Movie reviews and updates
NO MORE MOVIEPASS… Why The Service Failed.
Movie Pass is a service where you pay $10 a month and can watch as many movies as you can in that month, one movie per day. Here’s the catch: They have no money!
From Warner Bros. Pictures and director James Wan comes an action-packed adventure that spans the vast, visually breathtaking underwater world of the seven seas, “Aquaman,” starring Jason Momoa in the title role. The film reveals the origin story of half-human, half-Atlantean Arthur Curry and takes him on the journey of his lifetime—one that will not only force him to face who he really is, but to discover if he is worthy of who he was born to be…a king.
Fantastic! Exceptionally well done! Hilarious! Outstanding! Those are just some of the adjectives I used to describe the Broadway production of the 2004 motion picture, ‘Mean Girls’.
My husband surprised me with tickets to the show for my birthday last week, for what would be my very first Broadway show! We arrived for the 2pm matinee showing just a bit early so we could check out the ‘Mean Girls’ merchandise selection and find our seats. The merch was cute, but a tad overpriced as you would probably expect for a show in NYC. I did pick up a “You’re Like Really Pretty” mug however, before going in to find my seat.
There isn’t a bad seat to be found inside the August Wilson Theatre. The interior is stunning and whether you are seated on the first level or in the mezzanine, you will have a great view of the stage!
The pre-show stage production was beautiful, very colorful and reminiscent of the 2004 movie, with photos resembling pages from the infamous ‘Burn Book’ with handwritten captions like “Shane Oman…HAWT, but dumb, but HAWT…”
While I was very excited for the show, and was certain I’d enjoy it since the movie is one of my favorites; I wasn’t sure I would be able to embrace the Broadway stars in the same way I embraced the Hollywood stars who played the original parts in the movie. I was wrong. From the moment the show began, the actors and actresses portraying the stars from the movie proved immediately that they were worthy, perfect for their respective roles and exceptionally talented. I was blown away from the start of scene one to the last bow at the end of the show. The show was cast perfectly, I loved every single character in the production, and though it was hard to pick a favorite, if I had to choose, my pick would be Gretchen (played by Ashley Park). She absolutely killed it, playing the part of Gretchen! Her ability to act, sing, dance and run around in giant stilettos on stage simultaneously and flawlessly, was astounding. I don’t think there’s anything that girl CAN’T do! Regina George, played by Taylor Louderman, was a fabulous bitch! I mean that in the most sincere way possible of course! She too was flawless in every way and also impressed me with her amazing ability to sing, dance and act simultaneously and perfectly! Taylor was the perfect choice to portray Regina…nailed it!!
There were some small changes made to the show, which were not very noticeable and did not effect the story or production at all. For example, Janis Ian had a different last name on Broadway than she did in the movie, she was Janis Sarkisian this time. There were some small memorable parts from the movie that were left out of the Broadway production, as I imagine it must be difficult to include every single phrase and scene. For example, you will not see Karen ask Regina if she wants to ‘go to Taco Bell?’, Regina doesn’t exclaim ‘Boo, you whore!’ to Karen over the phone after she fakes being sick, and Karen doesn’t have a “fifth sense” or “ESPN”. Speaking of Karen though, Kate Rockwell pulled off that part fabulously, she was hilariously dumb! Again, I mean that in the most sincere way possible!
However, MANY notable scenes and quotes DID remain in the Broadway production. I don’t want to spoil it for you, so I’ll just name a few. There IS a burn book. Aaron Samuels does ask Cady what the date is, (Oct. 3rd). And Regina did wear sweatpants and wasn’t able to sit with the Plastics at lunch.
There were also some added parts to the show, small scenes that I believe made the show better. For example, social media was incorporated into the show, which makes sense for a production running in 2018. The movie didn’t have that because social media really wasn’t much of a “thing” yet when Mean Girls was released in 2004. There was some mild swearing in the show, which personally I found hilarious and not offensive, but just FYI if that’s not your cup of tea. I was asked by a few people about the music in the show…whether it was good, whether the show was mostly music and how it all fit together in the production. The music was good, the singing was excellent, and no the show was not all music. I felt that the songs came in at exactly the right time and that the music/dialogue ratio was perfect. The songs were written specifically for the Broadway show and I believe were sold on CD at the merchandise booth. 
I had one tiny gripe about the production and while I believe they weren’t wrong in doing this since they were likely “catering to their audience”, I personally didn’t care for the political innuendo. There were a few small left-leaning political jokes, which most of the audience found entertaining. Regardless of whether it’s left, right or center, I personally don’t like politics involved in my entertainment. I understand why they did it, and I wasn’t particularly upset, I would have just preferred that politics be left out, that’s all.
All in all, an absolutely fabulous production! I laughed a lot, it was really, really funny and I even cried at the end, not because it was sad, but because I was sad that it was over!! Bravo!! I give Mean Girls on Broadway 10 out of 10 stars!! You go Glen Coco!!
Skyscraper is a movie starring Dwayne Johnson and a skyscraper. Slightly kidding.
Johnson stars a Wil Sawyer who is a former FBI agent that made a critical mistake during a hostage situation. The movie opens with the scene that changed Johnson’s character’s life forever. The scene is Sawyer and his team responding to a hostage situation and failing to save the life of the family being held hostage.
The result of the opening scene is the suspected blowing up the home he’s in and Sawyer losing his leg. We then met Sawyer’s future wife Sarah who is about to operate on him and save his life.
We flash forward 10 years later and we are introduced to the skyscraper, The Pearl. The skyscraper is the largest building in the world and what would be considered the most secure building in the world.
We are reintroduced to Sarah and Wil Sawyer, now as a married couple with two children. Sawyer is a security engineer who has been hired to access the security levels of the Pearl. Sawyer was recommended by one of his old FBI buddies.
The Pearl is then attacked by a group of men who set the building on fire with Sarah and her children inside the building. The rest of the film is dedicated to Sawyer finding a way into the building to save his family.
If you have seen any of Johnson’s action films, you know exactly how the movie goes. Johnson gets into the building, finds his family only to be separated from his family and almost die 9 times.
The film ends in typical Johnson action movie style: Johnson defeats the bads guys and is reunited with his family.
Overall, I enjoyed the film. I would give it a 3.5 out of 5 stars. If you have a MoviePass subscription, I would definitely suggest watching this movie. However, if you are paying out of pocket, Skyscraper is not in the top 5 movies to watch.
MGM Released the trailer for Creed II.
IN THEATERS NOVEMBER 21. Life has become a balancing act for Adonis Creed. Between personal obligations and training for his next big fight, he is up against the challenge of his life. Facing an opponent with ties to his family’s past only intensifies his impending battle in the ring. Rocky Balboa is there by his side through it all and, together, Rocky and Adonis will confront their shared legacy, question what’s worth fighting for, and discover that nothing’s more important than family. Creed II is about going back to basics to rediscover what made you a champion in the first place, and remembering that, no matter where you go, you can’t escape your history.
Cast: Michael B. Jordan, Sylvester Stallone, Tessa Thompson, Wood Harris, Russell Hornsby, Florian “Big Nasty” Munteanu, Andre Ward, Phylicia Rashad, Dolph Lundgren
It’s been 14 years since the iconic teen comedy ‘Mean Girls’ was released in theaters.
Since then, we’ve tried to make ‘fetch’ happen, we’ve let people know if they can sit with us or not, we’ve worn pink on Wednesdays, and we’ve asked our friends if they wanted to do something fun…”you want to go to Taco Bell?” The movie has so many memorable, relatable, quotable lines…we even post a meme every October 3rd, because that’s the day Aaron Samuels turned around in math class and asked Cady if she knew the date and she answered ‘it’s October 3rd’.
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It was this day back in 2004, we were all introduced to ‘The Plastics’ and the ‘Burn Book’ and it’s the movie that skyrocketed Lindsay Lohan’s career.
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We learned a lot from the movie as well, not all ‘mean girls’ stay ‘mean girls’. Regina had a life-changing experience and quite the personality transformation after she got hit by a bus; and Cady learned who her true friends were all along, Janis and Damian. We learned that it’s important to be nice to one another and accept others for who they are.
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Now, 14 years later, ‘Mean Girls’ is a live Broadway production.
In celebration of another year of ‘Mean Girls’ greatness, now is as good a time as any to let you know:
“She doesn’t even go here!”
youtube.com/sushiixx
I like most of Guillermo del Toro’s films that I’ve seen, but I had been putting off watching The Shape of Water. No one I knew was really talking about it and the premise didn’t sound like something that I needed to see, so I wrote it off as an eventual DVD purchase or even rental. Then, much to my surprise, it became the first fantasy film since Lord of the Rings to win an Academy Award for Best Picture, not to mention its other accolades. So in one of my few efforts to remain relevant, I decided to move it up in my ever busy schedule.
‘Grease’ is still the word after 40 years! The hit movie originally released in 1978, starring Olivia Newton John as good girl Sandy and John Travolta as bad boy Danny Zucco, will return to theaters this spring to commemorate it’s 40th anniversary.
Whether you’ve seen ‘Grease’ a dozen times, or have never seen it before, you’re in for a real treat. The film returns to theaters nationwide for two nights only, Sunday, April 8th and Wednesday, April 11th. Showings will take place at 2pm and 7pm at over 700 locations throughout the U.S. Find out ticket info and which theaters will be featuring ‘Grease’, here.
Plus, if that’s not enough, you can also own the ‘Grease’ 40th anniversary special edition on Blu-ray and DVD when it’s released on April 24.
Tom Hanks is set to play Mr. Rodgers in a biopic.
“This is the perfect alchemy of talent coming together at the perfect time to remind us all of the transformative power of kindness and respect to heal and to unite. We are proud to partner with Marielle, Tom and everyone at Big Beach to bring this inspirational true story to audiences all over the world,” Hannah Minghella, president of TriStar Pictures Hannah Minghella said.
The one line that comes to mind whenever I think about the most recent installment in the Star Wars franchise is Kylo Ren imploring Rey to “let the past die.” I feel that it cuts to the heart of both the tone and the thematic framework that the movie works within, whether or not that change is for the better.