The re-creation of the races was superbly done. The movie does a great job capturing the historical significance of the events. The scenery and the photographic imagery in the film just captivates you and brings you back in time to the 1970s. Not even a single crunch of popcorn by your fellow movie goer could take your eyes off the screen. The only thing missing was the smell of the animals.
Having ridden horses at one point in my life I could identify with the care that is needed in training horses. This care was wonderfully expressed by the owner, stable hand and trainer in the movie.
The acting was great. I especially liked John Malkovich's portrayal of Lucien Laurin Secretariat's trainer. Mr. Malkovich's performance showed the humorous, annoying, and dedicated side to Secretariat's trainer. Everything that would give an audience a real sense of who the character was.
The racing scenes in Secretariat were all recreated. There is one scene in the movie that is the historical footage of the actual Preakness race with Secretariat. Another item of interest in the film is that the Triple Crown trophy was the actual trophy on loan from the Kentucky Derby museum.
This is a really great family movie. Having lived through Secretariat's history making races I can say for the first time viewer you will be inspired by Secretariat's grace. Definitely put his movie on your must see list.
Cast:
Penny - Diane Lane
Lucien Laurin - John Malkovich
Penny's father - Scott Glenn
Phipps - James Cromwell
Eddie Sweat Nelsan Ellis
Jack Tweedy - Dylan Walsh
Bull Hancock - Fred Dalton Thompson
Bill Nack - Kevin Connolly
Pancho Martin - Nestor Serrano
Directed by Randall Wallace
Written by Mike Rich
Book Secretariat by William Nack.
A great film based on the book
Accidental Billionaires by Ben Mezrich. The story is
about college student Mark Zuckerberg who had the foresight and
great computer programming ability to create the social web site
Facebook.The film is very engaging. You can't take your eyes off the screen so as to not miss one drop of the action. My theater audience was so engrossed in the film that there were only short bursts of laughter during the more humorous potions of the film. Almost as if the laughter was on command.
In interviews Mark Zuckerberg has stated that the movie is overly glamorous and is a fictitious account of what occurred. I would have to agree with Mr. Zuckerberg. I did think the movie portrayed Mr. Zuckerberg as rather mean spirited and I think in actuality his character is not accurately portrayed in the movie. There are other parts of the plot that depict Mr. Zuckerberg's motive for creating Facebook was due to one individual. This in fact may or may not have been the case.
Mr. Jesse Eisenberg did a great job portraying Mark Zuckerberg. The only suggestion I would have is that I think that Mr. Eisenberg should have given Mr. Zuckerberg's character a little more depth. Like I said before I don't think he is as mean spirited as the movie makes him out to be. I think there is a compassionate side of Mr. Zuckerberg that could have been demonstrated in the film.
Justin Timberlake played Sean Parker the co-founder of Napster. Napster as you may recall is a music downloading web site. For the most part I think Mr. Timberlake brought the essence of Mr. Parker's character to the screen. The portrayal of Mr. Parker seemed a little one dimensional put the story is so fascinating that the small details don't hurt the excitement of the movie.
A great movie to see. Keep in mine that the movie is rated PG-13 and there are portions of the movie dealing with college life that you may not want younger members of the family to view.
Mark Zuckerberg - Jesse Eisenberg
Eduardo - Andrew Garfield
Sean Parker - Justin Timberlake
Cameron/Tyler - Armie Hammer
Divya - Max Minghella
Erica - Rooney Mara
Marilyn - Rashida Jones
Directed by David Fincher
Written by Aaron Sorbin
Based on the book Accidental Billionaires by Ben Mezrich
Recipient of the key to the City of Savannah, an Armed Forces Entertainer, and a winner of the Hilarious Housewives Contest from ABC’s The View are just some of the accomplishments of Leighann Lord. Leighann shared with me her thoughts on being a comedienne and news about her latest projects.
Lorraine:
It must have been very exciting to receive the key to Savannah. What did you do to receive the key?
Leighann:
The Mayor of Savannah awarded the key to me for my help during the Sorority Founder's Day event.
Lorraine:
Are you going to be performing at any Comedy Festivals?
Leighann:
The NY Underground Comedy Festival is coming up this August and I will be there. It is a great place to network with other comics and meet people from the TV, film and advertising industries.
Lorraine:
Do comics have a difficult time getting to perform at the NY Underground Comedy Festival?
Leighann:
Yes. There may be only ten or twelve slots available for a particular show that two hundred comics apply for. The comics only get five to fifteen minutes to perform.
Lorraine:
What was your experience like appearing on TV's top talk shows? How do you prepare for the show?
Leighann:
I prepare as much as possible. It is also important to be prepared to go off the script that you have prepared. Allow the audience to enjoy you.
I remember when I was on The View I was give 90 seconds on stage and the producer stood backstage with me and used a stop watch to time me. We actually practiced a 90 second spot. It was very stressful but once you do it you get use to it. It makes you appreciate the time you get at clubs and theater.
Lorraine:
So how did your spot on The View go?
Leighann:
When you get 90 seconds you learn to talk fast. I let the audience laugh, take a breath and keep going. It went fine.
Lorraine:
I understand you went to Iraq.
Leighann:
Yes, Kuwait and Iraq this year. I also went to Afghanistan in 2002 for Operation Enduring Freedom. I performed with several other comics. Steven Cruser, Felisha Michaels, Carole Montgomery, and Mark Riccadonna. We did an afternoon and an evening show everyday. I never thought I would go oversees twice but I did it.
Lorraine:
Does your comedy come from your family background?
Leighann:
I had a great childhood. My Mom and Dad both love to tell stories and jokes. They are a little crazy.
Lorraine:
So they are a fun loving family?
Leighann:
Yes. The only difference with me is that I want to get paid.
Lorraine:
How did you get started in the entertainment field?
Leighann:
Actually I majored in finance in college and got a regular job at a bank after I graduated. I hated it. It took me five years before I could leave my job.
Lorraine:
So are you saying everyone should get a job that they hate?
Leighann:
Everyone should get a job that they hate so they can realize what they really want to do.
Lorraine:
Where can people find out more about you on the Internet?
Leighann:
Web Sites:
Leighann Lord’s Comic Perspective www.ComicPerspective.com
Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/LeighannLord?ref=ts
Twitter:
http://twitter.com/leighannlord
• It’s the best thing for you.
• This will take a long time.
• Come back next week.
• How long have you had this?
Do you find yourself seeing your
doctor for expended periods of time for minor ailments? Do you feel the need to
divorce your doctor? Does your doctor talk in terms that only Yoda would
understand? If all of the above is true, or maybe just some of the above is
true you will be interested in reading this.• Let’s take the phrase: “It’s the best thing for you.”
Your doctor is telling you that you ailments will require multiple visits which will interfere with your social life thus turning you into Obi-Wan.
• “Come back next week.”
Not that we can ever get it right the first time but we as in you and your doctor will setup social visits for each subsequent week. Does this mean we are dating?
• “How long have you had this?”
This is my favorite phrase. It means that your recover time is inversely proportional to your tolerance for pain whether it is physically or by means of the pocketbook.
• “This will take a long time.”
This confirms that we are dating and that you will be paying for the evening out. Going Dutch is strictly out of the question.
If you are a foodie or just like food, try tuning in to the Cooking Channel.
The Food Network has expanded their offerings with the creation of the Cooking
Channel designed to appear to a younger
audience.
After watching a spattering of shows I would say the offerings are more interesting. Luke Nguyen’s Vietnam is very absorbing. Mr. Nguyen educates you on Vietnam’s distinct food and he goes as far as to cook it anywhere. From on the street, inside a hut, on a boat or in his uncle’s medicine store Mr. Nguyen gives you a bird’s eye view of what the cuisine of Vietnam is all about.
One show even had its weight challenged host remove his outer wear and jump into a pool of cool water with only his underwear on. What this has to do with cooking is beyond me other than giving me a bad visual making any food viewed on the TV screen unappetizing for the next few hours.
Other shows include Iron Chef Mike Symon sharing his creativity and techniques to make your favorite secret ingredients into daring and delightful food. The Spice Goddess, Bal Arneson, uses the power of fresh ingredients to make simple everyday Indian meals.
The Cooking Channel is a refreshing change to the typical food shows.
Have you ever decided on a
mattress after trying it in the store brought it home and found it too hard or
too soft? Gone back to the store and attempted to return the mattress to
discover that there was an addition “comfort charge” involved to remove the
mattress you just bought. “Comfort charge” a name assigned to the act of
dipping into one’s pocket for more cash and turning your furniture shopping
experience into an aggravating experience.Like the maze involved in furniture shopping the Warner Brothers movie Inception blocks out all mundane thoughts and envelopes you into its world of fantasy. The story line is so complex that there is no guessing or predicting the outcome of any one event. I have heard that the writer Christopher Nolan spent ten years writing the screenplay for Inception which involves what I would call layered dreams intertwined with reality. Your movie viewing experience descends you into a dream which descends into another dream at times waking you up into reality and then going back into a dream. Truly a very creative piece. Rewriting portions of the screen play must have been terribly complex. Pieces of the puzzle had to fit together exactly bringing together multiple layers of a plot.
All the cast members truly bring this movie to life and there is a real chemistry seen between them. It is like a Mission Impossible team coming together to use their dream apparatus to accomplish a mission. You are definitely sitting on the edge of your seat when you watch this movie.
Cast:
Cobb - Leonardo DiCaprio
Saito - Ken Watanabe
Arthur - Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Mal - Marion Cotillard
Ariadne - Ellen Page
Eames - Tom Hardy
Robert Fischer Jr. - Cillian Murphy
Browning -Tom Berenger
Miles - Michael Caine
Yusuf - Dileep Rao
Maurice Fischer - Pete Postlethwaite
Written and Directed by Christopher Nolan
If you haven't been watching the show, let me bring you up to date. A bunch
of chefs, former chefs, food enthusiasts and other assorted people involved
with food are picked by show casting directors to compete for the title of the
Next Food Network Star.
The prize is to:
- Inherit many long hours of taping your very own dream Food Network show.
- Some how make your show look different than any other regularly scheduled Food Network show.
- Not get canned after one season or less.
- Come up with a name other than 30 minute meals, 5 ingredient quick fixes, 10 minute meals, $10 meals, gourmet microwave meals, meals I make in the Office microwave and other assorted show titles.
- Compete with other shows which incorporate ideas taken from this season's
losers.
The losers are of course given a consolation prize of having their biography posted on the Food Network show's web site with the word Eliminated posted across it.
This isn't to say that I disrespect the Food Network. I actually love the shows and watch most of the shows on the Network. I guess I am a Food Network junkie or maybe a gourmet junkie. That being said, the shows are starting to look all the same to me. It is like looking at a runny plate of fried eggs with the whites and the yolks co-mingled together. Things are starting to get predictable. When the network producer tells you that you've got star power and that we want to build a relationship with you I am betting you are the Next Food Network Star.
I am going to go out on a limb here or maybe a small branch and say that Herb Mesa has the win in the bag.
Mary Dimino
at THE PARADISE FACTORY THEATER
located at 64 East 4th St
Dates and Times are:
Fri Aug 13 @ 7pm
Sat Aug 14 @ 3pm
Sun Aug 15 @ 5pm
Tues Aug 17 @ 9:30pm
Thurs Aug 19 @ 9:30
Sat Aug 21 @ 5pm
For tickets call (866) 468-7619
Friday night show already sold out!
Get your tickets now, they are going fast
If you haven't tried it, watch this Disney movie some night outside under the stars. It is the coolest experience. I was fortunate to have that outside experience just recently. Sitting outside and watching the movie brings so much more drama
to the movie. You feel that you are experiencing Wonderland right along with Alice. With that said I am not sure I would have enjoyed this movie as much if I had watched it in the theater. The great outdoors makes the movie feel so much more real. Forget about 3D. Experience the movie and nature together. What a concept!
Helena Bonham Carter's portrayal of the Red Queen I just loved. The Red Queen was
evil, funny, and calculating all rolled into one. The Red Queen was so captivating
and very unique. You could really feel the energy that Ms. Carter brought to the part. Mia Wasikowska played a teenage Alice. Alice wasn't easily frightened but instead was curious and thoughtful. Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter left you feeling a little disappointed. I would of liked to have seen more depth to his character. Aside from the red hair, hat, and fashionable clothes nothing else really made the Mad Hatter unique or quirky. Perhaps if the Mad Hatter skipped or danced more it would have made him seem more 3 dimensional.
All children probably read or study Alice in Wonderland at some point in their school
lives. I found it particularly interesting to see how the Jabberwocky was interpreted in the movie having read Lewis Carrolls works in school. The movie brings one point of view about the book to the big screen. The movie delights your senses and holds your interest. It is a must see for adults and for children it is an educational experience. I can see this movie being used as a teaching tool to help children open up their creative side.
Cast:
Mad Hatter-Johnny Depp
Alice - Mia Wasikowska
Red Queen - Helena Bonham Carter
White Queen - Anne Hathaway
Knave - Crispin Glover
Voices:
Caterpillar - Alan Rickman
Cheshire Cat - Stephen Fry
White Rabbit - Michael Sheen
Bayard - Timothy Spall
Jabberwocky - Christopher Lee
Disney presents a film directed by Tim Burton.
Written by Linda Woolverton
Based on the books Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and
Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll.
Navigate
Top Contributors
Share
Poll
