Legally Blonde The Musical @ The Kennedy Center Opera House

My friend, Svetlana, missed out on seeing Twelfth Night last week so I brought her along to The Kennedy to see this show. The musical does change a few points from the movie but it still works and the music is light, fun and just naughty enough for some good laughs. Becky Gulsvig is a great Elle but the Greek course/sorority sisters add most of the fun when on the stage. The dogs are great additions to the live performance and get the crowd really jazzed up when running across the stage. Makes you wonder how many stand-ins they had for them?

Click here to check out the official website.

The Day The Earth Stood Still

A sci-fi classic came back to the screen today and got the Hollywood make over with bigger effects, full color and maybe some bigger star names for the current times.  The great thing is the story has not changed and is still true to the original in tone and message but just updated enough to reflect current times..  Keanu's stoic by default acting works here and Jennifer Connely always seems to be crying in her films any more.  The robot is much cooler now and is very imposing in IMAX. End of the world pics deserve the IMAX treatment and you should check it out in this format if you can.

Clich here to check out the official website.

Twelfth Night @ Harman Center for the Arts

Outside of heading to the theater in the cold, pouring rain and having my date for the show not be able to make it due to a late running project, this was still a good evening out. Samantha Soule was great as Viola/Cesario in this Shakespeare comedy. She was joined on stage by company regulars Christopher Innovar, last seen on the big screen as the angry driver that gets the Adam Sandler beat down in You Don't Mess with the Zohan, and Veanne Cox, who I just realized was the frumpy attorney in Erin Brockovich. The stage design was interesting and it kept getting more cluttered with rose petals as the play progressed. I wonder if they got that from American Beauty?

Click here to check out the official website.

Wicked @ The Gershwin Theatre

While in New York today on PTO and work, I made time to check out this musical in the pouring rain. It was awesome and the production was magical as the story it told. Marcie Dood and Alli Mauzey tore up the stage as Elphaba and Glinda, the Wicked and Good witches respectively. The story makes me want to read the original story by Gregory Maguire and causes me to regret telling my friend Nicole I read it when I never did. I have downloaded it and the two follow up novels to my Kindle and look forward to revisting the magical land of Oz as I listen to the soundtrack I picked on my way out of the theater.

Click here to check out the official website.

Punisher: War Zone

Marvel finally did it and released their first truly R-rated movie that delivers the violence and carnage the fan favorite comic has been delivering every month at your local comic book shop since his introduction in the Spider-Man title. The movie channels a bit of Sam Raimi's Darkman and Ray Stevenson's Punisher works for me - especially with the minimal dialogue. Where as Thomas Jane's Punisher and Dolph Lundgren's Punisher where good films too, they did not delivery on the violence. Dominic West and Doug Hutchinson are fun villians and straddle the line between crazy and campy with gusto. Check out this film and you will not be disappointed.

Click here to check out the official website.

Transporter 3

Jason Statham is back a third time in his signature role as Frank Martin with a new package to deliver. This time out the package is newcomer Natalya Rudakova who is cute despite the freckles and poor acting. Definately the weakest story in the franchaise with the shortest running time which is a good thing. I still enjoyed the film because Statham kicks ass and the car stunts are still over-the-top and cool. Why else would you go see this film?

Click here to check out the official website.

Twilight

I knew nothing about this film until I hit the San Diego Comicon this past summer and the place was a buzz by the appearance of Stephanie Meyer, the supposed next J.K. Rowling, and her upcoming film adaptation of her teenage vampire novel by the same name. Being a huge Potter fan, I immediately downloaded the books to my Amazon Kindle to see what the deal was and was treated to the most bloodless vampire story I had ever read. The film lives up to this benchmark but does it in a much more efficient manner and makes the story better but cutting out the internal monologues. I liked the movie better than the book obviously but being a glutton for punishment I read the next thre novels to see what would happen. The story does get better in the following novels and brings in the "wolves" as alluded to in the first book and Bella does become an even better femme fatale.

Click here to check out the official website.

Zack and Miri Make a Porno

Kevin Smith is back on the big screen and without Jay and Silent Bob. Elizabeth Banks and Seth Rogan, who where last together in The 40 Year Old Virgin, are Zack and Miri who decide to make a porno to pay their past-due bills after enduring their 10 year high school reunion. The cast also includes Traci Lords and Katie Morgan to bring real porno credit to the film and gives us the best acting from Traci Lords since Blade. Jason Mewes and Jeff Anderson round out the cast of regulars and get their signature Smith moments that will be the talk of the water cooler. Jeff's "frosting" scene is still cracking me up - Katie Morgan is constipated no more!

Click here to check out the official website.

Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa

The animals are back in this sequel to the 2005 hit, Madagascar. This time out the crew are trying to get back to home to New York but end up crash landing in Africa. They have made it back to their true home where Alex must prove himself to his father, Marty finds out he is not as unique as he had hoped, and Gloria is looking for love and finds it with Melman? The film is a great follow up to the first and the penguins are still the best part. So when are we going to get a feature length film with just the penguins which they deserve?

Click here to check out the official website.

Quantum of Solace

Daniel Craig is back as Bond in this direct follow up to the film, Casino Royale. Although one of the shortest Bond films to date it is still jam packed with the non-stop, physical action sequences that made previous film a wake up call for the franchise. Olga Kurylenko and Gemma Arterton provide the beauty while Judi Dench is back as the ball crushing, no nonsense M we have come to love. The plot still maintains credibility with out getting lost in the unbelievable with realistic villians on a grand scale. The only thing I still miss from the new generation of Bond is Q - I wish there was some way they could bring that part of Bond back.

Click here to check out the official website.