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.
As a dog-walker, pet-sitter, and pet parent myself, I take more than a small interest in canines – in real life or on camera. From Rin-Tin-Tin, to Lassie, to Bear the crime fighting dog on Person of Interest, man’s best friend has always shone in Hollywood. Here are some of the best examples to make it to the silver screen.
Old Yeller (1957) This coming of age Disney drama was based on the Newberry award winning novel of the same name. In 1860’s post-Civil War Texas, Travis and Arliss befriend a lovable mutt they name “Old Yeller,” for his coloring. They have a series of adventures and Yeller saves the boys multiple times whilst becoming a beloved member of the family. But sadly, there’s that darn hydrophobia (aka rabies) out there… Warning this is generally considered one of the biggest tear-jerker films of all time, so stock up on Kleenex.
101 Dalmations(1961) We all know the story. When their puppies are kidnapped by the evil Cruella De Vil (one of the most memorable and iconic villains of all time) Dalmatian couple Pongo and Perdita set out to find them. Along the way they rescue over 84 other additional puppies as well. Hence the title. This animated adventure from Disney based on the 1956 novel The Hundred and One Dalmations by Dodie Smith was an instant classic. It was reissued in theatres four times in 1969, 1979,1985, and 1991 as well as being made into a live action remake in 1996.
Best in Show (2000) This mockumentary follows five entrants into a snooty dog show and the bizarre antics that follow. The antics in question are actually all on the part of the dog owners and human handlers – the dogs themselves are a lot more level-headed. The legendary Christopher Guest (This is Spinal Tap, Waiting for Guffman) starred, directed and co-wrote this hysterically funny comedy with Eugene Levy (Splash, American Pie), who starred as well. The cast is a plethora of comedic riches with mesmerizing turns by Bob Balaban, Parker Posey, Michael McKean, Jennifer Coolidge, John Michael Higgins, Jane Lynch, Michael McKean, and Catherine O’Hara.
My Dog Skip (2000) Based on the autobiographical novel of the same name. In the 1940s,Willie Morris (Frankie Muniz of Malcolm in the Middle and Agent Cody Banks) is a lonely nine year-old with a veteran father (Kevin Bacon) and extroverted mom (Diane Lane). The latter decides against the wishes of the former to give Willie a Jack Russell Terrier for his birthday. Willie names the dog Skip and he quickly becomes the best and most important friend of Willie’s childhood.
Eight Below (2006) Professor McClaren (Bruce Greenwood of Double Jeopardy and Star Trek) travels to a remote Antarctic base in search of a meteorite. Local guide Jerry (the late Paul Walker of The Fast and the Furious franchise) decides the only way to make the trip is via dog sled. McClaren gets his meteorite, but is injured in the process and Jerry’s sled dogs rescue him. Back at base, the humans are evacuated due to an incoming storm, but the dogs are left behind – and then the humans can’t come back. Which leaves eight beautiful, brave, and smart Huskies abandoned to survive by themselves for months on end in the harshest environment on earth. Thank god they are, after all, Huskies. Loosely based on true events that happened to an ill-fated Japanese expedition to the Antarctica, it received good reviews and was a box office hit.
Top photo from Bigstock
Winnie’s book, The Dog-Walking Diaries – A Year in the Life of an Autistic Dog-Walker, can be bought for the dog lover in your life by clicking here to purchase on Amazon.
Like most would-be writers, I’ve tried my hands at a score of ‘real’ aka paying jobs over the years. And like many other people on the autism spectrum, I’ve found it a challenge holding any of them. Until one day, sitting with my cats in my studio apartment, I went online at Craigslist and found an ad for a dog-walking agency. And that chance encounter put me on a path to a new career and the first one that really ‘fit.’
One night I started a regaling a family friend with stories about my work. She told me I should write a book and so I have. The Dog-Walking Diaries is a memoir of my first year as a dog-walker when I was living in the D.C. area. Since then, I’ve moved to Pittsburgh and now work mostly independently rather than through an agency. But I still spend my days in the company of pets. I’ve met purebreds living in high rise buildings who are trained in elevator etiquette to semi-feral mutts who chew up the yards. I’ve met tiny toy dogs who slept on embroidered pillows, and ginormous hounds the size of ATV’s. I’ve walked dogs who were raring at leash to go and dogs who hated any kind of exercise and dug in their heels at the same time. (In case, you’re wondering, yes my arms did get a good stretch on that one.) I’ve had to go out in when it was 100 degrees outside, and when it was freezing cold and the streets were caked in ice. I’d walked dogs when it was raining buckets and when I’ve been feeling sick. I’ve been barked at, growled at, and even bitten.
But for all that dog-walking/pet-sitting is the best job I’ve ever had. There are so many advantages flexible hours, limited contact with people, regular outdoor exercise, and best of all the wonderful four-footed friends you make. Being on the spectrum, I find animals infinitely easier to deal with than people. Consider the following reasons.
Animals are much, MUCH cuter than people. Dogs and cats (typically) have the advantages of being furry, having tails, and even big floppy or pointed ears.
Animals don’t talk back. Oh, they make communicate all right and they make noise but they will NOT bore you with small talk about their favorite reality tv shows or details about their weekend. Nor are YOU expected to keep up a flow of conversation with them. You can just stay quiet and enjoy the walk or the couch in peace.
Dogs or cats don’t lie or send you mixed messages. If they’re happy they’ll let you know either by wagging tails or purrs. If they’re NOT happy, then they’ll make that pretty clear to you too. Human beings however, are famous for not always saying what they really mean, and are thus much more confusing.
They’re much less complicated to form relationships with. Generally with dogs if you give them food and petting then they will like you. Cats aren’t necessarily as affectionate but it’s still pretty simple; feed them and leave them alone. People are far more difficult in this respect.
Though as it turns out, one unexpected benefit of my current line of work is that I often form relationships with the owners as well. Usuallyowners are happy as long as their pets are. Others have been ahem a little more challenging. Many of my current clientele live in the same apartment building as I do. Walking their dogs and feeding their cats has helped me get to know my neighbors better. I also find as I know more people, I attract more and more clients. And, I’m always looking for new clients. It’s a happy cycle all around. Even if you get shed on.
Winnie’s book can be bought for the dog lover in your life by clicking here to purchase on Amazon. She can be reached at wfrolik@hotmail.com.
If you wear a dress, and have an animal sidekick, you’re a princess.
So the great Demi-god Maui (the one and only Dwayne Johnson) informs our titular heroine Moana (newcomer Auli’I Cravalho). And he is of course right. Moana is after all the Chief’s daughter and destined to rule her people making her royalty. Moreover, she’s the singing heroine of an animated Disney film, and that’s always automatic princess.
But Moana in other ways isn’t your typical princess. Being an Ancient Polynesian she never wears a gown, she lives in a hut rather than a castle, and there’s no prince on her horizons. In fact, she doesn’t even want one; Moana’s great dream is to sail beyond the Reef of her home island and reclaim her people’s history of voyaging. No Moana’s story is one of Adventure rather than Romance. She’s been Chosen by the very Ocean itself (depicted here as a living entity and fabulous character in its own right) to save her people from the growing darkness. Shape-shifting Demigod Maui, stole the heart of the earth goddess and loosed horrific monsters upon the world. Moana is set to make him return the heart and stop the threat. Maui takes some convincing. It’s the old couple pairing but Johnson’s hilarious portrayal of his cowardly lion/braggart demi-god and Cravalaho’s fresh earnest presence, find new joy in the formula.
And Disney has some creative tricks up its sleeve; twists and turns in the narrative that deepen the story, and visuals that can literally take your breath away. The color scheme of Moana is so rich and vibrant at times you can almost taste it, with the ocean waters incandescent. But then they find new ground as well in such techniques as Maui’s living tattoos that tell stories. A bioluminescent land of monsters with a giant bling-ed out Crab. A creature of living Lava and flame. It’s an embarrassment of riches that needs to be seen on the Big Screen. So this holiday season, take a break from the cold and dark and board Moana’s boat across the Polynesian islands.
With the holiday season upon us, we all like to find a comfortable chair (ideally in front of a roaring fireplace,) to curl up in, with a cup of eggnog and a good book. But which book? Here are five reads sure to make your days merry and bright!
Hercule Poirot’s Christmas (1938) By Agatha Christie. The incredibly rich (and unpleasant) Simeon Lee invites all his relatives even the estranged ones to celebrate Christmas with him. It soon becomes clear that far from seeking familial reconciliation, Simeon is playing a sadistic mind game with his own descendants. When he’s brutally murdered there’s no lack of suspects for everyone’s favorite dapper little Belgian detective Hercule Poirot to investigate. For those of you whose idea of a perfect Yuletide season includes a cozy English murder mystery, you can’t do better than Dame Agatha at the height of her powers here.
The Cat Who Came For Christmas (1987) By Cleveland Amory. Cleveland Amory was a popular author, a prominent animal rights activist, and self-proclaimed curmudgeon. He was not however, especially fond of cats, until one Christmas he ended up fostering a feral stray cat. Of course Cleveland ended up permanently adopting the cat, (or rather the cat adopted him,) and he named it Polar Bear. This delightful book was the first of a charming trilogy devoted to Polar Bear sure to bring a smile to the lips of any animal lover.
The Autobiography of Santa Claus (1994) By Jeff Guinn. This enchanting holiday classic skillfully blends historical facts with legend to tell us the tale of Santa Claus. The premise has it that Saint Nicholas himself recounts 1700 years of the history of Christmas, the birth of the ‘Santa’ legend, and indeed the worldwide spread of Christianity. The book’s take on Santa’s “elves” or rather “helpers” is a particularly inventive touch that makes the whole story simply magical. This is also the first (and best) part of a trilogy as well that is continued with How Mrs. Claus Saved Christmas and The Great Santa Search.
The Stupidest Angel: A Heartwarming Tale of Christmas Terror (2004) By Christopher Moore. Moore the mad satirical genius behind such works as A Dirty Job and You Suck: A Love Story offers us his own demented take on the Season of Giving. Angel Raziel is sent down to Earth to grant a child’s wish. The child in question is traumatized by seeing a man dressed as Santa Claus die. In a botched attempt to bring ‘Santa’ back to life Raziel unwittingly unleashes a plague of zombies on the little town of Pine Cove.
The Man Who Invented Christmas: How Charles Dickens A Christmas Carol Rescued His Career and Revived Our Holiday Spirits (2011) By Les Stanford. We all know A Christmas Carol or one of the countless versions of it. Here though, is the story of how Carol came to be. In 1843, Charles Dickens was depressed and saddled with debts. He wrote a small Christmas themed novella, but his publisher turned it down. He liked the tale so much though, that he used what little cash he had to publish it himself, though he worried it might ruin him. The rest as they say was history, as A Christmas Carol came to be THE definitive word on Christmas, a holiday that had taken a beating in Victorian England in previous years.
Ah, the holiday season. A time for generosity, merriment, good cheer…and felonies. Yep, in the real world, crooks don’t take a break for Christmas and they didn’t in any of the following five films either.
We’re No Angels(1955) Humphry Bogart (in one of his very few comedic roles), Aldo Ray, and Peter Ustinov star as three prisoners who manage a daring escape from Devil’s Island on Christmas Eve and arrive at a small French colonial town. They quickly become involved with a local shopkeeper and his family. Originally, they’re just looking for a hideout and a chance to steal supplies to make a getaway, but much to their own surprise, they end up becoming the ‘guardian angels’ of the family. Also starring Joan Bennett, Basil Rathbone, and Leo G. Carroll.
Die Hard(1988) Directed by John McTiernan (Predator, The Hunt for Red October) and starring Bruce Willis and Alan Rickman in the iconic roles that launched their careers into superstardom. Arguably the most perfect action movie ever made, it also happens to be set during the Christmas holidays, thus we get plenty of tinsel along with the gratuitous violence. And who doesn’t love a DMC Christmas rap? Featuring such classic zingers as “Ho-ho-ho-Now I have a machine gun,” and “If this is how they celebrate Christmas I gotta be there for New Year’s!”
Home Alone(1990) Directed by Chris Columbus (Gremlins and Harry Potter) and starring young Macauley Culkin as Kevin McAllister who is mistakenly left behind while the rest of his family flies off to celebrate Christmas in Paris. Kevin finds himself enjoying the time to himself but when thieves Harry (Joe Pesci) and Marv (Daniel Stern) figure out the truth, they plan a home invasion only to have Kevin turn the tables on them. Culkin was nominated for a Golden Globe and Home Alone became the highest grossing live action comedy film of all time.
The Ref(1994) This black comedy directed by Ted Demme stars Denis Leary as jewel thief Gus. Gus accidentally trips an alarm and hijacks a car owned by a wealthy, married couple Lloyd (Kevin Spacey) and Caroline Chausser (Judy Greer). Unfortunately for Gus, Lloyd and Caroline are a severely dysfunctional couple whose constant bickering drives him nuts. Matters are further complicated by the unexpected arrival of troubled son Jesse, and then Lloyd’s family, including his brother, sister in law, nephew, niece, and horrible mother, Rose (Glynis Johns). Gus soon finds himself unwittingly playing counselor to the whole clan while trying to avoid the police and get the hell out of suburban Connecticut.
Bad Santa(2003) Terry Zwigoff, (Crumb, Ghost World) directed this raunchy black comedy Every year professional thieves Willie Stokes (Billy Bob Thornton at his most hilarious) and his dwarf assistant Marcus (Tony Cox of Willow, Spaceballs, and Beetlejuice), pose as a department store Santa and his elf assistant. They use their access to rob the malls blind with the help of Marcus’s wife Lois (Lauren Tom of The Joy Luck Club and Futurama), their getaway driver. Willie’s alcoholism, sex-addiction, and foul mouthed behavior though, have begun to alienate Marcus. Meanwhile, Willie befriends a sweet, fatherless, overweight child named Thurman (Brett Kelly) while taking up with a fetching bar lass Sue (Lauren Graham), with a Santa fetish. It well earned its R rating in theaters and there’s an unrated option now for rental! Bad Santa 2, also starring Thornton, is now in theaters.
November 24 is Evolution Day, commemorating the anniversary of the publication of Charles Darwin’s On the Origin of the Species on that day in 1859. In the spirit of marking such a momentous scientific discovery we suggest some of the following books.
The Selfish Gene (1976) by Richard Dawkins. Dawkins would later say he wished he’d titled this “The Immortal Gene.” Dawkins used the term ‘selfish’ gene to express a gene-centered theory of evolution as opposed to the schools that focused more on the organism and the group. Regardless what you think of the title, (or Richard Dawkins for that matter), there’s no doubt this was one of the most seminal books on gene selection and evolution ever published and it came in at #10 on The Guardian’s List of 100 Best Nonfiction Books. It recently came out in a revised 30th Anniversary Edition containing two new chapters reflecting newer findings and ideas.
The Third Chimpanzee: The Evolution and Future of the Human Animal(1991) By Jared Diamond. Diamond explores the animal origins of human behavior. He also explores how Homo Sapiens came to dominate their closest cousins the chimpanzees and why one particular group of Homo Sapiens (aka Eurasians) came to dominate all the other groups as well. In these investigations Diamond draws upon knowledge of physiology and geography arguing against the stock view of simple ‘superior genes’ theorizing that the dominant groups had certain advantages specific to their particular environments. It received the Royal Society Prize for Science Books and the Los Angeles Times Book prize as well.
The Beak of the Finch: A Story of Evolution in Our Time (1994) By Johnathon Weiner. The titular finches are of course are the Galapagos Finches that Darwin observed and that helped him come up with his theory of evolution. Weiner follows two modern day biologists Peter and Rosemary Grant whose research proved that if anything Darwin underestimated how powerful a force natural selection could be and how rapidly it could produce results. It won the 1995 Pulitzer Prize for General Non-fiction.
Finding Darwin’s God: A Scientist’s Search for Common Ground Between God and Evolution(2000) By Kenneth R. Miller. Miller a cell biologist and currently a professor at Brown University is also a Roman Catholic. To some this may seem like a contradiction but to Miller it isn’t. He argues that evolution does not contradict religious faith and in this book explains why. He continues the same train of thought in Only a Theory: Evolution and the Battle for America’s Soul published in 2008.
Endless Forms Most Beautiful: The New Science of Evo Devo and the Making of the Animal Kingdom(2005) By Sean Carroll. Carroll argues that evolution in animals proceeds typically by modifying the way regulatory genes control embryonic development. The regulatory genes are ancient, highly conserved genes that Carroll refers to as the “toolkit.” Both Discover magazine and USA Today named it one of the best science books of the year and it was a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize (Science and Technology) and the National Academy of Science’s Communication Award.
Aloha! Disney’s next big animated epic Moana (featuring Dwayne Johnson as the famed Hawaiian God Maui himself) comes out November 23. Clever timing not only to release a family friendly movie around the holiday season, but also now that the weather’s getting darker and chillier to beguile audiences with one of the world’s dreamiest tropical location shots. In fact Hawaii has long been the setting for a wide variety of movies including the following.
From Here to Eternity(1953) Fred Zinneman (Oklahoma! High Noon, A Man For All Seasons) directed this adaption of the James Jones novel. The film follows the personal issues of three U.S soldiers stationed on Hawaii in the months leading up to Pearl Harbor. The all-star cast sported Burt Lancaster, Montgomery Clift, and Frank Sinatra as the three men while Deborah Kerr and Donna Reed played the women in the their lives. The supporting cast included Ernest Borgnine, George Reeves, and Claude Akins, among others. Small wonder it was nominated for thirteen Academy Awards and won eight including Best Picture, Best Director, Adapted Screenplay, Supporting Actor (Frank Sinatra) and Supporting Actress (Donna Reed). It’s also now considered one of the best films ever made and the scene with Burt Lancaster and Deborah Kerr on the beach is a cultural icon.
Blue Hawaii(1961) First and foremost among Elvis’s legendary Hawaiian films is this musical comedy. Chadwick Gates (Elvis) is a returning veteran whose mother Sarah Lee (Angela Lansbury) wants him to take over the family fruit company. Chad instead goes to work as a tour guide at his girlfriend Maile’s (Joan Blackman) travel agency. Reviews were mixed but the healthy box office receipts inspired the studio to send Elvis back to the Big Island for two more films Girls! Girls! Girls! and Paradise Hawaiian Style. Meanwhile the movie’s soundtrack spent twenty weeks at #1 on the Billboard Pop Album charts and was nominated for a Grammy as well.
The North Shore (1987) Rick Kane (Matt Adler of Flight of the Navigator and White Water Summer) is a teenage kid from Arizona who uses his winnings from a wave tank surfing contest to fly out to Hawaii in hopes of becoming a surfing pro. He quickly learns the real ocean is a lot different than a wave tank and he’s got a lot to learn. Fortunately he comes under the tutelage of legendary soul surfer Chandler (Gregory Harrison). The film has gone on to become a cult hit for its awesome surfing sequences and use of real life professional surfers like Corky Carroll, Gerry Lopez, Laird Hamilton, among many more.
Picture Bride(1995) Kayo Hatta directed and co-wrote the screenplay for Picture Bride with Mari Hatta. It follows a young woman named Riyo (Youki Kodho) who arrives in Hawaii as a “Picture Bride” for a man she’s never met before. To Riyo’s disappointment her intended Matsuji (Akira Takayama) turns out to be considerably older than she anticipated. Meanwhile, racial tensions and labor disputes are rife on the sugar plantation where Riyo and Matsuji work. Critically acclaimed with an over 80% fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes, it also won the Audience Award at the Sundance Film Festival and was an Official Selection at the Cannes Film Festival.
The Descendants (2011) Alexander Payne (Election, Sideways, Nebraska) directed this comedy-drama starring George Clooney and adapted from the novel by Kaui Hart Hemmings. Land Baron Matt King (Clooney) is considering selling a land trust of 25,000 pristine acres his family owns on Kaui. While this is going on his wife Elizabeth is now in a coma because of a tragic boating accident and Matt is shocked to learn from his eldest daughter Alex (Shailene Woodley in the role that launched her career) that his wife was having an affair. It won the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay and two Golden Globe awards for Best Picture and Best Actor for Clooney.
I don’t think I’m dreaming…I ain’t got the brains to make this up.
J.K. Rowling’s took the world by storm with her fantastical vision of Hogwarts and a magical world that we all desperately longed to live in. In fact, the Harry Potter series was so good and so iconic that I was more than a little skeptical about doing a prequel series, that might tarnish the beloved series as The Hobbit prequels only seemed to diminish the grander of Lord of the Rings. Or how The Phantom Menace utterly desecrated Star Wars.
Eddie Redmayne and Katherine Waterston
Thankfully my fears proved groundless. Fantastic Beasts directed by David Yates, who did a number of the Harry Potter films, and set in New York City 70 years before Harry receives that letter from Hogwarts, manages to fit perfectly within the magical world we’ve seen before while paving utterly new ground. Newt Scamander (a rumpled and floppy haired Eddie Redmayne) has come to America on steamer ship to continue his study and collection of magical creatures, who all live in a suitcase.
Samantha Morton
Unfortunately, a mishap with Muggle/NoMaj Kowalkski (Dan Fogler in a nuanced and affecting performance) means the suitcase goes missing and some of the creatures are set loose, earning him the ire of recently demoted aurora, a dark wizard catcher, Tina (Katherine Waterston of Steve Jobs and Inherent Vice). Moreover there’s an anti-witch campaign being sponsored by Mary Lou Barebone (a terrifying turn by Samantha Morton).
Needless to say, the visuals are spectacular. The 20’s setting only adds to the feeling of enchantment as Kowalski and the audience see a whole new universe unfold before our eyes. Without giving too much away, what you see inside Mr. Scamander’s suitcase actually manages to hold its own against Hogwarts castle in the sense of the wonder and delight it elicits. But the film doesn’t just create some truly fabulous new CGI creatures but a wonderful tapestry of new characters and new motifs.
Colin Farrell and Erza Miller
Eddie Redmayne isn’t just adorably rumpled as Newt, he also showcases an incredible capacity for physical comedy in such moments where he tries to imitate the mating behavior of an Erumpent. (Trust me-you have to be there.) Colin Farrell is looking fitter and trimmer than we’ve seen him in years as the sinister official Graves. Ezra Miller (The Perks of Being a Wallflower) is compelling as Mary Lou Barebone’s troubled adopted son, Credence.
Alison Sudol
The biggest surprise though, is singer-songwriter Alison Sudol making her film debut. As Tina’s flirty, mind-reading sister, Queenie, Sudol steals every scene she’s in and her romance with Fogler’s Kowalski is surprisingly poignant and sweet.
Eddie Redmayne
There are other elements too, that not only make Fantastic Beasts a delightful film in its own right but help set up another great franchise. In the Harry Potter films, muggles never played much of a role except for the odious Dursley’s who only appeared at the beginning anyway. Here, the whole storyline revolves around how wizards and non-wizards exist side by side with one another and the inevitable tensions and difficulties that may ensue. But there’s also a chance for new connections as well. Fantastic Beasts is a fable not only about natural conservation but also a story of bigotry, repression, and the need for tolerance. And in these times, that lesson seems more vital than ever.
Top photo: Katherine Waterston, Eddie Redmayne, Alison Sudol, and Dan Fogler Photos courtesy of Warner Brothers Pictures
