Movie Review-----THE WOMAN IN BLACK

Somehow ghost stories are just spookier when they are set in England. THE WOMAN IN BLACK is an incredibly atmospheric and frightening thriller set at a time when the only light in a house at night was a flickering candle. Daniel Radcliffe proves that he will have a film career beyond Harry Potter with a terrific performance as Arthur, a lawyer sent to a scary gothic Manor to attend to the last will and testament of a recently deceased woman. Without giving too much of the story away, the town he goes to seems to be suffering from a strange affliction that is causing the death of all of their children. There are several jolts in this film and more than a few times, Troy and I jumped out of our skin while sitting in the darkness of our living room. A dark gloomy mansion, a scary doll collection, thick peasoup like fog, and a terrifying figure dressed in black all adds up to an effective ghost story. The art direction and visual effects are wonderful. The supporting cast includes Ciaran Hinds and Janet Mcteer. The ending is a bit heavy-handed, but it's not enough to spoil what until that point has been a fun roller coaster of thrills and chills. THE WOMAN IN BLACK is a perfect Friday night escape....just leave the lights on while watching it.

TV Review-----DALLAS

Last September when I heard that a continuation of DALLAS was going to premiere in the Summer of 2012, I began a mission to watch all 14 Seasons of the original Series before the premiere date of the reboot. It took 9 months, but I did manage to watch every single episode and the three made for TV movies. The first 8 seasons were worthwhile and the final six were a waste of everyone's time, including mine! But late last night, I began watching the two hour season premiere of the new DALLAS. It was so late that I thought I would only get through the first hour and then wait to continue another time. Well, I got so caught up in revisiting the Ewings that by the time I finished the 2nd episode, it was 12:30am. From the first notes of that familiar musical theme, I was hooked. The new Series has wisely opted to ignore the two TV movies that followed the Series and continue as though they never happened. Bobby is the owner of Southfork and lives there with his wife, Ann. Ewing Oil is owned by Cliff Barnes. Christopher Ewing has just returned from Asia with a fiancee. John Ross Ewing, Jr is drilling for oil on Southfork, against everyone's wishes and is involved romantically with Elena, the daughter of the longtime Cook at Southfork. Sue Ellen is now a powerhouse in Texas government with eyes on the Governor's Mansion. And J.R. has been in a retirement home for years and hasn't spoken to anyone in ages. The new developments get set in motion when Bobby discovers that John Ross is drilling for oil. He kicks John Ross off of Southfork and John Ross goes to visit his estranged father, J.R. A visit from his son brings J.R. back to reality and the fun begins. I enjoyed many aspects about this new DALLAS. I liked that it didn't allow for Newbies to the DALLAS phenomenon. There wasn't a lot of explanation as to who characters were and what the backgrounds were. It is literally a continuation with just a 20 year break. The performances from the Youngsters are terrific, but it's the involvement of Patrick Duffy, Linda Gray, and Larry Hagman that really bring this version of DALLAS to life. Patrick Duffy is wonderful, Linda Gray has aged gracefully, and Larry Hagman proves again that he will always be one of Television's most iconic actors. The plot has double crosses and triple crosses galore. I was a bit disappointed that Southfork looks completely different on the interior. I mean, I realize that they couldn't have those hardwood walls and green carpet forever, but the main staircase isn't even in the same position. Oh, well. I had a great time watching this new DALLAS and I hope it's a big hit for TNT. Nothing would make me happier than hearing that KNOTS LANDING is being continued next summer!!!!

TV Review-----BUNHEADS

Troy and I are both enormous GILMORE GIRLS fans. So it was with great anticipation that we watched the pilot episode of BUNHEADS from the writer and creator of GILMORE GIRLS. The premise has Sutton Foster playing Michelle, a Las Vegas showgirl who is nearing the age where she is thought of as "old" in the dance world. One night, in a drunken stupor, she marries a sweet older man named Hubble. Hubble takes her away from Vegas to his hometown of Paradise. Paradise is one of those small towns where everyone knows each other and everything seems within walking distance. Hubble lives with his mother, who runs a dance studio in Paradise. Once Michelle sobers up, she realizes that she has married a man she doesn't love and is destined to live in a home along with her mother-in-law. The Pilot episode was smartly written with dialogue that is reminiscent of the quick patter from GILMORE GIRLS. Sutton Foster is wonderful as Michelle. She makes the transition from stage to screen quite beautifully. She also has a way with this sort of crackling dialogue and if you breathe too loudly you might miss one of the many hilarious throwaway lines. Kelly Bishop is her usual dynamite self as another variation on an annoying know-it-all Mother that you can't help but feel affection for. Alan Ruck makes a guest appearance as Hubble and at the end of the Pilot, you'll understand why it's a guest appearance. BUNHEADS made me smile. It's a relaxing escape from reality tv with characters that you can immediately identify with and that you want to get to know better. It's moving and funny. This is my first foray into ABC Family territory and I gotta admit, I loved it.

Movie Review-----PROMETHEUS

I am an enormous fan of the ALIEN movies!  I think ALIEN is one of the greatest thrillers of all time and its sequel ALIENS is a masterpiece.  ALIEN 3 was disappointing and ALIEN RESURRECTION is virtually unwatchable.  So when I heard that Ridley Scott was returning to his ALIEN roots with a prequel to the Series, I was immediately excited!  First, Ridley Scott has been hesitant to call PROMETHEUS a direct prequel to ALIEN and now that I've seen it, I see why.... It's not really a prequel to the 1979 film ALIEN, it's more like a prequel to the prequel of the 1979 film ALIEN.  I don't believe that at the conclusion of this film, it leads directly into ALIEN.  There is more of THIS story to be told and perhaps that's the plan.  It's only in the last 30 seconds of PROMETHEUS that the connection is made.  As far as a science fiction movie, PROMETHEUS is terrific.  It looks incredible and I am glad I saw it in 3D, although 2D would be perfectly acceptable.  The performances are great from top to bottom, with especially good work from Noomi Rapace and the always wonderful Michael Fassbender.  The screenplay is well written and keeps the pace moving at a nice rate.  Not a surprise that the art direction and visual effects are top notch.  All in all, PROMETHEUS is a well made taut sci-fi film.  But as the start of the ALIEN series, I was left dissatisfied.  I have to admit that I wanted more...well....aliens!  It's only in the final half hour that the action begins and the aliens we have come to know and fearfully love aren't the culprits at that point.  Which leads me back to the thought that this entire film is a setup for what will be the TRUE prequel to ALIEN.  So....if you are a fan of the ALIEN series, go into this realizing that it really is a stand alone film until the final few moments.  PROMETHEUS is worthwhile, just not what I had expected and hoped it to be.

TV Review-----WEB THERAPY

One of the best and most under appreciated shows ever put on cable television was THE COMEBACK starring Lisa Kudrow. This aired on HBO for one season and was beyond brilliant. Audiences didn't tune it for it so HBO didn't renew it. So I was thrilled last summer when Showtime brought Lisa Kudrow back to cable television with a show called WEB THERAPY. I watched the first two episodes and thought they were terrific, but summer got away from me and I didn't get to see the rest of the first season. So this past Tuesday I was walking through Target and I saw that the first complete season of WEB THERAPY was released on DVD. Knowing that the second season is beginning soon on Showtime, I bought the first season and today I watched all 10 episodes back to back. Can I just say that I cannot wait for the second season? This show is incredibly smart and hilariously funny. The entire show is improvised. No script. The show is about a completely unlicensed Therapist who decides to begin a new form of analysis that she calls "Web Therapy". Only instead of the normal 50 minute sessions, these web sessions will only be three minutes. Fiona believes that in 3 minutes you can get to the heart of the problem without a lot of exposition and filler. Lisa Kudrow plays Fiona and her gay husband is played by Victor Garber. They have their own problems. But the majority of the show is Fiona and her Patients. Her patients are played by Jane Lynch, Courteney Cox, Steven Weber, Alan Cumming, Rashida Jones, Dan Bucatinsky and her mother is played by Lily Tomlin. I absolutely love this show. Everyone is wonderful on it, but Lisa Kudrow is simply incredible. She is so unafraid to play someone incredibly unlikeable and narcissistic, but yet amazingly funny at the same time. If you missed the first season, check it out On Demand or thru Netflix. The second season begins in July and the rumor is that Meryl Streep will be playing one of the new patients.

TV Review-----LONGMIRE

A few years ago, a member of my Church asked if I had read any of Craig Johnston's popular series novels revolving around Sheriff Walt Longmire.  I hadn't but I said I would check them out.  I read one of them and greatly enjoyed it.  I didn't feel the need to read anymore of them, but I truly did appreciate both the writing and the great characters.  So I was anxious to see if after watching the Pilot episode of A&E's new drama LONGMIRE, I would feel compelled to continue viewing each week.  And based on the excellent first episode, I think I might have a new addiction.  LONGMIRE takes place in a small Wyoming county in the present day.  Walt Longmire has been widowed a year and is just able to return to his daily job as Sheriff of Absaroka County.  His first day back at the job, a dead body is discovered high in the mountains and the murder investigation begins.  The characterizations are as complex and interesting as they were in the novel.  Australian Robert Taylor plays Longmire and it's a very subtle and affecting performance.  Mr Taylor doesn't make a wrong move in the Pilot and makes you truly care about this character.  Katee Sackhoff plays one of Longmire's Deputy's and she's terrific.  Lou Diamond Phillips is wonderful as Longmire's best friend.  Bailey Chase plays the local heartthrob who is also running against Longmire for the Sheriff position in the next election.  As with most television procedurals, the coincidences needed to solve the mystery in 60 minutes stretch the imagination at times, but the script is so smart and the performances are so good that you overlook the few false moments.  LONGMIRE can please several members of the audience.  It's part Western, part Detective Drama, part Family Drama, and has enough attractive people in the Cast to keep the eye candy plentiful.  I greatly enjoyed LONGMIRE.  Might make me want to pick up another one of the books in the series.

Movie Review-----PARIAH

PARIAH garnered a lot of attention on the Festival Circuit in 2011. It won several Independent Film Awards and was given a limited theatrical run throughout most of the country in hopes of possibly garnering some Oscar attention. And although it didn't receive any nominations, as Meryl Streep was accepting one of the numerous awards for her work in THE IRON LADY, she gave a specific shout out to PARIAH and called it one of the best films of the year. PARIAH tells the story of a 17 year old African-American girl who is 100% sure about only one thing....she knows beyond a doubt that she is gay. She lives in a middle class family where both parents have steady jobs and both she and her sister earn good grades. She writes poetry and has ambitions to be a well known writer someday. Her sexual identity is so natural to her that she is comfortable being "herself" everywhere except in her own home. Both of her parents know that there is something different about her, but they continue to delude themselves that whatever she is going through, it is absolutely just a phase. PARIAH is incredibly well written and beautifully performed by a note perfect cast. It handles the subject of teenage homosexuality extremely tastefully. The language is raw but incredibly realistic. I sincerely hope that this film finds an audience. It should be viewed by parents and teenagers together. "God doesn't make mistakes...."

Movie Review-----SNOW WHITE AND THE HUNTSMAN

Well, it's definitely an improvement over Julia Roberts entry into the Snow White kingdom this past spring! MIRROR, MIRROR was a family film that barely had a chuckle throughout and America's Sweetheart looked positively uncomfortable in the role of the Wicked Queen. Well, there's not a chuckle to be found in SNOW WHITE AND THE HUNTSMAN either. This takes the story by the Brothers Grimm and makes it even Grimm-er. Charlize Theron plays the Evil Queen (wicked is too light a word for this woman). Ms Theron is radiant in some pretty fabulous costumes and has a delicious time barking orders and saying some devious lines of dialogue. Chris Hemsworth plays the Huntsman and proves that he's just as handy with an ax as with his hammer from THOR. The Dwarves are played by some of Britain's most popular character actors...Ray Winstone, Bob Hoskins, Toby Jones, and Ian McShane to name a few. The CGI visual effects of putting these Actor's faces on Little People's bodies is quite impressive. Kristen Stewart plays Snow White and this is the first performance from her that I have seen even a glimmer of life in. I still find her pretty uninteresting but she looks invested in this role, not to mention that she looks incredibly beautiful. The cinematography and artistic design of the film is faultless, as is the costume design. The visual effects are top notch. My problem with the film is that it was a bit sleepy. A wham bang opening half hour gives way to an incredibly slow middle section that only picks up in the big final battle. I think the film could have been edited by about 20 minutes as well. SNOW WHITE AND THE HUNTSMAN is an impressive looking movie that will fill the gap for moviegoers until PROMETHEUS and THE DARK KNIGHT RISES. But for me, if I get in a Snow White mood, I'll slip in the 1939 Disney film....it's still the best!

Movie Review-----WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN

While I was reading the novel WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN, I remember thinking that there was no way that a movie could ever be made of it because it is so relentless in its misery. Literally nothing happy happens in the entire story. The novel was a page turner that I finished in two sittings. When it ended, I was haunted by the story for a few days. So when I heard that they indeed were making a film of it, I knew I would not be able to see it in the cinema. Something this intense and upsetting had to be seen in the privacy of my own home so I could pause it and walk around if I needed to. Tonight we watched WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN and it is even more a disturbing experience than I imagined it would be. The story is about a boy named Kevin. At the age of 15, just a few days before his next milestone birthday, Kevin commits an act of unspeakable horror that leaves his mother wondering if there was anything she could have done to prevent this immense tragedy. It is best if you see the film without knowing a lot about it, so I will not say anything else. Tilda Swinton plays Eva, Kevin's mother. Ms Swinton has the sort of face that needs no dialogue. She is extraordinary in this role. Heartbreaking performance. John C. Reilly plays Kevin's father and is very effective. Ezra Miller plays the teenage Kevin and it's one of those performances that will haunt him. No matter what sort of role I see him play in the future, I will only ever see him as this dark terrifying role. WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN is absolutely not a feel good film. It is depressing and disquieting to watch. My stomach churned through most of it. Yet in the end, it is what a film should be....it is an experience. Whether it's a worthwhile experience for you will depend on your taste and your limits as an audience member. Love it or hate it, you won't forget it.

Blu-Ray Review-----ANDREW LLOYD WEBBER'S LOVE NEVER DIES

The big question is....did a sequel to THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA need to happen? London audiences and critics didn't seem to think so. That production was so poorly received that the planned Broadway production was canceled. Instead of New York City, Sir Lloyd Webber decided to stage a revised version of LOVE NEVER DIES in Australia. That production was better received and Webber has since said that this production and version of the show is the one that he would like to see on Broadway at some point. Since Broadway was not a foregone conclusion, he opted to have the Australian production filmed for preservation. And it's that production that was released on Blu-Ray this past Tuesday. Now that I have watched it in my living room, the answer to the question that began this Review is a resounding....No, a sequel to THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA absolutely did not need to happen. The story picks up 10 years after the original's Events in Coney Island. The Phantom had been smuggled there by Madame Giry and her daughter, Meg. The Phantom has created a sideshow of freaks and goes by the name of Mr. Y. All is peaceful until it is announced that Christine Daae is coming to America at the invitation of Oscar Hammerstein to sing. She arrives with her husband, Rauol and their 10 year old son, Gustav. The Phantom's love for Christine is reawakened, much to the unhappiness of Madame Giry and Meg. I'll spare the twists and turns of the plot but put it together...Christine has a 10 year old son and it's been 10 years since she and the Phantom parted ways. Could there have been an evening of pleasure that was not put to music in the original production and story that may have resulted in, gasp, a child???? The plot is less than compelling and the final 10 minutes of the show are ridiculous. It's corny and sometimes laughably so. What works for the production is the score, the costumes and set design, and the lead performance. Australian Ben Lewis plays The Phantom and he is superb. An incredible singing voice along with being a fine actor, Mr. Lewis would be a wise choice if this production ever gets to America. The rest of the cast is perfectly fine and also all Australian. The costume design and set design are pure Lloyd Webber. Garish and enormous but perfectly suitable to the time and setting. I am sure that what is gorgeous on screen is breathtaking seeing live in a theatre. Webber's score is wonderful. It's even more lush and romantic than the original. I would rank The Phantom's big song, TILL I HEAR YOU SING ONCE MORE, up there with his most beautiful songs ever. If the score were put together with a powerful story, it might have a shot. But the tale is simply not strong enough to sustain it's brief two hour running time. LOVE NEVER DIES has been beautifully captured on film and at times you forget that a live audience is actually watching this being filmed. It's certainly not one of Andrew Lloyd Webber's best musicals and it certainly isn't as bad as STARLIGHT EXPRESS or BY JEEVES. It's just forgettable and in the end, absolutely unnecessary.