The film community lost one of the masters when Sweden’s most famous filmmaker, Ingmar Bergman, passed away July 30 at age 89. Anyone who has ever studied film certainly had Ingmar Bergman 101 as a main course. My first introduction to Bergman’s films was a film appreciation course at Richard Stockton College. Many of his films were thoughtful and often pessimistic meditations on the meaning of life such as his most famous works The Seventh Seal, Persona, Wild Strawberries and Scenes From A Marriage. Woody Allen was influenced by Bergman; he has noted that The Seventh Seal is his favorite film. This reverence for Bergman was expressed in both spoofs (Love and Death) and his Bergmanesque drama Interiors. Bergman’s other films include the comedy Smiles of a Summer Night; The Silence (about the silence of God); Shame; Cries and Whispers and Autumn Sonata. The latter starred follow countryman Ingrid Bergman (no relation) in their only film together.

The death of German actor Ulrich Muhe is a shock for any moviegoers who experienced his brilliance as the star of the Academy Award-winning best foreign language film, The Lives of Others. As I noted in my review of the film, “The Lives of Others is a magnificent examination of life in a police state. Understated, yet crackling with emotion, the film generates its power by being specific about its time and place — East Germany in the half decade before the Berlin Wall fell — yet universal in its themes of fear, intimidation and insecurity used to suppress individuality and freedom." Muhe’s death from stomach cancer is fraught with irony since his stomach ailments began, according to a story in the Hollywood Reporter, when, as a conscript in the East German military, he was forced to patrol the Berlin War with shoot-to-kill orders. He was a man who lived behind the Wall and later had the opportunity to express his feelings about that era in a great, career-defining performance.

Tom Snyder was the first talk show host to follow Johnny Carson with his late night series Tomorrow on NBC from 1973–1982. He later continued his chat format with The Late Late Show. Before that he was a respected TV news anchor in Los Angeles. Synder’s style garnered both praise and criticism. I loved him despite his chain smoking on camera that put his guests in a perpetual fog during his interviews. His most famous chats included Charles Manson and the last interview with John Lennon. Snyder was 71.

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As August approaches and this summer of big scale bombast movies begins to dial down the hype machine, the desire to see smaller scale movies about real people begins to dominate my thoughts. It’s why I so look forward to my annual trek to the Toronto Film Festival in September. It is also why those occasional character driven movies like the fabulous Waitress and the very funny Knocked Up are so appreciated as a summer change of pace.
As a film critic, I like to think that I don’t let too many sleeper gems, small scale films that offer the simple pleasures of real characters and emotions, slip by unnoticed. However, if I have been guilty of the sin of omission, or of living in a town that isn’t exactly a hotbed of alternative cinema, Netflix bails me out.
I’ve found several gems in my recent Netflix envelopes including Aurora Borealis, The Dead Girl and Black Snake Moan. Sometimes I’ll get the notice that a film is coming, a selection I made months ago, and I’ll wonder, what movie is that?

Such was the case with Aurora Borealis (2006) a delightful “time to grow up” drama about a twenty-something semi-slacker (Joshua Jackson) who starts moving his life in the right direction when he decides to help his ailing grandfather (Donald Sutherland), and falls for a slightly older free spirit home care worker (Juliette Lewis). Also in the cast is Louise Fletcher as the grandmother. The performances are superb, the Minneapolis setting is refreshingly different, the script is engaging (by Brent Boyd, based on his play) and director James Burke puts it all together.
How did this movie fall so far below my radar? I took some comfort when I checked on Rotten Tomatoes and saw there were only 36 reviews for the film (as opposed to the usual 200 for a wide release).
I’ll let you in on a little secret. Film critics, especially critics that write for weekly publications, do not see every movie that comes out. I only see about 140 films a year. That might sound like a lot, but in 2006, 607 movies were released in the United States. I mention this because sometimes I make a wrong choice. I should have reviewed Black Snake Moan when it came out a few months back, based on the director (Hustle and Flow’s Craig Brewer) and the cast — Samuel L. Jackson and Christine Ricci. However, I allowed the plot summary to keep me away: a black blues musician chains up a white trash nymphomaniac in order to save her from herself. The movie has definitely got its freak on, but the story is more complex than expected. It is about two people who need redemption and find it by helping each other.
Other movies that I ordered recently and enjoyed include the low budget 10 Items or Less, starring Morgan Freeman as an actor not nearly as famous as Morgan Freeman who spends an interesting day in East L.A. with a grocery clerk (Spanish star Paz Vega) in order to do research for a movie. It’s a film I missed seeing at last year’s Toronto Film Festival. Cape of Good Hope is a sweet little drama about a South African woman who runs an animal shelter, confronting racial tensions and her own relationship problems. The Dead Girl (Brittany Murphy, Toni Collette, Marcia Gay Harden, Piper Laurie, Mary Beth Hurt) is an intriguing indie flick that presents a series of vignettes that are all connected to the body of the title. This Spirit Award-nominated mystery is directed by Karen Moncrieff. Look Both Ways is a great Australian film that I praised as my favorite flick at the 2005 Toronto Film Fest. It holds up very well. Double Dare is a cool documentary about female stuntwomen, in particular Zoë Bell. I rented this because I thought she was awesome in Quentin Tarantino’s half of Grindhouse, Death Proof.

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Jennifer Lopez and hubby Marc Anthony are scheduled to open their joint tour on Sept. 29 in Atlantic City, at the Trump Taj Mahal. This is quite an honor for AC considering that, despite her successful albums, J-Lo has never been on tour.

Tickets for Jerry Seinfeld Sept. 8 at Resorts go on sale Saturday, Aug. 4 at 10am. He’ll be doing the same gig as last year, with an 8pm show at the Hilton, followed by an 11pm show at Resorts. Other shows just announced by Resorts are Debbie Reynolds (Aug. 27–31); the Trammps (Sept. 9–13) and the Dovells (Sept. 16–20). Hilton’s new concert announcements are a Jerry Blavat Disco Dance Party (Aug. 31); Pink Lloyd Laser Show (Sept. 2); and Lou Graham (Sept. 29). Over at the Taj, Liza Minnelli will headline on Sept. 1.

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Due to illness, Etta James will not be participating in the upcoming B.B. King Blues Festival at the Trump Taj Mahal on Saturday, Aug. 4. Replacing the 69-year-old singer will be Little Richard — not too shabby. Also on the bill are B.B. King and Al Green. Tickets are $89 & $65. For more info on the concert, check out the Taj's Web site.

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I had a chance to bond with my nephew Garrett, 15, when we attended a performance by The Machine at the House of Blues, on July 20. The Machine is a tribute band that does an uncanny recreation of the music of Pink Floyd. Garrett’s love of Pink Floyd was developed and sustained by his mom, and by the look of the audience at the HOB, there are a healthy amount of baby boomers passing along that love to their children.
The teen years are tough on parents but they are also tough on aunts. While we found a lot of things to do together when he was younger, lately it has been harder to find common ground and shared interests.

Therefore it was great fun to hang with G-man at the show, even though I’m not a Pink Floyd fan. His passion talking about his favorite songs and albums, and watching him scream out the lyrics during the sing-a-longs was a blast. He declared the show “better than I expected,” high praise from a teenager. Of course I was a mildly dismayed that the show was over two hours long. When a band is doing 10-minutes songs, the encore goes on forever. Still, it was a great night that began with a great crab and scallops dinner at Steamers, followed by the show and a late night stop at the Margate Dairy Bar for dessert. Next up for us are a trip to the Delsea Drive-In in Vineland and Pine Creek Miniature Golf in West Amwell, the ultimate miniature golf course.

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The Water Club, a signature hotel by Borgata, is topped off today in Atlantic City at 11 am. Pictured at the ceremony are, clockwise: Noelia Lopez, Joe Ballentine, Hank Andrescavage, Keith Smith (President and Chief Operating Officer, Boyd Gaming), Drew Schlesinger (Vice President and General Manager, The Water Club at Borgata), Larry Mullin (President and Chief Operating Officer, Borgata Hotel Casino and Spa), William S. Boyd (Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Boyd Gaming), Vincent Fabi, John Giannini, and Janelle Hippen.

At left, the last beam is raised into place atop the new Water Club hotel tower.
The hotel, which will feature highly personalized service, is slated to open in early 2008. It will introduce a unique brand of hospitality to the resort with 800 finely appointed guest rooms and suites; a two-story spa in the sky, 18,000 square feet of meeting space, five heated indoor and outdoor swimming pools – each offering a different experience and six retail shops. The hotel is located adjacent to the Borgata Hotel Casino and Spa. The Water Club is a joint venture between Boyd Gaming and MGM MIRAGE and will complete Borgata’s $600 million master plan development and bring the total investment in the resort to $1.7 billion.

Photos by Lew Steiner

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I'm a "Jersey Fresh" fanatic. One of the things I really love about living in Southern New Jersey is access to all the great summer and fall produce that our region offers, especially from farm stands and you-pick farms. Blackberries just arrived for picking and after work I drove 90 miles, including slogging through thunder showers, to pick blackberries from Mood's Farm Market in Mullica Hill, Gloucester County. As I crawled along in the middle of the storm, I wondered, "Am I nuts?" However, once I arrived to a sunny, damp farm, and was picking gorgeous berries, I felt so relaxed. Picking fruit is a favorite activity to relieve stress from the work week. And, on the way home, I stopped at an "honor system" produce stand in Mizpah, put my $7.50 in the coffee can and took home some delicious corn, lovely tomatoes, an eggplant, cucumbers and a couple of hot peppers. Pictured is the blackberry crisp I made.

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Michael Vick won’t be able to attend the opening day of Atlanta Falcons training camp. He’ll be in federal court, having been indicted on charges that he participated in dog fighting and even helped kill dogs that were not deemed vicious enough. You don’t have to be a fan of Animal Planet’s various shows about SPCA law enforcement officers to know that dog fighting is a horrifying practice. I do happen to be a fan of those shows and have seen many dogs that have survived either fights, or worse, being the “bait” animal used to get the fighting dogs in a vicious mood.
Even if Michael Vick skates around the evidence that his home in Virginia was a dog fighting operation, he has lost a hell of a lot of fans. American might love football but they love their pets even more. It is particularly horrific that Vick is accused of hanging and or electrocuting dogs that weren’t vicious enough to fight.
If Michael Vick ends up playing in the NFL this season, he had better be ready for vicious comments from the stands, none of which will be nearly as bad as what he is alleged to have done to “man’s best friend.”

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Local authorities are still trying to determine if an abandoned Dodge Intrepid that was parked near Bally’s yesterday afternoon was a bomb hoax or a legitimate threat. The A.C. Bomb Squad was called in after it was discovered that the car had a red wire suspiciously running in and out of the car, which reportedly had no license plates and smelled of gasoline. You can watch NBC-40’s coverage here.

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I’ll be covering my 19th Toronto Film Festival this year (Sept. 6–15) and the first few movies have been announced. I’m psyched that George Clooney will probably be in town to promote his fall film Michael Clayton. Other possible celebs going to the Festival include Jodie Foster, with her suspense film The Brave One, directed by Neil Jordan, which also stars Terrence Howard, Lost’s Naveen Andrews, and Mary Steenburgen. Reigning Oscar-winning actress Reese Witherspoon co-stars with Jake Gyllenhaal, Meryl Streep, Peter Sarsgaard and Alan Arkin in Rendition, a thriller from Gavin Hood, director of the Academy Award-winning foreign language film Tsotsi. Helen Hunt makes her directorial debut and stars in Then She Found Me. Aaron Eckhart, Maria Bello and Toni Collette star in the feature directorial debut from Alan Ball, creator of Six Feet Under, Nothing Is Private.
John Sayles is bringing his latest, Honeydripper, starring Danny Glover. The acclaimed new film that played Cannes from the Coen Brothers, No Country For Old Men, is also on the slate. That’s enough info for now.

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Growing up in South Jersey, the daughter of a sportswriter and athletic mother, sports was a big part of my childhood. Baseball was my first love in those early years. Because of our geographical locale, I had two choices for my favorite team, the Philadelphia Phillies and the New York Yankees. Being an astute baseball fan, I picked the Yankees as my favorite team at age 7. In 1963, the team, including Mickey Mantle, Whitey Ford, Roger Maris, Bobby Richardson and Elston Howard, went 104-57 to win the American League pennant. That year in the World Series, they played the L.A. Dodgers with the magnificent pitching duo of Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale.
In a shocking development, the Dodgers beat the Yankees 4-0 with Koufax winning the first and last games 5-2 and 2-1 respectively. Johnny Podres won game 2 by a 4-1 score and Don Drysdale pitched a 1-0 shutout in game 3.
Sandy Koufax broke my heart. I was so disappointed, I switched my allegiance to the Phillies the next season. Yes, folks I became a Phillies fan in 1964!

Now at the more mature age of 11, I decided no more switching back and forth when it was convenient, despite the agony I can still feel thinking about the most famous collapse in baseball history. Yet, I loved those players: Cookie Rojas (pictured above), Johnny Briggs, Johnny Callison, Chris Short, Tony Taylor, Rick Wise, Clay Dalrymple.

So, no matter if they are in the race or sitting at the bottom of the standings, the Phillies have been my team ever since. When it comes to 10,000 loses, oh well, but my loyalty remains with a franchise that thrilled me in 1980, produced a bunch of blue collar crazies in 1993, and have been flirting with the post season in the last few years just to torture their fans. They have thrilled me and killed in the past 43 years.

Yet hope springs eternal. How can you not love Chase and Ryan and Aaron and Cole? Rookie Kyle Kendricks has given my hope a little boost, although I can’t see my team getting to the post-season without more pitching.
Pitching wins in the end. Just ask Sandy Koufax. One of my biggest thrills about fifteen years ago was getting a chance to meet Koufax at a memorabilia show in Atlantic City. I told him my sad story about how he broke my heart. He smiled in a way that let me know he understood the agony of being a baseball fan.

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Character actor Charles Lane passed away this week at the age of 102. He had roles in over 800 movies and TV shows over a span of 80 years. He often played sour-faced impatient men, a role he did not play in real life. His best known film roles were in You Can't Take It With You and It's A Wonderful Life. He also played in the famous I Love Lucy episode when "Little Ricky" was born. Go here to see a 100 birthday celebration at the 2005 TVland awards. Check out the NY Times obit.
Charles Lane had a wonderful life.

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The touring artwork of John Lennon will make its first stop in Cape May next weekend. At the former Build-A-Bear store at 411 Washington Street (on the Washington Street Mall), an exhibit of the late Beatle's drawings will be held, including rare hand-signed pieces and limited edition prints. The three-day show (July 20, noon-9pm; July 21, 11am- 7pm; July 22, 11am-6pm) will help to raise funds for Cape May Stage.

For show info call: (888) ART-1969

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Area casinos have unfurled a brand new bunch of shows, and rescheduled Morrissey. He had to cancel July 5 due to throat problems, but is now scheduled for July 24 at the Borgata.
As for new shows, Caesars has added the Steve Miller Band (Sept. 2) Jon Stewart (Oct. 6) and Sheryl Crow (Oct. 19-20). Tickets go on sale tomorrow, July 12 for Miller; Friday, July 13 for Crow and Stewart.
Borgata just added Martin Short (Aug. 17), Stevie Nicks (Aug. 24) and Stephen Lynch (Aug. 31). Tickets are on sale this Monday, July 16 for Short and Nicks, Saturday, July 14 for Lynch.
The House of Blues announced Keyshia Cole (Aug. 18), Bobby Valentino & Omarion (Aug. 24) and the Last Comic Standing finalists (Nov. 16) Tickets go on sale this Sat. July 14 for the HOB shows.

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Fans of real country music should be bummed out by the news that the Last Of The Breed show, starring Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard and Ray Price and originally scheduled for Aug. 31 at the Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City has been canceled due to conflicts with tour routing. Ticket refunds are available at point of purchase.

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The Phillies won their last game before the All-Star break to end the first half of the season 44-44. More impressive was their willingness to help out the grounds crew at Colorado when the tarp used to cover the field flew out of control and covered three members of the crew. Most of the Phillies in the nearly dugout, led by Shane Victorino, Chase Utley and Ryan Howard rushed out into the field thinking those crew members were in trouble and might get hurt. They didn’t think about hurting themselves in the process. It was an incredible sign of good sportsmanship featured in this video.
Pictured are Shane and Chase holding down a corner. The Rockies fans gave the team a well-deserved standing O.

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The ladies were “All Jacked Up” when Gretchen Wilson made her rowdy and rockin’ AC debut last Saturday night (July 7) at Caesars. Her stage background was — what else — a trailer façade with Christmas lights around the windows.
Wilson began the night with the mid-tempo love-gone-wrong song “Homewrecker,” then immediately moved on to “a drinking song,” the high energy “I Pour.” From there Wilson poured out a rousing 20-song mix that included a good chunk of her new album One of the Boys and the hits from her previous two albums, I’m Here For the Party and All Jacked Up.

From the new album, there was the fine title track “One of the Boys,” the tender plea of “Come to Bed” the country rock snarl of “Place in the Whiskey” and the song scheduled to be the next single, another roadhouse rocker, “You Can’t Stay Here.”
Also expect the delightfully tongue-in-cheek “There Goes the Neighborhood” to become a Gretchen Wilson radio hit down the road.
Other songs in her foot-stompin’ set included “One Bud Wiser,” “Politically Uncorrect,” “California Girls,” “Here For the Party” and “All Jacked Up.” She even did a couple of covers, Heart’s “Barracuda” and Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Call Me The Breeze.” And let's not forget to mention —to quote a Wilson song — "the ball-bustin' band" that backed the singer, an 8-piece group of versatile musicians led by lead guitarist Mark Oakley and a wild and crazy drummer.
The ladies were bursting out of their seats when Wilson finished up the night with “Redneck Woman” as soccer moms, suburban housewives and office workers screamed out “Hell Yeah!”

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Morrissey’s Borgata show scheduled for tonight, July 5, has been canceled due to the singer’s bout with a viral infection. The former lead singer of the Smiths has been forced to postpone several recent shows and has been ordered by his doc not to sing again until July 7 at the earliest. A possible make-up date is being discussed, so “fans should hold onto their tickets,” according to Live Nation’s press release.

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I’m happy to report that the New Jersey Department of Agriculture says that Jersey tomatoes and sweet corn have arrived just in time for the July 4th holiday week. As most people who have tasted them know, Jersey tomatoes are the best on the planet. Your best bet is to find a roadside stand. There are a bunch of them on the Black Horse Pike/Rt. 322, the White Horse Pike and most other country roads in the Southern portion of the state. Blueberries are also here—I’ve been picking at Allen’s family farm, as well as raspberries and peaches. I picked a pound or so of raspberries and 16lbs. of peaches last weekend at Mood’s Farm Market. For those of you who only think of NJ as the chemical corridor in the north, here are a few farm facts. Despite being one of the smallest states in the nation in acreage, in 2006, New Jersey ranked 9th in the nation in tomato production with 52.2 million pounds. New Jersey’s sweet corn crop was ranked 8th in the nation with 77 million pounds. Yummy!

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The rush of additional concert announcements for AC has slowed down during the July 4th holiday week, but the Borgata did announce that the Beastie Boys are coming to the B Aug. 2. Tickets go on sale this Saturday, July 7 on their Web site (which at the moment I'm writing this, does not have the concert posted).

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