Cast: Kristen Stewart (Bella Swan), Robert Pattinson (Edward Cullen), Taylor Lautner (Jacob Black), Billy Burke (Charlie Swan), Ashley Greene (Alice Cullen)
For complete info, see IMDb's The Twilight Saga: Eclipse page.
In ways, I think I enjoyed The Twilight Saga: Eclipse movie better than the original Twilight movie. Though I thought it was horrible that they recast the role of Victoria, I do think Bryce Dallas Howard did a much better job as Victoria. Also, they clearly spent a lot more money on the special effects for New Moon and Eclipse than they did the original movie. Since they followed the story of the book as well (if not better), the result was definitely a more enjoyable movie.
They did a great job with the story and didn't leave out as many key components as they seemed to in the first movie. I'm really looking forward to the Breaking Dawn movie when they release that. If they do as well with that movie, it should be amazing.
If you like the Twilight series, you've probably already seen this movie, but if not, see it soon. It'll probably leave most IMAX theatres this weekend when Inception is released. So many more movies are being released in IMAX these days. They're clearly trying to get to people like me who don't see many movies in theatres that aren't released in IMAX and/or 3D.
Grade: B+
Labels: 2010, Anna Kendrick, Ashley Greene, drama, fantasy, IMAX, Kristen Stewart, movie, Robert Pattinson, romance, sci-fi, Stephenie Meyer, Taylor Lautner
Reviewed by Kat at the 11:00 AM show | 0 screams
Cast: Liam Neeson (Hannibal), Bradley Cooper (Lt. Templeton 'Faceman' Peck), Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson (B.A. Baracus), Sharlto Copley (Murdock), Jessica Biel (Charisa Sosa)
For complete info, see IMDb's The A-Team page.
I was a big fan of the television show The A-Team, so I was pretty excited when they said they were making a movie out of it. I pictured all they could do with the budget of a blockbuster film and thought it could be a lot of fun to watch. The movie didn't disappoint me.
The special effects were well done, the story was decent, and the cast was wonderful. I definitely recommend seeing The A-Team in a theatre if you like movies with good special effects and enjoyed the television show. They did a very good job with the story and I hope they'll make another. I'd definitely be ready to see a sequel.
Grade: B+
Labels: 2010, action, adventure, Bradley Cooper, drama, Jessica Biel, Liam Neeson, movie, suspense
Reviewed by Kat at the 10:55 AM show | 0 screams
Cast: Jake Gyllenhaal (Tommy Cahill), Natalie Portman (Grace Cahill), Tobey Maguire (Capt. Sam Cahill)
For complete info, see IMDb's Brothers page.
The previews I'd seen of Brothers led me to expect quite a few things that didn't happen in the movie, which was good. Brothers is definitely a very realistic drama (too realistic at times - I couldn't watch the screen for the entire movie). I'm not generally a fan of war movies. I have no interest in seeing The Hurt Locker in spite of the fact that it won Best Picture and I was glad when Saving Private Ryan didn't win. However, I think Brothers is a very good movie and totally worth renting. I cried at parts and it was very moving, but it was well done and when you're renting a movie it's easier to look away (or even fast forward, if necessary) through the parts of the movie that are a bit too much to take for the violence or other issues you may have.
The cast is wonderful and the story of Brothers is very well done. I definitely recommend renting the movie if you haven't seen it yet.
Grade: B+
Labels: 2009, drama, Jake Gyllenhaal, movie, Natalie Portman, suspense, tear jerker, Tobey Maguire, war
Reviewed by Kat at the 8:30 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Gabourey Sidibe (Precious), Mo'Nique (Mary), Paula Patton (Ms. Rain), Mariah Carey (Mrs. Weiss), Sherri Shepherd (Cornrows)
For complete info, see IMDb's Precious page.
In spite of the fact that this was partially presented by Oprah Winfrey (I'm not a fan), I really enjoyed Precious. Well, perhaps "enjoyed" isn't really the correct word. I think it is a wonderfully done film with a great cast. I didn't read the book, which is pretty rare for me with movies based on books, but I just watched the movie with this one.
The cast is amazing. Clearly, due to the subject matter, if you're in the mood for a light hearted and happy movie, this isn't a good choice. If you want to watch a deeply moving movie that will probably make you tear up a bit (if you don't get a bit teary when watching this movie, I can't imagine anything moving you to tears), this is a great choice.
Movies based on true stories almost always interest me and Sapphire's story was adapted to film very well. I definitely recommend renting Precious if you haven't seen it yet.
Grade: A-
Reviewed by Kat at the 8:45 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Amanda Seyfried (Sophie), Vanessa Redgrave (Claire), Vanessa Redgrave (Charlie), Gael Garcia Bernal (Victor)
For complete info, see the IMDb Letters to Juliet page.
I haven't read the book and I don't think I will, though it's probably better than the movie. Letters to Juliet was pretty much what I expected - a typical chick flick. I enjoyed it for the most part. The music was good, the cast is really good, it's a sweet concept. The movie was a bit too predictable (and not just the main story line - I knew that would be completely predictable). So many times when a character walked into the room you knew they'd end up doing something that was clearly set up by the scene and that got a little annoying by the end of the movie.
Still, if you like romantic comedies, I'd recommend renting Letters to Juliet, which is what I would have done if I hadn't had a girls night out and ended up seeing it in a theatre with friends.
Grade: B
Reviewed by Kat at the 5:10 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Rachel McAdams (Clare Abshire), Eric Bana (Henry DeTamble)
For complete info, see IMDb's The Time Traveler's Wife page.
I loved the book, so I had to see the movie even though I didn't expect it to be very well done. I was pleasantly surprised. They did a great job with The Time Traveler's Wife adaptation. A few story lines were completely eliminated, but that's to be expected any time a book is made into a movie. I don't think anything major was changed and the changes they made seemed to work well for the movie. I missed some of the plot lines, but I understand why they had to be cut due to time constraints.
The special effects were done a lot better than I'd expected. The disappearing and reappearing happened a lot more slowly than I'd imagined it and it looked really neat in HD. I definitely recommend renting this in Blu-ray if you have it.
Grade: B+
Labels: 2009, adaptation, book, drama, family, fantasy, movie, romance, sci-fi
Reviewed by Kat at the 9:45 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Meryl Streep (Julia Child), Amy Adams (Julie Powell), Stanley Tucci (Paul Child), Chris Messina (Eric Powell)
For complete info, see IMDb's Julie & Julia page.
I might not have enjoyed the parts of the movie with Julie as much as I did if I hadn't heard such horrible things about those parts, but I thought all the parts of the movie were about at the same level. Meryl Streep did an amazing job as Julia Child. I didn't find the story all that interesting (either one, actually), but the cast was great and the story was well done. If you're really into cooking and like Julia Child, the movie will probably be more enjoyable for you.
Grade: B-
Labels: 2009, Amy Adams, biography, cooking, drama, Meryl Streep, movie, romance, Stanley Tucci
Reviewed by Kat at the 9:30 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Moya Angela (Effie Melody White), Syesha Mercado (Deena Jones), Chester Gregory (James "Thunder" Early), Chaz Lamar Shepherd (Curtis Taylor, Jr.)
For complete info, check out the Dreamgirls website.
I'd never seen Dreamgirls live before. I knew the music and had seen the movie, but hadn't seen the live show. The most important thing in Dreamgirls for me is that Effie has a great voice, since And I am Telling You I'm Not Going is my favorite song from the show. I thought Moya Angela did well, but I definitely wasn't wowed by her performance.
Judging by the reaction in the crowd, a lot of people were really impressed with Chester Gregory. I think he played the character well enough, but his performance didn't blow me over. The story of Dreamgirls, loosely based on Diana Ross and the Supremes, is fairly interesting, though it's not super gripping. If you want a lively and highly exciting show, this is probably not it. However, the music is really good and the cast of the touring production does a good job, so if you haven't seen Dreamgirls it's worth checking it out on tour. If you have, you can probably skip this one.
Grade: C+
Reviewed by Kat at the 7:00 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Sandra Bullock (Leigh Anne Tuohy), Quinton Aaron (Michael Oher), Tim McGraw (Sean Tuohy), Jae Head (S.J. Tuohy), Lily Collins (Collins Tuohy)
For complete info, see IMDb's The Blind Side page.
I'm a sucker for movies based on real stories - especially if they involve sports. So, The Blind Side was a movie I wanted to rent as soon as it was released on blu-ray. Thankfully, I wasn't disappointed. I'm glad Sandra Bullock won the Oscar for her portrayal of Leigh Anne Tuohy. She and the rest of the cast were wonderful. If you enjoy heart warming movies based on true stories involving sports and haven't seen The Blind Side yet, add it to your rental list now! The story is very touching and well worth watching.
Grade: A-
Labels: 2009, biography, drama, movie, Sandra Bullock, sports
Reviewed by Kat at the 7:30 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Carey Mulligan (Jenny), Peter Sarsgaard (David), Olivia Williams (Miss Stubs), Alfred Molina (Jack)
For complete cast info, see IMDb's An Education page.
I didn't know much about this movie when I rented it. Once I read about a movie and add it to my list, I try to forget anything I know about the story so I can just enjoy the movie when I see it. That seemed to work really well for An Education for some reason. The idea behind the movie isn't all that unique, but I think An Education does it better than many movies managed. I highly recommend renting the movie if you didn't see it in a theatre.
As usual, I don't want to give anything away, but it's a great coming of age tale that works a lot better than Mona Lisa Smile did, in my opinion.
Grade: B+
Labels: 2009, Alfred Molina, Carey Mulligan, drama, movie, Olivia Williams, period, Peter Sarsgaard
Reviewed by Kat at the 6:00 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: George Clooney (Ryan Bingham), Vera Farmiga (Alex Goran), Anna Kendrick (Natalie Keener), Jason Bateman (Craig Gregory)
For complete info, see the IMDb Up in the Air site.
I'd heard mixed reviews about Up in the Air and while I didn't need to see it in a movie theatre, I'm very glad I rented it. I think Up in the Air was very well done. The cast is amazing and the story is well thought out.
If you missed this in theatres, I definitely recommend renting it. The story isn't just about a guy who loves his jet setting lifestyle and is fighting to keep it. The movie is much more interesting than that.
Grade: A-
Labels: 2009, Anna Kendrick, drama, George Clooney, Jason Bateman, movie, romance, Vera Farmiga
Reviewed by Kat at the 7:30 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Abigail Breslin (Andromeda 'Anna' Fitzgerald), Sofia Vassilieva (Kate Fitzgerald), Cameron Diaz (Sara Fitzgerald), Jason Patric (Brian Fitzgerald), Evan Ellingson (Jesse Fitzgerald), Alec Baldwin (Campbell Alexander), Joan Cusack (Judge De Salvo)
For complete info see IMDb's My Sister's Keeper page.
If I hadn't read the book, I probably would have enjoyed the movie a lot more. Don't get me wrong - the movie is very moving and still worth seeing. I think they did a wonderful job with the cast and addressing most of the issues in the book. Like all good books that become movies, a lot of the story from the book is missing in the movie version of My Sister's Keeper. Some of that is barely missed. I think they did a great job with the movie (overall) until near the end of the story when they totally butchered the ending.
Since I don't want to spoil the movie for anyone (whether you have or haven't read the book), I'll simply say this. The ending is drastically different in the movie and doesn't have even close to the same powerful impact as the ending in Jodi Picoult's book.
If you're interested in the story and love to read, pick up a copy of My Sister's Keeper. The movie is decent, but not as good as the book. Definitely worth renting from Netflix.
Grade: B
Labels: 2009, Abigail Breslin, Alec Baldwin, book, Cameron Diaz, drama, Jason Patric, Joan Cusack, movie, tear jerker
Reviewed by Kat at the 2:00 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Nick Gabriel (Warren), Deborah S. Craig (Deb), David Burnham (Jason), & Nancy Andrews (Claire)
I almost missed this great show, since I moved on the 15th and things were crazy before and after the move. I didn't have time for Facebook (or I would have seen David's status updates about the opening of the show, etc.) and when I got the email from David about this show I saw the dates and immediately filed it away in my "I can't go to that" pile and tried to forget (pretty successfully) what I'd be missing.
Thankfully, Goldstar emailed me and though I'd been ignoring most Goldstar emails because of lack of time, I happened to see this one at South Coast Rep and noticed that it was the show David was doing there. That was it, I was in and got a couple friends to join me. I'd first seen David Burnham in The Light in the Piazza and became an instant fan. We met and became friends, too, which makes it even better to get to see him in shows. I had heard of the others in the cast, but hadn't seen them in anything personally. The show interested me, since it's based in New York City, my home town.
Ordinary Days has wonderful music and the cast at South Coast Rep was great. The scenic design, projection design, & lighting are all very well done. I was very sad that I didn't get a chance to see Ordinary Days until closing night. If I'd seen it earlier, I could have bought tickets to see it again (and I definitely would have done that). I'm hoping it will make its way back to New York or perhaps to LA so I can see it again. My friends in New York would really enjoy it and Warren actually reminded me a lot of my best friend still living in NYC.
The four different stories overlapped and worked together to form a very interesting and cohesive show. I highly recommend seeing Ordinary Days if you get a chance. I hope it will go on to do well and that there will be a cast album available. It's one of those shows where I might have bought the album at the show so I wouldn't have to wait for it to ship from Amazon, but the cast recording doesn't exist yet. Hopefully, it'll be available at some point and I'll be able to own the music and listen to it any time.
Grade: A
Labels: comedy, David Burnham, Deborah S. Craig, drama, musical, Nancy Andrews, New York, Nick Gabriel, theatre
Reviewed by Kat at the 7:45 PM show | 0 screams
Cast:Anthony Rapp (Mark), Adam Pascal (Roger), Gwen Stewart (Seasons of Love Soloist & others), Justin Johnston (Angel Schunard), Nicolette Hart (Maureen Johnson), Lexi Lawson (Mimi Marquez)
For the rest of this wonderful cast, see the official Rent The Broadway Tour website.
As almost all fans of Rent know that Anthony Rapp & Adam Pascal (the original Mark & Roger) are still touring with the show along with original cast member Gwen Stewart and a bunch of other amazing performers. I'm sure it's needless to say that I still love the show. I wouldn't have seen it so many times if I didn't love it. I'll simply comment on the things that were different this time around, since everyone knows I love Rent and would recommend it to anyone and everyone (as long as you're not too prejudiced) - especially when it has three of the original cast members touring with the show.
I still need to look up who Lisa is... as many of you may know, they had always intended to change the names of those attending the life support meeting based on friends/family members of those in the show who had been lost to AIDS. The way I've heard it reported, due to Jonathan's death the show got pretty much frozen where it was and no one ever wanted to change the names of those attending life support with Angel, Collins, & Mark. As of the time I went back to see Rent on Broadway with Anthony & Adam (August & September of 2007), they had changed the last name (originally Sue) to Lisa. I figure she has to be someone pretty important, or they wouldn't have made the change that late in the run of the show. They are still using Lisa on the tour.
The sound was the best I've heard in Rent since Adam and Anthony returned to the show. When I saw it on Broadway the mics kept going out and the same was true (even more) at the Pantages last year. This year they managed to get it right in the most unlikely of places (there are often sound problems with other shows at the Orange County Performing Arts Center). It was great to hear this cast with the sound well done for a change. :-)
The current cast is really amazing - they're basically the same cast I saw earlier this year in the tour, which explains why they all work so wel together. If you haven't seen Rent yet, see it before Anthony Rapp & Adam Pascal leave the cast - they're amazing and so is the rest of the cast!
Grade: A+
Labels: Adam Pascal, Anthony Rapp, Best Musical, Broadway, comedy, drama, musical, theatre, tour
Reviewed by Kat at the 7:30 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Alice Ripley (Diana), J. Robert Spencer (Dan), Aaron Tveit (Gabe), Jenifer Damiano (Natalie), Adam Chanler-Berat (Henry), Louis Hobson (Dr. Madden/Dr. Fine)
What a show! This was definitely (by far) my favorite of this year. The cast, music, lighting, story, direction, scenic design, etc. are all amazing! Though I haven't seen Billy Elliot, I am still surprised that the show was able to beat out Next to Normal in so many categories. I'm glad Alice Ripley won the Tony Award for her portrayal of Diana, but I'm amazed that she was the only one to get an award in the cast. I was also surprised that the lighting and scenic design didn't win. I think the show was incredibly well done.
The set is three stories high, so I'd recommend sitting where we did (front of the mezzanine) for Next to Normal. The orchestra would be painful for those of us with neck problems and probably fairly uncomfortable for almost anyone by the end of the show unless you're far enough away that you might miss some of the expressions.
Next to Normal is not the stereotypical Broadway show, which is one of the things I love about it. However, if you want a happy show with sunshine and no tears, this is not the show for you. See Rock of Ages or another upbeat show. I cried (a lot) while seeing Next to Normal, but I ordered the album the second I got home (I would have ordered it while still in New York, but I had a gift code for Amazon at home). I've listened to it a lot and it's bumped Wicked and The Last Five Years out of their position as tied for 3rd.
As long as you can handle a musical with drama and some sad parts, Next to Normal is a wonderful show that you should rush to see. We got discount tickets because of Theatre Mania, which meant I could buy them days before we saw the show, we paid less than we would have at TKTS that day, and got better seats. In spite of not having the soundtrack to remind me of the songs, I was still singing Next to Normal music days later. There are a lot of catchy tunes. I recommend not listening to the show or reading too much about it until you see it, since I think some of the songs and many of the summaries I've read give away a bit much and it's more enjoyable not to know.
Grade: A+
Labels: Aaron Tveit, Adam Chanler-Berat, Alice Ripley, Broadway, drama, J. Robert Spencer, Jenifer Damiano, Louis Hobson, musical, original, tear jerker, theatre
Reviewed by Kat at the 2:00 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Michael McKean (Arthur Przybyszewski), Jon Michael Hill (France Wicks), Jane Alderman (Lady Boyle), and a great cast - complete info can be found at the official Superior Donuts site.
Not the best play and the fight direction (in spite of being done by a group that's choreographed many wonderful Broadway fights) needed a lot of work. The cast is great and I liked the story. I'd definitely recommend seeing it, especially since it's always available at TKTS. Tickets are expensive now. Enjoy an entertaining play with a great cast.
Grade: C+
Labels: 2009, Best Play, Broadway, comedy, crime, drama, Jon Michael Hill, Michael McKean
Reviewed by Kat at the 2:00 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Kay Panabaker (Jenny Garrison), Naturi Naughton (Denise Dupree), Megan Mullally (Ms. Fran Rowan), Bebe Neuwirth (Ms. Kraft), Debbie Allen (Ms. Angela Simms), Kelsey Grammer (Mr. Martin Cranston)
For complete info, see IMDb's Fame (2009) page.
When I heard they were going to remake Fame, I was worried that they might use too much of the original and try to copy the movie. Thankfully, they didn't do that. The new movie is a different group of (mostly unknown - at least to me) actors playing the students and teachers that (for the most part) people will recognize. I'm glad Debbie Allen was in the movie, since she was in the original movie and the TV show based on the original movie. Clearly, her part isn't nearly as focal as it was in the TV show, but I liked seeing her in the new movie.
The cast is a very talented group of performers and I think they did a good job selecting everyone for the movie. The music is very good and almost all a different style - even the remake of the song Fame, which had to be included in the remake, was very well done and updated.
If you like the performing arts, I definitely recommend renting this one. Do you need to see it in a theatre? No, but it wouldn't hurt. It's a fun movie. It's not quite as good as the original or the TV show, but that's to be expected. As long as you're not expecting it to be the most amazing movie you see, I think you can enjoy the movie and the performances.
Grade: B-
Labels: 2009, comedy, dancing, drama, family, movie, musical, remake, romance
Reviewed by Kat at the 8:00 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Kare Hedebrant (Oskar) & Lina Leandersson (Eli)
For complete info, see IMDb's Let the Right One In page.
I doubt I would have known about this movie if a friend didn't tell me I should see it and even if I had found out about it, I probably would have avoided it, since it looks too violent. There were definitely scenes where I wished they were speaking English or Spanish so I could close my eyes and still understand what they were saying, but most of the movie wasn't too gory.
The story of Let the Right One In is very interesting and only overly predictable in one area (which I won't mention). The cast is good and the story of a vampire that concentrates on the issues of trying to exist in society without concentrating on the sexual aspect is refreshing.
I definitely recommend renting Let the Right One In.
Grade: B+
Labels: 2008, drama, fantasy, foreign, horror, movie, sci-fi, thriller
Reviewed by Kat at the 7:00 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Clint Eastwood (Walt Kowalski), Bee Vang (Thao Vang Lor), Ahney Her (Sue Lor)
For complete info, see IMDb's Gran Torino page.
Clint Eastwood always makes amazing choices when he directs movies, so I wanted to see this in a theatre, but didn't get around to it. I was shocked when Gran Torino didn't get an Oscar nomination for Best Picture or at least Best Director. I'm even more shocked now that I've seen it. I wonder what Clint Eastwood did to upset the Academy members.
If you haven't seen Gran Torino, I highly recommend renting it. This movie about a completely racist Korean War vet is amazingly touching. I never thought I could watch a movie where the main character is so prejudiced and end up caring about him. The cast of Gran Torino is wonderful and Clint Eastwood did a great job.
Grade: A
Reviewed by Kat at the 8:30 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Clive Owen (Louis Salinger), Naomi Watts (Eleanor Whitman), Armin Mueller-Stahl (Wilhelm Wexler)
For complete info, see IMDb's The International page.
From the one preview I'd seen for The International, I had high expectations. I'm glad I saw how everyone was reviewing the movie before I got around to renting it. Had I expected it to be as good as it looked in the preview, I would have been a lot more disappointed. As it was, I still thought the characters were way too stupid at times. Considering how much they figured out, there were a few basic things that always seemed to shock them.
It was also a bit sad that the best part of the preview was the best part o the movie, so it wasn't as interesting as it would have been if you were seeing it for the first time as part of the movie. On top of that, The International just ends. I suppose part of the point of the movie is that nothing they do can change the way things work, but I was still a bit surprised by the end of the movie. I just looked at the screen and said, "That's it?"
Worth renting, but I'm not sorry I missed seeing The International in a theatre. It wouldn't have been worth rushing out to see immediately.
Grade: B-
Labels: 2009, Clive Owen, crime, drama, movie, Naomi Watts, suspense, thriller
Reviewed by Kat at the 11:00 PM show | 0 screams