Greenwich Village. April 9, 2013. New York Street Series. Photo by Paul Goldfinger. Click for full view. Reposted from BF in 2013. This image was used for the NYU freshman orientation booklet.
CAST OF ANYTHING GOES NYC
Greenwich Village. April 9, 2013. New York Street Series. Photo by Paul Goldfinger. Click for full view. Reposted from BF in 2013. This image was used for the NYU freshman orientation booklet.Posted in Photography: New York City Street Series | Tagged Summer in April---Greenwich Village | Leave a Comment »
In the middle are Cate Blanchett, Sally Hawkins and Andrew Dice Clay. Photo by Sony Films
By Paul Goldfinger, Blogfinger movie critic. 2024 request by popular demand.
This is our one film retrospective of Blogfinger reviews–back up to 2013. Occasionally we try to time travel, re-posting some of our most widely acclaimed articles.
Let me begin by saying that I would see any movie made by Woody Allen. But that doesn’t mean that I think that everything he has done is wonderful. However, I have never seen a Woody movie that didn’t have something to really like.
The ingredients that I am usually drawn to in his films include the cinematography, the music, the characters/ casting, the design/sets, and the brilliant screenplays.
Blue Jasmine is a superior film, but it is not like most of his movies. It has some flaws including elements that don’t seem to fit together very well and some repetitiousness in the story.
However, there is much to admire here, especially the acting and the characters, so see it again.
Cate Blanchett, the Aussie actress who won an Oscar as a Queen Elizabeth I, is so good that it’s impossible not to be fascinated by her performance throughout the entire film. Her role as Jasmine is enough reason to see Blue Jasmine.
Ginger, Jasmine’s blue collar sister, is a joy to watch as played by the British actress Sally Hawkins. She would triumph as Elisa in the 2017 Best Picture “The Shape of Water.”
Chili, the muscular guy who is dating Ginger, is a Stanley Kowalski type, played brilliantly, wearing sleeveless undershirts, by Bobby Cannavale, who was wonderful in his role as a psychopathic gangster in HBO’s Boardwalk Empire.
Cate plays Jasmine French, an elegant, sophisticated New Yorker who is married to a rich but shady financier—a Madoff type of guy. She has every material wish granted and she spends her time going to matinees, organizing charity events, making entrances at grand parties and traveling first class.
But that world shatters, and she spends the rest of the film unraveling. She loses everything after her adulterous husband Hal (Alex Baldwin) goes to jail and she travels to San Francisco to live with her sister Ginger, who is a cashier in a super market.
To see someone fall from such heights is fascinating, and you feel sorry for her because once those trappings slowly disappear, she tries to recover, but her basic strengths are meager, and she deteriorates mentally, pops Xanax, and finds comfort in alcohol. Many reviewers think she resembles Blanche in “Streetcar Named Desire.”
Andrew Dice Clay, the foul mouthed comedian of yore, is excellent as the blue collar ex-husband of Ginger.
None of the characters is without some personal flaws, but Jasmine is in front of that line and is the central focus of the film.
Once again, the superb Santo Loquasto is the production designer; and the apartments and other settings, coupled with the color palatte of the film, and the lighting are the ingredients which always make Woody’s films feasts for the eyes—whether they are set in Paris, Manhattan or a low-down neighborhood in San Francisco.
But don’t just take the word of the Blogfinger reviewer (ie me)—this film is receiving high praise elsewhere: David Denby of the New Yorker stated, “In all, this is the strongest, most resonant movie Woody Allen has made in years.”
Blue Jasmine is playing in Red Bank on two screens at the Bow Tie Theatre on White Street. It opened today. (if you can time travel back to 2013.)
LIZZIE MILES (This song is featured on the soundtrack of Blue Jasmine, although the recording below is from her album “1920’s Hit Tracks, Vol 2.” In this cut, she is accompanied by Sharkey and his Kings of Dixieland.)
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Blogfinger enters the HOA spin cycle searching for significant accomplishments.
By Paul Goldfinger, Editor Blogfinger.net. 5/1/24
All Home Owners Association members received a “Dear Members” letter from President Richard Williams. He begins by saying that “2023 was a busy and eventful year for OGHOA.”
He then says, “We addressed controversial issues while keeping everyone up to date on all things Ocean Grove and Neptune.”
But is that enough? Does “addressing controversial issues” mean that anything meaningful was accomplished ? And what did they miss?
The first topic he raises is to remind us of the disappointing failure for residential parking permits in the Grove.
He says that in 2024 the OGHOA will “continue to pursue permit parking and other ways to ease the parking crunch in OG.” Really?
Wait till he sees the parking consequences of this season’s dense CMA and Chamber of Commercials programs, on top of the evolving successes in Asbury which are spilling over the banks Wesley Lake and into the Grove.
At least Bradley Beach is behaving itself despite the open borders to our south.
Regarding what he says is an “evolving relationship between secular Ocean Grove and the OGCMA,” this is the first time that the Groaners have publicly identified something which Blogfinger has been fussing about for years, namely that there is a community within our town which he calls “secular” and which we have identified as “residential–ie renters and homeowners” and which has been ignored by the CMA and the HOA. He needs to explain the “relationship.”
He should have mentioned the specific issues of church vs state that continue to heat up in town and which must be addressed.
This subject had already been exploding in 2023, and the press, local and national, has been probing the Grove.
Next we will be hearing from those who want to talk about divisions in the Methodist Church and by so called “Christian Nationalism” at the CMA.
Neptune United has been stumbling around these matters, but where is the HOA on all this? These issues belong to the CMA, but the town of Ocean Grove will be dragged in.
And how about the NU revelations about possible bias in home assessments: residential properties vs. the CMA’s ? Where is the HOA on this critical issue?
It is not enough to merely mention the topics on Williams’ table. Results are needed.
The only tangible result of great importance for which he claims success, regarding the OGNED/HPC lawsuit, is that “thanks to you we were able to persuade the Township to table the settlement for further review.”
He concludes his letter with, “Community effort brings out the best in our members as we unite to protect and enhance property values and quality of life in Ocean Grove.”
So how have they done in protecting and enhancing property values and quality of life in Ocean Grove?
Williams has only good to say about his group, but he ignores their failures and their wheel spinning, and here is their greatest failure:
Since 2007, the OGHOA has never said, “No” to the North End Redevelopment Plan which is about to threaten the very life and definition of our town.
ELLIS MARSALIS: “A Child is Born”
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If you are planning to join the Town-Wide Yard Sale, now is a good time to get ready. Even if you have done nothing yet , just tell us your address and nearby cross street. We will post it to encourage others to join in.
Currently we have 2.
If you change your mind, just let us know.
Blogfinger@verizon.net
Note the tab on top for the sale. That is where basic information will be shown and where the list of participants will be found. During the week before the sale we will post the list on top of the blog.
Thanks, Eileen and Paul. Blogfinger.net
FRENCHIE DAVIS from Ain’t Misbehaving”
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Murky Michael Badger and an angel at the 2012 Live Nativity. Paul Goldfinger photo. We may be blurry, but we have captured Michael in an unusually unguarded and revealing moment. Blogfinger.net photo.
By Paul Goldfinger, MD. Editor Blogfinger.net and Dean of the Blogfinger Off-Shore School of Medicine in Ocean Grove, NJ. 5/1/24
Maybe former CMA President Michael Badger was somewhat murky in his efforts to explain CMA policies, but at least he stepped forward in-person on behalf of the Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association.
He liked to control what the press said about his views and that is why he didn’t contribute to Blogfinger.
He preferred press like the Coaster which asked no questions, only printing what they were told. Badger did not like a free press where the CMA was concerned. It’s like the press in Russia or now, all too often, in the US.
But when Neptune United materialized on the Boardwalk to demonstrate and force their way onto the beach (remind you of anything going on at Morningside Heights now?) at least Badger went nose to nose with them to explain his views.
Now the CMA is resorting to press releases, never revealing what is going on behind the scenes. The current CMA President is MIA. Today the issue de jour is about the pier.
There are some new local journalism sources out and about, so maybe the news will open wider, but watch for bias. Look at The Patch, NJ.com, a more involved APP, TAPinto and even the Neptune United’s in-your-face trouble-making leftist nonsense—- they have been showing up recently at the OG Facebook “Friends and Neighbors Uncensored (and unreliable)”
Blogfinger is still the most reputable local place to express your opinions. Yes we do edit, but so does The NY Times. Since our 2009 founding, we have had nearly 5 million hits.
Just use our comments buttons or send an email to Blogfinger@verizon.net Like Badger we may or may not pay attention to your opinions. Journalism is not necessarily a place for total and honest free speech.
If you want that, place a step stool on the boardwalk and bring a megaphone. Will the CMA allow that? How about yoga on the boards ?
THE CHI-LITES:
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July 4, 2016 parade on Main Avenue in OG. Paul Goldfinger photo.
Will the 2024 Independence Day parade here reveal a significant nod to U.S history? Or will it be more like a “Celebrate Ocean Grove” day?
Will it be like much the rest of the country where the United States of America’s history and pride is in decline? Will the U.S. military show up?
THE OFFICIAL MARCH OF THE US MILITARY ACADEMY with the West Point Band.
SUN HARBOR CHORUS
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PG photo
By Paul Goldfinger, MD, FACC. Co-author of “Prevention Does Work: A Guide to a Healthy Heart.”
This small 15-ounce can of cooked peas in water contains 3 1/2 servings. Most of us can easily eat the whole can because it seems healthy to do so and it goes down easy. One portion has 380 mg (milligrams) of sodium (salt). The whole can contains 1,330 mg. sodium. That’s a huge amount, but not unusual for many processed foods such as canned soups.
On the other hand, a 16-ounce package of frozen raw mixed vegetables (Wegman’s “Just Picked and Quickly Frozen” Japanese Stir Fry) has 5 servings, but each serving has only 10 mg. of sodium. If you eat the whole package, you get only 50 mg. of sodium. If you buy the Wegman’s shelled green peas in a microwave bag, the sodium content is zero and the nutritional value is probably better if you enjoy them raw than if you eat the cooked peas in a can.
Salt contains sodium and chloride, but the sodium is the important component. The American Heart Association recommends that we all consume less than one teaspoon of salt per day. A teaspoon of salt has 2,300 mg. of sodium.
We all should try to keep our sodium intake under 2,000 mg. This includes what’s in your food and what you add to food. Learn to wean yourself off added salt. Fresh corn on the cob seems to beg for salt, but you can get used to enjoying it without the sodium chloride. Avoid processed foods because they often contain extra salt, unless you find a product like our frozen vegetables.
When you read labels, ignore everything on the package except the ingredients. Look for the mg. of sodium. Also look for portion size, because sodium content (along with all other ingredients) is given according to a portion size which may be surprisingly small.
Fresh foods are always best. Processed foods often have added sodium for taste and/or preservation. Please read labels and make good choices for you and your families.
Now you can’t say that a doctor never told you this stuff.
Cheer up—-here’s Leon Redbone:
Posted in Medical topics | Tagged Medical: How much salt should you eat? | 3 Comments »
La Tapatia. Asbury Park. Paul Goldfinger photo. 4/29/24
MARIACHI JUAREZ: “Volver, Volver.”
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Pocono mountains, Scotrun, Pennsylvania. Dogwood. May 18, 2022. Click to enlarge. Paul Goldfinger photo.
SIR ROLAND HANNA PLAYS GERSHWIN: “Bess, You Is My Woman Now.” From Porgy and Bess.
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Paul Goldfinger still photograph from the movie Black Swan. ©
MIRANDA SAGE From her album Moon Tiger.
EDITOR’S NOTE Paul Goldfinger, Editor Blogfinger.net
Note that our series of movie stills is an original concept. We can add this to our early Blogfinger idea of adding music to the presentation of still images as distinguished from the universal use of music during motion pictures. What would a movie be like without soundtrack music?
Movies have always had still photographers—you can see them mentioned in the credits. The most famous is when director John Houston invited a group of Magnum photographers to document the making of the 1961 film the Misfits.
This Misfits project has produced many famous photographs, but those are scenes from the set of the misfits—straight images such as news photos, but brilliantly interpreted by this crew of black and white photo artists “backstage” as well as during filming.
But our creative approach is to shoot notable still images from the movies themselves—notable because of the imagery created by the cinematographers and then selected by us and subject to visual interpretations with variables such as with colors, focus, composition, aberrations,etc—much different from still images obtained on movie sets.
At any rate, I hope you enjoy the Blogfinger genre of movie stills.
Here is a link to a piece we published about the Misfits photographers:
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The swans are back as April 2024 comes to a close. 4/28/24. Jean Bredin. Blogfinger.net
Jean loves the blossoming cherries along Wesley Lake in Ocean Grove. 4/28/24.
TONY BENNETT. “Spring is Here”. From the Rodgers and Hart songbook.
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Is this the Neptune Committee? Ocean Grovers don’t know who they are. What are their names anyhow? And why does their music seem so strange?
Why is it that we don’t know the identity of our Township Committee? Suffering Surfer calls them “Mike and the Misfits.” Why the pseudonym? For some reason Surfer sees a resemblance to a 60 year old Doo Wop group—one-hit wonders with fancy footwork; five people doing an incoherent mystery dance round and round up on their platform?
They don’t represent the people of Ocean Grove, so why should we pretend that we know them? Maybe the Mayor’s name is really Speedo, or Moe, or Joe or Mr. Earl , and maybe they are the Cadillacs—- like doo woppers harmonizing on some street corner?
To us their music sounds disharmonious–the rhythm is out of wack, and the tempo is too fast. We can’t see what they are doing—every day is a foggy day in London Town.
They are a mystery, and here is a theme song for them. The people of Ocean Grove don’t care much about them. They are strangers to us. Grovers even have banned the doo wops from the Great Auditorium. Will they ever change their tunes ? Or maybe they will fade away like the end of this song.
THE CADILLACS:
“Well, now some may call me Joe
Some may call me Moe
Just remember Speedo
He don’t never take it slow.”
Some may call me Moe
Just remember Speedo
He don’t never take it slow.”
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Paul Goldfinger in Asbury Park. 2024.
RADIOHEAD : “Nude”
From the album In Rainbows
“Don’t get any big ideasThey’re not gonna happen..”
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