Reel Babies

Reel Babies
Perhaps in the place you call home there is something similar. Here in our little piece of Canada, Empire Theatres, offers a program driven to new moms called Reel Babies. A fabulous concept really; a first run movie shown to an audience of new moms and teary-eyed babies, during daylight hours. It comes complete with changing tables, bottle warmers, and floor toys. What a bang up idea for moms who love movies, don’t you think?

Reel Babies has been offered here in Halifax for a couple of years now, and is becoming rather popular. Perspective movie-going moms subscribe their email address to Empire and a week before the bi-monthly movie date, they are offered three titles to vote for as the upcoming film choice.

The one negative… even after the couple of years that this program has been in existance, is that every time the wee one and I have gone to see a movie, the volume is never adjusted and every baby in the place bawls until one of the moms goes out and asks the tools running the movie to turn the freakin’ volume down! Holy frustrating Batman. Seriously, how many times does this have to happen before you catch on and turn the volume down BEFORE you flick the switch and roll the tape?!

End Rant.

June 27, 2008 | Filed Under Events, General | 5 Comments 
Tags: ,

Heather Mills gives it back - Who cares?

Heather Mills gives it backA newspaper that I read on a regular basis reported that Heather Mills has removed all of Paul McCartney’s songs from her ipod. Seriously. Did they really find it so important that they had to print this in their newspaper? Are newspapers that starved for entertainment news or was it someone who REALLY likes Heather Mills making a point that she is giving it back to Sir Paul McCartney by removing his music from her ipod. I must have missed the ‘You Go, Girl‘ at the end of the article.

I know I am probably giving the article more visibility but it is not about the article. Its about what certain ‘content managers’ find important to throw into a publication. I know I will not have as much respect for the paper I used to have before I read that article. Even if it is circulated for free :)

June 20, 2008 | Filed Under General | 5 Comments 
Tags: ,

What’s your Bacon Number?

What is your kevin bacon numberI heard about this game many years back and I always thought how amazing it was, that one statement turned into a phenomenon called the Bacon Number!

Kevin Bacon, in a 1994 Premiere interview for the film The River Wild, while talking about his fame and career, comments that he’s worked with everybody in Hollywood or someone who’s worked with them.

It was then, that 3 students got together and created a game called “Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon”. According to this game, Kevin Bacon was at the “center of the universe” and the “Bacon number” of an actor or actress is the number of degrees of separation they have from Bacon, as defined by the game. The higher the Bacon number, the farther away from Kevin Bacon the actor is.

Did you know that Pope John Paul II had a “Bacon Number” of 3?

Step 1 - Pope John Paul II was in Padre Pio — Tra cielo e terra (2000) with Giovanni Lombardo Radice.

Step 2 - Giovanni Lombardo Radice was in The Omen (2006) with Vee Vimolmal

Step 3 - Vee Vimolmal was in Where the Truth Lies (2005) with Kevin Bacon.

So what’s your Bacon Number?

June 19, 2008 | Filed Under General, People | 5 Comments 
Tags: , ,

The Nanny Diaries - Review by RNW

Sex and The City Movie ReviewAnother On Demand pic at my mercy.

Even if you have absolutely nothing better to do with your time, ie. the bathroom is spotless, you did laundry yesterday, and the lawn is growing at a snails pace, do not, I repeat, do not watch this movie.

The story is just plain boring, and I swear I’ve seen it a million times already. The acting… well if I HAD to, I could give credit to Laura Linney and Donna Murphy, but lackluster would be an understatement for the remainder.

I do hate to come down so hard on a movie, but even the girlie-girl, who exists somewhere inside of me thought that this movie was a flop. Wait, I just realised this movie’s first cousin, it’s Uptown Girls starring Brittany Murphy and Dakota Fanning, which atleast had style and a pot-bellied pig!

I give this movie 2 ‘harvard hotties’ out of 10 - and only because he was indeed a cutie.

June 11, 2008 | Filed Under Movie reviews | 3 Comments 
Tags: , , ,

Sex and the City - Movie Review by RNW

Sex and The City Movie ReviewAs with my Indiana Jones review, I cannot claim to be a member of this iconic following. While I’ve atleast seen episodes of SATC in passing, I am not up to speed on all of the ongoings of the characters from the series.I took in this movie with some girlfriends whose husbands refused to take them (presumably Reel Ninja could be a party to those husbands :) and just prior to the previews beginning I turned to the girls and asked if anyone knew how the series ended, just in case there was some necessary tidbit that would tie the series to the movie. Nothing too unexpected, even in my sporadic viewing.

I must share with you that I once overheard Sarah Jessica Parker’s face described as looking like a foot. That thought always makes me laugh. I was more interested in the delectable Chris Noth (Mr. Big), of the Law and Order series fame. Mr. Big did not disappoint… nor did any of the other core characters, all true to form.

There were quite a few chuckles and a sprinkle of boisterous laughter moments in the movie, but truly driven to the ladies in the crowd. I can’t imagine Reel Ninja busting a gut to the humour as I doubt he could relate.

If you’re a series fan, definitely spend the money and see it with some girlfriends… DO NOT drag your male partner, buddy, brother or otherwise… unless you’re planning on making it up to them immediately following the credits! :)

I give this movie 6.5 ‘Manolo’s’ out of 10.

June 10, 2008 | Filed Under Movie reviews, TV Series | 4 Comments 
Tags: , , , ,

Superman (1978)

Christopher Reeve in Superman movieI happened to catch the original Superman movie over the weekend and what I really liked was that the movie is still so enjoyable today. 30 years after the movie was made, the story is good enough, the special effects are good enough and the of course, it has Christopher Reeve and Gene Hackman on top of their game. I am a big fan of Superman and ‘Superman Returns‘ did not do it for me and I hope the next movie (if they ever get around to making it) does the original movies some justice but I cannot see anyone replacing Christopher Reeve as the ‘Man of Steel’. God bless him.

Here are some of the interesting facts about the first Superman movie:

  • Steven Spielberg was offered the chance to direct this film, but the producers balked at the salary he asked for.
  • After the success of Rocky, Sylvester Stallone lobbied hard to play Clark Kent/Superman, but he was ultimately turned down.  Stallone found out that Marlon Brando, who had casting approval, turned him down for the role. Stallone subsequently went on Merv Griffin’s talk show and denounced Brando, saying he had no respect for the superstar as an actor or as a man.
  • Christopher Reeve worked out so much during the making of the film that the traveling matte shots taken of him at the beginning of the shoot did not match the later shots, and had to be re-taken.
  • Clark Kent’s and Superman’s hair part on opposite sides.
  • To achieve the shot of young Clark Kent kicking a football into orbit, an air cannon was placed underground and the football fired from it.
  • The movie was filming in New York City on the night of the notorious 1977 blackout.
  • Marlon Brando refused to memorize most of his lines in advance. In the scene where he puts infant Kal-El into the escape pod, he was actually reading his lines from the diaper of the baby
  • Warren Beatty and Burt Reynolds passed on playing Superman, while Jon Voight was lined up to play Superman for a while but was let go because producers felt he was not right for the role.
  • Jack Nicholson and Gene Wilder were both considered for the role of Lex Luthor.
  • Robert Redford, Clint Eastwood and James Caan were all offered the movie’s title role. All three turned it down: Redford wanted too much money; Eastwood said he was too busy; Caan said, “There’s no way I’m getting into that silly suit.”

June 9, 2008 | Filed Under Classic Movies, Must See Movies | 8 Comments 
Tags: , , , ,

Unforgettable Bad Guys in Movies

Forest Whitaker Last King OF Scotland MovieWe were watching Last King Of Scotland on television 2 nights back and it reminded me of what a great job Forest Whitaker has done in that movie. His portrayal of Idi Amin is so believable and does appear fearful.

It got me thinking about other great performances by actors portraying bad guys and how they actually injected fear into your head during and after the movie. Some of the ones I could think of were:

Anthony Hopkins - Silence of the Lambs,
Jonathan Scott-Taylor as Damien Thorn - Omen 2
David Prowse James Earl Jones (voice) - Star Wars 4,5,6
Arnold Schwarzenegger - Terminator 1
Robert Patrick - Terminator 2
Alan Rickman - Robin Hood and Die Hard
Denzel Washington - Training Day
Daniel Day-Lewis - Gangs of New York
Jack Nicholson - A Few Good Men
Joaquin Phoenix - Gladiator
John Travolta - Broken Arrow
John Malkovich - Con Air
Gary Oldman - Bram Stoker’s Dracula
Michael Douglas - Wall Street
Arnold Vosloo - The Mummy / The Mummy Returns
Jack Nicholson - The Shining
Ian McKellan - X-Men
Michael Madsen - Reservoir Dogs
Wesley Snipes - Demolition Man

I am sure I have left out some other great performances, let me know if you think there are other good performances to mention.

June 6, 2008 | Filed Under General, Movie Facts and Trivia, People | 9 Comments 
Tags: , ,