By Skip Sheffield
When I saw “ChickFlicks” as a producing partner for the Samuel Goldwyn Classic film “Lila & Eve,” I thought uh-oh. However, “Lila & Eve,” which opens July 17 at Living Room Theaters, is anything but a standard chick-flick romance. No, this is a grief, revenge and women’s solidarity story written by Pat Gilfillan, directed by Charles Stone III and set in the present in the “bad part” of Atlanta.
Viola Davis plays Lila, a single mom whose older son Stephon (Ami Ameen) is shot dead by a stray bullet in a gang shooting. Lila joins a support group of grieving mothers who subscribe to a 12-step program of dealing with their anger and sorrow. Eve (Jennifer Lopez) is a member of the group who is skeptical of the advice given, and storms out of a meeting. Lila confronts Eve and asks her if she could be her sponsor.
“We aren’t real to them,” Eve says of Atlanta Police. “Hell, they don’t even see us.”
Feeling powerless, Lila and Eve decide to take the law into their own hands, with dangerous results. “Lila & Eve” is “Dirty Harry” crossed with “Thelma and Louise.” It’s a short, tense ride through the mean streets of Atlanta, with a surprising outcome.
Three stars
“Palm Beach County During World War II”
Boca Raton Historical Society curator Susan Gillis is the proud co-author of “Palm Beach County During World War II,” recently published by Arcadia Publishing of Charleston, South Carolina. Gillis and co-authors Debi Murray and Richard Marconi of the Historical Society of Palm Beach County will present a short talk and book-signing at 7 p.m. Wednesday, July 22 at Old Town Hall, 71 N. Federal Highway, Boca Raton.
“You could say I have wanted to do this since I first got here in 2002,” said Susan Gillis last Thursday at Old Town Hall. “Last summer I got together with my dear friends Debi and Richard and said why don’t we write about World War II for all of Palm Beach County, not just Boca Raton Army Airfield? The war affected people of all walks of life all over the county. There was a submarine base in Jupiter; the Breakers Hotel became a hospital and there was Morrison Field in West Palm Beach and the Lantana Airport, plus all the civilian sub-spotters and Civil defense workers.”
The $21.95 soft-cover book is copiously illustrated with vintage photographs lent by local citizens. Many of them have never been seen before. While the Boca Raton Army Airfield (BRAAF) was by far the largest base in South Florida, World War II affected all Floridians everywhere.
“If it weren’t for the Boca Raton Airbase we would not have FAU or the present airport,” said Gillis. “The town was devastated when the air base closed, but it made more than 6,000 acres of land available for development. Boca Raton would not be the same without BRAAF.”
Community Cabaret
For entertainment of a lighter sort, there is another Community Cabaret with 20 acts from teens to seniors at 7:30 p.m. July 22 at the Willow Theatre of Sugar Sand Park, 300 S. Military Trail, Boca Raton. Admission is just $5. Call 561-347-3900.