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Getting Up Close and Personal with The Lorax

February 6, 2012 By Leave a Comment
The Lorax

I was a huge fan of the Dr. Seuss series growing up and was eager to take my kids to see the new motion picture, The Lorax. So, when I was invited to a special screening last week, I jumped at the chance. The film will be released by Universal Pictures on March 2nd, on what would have been the 108th birthday of Dr. Seuss (he died in 1991 at age 87).  It's the 4th feature film based on a book by Dr. Seuss himself (Horton Hears a Who!, How the Grinch Stole Christmas and The Cat in the Hat being the predecessors).  Fortunately, my kids have seen … [Read more...]

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Looking for Christina Ricci on the L Train

January 26, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Pan Am

A few weeks ago, I was invited to tour the set of Pan Am, which airs on Sundays at 10 p.m. on ABC.  A fan of the show, I was not only very excited to walk through the replica of the Boeing 707 but also to visit Silvercup Studios in Brooklyn for the first time.  I'll be reporting more on my trip to the set in the next few weeks and posting photos from the experience, but first things first, I got to interview Christina Ricci, an actress I have been a fan of for a very long time.  I can't believe that it was 22 years ago that I first saw her in Mermaids … [Read more...]

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Review: “The Artist” – Where Silence is Truly Golden

January 23, 2012 By 1 Comment
The-Artist-Poster

It came as no surprise to me whatsoever that I adored the new French film that has been sweeping up every award, The Artist.  Unlike the filmgoers in England, who recently demanded their money back after finding out that this is a silent film, I relished the opportunity to go back in time to an era that is responsible for the birth of the motion picture industry.  Who hasn't thought about what happened to some of the legendary actors who so skillfully played non-speaking characters in motion pictures when talking pictures were introduced?  Just a few … [Read more...]

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The Iron Lady, an Anti-Feminist Film?

January 8, 2012 By 3 Comments
Meryl Streep as Margaret Thatcher Photo Credit: Alex Bailey / Courtesy of Pathe Productions Ltd

In the movie The Iron Lady, there is one line in particular that stands out in my memory.  "I don't want to die washing the dishes," Margaret Thatcher said that to her soon to be husband in the midst of his marriage proposal.  I sat there nodding my head, thinking that she and I had a lot in common. Directed by Phyllida Lloyd, a British writer and director, and written by Abi Mogran, two women, I had high hopes that this film would take me through the journey of how one woman in the UK transformed herself into one of the most well-known politicians … [Read more...]

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My Pop Culture Best of List 2011

December 27, 2011 By 1 Comment
midnightin-paris

Here's a short top 10 of my richest pop cultural experiences of 2011: Best Movies: I loved that my son enjoyed the dazzling film directed by Martin Scorcese, Hugo, just as much as I did. A long time fan of Woody Allen, I adored Midnight in Paris and found it just as compelling and genuine as some of his early films.  I saw it in a Brooklyn film house with other longtime Woody Allen fans and it was one of my most memorable cinematic experiences of the year.  I laughed out loud with all the ladies of the hit movie Bridesmaids and am thrilled that … [Read more...]

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Review: Then Again by Diane Keaton

December 18, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Diane Keaton's memoir, "Then Again"

I just knew that Diane Keaton's new memoir Then Again would resonate with me on more than one level. For one thing, her films, particularly Annie Hall and Manhattan, stand out in my memory as all-time favorites.  But there is much more than her films to relate to: her eternal feeling of self-doubt, her close relationship and love for her mother, the asthma we both experienced as young girls and even her move to NYC as a young girl.  I read her book laughing and nodding my head, just as I knew I would. Her book is a beautiful salute to her mother, … [Read more...]

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At the Movies with Steven Spielberg and Emily Watson

December 6, 2011 By Leave a Comment
DSC00642

Today I was lucky to attend a private screening of War Horse, the new film directed by the legendary Steven Spielberg. I was thrilled to go into Manhattan on a Monday morning and sit in a dark theater for several hours at the beautifully restored Film Society of Lincoln Center.  No kids, nowhere to be until much later in the day. This was an atypical morning for me and I didn't take it for granted. The film is about a strong friendship between a boy and a horse.  Their bond is fierce and when they get separated at the outbreak of World War I, the … [Read more...]

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Theater Non-Review: The Mountaintop

December 4, 2011 By 1 Comment
The MountainTop

I have to admit that I didn't know a lot about The Mountaintop, the new play by Katori Hall starring Samuel L. Jackson and Angela Bassett, before I saw it late last week.  I knew that it was about a fictional last day in the life of Martin Luther King, Jr. and I was quite curious about the play and it's retelling of this very dramatic period in our lives.  I couldn't help but have high expectations with not only the story, but also the casting. Samuel Jackson plays MLK, who is spending the evening in his motel room in Memphis the night before his … [Read more...]

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Film Review: Hugo

November 23, 2011 By 2 Comments
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"Films have the power to capture dreams," we are told by a character in the new film Hugo, which opened today across the country.  When I was in high school, I watched every film that crossed my path.  They were either foreign films or black & white classics.  I remember the day that I saw Cinema Paradiso.  I was completely  transported into another place and time  and was reminded about the power of film and the effect that it's had on the world and my own life.  Twenty-five years, I have once again been transported with an unusual and … [Read more...]

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“Monte Carlo”, a Film for Tweens

October 19, 2011 By Leave a Comment
selena3

Interviewing Selena Gomez this past summer, with my daughter as my assistant, remains the highlight of my blogging career.  We are still celebrities in the eyes of her friends, and for me, it was a shining moment when my burgeoning journalist daughter took the reins and asked her favorite TV and pop star questions about her singing career and Paris.  It was also worth getting up at 8:30 to see her new film, Monte Carlo.  We were leaving for Paris just a few short weeks later, and it definitely put us both in the travel spirit. That's why I'm … [Read more...]

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