Golden Globes

Tonight is the night for the beginning of the award show rush. Who do you think will win? There are some great movies up for nominations this year. The latest reviewed have been WAR HORSE which is a great addition from Steven Spielberg, It's a moving and visual experience about a horse sent off to World War I and then reunited with his devoted owner. THE DESCENDANTS,   the coming of age story for a whole family dealing with life's unexpected tradgedies. And out on DVD is MONEYBALL a sports story about
Billy Beane, the GM for the Oakland A's and his attempt to change the way baseball is played. And my favorite, MIDNIGHT IN PARIS, Woody Allen's poignant and fantasy themed rom com. Countdown to Oscars!

Puss in Boots

This is the prequel to what happens to the famous kiity from Shrek fame. The title character, as always, is voiced by Antonio Banderas and his love interest is voiced by Salma Hayek as Kitty Softpaws.. Zak Galifianakis plays a very annoying version of Humpty Dumpty who makes life miserable for Puss.I didn't find his character entertaining or sympathetic. However, if you are expecting the same fun and laughter as the previous Shrek movies, rent them for another watch because this one does not have the same zing as the original Shrek films.It has some great cat humor and moral tales of friendship, forgiveness and redemption for the younger crowd, but it loses some steam before the end. Banderas is good, Salma is ok and Zak is so overused in any movie at this point that it's ridiculous. If you see it, go for the 3D effects; the best I have seen in animation so far.

The Rum Diary- better left unread

Jonny Depp stars in the autobiographical account of Hunter S. Thompson in his depraved, younger years. If you remember Jonny starring in "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas'" you will either like or hate this one depending on your level of addiction tolerance. The character is Paul Kemp who is looking for work in 1960 San Juan, Puerto Rico at a dying newspaper. He becomes entangeled with an American expatriate who wants to build more hotels for vacationing Americans on a soon to be abandoned island that the Navy has been using for target practice. I guess you know where to put the pool in. Things become more complicated when Paul also takes an interest in his very beautiful and reckless girlfriend. The film depicts Kemp's drunken sprees and his aimless wandering in search of his life  (and a story worth filming). It has some good sceanes of comedy, but not enough to make the film a must see, even for Depp fans like me.
Jonny was a friend of Thompson's until his death in 2005, and rumor has it that this book was found among his unpublished works. Jonny, I love ya, but this one was not worth the trouble.

Family Ties

Two recent movies for the family are Dolphin Tale and Real Steel. sBoth deal with the mother/son or father /son dilema when children are distanced by their parents whether physically or emotionally. Dolphin Tale has a sweet mother/son story where son, Sawyer, feels alienated and lonely. He finds an injured dolphin whose tail must be amputated after being caught in a crab trap. Based on a true story; the boy is instrumental in getting a doctor, who creates prosthetics for injured vets, to successfully design a prosthetic tail for the dolphin so she can swim again. In the process, he helps his wounded cousin, just back from Iraq, and keeps the marine rehab center from closing. It's a tear jerker so take your tissues.
On the other hand, Real Steel is text book movie fare. Father abandons son, and has him dumped on him when the mom dies. Of course Max,(son) is resentful of dad, Charlie, (played by Hugh Jackman)who wins back his son by teaching him about robot boxing. The storyline is not that great and you will find it more interesting counting the number of product placements in the movie. The only thing that kept me guessing about this movie was why are people still riding around in cars running on fossil fuel 20+ years into the future? Save your gas and money on this one.

New shows for ABC

It's the fall season and all the networks are eager to show off the new shows. Some of the best offerings so far have come from ABC. The new show PAN AM  is smart and informative and tells the stories of flight when airline travel was sophisticated and you didn't have to take off your shoes. It's based on actual events in history. Who knew your stewardess could serve coffee, tea or a side of secret agent? DANCING WITH THE STARS is back with an all new and controversial cast. Paso doble your way out of that! Welcome back to 2 favorites CASTLE and MODERN FAMILY who has 5 emmy wins! The one loser of the bunch so far is SUBURGATORY. I thought the previews were awful but the show is worse! It's a cynical look at life in the suburbs so suburb +  purgatory ...get it? Yeah, nobody else does either. The only hell is having to watch this show. The best new show by far is LAST MAN STANDING a new offering with Tim Allen doing what he does best... being a manly man. I have been to a taping of this show and it is hilarious. Move over Modern Family; you'll have to share some of those emmys next year!

Count Down to PIRATES!

Arrrgh me mateys, thar be a short time til we be settin' sail with Captain Jack again! This Friday, May 20th is the opening of the fourth installment of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, directed by Rob Marshall, produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, and of course, starring our favorite pirate captain, Jonny Depp! This time Jack will be crossing swords with zombies, avoiding mermaids and  playing with the affections of Blackbeard's daughter, Angelica, played by the lusty, busty Penelope Cruz! My bet is our favorite boozy, woozy pirate will be up to the task. Ian McShane plays Blackbeard, the vicious pirate whose reputation preceeds him. Geoffrey Rush returns as Jack's nemesis, Barbossa, who has switched sides serving King George, and tries to thwart Jack's attempt to find the Fountain of Youth.

I was fortunate enough to attend the Disneyland premiere on May 7th and met many of the cast including Jonny Depp. Rest assured he is as nice as you hope he is and even more handsome in person, if that is possible. Check out my latest "black carpet" pictures and sail into theatres this weekend to check out the latest pirate adventure

Oscar Predictions

It's finally here! Oscar night tonight, so who do you think will win? Here are my predictions for tonight.
Best Picture..............The King's Speech
Best Actor...............Colin Firth
Best Actress............Natalie Portman
Best Supporting Actor........Christian Bale
Best Supporting Actress..... Melissa Leo
Best Director............ Tom Hooper, The King's Speech
Best Animated Film........Toy Story 3
The King's Speech has a total of 12 nominations tonight and I predict they will get 6 out of 12.
Good luck to all the nominees and have fun!