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New Year’s Eve

 

There’s not much to expect from ‘New Year’s Eve’, unfortunately this movie with so many well known actors doesn’t have much to give; not even entertainment value.  I can’t help but compare it with Garry Marshall’s ‘Valentine’s Day’, the director used the exact same recipe here: tie in about 7 stories and try to use some humor along with drama on the biggest holiday of the year.  It’s tough to get the audience to care about a character with so many things going on and so many stories to follow, you don’t get much of a background on the characters and just when you are starting to get into one of the stories it changes to the next one. The biggest star in the movie is of course New York City, a place where the holidays; New Year’s Eve in particular is like no other.

 

The film is an analogy to new beginnings, looking back in the past and pushing the rewind button to not make the same mistakes and to accomplish the resolutions we procrastinated on. The only story that has a little substance is that of Ingrid (Michelle Pfeiffer) a woman who has followed the same routine for years and worked endlessly without being appreciated until one day she decides to change it all and we have a little fun with her exploring NYC. We basically follow around the whole cast as they prepare for midnight, some are anxious about their midnight kiss, others are anti-holiday, others are nostalgic about the year that has passed and others are too busy working to care about the holiday. The love stories are predictable and boring, there are some minor twists but not exiting enough to improve the movie. 

 

The audience was surprised with some guest appearances, but we already had enough of a cast for me to find it necessary. The Hispanics in the movie Ava (Sofia Vergara) and Kominsky (Hector Elizondo) have small supporting roles, Vergara plays the exact same character she does in her hit show ‘Modern Family’ with awkward anecdotes and childish behavior, who knows if they’ll ever cast her as something besides a stereotype. Elizondo is always a Marshall aka the help, so no surprise there.

 

A 2 hour-long movie of running around is exhaustingly boring, the movie has a nice (not original) concept but it’s not enough. I’m not sure how I feel seeing Academy Award winners such as Halle Berry and Hilary Swank in such petty roles that seem to be for amateurs. The only thing this movie inspired in me is a curiosity to actually be crazy enough to see the ball drop live in Times Square and I enjoyed recognizing the different sights in NYC, such as Smith Street in Brooklyn towards the end of the film.  

Tony Awards 2012 Nominations Announced

The Tony Awards are celebrating 66 years and are only 40 days away, the ceremony will be held in New York’s Beacon Theater hosted by Neil Patrik Harris.  The Antoinette Perry “Tony” Awards are presented every year to professionals in the theater community for their great performances. Today Kristin Chenoweth and Jim Parsons announced all the nominations for the 26 competitive categories. The 2011/2012 eligibility season began April 29, 2011 and ended April 20, 2012. 851 members of the theatrical community voted on all of the 26 competitive categories.

This year ‘Once’ the musical got the most nominations, with 11 under its’ belt.The Lifetime Achievement in Theater Award will be presented to producer Emanuel “Manny” Azenberg. Also, the Tony Awards Administration Committee will bestow two Special Tony Awards this year to Actors’ Equity Association and Hugh Jackman.

Nominations for the 2012 American Theatre Wing’s Tony Awards®     

Presented by The Broadway League and the American Theatre Wing

 

Best Play

Clybourne Park by Bruce Norris

Other Desert Cities by Jon Robin Baitz

Peter and the Starcatcher by Rick Elice

Venus in Fur by David Ives

Best Musical

Leap of Faith

Newsies

Nice Work If You Can Get It

Once

Best Revival of a Play

Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman

Gore Vidal’s The Best Man

Master Class

Wit

Best Revival of a Musical

Evita

Follies

The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess

Jesus Christ Superstar

Best Book of a Musical

Lysistrata Jones by Douglas Carter Beane

Newsies by Harvey Fierstein

Nice Work If You Can Get It by Joe DiPietro

Once by Enda Walsh

Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre

Bonnie & Clyde            Music: Frank Wildhorn

                                  Lyrics: Don Black

 

Newsies                      Music: Alan Menken

                                  Lyrics: Jack Feldman

 

One Man, Two Guvnors  Music & Lyrics: Grant Olding

 

Peter and Starcatcher    Music: Wayne Barker

                                   Lyrics: Rick Elice

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play

James Corden                           One Man, Two Guvnors

 Philip Seymour Hoffman           Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman

James Earl Jones                      Gore Vidal’s The Best Man

Frank Langella,                        Man and Boy

John Lithgow                           The Columnist

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play

Nina Arianda                          Venus in Fur

Tracie Bennett                       End of the Rainbow

Stockard Channing                 Other Desert Cities

Linda Lavin                            The Lyons

Cynthia Nixon                        Wit

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical

Danny Burstein                       Follies

 Jeremy Jordan                       Newsies

Steve Kazee                           Once

Norm Lewis                            The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess

Ron Raines                             Follies

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical

Jan Maxwell                            Follies

Audra McDonald,                    The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess

Cristin Milioti,                         Once

Kelli O’Hara                            Nice Work If You Can Get It

Laura Osnes                           Bonnie & Clyde

Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play

Christian Borle                       Peter and the Starcatcher

Michael Cumpsty                    End of the Rainbow

Tom Edden, One Man              Two Guvnors

Andrew Garfield                      Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman

Jeremy Shamos                      Clybourne Park

Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play

Linda Emond,                          Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman

Spencer Kayden                      Don’t Dress for Dinner

Celia Keenan-Bolger                Peter and the Starcatcher

Judith Light,                            Other Desert Cities

Condola Rashad                      Stick Fly

Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical

Phillip Boykin                         The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess

Michael Cerveris                     Evita

David Alan Grier                     The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess

Michael McGrath                    Nice Work If You Can Get It

Josh Young                            Jesus Christ Superstar

Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical

Elizabeth A. Davis                   Once

Jayne Houdyshell                    Follies

 Judy Kaye                             Nice Work If You Can Get It

Jessie Mueller                         On A Clear Day You Can See Forever

Da’Vine Joy Randolph             Ghost the Musical

Best Scenic Design of a Play

John Lee Beatty                      Other Desert Cities

Daniel Ostling                         Clybourne Park

Mark Thompson                      One Man, Two Guvnors

Donyale Werle                        Peter and the Starcatcher

Best Scenic Design of a Musical

Bob Crowley                           Once

Rob Howell and Jon Driscoll     Ghost the Musical

Tobin Ost and Sven Ortel        Newsies

George Tsypin                        Spider-Man Turn Off The Dark

Best Costume Design of a Play

William Ivey Long                  Don’t Dress for Dinner

 Paul Tazewell                       A Streetcar Named Desire

Mark Thompson                    One Man, Two Guvnors

Paloma Young                       Peter and the Starcatcher

Best Costume Design of a Musical

Gregg Barnes                           Follies

ESosa                                     The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess

Eiko Ishioka                            Spider-Man Turn Off The Dark

Martin Pakledinaz                    Nice Work If You Can Get It

Best Choreography

Rob Ashford                            Evita

Christopher Gattelli                 Newsies

Steven Hoggett                       Once

Kathleen Marshall                   Nice Work If You Can Get It

Best Direction of a Play

Nicholas Hytner                      One Man, Two Guvnors

Pam MacKinnon                      Clybourne Park

Mike Nichols                           Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman

Roger Rees and Alex Timbers  Peter and the Starcatcher

Best Direction of a Musical

Jeff Calhoun                            Newsies

Kathleen Marshall                   Nice Work If You Can Get It

Diane Paulus                          The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess

John Tiffany                           Once

Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre

Emanuel Azenberg

Regional Theatre Award

 The Shakespeare Theatre Company, Washington, D.C.

Isabelle Stevenson Award

Bernadette Peters

Special Tony Award

Actors’ Equity Association

Hugh Jackman

Tony Honor for Excellence in the Theatre

Freddie Gershon

Artie Siccardi

TDF Open Doors

Tony Nominations by Production

 Once – 11

The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess – 10

Nice Work If You Can Get It – 10

Peter and the Starcatcher – 9

Follies – 8

Newsies – 8

Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman – 7

One Man, Two Guvnors – 7

Other Desert Cities – 5

Clybourne Park – 4

End of the Rainbow – 3

Evita – 3

Ghost the Musical – 3

Bonnie & Clyde – 2

Don’t Dress for Dinner – 2

Gore Vidal’s The Best Man – 2

Jesus Christ Superstar – 2

Spider-Man Turn Off The Dark – 2

Venus in Fur – 2

Wit – 2

The Columnist – 1

Leap of Faith – 1

The Lyons – 1

Lysistrata Jones – 1

Man and Boy – 1

Master Class – 1

On A Clear Day You Can See Forever – 1

The Road to Mecca – 1

Stick Fly – 1

 A Streetcar Named Desire – 1

 

‘Think Like a Man’ keeps the #1 spot!

‘Think Like a Man’ once more took over the first place with $18 million dollars. Obviously the public agrees that this hilarious romantic comedy should continue headlining the box office.

‘The Pirates! Band of Misfits’ a perfect movie for the whole family follows it, with $11.4 million dollars. Hugh Grant’s first animated film along with other actors like Salma Hayek, has earned this spot because of the intricate details that form this wonderful story.

The romantic movie ‘The Lucky One’ fell to third place with $11.3 million dollars. Leaving ‘The Hunger Games’ in fourth place, which indicates that possibly it will loose a place in the top 10 rapidly.

 

 

 

The Top 10 Movies in the Box Office are:

1. Think Like a Man – $18 mil

2. The Pirates! Band of Misfits – $11.4 mil

3. The Lucky One – $11.3 mil

4. The Hunger Games – $11.3 mil

5. The Five Year Engagement – $11.2 mil

6. Safe – $7.7 mil

7. The Raven – $7.3 mil

8. Chimpanzee – $5.5 mil

9. The Three Stooges – $5.4 mil

10. The Cabin in the Woods – $4.5 mil

Safe! (Movie Review)

This is such a kick-ass movie, it may start off slow but once the action starts in ‘Safe!’ it is relentless! Although the hero in this film is a down to earth guy, he has absolutely nothing to loose and that’s what makes him push himself and his story to the limit. The story- line is supposed to have some drama and have some emotional motivation, but this link is very weak and somewhat uninteresting; what makes this movie worth watching is the action.

 

The story is a bit convoluted, a former NYPD cop Luke Wright (Jason Statham) blows a rigged fight controlled by the Russian Mafia, which to punish him leave him with absolutely nothing and a promise to keep an eye on him for the rest of his life. While living on the streets and contemplating suicide, he runs into a Chinese girl, Mei (Catherine Chan), who’s running away from the mafia that ruined Luke’s life. He’s motivated to help the girl, who happens to be a math wiz being used by the Triads (Chinese Mafia).  Luke decides to save the girl’s life at any cost and automatically jumps into an underground war between the mobs as well as some corrupt cops, as they all try to get a hold of the girl.

 

Director Boaz Yakin welcomed us to the screening of this film very humbly and explained to us the connection between the action and drama in the film as well as his reason for choosing Statham. There’s no question as to why Statham was chosen for this role, he is built for this type of high fast paced action films. If you’ve seen any of the films throughout his career, then you know this actor who usually performs his own fight scenes and stunts delivers every time and this film isn’t an exception. Despite of the fact that Yakin meant for there to be some deep emotional motivation behind the story, this is very feeble and even the main character himself accepts to not being able to make a strong connection to this girl he’s saving. But that’s beside the point, because that sets the base to this crazy ‘Grand Theft Auto’ like story.  Chan might be meant as the part of the story that softens your heart, but this girl is far from that because she is independent, smart-mouthed and of course although she is a child she is still very strong in a lot of ways.

 

Yakin also told us here he wanted to represent the New York he grew up in, so this is a throwback type of action film bowing to some of the classics. You may hold your breath in some scenes, laugh and stay with your mouth open in others. So, get ready to be part of a story where a man and a girl give the City of New York a make over, while trying to survive this action thriller.