I have kind of a love/hate relationship with movie musicals. Generally, I LOVE them. But if they're done poorly, it's utterly painful to sit through. (Just as an example, you can go back and check out my review of Les Misérables, which I thought was amazing--with one exception.) Next month comes Hollywood's latest offering, Sondheim's Into the Woods. It boasts a HUGE cast of big names, and hopefully all of them will do their roles well. I do tend to judge actors' singing, although they get big … [Read more...] about Just A Peek, For Fun!
johnny depp
Happy Birthday, Johnny Depp!
Well, I couldn't let the day go by without taking a minute to wish a Happy Birthday to my favorite actor, Johnny Depp! After a long day, I'm about ready to settle in (finally!) and watch something of his, though I'm not sure quite what. Netflix recently began offering The Rum Diary on streaming, which is cool. I'm just not sure if I'm in the mood for that particular film. I could always peruse the DVDs I own... - Edward Scissorhands - Ed Wood - Ninth Gate - Sleepy Hollow - Chocolat … [Read more...] about Happy Birthday, Johnny Depp!
Memorial Day Weekend Almost-Double-Feature: Avenging Dark Shadows
This weekend I had the rare treat of heading to the theaters not once, but twice: first was a date night to see The Avengers, then a small group outing to see Dark Shadows a couple of days later. Not quite a true double-feature, but for the purposes of semi-brevity here on the blog, the term will have to do. I got settled in at The Avengers ready for your typical summer-blockbuster-action-adventure-popcorn-flick. I really wasn't expecting a lot of depth of character or even a terribly … [Read more...] about Memorial Day Weekend Almost-Double-Feature: Avenging Dark Shadows
Finding Neverland…Again
Last night I had the privilege of rediscovering an old favorite of mine, and afterwards came to my blog, found that I had somehow never written about this beautiful film, and decided today to remedy this oversight. On the surface, Finding Neverland could have played out as any romantic drama, period or otherwise. There's the somewhat typical couple whose relationship is in trouble, a new love interest causing another somewhat typical love triangle, and various other dramatic plot points. … [Read more...] about Finding Neverland…Again
The Imagination of Doctor Gilliam
This evening I was finally able to indulge in a film that represents the ultimate movie-going experience for me. I am very much a lover of fiction, and the farther the journey I can take, the more I enjoy it. It is with this in mind that I offer my review of The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus. It seems to me that this is a film which many, many people heard about (having the distinction of being the film which Heath Ledger was shooting before he died) but not many people have seen. In the … [Read more...] about The Imagination of Doctor Gilliam
Addendum to “Alice”
Well, as you might have expected, I did go watch Alice again - this time without the 3D trappings. The colors were in fact noticeably deeper and richer, particularly in the flowers and other surroundings of Wonderland. It wasn't day-glo 70s garishly colorful (which I nearly expected), but it was definitely an improvement. And a lot of the camera angles were so oriented to 3D on their own, that I found I didn't miss the added depth very much at all. Since the 3D effects were so much more subtle … [Read more...] about Addendum to “Alice”