SUNDAY'S REVIEW

"How to Make an American Quilt"

A oldie,but a goodie! This is definitely a chic flick. The plot revolves around the lives of a quilting group. As they sew the wedding quilt for Finn (Ryder), the stories of each woman are revealed. Decidedly different and yet all intertwined the stories are poignant and full of life. This movie proved to especially remind me of the fact that all women were young once and led lives of the young. Full of romance, hurt, betrayal, love, devotion, and all of the other emotions of the spectrum. The women have a common bond that has spanned the decades and they continue to grow together as they age together. A well done film, I would highly recommend it and even recommend a rewatch. Below is a review as published by Time Out Film Guide.

"Struggling to finish a thesis on women's handiwork in tribal cultures and to come to terms with her imminent marriage, Berkeley student Finn Dodd (Ryder) returns to spend the summer with her grandmother (Burstyn) and great aunt (Bancroft). Their idyllic retreat is also the work place of the Grasse Quilting Bee, and as its members make her wedding quilt, Finn becomes privy to their tales of love and betrayal. Unlike the glib accounts of bonding in Waiting to Exhale and Now and Then, this adaptation of Whitney Otto's best-seller is a lyrical, intelligent attempt to create a specifically 'female' cinema. Moorhouse keeps the narrative, which spans 130 years, on a tight rein, never allowing it to wander aimlessly from one anecdote to the next. Admittedly, the metaphor (life's rich tapestry) is facile, but the direction, Janusz Kaminski's pastoral photography and Jane Anderson's finely tuned dialogue combine to produce a subtle, surprisingly witty film. Nevertheless, it's the remarkable performances which really enhance the mixture of nostalgia and world-weary realism: Ryder, as gamine as ever, delivers her most credible performance to date, while the luminous Simmons and imposing Angelou infuse the film with grace and understated charm."
Author: KM
Source:Time Out Film Guide


=Cast & crew
Director: Jocelyn Moorhouse
Producer: Sarah Pillsbury, Midge Sanford
Cast: Winona Ryder, Anne Bancroft, Dermot Mulroney, Ellen Burstyn, Kate Nelligan, Alfre Woodard, Kate Capshaw, Lois Smith, Jean Simmons, Rip Torn, Maya Angelou, Melinda Dillon, Gail Strickland full cast


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Saturday's activity included a 7 + mile run. The heat and humidity were oppressing. The best thing you can say about runs on days like this is THANK GOODNESS IT IS OVER! I am REALLY looking forward to the cool temperatures in Canada & Montana.