Woman Around Town’s Editor Charlene Giannetti and writers for the website talk with the women and men making news in New York, Washington, D.C., and other cities around the world. Thanks to Ian Herman for his wonderful piano introduction.
In Fox’s hit drama, 24, Kiefer Sutherland’s Jack Bauer was credited with saving the lives of more than one American president. In Designated Survivor, premiering at 10 p.m. Wednesday, September 21, on ABC, Sutherland will now occupy the Oval Office himself after a horrific attack lays waste to the U.S. Capitol, leaving his character, Tom Kirkman, the last cabinet official standing. For those who have missed Sutherland’s kiss-ass performance as Bauer (and waited in vain for a follow up film), Designated Survivor should have a built in audience of fans.
Sutherland’s Kirkman is an academic who has never held elective office. As Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, he is 12th in line for the presidency, an order of succession that makes it virtually impossible that he would ever be sworn in to the top job. The afternoon before the State of the Union Address, Kirkland and his chief of staff, Emily Rhodes (Italia Ricci), fail to convince the White House Chief of Staff Aaron Shore (Adan Canto), that housing initiatives for low income areas be added to the president’s speech. But there’s more bad news. Shore tells Kirkland that he will be asked to resign from the cabinet the following day. In return, the president will appoint Kirkland an ambassador to a United Nations outpost in Montreal.
Natascha McElhone and Kiefer Sutherland (Photo credit: ABC/Ian Watson)
Because he’s on his way out, Kirkland is tapped to be the “designated survivor,” the cabinet official chosen for security reasons not to attend the State of the Union address. Kirkland and his wife, Alex (Natascha McElhone) sit in a nondescript conference room, miles away from the Capitol, munching popcorn and watching the president’s speech when the screen goes blank. The unimaginable has happened. A bomb has decimated the Capitol building, killing not only the president, the vice president, and the entire cabinet, but all of Congress, and we assume, the justices of the U.S. Supreme Court as well. In short order, Kirkland and his wife are whisked away to the White House by Secret Service Agent Mike Ritter (La Monica Garrett). As a stunned staff looks on, Kirkland is sworn in as president.
There’s no time to grieve or brush up on foreign policy. Kirkland must quickly step in to reassure a nation and its allies, as well as head off any aggressive moves by America’s enemies. Still in sweats, Kirkland is confronted by a roomful of officials who want to counter a move by Iran with military might. How Kirkland handles this first showdown previews how he will approach the job.
McKenna Grace and Tanner Buchanan (Photo credit: ABC/Ben Mark Holzberg)
Kirkland’s family also must adjust. Alex seems stunned when the president’s speechwriter, Seth Wright (Kal Penn) reminds her that she’s now the First Lady. The couple’s young daughter Penny (McKenna Grace) is terrified to find herself in a new bedroom at the White House. Their teenage son Leo (Tanner Buchanan), is tracked down partying in a club, initially thinking he’s being arrested for selling drugs, unaware that his life is about to change.
Maggie Q (Photo credit: ABC/Ian Watson)
FBI agents Jason Atwood (Malik Yoba) and Hannah Wells (Maggie Q) lead the FBI team searching through the rubble left on the Hill. No group claims responsibility for the bombing which has Hannah worried. It may mean that the attacks are just beginning. (Although it’s hard to imagine what could be worse than wiping out the entire U.S. government.) If succeeding episodes continue to develop the characters and the storyline promised by the pilot, ABC may have a hit on its hands.
Myron and Win – we’ve missed you. Harlan Coben first created this intriguing duo in 1995’s Deal Breaker. Ten more mysteries followed featuring Myron Bolitar, professional basketball star turned agent, and Windsor “Win” Lockwood III, heir to the Locke-Horne Securities fortune. Their last outing, Live Wire published in 2011, was intense and a deal changer with Myron facing events from his past and Win going into hiding. While Coben has turned out several other stand alone mysteries since then, fans wondered whether they had seen the last of Myron and Win. They’re back in Coben’s Home and I’m happy to report that the author and his characters are at the top of their game.
Ten years ago, two six year-old boys, Patrick More and Rhys Baldwin, were kidnapped from Rhys’ home in Alpine, New Jersey, where they were having a playdate. When Patrick’s mother, Nancy, came to pick up her son, there was no answer at the door. She assumed that Vada Linna, the au pair from Finland charged with watching the children, had taken the boys for ice cream. When Nancy returned two hours later and found the house still empty, she called Rhys’ mother, Brooke. Unable to reach Vada on her cell phone, Brooke rushed home. The two women eventually found Vada tied up in the basement and the boys missing. A ransom demand was made and the two families came up with the cash. No one came to pick up the bag which a jogger eventually found and turned into the cops. After that, nothing more was heard from the kidnappers or about the boys.
Win has a personal interest in the case since Brooke is his cousin and one of the few people in his life he cares about. Win receives an email sent by anon5939413 saying that Patrick and Rhys are still alive but “they aren’t who you think they are anymore.” He’s told the boys can be found in London, the address a seedy underpass frequented by prostitutes and drug users. Someone who seems to resemble Patrick, now 16, shows up, but three thugs also show up and appear to threaten the teen. Win dispatches the three assailants (as in previous outings, Win possesses ninja-like skills and doesn’t hesitate to use them), but during the melee, Patrick takes off. Realizing he needs help if he is ever going to find Patrick again and finally locate Rhys, Win calls Myron. After not hearing from his friend for more than a year, Myron is happy and relieved. Now engaged to Terese, the couple has been living in Winn’s apartment in the famed Dakota. But he agrees to travel to London to help in the search for Rhys.
The three men killed by Win worked for Fat Ghandi, aka Chris Alan Weeks, a computer whiz who graduated from Oxford and now “dabbles in prostitution, sexual slavery, robbery, blackmail…” Since Win can’t make a repeat appearance under the bridge, Myron takes his place, escorted by a teen dubbed “dog collar,” to an arcade where Fat Ghandi does business. Fat Ghandi claims to have the boys and will release them for a price. The money exchange literally blows up in Myron’s face, but in the chaos that follows, he manages to locate and save Patrick. There’s no sign of Rhys.
Nancy and her ex-husband, Hunter, are ecstatic and fly to London to see their son. Although their marriage fell apart after Patrick’s kidnapping, they have together raised their daughter, Francesca. Brooke and her husband, Chick, also divorced, with an older son, Clark, soon are in London, too, hoping against hope that Patrick will be able to tell them where Rhys is being held. Unfortunately, the Mores won’t allow Patrick to be questioned, saying that he is traumatized by all that has happened. That wall remains firmly in place even after the families return to New Jersey.
While Win stays in Europe, Myron returns to the scene of the crime – the Baldwin home. As Win tells Myron, they know where the trail ended. Now it’s time to go back where everything began. But doing so will prove to be more difficult than anyone expected and will uncover secrets that have been hidden away for a decade.
Coben is firing on all cylinders in this outing. The plot is terrific, the characters interesting and engaging, and the settings come alive with Harlan’s descriptions. At the center, however, is that “bromance” between Myron and Win. The two men are very different, but still, very much alike. Myron is the big brother on hand to give support and advice (Myron continues to play that role with his nephew, Mickey, who raises his profile in this book.). And we all wish we had someone like Win to run interference when times get tough. Coben is on a par with Nelson DeMille, able to interject humor even in the most dire situations. And those laughs often come at just the right time, allowing us to relax before the next plot twist hits us in the gut.
How is it possible that in a thriller involving Special Forces and ISIS, the most exciting scenes occur in the courtroom? Actually, that’s not surprising since Infamy’s author is Robert K. Tanenbaum, a successful prosecuting attorney who certainly knows his way around the law.
This time around Tanenbaum’s recurring character, New York District Attorney Roger “Butch” Karp, goes after one of the richest men in the world, Wellington Constantine, head of Well-Con Industries which operates oil refineries in Iraq. Constantine also has the president of the United States on his speed dial, having contributed huge sums to the commander-in-chief’s election campaigns. In other words, Butch has his work cut out for him.
Infamy is the 27th thriller in Tanenbaum’s series featuring Karp and his wife, Marlene Ciampi. Since this is the first one of Tanenbaum’s books I’ve read, I don’t have the back stories on all the characters, particularly on Marlene. Reading summaries of previous books, Marlene apparently is a wild card, but she is relatively subdued in this outing, allowing Karp’s talents to shine. After a massacre in Iraq and a shooting in New York’s Central Park, the focus is on the courtroom, Karp’s territory. And while the public sees what Karp does before judge and jury, he’s also brilliant at making important connections behind the scene. He’s aided by a journalist, Ariadne Syupenagel, and a Russian assassin, Nadya Malova.
Clare is Constantine’s third wife who has suffered his physical abuse through 18 years of marriage. Afraid to leave him, Clare finds love with Richie Bryers, a basketball coach that Constantine has hired to coach their son. When Bryers overhears some of Constantin’s conversations concerning a project codenamed Mirage, he tells Clare his suspicions. Clare seeks more information by going through Constantin’s journals and photographing one of the pages. When Constantine learns that she has been spying on him, he orders his henchman, Fitzsimmons, to kill her. Bryers doesn’t believe that Clare took alcohol and drugs and then drowned in the pool. He takes what he knows, including the photographed journal page, to his friend, Karp. The District Attorney now has another weapon in his arsenal. Will it be enough?
Karp – Tanenbaum – brilliantly builds his case one piece at a time. Not only is Constantine in the dark about what is about to happen, so is the reader. And while the plot is pure fiction, it’s not beyond the realm of possibility, a thought that might keep you up long after you’ve turned the last page. Infamy has impact and it has whet our appetite for those 26 other thrillers.
Except for the two chambers on Capitol Hill, Washington, D.C. is not the city that never sleeps. For two New Yorkers who temporarily find themselves living in the D.C. area, this lack of after hour dining options has come as something of a shock. Since I am often found attending film or theater previews until 10 p.m., seeking a restaurant for a bite to eat afterwards has been a challenge. Either we are politely told that the chef is no longer serving food, or we find ourselves the lone patrons with the servers who remain giving us the fish eye to hurry up and leave.
So we were excited to discover Lupo Verde, a terrific Italian restaurant at 14th and T Streets, NW, that not only keeps late hours, but also serves fabulous food. When we entered the restaurant at 10 p.m., we were greeted by an enthusiastic hostess and found the place hopping. Tables and bars on both floors were filled with young people enjoying food and drinks. We finally managed to find two seats at the first floor bar.
The bartender quickly produced menus and took our drink orders. We followed his advice and ordered the salumeria, three cured meats for $17, to start and a pasta dish Fusilli Campani, homemade fusilli, Neapolitan ragu, pecorino romano, and pinenuts. Both were excellent.
When we left shortly before 11 p.m., Lupo Verde was still very lively. The restaurant is open nightly, from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m., with late night hours Sunday through Thursday until 2 a.m., Friday and Saturday until 3 a.m. Perfect. We will be back.
Oliver Stone’s films are not just entertainment; they are political statements. His new film, Snowden, focuses on the former CIA employee and government contractor who leaked information about widespread global surveillance by the U.S. government. The film is a sympathetic portrait of a whistleblower. And while many believe that Edward Snowden should face prosecution, others have lauded his actions. In June, 2015, President Obama signed the USA Freedom Act, which sets some limits on what telecommunication data intelligence agencies may collect on U.S. citizens, a law that might not have happened, some say, without Snowden’s disclosures.
Snowden, viewed in the closing moments of the movie, seems to be taking advantage of any positive feelings that may result from Stone’s film. As Barack Obama heads into the final months of his administration, a time when many presidents issue pardons, Snowden is asking for one. In statements made to The Guardian, the British newspaper that first broke the story, Snowden called what he did “vital,” and “moral.” Snowden, who first fled to Hong Kong, has been living in Moscow. While White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest has said that Snowden would face charges if he returned, former Attorney General Eric Holder in May said that Snowden had performed a “public service” by sparking a debate about surveillance. Stone’s film seems perfectly timed to continue that conversation.
While Joseph Gordon-Levitt has been acting since he was a child and has appeared in dozens of films and TV shows, he will be a new discovery to many theater goers who will turn out to see him as Snowden. That low profile allows him to disappear into the role. He bears a physical resemblance to the title character, but it’s his performance that serves as the core of the film. He allows us to see his transformation, from an ardent patriot who believes the U.S. is the greatest country in the world (he’s asked that question in numerous polygraph tests along the way), to a disillusioned patriot who believes that post-9/11 the country has gone too far, sweeping up “metadata” on its citizens. At one point, he resigns from the CIA, so concerned about what he sees happening. But before too long, he’s back in and what he learns the second time around leads him to take action.
Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Snowden was a high school drop out who never graduated from college. (He earned a GED and took classes at a community college.) After 9/11, he enlisted in the Army, hoping to become Special Forces. A broken leg revealed more serious health problems and he was discharged. Looking for another way to serve his country, he applied to the CIA. When agency heavyweight Corbin O’Brian (Rhys Ifans) asks Snowden why he wants to join the CIA, he responds that it would be cool to have such a high security clearance. O’Brian is nonplussed by the answer, but he recognizes Snowden’s talents and hires him. The two become close but their relationship will be tested again and again.
Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Shailene Woodley
Shailene Woodley plays Snowden’s long-suffering girlfriend Lindsay Mills. Although they meet on a site called Geek-Mate, Lindsay is a photographer, not a techie. She’s also liberal, while Snowden still defends the Bush Administration. His security clearance prevents him from sharing anything about his work with Lindsay. As he becomes aware of just how far surveillance has gone, his moves to protect their privacy – covering up the camera on her computer with tape, claiming that their home is being bugged – come across to her as extreme paranoia. Yet she remains loyal and follows him to Tokyo and Hawaii. (In the closing credits we learn that Lindsay has moved to Moscow to be with Snowden.)
Melissa Leo, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Tom Wilkinson, and Zachary Quinto
The film toggles back and forth between Poitras’ interview with Snowden in a Hong Kong hotel room, and scenes from Snowden’s past while he was climbing the intelligence ladder. Melissa Leo plays Laura Poitras, who directed and produced Citizenfour, the Oscar-winning documentary about Snowden and Zachary Quinto plays Glenn Greenwald, the journalist who interviewed Snowden with Poitras’ camera running. There’s a claustrophobic feel to those hotel scenes, the tension building as the authorities threaten to close in. Once the Guardian story appears (according to the film, the outcome was never assured with Greenwald pushing his London editor, Janine Gibson played by Joely Richardson, to get it done) the hotel is overrun with journalists. Snowden manages to escape, hiding out for days in rundown sections of the city, eventually making it to Moscow.
Stone hasn’t had a high profile film in years. Snowden should put him back on the map.
Snowden opens nationwide September 16, 2016. Photos Courtesy of Open Road Pictures
Pasquale Jones was already a tough reservation. The restaurant has no phone number and accepts only a few reservations on the website Resy. Then Beyoncé celebrated there after the MTV Video Music Awards. (And, according to one of the chefs who spoke to us during our meal, she dines there often.) But be persistent. Pasquale Jones is the best thing to happen to Little Italy in a long, long time. New Yorkers (like us) who have avoided Little Italy for years, since two of our favorite places closed down, now have a reason to return.
Pasquale Jones comes from the same team that brought Charlie Bird to Soho – Ryan Hardy, the chef, and Robert Bohr and Grant Reynolds, who focus on wine. The two restaurants’ quirky names merely add to the cachet. (An explanation on the Charlie Bird website sheds little light on where that name came from. The origin of Pasquale Jones also remains a mystery.)
But, what’s in a name? Like Charlie Bird, Pasquale Jones is fast building up an audience and becoming a destination, unlike most other restaurants in Little Italy that depend on the walk in tourist trade. You can walk in to Pasquale Jones, too, but a better plan is to book ahead, if you can. Even seats at the bar require a reservation, and those seats are the best in the house. We were lucky enough to nab two, which afforded us a perfect view of the chefs preparing pasta dishes, grilling steaks, and shuffling pizzas out of the wood burning ovens.
Thanks to Bohr and Reynolds, Pasquale Jones has an excellent and extensive wine list. (The restaurant doesn’t serve cocktails.) We began with a glass of rose, Entrefaux Crozes 2013, and a Castell’in Villa Chianti. The rose was the perfect late summer wine, fruity, dry, and refreshing. The chianti was rich and spicy, the best accompaniment for the food we were about to order.
We decided to focus on dishes that came from Pasquale Jones’ wood burning oven. We began with the roasted sweet peppers served with an anchovy and marjoram dressing. The delectable assortment, different colors and sizes, made a beautiful presentation. They were tender and juicy, with a smoky flavor that increased the intensity of the dish.
From our seats at the bar we watched one of the chefs turn out one amazing pasta dish after another. Using tongs he carefully arranged the strands of spaghetti on the plate or added a sprinkling of herbs before the dish was whisked away to be served to a grateful diner. Although tempted, we decided to stick with our original plan to opt for pizza from the wood burning oven.
At Pasquale Jones, there’s a pizza to please everyone. For purists, there’s the Margherita, with tomato, mozzarella di bufala, and basil. Other pizzas include: Norma with eggplant, ‘nduja, and ricotta salata; Burrata with anchovy, oregano, and piennolo tomato; Diavola with spicy Neapolitan salami, provolone piccante, and mint; and Calzone with prosciutto di Parma, caciocavallo cheese, and rapini.
We chose a pizza not often found outside of New Haven, Connecticut, one topped with little neck clams. Pasquale Jones’ topping included lemon and cream, making for a very rich pie. The pizza was certainly delicious, but we found the clams were not briney and didn’t stand out from the other ingredients. The crust was not quite crisp enough for our taste, surprising since it came out of that oven.
Entrees from the wood burning oven include: sea bass served with summer beans and mussels; farm chicken with Moroccan olives and zucchini; and one dish patrons rave about, the pork shank for two with rosemary, fennel, black pepper, and lardo. We chose the fourth choice – the charcoal-grilled dry-aged ribeye for two ($135). In a word – fabulous! From our vantage point, we watched our steak being grilled first then finished off in the oven, so the meat benefitted from a nice sear on the grill and the smoky flavor from being in the oven. Perfectly cooked to medium rare, the steak was very tender, juicy, and flavorful. We would definitely order it again.
Pasquale Jones is a non-tipping restaurant, the “hospitality” included in the total. The restaurant serves one dessert nightly. We decided to skip that course and take advantage of a beautiful night to stroll through Little Italy. We were content knowing that, thanks to Pasquale Jones, we would return soon.
Lillian Hellman’s play, The Little Foxes, first premiered on Broadway in 1939, followed by a film in 1941. Tallulah Bankhead played the Hubbard family matriarch, Regina, on stage, with Bette Davis assuming that role on the big screen. The play has been revived on Broadway three times, with Anne Bancroft (1967), Elizabeth Taylor (1981), and Stockard Channing (1997) playing Regina. The Little Foxes will run from September 23 through October 30 at Arena Stage with Marg Helgenberger as Regina.
Since it’s been nearly ten years since the last Broadway revival, why now? “I think what this play has to say about women – powerful women – it’s incredibly timely, especially considering the election cycle that we are in,” said Megan Graves who plays Regina’s daughter, Alexandra, known as Zan. “Certainly, perspectives on women in 1900 [the time period of the play] are different, but in many ways, unfortunately, they are not. I think it’s surprisingly relevant.”
The Little Foxes centers on the very Southern Hubbard family: Regina; her husband, Horace; her two brothers, Benjamin and Oscar; Oscar’s wife, Birdie; and Zan. Hellman apparently based the characters on relatives from her mother’s family. In the early 20th century, only sons were considered legal heirs. Regina wants financial freedom and she will stop at nothing to obtain that independence. “The stakes in this play are very high, and the lengths that the characters will go to achieve their goals are a little scary,” said Megan. “I, for one, see that in D.C. politics, and so these characters, particularly Regina, but also her two brothers, Oscar and Ben, are very recognizable at any time in Washington. There’s a lot of humanity underneath this grasping for power, but at a certain point the emotional depth becomes subverted.”
Zan becomes the moral core of the play. “Alexandra is 17 and she’s trying to find who she is in the maelstrom of family dysfunction,” Megan said. “She becomes caught between her mother and her father who have opposing ideas about what should happen with the family business and to the family itself. And in the end she makes a choice for her own future that also means rejecting a lot of who she has been up to that point.”
Megan said that she read Hellman’s The Children’s Hour in college, but wasn’t as familiar with The Little Foxes. “I didn’t realize until I auditioned how autobiographical [the play] was,” she said. “We have a great dramaturgical team helping us and the information they are giving us is so incredibly informative. I was able to read interviews that Lillian Hellman gave about the play, what she intended, and what audiences take from the play and how those two things aren’t always in synch. I found that fascinating.”
The mother-daughter relationship is an important theme in the play. “Alexandra really craves her mother’s affection and approval,” Megan said. “The tricky thing is that she also has a very strong sense of right and wrong and at a certain point trying to please her mother and trying to do what’s right aren’t one and the same any more. So there’s a huge conflict for her when she has to choose between what she sees as doing the right thing and doing what her mother asks. That’s what really starts the journey towards growing up.”
Megan was born in Mesa, Arizona, just outside of Phoenix. Homeschooled through high school, she received her BFA from the Shenandoah Conservatory, in Winchester, Virginia. After enjoying Shakespeare in high school, Megan thought she would become a writer. That all changed in college when she began doing local theater in northern Virginia.
She has become a familiar presence for theatergoers in the D.C. area, having appeared in A Midsummer Night’s Dream at Folger Theatre, Passion Play and Clementine in the Lower 9 at Forum Theatre, and several productions at Imagination Stage in Bethesda, including The BFG, winning a Helen Hayes Award.
Does she have a favorite? “That’s tough,” she said. “I had a great time doing Midsummer NIght’s Dream at Folger this spring. That was just a lovely group of people and a really joyful interpretation of the play that was just so refreshing and wonderful to do every night. I have to say I have a very warm place in my heart for Passion Play which I did at Forum Theater last year. That was probably the production that has changed how I look at theater.”
Megan said she feels lucky to be part of the cast for Arena’s production. “It’s like a master class in the rehearsals every day,” she said. “Sometimes I have to remind myself that I’m in the scene; I can’t just watch. It’s so incredible.”
She feels very fortunate to be working with Helgenberger (above), who won an Emmy Award for playing K.C. Koloski in China Beach, which ran on ABC from 1988 to 1991, and is most identified with her long-running role as Catherine Willows on CBS’s CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. Helgenberger’s film credits include Erin Brockovich.
Helgenberger, Maegan said, “is lovely; she’s so giving and kind. We’ve had some good conversations about what the relationship is like [between Regina and Zan] and she’s game to try things. I was amazed at how transformative she is. She’s Regina. She has really taken this role on. The only thing I think about when I watch her work is how thoroughly she has stepped into this piece.”
Stepping into the characters also involves stepping into the dresses that women wore during the play’s time period. “There’s something about being laced into a corset that immediately transports you to the time,” she said. “I can’t slouch anymore; that 20-something slouching girl is gone and I have this incredible posture. It informs the character so much and layer on top of that the beautiful clothes that our designer [Jess Goldstein], unveils, it really helps to make the character come to life. l can’t wait to get all the costumes and get on stage and work with all of that.”
Megan hopes that the play’s themes will resonate with audiences, particularly through her character, Zan. “This play is really about power – who has it, who is trying to get it – manifested through wealth,” she said. “Those who decide in the end to reject that, is a commentary on the choices that people make. In the play there’s a statement about family versus power and choosing one or the other. There doesn’t seem to be a lot of neutral ground at least in this play as far as maintaining that control and also maintaining that family bond. For some it’s simple and for others like Zan, it’s very complicated.”
The Little Foxes Written by Lillian Hellman Directed by Kyle Donnelly Arena Stage 1101 Sixth Street SW 202-488-3300
“It’s been a long time that New York had news this good, especially with an airplane in it.”
We toss around the word “hero” a lot, but often that word describes ordinary people just doing their jobs with extraordinary results. Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger is one such person. On January 15, 2009, Sully was piloting a US Airways plane out of LaGuardia Airport when a flock of Canada Geese struck the Airbus A320. With both engines gone, Sully realized there was no hope of landing at either LaGuardia or Teterboro Airport in New Jersey. He made the decision to land the plane in the Hudson River, saving the lives of all 155 people on board.
Scenes of the water rescue dominated the airwaves and newspapers all over New York and, indeed, the world. The event was declared “The Miracle on the Hudson.” Sully was hailed a hero by the media and he and his team even appeared on The David Letterman Show. One New York tavern named a drink in his honor. “The Sully, Grey Goose with a splash of water,” the bartender tells him. It’s one lighthearted moment in Clint Eastwood’s taut, tense, and terrific film starring Tom Hanks as Sully.
While the public was celebrating a new hero, things were darker behind the scenes. (The film is based on Highest Duty by Sullenberger and Jeffrey Zaslow.) The National Transportation Safety Board investigating the incident seemed determined to prove that Sully made the wrong decision. Facing the NTSB panel, Sully and his co-pilot, Jeff Skiles (Aaron Eckhart), are told that computer simulations prove they had enough time to make it back to LaGuardia. The second engine still had thrust and would have supported the plane for the time it took to land on the ground, they say. “Not possible,” Sully tells them. Leaving the meeting, Sully tells Skiles, “I’ve delivered a million passengers over 40 years but in the end I’m going to be judged on 208 seconds.”
Not only would such a ruling by the NTSB turn the tide on public opinion, but would effectively end Sully’s career and cancel his pension. Sully has to stay in New York until the NTSB completes its investigation. While he wades through a sea of journalists whenever he leaves his hotel, his wife, Lorraine (Laura Linney), is essentially a prisoner in her home, the media camped out on her front lawn.
Sully maintains an authoritative presence in public, but in private he suffers flashbacks and has trouble sleeping. (In interviews, Sullenberger revealed that he suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder for several weeks following the accident.) In the film, Sully’s nightmares find the plane crashing into buildings, exploding in flames, scenes that are sure to remind many of 9/11. Battling those sleepless nights, Sully takes to running, one evening finding himself across from the Intrepid Museum, staring at a fighter plane that he once piloted and reliving another moment when he had to bring down a disabled plane. (Sullenberger graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy, holds a post graduate degree from Purdue, and was once a member of the Air Force’s aircraft accident investigation board.)
Hanks turns in a fine performance as Sullenberger, demonstrating a steely resolve while making what many would consider a foolhardy decision to land a jet on water. But he also allows us to see Sully behind the scenes, uncomfortable basking in the media’s glare while also having his decision second-guessed by government officials who have never flown a plane. Co-pilot Skiles (a great supporting performance by Eckhardt), never wavers in his support of Sully, even when confronted by the NTSB panel. For that government group, Eastwood has gathered actors who do unlikeable very, very well. Mike O’Malley, Jamey Sheridan, and Anna Gunn as the NTSB investigators seem less willing to discover the truth and more eager to bring Sully down, whatever the cost.
While those confrontations are fascinating, the center of the film is, of course, the miracle itself. Eastwood has recreated the entire event with such realism that we can feel the terror the passengers felt when Sully ordered, “Brace for impact!” Soon after landing, the passengers find themselves standing on the plane’s wings or huddled in one of the inflated slides. And while Sully managed the impossible by landing the plane, those passengers might have perished in the Hudson’s frigid waters if first responders had not made it to the scene so quickly, taking the terrified survivors onto boats, rescuing two who fell into the water, and getting them needed medical care.
When the credits role, we see photos from the actual rescue. We also see a Sully himself in a short video greeting the survivors during a reunion, the reconstructed plane in the background. As splendid as Hanks is in the role, there’s nothing like seeing the hero himself embracing the people he saved with his experience and skill.
The Miracle on the Hudson remains one of New York City’s finest moments. During a time when we desperately need heroes, Sully reminds us that they walk among us.
So we were excited to discover Lupo Verde, a terrific Italian restaurant at 14th and T Streets, NW, that not only keeps late hours, but also serves fabulous food. When we entered the restaurant at 10 p.m., we were greeted by an enthusiastic hostess and found the place hopping. Tables and bars on both floors were filled with young people enjoying food and drinks. We finally managed to find two seats at the first floor bar.
The bartender quickly produced menus and took our drink orders. We followed his advice and ordered the salumeria, three cured meats for $17, to start and a pasta dish Fusilli Campani, homemade fusilli, Neapolitan ragu, pecorino romano, and pinenuts. Both were excellent.
When we left shortly before 11 p.m., Lupo Verde was still very lively. The restaurant is open nightly, from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m., with late night hours Sunday through Thursday until 2 a.m., Friday and Saturday until 3 a.m. Perfect. We will be back.
While the public was celebrating a new hero, things were darker behind the scenes. (The film is based on Highest Duty by Sullenberger and Jeffrey Zaslow.) The National Transportation Safety Board investigating the incident seemed determined to prove that Sully made the wrong decision. Facing the NTSB panel, Sully and his co-pilot, Jeff Skiles (Aaron Eckhart), are told that computer simulations prove they had enough time to make it back to LaGuardia. The second engine still had thrust and would have supported the plane for the time it took to land on the ground, they say. “Not possible,” Sully tells them. Leaving the meeting, Sully tells Skiles, “I’ve delivered a million passengers over 40 years but in the end I’m going to be judged on 208 seconds.”
Not only would such a ruling by the NTSB turn the tide on public opinion, but would effectively end Sully’s career and cancel his pension. Sully has to stay in New York until the NTSB completes its investigation. While he wades through a sea of journalists whenever he leaves his hotel, his wife, Lorraine (Laura Linney), is essentially a prisoner in her home, the media camped out on her front lawn.
Sully maintains an authoritative presence in public, but in private he suffers flashbacks and has trouble sleeping. (In interviews, Sullenberger revealed that he suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder for several weeks following the accident.) In the film, Sully’s nightmares find the plane crashing into buildings, exploding in flames, scenes that are sure to remind many of 9/11. Battling those sleepless nights, Sully takes to running, one evening finding himself across from the Intrepid Museum, staring at a fighter plane that he once piloted and reliving another moment when he had to bring down a disabled plane. (Sullenberger graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy, holds a post graduate degree from Purdue, and was once a member of the Air Force’s aircraft accident investigation board.)
While those confrontations are fascinating, the center of the film is, of course, the miracle itself. Eastwood has recreated the entire event with such realism that we can feel the terror the passengers felt when Sully ordered, “Brace for impact!” Soon after landing, the passengers find themselves standing on the plane’s wings or huddled in one of the inflated slides. And while Sully managed the impossible by landing the plane, those passengers might have perished in the Hudson’s frigid waters if first responders had not made it to the scene so quickly, taking the terrified survivors onto boats, rescuing two who fell into the water, and getting them needed medical care.