Maleficent (Movie Review)

This is my review after seeing this movie TWICE over the weekend. Actually, because I live in NYC I was able to see this movie on the evening of May 29th! I loved it SO much (as I knew I would before even seeing it) that I went with a friend to see it on Saturday, May 31st. I will be seeing it a third time, this Friday, June 6th, with another friend who wants to see it. If you haven't seen it yet, or your wondering about how good it is, OR even if you have a child younger than teenage years and your wondering if it's something you can take them to see? This review will answer all those questions (and more).

I'm writing this review from the point of view who has had the opportunity of seeing it twice, meaning the first time I was in awe of the acting and the cinematography. But if you've ever seen a movie more than once you know that every time you see it you find something new you didn't notice the first time. And when you do it's like seeing it all over again for the first time. Even if what you notice is small and probably insignificant to most.

Let me start by discussing the fight scenes, which, unfortunately, were at the forefront of most of the trailers for this movie. I understand the studio wanting to entice people to see this movie, and with a few minutes at their disposal, they went with showing the fight scenes, but don't let that dissuade you from going or taking your pre-teen. This movie has all of 3 major fight sequences but there is NO blood or any real "violence" beyond people being tossed around a lot. Most of it is so quick and blurry you don't see much real fighting anyway. There is also no bad language whatsoever.

Now, what I love about this movie (without giving away any spoilers):

1. It humanizes Maleficent and turns her from this villain we all knew her to be in the Disney movie Sleeping Beauty and makes you realize that her evil ways were simply because she was a victim of circumstance. Nothing more.

2. I think Elle Fanning is one of those diamond in the rough actresses who is awkward to look at at times, but the fact that she is being cast in age appropriate roles is great. She's being asked to actually act her age and it comes off so believable because...well because it is!

3. I know Angelina Jolie has done some great action movies, I will not deny that or argue the point, but THIS has got to be one of the best bit of acting she has done since Changeling in 2008. Don't get me wrong, Salt and Wanted were both great in their own right. But they were both heavily reliant upon action and CGI stuff. This movie obviously did A LOT of CGI animation but you can tell a lot more went into her acting part, and let's face it, she was born to play Maleficent.

4. This story of Maleficent, while dramatically different than Sleeping Beauty, I feel improves upon the story tremendously. I don't want to spoil it for you, but just know it's got an even happier ending than the animated Disney version. I actually prefer this version of the story than its predecessor.

In the end I'm still struggling with whether or not this movie should even be compared with the animated Sleeping Beauty? Not just because one is animated and the other isn't, but because they are very different. I'm still surprised that Disney took the bold step of "un-Disney-fying" they own movie! I hope they take as bold a step in some of their other movies?

And if I may highlight one of the (in my opinion) unsung hero's of this story, Diaval, the Raven, played by Sam Riley. He was pretty freaking awesome in this movie and I just want to point him out because he might get lost in the shuffle of other critics who might mention the 3 fairies or King Stefan over him.

Plot: A vindictive fairy is driven to curse an infant princess only to realize the child may be the only one who can restore peace.

As an added bonus, here is the iconic song from Sleeping Beauty "Once Upon a Dream," done in an extra creepy way. When I first heard it I thought it was Angelina Jolie singing it. But nope, it's Lana del Rey! Enjoy!

The Way We Were & The Goodbye Girl

Both movies bring forth such pleasure, and pain, and happiness all at once, then one at a time, till by the end I'm either laughing, crying, or both. The markings of a great movie. I have a long list of movies that some would put under the category of "romantic" but I choose to simply label them as my favorites. And what luck I have that TCM has been showing both of these movies several times already this year? Especially this 31 days of Oscar month.

The Way We Were (1973) - starring Barbra Streisand and Robert Redford

No matter how many times I put myself through the torture of watching this movie it's like an addiction, I have to watch it till the end. Then I have a good cry, get pissed off either with myself or to anyone within the distance of my voice about how HORRID the ending is, vowing I will never watch it again. I cross my heart and everything! Then, the damn movie comes on again and I find myself drawn to it! Why? I think because I relate on SO MANY eerily creepy levels with Katie (played by Barbra Streisand). She is a naive girl who wants to change the world.

This movie is taking place around the 40's and 50's, when McCarthy was running rampant through Hollywood, scaring everyone from actors to writers, fearing they could be blacklisted. This movie was the first of its kind to truly going into the McCarthy "Communism" Era, and even they skirted around it as much as possible. A lot of the really controversial stuff was cut. Anyway, so here's Katie, this loud mouth, soap box girl, who's desperately and hopelessly in love with Hubbell (played by Robert Redford). His character I hate. But if you put that personality in a female (I'm gay so work with me a bit here) it's the EXACT kind I find myself attracted to and wanting just like Katie. We both want what we know we shouldn't have cause it will only end in heartache and despair but we just don't care and we claw and we fight and we argue and we do it anyway!

Katie Morosky Gardner: I don't have the right style for you do I?
Hubbell Gardner: No you don't have the right style.
Katie Morosky Gardner: I'll change.
Hubbell Gardner: No, don't change. You're your own girl, you have your own style.
Katie Morosky Gardner: But then I won't have you. Why can't I have you?
Hubbell Gardner: Because you push too hard, every damn minute. There's no time to ever relax and enjoy living. Every things too serious to be so serious.
Katie Morosky Gardner: If I push too hard it's because I want things to be better, I want us to be better, I want you to be better. Sure I make waves you have I mean you have to. And I'll keep making them till your everything you should be and will be. You'll never find anyone as good for you as I am, to believe in you as much as I do or to love you as much.
Hubbell Gardner: I know that.
Katie Morosky Gardner: Well then why?
Hubbell Gardner: Do you think if I come back its going to be okay by magic? What's going to change? What's going to be different? We'll both be wrong, we'll both lose.
Katie Morosky Gardner: Couldn't we both win?

It's romance. It's fighting. It's that awkward first sexual encounter. It's devotion. It's marriage. It's too soon. It's too late. It's everything you could ever want in a movie that will push you and pull you and take you on a roller coaster of emotions like you've never been on before. The only downfall? **SPOILER ALERT** There is no happy ending to be found here, and that's what I hate. It's an ending that, as I understand it, was not uncommon during that time period. Girl gets pregnant. Man can't/won't stick around for the child's sake. They break up amicably. The End. WHAT?! That's it? And years later they "bump into each other" on a crowded New York Street where she brushes his damn hair aside, he briefly (and I do mean briefly) asks about the daughter he saw just once when she was born, then admits he wasn't strong enough to just move on like she did (getting married and all) so he can't ever see her again. Do I feel sorry for him? NO! **END SPOILER ALERT**

What a frustrating movie! I hate it! I really do! Then that damn song! Same as the title. I'm sure you've heard it? I hear it and it's like, how can you NOT cry? Especially after knowing how it all turns out in the end? I hate it! I really do! But damn it if you won't find me watching it the next time it's on!

And just briefly, my theory on why Barbra was nominated in 3 major awards for leading actress but didn't win any of them? At that time they probably felt there was nothing "empowering" about giving an award for a role of a woman who had a husband who left her just seconds after their baby was born. Why was Robert Redford not nominated at all? Well, let's not award the guy who separated from, then left, his wife after she had their baby. So it stands to reason why a movie like this was only recognized for the title track, "The Way We Were." And I believe, if not for that song it probably wouldn't have been acknowledged at all.



The Goodbye Girl (1977) - starring Richard Dreyfuss and Marsha Mason

Such a great movie with great lines throughout. I love a movie that has such intelligent, witty, and sarcastic lines. They are delivered so quickly and masterfully you have to keep up with not only Elliot (Richard Dreyfuss) and Paula (Marsha Mason) but "The Kid" Lucy as well. All three are bad mouthed individuals who say what most of us merely think in our heads whenever we found ourselves in an awkward or uncomfortable situation. They say what we WISH we had the guts to say at the right moment and at the right time.

I love that kind of movie. It adds an air of fantasy as well as romance. I watch it and I think, "I could see myself totally saying that someday." And for that time it takes for the movie to come to an end, I believe it wholeheartedly.

In a nutshell it's about this very neurotic woman who, after being jilted twice by actors, that she is destined to be the girl men eventually love and leave. While she is is having this battle with herself she has a daughter whose lines are much too mature for someone her age, but we all know that old saying, "kids say the darndest things." Lucy is no exception. Elliot fits in because he's been sublet the apartment that Paula's recently departed ex once lived in with her and her daughter. He leaves her a horrible Dear John (or in her case Jane?) letter and doesn't even warn her about this new guy, an actor no less, who now has the rights to the apartment.

So, in a compromise that I'm sure probably doesn't happen in today's day and age, the two adults compromise and Elliot decides to allow Paula and her daughter to remain living in the apartment with him. Comedy and romance and stubborn fighting ensues. It's another roller coaster, only this time with a fairly happy, yet also realistic ending. It has that "and they lived happily ever after" feeling to it. But hidden deep within the subtext I found myself asking, "or do they?" And surprisingly, I'm okay with that kind of ending.

And if you're looking for an interesting Oscar fact (since it IS Oscar month and all), Richard Dreyfuss was considered the youngest receipient for Best Actor in a Leading Role at the age of 30, until 2003, when Adrien Brody won for The Pianist. He was 29 at the time. Just a few months younger than Dreyfuss. If you're anything like me, you remember those classic award show moments, and Adrien Brody winning sticks out in my mind, not because of his age, but because Halle Berry gave him the award and the kiss he planted on her was like WOAH!

Lastly, the title song for The Goodbye Girl isn't all that bad either...

The Book Thief (Movie Review)

I gave myself last night to figure out how to review this movie. Let me start by saying I read the book. No, that's not accurate, I devoured the book! And since that time I have put myself on record as saying it is the best book I've ever read in my entire life. I haven't read much but from what I have read that's saying a lot. Some people need to read the book before they see the movie that it's based on. I am one of those people. I honestly don't know why I do it since 9 times out of 10 the movie is either SO different from the book it angers me or SO similar to the book I get bored easily. I'm strange I know.

So, with all that background given allow me to discuss. I'll try not to divulge any spoilers for those of you who have never read the book or make your determination on whether or not to read the book based on watching the movie. There were good points and bad points to this movie. I've decided to start with the bad so I can end on a high note.

Firstly, the last third of the book was basically chucked. Probably to save time since the movie is only a little over 2hrs in length? I felt making this movie 3hrs wouldn't have hurt it at all, but that's just me. Also, the last 3rd is pretty strong in content of the scenes that take place so that could have been it also. If they filmed it the way it was written they might have been looking at an R rating on their hands which is something I'm sure they did not want to risk when making this film.

Secondly (and lastly), the book is called The Book Thief for a reason so when she turns to "borrowing" books that she takes back and forth over a course of several weeks from the Mayors house that took away from the dangers she encounters when stealing a book. It also takes away, to me, very pivotal moments in the book that takes place throughout, and that is what book she steals vs. which books are given to her (and by whom). You have to have read the book to understand what I mean. But by changing the relationship Liesel has with the Mayors wife the whole "book thief" angle fell flat for me.

Now onto the good stuff!

No offense to Geoffrey Rush or Emily Watson (the only two real "stars" of the movie) and also no offense to Sophie Nelisse who portrays Liesel, the book thief, in this movie, but the character who stole the whole thing, including the hearts of just about ever woman in the theater (including myself I'll admit) was Rudy. Wonderful child actor. Smart, good looking but very humble, and hopelessly in love with Liesel, even at such a young age, but not afraid to let his affections be known in grand ways. To me, he was the glue that kept not only the story going but kept Liesel going as well.

Another aspect of the entire film that really helped was that everyone cast (except the two stars) were either of German or Jewish decent. I also appreciated how they were able to go back and forth between subtitles whenever the Nazi's spoke and English (but with distinct German or Jewish accents) for the majority of the movie. For me it kept the whole thing very authentic and as true to life as possible.

If I had to pick one character I feel they got spot on the money I would say it was VERY close for me but Emily Watson's portrayal of Liesel's "mama" was amazing! She got her down to a science. From what I imagined in my head she looked like Emily Watson was the closest, for me. She cold and heartless on the outside but had a warm and caring way about her that few ever saw. She may not get nominated for her role but she definitely made a lasting impression on me.

Mr. Rush has gotten enough accolades from the countless movies he's done and he can add this one to his list of successful successes. He's one Grammy away from ranking among the acclaimed EGOT recipients. Could he do it? I wouldn't put it past him.

This is a Young Adult book meaning children as young as 13 (maybe even younger) have read this book. Now I've read some of these books that are categorized for young adults and I feel they sometimes can be more adult than young in content. Keeping that in mind, and the fact that The Book Thief takes place in the middle of World War II in a small town in Nazi-occupied Germany.

It's narrated by Death. Enough said.

Plot:

The movie tells the story of young Liesel Meminger (Sophie Nélisse). After she finds her first book beside her brother's graveside, she is sent to foster parents Hans (Geoffrey Rush) and Rosa (Emily Watson). While in the comfort of her new found parents, World War II breaks out and Rosa and Hans shelter a Jewish refugee named Max (Ben Schnetzer).

Book Review: The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

TCM Presents... Cabin in the Sky (1943)

Director: Vincent Minnelli

Screenwriter(s): Lynn Root (play) & Joseph Schrank

Starring: Ethel Waters, Eddie "Rochester" Anderson, Lena Horne & Louis Armstrong

Genre(s): musical/fantasy

Premiere: April 9th, 1943

Run Time: 98 minutes

Producer(s): Arthur Freed & Albert Lewis

Distributor: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

My Rating: ★★★★

Movie Trailer:


Storyline: Chronic gambler and carouser "Little" Joe Jackson is shot by Domino Johnson at Jim Henry's gambling club over an outstanding gambling debt. Little Joe's wife, the God-fearing Petunia Jackson, prays not only for her husband's mortal life, but also his eternal soul as she's afraid that if he dies now, he, despite not being an evil man, won't make it into heaven. As Little Joe is close to death, he is visited by agents of both the Lord and of Lucifer. They make a deal with him: they will give him six months to atone for the errors of his human life. Once back on Earth, he won't remember the deal but both the Lord and Lucifer will be watching over him, trying to get him to see things their way. As both sides try to get Little Joe's soul, they figure that some of the most powerful tools they have at their disposal are the women in Little Joe's life: Petunia on behalf of the Lord.

My Review: If you're looking for a great all Black casted movie, I recommend this one, but only if you like musicals as well. When you have two powerhouse voices in Ethel Waters and Lena Horne, how can you NOT expect there to be a song or two? Rochester is my favorite. I knew him from the many appearances he made in Charlie Chan movies and various other supporting roles that he never got nominated for back then but always left a lasting impression with me. 

It's a simple story of good versus evil surrounding a highly susceptible man, who happens to be married to a God-fearing woman, willing to stand by her man no matter what. It's short, it's sweet, and worth giving a try since it is a movie TCM likes to play a few times throughout any given year.

TCM Presents... We're No Angels (1955)

Director: Michael Curtiz
Screenwriter(s): Albert Husson (play) & Ranald MacDougall
Starring: Humphrey Bogart, Peter Ustinov, & Aldo Ray
Genre(s): comedy/crime/romance
Premiere: July 7th, 1955
Run Time: 106 minutes
Producer(s): Pat Duggan
Distributor: Paramount Pictures
My Rating: ★★★★

Taglines: A strangler... A swindler... A safecracker... Yet you'll love them!




Movie Trailer:


Storyline: At Christmas, three prisoners - Joseph, Albert and Jules - escape from Devil Island to a French small coastal town. They decide to rob a store, to get some money and clothes and travel by ship to another place. They pretend to be there to fix the roof, but pretty soon they realize that the financial condition of the family Ducotel is not good. Andre Tochard, the selfish and mean owner of the establishment, exploits the family Ducotel. The three convicts spend Christmas night with the Ducotels and are so well treated by the family that they decide to help them. Their pet will help them to fix the situation.

My Review: Whenever I think of the great Humphrey Bogart movies I always put this one in my top three of favorites and almost everyone doesn't know which this is. Granted it's no Casablanca, Key Largo, The Maltese Falcon, or The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, but to me, it's his most honest and human role he's played. Take an escaped convict with a heart and you get the makings of a great feel good movie. This isn't one of the popular Christmas movies like White Christmas, but this is a movie that takes place during Christmas therefore it can and should be seen around this time of year at least once.

This has got everything you could be looking for if you want a lighter Bogart movie. Stellar acting from the entire cast mixed with comedy, drama, romance, and a side of murder. What more could you ask for?

Les Miserables (Musical) (2012) (Movie Review)

Director: Tom Hooper
Screenwriter(s): Claude-Michel Schonberg, Alain Boublil, Victor Hugo
Starring: Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe & Anne Hathaway
Genre(s): drama/musical/romance
Premiere: December 25th, 2012
Run Time: 160 minutes
Producer(s): Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Debra Hayward, & Cameron Mackintosh
Distributor: Universal Pictures
My Rating: ★★★★

Taglines: Fight. Dream. Hope. Love.
 
[mantra-button-color url="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1707386/" color="#47AFFF"]IMDb[/mantra-button-color]
 
 
Movie Trailer:


Storyline: Prisoner 24601, known as Jean Valjean, is released from prison and breaks parole to create a new life for himself while evading the grip of the persistent Inspector Javert. Set post-revolutionary France, the story reaches resolution against the background of the June Rebellion.

My Review: There are few movies that get me so emotionally involved I cry more than once. I think the last movie that brought me to tears (whether they be of joy or happiness) was Don't Back Down and The Help before that one. This movie made me cry half a dozen times at least!

For those who know very little about the background of this movie: it is based off of the Broadway play NOT the book! However, the Broadway play is based off the book by Victor Hugo. The movie is like Evita in that it's continuous singing and music from beginning to end. There are a few moments where the characters are talking not in a "sing-song" fashion but those are so few and far between you'd hardly notice it. 

A few words on the characters singing voices: they all were amazing. From the obvious stars of the show, Russell Crowe, Anne Hathaway and Hugh Jackman, to the minor players, they all were superb. And it must be noted that the director, Tom Hooper, in order to make the movie seem as authentic as possible, had the cast sing live while filming the movie instead of in a soundstage. Also, let it be noted that Anne Hathaway's mother played Fantine back in her "hay-day" so Anne did not want to play that role. She wanted to play Cossette but unfortunately is too old for the part. Personally, I think she's played her best role as Fantine. Her two important songs, I Dreamed a Dream and the Epilogue.

As a story goes, the telling of it was smooth and transitioned well. I did not feel like I was sitting in the theater for three hours. There are some heartbreaking moments, but if you know the translation of Les Miserables, loosely meaning the poor and forgotten souls, you have a certain understanding of the despair. Amongst the depression are some funny moments, but they are few and far between. It was ripe with key elements that make a movie great. Music, lyrics, characters, story-lines  and believability. Do not go into this movie expecting a happy ending or a happy feeling. The young loves remain young and in love but that is a small token compared to what happens around them.

**SPOILER ALERT**
There is a young boy in the movie. It is hard not to look at him and see the children from Stony Hook Elementary School in his eyes. His character is deeply involved in the Resistance during the time of the French Revolution in the early 1800's. When you are first introduced to him you can't help but fall in love quickly. He sings of rising up against a corrupt society who speaks of helping the poor but never truly do. To me, he is the glue that keeps the boys of the Revolution together and helps them to remember what they are fighting for. You forget he is only a child. You forget, until the fighting gets serious. The army's are surrounding the young boys fighting for freedom and there is little hope of survival in everyone's eyes. Their only hope is to go to the bodies of the dead and retrieve what little gun powder they have. The young boy sees this as an opportunity to use his small size to go within the line of fire to retrieve what is needed to help. He feels, as I'm sure we all watching did, that the enemy would not stoop so low as to kill a child. How wrong we all were. The first shot gets him in the leg and our hearts collectively skip a beat. He continues on with his task braving the pain of having been shot by the enemy. Almost daring them to shoot him again. They do. This time it is fatal. This time, our hearts break. The sight of his lifeless body laying there after being shot dead was unexpected to me. There wasn't a dry eye in the house. And then afterwards, when Marius, half of the young lovers, is the only survivor of the massacre of all his friends, returns to where the fighting started and ended, he sings a song that again brought tears to everyone's eyes. They went like this:

There's a grief that can't be spoken.
There's a pain goes on and on.
Empty chairs at empty tables
Now my friends are dead and gone.
**END OF SPOILER ALERT**

The common theme, evident throughout the movie, is God. He is everywhere and in everyone. There is much to be said for the power of forgiveness as well as the power of guilt and sense of duty. God is behind it all. And no one says it (or sings it) better than Fantine and Jean Valjean near the end of the movie:

And remember the truth that once was spoken
To love another person is to see the face of God

Bringing Up Baby (1938) (Movie Review)

 



Director: Howard Hawks

Screenwriter(s): Dudley Nichols & Hagar Wilde

Producer: Cliff Reid & Howard Hawks

Distributor: RKO Radio Pictures

In Theaters: February 18th, 1938

Run Time: 102 minutes

Starring: Katharine Hepburn & Cary Grant

Genre(s): comedy/romance

Storyline: Mild mannered zoology professor Dr. David Huxley is excited by the news that an intercostal clavicle bone has been found to complete his brontosaurus skeleton, a project four years in the construction. He is equally excited about his imminent marriage to his assistant, the officious Alice Swallow, who is interested in him more for his work than for him as a person. David needs the $1 million endowment of wealthy dowager Mrs. Carleton Random to complete the project. Her lawyer, Alexander Peabody, will make the decision on her behalf, so David needs to get in his favor. However, whenever David tries to make a good impression on Peabody, the same young woman always seems to do something to make him look bad. She is the flighty heiress Susan Vance. The more David wants Susan to go away, the more Susan seems not to want or be able to. But David eventually learns that Alexander Peabody is her good friend…

Movie Trailer:


My Review: I remember the first time I watched Bringing Up Baby. I was lucky enough to have a mother who brought home VHS tapes of countless classic movies, and not just starring Katharine Hepburn. For me, when it came to my understanding of comedy, it came from actors like Cary Grant and Katharine Hepburn before I even discovered Lucille Ball. But being able to see a movie like this on the big screen just can’t compare. If you ever get a chance to see a classic on the big screen I cannot stress enough how much you should jump at the opportunity to see whatever it is.

These two have done a few others movies together but this one is my favorite. It truly showcases Katharine’s sense of humor, something many, including herself, have said she never truly had. In fact it was Cary who showed her the art of timing. And boy did she master it beautifully. Unlike other duos of their day (Mickey Rooney & Judy Garland or Fred Astaire & Ginger Rogers) they didn’t have singing or dancing that made them flow together so well. It was their fantastic acting ability and it didn’t hurt that they both have larger than life personalities on the screen. It’s hard to notice anyone or anything else other than them when they are on the screen but do try because the ensemble cast in this movie just helps in so many ways to move this comedy along.

My Rating: ★★★★

The Expendables 2 (2012) (Movie Review)

Director: Simon West

Screenwriter(s): Richard Wenk & Sylvester Stalone

Producer: Avi Lerner

Distributor: Lionsgate

In Theaters: August 17th, 2012

Run Time: 103 minutes

Starring: Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Chuck Norris, Terry Crews, Randy Couture, Liam Hemsworth, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Bruce Willis & Arnold Schwarzeneggar

Genre(s): action/adventure

Storyline: The Expendables are reunited when Mr. Church enlists them to take on a seemingly simple job. When things go wrong, the Expendables are compelled to seek revenge in hostile territory, where the odds are stacked against them. Hell-bent on payback, the crew cuts a swath of destruction through opposing forces, wreaking havoc and shutting down an unexpected threat in the nick of time - five tons of weapons-grade plutonium, more than enough to change the balance of power in the world. But that’s nothing compared to the justice they serve against the villainous adversary they seek revenge from. Written by Lionsgate

Movie Trailer:


My Review: Have you seen the first one? Stallone has truly outdone himself! More gory scenes, blood, and damn good fighting. The storyline isn’t half bad either. But honestly, whoever is going to see this movie for the story should just stay home. This movie is for someone looking for non-stop action. The fighting and bloodshed starts from the very beginning and never truly stops. If you love the heros who aren’t “super” by any means except for in the good deeds they’ve done in their own previous movies then you’ve come to the right place.

And for those select few who have never seen Terminator, Die Hard, Rocky, Rambo, or any movie with Jet Li or Chuck Norris in it, this movie will surely make you wish you had. There are classic one liners in it that not matter how many times you hear them said it never gets old. I was also glad to see Bruce and Arnold’s roles expanded in this movie.

My only disappointments came when Jet Li’s character only was in the first 15 minutes or so of the movie and the female character they introduced fell far short of what I was expecting. It would have been nice if that role were filled with an equally amazing star we all would have recognized. The only ones I could think of off the top of my head would be Angelina Jolie or even Milla Jovovich? Another good one would have been Michelle Rodriguez? Perhaps next time?

And a question I’m sure I’m not the only one asking (aside from who else can and will the get for the 3rd movie) is where was Mickey Rourke?

My Rating: ★★★★

Step Up Revolution (2012) (Movie Review)

Director: Scott Speer

Screenwriter(s): Jenny Mayer

Producer: Jon M. Chu

Distributor: Summit Entertainment

In Theaters: July 27^th, 2012

Run Time: 99 minutes

Starring: Kathryn McCormick, Ryan Guzman, & Cleopatra Coleman

Genre(s): drama/music/romance

Storyline: The Mob sets the dancing against the vibrant backdrop of Miami. Emily arrives in Miami with aspirations of becoming a professional dancer and soon falls in love with Sean, a young man who leads a dance crew in elaborate, cutting-edge flash mobs, called “The Mob”. When a wealthy business man threatens to develop The Mob’s historic neighborhood and displace thousands-of people, Emily must work together with Sean and The Mob to turn their performance art into protest art, and risk losing their dreams to fight for a greater cause. (From IMBD.com)

Movie Trailer:


My Review: What can I say about a movie that has managed to completely dissapoint me on many levels? Let me start by my choice of movie posters you see above. I chose that poster specifically because 1. I can’t stand the one with the “love interest” as the main picture and 2. It’s a fabrication of the truth in order to get those of us who love Moose and the last 2 Step Up movies HE HAS ACTUALLY BEEN IN to go see this one. Well, SPOILER ALERT, if you’re planning on seeing this movie in hopes of seeing more Moose moves, I suggest you buy Step Up 2 & 3 because he’s in this movie for all of about 3 minutes. I actually think it’s less than that, but I’m rounding up here. He’s in the very tail end of the movie and gets very little camera time. While I love Moose and was very upset he wasn’t in the movie at all I was even more upset that neither was MSA or the Pirates. With the exception of 2 representatives from each crew, this needed all the help it could get!

What differed so much for me was also the lack of a competition mixed into the story. At least with the last two movies (I refuse to acknowledge the first Step Up movie) there was a true purpose and goal. This movie, while it did not lack in dialogue (more talking than dancing for sure) did not connect with me whatsoever. I did not feel their desire to make statements with their dancing, something I felt they did more of with their opening dance routine than when they decided (towards the end) to make statements through dance.

The routines were interesting and definitely showcased a lot of other dances that we wouldn’t normally consider cool and that worked. But being there was only 5 dances in this movie and each one was at most 5 minutes long that still left about 75 minutes of dialogue. Are you cringing yet? I sure was sitting in the movie theater. Now, I’ve been told there were the same amount of dances in the other two movies I happened to love. I have not verified if this is true. But if it is, I’d argue the element that was missing then was bringing back the old familiar faces. Cause as far as I’m concerned there was nothing memorable about The Mob. If you were to ask me to name let alone describe any of the dancers from this new crew, all I got for you is the smokin’ hot DJ, the graffiti dude, and Twitch (not his name in the movie I know). The latter also doesn’t count because he’s from Step Up 3-D, an original from The Pirates crew.

The love interest was even more corny than the first movie and her ambition to join that ballet company was a joke that shouldn’t even have been a story line since it falls flat in the end. The only mention we get of that whole unnecessary ordeal is when she, in passing, tells someone (probably her father or love interest) that she didn’t make it into the dance company. What?! After you made me suffer through Mia Michaels character acting like she’s all that and a bag of chips you left it like that? The least you could have done was had her among the crowd when Emily (I think that was her characters name) danced that dumb number with her love interest at the end of the movie. What was the point? it was an odd place and time especially since she wasn’t there to see it, love it, and open up a spot for her. That would have made the movie score a “C+” with me at least!

If they dare to do a 5th Step Up movie, I will need MSA and The Pirates to be in it and for more than just a few minutes before I’d even consider going to see it.

My Rating: C-

Rear Window (1954) (Movie Review)

Title: Rear Window

Director: Alfred Hitchcock

Screenwriter(s): John Michael Hayes

Producer: Alfred Hitchcock

Distributor: Paramount Pictures

In Theaters: August 1^st, 1954

Run Time: 112 minutes

Color: Technicolor

Starring: James Stewart, Grace Kelly, Wendell Corey, Thelma Ritter & Raymond Burr

Genre(s): mystery/romance/thriller

Storyline: Professional photographer L.B. “Jeff” Jeffries breaks his leg while getting an action shot at an auto race. Confined to his New York apartment, he spends his time looking out of the rear window observing the neighbors. He begins to suspect that a man across the courtyard may have murdered his wife. Jeff enlists the help of his high society fashion-consultant girlfriend Lisa Freemont and his visiting nurse Stella to investigate.


Movie Trailer:


My Review: This time I traveled to another borough to see this movie. I went to BAM! and it was a gorgeous theater, on the outside. The actual theater was small and intimate but I actually prefer it that way because you feel that much closer to the screen without sitting in the first few rows (which I also prefer to do).

This movie is a part of a series of Grace Kelly movies BAM! is showing from July 13^th – July 26^th. Of the movies they have elected to show this one is the only one they showed over a 6 day span. To me, that speaks volumes.

Hitchcock loved his blondes, Grace Kelly especially. She starred in several of his movies, including Dial M for Murder and To Catch a Thief. The latter is being shown (and I will be attending) at BAM! as well this coming week.

For this movie however, I feel like Stella, played by Thelma Ritter stole the movie. She has the best one liners and delivers them with such grace and style it’s hard not to easily understand the generation she hales from and agree with her. She is a walking, talking, fortune cookie, or as L.B. Jeffrey’s points out, Readers Digest.

While some might watch this movie and be fearful of their neighbors and probably more attentive as to their surroundings, I feel the opposite. The whole atmosphere of seeing so many different worlds just by gazing out your window. How was L.B. supposed to know a murder would be taking place?

As usual in most of his films, Hitchcock makes a cameo appearance in the movie. If you don’t want to know where, skip this paragraph now, but if you do, read on. The piano player who owns the studio apartment across the way from L.B.’s window, at one point, has a visitor. At first the man’s back is facing the camera but if you know Hitchcock you know more than just the silhouette of his face. Once he turns you can see it is indeed him. I imagine he is a prospective manager or record producer who is visiting the single bachelor to hear him play a piece he has been struggling throughout the movie to finish.

I won’t spoil the movie’s ending but I will point out the way in which the camera angles are used in this movie. Hitchcock was one of the first directors to experiment with camera movements and placement more than anyone else. There is no angle used today that Hitchcock hadn’t tried in one of his movies at least once. This movie is no exception.

Until Hitchcock came along I imagine there was no clear definition for the word suspense. Hence why he is the master of it.

My Rating: A

Singin' in the Rain (1952) (Movie Review)

Title: Singin’ in the Rain

Director: Gene Kelly & Stanley Donen

Screenwriter(s): Betty Comden & Adolph Green

Producer: Arthur Freed

Distributor: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

In Theaters: March 27^th, 1952

Run Time: 103 minutes

Color: Technicolor

Starring: Gene Kelly, Donald O’Connor, & Debbie Reynalds

Genre(s): musical/romance

Storyline: In 1927, Don Lockwood and Lina Lamont are a famous on-screen romantic pair. Lina, however, mistakes the on-screen romance for real love. Don has worked hard to get where he is today, with his former partner Cosmo. When Don and Lina’s latest film is transformed into a musical, Don has the perfect voice for the songs. But Lina - well, even with the best efforts of a diction coach, they still decide to dub over her voice. Kathy Selden is brought in, an aspiring actress, and while she is working on the movie, Don falls in love with her. Will Kathy continue to “aspire”, or will she get the break she deserves?


Movie Trailer:


My Review: The experience of going to see a movie like this in the movie theater, especially when it’s sold out, can never compare to watching it on DVD at home. It sold out in two theaters actually. The movie is definitely larger than life and one of the first movies directed by Gene Kelly himself. I learned from Robert Osborn before the movie started that Kelly actually never wanted to be in front of the camera, he wanted to be to musicals what Hitchcock was to suspense and thrillers. He wanted to be the guy who “tried that first.” The staple for how future dance and music was choreographed and filmed for the big screen.

Unfortunately for him the audience loved him when he performed. Gene Kelly, you could say, took over, where Fred Astaire left off. I think one of the main differences between the two dancers was that Gene danced alone more than with a partner and Astaire was the opposite. Kelly like big numbers full of color and scenery while Astaire had you on the edge of your seat by just his dancing alone.

As the movie goes, not one member of the cast went to waste. From the up and coming Debbie Reynolds to the exhausting Donald O’Connor this movie was packed with comedy, romance, singing, and of course, dancing. Gene Kelly could do it all and as Jean Hagen famously says in the movie, in a voice few can mimic just right, “I can’t stand him!”

Here is the most memorable song and dance routine performed by Gene Kelly, along with 2 of my favorite songs from the movie as well.

Singin’ in the Rain - Gene Kelly


Good Mornin’ - Gene Kelly, Debbie Reynolds & Donald O’Connor


Moses Supposes - Gene Kelly & Donald O’Connor


My Rating: A+

Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted

Title: Madagascar 3 Europe’s Most Wanted

Directed By: Eric Darnell, Tom McGrath & Conrad Vernon

Screenwriter(s): Eric Darnell & Noah Baumbach

Producer: Mireille Soria & Mark Swift

Distributor: Paramount Pictures

Studio: DreamWorks Animation

In Theaters: June 8th, 2012

Run Time: 93 minutes

Color: Animation

Starring: Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, David Schwimmer, Jada Pinkett Smith, Sacha Baron Cohen, & Cedric the Entertainer

Genre(s): animation/adventure/comedy/family

Storyline: Alex, Marty, Gloria and Melman are still trying to get back to the Big Apple and their beloved Central Park zoo, but first they need to find the penguins. When they travel to Monte Carlo, they attract the attention of Animal Control after gate crashing a party and are joined by the penguins, King Julian and Co., and the monkeys. How do a lion, zebra, hippo, giraffe, four penguins, two monkeys, three lemurs travel through Europe without attracting attention and get back to New York? They join a traveling circus. Their attempts to get back to New York are consistently hampered by the Captain of Animal Control who wants to make Alex part of her collection. Once they make it back to New York Marty, Alex, Gloria and Melman realize that they want to be part of the traveling circus. Written by Anonymous

Movie Trailer: 

My Review: Comparing this third movie to other animated movies that have gone as far or further, I would say this is one of the best. I find that after the sequel, the original idea and purpose of the animated movie gets lost, thereby making it less funny and more desperate. While it’s true a franchise is made based on money and you wouldn’t make a sequel or a third movie if you didn’t think die-hard fans would go see it no matter how bad it is. What makes it bad is if the imagination is gone. 

I find adding too many characters can be a good judge of lost imagination. Especially if the animated movie is for children as well as adults. Why would you give children too many characters and storylines to follow. I’m sure you figure if they are intelligent enough to get through the entire Harry Potter series in a matter of days they can take on anything? Well, sometimes kids just want to be kids and adults just want to relax without having to think too hard, especially when watching an animated movie. So lighten up people!

As for this movie, there are just the main characters we all know and love of course, with a few added circus folk. Unlike the TV show Heroes which quickly got cancelled when a circus came to town and ruined the show, this circus added something we the audience and the main cast needed, a home. From the first movie and the second movie that is what they’ve been looking for all along. They left the zoo because Marty was looking for something bigger and better. A home he felt would be more exciting for himself. Not realizing his best friends would follow him of course. There-in lies the adventure of it all. I won’t spoil the ending but what I will say is I can see this franchise surpassing Ice Age and Shrek movies in terms of how many movies are made and money is earned as well. Don’t tamper with a great formula/idea and you’ll get further than you ever imagined. It’s the wonderful world of animation.

My Rating: B-

Original Article

TCM Presents... Possessed (1947)

Title: Possessed (1947)

Director: Curtis Bernhardt

Screenwriter(s): Sylvia Richards & Ronald MacDougall

Producer: Jerry Wald

Distributor: Warner Bros.

In Theaters: July 26^th, 1947

Run Time: 108 minutes

Starring: Joan Crawford, Van Heflin, Raymond Massey, Geraldine Brooks

Genre(s): drama/film-noir/thriller

Storyline: A dazed woman walks the streets of Los Angeles looking for a man named David. After collapsing in a diner, she’s taken to the psychiatric ward of a nearby hospital. Flashbacks reveal her obsession for David as a result of borderline personality disorder which ultimately leads to murder.


Movie Trailer: 


My Review: I’ve only ever seen one other Joan Crawford movie, What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?, and then it was Bette Davis who stole the show. Robert Osbourne explained before the movie began that this movie is by far Ms. Crawford’s best performance. Having only seen one other movie I cannot say I agree with him definitively but I’m inclined to believe anything Robert Osbourne says. He is the expert when it comes to classic movies.

It starts with a seemingly “possessed” woman, wandering the streets, looking for David. It’s not 100% certain who Steven is, for all we know it could be her son, but if you watched this on TCM then you’d know who he is from Robert Osbournes introduction. Steven is a man our main character is hopelessly in love with. So much so it triggers in her a paranoid schizophrenic state. She will do anything, even murder, to get him. Her role as a calculated woman turned woman on the edge is brilliant. It is said she spent a long time learning all she could about mental patients and had a doctor who specializes in trying to cure the mentally ill, work with her. Joan Crawford, I’m sure, was a perfectionist when it came to getting down the emotions of her characters. She gave her all on this performance, and I’m sure in her others as well.

The way she is able to manipulate people, everyone except David of course, and also the way she’s able to convince herself, is great. You find yourself feeling for her on a human level then, almost just as suddenly, hoping she gets what she deserves. I honestly cannot seem to understand how a man can drive a woman to such lengths of madness but I guess it was common then and it’s no different now. My only other issue I had with this movie was how it ended. I must give you a little history of the storyline in order to explain myself better. She is a caretaker to an older, sickly woman. This woman (whom we never actually see, just hear her annoying voice) has a husband, who she fears is having an affair with her nurse, and a daughter, who believes anything she tells her (namely about her fathers alleged infidelities). Once it is established that the elderly woman “committed suicide,” Louise (Joan Crawford) ends up marrying her patients newly widowed husband, in hopes of making David jealous. She also manages to make the daughter like her. It isn’t until much later, when she discovers that David and the daughter intend on marrying that she really goes wildly insane. I won’t give any spoilers away but she ends up recounting practically her entire life story for a doctor at a mental hospital where she was taken after she was found wandering around the streets in search of David. My issue is, once her story is told and her husband finds her at the hospital, he is told the diagnosis and is taken to see her. When he asks the doctor to leave so he can have a moment alone with his psychotic wife (who I still believe killed his first wife, although he explains to her that it couldn’t have been her) I expected him to kill her! I think that would have been a “WOW” ending. Maybe that’s just me.

Have you seen this movie? What did you think of it? What’s your favorite Joan Crawford movie (if you’ve seen any of her countless others)?

My Rating: B

TCM Presents... Jezebel (1938)

Title: Jezebel

Director: William Wyler

Screenwriter(s): Owen Davis (play) & Clements Ripley (screenplay)

Producer: William Wyler

Distributor: Warner Bros.

Production Company: Warner Bros.

In Theaters: March 10th, 1938

Run Time: 103 minutes

Starring: Bette Davis, Henry Fonda, & George Brent

Genre(s): drama/romance

Storyline: Set in antebellum New Orleans during the early 1850’s, this film follows Julie Marsden through her quest for social redemption on her own terms. Julie is a beautiful and free spirited, rapacious Southern belle who is sure of herself and controlling of her fiancé Preston Dillard, a successful young banker. Julie’s sensitive but domineering personality—she does not want so much to hurt as to assert her independence—forces a wedge between Preston and herself. To win him back, she plays North against South amid a deadly epidemic of yellow fever which claims a surprising victim.


Movie Trailer:


My Review: This was Betty Davis’ second Academy award nomination and her second win. It stands to reason why this is so. This movie was brilliant. Any movie that can get me to talk back to the tv while watching it scores high in my book of great movies. Henry Fonda was surprisingly good as well. But before I start to peel away the many layers of this onion of a movie, I hope you have read the storyline above? Good. Now, the best parts, among the many I was easily able to commit to memory!

For starters, when Julie (Bette Davis) is upset that her fiance, Preston (Henry Fonda), wouldn’t go dress shopping with her, she decides to do the most ghastly thing any woman in the south can do, wear a red dress! In the South, women who are not yet married are required to wear only white. Julie does not agree with these traditions and knows how angry it will make her fiance. It makes him angry alright. He demands that she wear a white dress to the Olympus Ball he will be escorting her to. She refuses, of course. When the night arrives and she is still wearing that “saucy” red dress, he orders her to change, she counters by accusing him of being a coward, not realizing the consequences of her words. At the ball she does more than simply turn everyones head, she causes people to snicker and gossip and actually walk off the dance floor when her and her fiance begin to dance. No one wants to be associated with them. When she realizes how her red dress is doing more damage than she had intended she begs Preston to take her home immediately. The looks on their faces and their body movements while dancing tell a story better than I ever could. You can see her desire to leave and his insistance that she stay and suffer through this humiliation. I agreed with his decision 100%! And when it was all over and he took her home, the night ended with a subtle agreement that their engagement was ended, because of her actions, and she slapped him in the face.

This move plays great homage to the South and how men and women behave. From the way women are expected to dress, look after the men, and allow them to be men. To the way men cannot allow their honor be in any way shamed in public. So much so that a duel takes place during a time when the “yellow jack”, a fever that had previously made its way through the south, killing many. The Southerners feared this fever more than anything. So much so that they would flea their houses to get to higher ground where they knew it would not follow. And those who were sick? They sent to a remote island where the lepers reside, to live out their life and die there.

The duel happened because of Julie’s actions. She knows it. And the scene where she sings with the negroes she invites over to her house in order to drown out her guilt and the anger of the other women is iconic. When the duel is over and the underdog wins the battle by shooting his first victim and the man Julie used to make Preston jealous, it drives her completely over the edge. Her guests (who also fled from “yellow jack” to her estate) could no longer stay there after knowing what she has just caused to happen. This leads to the best moment, the best line delivery in the entire movie, when her sad aunt Belle, her only relative who actually loves her, sits silently with Julie, who’s busy fiddling with flowers. She can’t take her aunts silence any longer and demands she say what she’s thinking. Her reply? “I’m thinkin’ of a woman called Jezebel who did evil in the sight of God.”

When I think about it, the other amazing moment comes earlier in the movie, a year has passed since the engagement of Julie and Preston ended, and her aunt is talking with the town doctor who’s paying a house call, inquiring after Julie’s health. Her aunt is worried about her because she does not leave the house and she only looks after the house more than anyone has ever done in the history of looking after houses! The doctor says no one know what kind of person Julie is more than her aunt Belle. To which aunt Belle replies, and I’m paraphrasing, “I only know her when she’s bad, because when she’s bad she’s the best part of me.” Or something to that effect.

I won’t spoil the ending for you. But I can easily see why she won the Academy, if only for two key moments for her in the movie. The first, when she humbles herself and asks for Prestons forgiveness when he returns help during the “yellow jack” outbreak. And secondly, when she again humbles herself and begs Prestons wife to let her accompany him to the land of the lepers after he is infected by “yellow jack” and has to be taken there. She only gets her way in one instance. I leave you to guess which one…

My Rating: A+

Snow White and the Huntsman

Title: Snow White and the Huntsman

Director: Rupert Sanders

Screenwriter(s): Evan Daugherty & John Lee Hancock

Producer: Joe Roth

Distributor: Universal Pictures

Production Company: Roth Films

In Theaters: June 1st, 2012

Run Time: 127 minutes

Color: Technicolor

Starring: Kristen Stewart, Charlize Theron, Chris Hemsworth, Sam Claflin, & Ian McShane

Genre(s): action/adventure/drama/fantasy

Storyline: Snow White is the only person in the land fairer than the evil queen. Unable to tolerate the insult to her vanity, the evil queen decides that Snow White must die. The queen sends a huntsman to kill Snow White. However the huntsman finds himself unable to murder the innocent young woman, and instead ends up training her to become a warrior capable of threatening the queen’s reign. Written by WellardRockard

Movie Trailer: 

My Review: Kristen Stewart you have surely outdone yourself with your performance as Snow White! I thought the only movie of hers I’d love would be Panic Room, but I stand corrected. If you are wondering whether or not it’s worth going to see, wonder no further, because this movie is definitely a must see! From the very beginning you can see this will be as close as one can get to the accurate telling of the tale of Snow White. Charlize Theron was masterful as the wicked Queen.

There is plenty of action for the men in this movie as well. Yes there are fight scenes for days that would satisfy any guy (or girl) who’s looking for less sappy dialogue and more bloodshed. There was only one moment where the lines were as corny as you can get! **SPOILER ALERT** And if not for it turning out that William (during the scene out in the dead of winter) was in fact the wicked Queen tricking Snow White into taking a bite of the poisionous apple, that part would have truly irked me.

The 7 dwarfs were great and funny as well. One of them dies (which I’d have to go back to the book to find out if that is true) during battle. As usual their names are no where near those that we all assume are their names from the animated movie. I almost hate that movie for making me assume the story should be told a certain way when it’s simply a sugar-coated version. In fact, this movie is similar to the telling of Joan of Arc in “The Messenger” with Milla Jovovich (Fifth Element chick). It seems like nowadays there will always be a kiddie version to the true depiction of a story coming out. The more child friendly version for Snow White and the Huntsman would be Mirror Mirror.

Aside from Kristen Stewart and Charlize Theron, the two men deserve mention. Actually, the huntsman only deserves mention. I could have done without the Duke’s son, William, played by Sam Claflin (you may recognize him from the fourth Pirates of the Caribbean movie, he played the priest). I took an instant disliking to him. I’m just glad that he turns out NOT to be Snow White’s true love, although that is hinted at being a sure thing throughout the movie, until he plants “the kiss” on her and she does not come out of her coma. It isn’t until the huntsman, after an emotional plea for her to wake up, kisses her that it not just wakes her, but breathes new life into her.

This is definitely a movie I would not mind seeing in the theater again. I might even buy it on DVD when it’s released. Yes it was that damn good in my opinion. And I’ll stick to that opinion even after knowing she is the main character of those damned Twilight series!

My Rating: A

Original Article

Mame (1974)

Title: Mame

Director: Gene Saks

Screenwriter(s): Paul Zindel & Patrick Dennis

Producer: James Cresson & Robert Fryer

Distributor: Warner Bros.

Production Company: ABC

In Theaters: March 27th, 1974

Run Time: 132 minutes

Color: Technicolor

Starring: Lucille Ball, Beatrice Arthur, Robert Preston, & Joyce Van Patten

Genre(s): Musical

Storyline: The musical revolves around the antics of Mame Dennis, a fun-loving, wealthy eccentric with a flare for life and a razor sharp wit. Her life is suddenly changed when she becomes the guardian of her late brother's only child, Patrick Dennis. Her adventures take us from the speak-easies of the roaring 20's to the depression following the great Stock Market crash. She is rescued by a wealthy Southern plantation owner, marries and is widowed suddenly, and through it all, manages to keep things under control. With some help from her dearest friend, Vera Charles, she helps keep things at 3 Beekman Place a rousing free-for-all. Written by John Deming

Movie Trailer:

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qh7VHNYHxFU]

My Review: There are two kinds of people when it comes to this movie. Those that have seen the stage play starring Angela Lansbury and feel Lucy ruined the movie version? Or those that loved the non-musical version Auntie Mame with Rosalind Russell? Well, prepare to scream because I was not born yet when Angela Lansbury and Bea Arthur were nominated in the Tony Awards for Mame and I honestly prefer the musical to Rosalind Russell. With that being said watching this in cinemascope on the big screen was an experience I would not trade for anything. I smiled and sang along to every song! I never realized just how many songs are in this movie until tonight but I appreciate every single one. And if the music isn't enough to grab your attention, I learned something new tonight that I didn't realize before. The screenwriter is Paul Zindel! I've read every single one of his Pigman books! I did not know he wrote screenplays as well! But back to the music. There is so much of it riddled throughout the movie I feel I must share my favorites with you. So which are my favorites?

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jUxZd1exbmw]
The South Will Rise Again - Mame

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5E5u5xO8t68]
Bosom Buddies - Mame (Lucille Ball & Bea Arthur)

If you get anything out of this movie, let it be that you live each day to the fullest. It's the one life lesson Auntie Mame wants to impart on Patrick (her only living relative who is charged with looking out for him). She teaches him more than the average 9 year old boy learns even by today's standards! It's an amazing time to be had by everyone, young and old.

What Mame says to her nephew I say to you: You know what your problem is? You don't know how to live! Life is a banquet and most sons of bitches are starving to death!

And just because I don't want to leave Angela Lansbury out of this musical review, please enjoy this performance she does with her stage co-star Bea Arthur at the Tony Awards:

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ilV5K8tw_6o]

My Rating: A

Dark Shadows (2012)

Title: Dark Shadows

Director: Tim Burton

Screenwriter(s): Seth Grahame-Smith

Producer: Richard D. Zanuck, Graham King, Johnny Depp, David Kennedy

Distributor: Warner Bros.

Production Company: Dan Curtis Productions, GK Films, & Infinitum Nihil

In Theaters: May 11th, 2012

Run Time: 113 minutes

Color: Technicolor

Starring: Johnny Depp, Michelle Pfeiffer, Helena Bonham Carter & Eva Green

Genre(s): comedy/fantasy

Storyline: In the year 1752, Joshua and Naomi Collins, with young son Barnabas, set sail from Liverpool, England to start a new life in America. But even an ocean was not enough to escape the mysterious curse that has plagued their family. Two decades pass and Barnabas (Johnny Depp) has the world at his feet-or at least the town of Collinsport, Maine. The master of Collinwood Manor, Barnabas is rich, powerful and an inveterate playboy...until he makes the grave mistake of breaking the heart of Angelique Bouchard (Eva Green). A witch, in every sense of the word, Angelique dooms him to a fate worse than death: turning him into a vampire, and then burying him alive. Two centuries later, Barnabas is inadvertently freed from his tomb and emerges into the very changed world of 1972. He returns to Collinwood Manor to find that his once-grand estate has fallen into ruin. The dysfunctional remnants of the Collins family have fared little better... Written by Warner Bros. Pictures

Movie Trailer:

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ePV8WGngJRQ]

My Review: If you haven’t seen this movie yet but are planning on going to see it this weekend DO NOT READ THIS REVIEW!!

Let me also say that I’ve never seen the original television series or read the book that this movie was loosely (very loosely) based on. I did not go expecting Oscar worthy performances and I was not disappointed there. I went because it’s a Johnny Depp movie with Tim Burton directing it. How could I not go see this movie!? There are very few actor/director combinations today that work as well as theirs does. I was also surprised (and a bit delighted) to see Seth Grahame-Smith wrote the screenplay for this movie as well.

Now onto the bad news. This movie is NOT their best collaboration. I might be so bold to say it’s among my worst for me. Why? Well, for the first time, I felt like Johnny over acted this role to the point of making me uncomfortable. I honestly felt this role was made for him. Especially after all the crazy roles he’s played before this, Edward Scissorhands, Ed Wood, Sweeney Todd, and Willy Wonka, to name but a few. Yet, he came across unreal as a vampire (pardon the pun).

My family also chimed in with their opinion of the movie based on the trailer alone. They grew up with the gothic soap opera so they know it VERY well. Never missed it in fact. And according to them this movie is a farce! A spoof of a great cult classic. Take that opinion as you wish and read on.

I was also disappointed in the storyline. Again, I have not seen the television show or read the book but basing my opinion solely on the movie I can say there was so much there to build on, so much depth that could have been shown on screen. Instead, the “sex” scene between the witch and the vampire was given about 3 minutes time that was a waste. It also felt like it was just shoved in there awkwardly.

Michelle Pfeiffer was actually the best part of the whole movie for me. Also, the boy and girl who I felt were not given enough of a story line. Especially since (spoiler alert) the teenage girl turns out to be a werewolf! Hello! If they were going for surprise there it worked but again it felt sort of shoved into the story awkwardly. I’d feel better if I knew there were more Dark Shadows movies to come? And if there are, then I’d wonder why this movie felt so rushed to tell a story that obviously is in depth since the tv show ran for over 1,200 episodes!! (I looked it up on IMDb)

I find myself about to watch Sweeney Todd or ANY of the Pirates movies in order to remind myself just how great Johnny Depp is and realize every writer, director, & actor has their bad film. I just hope this is the only one they’ll have!

My Rating: C-

Born Yesterday (Movie Review)

Title: Born Yesterday

Director: George Cukor

Screenwriter(s): Albert Mannheimer & Garson Kanin

Producer: S. Sylvan Simon

Distributor: Columbia Pictures

In Theaters: December 26th, 1950

Run Time: 103 minutes

Color: Black & White

Starring: Judy Holliday, Broderick Crawford, & William Holden

Genre(s): comedy/drama/romance

Storyline: Uncouth, loud-mouth junkyard tycoon Harry Brock descends upon Washington D.C. to buy himself a congressman or two, bringing with him his mistress, ex-showgirl Billie Dawn. Brock hires newspaperman Paul Verrall to see if he can soften her rough edges and make her more presentable in capital society. But Harry gets more than he bargained for as Billie absorbs Verall's lessons in U.S. history and not only comes to the realization that Harry is nothing but a two-bit, corrupt crook, but in the process also falls in love with her handsome tutor. Written by Paul Penna

Movie Trailer:

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=upJ5pZdyZlM]

My Review: Yet another stellar evening at the movies with Ms. Hedda Lettuce and her comedy pre-show.

If you've never seen this version perhaps you are familiar with the remake? Melanie Griffith reprises Judy Holliday's role although not as brilliantly. I've seen this original several dozen times but never until now did I notice just how much of the movie revolves around politics. Not the politics of today but how corruption first started out on a small scale. Your average, run of the mill gangster, thinks he can do what he wants and get anyone he wants to do his bidding because he has money at his disposal. So while Harry is busy pushing around his cousin, his lawyer, and a congressman, his fiance Billy is learning how to be cooth from Paul (William Holden).

All she has to do is learn how to speak good, but instead of teaching her the basics Paul pushes her mind to the limit. A light bulb finally goes off in Billy's head and she sees Harry for who he really is, a bad man! She calls him out on his operation and brings him down to size in a scene that could only be expressed with such intensity by Ms. Holliday herself. You'll find yourself laughing, smiling, and you might even shed a tear for the shear joy this feel good movie will bring you from beginning to very happy ending.

My Rating: A

The Women (Movie Review)

Title: The Women

Director: George Cukor


Screenwriter(s): Anita Loos, Jane Murfin & Clare Boothe Luce (play)


Producer: Hunt Stromberg


Distributor: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer


In Theaters: September 1st, 1939


Run Time: 133 minutes


Color: Black & White


Starring: Norma Shearer, Joan Crawford, Rosalind Russell


Genre(s): comedy/drama


Storyline: Wealthy Mary Haines is unaware her husband is having an affair with shopgirl Crystal Allen. Sylvia Fowler and Edith Potter discover this from a manicurist and arrange for Mary to hear the gossip. On the train taking her to a Reno divorce Mary meets the Countess and Miriam (in an affair with Fowler's husband). While they are at Lucy's dude ranch, Fowler arrives for her own divorce and the Countess meets fifth husband-to-be Buck. Back in New York, Mary's ex is now unhappily married to Crystal who is already in an affair with Buck. When Sylvia lets this story slip at a country club dinner, Crystal brags of her plans for a still wealthier marriage, only to find the Countess is the source of all Buck's money. Crystal must return to the perfume counter and Mary runs back to her husband. Written by Ed Stephan


Movie Trailer:

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZV0k77ih8Q]

My Review: Whenever I see an old movie in the movie theater it's an experience. Especially when I'm going to the Chelsea Clearview Cinemas where..."dreams come true!" You have to have attended a screening to get that. Also, the added bonus to seeing these Clearview Classics is if you go to the 7pm showing you get a pre-show well worth the price of admission and then some! Ms. Hedda Lettuce is phenomenal in her opening act of banter and pure insults that she dishes with such panache you'd wish she were a part of your deranged family.

This movie was extra special because not only did Ms. Lettuce watch the entire movie with us but she kept her mic on and had hilarious quips throughout the movie that added a little lightheartedness to the seriousness of this movie. Don't get me wrong, this movie is a comedy. Who doesn't like a good chick fight? And the insults that the women of this movie throw back and forth at each other is enough to make you angry with revenge.

The movie, in short, is about the lives a group of women lead in a short period of time. Some are friends with each other and others are just friendly to each other in order to better stab you in the back later. Just because they are of the upper class does not mean you can't bring their persona down to your level and be able to understand their strife. There main character is the woman scorned. And although Norma Shearer tries to play cool and unaffected by her husbands cheating on her with the girl at the perfume counter, it isn't until she realizes she's got nothing left to lose that her claws come out for revenge. I've never seen her act in any other movie but from what I've seen of her in this movie she isn't half bad.

Honestly, of all the women of the 1930's and 40's who I felt was missing from this movie, it was Bette Davis. I think she would have done and Oscar worthy performance of Mary. Especially when she transitioned from complacent wife to hell cat after her man! But I digress...

My favorite actresses in this all female cast (no men are ever shown, just mentioned, A LOT!) were Rosalind Russell who plays Sylvia and Mary Boland who plays the Countess that Norma Shearer character meets while on the train headed to Vegas. Apparently that's where you went away to hide while the paper work was going through on the divorce back then. You would go away on "holiday" and go back home a new woman once the divorce was all settled. How convenient? The Countess has been through countless husbands. I believe she says she's either on husband number four or five when she befriends Mary. Her experience has left her far wiser than her years.

Countess DeLave: Oh, l'amour, l'amour, how it can let you down. Hmm. How it can pick you up again.

If you're looking for a feel good chick flick movie, check this one out because it will make you laugh, it will make you cry, but most of all, it will leave you feeling that all too lacking empowerment of women! Oh, but don't bother with the Meg Ryan remake. This original is always the best.

My Rating: A

Titanic (Movie Review)

Title: Titanic (IMAX 3-D)

Director: James Cameron

Producer: James Cameron & Jon Landau

Screenwriters: James Cameron

Distributor: Paramount Pictures (USA) & 20th Century Fox (Internationally)

In Theaters: December 19th, 1997

Run Time: 194 minutes

Color: Color

Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet, Kathy Bates, Victor Garber, Jonathan Ides, Billy Zane, etc.

Genre(s): adventure/drama/history/romance

Storyline: 84 years later, a 101-year-old woman named Rose DeWitt Bukater tells the story to her granddaughter Lizzy Calvert, Brock Lovett, Lewis Bodine, Bobby Buell and Anatoly Mikailavich on the Keldysh about her life set in April 10th 1912, on a ship called Titanic when young Rose boards the departing ship with the upper-class passengers and her mother, Ruth DeWitt Bukater, and her fiancé, Caledon Hockley. Meanwhile, a drifter and artist named Jack Dawson and his best friend Fabrizio De Rossi win third-class tickets to the ship in a game. And she explains the whole story from departure until the death of Titanic on its first and last voyage April 15th, 1912 at 2:20 in the morning. Written by Anthony Pereyra

Movie Trailer:



My Review: Although this movie came out in 1997 and everyone I knew saw it or, in the last 15 years since, has seen it, I never did. Whenever it would come on tv I avoided it. Not for any reason other than both leads in the movie were never a favorite of mine. I am happy to state, after seeing the movie, I hold the same feelings about them. In fact, the only part I could have done without was what moviegoers probably say is the main reason for seeing that movie as often as they have; the love story. While it is wonderful and cutesy to witness that “love at first sight” moment and while the relationship they had, though VERY short, could be analyzed all on it’s own, I felt it took away from what was going on during that tragic event. Perhaps that was what the writer/director/producer James Cameron had in mind when telling this very true and very chilling true story?

While I felt the romance could have been shown without those specific two, I appreciated when it was show, if only because it distracted my mind away from the tragedy going on around them, especially in the second half of the movie when the boat hits the iceberg. I found myself getting the most emotional after this point, not because Jack was dying! Although there were MANY women in the audience who were wailing and sobbing because Jack was dying! I rolled my eyes at them and tried to block them out as I stared at the huge IMAX screen in awe of it all. I cried seeing those people falling to their deaths. Especially the mother telling her children a bedtime story below deck as they slept, knowing they were going to die soon. The tragedy of over 1,500 people dying was enough to draw tears from my eyes, NOT the one lucky couple who at least got to experience love and what it means to have and feel that love, even if just for a little while.

The way this entire movie was filmed was crazy if not genius. I would definitely love to see the behind the scenes on how a story of this magnitude was put together and filmed. I can see why it won and admit it deserved all of the accolades it received at the time and today. However, like Passion of the Christ, this will be one movie I know I will never be able to see again. Much too tragic and too real to endure no matter how brilliantly it was done. If you were like me and never saw it, I recommend seeing it now while it’s in the theater! Or if you’ve missed that opportunity, watch it on DVD or something. Don’t watch it with commercial interruptions. I’d hate to know what scenes were shortened in order to accommodate commercials.


My Rating: B+

Will You…Run And Tell That?