At the movies: *The Descendants*

At the movies: *The Descendants*

The Descendants official movie site 2011, Drama/Comedy (PG-13) Starring: George Clooney Drected by: Alexander Payne Written by: Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon, Jim Rash Adapted from the novel by Kaui Hart Hemmings Synopsis, via RottenTomatoes.com:From Alexander Payne, the creator of the Oscar-winning Sideways, set in Hawaii, The Descendants is a sometimes humorous, sometimes tragic journey for Matt King (George Clooney) an indifferent husband and father of two girls, who is forced to re-examine his past and […]

Magic on Wilshire Blvd.: Whimsic Alley at CBSLA.com

Magic on Wilshire Blvd.: Whimsic Alley at CBSLA.com

Until the new Harry Potter attraction opens at Universal Studios Hollywood in 2015, Hogwarts-craving locals can make their way to Whimsic Alley. This popular outlet for all things Harry Potter has moved from its original home in Santa Monica to a roomy new location at 5464 (and ¾) Wilshire Blvd. in Los Angeles. In addition to an expanded sales area, the new store features an event space modeled on Hogwarts’ Great Hall (although its windows […]

At the movies: *Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol*

At the movies: *Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol*

Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol  (official movie site) Mystery/Suspense, Action/Adventure (2011), rated PG-13 Starring: Tom Cruise, Jeremy Renner, Paula Patton, Simon Pegg Directed By: Brad Bird Written By: Josh Applebaum, André Nemec Synopsis, via RottenTomatoes.com: This is not just another mission. The IMF is shut down when it’s implicated in a global terrorist bombing plot. Ghost Protocol is initiated and Ethan Hunt and his rogue new team must go undercover to clear their organization’s name. No […]

At the movies: *Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows*

At the movies: *Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows*

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows official movie site Mystery/Suspense (2011), rated PG-12 Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law Directed by: Guy Ritchie Written by: Michele Mulroney and Kieran Mulroney Synopsis, via RottenTomatoes.com: Sherlock Holmes has always been the smartest man in the room…until now. There is a new criminal mastermind at large-Professor James Moriarty-and not only is he Holmes’ intellectual equal, but his capacity for evil, coupled with a complete lack of conscience, may […]

At the movies Double Feature: *The Muppets* and *Hugo*

At the movies Double Feature: *The Muppets* and *Hugo*

To be honest, sometimes I prefer seeing “family” films without the younger members of the family. Tall Paul’s kids were with their mom this weekend (although they spent Thanksgiving Day with us), and he and I went to the movies on Saturday and Sunday. Partly for that reason, I didn’t end up spending as much time reading as I expected to during my four days off, but one of the movies was based on a […]

At the movies: *Crazy, Stupid, Love*

At the movies: *Crazy, Stupid, Love*

Crazy, Stupid, Love Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling, Julianne Moore, Emma Stone Rated PG-13  Warner Bros. – Drama, Romance, Comedy Directed By: Glenn Ficarra & John Requa Written By: Dan Fogelman Studio summary, via RottenTomatoes.com: At fortysomething, straight-laced Cal Weaver (Steve Carell) is living the dream-good job, nice house, great kids and marriage to his high school sweetheart. But when Cal learns that his wife, Emily (Julianne Moore), has cheated on him and wants a divorce, […]

Comic-Con 2011, Part 3: Who’s your Doctor?

Comic-Con 2011, Part 3: Who’s your Doctor?

Parts 1 and 2 posted on Monday and Tuesday This is NOT the Doctor! We were up early again on Sunday for the last day of Comic-Con, loading up the car and driving back to the Convention Center, since we’d be heading straight home at the end of the day…but at the beginning, we headed straight for Hall H. Once again, we had a 12:30 panel as our goal, and this was our last chance […]

Comic-Con 2011, Part 2: Getting Better, or Breaking Murphy’s Law

Comic-Con 2011, Part 2: Getting Better, or Breaking Murphy’s Law

Part 1 posted yesterday When we couldn’t make it into the room – or even get near the room, really – for any of the panels we’d hoped to see on Thursday or Friday morning, we had to re-think what we wanted to experience at Comic-Con. We also thought about how the Con needs to re-think its approach to crowd management and scheduling. We heard from other attendees that the Convention Center’s huge Hall H, […]

Comic-Con 2011, Part 1: Murphy’s Law

Comic-Con 2011, Part 1: Murphy’s Law

There are many special and unusual things about San Diego Comic-Con International. Not the least among them is that it’s one of the rare places where use of the frequently-derided Comic Sans font is not only accepted, it’s encouraged. However, I will not be using it to write these posts. This was our second time attending Comic-Con, so we didn’t think we were newbies, but we got plenty of surprises. Our first day on-site was […]

Goodbye again, Harry

Goodbye again, Harry

It’s ended now. But it will never really end. One of my earliest reviews here – back in July 2007, when about six people knew this blog existed – was the seventh and final book in Harry Potter’s story. After seeing the eighth and final movie installment this weekend, and saying goodbye to Hogwarts all over again, I thought I’d revisit and re-post it (with some minor edits and changes, but still in the format […]

At the movies: *Super 8*

At the movies: *Super 8*

Super 8 Mystery/thriller/sci-fi, 2011 Paramount Pictures / Amblin Entertainment / Bad Robot official movie site Plot summary, via IMDb: In the summer of 1979, a group of friends in a small Ohio town witness a catastrophic train crash while making a super 8 movie and soon suspect that it was not an accident. Shortly after, unusual disappearances and inexplicable events begin to take place in town, and the local Deputy tries to uncover the truth […]

At the Movies: *X-Men: First Class*

At the Movies: *X-Men: First Class*

X-Men: First Class Action/adventure drama, 2011 20th Century Fox / Marvel official movie site Plot summary, via IMDb: “Before Charles Xavier and Erik Lensherr took the names Professor X and Magneto, they were two young men discovering their powers for the first time. Before they were archenemies, they were closest of friends, working together with other Mutants (some familiar, some new), to stop the greatest threat the world has ever known. In the process, a […]