Welcome Home Roxy Carmichael

In one of her quintessential brooding roles, Our Winona plays Dinky Bozzetti, an outcast who shuffles through life with her all-black wardrobe. Her best friends include several dogs, a pig, a turtle, and a goat. Adopted as an infant, Dinky is convinced that Clyde, Ohio's favorite daughter -- the famous Roxy Carmichael -- is her biological mother. As the whole town prepares for the arrival of Carmichael for the first time in fifteen years, Dinky becomes more and more convinced of her roots.

Verdict: Four croquet balls; Noni plays to her strengths, which play well with the Melissa Etheridge soundtrack.

Heathers - One of the best films ever made

On the occasion of my twenty-fourth birthday, back in 1988, I read a review of a movie called Heathers in the Cincinnati Enquirer newspaper. I remember the phrase "dark comedy about teenage suicide" which immediately intrigued me. I have always preferred satire to the typical "rom com" or utterly unbelievable "action film" rot that is usually produced by Hollywood.  I shared the review with my husband, and we made plans to go to the movies that night.

The movie was clever, funny, dark, and (best of all) set in Ohio (our home at the time). We were the only people in the theater laughing when Christian Slater as (J.D.) holds up a bottle of Perrier water explains to Our Winona (asVeronica) that it is a "perfecto homosexual artifact". When Veronica protests he goes on to say "this is Ohio. I mean, if you don't have a brewski in your hand you might as well be wearing a dress." 

I don't know how many times we've seen this film - more than ten but less than twenty. We never get tired of it. It is fresh and funny every time. The writers did a great job of creating something that is so intrinsically '80s without becoming dated.

The original and best, "Mean Girls" film, a timeless classic. 

Final verdict - 5 croquet balls

Lagniappe -- Global Pandemic Update

See  our WWND post for a 2020 update.