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    And Call Off Christmas!


    2010 - 03.08

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    Posted in Movies | 3 Comments »

    Before the newest in the endless stream of Robin Hood tales hits the big screen this summer (the first film featuring the outlaw dates back to 1908… the character is hundreds of years old), I recently revisited the 1991 Kevin Costner version Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves.  Lots of memories dating back to the summer going into my senior year in high school. I of course saw the movie in the theatre.  I really liked it but found some bits a little unnerving.  Would Maid Marian, a woman of noble blood during the Crusades of King Richard the Lionhearted really hit a man “below the belt?”

    I vividly recall the remarkably gifted character actor Alan Rickman in his delightfully delicious turn as the Sheriff of Nottingham.  From the original Die Hard to the continuing Harry Potter saga as Prof. Snape, Rickman shines in the most seemingly villainous of roles.  Anyone who orders the cancellation of Christmas is pure evil!  Was the birth of Christ celebrated in the 12 Century?  Who cares anyway?  Too much digging into a movie is bad for the enjoyment, in my opinion.

    Back to the school year.  After the success of the Bryan Adams hit from the soundtrack, the choir sang “(Everything I Do), I Do It For You.”  Along with “Unchained Melody” from Ghost, the two songs made for a nice duo of songs from the movies.  The score by Michael Kamen is perfect!

    The home video version is definitely in need of an upgrade.  The sound on the DVD I received from Netflix was not all that great even coming from the Blu-Ray conversion.  Maybe it will receive an upgrade prior to the new film.  Or I could watch “Robin Hood Daffy.”

    Here’s the trailer for the new movie:

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    History With Oscar


    2010 - 03.08

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    Posted in Movies | 5 Comments »

    If nothing else, last night’s Academy Awards made a strong statement that traditional movie making is still preferable to the rise of technology…. in the eyes of the voters anyway.  Avatar may have earned $567,890,123.45 (that figure may even be low) at the box office but I think it was ultimately the big loser this year at the awards.  I really thing Dr. Doogie’s kick-off to the evening was the low point,  Did anyone else see his song (?) and dance?  If not… you will have to hunt yourself.  Honestly, I thought he was supposed to be good?  But I thought Mr. Baldwin and the ALWAYS hilarious Steve Martin were wonderful!

    I knew that the time had come for the first female Best Director  even more so than the first African-American (forgive me if that is un-PC).  But I think the fact that Ms. Bigelow and The Hurt Locker swept the top two categories and was the biggest winner was a bit of a surprise.  However, looking back there have been other examples of David-Goliath at the Oscars.  Does anyone remember 1977 when a little movie called Star Wars was beaten by the less groundbreaking Woody Allen pic, Annie Hall?  Or 1982 when a little guy trying to “Phone Home” lost to Gandhi?  So how do we possibly explain the year of the water-logged boat sinking?!  A fluke!

    I was happy to see Star Trek win in one category.  It tied with The Voyage Home (the one with the whales… very high on my list) for the most noms by a movie in the series.  Even The Motion Picture (zzz) got three.  Last night’s Make Up victory was the first win for the 44 year series.

    So while I came in 4th in the pool, I did walk away with a nice gift.  The ceramic teddy bear banks are adorable, thanks Carol!  Always a ball worthy of the best Hollywood can throw!

    I still had a difficult time voting for Sandra Bullock.  Maybe it’s her low opinion of one of her first on screen performances.  If you can’t be happy about playing the second Bionic Woman (and I’m not talking about the unremarkable series reboot of a few seasons ago) then… and what was with the lipstick… EGAD!

    And what happened to the “No thanking” policy?  Not to be outdone by the endless Best Actor/Actress presentations.  So much for saving time.  And apparently, “research” doesn’t always help, right C? ;)

    Give Me What I Want And I’ll Go Away


    2010 - 02.24

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    Posted in Movies | 2 Comments »

    If memory serves, Stephen King’s Storm of the Century was a mini-series in the late 90s.  It definitely was not a theatrical release since I watched the 2hr15min first part tonight.  I have seen many of King’s other movies and this one definitely ranks VERY high.  Maybe it’s because Mr. King actually had a hand in the production or perhaps it’s because everything about the movie is so compelling.  For a televised production, I thought the editing was very well done.  It is usually much easier to pick out where commercials would be inserted but it just flowed.

    I caught the blink or you miss cameo by the writer and a reference to at least one of his other works.  I caught the Superman homage and chuckled when Tim Daly uttered it.  For those of you who don’t know, Daly was the voice of the animated Man of Steel from 1996-2000.  But Colm Feore who plays the creepy, enigmatic, brilliant baddie, Andre Linoge made me think of another equally brilliant villain: Dr. Hannibal Lechter.  But tell me, what was it he was whispering throughout especially when the sound of the storm was raging?  I don’t think it was “I’m a Little Teapot.”

    I can’t wait to watch part 2 to find out just what exactly Linoge is.  Signs are given throughout that he might be a leftover from ‘Salem’s Lot but I think he maybe something even more sinister.

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    Head Games Before The Unknown Hits


    2010 - 02.21

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    Posted in Movies | 4 Comments »

    I have heard all kinds of forecasts for the next day or so.  I will let Nature take her course and live with what we are given.  This afternoon, Megan and I had made plans to see Shutter Island.  The first I had come into knowledge of the movie was the trailer during the Super Bowl.  I thought it looked awesome… even if Leonardo Dicrapcaprio was the star.  I think the movie about the boat sinking turned me off of his acting talent.

    I will give only the vaguest of outlines for those of you wishing to see the psychological thriller.  Leo plays Teddy Daniels, a veteran U.S. Marshall, who along with his young partner, investigate the escape of a patient at a high security “mental institution for the  criminally insane.”

    What follows is a great mind game… I really like those types of movies!  We both thought it was very good.  Although definitely not for the 6-8 young children who were with their adult companions.  I am pleased to say that the only time I noticed them was one who started crying 5 minutes after the show began.  Thankfully, one of the adults was quick to take the child out of the theatre.  Of course after the 2.5 hour movie (didn’t notice the length really), we were greeted by nacho and popcorn remains in our path.

    On the return trip, snow had begun falling and when we arrived on Union Street, we found fire engines and a police car along the opposite side of the street.  After dropping my companion at her place, I took another route home and was passed by 2 more emergency vehicles.  Hopefully nothing serious.

    Here is the trailer for Shutter Island:

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    Spotlight On…. Montages


    2010 - 02.20

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    Posted in Movies | 4 Comments »

    In attempts to keep the length down to a reasonable amount (showing clips of the 10 films nominated for best picture would seem like it would go on longer than the typical 3-4 hour event), there have been a few strategies put in place for the Academy Awards.  First of all, the nominees for best song will not be performed live by the artists.  Instead, audiences will be treated to (drumroll, please)… yet another in an array of MONTAGES.  A short piece from each of each song will be presented throughout the evening with scenes from their respective movie.  I don’t even recall the nominations for best song nor score so, as a viewer, it may be for the best.  However, how about the songwriters of the nominated pieces?

    Another attempt to limit the time is a change in the acceptance speeches.  Each nominee is being asked to provide two speeches: one signifying what winning the award means to them.  The second is the traditional laundry list of thank you notes which will be actually delivered back stage shown later via internet.  I guess there will be no way that someone can forget to thank Fido plus cut down on the emotional impact that may not be as important to the average at home viewer (especially as the evening/early morning wears on).

    So… what do you think about the two changes to the gala event?  Should the Best Original Song nominees be allowed their moment in the spotlight?  Should the winners be given stipulations on when and what to say?  Or is it just the show’s producers way of getting all the Best Picture nominees in there?  I’d add a poll but I think there are too many possible responses so I’ll let the comments speak for themselves.

    The Next Karate Kid After The Last Next Karate Kid


    2010 - 02.17

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    Posted in Movies | 7 Comments »

    Yep, you guessed it… ANOTHER REMAKE that does not need remade.  Why, oh why can’t people be ORIGINAL!?!?  I did enjoy the first two Karate Kid movies… they went downhill after that.  I wonder if Hilary Swank holds her turn as The Next Karate Kid in high regard.

    I guess there are changes in the plot line: Work causes a single mother to move to China with her young son; in his new home, the boy embraces kung fu, taught to him by a master.  Well.. single mother forced to move, kid embraces martial arts taught by a master.  The fact that the master is changed to  Chinese and not Japanese changes little.  The fact that the stage goes to the Orient in the first movie instead of the sequel… well, maybe we will be saved from a sequel.

    Looking at the cast list, I was shocked to see Jaden Smith (son of Will and Jada Pinkett-Smith) at the top of the list.  I then looked at the creative geniuses behind the endeavor.  Imagine my astonishement when I saw both of the Smiths listed as two of the FIVE PRODUCERS?!  Really… do we need 5 producers to make a remake of a 25 year old movie?  Oh… and if you have been wondering what has happened to the long-forgotten (at least by me) Jackie Chan look no further.

    So, lets see if Hollywood can bring us any good movies for the summer.

    A Movie Suggestion For An Upcoming Date Night


    2010 - 02.12

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    Posted in Movies | 4 Comments »

    Prior to viewing Sherlock Holmes amongst all the needless ads, I did see a trailer for a movie that is definitely high on my list for viewing.  Although NOTHING can take away the comedic genius which he brings to his portrayal of Michael Scott, Steve Carrel has made some great movies as well.  Some of my favorites: Little Miss Sunshine, Evan Almighty (I actually enjoyed it more than its predecessor, Bruce Almighty), and the updated Get Smart.  This spring, he will be paired with his female counterpart, Tina Fey in the new movie Date Night.  Sure to be a hilarious movie coming April 9.

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    And The Nominees Are…


    2010 - 02.02

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    Posted in Movies | 2 Comments »

    This morning, the Academy Award nominations were announced.  The big news this year: the expansion of the Best Picture Category from 5 nods to 10.  As the list proves, this was done in order to pay homage to not only the “good” films but also to the popular films that everyday joes are likely to have seen.  There is also another first among the nominees which I will get to.

    And AWAAAAAAY We Go

    Best Actress In A Supporting Role:

    • Penelope Cruz (Nine)
    • Vera Farmiga (Up in the Air)
    • Maggie Gyllenhaal (Crazy Heart)
    • Anna Kendrick (Up in the Air)
    • Mo’Nique (Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire)

    Best Actor In A Supporting Role:

    • Matt Damon (Invictus)
    • Woody Harrelson (The Meesenger not for the other big WH movie of the year: Zombieland)
    • Christopher Plummer (The Last Station)
    • Stanley Tucci (The Lovely Bones)
    • Christoph Waltz (Inglourious Basterds)

    Best Actress In A Leading Role:

    • Sandra Bullock (The Blind Side… the sweetheart of this year’s list)
    • Helen Mirren (The Last Station)
    • Carey Mulligan (An Education)
    • Gabourey Sidibe (Precious…, the Dark horse in this race
    • Meryl Streep (Julie/Julia… enough said)

    Best Actor In A Leading Role:

    • Jeff Bridges (Crazy Heart)
    • George Clooney (Up in the Air… speculation of a Bridges/Clooney battle)
    • Colin Firth (A Single Man)
    • Morgan Freeman (Invictus… portrayals of historical figures, hmm)
    • Jeremy Renner (The Hurt Locker)

    Best Animated Feature:

    • Coraline (Henry Selick, director)
    • Fantastic Mr. Fox (Wes Anderson)
    • The Princess and the Frog ( John Musker and Ron Clements… Disney’s first classic animation feature since the Pixar revolution)
    • The Secret of Kells (Tomm Moore)
    • Up (Pete Docter… Disney/Pixar’s best to date)

    Best Director:

    • James Cameron (Avatar)
    • Kathryn Bigelow (The Hurt Locker… Mr. Cameron’s ex-wife the first time a former couple has ever been nominated for the award… she could also come off as the first female Best Director winner)
    • Quentin Tarantino (Inglourious Basterds)
    • Lee Daniels (Precious…)
    • Jason Reitman (Up in the Air)

    Best Picture:

    • Avatar (James Cameron and Jon Landau, Producers)
    • The Blind Side (Nominees to be determined?  Don’t we know who produced it?)
    • District 9 ( Peter Jackson and Carolynne Cunningham, Producers)
    • An Education (Finola Dwyer and Amanda Posey, Producers)
    • The Hurt Locker (Nominees to be determined?)
    • Inglourious Basterds (Lawrence Bender, Producer)
    • Precious…(Lee Daniels, Sarah Siegel-Magness, and Gary Magness, Producers)
    • A Serious Man (Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, Producers)
    • Up (Jonas Rivera, Producer)
    • Up in the Air (Daniel Dubiecki, Ivan Reitman, and Jason Reitman, Producers)

    There you have them.  The MAJOR nominees for this years Oscar parties.  Grab your ballots, make your choices, and watch ABC on March 7th when Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin co-host the  81st (or is it 82nd… conflicting details) Annual Academy Awards.  Co-hosts?  For the rest of the nominees, check them out at abc.com

    Final Tally:

    • Avatar and The Hurt Locker tied with 9 nods apiece
    • Inglourious Basterds with 8
    • Precious and Up in the Air with 6
    • Up received 4 nominations

    In Development?


    2010 - 01.22

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    Posted in Movies | 7 Comments »

    My sister just informed me of some trailers she just saw on youtube.  Some fake and others I knew about already.  The reboot of A Nightmare on Elm Street is due this Spring.  I had to laugh when she swore that she saw an official preview for Jaws V.   Even more telling was the fact that she said that Roy Scheider and Richard Dreyfuss were going to reprise their characters from the original.  Hilarious, because Sheriff Brody was killed sometime between Jaws 2 and Jaws 3-D. And once again, following the debacle that was Jaws: The Revenge (tagline: “This time, it’s personal.”), I ask: WHY?! Especially when it’s been a good 25 years since the last one.

    Finally, Spider-Man 4 is about to get underway.  Something very strange: after only 3 films in the last decade, we are getting a re-haul of the franchise.  A new director is taking over which will probably mean a new cast.  But why reintroduce the series when it has only been a few years since the last film was released.  While by far the worst of the trilogy, Spider-Man 3 still had moments of fun and it did have a lot to live up to following the phenomenal second installment.

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    A New Miracle


    2009 - 12.22

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    Since none of the channels I get are bothering to show the glorious original 1947 version this year, I decided to spend my nine dollars on the Miracle of 34th Street DVD.  There is a treasure trove of added features including a very rare 1955 broadcast on the “20th Century Fox Hour of Stars” of yet another adaptation.  I found it very well done for the limited 45 minute run time.  There were of course deletions from the original but there was one scene that was in this adaptation that I saw for the first time on the stage:  Mr. Sawyer giving his speech on the evils of myth at Susan’s Progressive School.

    There were also a few behind the scene stories that were very informative:

    • The filming of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade was the real McCoy filmed on Thanksgiving Day, 1946.  This was the second parade given following its hiatus during WWII.
    • Edmund Gwenn (who played Kris Kringle and won the Best Supporting Actor Oscar in the original) was Santa at the end of the parade.
    • Many of the interior scenes for Macy’s Department Store were actually filmed at the flagship store during the holiday season.  WOW!  Imagine the chaos that must have caused!  An identical duplicate was recreated on a Hollywood sound stage in the event that some scenes needed to be redone.
    • Both R.H. Macy and the Gimbel Brothers loved the film much to the delight of the filmmakers.
    • The film was released in June, 1947.  Fox did not want audiences thinking they were going to a film about the Christmas season in the summer so in its publicity campaign, scenes were carefully selected that would not draw attention to the fact.  The risk paid off and “Miracle” became a hit that ran in theatres for an unheard of 6 month stand.

    A holiday treasure that teaches everyone that “faith is believing in something when common sense tells us not to.”  Isn’t that what Christmas is all about?

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