to light a time that we as a nation were divided by race. It gave a look into the view points of those who agreed with things that way and those who did not. And really showed the strength that some of these women had to make a difference.

Mary:  

Loved this one... it had everything from tears to cheers...very interesting and cant wait to read the book one day!

Ashley: 

I thought The Help was an amazing movie! It was hilarious and serious all at the same time. It was great to see the pre-civil rights era from a different point of view. The chances that the characters took to get their stories out was inspiring, not to mention the acting was great! I would definetly reccomend this movie.

The Other Woman

Click to watch trailer

Running Time: 119 Minutes

Movie Description:

Emilia is a Harvard law school graduate and a newlywed, having just married Jack, a high-powered New York lawyer, who was her boss -- and married -- when she began working at his law firm. Unfortunately, her life takes an unexpected turn when Jack and Emilia lose their newborn daughter. Emilia struggles through her grief to connect with her new stepson William, but is finding it hard to connect with this precocious child. Perhaps the most difficult obstacle of all for Emilia is trying to cope with the constant interferences of her husband's angry, jealous ex-wife, Carolyn.

Movie Club Member Reviews:

Trish:

Too sad. Not enough happiness although that's not what trying to convey. Natalie Portman's character acted like a child. She needed to be the adult and handle the son appropriately.

.

Ashley: 

It wasn't a feel good movie at all, but very interesting. It was interesting how your feelings changed for the characters Amelia and Will throughout the movie. The ending was definitely a good one for a so-so movie.

Angela:  

I thought it had a realistic portrayal of the struggles a family faces in divorce, marriage, and cheating.

Mary:  

It was OK, thought it skipped around a lot which isn't a good thing mixed with wine...LOL! Loved the ending.

Melanie:  

The movie skipped through the story line a little to quickly for my taste. I did love the love story between the main character and her step son.

Jennifer:  

I didn't care for the movie. It moved slowly though the storyline and skipped around a lot. I think all the back and forth made it hard to focus on the main story line. I thought Natalie Portman did a good job acting, but I found her character very cold and detached from everyone else around her. The ending was the best part to me. It summed up how the relationship between the mother and stepson had evolved and gotten stronger.

Meesha:

pending

 

Next Book Club Meeting is September 13th!

Blossom book club members, we are currently reading Good Enough To Eat by Stacey Ballis. Read along with us! We look forward to your own comments on our local club reviews!

Number Of Pages: 320

Book Description: Melanie, 39, is thrown for a major loop when, after she works hard to lose 145 pounds, her husband leaves her for a woman as heavy as Melanie used to be. Heartbroken, she throws her energy into the healthy-food café she founded, Dining by Design. Melanie is hanging on financially until she finds out that her condo association is assessing a hefty fee for a major repair, forcing Melanie to take in a roommate: free-spirited Nadia, who at 24 is on the run from a past she refuses to talk about. Despite their different backgrounds and ages, the two become friends, and Nadia starts working part-time at the café. The novel’s conflicts are few and relatively tame, but food lovers will certainly appreciate Ballis’ sumptuous descriptions of the meals Melanie and her friends cook up; and 40 pages of recipes are provided for readers eager to try their hand at some of the dishes.

For our local club members, our next meeting is September 13th to discuss and review this book!

Movie Club Meeting & Wine Tasting August 16th!

For our local Blossom members, our meeting this month is August 16th.

We will be watching The Other Woman
Click here to view the trailer for the movie
Running Time: 1 Hour 59 Minutes
Movie Description: Emilia is a Harvard law school graduate and a newlywed, having just married Jack, a high-powered New York lawyer, who was her boss -- and married -- when she began working at his law firm. Unfortunately, her life takes an unexpected turn when Jack and Emilia lose their newborn daughter. Emilia struggles through her grief to connect with her new stepson William, but is finding it hard to connect with this precocious child. Perhaps the most difficult obstacle of all for Emilia is trying to cope with the constant interferences of her husband's angry, jealous ex-wife, Carolyn.

Before the movie we will be having a Red Wine Tasting!

Each member is in charge of bringing a different Red Wine:
Melanie: A Merlot Wine
Angela: A Syrah or Shiraz Wine
Mary: A Cabernet Sauvignon Wine
Ashley R.: A Pinot Noir Wine
Amanda: A Chianti Wine
Jennifer: A Red Zin
Demesha: A Malbec Wine
Trish: a Red Moscato Wine

Water For Elephants: A Novel by Sara Gruen

Water For Elephants: A Novel by Sara Gruen
Algonquin Books, 2007 - 350 pages

An atmospheric, gritty, and compelling novel of star-crossed lovers, set in the circus world circa 1932, by the bestselling author of "Riding Lessons. When Jacob Jankowski, recently orphaned and suddenly adrift, jumps onto a passing train, he enters a world of freaks, grifters, and misfits, a second-rate circus struggling to survive during the Great Depression, making one-night stands in town after endless town. A veterinary student who almost earned his degree, Jacob is put in charge of caring for the circus menagerie. It is there that he meets Marlena, the beautiful young star of the equestrian act, who is married to August, the charismatic but twisted animal trainer. He also meets Rosie, an elephant who seems untrainable until he discovers a way to reach her. Beautifully written, "Water for Elephants is illuminated by a wonderful sense of time and place. It tells a story of a love between two people that overcomes incredible odds in a world in which even love is a luxury that few can afford.

Blossom Book Club Reviews:

Jennifer:
I just loved this book! I thought every character and every scene were described so well that you could picture so clearly the whole circus life. It was a book that really grabbed me as a reader and I couldn't put it down.

Angela:
Great story and look into the circus life. Love the personality of Rosie in the story. Great ending!

Amanda:
Loved the book and loved the movie!