Some places are famous for showing up in movies. Some places never seem to stop showing up in them. Here are 31 places that you’ll recognize not just from one movie or TV show, but from two, three, or even dozens.
Continue ReadingI had several invitations to go with girlfriends to see Magic Mike since its opening day here in my little slice of America last weekend. At first I wasn’t going to join any of them, but then one of the invitations was to honor a fellow Air Force wife who is leaving our community next week, I didn’t want to turn it down. I hadn’t absolutely written off seeing the movie, and with my mom visiting, I figured it would be a fun night out. Your eyes will be well-rewarded with fun dance scenes and well-crafted cinematography, but the film’s weak plot might leave your brain disappointed as you’re coming out of the theater.
Continue ReadingSam Raimi, who will always be known as the director of Evil Dead in my mind (even if Disney would rather I mention Spiderman), is set to direct Oz The Great and Powerful. This one focuses on the origins of the wizard in the Wizard of Oz, as played by James Franco. I don’t know about you, but those two sentences alone make me excited to go see this move.
Continue ReadingRecently, I was given the opportunity to check out Universal Orlando’s latest nighttime show. I’ve never seen an evening show at the park before, so I was looking forward to the experience. My past experience with nighttime shows at Disney, prepared me to fight the crowd and wait for over an hour for a good seat. To my surprise, that wasn’t necessary at all. Unlike the shows at other Orlando theme parks, there are multiple locations along the water front that you can view the show and still have a front row experience.
Continue ReadingSure, there’s always Independence Day, or The Patriot, but why go for world-destroying aliens and Mel Gibson with a ponytail when you can have (the far more family-friendly) Mr. Feeny from Boy Meets World as that most famous founding father from Massachusetts, John Adams?
Continue ReadingI’m a proud resident of Lawrence, Kansas, but 30 years ago they pretended to blow it up.
The Day After was filmed in the middle of the Cold War and tried to show just how devastating a nuclear attack would be by showing it from the perspective of one town in the midwest. A bomb goes off in nearby downtown Kansas City, leaving Lawrence partially destroyed and full of injured survivors.
In this spoof, we see what a butt-kicking, real life Dora the Explorer movie would look like with Ariel Winter of Modern Family as the lovable Dora. The way she takes care of map when he starts singing made me love her all over again.
Continue ReadingThis week Nicole Wakelin is joined by Alan Kistler, author of the recently published The Unofficial Spider-Man Trivia Challenge and The Unofficial Batman Trivia Challenge. Each has over 800 questions about your favorite heroes and will put any fan’s knowledge to the test.
Continue ReadingI gave up on trying to take notes in the dark fairly early on as I watched Brave, but one of the few I did manage was, “a princess donea stuff her gob.” Why was that noteworthy? Because they left it in.
It would have been all too tempting for Disney to step in and take the dialect out of Brave. Instead, Pixar encouraged the voice actors to make suggestions. There are a lot of vocabulary words that would be totally unfamiliar to the average American child, and there’s even a character that speaks in an incomprehensibly thick Doric accent. Rather than translate him – or anyone – the characters react and move on. That is as it should be.
Continue ReadingIn the era of big studios and even bigger stars, still photography was a burgeoning art. The people behind the lens, and in front of it, were still learning how to capture the feel of a film and the essence of a character in a single shot. Hollywood Movie Stills tells the story of how those early film stars were shaped by the studios that promoted them and the photographers who captured their images.
Continue ReadingVic has been doing stunts in movies and on television since the 60’s and the list of projects he’s been involved with is impressive. He’s been Indiana Jones, James Bond and even Superman. He gets to play all the best characters, even though no one knows it’s him. Reading his stories about his time on various sets and the challenges of being a stuntman is a behind-the-scenes of some of the biggest movies ever made.
Continue ReadingIt’s ridiculously easy to use. Simply charge the case-like projector with the USB cable provided, slide your iPhone 4 or 4S into the dock connector and it’s ready to go. The built-in 2100mAh battery means you won’t drain your phone playing video and it even serves as a back-up battery should your phone run low.
Continue ReadingI know when it comes to Joss Whedon movies, this weekend is all about The Avengers. But if you haven’t seen The Cabin In The Woods yet, it needs to be on your weekend agenda. Call it a double feature. And if you have already seen it, you no doubt have a few questions along […]
Continue ReadingHere’s a teaser for Sherlock Season Two, which will start its PBS Masterpiece Mystery run in the US on May 6th. The series chronicles a modern day Sherlock Holmes and his adventures solving mysteries. Knowledge of the book series is helpful but not necessary. The adaptations loosely follow the originals with modern twists. Sherlock was co-created […]
Continue ReadingNot long after my children returned to public school after two-and-a-half years of homeschooling, it started. At this point, my older son was in 8th grade and so gym meant changing in a locker room with the other kids in his class. A couple of his peers developed a habit of coming up behind my […]
Continue ReadingOne of the holidays where movies tend to disappoint me is Easter. Other than the Charlie Brown Easter special, nothing has ever really caught my attention. Last year, a new Easter movie with updated jokes and a great beat was released. Hop became an instant favorite with my family. The story centers around EB Bunny, […]
Continue ReadingOk, I’ve been trying to play it cool and not get my hopes up about the new Avengers movie coming out in a little over a month. There have been way too many horrible super hero movies made out of material that should have been awesome. Batman & Robin. Spiderman 3. Green Lantern. Need I say […]
Continue ReadingMovie talk this week has been all about The Hunger Games, but we’re just a few days away from a spectacular display of on-screen costuming: Mirror Mirror. Continuing the entertainment industry’s recent fascination with fairy tales (Grimm, Once Upon a Time, Red Riding Hood, Snow White and the Huntsman…), Mirror Mirror is a live-action comedy/fantasy […]
Continue ReadingI think more than a few people would answer the question “What are you doing this weekend?” with “Going to see The Hunger Games!” followed by some happy flailing and possibly a dance. The movie everyone has been waiting for is finally here and tickets are selling out fast. But once you’ve seen the movie, how […]
Continue ReadingTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Bowl, Image: Nicole Wakelin I am a big fan of the heroes in a half-shell and have happy memories of watching the first run of cartoons years ago. I know the theme song by heart and there is still a much-loved plastic cereal bowl in my kitchen cabinet that came attached […]
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