La Cage aux Folles @ The Kennedy Center

I was not going to miss opening night even after coming off a three day bout with the flu and I was rewarded for my effort even if my fellow ticket holders might not have been as thrilled. This musical has been remade so may times for the large and small screens that everyone knows the plot so spoilers are not possible but it was nice to see the musical on the Eisenhower stage. From the start, my friend Sharon and I knew we were going to be in for a treat when a statuesque drag queen starts ribbing the crowd and getting us to participate in the show as if we were at a real French cabaret. George Hamilton is still very tan and spry for his age but the highlight of the show is the incredible performance of Christopher Sieber as Albin. Sieber also gets kudos from me by putting in his Playbill bio that he has never actually been in an episode of Law & Order - you do not want to miss this show.

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Dolphin Tale

If you are not out in the theater to see the re-release of The Lion King in 3D this weekend then you may want to check out this family friendly movie. The story is about a dolphin who loses her tail and overcomes the disability to learn how to swim again but her troubles do not end just there. The cast includes Harry Connick Jr., Morgan Freeman and Ashley Judd as the caring animal rescue worker, the prosthetic specialist, and the understanding mother of the boy who found the dolphin who go to extraordinary lengths to save Winter. The best part is that Winter is played by herself and the movie will bring a tear to your eye. If you want to see how Winter is doing, be sure to see her at her live web cam located here.

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Shark Night 3D

Bikini clad babes, 3D sharks and blood almost abound in this Shark Week inspired film. PG-13 horror movies always leave something to be desired like nudity and more visceral kills but this was a fun if all be it short film. The cast includes some returning horror newbies like Sara Paxton from The Last House on the Left, Joel David Moore from Hatchet, and Donal Logue from Blade. The sharks are the real stars of this film with the 3D making them leap of the screen and giving them some really cool close ups. If you like surface breaking leaps by the killers of the deep then this movie is for you.



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Apollo 18

I went in to this film with a Paranormal Activity like mind set but set in space. Though not as good, this SyFy channel cast of who's who stars does have a few creepy moments and some pretty good acting. The special effects are excellent and make for a very believable lunar set piece. I am surprised this got a widescreen release but smaller genre films have been getting a break lately at the cinema. A matinee screening at best but worth a look.



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Smurfs 3D

I could not convince any of my friends to see this movie with me but the little West Virginia boy inside of me who was bombarded with the Smurfs every Saturday morning had to see this film to satisfy my need for nostalgia. I am happy to say the film was much more fun than the original cartoon series. Hank Azaria is perfectly cast as Gargamel with your favorite Smurfs like Papa, Smurfette, Brainy, Grouchy, Clumsy, and Handy voiced by Jonathan Winters, Katy Perry, Fred Armisen, George Lopez, Anton Yelchin, and Jeff Foxworthy respectively. Other casting notable is the always hot and hilarious Sofia Vergara who steals the scene when on the screen. I am not looking forward to a resurgence of Smurf mania and speak but I did enjoy this film - all three apples worth.



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The Debt

There are a lot of film sub-genres and one that always seems to deliver is the hunt for the Nazi war criminal. Helen Mirren, Tom Wilkinson, Ciaran Hinds and Jessica Chastain, Marton Csokas, Sam Worthington play the the older and younger versions of a Mossad undercover team sent to kidnap and bring a notorious war criminal to trial but things do not go as planned and they must deal with the consequences. The film is well crafted and the performances by all are excellent with Jesper Christensen's as the former Nazi surgeon down-right chilling. My love for anything starring Mirren aside, this film is worth full admission and a must see. Now that summer is over, it is time for the smaller films to take back the screen.



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Final Destination 5 - 3D

Well Death's design is back and I have to say this outing is much better than the last film in the franchise with better 3D. The deaths are cool and the misdirection works well for everything accept for the tie-in back to the first film that is telegraphed like a WWE body slam. The sequence in the gym is gruesome awesomeness! The looming Tony Todd is the one constant as the mortician/coroner and is short on screen time just like in all the past films. Candy Man, Candy Man, Candy Man, Candy Man, Candy Mmmmaaaarrrggghhhhhh...

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Wicked - The Kennedy Center's Opera House

I love this musical and had to see it again but this time out I brought along my best friend, his wife, their oldest daughter, her grandpa and my friend Sharon. The musical was just as great as I remembered from seeing it on Broadway with only slight changes to the set. Morgan, my friend's daughter, just loved it and that made my birthday outing just perfect. Since seeing it the first time I have read the novel it was based on and I have to say the musical captures the best of the story that is actually quite dark. This is a fantastic musical and I hope everyone can check it out before it leaves the area.

Conan the Barbarian 3D

After being let down by the anemic Fright Night remake, Jason Momoa delivers as the kick-ass barbarian we all know from the comics and pulp magazines of our youth. Hot wenches, the lopping off of heads and buckets of blood, mystical beasts and sorcery - nothing is left out. The action is non-stop and the opening sequence where young Conan must win a race to earn the right to go to battle with his elders set the tone for the film and guaranteed delivery of everything I was hoping to see. I like Rose McGowan - or at least until she butchered her face with plastic surgery for a permanent duck face - but Rachel Nichols is smokin' and holds her own beside Momoa. Does anyone else think that Nichols would make a great Red Sonja if Robert Rodriguez does make the film?

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Fright Night 3D

As a horror fan I am compelled to see remakes of the favorite films of my youth and must endure the lack luster re-imagining or a director's new vision. I had high hopes based on the trailer but this remake is anemic and lacks any of the charm that makes the original film a classic. One thing I did like was the updating of the Peter Vincent character from a TV horror host to a Las Vegas entertainer headlining a show like Bite - a very sexy show which I recommend checking out when in Vegas - with the 10th Doctor, David Tennant, filling in for Roddy McDowall. Also there is a nice cameo that fans of the original will like and should be expecting. It does not do justice to the original but if you have not seen it then it may not be too bad.

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