American Hustle

This was another great film from David O. Russell.
Irving Rosenfeld (Christian Bale) has always ripped people off. When he was younger, he would purposefully throw rocks in the windows of businesses so they would go to his father's window business for repairs. Now, as an adult, in addition to several dry cleaners and the window repair business, he also does flimsy investments. His scam business really kicks off after Sydney Prosser (Amy Adams) decides to get on his side. She was a former stripper turned secretary at Vogue. Her disguise is also great as someone reputable from Britain.
They also begin an affair despite Irving having a wife, Rosalyn (Jennifer Lawrence) who is completely off her rocker.
But then, an FBI agent, Ritchie DiMaso (Bradley Cooper, great), catches them. Instead of immediately sentencing them to prison time, he wants them to help him get people. Bigger people. Politicians. The Mob. Stuff like that.
It gets complicated from here. The beloved mayor of Camden, Carmine Polito (Jeremy Renner) is a target and he leads them to the mob connections. Then, the FBI gets a Sheik (Michael Pena)--also an undercover FBI agent involved--which will give them money to rebuild Atlantic City which will be great for New Jersey's economy. The Sheik will give them the necessary money but he must become a citizen immediately, which leads to bribes from representatives and even one senator.
But Irving forms a friendship with Carmine and doesn't want him to go down but naturally, he still wants to avoid jail time. But he tries to tell him. Which ends in a fight because Irving ruined everything Carmine had worked so hard for.
In the meantime, Ritchie also has an interesting relationship with his boss, Stoddard Thorsen (Louis C.K.) even beating him up once because Stoddard isn't the most supportive of his plans.
But everything goes wrong. They finally get the chance to bust the head of the Mob, Victor Tellegio (the unbilled awesome cameo from Robert de Niro), by meeting with his lawyer. The money is wired to the account and the lawyer's confession is recorded. Ritchie is thrilled with himself. But the money is not deposited into the account they thought it would be. The money is used as leverage. It is returned in exchange for a shorter sentence for Carmine and Ritchie's career is basically over because he messed up. He was out hustled by the best of them. It was enough to shock me.
There are other plot points, mostly involved Rosalyn. She is crazy, constantly setting the house on fire. My favorite is after Irving receives a microwave as a present from Carmine. Rosalyn jokes about how she was told not to put metal in there, but she does anyway and the thing bursts into flame. She, then, yells to her young son to get the fire extinguisher, but not that one, it's empty. She listens in on her husband's private business calls and nearly gets him killed when she tells her mob boyfriend that Irving receives calls from the IRS.
Ritchie and Sydney (or Edith, her British name) also have an interesting relationship. They almost have sex several times, despite her being with Irving and him having a fiance that he doesn't particularly seem to like. One of the funniest scenes is after she touches his face and then he backs away holding her bare foot. Then, when he finds out that she's actually Sydney Prosser from Albuquerque, he is shocked. That is easily the best Bradley Cooper scene ever, better than his performance from Silver Linings Playbook.
The film ends with Rosalyn and Irving getting a divorce, thank goodness, and though it is only his adopted son, Irving has primary custody with Rosalyn (who should have never had a child in the first place), still carrying on with her Mob boyfriend, visitation rights.
The actors are brilliant with Bale gaining tons of weight and looking ugly on screen, with a horrific comb-over and ridiculous posture. Adams has no problems with showing ample cleavage and can master an accent with convincing realism. Cooper looks good in that crazy, tight curled hairstyle and screams at people and is hungry for sex but never actually gets any. Lawrence is always done up, with her flawless hair and perfectly polished nails and cigarettes flaunting from her month and messy house. Though she reads articles, she is stupid when it comes to the dangerous world her husband lives in. And you can almost believe Renner as the happy family man. This film certainly deserves to have all four main actors nominated for Oscars more than Russell's previous film, Silver Linings Playbook.
The set, as this film does occur during the 1970s, and costumes are also fabulous and odd. I'm glad those fashion statements have passed. 
These people are not good nor do they redeem themselves in any way, but it was enjoyable nevertheless and the twists and turns throughout are excellent and can leave you speechless. This is certainly one of the best films of the year. Grade: A

Saving Mr. Banks

P.L. Travers (Emma Thompson) is stiff to the bone. She doesn't smile, she refuses to meet people halfway, she is as cold as they come.
Certainly her cruel upbringing has something to do with that.
Mrs. Travers, as she insists on being called, is out of money. Her book, Mary Poppins, was a bestseller but all the profits have dried up so her agent basically gives her no choice but to fly to Los Angeles to meet with Walt Disney (Tom Hanks). But she has terms and they include absolutely no animation.
So she flies to Los Angeles, is rude to both a fellow passenger and flight attendant and is furious to find her suite stuffed with all things Disney, like stuffed Mickey Mouse, etc.
Then the real work begins. Mrs. Travers meets with the screenwriter Don DaGradi (Bradley Whitford) and the Sherman brothers, Richard and Robert (Jason Schwartzman and B.J. Novak), all of whom have great ideas but Mrs. Travers bulks at all of them. She is nit-picky about everything. She doesn't like the name they pick out for Mrs. Banks, doesn't like that they opt to make her a suffragette and doesn't like the plan for the house. Everything also must be recorded, not as easily done then as it would be now.
Walt, as he insists on being called, tries to appease her, does everything in his power to make her happy. But it is impossible to make Mrs. Travers happy. He promised his daughters that he would turn her book into a film and a father never breaks a promise to his daughters.
Her childhood was a difficult one. She did not have a happy childhood. Her father, Travers Gall (Colin Farrell) was an alcoholic, though you don't realize it right away and it becomes worse after the family moves. Sure, he may be a loving father, but his addiction will destroy the family. Ginty (Annie Rose Buckley), Mrs. Travers's childhood nickname, loves her father much more than her mother, Margaret (Ruth Wilson). In fact, Margaret nearly kills herself by walking into a lake, nearly pulling a Virginia Woolf, but luckily, Ginty saves her. But Travers gets worse, embarrassing the family horribly at a public event, which causes Margaret to give him one of the best death glares I have ever seen. But that doesn't save him. He is horribly sick, coughing up blood. Ginty doesn't listen to her mother and finds the last liquor bottle and gives it to him. Yet, her father criticizes the young girl's poem. Then, he sends her out for pears, and she returns only to find that he has died. Yikes.
These events have affected Mrs. Travers for years. She has no family, none that would truly care about her and she barely tries to make friends. The only person she grows close to is her driver, Ralph (Paul Giamatti) who reveals that he has a disabled daughter which is why he worries about the weather so much. Mrs. Travers is surprising sympathetic about that and even personally signs one of her books for him.
But the plight of making the movie continues. She also is insulted when the writers don't realize that Mary Poppins isn't actually saving the children, but she's saving the father which confused me. I'll get to that later.
Although the writers eventually get Mrs. Travers to nearly come on board, with the delightful "Let's Go Fly a Kite" song only to have her hopes dashed with the insistence of animation she bulks and refuses to sign over the rights and returns home in a huff to London.
Luckily, Walt doesn't give up that easily, convincing her with his own sordid past, and how he overcame everything. His father was a businessman and had a horrible work ethic which meant his young sons had to deliver newspapers in all sorts of weather and often, if something wasn't done well, abuse would follow. Mrs. Travers signs away her rights and even goes to the Los Angeles premiere despite not having an invitation. She appears pleased with the final product.
I did have several issues with the film. Sure the acting was top-notch, including a good performance from Colin Farrell, though I still find him to have a creeper vibe, I had issues with the plot. Though Mary Poppins came to save the father, in reality, that never happened for Ginty. Her aunt (Rachel Griffiths, always underused) arrived and whipped the house into shape, the odd aunt, with a carpet bag full of interesting things, the father could not be saved. Mr. Banks may have finally taken his job as a father seriously but this was not to be for Travers. Yet, Ginty loved him so much, she took his name anyway. So, yes, I don't really get the title. Sure, Mr. Banks was saved in the final film, but he was based on Mrs. Travers's actual father who was never saved. Ginty's past is left unsolved. I also wish that when Ralph picked Mrs. Travers up for the premiere, he mentioned his daughter, something to tie-up that plot line.
Fortunately, the acting saves the film. Each actor is brilliant with stand-out performances from both Thompson and Hanks who deserve every nomination they each receive. And it looks good. With pristine cinematography and great scenic design and costumes. I just wish that Mrs. Travers also got her happy ending, like Walt did his. Grade: A-

The Middle: The Christmas Tree

This was a very good Christmas episode. Though I usually love how the Hecks do the holidays, I haven't been the fondest of how they celebrate Christmas, but this episode got it right. Sure, there are plot holes but I loved the episode anyway.
Axl (Charlie McDermott) is back home from college and Frankie's (Patricia Heaton's) thrilled about it, but he doesn't want to spend anytime with the family, choosing his friends over them in a heartbeat. He and Frankie strike up a deal which includes Axl having to buy a tree and decorate with the family and spend Christmas Eve with the family and finally watch White Christmas. But Christmas Eve is a huge bust. The DVD Frankie purchases is in German which explains why it was so cheap and Axl is horribly annoyed.
Christmas isn't going well for the rest of the Hecks either. Sue (Eden Sher) adores Christmas but is devastated to discover that she is allergic to the beautiful real Christmas Tree. Mike (Neil Flynn) gets rid of it because it is slowly killing her, though, with her insistence, the tree is restored. Which means that Sue can't be in the same room as the tree, blocking herself in the kitchen. When the crazy cheerleaders Courtney and Debbie (Brittany Ross and Natalie Lander) come to visit, they believe that the Hecks are hosting a sick child for the holidays. Yikes.
Brick (Atticus Shaffer) probably will have the worst Christmas. In order to get some great prizes, he agrees to sell various things for various clubs. His system is horrible, he must sell something to pay off something else. Popcorn tins will pay off the wrapping paper but then peppermint bark will pay off popcorn tins and some on. To remedy this vicious cycle, Brick is selling poinsettias he took from the park. Which park? You and Frankie might ask? The one with all the dead people. Frankie quickly helps him carry in all the plants. That was easily the funniest part of the show.
On Christmas Eve, after the movie viewing goes bust, Frankie reluctantly allows Axl to attend his joyous bonfire. But Mike doesn't really want him to go. He pulls out an old song, "Cat's Cradle" which actually hits home for Axl. The song is about how when the son is young, he wants to spend time with his father but the dad is busy and then when the son grows up, he becomes busy and can't spend time with his father when the father wants to. Axl decides to give up his bonfire and sit on the snow sofa Sue made so she can also enjoy the tree, albeit outside in the freezing cold. The Hecks have a good Christmas after all.
The ending may have been a limp one, almost added solely so the credits could run but overall, the episode was great. Of course, the acting was top notch as it normally is, with Sue trying her hardest to enjoy the holidays despite sneezing often and getting hives on her arms. Axl has to put on a good attitude when he spends time with the family which he does only after being prodded by Mike. And, for Mike's delight, he doesn't have to spend time with Frankie's parents. Grade: A
Side Notes:
-Mike is so happy about Frankie's parents not coming that he is actually in a good mood for the majority of the episode and kisses Frankie, sure only on the cheek, but that's better than most episode.
-To cure her sneezing, Sue puts on a snorkel, so she can still make cookies, but it doesn't always work.
-Frankie and Axl literally write down an agreement for the amount of time he must spend with the family.
-The stupid cheerleaders have met Sue three times now, at least, and still don't know who she is, no one is that stupid. Whatever.
-Apparently, the rager Axl insisted on going to was super lame and he regrets his decision.
-Brick should be smarter than his plan. He should have known it would backfire as it is the Heck household after all.
-Sue, in her bubble, still insists on helping Mike decorate the tree by telling him through the screen on where the ornaments should be. 
-When Axl describes the song to Brick, he is almost crying and it gets to Brick also. He must leave to call Mike at work.

The Sound of Music: Live! (2013)

Now, despite my issues with the film, the stage version of The Sound of Music will never be as good as the film. The film has lush cinematography and because it’s a movie, it can actually be filmed outside like it was meant to be. But I do have problems. Though Julie Andrews will always and forever be Maria to me and probably thousands of others, I feel that Christopher Plummer is miscast. Sure, if I was grading the film, I would still give it an A, but Plummer is too young for the role, his singing is dubbed (which always loses points with me) and his performance is wooden at times. And the role of the baroness (Eleanor Parker in the film) is a squishy one. She is cruel at times, wanting to put the children in a boarding school and doesn’t care to get to know them, but she gives Maria the final push to approach the Captain, so I can’t consider her all bad. The real villain is the Nazis. And maybe even the Captain himself until his hard shell softens.

But I’m not reviewing the film, I’m reviewing the live stage production.

It begins differently, with the nuns in the Abbey, but Maria (Carrie Underwood) is missing. Then, it cuts to her singing in the forest set. Sure, the Abbey looks great but the forest is clearly a set. I know, I know, but still, it bothers me. I want the actual scenery. And then, worse, they use that same scenery, yikes, for the song between Rolf and Liesl, “Sixteen Going on Seventeen”, which truly upset me.

Also, the songs are out of order. Okay, not really, but compared to the movie they are. This is why when I watch the film first, I often have a problem with the stage version. This is also most certainly the case of West Side Story. I love and adore the film, but I have issues with the stage version, putting a joyous song after the major deaths and having the song “Somewhere” as a group number. Once again, I’m reviewing the stage production of The Sound of Music.

I love Carrie Underwood, but basically from the beginning, I felt that she was miscast. Maria must be someone European. Still, her performance was more than acceptable but it could have been better, like actually crying when she reveals her true feelings about the Captain. However, Maria does start out as a strong character, refusing to give in to the Captain’s (Stephen Moyer’s) insistence that she answer to a whistle call, but after marrying him, she will follow him blindly, but she’s no longer afraid of her emotions. The actors do have good chemistry, but “Something Good” lacks the heat it had in the film.Yet, when he hands her his whistle, signaling his change, the moment is poignant.
Okay, back to Maria. I fail to understand why they made her look like a Swedish milkmaid for most of the film, including the pivotal engagement scene (more on that later).  Her performance only misses a beat once, but you never get the impression that she is Maria, she's only playing, pretending to be Maria.
Now, lets talk about the Captain. Stephen Moyer can actually sing, always a plus. Perhaps it is because of the set-up of the live version, his performance is often on the stiff side. Maybe if we had more real close ups, we could see the cool man melt upon hearing his children sing. His sudden change is just that, sudden. Only five minutes after pulling himself from his children's embrace, he opens his arms warmly to them. Too quick, but a sweet moment nevertheless.

Thank goodness for Laura Benanti as the Baroness Schrader and Audra McDonald as the Mother Superior. They are utterly brilliant. The moment Benanti entered, it was like a breath of fresh air. She was great, nailing the role. She is great as the cold Baroness, blatantly telling the children that it will take her a while to get their names right, and not caring that it will take her a while. 

Also, the volatile political climate plays a much bigger role in this stage production than in the film itself.  That is the real reason that the Captain (Stephen Moyer) and the Baroness’s engagement breaks off, because she and Max (the unrecognizable Christian Borle) will give in just so their lifestyles are not changed. This angers the Captain, so Maria is informed that she was mistaken, they will not be getting married. Which leads to the best twitter comment ever: “I’ve never been engaged, but the Captain is engaged twice in five minutes. Rebound much?” Which nails my sentiments exactly.  He may have had lingering feelings for Maria for some time, bemoaning her sudden departure, but their engagement is extremely sudden.  Yet, it is a love story I can’t help but root for, despite Maria being his rebound. 

Okay, another huge problem I had was the song order. “My Favorite Things” needs to be sung during the thunderstorm, not between Maria and Mother Superior. A change also needs to be noticed in the children. They must, at first, be mean to Maria but then change.  And teaching them to sing must be done at a later time, not right after meeting them.

Okay, that’s all I have with the song orders.

It is ambitious to do a live stage production, something which hasn’t been done in over fifty years. I feel that they should do more. The commercials are jarring and probably brought the final grade of the film down. Still, the singing is brilliant, not a note is out of place, and Underwood only messed up one line, though she immediately corrected herself. There were very few technical differences noticed which is incredible in itself.

The children are also very good, nailing the roles, though I found it odd that Maria is alerted to her hidden feelings for the Captain by young Bridgitta. Whatever, the children were great, especially Kurt. They all can really sing. Great finds, casting directors.
The set is also interesting. It is clearly not a stage setting, but rather an elaborate set arranged just for this telecast. I might have preferred if it was done on the traditional stage. I've seen it twice on stage and it was done better than this film. I found it particularily jarring when Maria leaves the von Trapp house and is immediately back in the Abbey. Also, when the family went from their living room to the performance hall was another awkward transition. But the sets (with the notable exception of the forest and hills) did look good. Oh well, you can't get everything you want.

Also, the choreography must be noted. The cast didn’t miss a step and some of the dancing must have been difficult. If nothing else, the cast has guts, performing live across America, nerves weren’t really an issue, incredible.

I would have liked the commercials to be used minimally, which they weren’t. But the production could have been far worse, but it also could have been much better. I blame the commercials for some of my issues. Yet, I am still glad I also DVR'd this, because despite my many problems, I will gladly watch this again and again. Grade: B

The Middle: The Kiss

This was a great episode, until the ending.
First off, Frankie (Patricia Heaton) wants to spice up her relationship with Mike (Neil Flynn), a subject which this show should have addressed by now, given the importance of it. So when an opportunity comes for them to get away, Frankie jumps on it. Mike is less certain. The opportunity? House sitting for Frankie's sister Janet. But the house is so nice and new with all these crazy appliances which Frankie and Mike don't understand and thus can't work. So tempers flare, first at those devices but then at each other. Fortunately, Mike gets the bright idea of throwing one of the many ice cubes at Frankie though their good mood is nearly dampened when they arrive in the bedroom with the odd bed, which also needs remotes to work. But the viewer can assume that this part ends with them having sex on the floor before crawling into bed.
Axl's (Charlie McDermott's) plot line was equally as good. His friends, Sean and Darrin (Beau Wirick and John Gammon) come to visit. When asked how things are going, he reluctantly admits that he still wonders about Cassidy (Galadriel Stineman). Immediately, without missing a beat, the friends order a road trip is in order. Axl agrees at first, but then changes his mind when he realizes that he has no clue about what is going on in her life. She could totally have a new boyfriend, which is probably the case, considering she had broken up with Cliff for a whole hour before getting together with Axl. Does Facebook mean nothing to him? Still, it would be a great romantic gesture and he's curious to see where he stands so they head back. Things get hard when the gang steals some onion rings from an elderly couple. True, they thought that the couple had left but instead, they are furious and the guys don't have the money to pay so they run for it. Unfortunately, this story is still open-ended. Axl returns to his dorm, claiming that he forgot his keys but in reality, he doesn't know what he wanted yet. Who knows what is on the horizon?
Now, to the story line that ended horribly. Sue (Eden Sher) and Brick (Atticus Shaffer) are left at home, with Sue in charge. However, once the door is closed, Brick disappears so Sue goes to find him. He's in the basement but when they return upstairs, the Glossners have taken over. Yikes. None of their attempts to lure the Glossners out of the house work, until Sue and Brick are shut out of the house. Brick's proposition is simple, just ask them nicely to leave. Sue doesn't think this will work, but surprise, surprise, it does. All because she does the asking and asks the older Glossner, who has a crush on her. I didn't like that but it ended worse, with him kissing her. Sue's reaction is shock no happiness to be had.
Still, I liked this episode better than the Thanksgiving one, except for the ending to Sue's story line. I'm glad that they finally gave Frankie and Mike another strong and realistic plot line and Axl needed to face his emotions about Cassidy, the first girl he truly cared about. And Sue is gullible so I can see why the Glossners would enter the house, but I don't think that anything will happen between her and the older Glossner boy and for that, I am eternally grateful. Grade: A-
Side Notes:
-Poor Mike, the first thing to make him happy in some time, that huge TV, and he can't even get it to work.
-What is up with that ice cube dispenser? It must be haunted.
-I believe we finally saw Kenny's (Tommy Bechtold's) face and it certainly wasn't even that impressive. In fact, it was not significant in any way.
-You would think the guys would have more money between them than almost nothing.
-Among the ideas to get the Glossners out of the house include luring them out with Pop-Tart pieces and yell fire, both of which don't work.
-I liked that they kept you guessing with Axl's plot line, but seriously, you aren't Facebook friends with her? Geez, that's super awkward, especially when you were dating her. Though Cassidy is odd, so maybe she didn't even have a facebook. Still, I'm confused, whatever.
-Frankie hates that Mike never wants to do anything while Mike hates that she has all these ideas which always manage to get ruined. I'm glad they got their happy ending.
-The funniest part of the episode was when the guys were singing along to Katy Perry's 'Part of Me' in the car. Who knew that they would listen to Katy Perry? And that they would know the words? Also, there could have been hidden meaning here, after all the song is about someone grateful that their relationship ended, though I don't feel that that is the case for Axl.

Philomena

This film is probably the opposite of The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, there is nothing big or blockbuster about this film, yet it's just as enjoyable.
Judi Dench shines as Philomena Lee who commits a great sin. When she is a young girl, played by Sophie Kennedy Clark, she meets a boy and they engage in the enjoyable but sinful act of sex. Philomena becomes pregnant and is sent away to a convent where she will have her baby. And then she must stay there for the next four years to pay them back for their kindness. She only gets to see her baby for one hour a day while she slaves away in the laundry. But the worst thing happens and the nuns don't even tell her about it. Philomena's son, Anthony, and her friend's daughter, Mary are bought by an American couple.
The film is about her journey to find him. It begins with Martin Sixsmith (Steve Coogan), a jaded and depressed former journalist. He has no interest in her human interest story, which he overhears from Philomena's daughter, Jane (Anna Maxwell Martin, who needs to be in more films), but after a talk with his wife, he changes his mind, albeit reluctantly. He has time on his hands and this story interests him, plus it will get his name back out there.
So Martin and Philomena set out to the convent, still in existence to begin. But all the records burned in a fire. I should say they were burned in a fire. According to a local bar owner, the nuns had a big bonfire in their fields to burn the adoption papers. Yet the one paper saved was signed by Philomena herself, saying that she had no right to her child. She doesn't regret signing the paper.
Fortunately, Martin has contacts, both in Britain and the United States. Yet, they won't tell him much so he convinces Philomena to come to the United States with him. She does and enjoys it, but the paper Martin is working for is footing the bill. His editor (Michelle Fairley) loves the sensational story.
And the story only gets more sensational. Luckily, Martin's contacts come through. Anthony was adopted (aka bought and paid for) by an American couple which meant that his name was changed. Not just his last name, but also his first name. Anthony is now Michael Hess. Or he was Michael Hess. A quick internet search reveals the devastating truth. Michael has been dead for eight years. He had a good job, worked for two presidents but had a secret homosexual lifestyle and thus died, as Philomena and myself predicted, of AIDS.
Sure, Philomena is devastated, but decides not to leave. She wants to meet people who knew him. And she does. She meets his co-worker, she meets his sister, Mary (Mare Winningham), who doesn't even bother to ask any questions about her mother and finally, after some extreme struggles, she meets Michael's partner, Pete Olson (Peter Hermann). Pete does not wish to speak with Martin, but Philomena tries him herself. Another twist occurs. Before his death, while Michael is dying of AIDS, he visits Ireland and the convent where he was born. But the nuns tell him that his mother abandoned him. Even though Philomena has visited them several times, they always told her that they had no new information about her son. Philomena chalks this up them not knowing about the name change, though one nun who was there in her time is still there and did nothing.
Upon returning to Ireland, Martin and Philomena return. Martin is furious and lashes out at the elderly nun who regrets nothing. Philomena sinned and deserved all of the suffering heaped upon her. Nevertheless, Philomena forgives her. She feels sorry for Martin, incapable of kindness and compassion. Still, the film manages to tie up all the loose ends, with Philomena visiting the grave of her son. He buried at the convent where he was born. Philomena's life has come full circle.
The story is a sad one, but one that does need to be told. Martin will later turn Philomena's story into a book. It shows how unsympathetic the Catholic Church can be, evil as Jane calls them. Thank goodness times have changed. Yet,  Philomena is still the devout Catholic while Martin who has had nothing devastating like that happen to him is the one who doesn't believe in God. The chemistry between the two is great. Coogan is equally as good as Dench, though one does feel more sympathy for her. She even says that forgiving the nun wasn't easy for her.
The problems I have with the film are minor. The character of Mary, albeit a cameo role, is hard to define. She says that life with her adopted parents was far from ideal. Her doctor father was tough. Her life is nothing like her brother's living a much simpler lifestyle. Mary seems almost cold and distant. Once Pete opens up, his is not.
There are also funny moments, like when Philomena visits the Lincoln Memorial and is worried that her son might be obese, because of all the large portions in America.
This film is not to be taken lightly, but it shows a time that should not be forgotten, when being a single mother was more than just frowned upon-it was taboo. It showed no sympathy for them, never. Certainly that's not what a church should stand for. Grade: A