Blog Posts

Movie Musicals

In this post, The Retreat at Tampa is featuring four movie musicals for you to enjoy this fall. As nights get longer and days get shorter, spend your evening at home watching a classic movie musical. We are featuring three of our favorite classic musicals in this post and one new musical coming out in December; we hope that you enjoy! Singin’ in the Rain (1952) Silent film star Don Lockwood (Gene Kelly) scrambles to make it big in “talkies” when The Jazz Singer (1937) makes crowds crazy for talking pictures. With the help of his best friend (Donald O’Connor) and girlfriend (Debbie Reynolds), Don plans to win over the talking world with The Dancing Cavalier , a musical. The only problem? His screechy-voiced co-star, Lina Lamont (Jean Hagen). From Roger Ebert : “ One of this movie's pleasures is that it's really about something. Of course it's about romance, as most musicals are, but it's also about the film industry in a period of dangerous transition. The movie simplifies the changeover from silents to talkies, but doesn't falsify it.” An American in Paris (1944) Jerry Mulligan (Gene Kelly) is a painter trying to make it big in Paris. He falls in love with a girl, Lise (Leslie Caron), who works at a perfume shop. Jerry’s possessive patron Milo (Nina Foch) and Lise’s fiance (Georges Guetary) complicate their romance. From Roger Ebert: “ ...’American’ has many qualities of its own, not least its famous ballet production number, with Kelly and Leslie Caron symbolizing the entire story of their courtship in dance. And there are other production numbers, set in everyday Parisian settings, that are endlessly inventive in their use of props and locations.” Top Hat (1935) Jerry Travers (Fred Astaire) and Dale Tremont (Ginger Rogers) dance their way into romance in Top Hat . Dale mistakes Jerry for her best friend’s husband; when Jerry proposed marriage, a scandalized Dale rushes into the arms of another man. Wrongs must be righted before the couple can find their happily-ever-after. From Roger Ebert: “ Because Astaire believed that movie dance numbers should be shot in unbroken takes that ran as long as possible, what they perform is an achievement in endurance as well as artistry. At a point when many dancers would be gasping for breath, Astaire and Rogers are smiling easily, heedlessly. To watch them is to see hard work elevated to effortless joy: The work of two dancers who know they can do no better than this, and that no one else can do as well.” La La Land (2016) This throwback to classic musicals is coming out on December 2, 2016. Variety wrote that the movie “ is the most audacious big-screen musical in a long time, and — irony of ironies — that’s because it’s the most traditional. In his splashy, impassioned, shoot-the-moon third feature, Chazelle, the 31-year-old writer-director of “Whiplash,” pays virtuoso homage to the look and mood and stylized trappings of the Hollywood musicals of the ’40s and, especially, the ’50s (glorious soundstage spectacles of star-spangled rapture), with added shades of Jacques Demy and “New York, New York.” A lot of people still find old musicals corny or think (mistakenly) that they’re quaint. Yet the form remains stubbornly alive in the bones of our culture. That’s why it feels so right, in “La La Land,” to see a daring filmmaker go whole hog in re-creating a lavish studio-system musical, replete with starry nights and street lamps lighting up the innocence of soft-shoe romance, and two people who were meant for each other literally dancing on air.”

October Treats

This month The Retreat at Tampa Blog is celebrating the changing seasons with a few fall dessert recipes for you to enjoy. We hope that you have the opportunity to relax, pull out your baking supplies, and make something delicious this month. We have everything from breads to cookies to cupcakes to donuts on the list. We hope that we have a recipe that fits your taste. Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies from Cooking Classy This classic recipe pairs perfectly with a cool fall afternoon, a good movie, and a cup of hot chocolate. Sometimes it is best to stick with what works. This recipe has the perfect blend of fall spices, pumpkin, and chocolate. You will love it. Caramel Apple Cupcakes from Life, Love and Sugar Nothing says “fall” quite like caramel apples. Caramel apple cupcakes incorporate fall flavors like brown sugar, apples, and caramel sauce for a deliciously rich dessert. The caramel buttercream frosting is the perfect topping for this sweet treat. Pumpkin Pecan Donuts with Maple Vanilla Glaze Start your mornings with a steaming cup of coffee and a pumpkin pecan donut with maple vanilla glaze. These cake donuts are best served warm, but you can save a few for your early mornings before work. Brown Sugar Butter Pecan Scones from The Merchant Baker This is another great breakfast option. Brown sugar butter pecan scones have a nutty, warm, buttery taste that is great for early mornings. Wake up with a cup of tea or coffee and this delicious treat, or have your own afternoon tea with these scones as the starring treat. Chocolate Cinnamon Roll Pull Apart Bread from Crazy for Crust This two-ingredient treat can be easily thrown together on a quick morning or afternoon. If you need to bring a dessert to bring to a fall or Halloween party, we recommend making this one. All you need is a can of cinnamon rolls from Pillsbury and chocolate spread. Crazy for Crust recommends using peanut butter for the center if you want something a little warmer and nuttier. Thanks for reading our post! What is your go-to fall dessert recipe? Leave it in the comments, and we’ll try it out.