Tag Archives: movie theatre

Harry scary

Thinking about seeing The Woman in Black, starring Daniel Radcliffe, this weekend?
The Sticky Egg was at the theatre first thing this morning to bring you this review.

Plus, I don’t see scary movies close to bedtime.  I’ve learned that lesson the hard way. (Remind me to tell you about my Blair Witch Project fiasco sometime.)

The Woman in Black is my favorite kind of horror film.  The ghosts are scary, but they pretty much stay in one place — in this instance, an old haunted house in Yorkshire at the turn of the century.  There’s also no gore.

I hate gore.

Daniel Radcliffe, who has joked about being cast as Harry Potter because of his ‘orphan eyes,’ uses them to full effect here as a still grieving widowed lawyer sent to the haunted manse on business for the former owner.

Once there, he sees the legendary Woman in Black and soon children in the village begin to die in horrific ways.

I love the look of the film — so gray and cold.  I kept burrowing under my coat to get warm in the theatre.  Radcliffe disappears into the role as well; you won’t confuse him with Harry here.  The film is well paced, building slowly and eerily towards it climax.

Or what you think is the climax.

Bwha ha ha.

Rain day

Guess who was waiting to greet me at my front door this morning?

Surly little devil.

And rumor has it he plans to hang around all day.

Uninvited.

Now, I have two possible responses to my unwelcome guest.

First, I can let him ruin my day.  Get nothing accomplished.  Eat too much.  Get depressed. Perhaps shed a tear or two for no particular reason.

Or I can chose the far healthier response…

Go see a movie.

I still may not get as much work done as originally planned.  I may — okay, I will — eat junk food.  And if I end up crying, that simply means…

It was another great day at the theatre.

Bear it

Yesterday I attended an advance screening of 50/50, the new Seth Rogen film starring Joseph-Gordon Levitt as a 27-year old cancer patient.

It’s obvious from the marketing that this movie is taking a more lighthearted approach to this terrible disease.

(Actually, Seth Rogen’s involvement alone is a pretty big clue.)

I smuggled my bear Snuffles into the theatre with me.  As you may recall, Snuffles was a huge help to me and my family when cancer changed our lives forever 20 years ago.  And I valued his opinion of the movie’s success or failure in its quest to portray a cancer patient as he encounters the painful hurdles (and unexpected hilarities) on the road to wellness.

Snuffles posted his movie review below:

Shockingly, we are in agreement on all points.  That’s some bear.

(We’ll work on the lighting next time.)

Movies matter

Do movies change lives?

Mark Cousins of The Telegraph spent six years traveling the world compiling a history of film.  That process convinced him that movies do indeed make a difference.  (They did in his life.  Six years — geez.)

Here’s his list of the Top 10 movies that changed the world.

Me?  I don’t need to travel the globe to know movies make an impact.  I can’t imagine life without them, so my list is a bit more personal.  (Okay, it’s completely personal.)

Top 10 Movies that Changed My World

The Godfather (1972): Due to my youth, I didn’t see the movie when it was released.  But thanks to an overly enthusiastic film professor in college, I spent six weeks of my life watching it. And analyzing it.  As a result, I hate it and all things mafia.

The Way We Were (1973): This was my introduction to Robert Redford and movie romance.  I have been faithful to both ever since.  I’ve watched that film literally hundreds of times.  The opening strains of its Oscar-winning song start the waterworks every time.

Foul Play (1978): This Chevy Chase-Goldie Hawn comedy was Chevy’s first movie post-SNL and introduced Dudley Moore to American audiences.  It was also the first time I remember laughing with my mother in a movie theatre.  Cherished memory.

Airplane! (1980): I was sick when I left the theatre — facial muscles and ribs sore from laughing so incredibly hard.  I think I knew even then that I was witnessing the birth of a whole new genre of comedy.  “Ain’t that a pisser.”

Ordinary People (1980): I went to see this film because Robert Redford directed it — I told you I was faithful — and was stunned by the subject matter, the performances, the mood, the music.  Who knew Mary Tyler Moore could be so cold?  I have watched it again and again.

Amadeus (1984): My love affair with costume drama began with this amazing film.  I knew very little about Mozart before I saw it; it inspired me to learn more.  If it’s on television, my day is decided (and it takes about a day to watch — it’s that long).  Mesmerizing.

Broadcast News (1987): I was working at a television station and dating a news reporter when this movie was released, so it hit very close to home. Loved hearing a Southern accent on a leading lady, too. (Holly Hunter should have won the Oscar, btw.)

When Harry Met Sally (1989): I think this movie appears on most women’s Top 10 lists.  We all have those friendships with men that either have or could or should spark something ‘more.’  This was the fantasy with the perfect actors cast to make it come true.

The Shawshank Redemption (1994): A movie ‘bromance’ with Morgan Freeman in the mix to make it heartfelt and meaningful.  Everything about this movie is perfect — the setting, the script, the casting.  Another marathon, it takes up a whole day when it comes on TV, but it’s worth it.

The American President (1995): It was Aaron Sorkin’s warmup to The West Wing, and what a wonderful one it was.  Michael Douglas and Annette Bening make every word ring true, and Martin Sheen learned a few tricks — as Chief of Staff — that came in handy for his future role as President Jed Bartlet (also a Sorkin production).

In the more than 15 years since, lots of other great movies have had an impact on my life.  But these 10 laid the foundation for the films, filmmakers and stars to come.

I’ll be thinking of them today as I head to — where else? — the theatre.

hey Hey HEY

Did you hear?

Crazy Stupid Love opens today.

Of course you’ve heard.

We’ve been under a movie trailer attack for months! Surrounded.  Bombarded.

Taken prisoner even.

Don’t get me wrong — I’ve loved the Crazy Stupid Love trailer from the first time I saw it — was totally sold on the movie.

Ryan Gosling? Check.  Steve Carell?  Check.  Emma Stone, Julianne Moore, Marisa Tomei?  Check, check, check. Ryan Gosling nearly naked??

Too many checks to include here.

And I personally love movie trailers.  Love seeing them on television, love sitting through them at the theatre, love them for the art that they are.

But then I saw the Crazy Stupid Love trailer again.  And again.  And over and over and over again. On TV. In the theatre.  Online.  They were everywhere.

There was no escape.

Crazy Stupid Love’s marketing campaign has been crazy, stupid overwhelming.  Their attempts to generate audience excitement have been bloody exhausting.

You know what?  Just to show them how I feel, I may wait until mid-afternoon today before I go see it.

Yeah…that’ll send a message.

Note:  Saw Crazy Stupid Love at the 1:15pm showing (early mid-afternoon).  This is such a wonderful film worth every crazy, stupid overwhelming trailer…and then some! — Carla

Don’t forget

I saw Water for Elephants last night at a special early screening sponsored by Living Social.  Drinks, appetizers, the movie and a coupon for the book — all for $20?

I’m in.

Full disclosure — I haven’t read the book.  During the cocktail hour before the movie, I found that most of the people there had.  And they approached the film with equal parts excitement and expectation.

Me?  I had none. I was there based on the trailer alone.  (We all agreed that was good.)

I think we all agreed on the movie as well.  When an entire theatre filled with people cheers not once, but twice at the end of a film, that’s a good sign.

If, like me, you haven’t read Water for Elephants, it’s set in the Great Depression.  An Ivy League veterinary student loses his parents and his home at the start of the film.  Forced to find his own way in the world, he hops a train which, as fate would have it, is a struggling circus.  There he finds work and love — the girl, unfortunately, is the owner’s wife.

Wouldn’t ya know?

Christoph Waltz, who won an Oscar for Inglourious Basterds, is riveting as the circus owner and ringmaster.  He is unbelievably cruel — to both people and animals — but is still able to elicit some sympathy for his actions.

[My one hesitation in seeing the film was the animal cruelty I knew would be portrayed on screen. While it was there -- all CGI, no animals were hurt in the making of this film -- it was not overt, and off-camera when possible.  It will still hurt your feelings, but don't skip the movie.]

Reece Witherspoon is all platinum hair and ice — a hardened circus performer.  She never really warmed up, though, which made her ‘desperate’ romance with Robert Pattinson a bit hard to believe.

And Robert?  Well, he finally has a role with a little more teeth in it — get it?  teeth?  you’re welcome — and I think he handled it quite well.  The cinematography, with all his sepia tones and sunsets to convey the era, suit him well.

If you just like looking at him, this film does not disappoint.  But his performance offers much more…something the major film critics are having to grit their teeth and admit.  I’m enjoying that as well.

Oh — and I can’t forget the elephant in the room.  She ends up being the star of the show.

A hoot

You know how some days seem to have a recurring theme?  Yesterday was like that for me.  And the theme was…

OWLS

It began when I was shopping for a good friend who had a baby. Everything that I looked at — receiving blankets, rattles, you name it — had owls on it.

Don’t get me wrong, they’re cute…but they were everywhere.  And they were staring at me with their big, googly eyes.

I got t-shirts with devils on them instead.  Much less demanding.

Next, I went to the theatre to see Source Code.  One of the trailers was for a horror movie called Priest. Wouldn’t you know it — owls were circling overhead during one of the satanic fights!

Thank goodness Paul Bettany is cute, even with a big ol’ cross tattooed on his nose.

I still made it home in time for the season finale of “Mr. Sunshine.”  Matthew Perry continued his series-long slam of his own looks…and what animal did he compare himself to in last night’s episode??

Well, who’d have thunk it? He really does.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Something reel

Hey — Whole Foods.  You and me?  We need to talk.

I know you’re big in the natural and organic foods biz.  At last count, you had more than 300 stores in North America and the UK.  Good for you…couldn’t have happened to a greener bunch of guys.

But movies?  They’re my guilty pleasure, and I’m okay with that.  But nooooooo…here you come along, trying to make the whole movie-going experience GOOD for me.

Bastards.

The Do Something Reel™ Film Festival, sponsored by Whole Foods, will visit over 40 cities during the month of April.  The six theatrical features illustrate in film “how the choices we make can have a huge impact on our bodies, our economy, and our environment.”

Plus, they’re as good for you as a Chai Almond Smoothie.

The film’s subject matter varies — the foods you eat, the bags you carry, coal in America and disappearing bees — but they all support the themes of Earth Month.

Okay.  I’ll admit the films sound interesting.  Heck, I’ll even attend if New York City makes the short list.

But we gotta have a chat about the snack list…

Conspiracy

I saw a movie trailer at the theatre last night that looked so good, I didn’t want to see the feature anymore.

I’m serious.

Have you heard about The Conspirator?  Directed by Robert Redford, the film tells the story of Mary Surratt,  the lone female charged as a co-conspirator in the assassination trial of Abraham Lincoln, and the reluctant lawyer who agrees to defend her.

Based on that description, you may think, “Huh.  Historical drama.  Could be interesting, could be mind-numbing.”   But wait until you hear the lineup of actors Redford has assembled.

Robin Wright as Mary Surratt.  James McAvoy as her lawyer.  (It’s about time he returned to the screen.  I know he was a voice in Gnomeo & Juliet, but that doesn’t count.)  Tom Wilkinson.  Kevin Kline.  Evan Rachel Wood.  Jonathon Groff.  Stephen Root.  Danny Huston.  Justin Long.  Alexis Bledel.

Heck, it usually takes a lame movie like Valentine’s Day to get that much talent in one room.

But this film looks great — epic even.  I could hardly get through the trailer without cheering.  I was disappointed when it ended and I had to watch Unknown, the movie I had gone to see.  (Don’t get me wrong — it was actually pretty fun…lots of car chases and plot twists and turns.)

But McAvoy and Redford together?  Hell, that’s a movie event!

Come on, April 15th — tax day never looked so good!