Sure, tomorrow is Christmas. But it’s also “one day more” for another big movie event.
I’m going to see it the day after Christmas… already have my tickets… and I can’t wait!!!
“Les Miserables’ AND the Cirque du Soleil 3D movie back to back!!!
Merry Christmas to ME!!!

By now you probably know that I’m a HUGE “Les Miserables” fan… HUGE!!!
I’ve seen it live on stage far too many times. I have several versions of the soundtrack.
Including the French Concept Album and I don’t even speak French. I know, a dork.
I even have two DVD’s each with a different anniversary concert performance.
And yes, I can sing every single word… even the duets! And let me just say,
I sound incredible in my car by myself. So I am more than excited to see that they’ve
made a full-length feature movie of “Les Miserables” coming out on Christmas Day.
Who knows, I might need to ditch my family early to go see a movie?!

Tonight I went to see “Snow White And The Huntsman.”
From the trailer, it looked pretty cool. Lots of great effects and stunning visuals.
Well, it did live up to the trailer. Charlize Theron was pretty incredible as the
Evil Queen. Snow White on the other hand…

Okay, so the role of Snow White is played by Kristen Stewart from the “Twilight”
trilogy that I luckily avoided. Anyway, I didn’t quite “buy her” as Snow White.
Reportedly the “fairest in the land” – with lips as red blood and skin as white as snow…
you know the drill. Let’s just leave it at… I wasn’t a fan.

However…
One of the Previews before the movie REALLY has me excited!
So by now I’m sure you’ve realized that I’m a big “Les Miserables” fan.
I’ve seen it FAR too many times. Every show. Every version. Every soundtrack.
Even the French concept album… and I don’t even speak French!

Anyway, the trailer was for the upcoming full-feature, musical movie version of
“Les Miserables” After more than 25 years, my favorite Broadway show of all time is coming
to the movie theaters. I had heard the rumors of a movie… and was kind of scared that they
might mess it up. Well, from the looks of the movie trailer… they did a great job!!!

Click here to see the movie trailer for “Les Miserables”… coming out this Christmas 2012.

Well, the Academy Award nominations were just announced.
And with the Oscars just 33 days away… I have a LOT of movies to see!
I try every year to see all of the movies nominated for “Best Picture.”
I feel that gives me a pretty well-rounded scope for the rest of the
nominations as well. Plus, why bother with the mediocre movies?
I’ll wait for the “Best Pictures” of the year. So here they are…

The Artist
The Descendants
Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close
The Help
Hugo
Midnight In Paris
Moneyball
The Tree Of Life
War Horse

I’ve seen one!
And have never even heard of “The Tree Of Life”???
So at this point, I’m going with “The Artist” to win Best Picture.
Mainly because I haven’t seen the rest of them yet!!!

Like I said last week… you need to go see “The Artist.”
And apparently, the Hollywood Foreign Press agrees.
Tonight they awarded the movie with Golden Globes for “Best Movie” & “Best Actor”
in the Comedy & Musical Category!!! Very well deserved… and my favorite movie
of the year so far! I hope the “momentum” keeps up as we roll towards the Oscars!

Click here to see the trailer… “The Artist” Official Trailer

Tonight I went to see the new movie “The Artist.”
It’s receiving rave reviews & nominations… despite the fact that it’s in black & white…
and in the style of a traditional silent film. It’s a classic “boy meets girl” story line.
Except they don’t talk. It’s a beautiful film that draws you in and enchants you along the way.
The storyline is witty, the timing is quick and some great cameo performances. As well as
some beautiful cinematography… especially the scene where the leading man is drinking
at a mirrored table, then it flips, tne he pours his drink on the table. So simple. So brilliant.
You quickly get accustomed to the orchestral soundtrack, the placards that tell you what
they’re saying, and the “mugging” for the camera. Let me just say, the dog steals the show!

Is it the Best Picture?… we’ll see. I have a lot more movies to see.
Once the Oscar nominations are released, I’ve got a lot of catching up to do.
And a lot of popcorn to eat.

With so much hype about “Social Network” and its Best Picture nomination,
I decided to rent the “other” Facebook movie from Netflix. And just watched it.

It is a documentary film that was a big hit at the Sundance Film Festival.
You might remember that I already have some “issues” with Facebook and the whole
social-networking thing. How people share information, reveal themselves & how so
much information can be found on the Internet with just a few clicks. Still not a fan.

I had only heard small snippets about this documentary film. It is definitely a film
you should go into not knowing anything about. So I won’t tell you either.
But I will tell you it deals with relationships on Facebook, the people you “friend”
and where it can go from there. Enough said.

Two thumbs up… you’ll be part of their adventure faster than you’d think.
The main character is very endearing and you want to see where this takes him.
With his brother & friend as his camera crew, you follow his journey very personally.
And I guarantee it will not be where you expect… a documentary with a twist!!!
And I would definitely suggest it for anyone who has teenage kids on Facebook
who might be sharing too much, posting too many pictures and “friending” too
many people without knowing them!

Okay, so I finally succumbed to the hype… “all the cool kids are doing it”…
and I went to see the “cultural phenomenon” known as “Avatar” in 3D.

Let’s just preface this by saying that I really don’t like movies that rely completely on
computer graphics for their impact & appeal. So I was quite hesitant when “Avatar”
started making the rounds. I’m sure it’s beautiful. I’m sure it’s breathtaking.
I’m sure it’s cool and all… but c’mon, do I really need to see a creepy, glamorized,
blue-skinned version of “Clutch Cargo”? Flying creatures? Glowing landscapes? Nope.

But once the movie began raking in the money hand-over-fist, and everyone was talking
about Pandora and how wonderful it all was… I started to question if I was missing anything.
So I decided to check it out… in 3D.

Let’s just say I was pleasantly surprised, but not completely won over. I’m glad I saw it.
The 3D effects were great. The colors were vibrant. The “cinematography?” was well done.
I think they did a fine job at creating a visual masterpiece… albeit a bit contrived.
Love story for the teenage girls. Chaos & destruction for the teenage boys.
Revering your elders for “the elders” out there. Family values. Spiritualism. Peace. Harmony.
Eco-friendly message for all those “green” people out there. Be yourself. Help Others.
Cheer for the good guys. Hate the bad guys. Let’s all love the Earth. Blah, blah, blah…
I felt a little manipulated during the movie – a little too preachy. But still enjoyable.

The colors were incredible. The 3D effects we breathtaking. The creativity never-ending.
I would recommend going to see it just because it’s a beautiful piece of film. And if you do…
I think you need to see it in 3D… otherwise, you’re missing some of the best parts!
Should it win the Oscar for Best Picture?… I sure hope not. But if it does…
it will be for the technological advances they made in the making of this film.

I just realized that I never shared my addiction to the movie “Across The Universe.”
Yes, Eddie Izzard reminded me of the movie… and I’ve already watched it over 50 times!
It’s kind of my “default movie” at the studio. On those days when there’s nothing good on TV,
and I don’t know which movie to watch… this is the one I grab the most!

“Across The Universe” came out in 2007 with a creative take on the Vietnam War.
Director Julie Taymor is one my favorites… the most creative & innovative director of today.
She combined the classic hits of The Beatles with memorable plot, characters & visuals.
She’s also the one responsible for “The Lion King: The Musical”… also brilliant!!!

Imagine a mesmerizing soundtrack of all your favorite Beatles songs, worked into a
beautiful storyline that take our main characters Jude, Max & Lucy through the days
surrounding the Vietnam War. With visually stunning images and haunting renditions
of the classic Beatles songs, this movie musical is a brilliant piece of film on all levels.
I love it. And I would recommend it to everyone!

With Jude, Lucy and Max protesting the Vietnam War at a big rally,
before reality sets in and the war hits a little too close to home…

With Prudence, and her rendition of “I Want To Hold Your Hand”…

And my favorite scene… Jude’s take on “Strawberry Fields Forever”…

With special guest star cameos by such stars as Bono, Selma Hayek, Joe Cocker…

and of course… British comedian Eddie Izzard.

But as with any good Hollywood musical… in the end, “All You Need Is Love.”

So I just watched one of the most visually stunning movies I’ve ever seen.
It was recommended by two of my friends – whose opinions I trust. So I finally
placed it on my Netflix queue.. and boy am I glad I did. They were right.

With every scene well crafted. Every shot perfectly composed. It is a beautiful film.
Director Tarsem Singh does it once again with this visual masterpiece. So the plot
may not be the best ever, and I wasn’t a fan of the ending… but you’ve got to appreciate
the creativity & craftsmanship in this film. It’s visually stunning.

And yes, that is indeed Lee Pace in the lead role… the storyteller who befriends one
of the cutest youngsters ever. Lee Pace… you know, from the gone-but-not-forgotten-
and I’m-still-holding-out-for-it-to-come-back favorite new series in the past couple years…
the cancelled far too quickly show I loved… “Pushing Daisies.”

So take my word for it… and go rent it today!!!  You’ll be glad you did.