The James Logan Courier

By Steven Rea and Carrie Rickey
The Philadelphia Inquirer (MCT)

ARMY OF SHADOWS 4 stars. Jean-Pierre Melville's taut 1969 study of the French Resistance movement during World War II — and a small band of men (and a few women) who risked to fight the Nazi occupation — is nothing short of a masterpiece. 2 hrs. 25 No MPAA rating (violence, profanity, adult themes) — Steven Rea.

THE BREAK-UP 2 stars. Though the Vince Vaughn-Jennifer Aniston vehicle is marketed as a romantic comedy, this war of nerves is a mostly melancholy saga about a prickly pair who would rather play head games than house. Comic support comes from Jon Favreau and Judy Davis. 1 hr. 47 PG-13 (brief nudity, profanity, sexual candor) —Carrie Rickey

By Philip Hersh
Chicago Tribune (MCT)

U.S. cyclist Floyd Landis described his successful comeback attempt in the Tour de France as "the Hail Mary pass," a desperate plea to a higher power when the situation seems hopeless.

Martha Dandridge Custis Washington (June 2, 1731 – May 22, 1802) was the wife of George Washington, the first president of the United States, and therefore is seen as the first First Lady of the United States (although that title was not coined until after her death; she was simply known as "Lady Washington").


"Washington's Family" by Edward Savage, painted between 1789 and 1796, shows (from left to right): George Washington Parke Custis, George Washington, Eleanor Parke Custis, Martha, and an enslaved servant, probably William Lee.

Read more about Martha Washington at the official website of the Whitehouse, residence of the President of the United States.