19 December
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In Movie Reviews

CATS Director: Tom HooperStarring: Francesca Hayward, Jason DeRulo, Rebel Wilson, James Corden, Ian McKellen, Judi Dench, and Jennifer Hudson Some musicals should never be adapted into a movie as they are meant for the stage. Thus is the case for Cats. Victoria, a young white cat is left abandoned in the streets. It’s there where she meets a variety of alley cats all vying to be chosen for the Jellicle Ball. It stars Francesca Hayward, Jason DeRulo, Rebel Wilson, James Corden, Ian McKellen, Judi Dench, and Jennifer Hudson as Grizabella, the glamour cat. Here’s my reviewRead More →

09 November
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In Movie Reviews

MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS Director: Kenneth Branagh Starring: Kenneth Branagh, Johnny Depp, Josh Gad, Michelle Pfeiffer, Judi Dench, Penelope Cruz, Leslie Odom Jr, Daisy Ridley, Willem Dafoe, Derek Jacobi, Lucy Boynton, Sergei Polunin When you have an all-star cast consisting of Kenneth Branagh, Michelle Pfeiffer, Johnny Depp, Judi Dench, and Penelope Cruz, to name a few, it’s imperative to use them well. It’s a shame that the ensemble remake of Murder on the Orient Express fails to do so. Kenneth Branagh stars as detective Hercule Poirot who is in between cases after solving a mystery in Jerusalem. If you’re unfamiliar with the classic AgathaRead More →

10 March
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In Movie Reviews

THE SECOND BEST EXOTIC MARIGOLD HOTEL Director: John Madden Starring: Dev Patel, Maggie Smith, Judi Dench, Bill Nighy, Celia Imrie, Penelope Wilton, Shazad Latif, Tina Desai, David Strathairn “It made death more appealing.”- Muriel (Maggie Smith) in response to being asked how America was. I think I can safely say that I worship Judi Dench and Maggie Smith. They are both Oscar winning acting titans having played the greatest roles from the stage to the screen. The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel is no Shakespearean tragedy that these ladies are used to, but having both of them in the same movie is still a fineRead More →

03 December
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In Movie Reviews

PHILOMENA Director: Stephen Frears Starring: Judi Dench, Steve Coogan, Anna Maxwell Martin, Sophie Kennedy Clark, Mare Winningham, Peter Hermann, Sean Mahon It was this same time last year that I was enamored with Judi Dench in The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel and Skyfall. The grand dame is at it again with another exceptional performance to add to her long resume. I am hoping her role as Philomena Lee nabs her another Oscar nomination. Philomena (Clark) gets pregnant at a young age and is forced to deliver the baby at a Catholic abbey in Roscrea, Ireland. She is forced to live and work at the abbeyRead More →

13 December
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In Award Ceremonies

THE 70th GOLDEN GLOBE AWARD NOMINATIONS The Golden Globes are another great night of rewarding the best of the silver screen over the past year. The awards are handed out by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association and are typically the “party” awards. All of the nominees and presenters are basically drinking around their dinner tables all night long. It’s even better when a presenter has had too much and slurs the names he/she is reading off the teleprompter. Clink on any of the links to read my reviews of the nominated movies. Here’s a look at this year’s nominees: BEST MOTION PICTURE-DRAMA 1. ARGO 2.Read More →

11 November
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In Movie Reviews

SKYFALL Director: Sam Mendes Starring: Daniel Craig, Judi Dench, Javier Bardem, Ben Whishaw, Ralph Fiennes, Albert Finney, Naomie Harris, Bérénice Marlohe Every great Bond movie starts with an action packed opening before the credits start. If it is exquisitely executed, it should give you a taste of what the rest of the movie is going to be like. Sometimes it involves the rest of the plot, and sometimes it stands on its own. Skyfall may have the best opening sequence to date. Bond (Craig) discovers a coveted hard drive has been stolen and a fellow MI6 agent has been shot. He informs M (Dench) overRead More →

04 October
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In Special Series

First Listen: “SKYFALL” by Adele Multi-Grammy Award winner Adele is the PERFECT choice to sing the latest Bond theme. Named after the title of the film, Adele and Paul Epworth have written the perfect title track for the new Bond movie. She infuses a sultry, smoky, mysterious sound to the song that fits right along the list of previous Bond theme singers including: Shirley Bassey, Tina Turner, Carly Simon, and Sheena Easton. The release of Skyfall cannot come soon enough! Take a listen to the song below. What are your first impressions?Read More →

28 November
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In Movie Reviews

Movie Reviews: THE MUPPETS, HUGO, MY WEEK WITH MARILYN THE MUPPETS Director: John Bobin Starring: Jason Segel, Amy Adams, The Muppets, Chris Cooper Walter has grown up obsessed with The Muppets. He owns all of the collectible items and dreams of one day being an official Muppet. His brother, Gary (Segel) invites Walter along to Los Angeles on his anniversary trip with his girlfriend, Mary (Adams). Walter is ecstatic, and he finds out he will be able to tour the old Muppets Studio for the first time. Much to Mary’s dismay, Walter tags along and their anniversary trip does not quite go as planned. TheRead More →