The decade that was for me

It's hard to believe that we are entering a new decade. I really find it hard to believe that 10 years have already passed.

For me these past 10 years have been challenging to say the least. First of all, I changed careers at the beginning of decade deciding to become a journalist.

In 2001, my dad got into a serious car accident that he truly never recovered from fully. 9/11 happened.

I graduated from J-school and walked away with many lifetime friends. I returned home to help my younger brother take care of our father. In 2002 started working at the Bay and ended up there for almost 5 years in customer service and only for the past 5 did I finally land a job in journalism.

As a tech journalist, it allowed me to travel the world (well just Shanghai) and some of the United States that I normally wouldn't have. It was a great experience that I truly will never forgot.

Another great event that happened this decade was first my older brother getting married to a great woman and then the birth of their daughter in 2007. She is definitely the apple of my eye.

Of course, this decade I moved to Toronto and lived their for four years. Despite a rough seven months, I slowly embraced and loved my time in the center of the universe. I enjoyed my jaunts to TIFF and my road trips to Niagara-on-the-Lake and Stratford to see great plays.

I also moved back to Vancouver a couple of years ago. A decision I don't regret despite leaving all the great friends that I made in TO but seeing my niece do adorable things everytime I see her made my decision much easier to take.

Does are my life's highlights but this is a blog for pop culture so here I am to name my tops in music, books, stage, TV and film.

For me music in the 2000s starts and stops with The Swell Season and the three albums that introduced me to their music: Once, The Swell Seaon and Strict Joy.

My favourite books of the decade are:

• The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold
• The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
• The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown
• The Twilight Saga (Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse and Breaking Dawn) by Stephenie Meyer.
  I have to say that this was my surprise of the decade as I didn't want to love this book series but I did fall for it hard last year.
• Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Order of the Phoenix, Half-Blood Prince and Deathly Hallows by JK Rowling (although I discovered the Harry Potter series at the beginning of this decade). I love this book series above all as it got me to read again. I didn't fall in love with Harry Potter, I wouldn't have read all the books that I have read over the last 10 years.

My favourite stage plays of the decade:

• Bard on the Beach's 2002 Twelfth Night
• Mirvish's Sound of Music
• Mamma Mia
• Jane Eyre the musical
• The Music Man revival with Craig Bierko
• Hairspray
• Avenue Q

My favourite TV shows of the Decade:

• Jon and Kate plus 8: I love this show before it imploded on itself this year. What I love about this show (and I think what most people love this show) is the kids. They are adorable and when I first discovered this show, my niece was just born and these kids with their Asian looks (especially Alexis) gave me a glimpse into what my niece would be like when she reached the ages the Gosselin kids were during the show.
  

• Felicity. Sure the show started in 1998 but it ended in 2002 and if EW can select the Daily Show and The Sopranos (both shows started in the 1990s), why shouldn't I be allowed to pick Felicity. I related to this show as I was embarking on a new college career so it hit all the right notes at the right time. Plus I still would want Felicity to chose Ben over Noel. One of the things I remember was Season 3 premiered the night of 9/11 and it was a great respite from seeing all the horrors of the day.
  

• Gilmore Girls: Lauren Graham and Alexis Bleidel's mother/daughter relationship was why this show worked plus the mile-a-minute dialogue and numerous hilarious pop culture references and quirky characters especially Mrs. Kim.
  

• Battlestar Galactica: As a fan of the original cheesy 70s version, the re-imagining of BSG took it to a whole new level, in particular making it relevant to today's war environment. Plus it was neat that I knew Felix Gaeta (Alessandro Juliani) as my brothers were in the BC Boys Choir with him and those Centurions kicked some serious ass. The best moment of the show was when Galactica swooped in to rescue people off New Caprica.
  

• How I Met Your Mother: This show is hilarious. I love the Slap Bet episode where we are first introduced to Robin Sparkles, which I think is the funniest episode of the entire show.
  

• Veronica Mars: There was something very smart about this high school/mystery show. Kristen Bell was so great as Veronica with her witty remarks as she was doing her detective work made me love this show as well as the father/daughter relationship. Plus I love Tina Majorino as Mac.
  

• Survivor: It is the grand-daddy of all reality shows and at first I didn't want to watch it but I slowly got sucked-in to the challenges and even the strategy that I still watch the show even after 19 seasons. I can't wait for Season 20: Heroes Vs. Villains
  

• The Amazing Race: My favourite reality show of all time. What I love about this show was not just the challenges but the globe-trotting nature of the show. I got see places in the world I probaly would never think of seeing but because of this I want to go to there like Dubai, Estonia, Tunisia, Egypt, and I could go on and on
  

• Everwood: This show, what I can I say...I still miss this show and really wish it was still on and simply it was because of the introduction of one character as to why I love this show. It is Sarah Drew's Hannah Rogers. When she came on, we all were led to believe that she was meant to be an obstacle between Ephram and Amy but no she was actually crushing on the typical dumb jock, Bright. Instead of making it unrequited, Everwood did something that I love and that was to bring them together as a couple. Plus I love Tom Amandes as Dr. Abbott and Canadian Merrilyn Gann who play Mayor Abbott not because she's Canadian but she was also in the same film as my Dad (Chung Chuck).
  

• Jane Eyre (2007): The BBC did something extraordinary this decade and it gave me my one true love, the one version of Jane Eyre that is the one. The one version that gave me everything I wanted in a version which is a great soundtrack, excellent location and powerful, passionate chemistry between Jane (Ruth Wilson) and Rochester (Toby Stephens).

My favourite movies of the decade:

• Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith: As a fan of the Star Wars saga, I was thankful that George Lucas' ended the prequel trilogy on a high note with awesome battle scenes and lightsabre duels. Too bad about the corny dialogue.
  

• The Chronicles of Narnia: Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe: There was something magical about this adaptation of CS Lewis' fantasy series plus two words: Those Beavers.
  

• Dear Frankie: This was a moving story of a single mother who hires a stranger to act as her deaf son's father to protect him from the truth. This movie also made me fall in love with Gerard Butler -it's too bad that he hasn't done anything as good since.
  

• Enchanted: Amy Adams makes this movie work. If you didn't believe in her performance as this Disney Princess who finds her self in today's NYC then this movie fails but her chemistry with Patrick Dempsey and her singing the Oscar-nominated That's How You Know makes this movie a favorite.
  

• Wallace and Gromit and the Case of the Were Rabbit: I love W&G, especially Gromit and this movie was just another wonderful wacky adventure of theirs.
  

• The Incredibles: When this Pixar movie about a family of superheroes came out on DVD, I watched it like 4 times. It was a innovative take on the Super Hero genre and who can forget Edna Mode.
  

• The Bourne Trilogy: Matt Damon, Matt Damon, Matt Damon kicking some serious ass with things like a magazine and a towel. What's not to like.
  

• Ratatouille: There is something cute about a rat that loves to cook and the way Brad Bird paints Paris is just breathtaking.
  

• The Harry Potter film series: I love them because they are based on a book series that I love. Here is the order that I love the film series so far: Half-Blood Prince, Goblet of Fire (it made the right cuts and got all the good bits in and plus Robert Pattinson is in it), Prisoner of Azkaban (except for that very last shot), Philosopher Stone, Chamber of Secrets and Order of the Phoenix (hated the cuts but the movie was awesome in IMAX).
  

• Once: I love this movie and the music. There is something absolutely simple and raw and honest in John Carey's film about an Irish Busker and a Czech flower seller who makes beautiful music together very winning.

So those are my tops of the decade. What are your favourites of the 2000s?

My 2009

2009 was definitely an up and down year for me.

In February, I got laid off a job that I loved because of the economy. So that was a low point. I was definitely in a funk for a while but a highlight came when I got a new job in April, a job that I enjoy very much.

Not necessarily a negative but a change was my father moved from a private facility to a public one so it is more of an adjustment in new surroundings.

Highlights of course is continuing to see my niece grow up. She is awesome, speaking so much and I think she is a genius.

I also really had a great time at my friend, Tiffany's, wedding. It was a beautiful ceremony and Tiffany married a really great guy.

During my time in Toronto, I also saw The Sound of Music there and it was a fab theatrical production.

Another big highlight was my time volunteering for Bard on the Beach. Not only was everyone so much fun to work with but also the four productions were excellent, in particular Comedy of Errors and All's Well that Ends Well.

Now is the time for me to list my favourites of 2009.

Favourite Concert: The Swell Season, hands down.
Favourite Album: Strict Joy by the Swell Season, Glee Vol 1 and Vol 2 and All I ever Wanted by Kelly Clarkson

Top movies of 2009:

1. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
2. Up
3. Up in the Air
4. An Education
5. The Young Victoria
6. (500) Days of Summer
7. Star Trek

My favourite new TV show of 2009: Glee

Things I am looking forward to in 2010:

• The new Bard on the Beach season especially Much Ado About Nothing
• Going to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Orlando, Florida
• Seeing Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part I in November
• Seeing Eclipse in July
• The Winter Olympics in Vancouver
• The ParaOlympics in Vancouver
• Continue to see my niece grow up

What are you highlights of 2009 and what are you looking forward to in 2010

Up in the Air is very relatable

Sure, Jason Reitman's brilliant Up in the Air comes at a time where we are still somewhat in an economic downturn and people are still being laid off but for me, when I watched this movie, I felt that this was also a movie about me.

Like George Clooney's Ryan Bingham, I used to travel a lot for my job but I didn't travel as much as Ryan does but I traveled enough to become an expert at airports just like Ryan (although since the Christmas Day plane incident, I don't think the way Ryan travels would work today). I have been in those executive lounges etc... The only thing I haven't done was sit in business class.

Ryan travels a lot for his job because his company's clients hire people like him to do the dirty of work of firing people.

One of the brilliant things that Reitman has done is in those scenes where Clooney is laying these people off, most are played by real people who recently lost their jobs. This is the second part of the movie where I think it is about me. I have been laid off twice and most recently as early as this year because of the economy. When I was first laid off, I definitely had a lot of anger but I didn't say it to the people that let me go's face and I think this was their opportunity to do so. I think Reitman just turned the camera on and just told these people to say what they wanted to say when they were first laid off. It felt real and you could see that it was probably cathartic for them to do.

During one of his travels, Ryan meets Alex (Vera Farmiga) in one of these executive lounges. They instantly connect via their shared frequent flyer lifestyle and start comparing their loyalty cards. Soon they embark on a casual relationship.

Back at work, Ryan is about to lose the road warrior life that he loves (but at the same time has made him a solitary figure and estranged from his family) because of an up and comer at his company called Natalie (Anna Kendrick) who wants to start firing people via video conference calls.

Before he does get grounded and to teach Natalie the ropes, he takes her along so she can see what he does in person.

One of the scenes that I particularly related to was when Natalie and Ryan meet up with Alex in Miami they crash the party for the tech conference held at the hotel. What I relate to as a tech journalist is I've been to many of these and I can attest that they can be that fun!

Clooney is perfect as Ryan. You can see that he loves this lifestyle but at the same time you feel that he does yearn for a more settled life especially when he goes to his sister's wedding (Melanie Lynskey). Farmiga is also winning as Ryan's love interest. She is playful and sexy when interacting with Clooney.

Kendrick is also great. Mostly known as Jessica Stanley from the Twilight series, Kendrick shows great range as an actress as you see the emotional toil it takes on someone who fires people for a living but at the same time she shows great comedic timing in her scenes with Clooney.

As I was watching this movie, I felt that I connected to the story on a personal level and the movie does capture the emotions of losing one's job right on the head. While a great movie, I do hope that most people don't know what it feels like to lose their job but the sad thing is, I don't think that will happen.

Downey Jr. and Law make Sherlock Holmes watchable

Sherlock Holmes is unlike any Guy Ritchie film (well I really shouldn't say that as I haven't seen any other of his films) but I say this because, first of it is a period piece yet it is still filled with frenetic action sequences that I believe is a Ritchie film signature.

Anyways, thanks to a friend, I got to see an advance screening of Sherlock Holmes and after some pre-film hiccups, the film started with Holmes (Robert Downey Jr.) and Watson (Jude Law) saving a young woman from a Satanic ritual performed by the villanous Lord Blackwood (Mark Strong).

The team of Holmes and Watson successfully capture Blackwood who was also responsible for the murders of five other women and he is sentenced to hang, which he does but someone he rises from the dead to continue on his evil plans.

Throughout the film, we have Watson trying to leave Holmes so he can settle down with Mary Morstan (a sickly looking Kelly Reilly) but someone, like the Godfather, he thinks he's out but Holmes always lures him back in.

A distraction to Holmes as he tries to thwart Blackwood is Rachel McAdams' Irene Adler, an American who was hired by a mysterious man to manipulate Holmes to get something he is after that I won't spoil here.

I haven't read any of the Sherlock Holmes stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle but I think that the screenwriters have done a servicable job in presenting us with a good mystery but wish that it wasn't so stereotypical. Blackwood is such a stock villain, someone who wants to rule the world. Also, I think I never felt that any of the characters were in danger of the traps that Blackwood set-up for our intrepid duo.

Downey Jr did a servicable Holmes presenting us with his classic characteristics, his keen sense of observation, his use of logic, him playing the violin and his drug-use but I somehow felt that Downey Jr. was slightly miscast as this iconic character. Don't get me wrong, Downey Jr. did an okay British accent but someone I think an actual British actor should have played the part like maybe Kenneth Branagh or even Colin Firth.

As well, I felt that McAdams was very wooden as Adler. She didn't imbede the character with any spunk or was the femme fatale that the character is supposed to have.

Also, Ritchie paints his Victorian London with shades of grey and the entire movie looks bleak and depressing.

The one thing I did enjoy was Jude Law as Watson. He is the best looking Watson ever and he doesn't portray him as the bumbling baffoon that Nigel Bruce did in the 1930s Sherlock Holmes film were Holmes was played famously by Basil Rathbone nor was old as Edward Hardwicke's Watson in Jeremy Brett's (the most reverred Holmes) BBC Sherlock Holmes.

When Law and Downey Jr. are on screen together, their bromance showed real comraderie that I found enjoyable.

Laughs abound in It's Complicated

Nancy Meyers's latest film It's Complicated is filled with a plethora of wonderful comedic performances from its top stars like Meryl Streep, Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin to supporting players like John Krasinski that it left some people in the audience with tears.

It's Complicated doesn't open until Christmas Day but I was lucky enough to see advance screening tonight thanks to answering a tweet from Duthie's Books.

The movie is about Jane (Meryl Streep), a mother of three grown children and owner of this fabulous bakery in Santa Barbara, California. She also has this complex relationship with her ex-husband Jake (Alec Baldwin) who is now married to the woman (Lake Bell) that he cheated Jane with.

Their relationship gets even more complicated when Jane, her two daughters (Caitlin Fitzgerald and Zoe Kazan) and her eldest daughter's fiancee (John Krasinski) all head to NYC for son Luke's (Hunter Parrish) graduation with Jake coming too but not with his wife.

After a few glasses of wine over dinner alone, Jane and Jake find themselves having an affair.

More complications come in the form of Adam (Steve Martin), Jane's sensitive architect that is helping her build her dream kitchen. Adam is smitten with Jane but is also getting over a divorce that left him heartbroken but he still pursues Jane.

The affair of Jane and Jake and all the complications that result from it forms the basis of all the laughs and strangely enough, it was enough to sustain an almost two hour film.

Streep and Baldwin have some great chemistry together both romantic and comedic and that makes the film enjoyable.

And Martin plays sort of against type as isn't that wild and crazy guy except in one scene that involves some reefer. It is sort of weird seeing him pull back in being sensitive and romantic but it works in this movie but not so much in Shopgirl (yes I know that he wrote the book and screenplay but he just didn't work in that film).

Krasinski also holds his own against Streep and Baldwin. His comedic skills were razor sharp.

Another thing that I liked about this film was the strong presence of cooking and baking. It was funny that when Jane talked about her time as a pastry chef in Paris, I couldn't help of think of Streep's role earlier this year as Julia Child and how food was a supporting player in that film too.

I really loved the scenes of her cooking and her bakery looks so cool that it could only exist in movies. That scene where Streep makes Chocolat Croissants with Marting was deliciously romantic.

It's Complicated is a comedy for adults thanks to sharp writing from Meyers.

A Collection of videos from The Swell Season's concert in Vancouver Nov 25, 2009

Here is Marketa singing "If You Want Me"



Here is a link to the Georgia Straight's photos and video of the conert:

http://www.straight.com/article-272755/vancouver/photos-video-swell-season-centre-performing-arts-vancouver

The video they have is Glen and Mar singing Lies

Next is him sining Low Rising off their new album Strict Joy:


Check out my review of the concert: http://pop-goes-the-world.blogspot.com/2009/11/swell-season-best-concert-ive-ever-been.html for a video of them singing When Your Mind's Made Up.

Here was their set list for the concert:
Setlist
01. Fallen From The Sky
02. Lies
03. Low Rising
04. In These Arms
05. The Rain
06. The Moon
07. If You Want Me
08. Fantasy Man
09. Say It to Me Now
10. Leave
11. Backbroke
12. Astralweeks
13. Colm
14. I Have Loved You Wrong
15. Once
16. When Your Mind's Made Up

Encore 01
17. Falling Slowly
18. "New Song"
19. High Horses
20. Red Chord

Encore 02
20. "Irish Song"

The Swell Season -The Best Concert I've EVER been to

First off, I need to quantify this statement in my headline. I've only been to five concerts so far in my life, The Swell Season being the fifth one.

My first ever concert was in 1987 and it was a Debbie Gibson concert. Before anyone snickers, remember, it was 1987 and she was very popular at the time and I was in the right age bracket (12 years old) to be a fan. So no mocking me.

My next concert was 10 years later in 1997 when Celine Dion came into town. Yes, I know a lot of people aren't fans of hers -they find her music cheesy but I actually still like her to this day. I think her music is great.

It only took 5 years till I went to my next concert and that was in Casino Regina and I saw Chantal Kreviazuk. It was an okay concert but I didn't enjoy it very well because I only knew very few of her songs and she wasn't that strong singing live.

Last year was concert #4 and it was Neil Diamond -a friend took me to cheer me up as I was having a rough time.

Now, I not a big fan of Neil Diamond and it was really nice of my friend to take me but again, like Chantal Kreviazuk it was hard to enjoy the show not knowing any of his songs except one and that was Sweet Caroline which he didn't get to until the encore.

And I really think that is the reason why I don't go to many concerts and that is the lack of knowing a musician/band's entire discography.

But that wasn't the case with the Swell Season. I became familiar with the duo of Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova because of the film Once. A beautiful film about an Irish busker who meets a Czech immigrant in Dublin and the make beautiful music together.

So when I saw that they were coming to Vancouver and playing at The Center, I immediately snapped up tickets.

The opening act was the singer from a band called Doveman -he wasn't that great. All his songs sounded the same -very depressing. The only highlight was when he turned upbeat songs from Footloose into mournful versions.

When The Swell Season finally hit the stage, last night Glen, coming out with a Rastafarian style toque, and Marketa sat down on the stage with the mic lowered onto his famous guitar with the hole and also pointed at a mini Casio keyboard to play Fallen from the Sky -one of my favorite songs from Once. It was great start to the concert -such an upbeat song to get the crowd started.

Glen then shedded the toque and Marketa took her place behind a grand piano to play Lies -also from Once.

Eventually, Glen and Mar were joined by their band, The Frames (Glen's other band) to perform a few songs from their new album Strict Joy and one from their first album called The Swell Season. Highlights were Low Rising and The Rain.

When Marketa took the stage to sing lead, she started off singing If you Want Me -one of my favourite songs of all time. It was a great arrangement having the full band behind her. She then sang a new song off Strict Joy called Fantasy Man, which was just great.

After, Glen took the stage alone, sat down and sang a raw version of Say it to me Now -the song that opens Once. He did it with no mic in front of him. It was very powerful.

He then sang Leave, another raw performance.

The violinist of the band also played a solo, showing off a traditional Irish tune that is off his album.

One of the higlights of course was during the first encore when Glen and Mar sang their Oscar-winning song Falling Slowly -it is just as lovely hearing it live as hearing it on my iPod.

The crowd wanted them to sing the Broken-Hearted Hoover Fixer Upper guy but they didn't. Instead we were treated to two more songs such as High Horses and a second encore of an Irish tune called Parting Glasses -a very fitting end.

The concert was just great. Glen and Mar were engaging with the audience, the music was awesome, the crowd appreciative of what we were seeing on stage. The crowd to was quite talented when Glen asked us to join in and sing harmony on a couple of songs.

If The Swell Season ever come again to Vancouver, I will be sure to get tickets.

Here is video someone took of the Swell Season singing When You Mind's Made Up

New Moon Rises to fan expectations

If anyone that reads this blog knows (and I hope there are readers), they will know that I am both a Potterhead and a TwiHard. But I am more of a Potterhead than a TwiHard even though I sometimes flip allegiances pretty quickly depending on where the momentum is swinging at the moment.

So right now I am a strong TwiHard as The Twilight Saga: New Moon just opened and I saw it tonight.

How does it stack up against Twilight? I actually think New Moon is a better movie than Twilight.

There was something about New Moon that felt very cinematic with its wide scenery shots to the special effects down to Alexandre Desplat's very movie-like score.

I credit that to director Chris Weitz who knows a thing or two about directing a fantasy picture. (He directed The Golden Compass -while a great film to look at, I didn't get the film).

Not dissing Catherine Hardwicke or anything with what she did with Twilight but they are two different directors. Twilight felt more intimate while New Moon felt grand.

Twilight of course sets up the love story between vampire Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson) and human teen Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart). New Moon we get to see their romance in full swing (at least in the first few minutes of the movie) but we also get their breakup after an unfortunate incident at Bella's 18th birthday party involving a paper cut.

So Edward and co. leave and Bella is heartbroken. I did love what screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg did with the passage of time between the break-up and when Bella starts to come out of her "coma."

I have to say that Rosenberg was pretty faithful to the book but she did move some scenes up and cut out some scenes but I was okay with it. When I watched the movie nothing screamed out at me saying "Why did you do it that way?" or "Why did you cut that out" unlike in Twilight where I didn't like some of the choices.

Anyways, Bella is slowly coaxed back to life by childhood friend turned best friend Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner) who wants to be more than friends with Bella. Of course Jacob turns out to be part of a vampire-killing werewolf pack, which makes for an interesting love triangle for the third and fourth movies.

Bella realizes that she can see Edward if she puts herself in danger and throughout the movie we see her doing just that.

I thought that Rosenberg also did a great job of keeping Edward still in the movie even though he is just a voice in Bella's head in the book. I liked the visions better. The special effects for the werewolves were good and the stuff in Volterra were great and Michael Sheen as Aro and Dakota Fanning as Jane were quite menancing as the Volturi.

I want to pause for a second for a moment of silence for Rachelle Lafevere's Victoria. May her portrayal of Victoria RIP. While Lafevere had no lines in the film, I did enjoy her rocking some major action stuff. Let's hope Bryce Dallas Howard makes for a good Victoria.

The acting was definitely better than the first one but Stewart still cannot yell or look like she is having a nightmare to save her life -it was still laughable to me. Also laughable is the amount of screaming that went on everytime Lautner shows his abs. Yes, I will admit his body definitely looks buff and great but for the love of God he is 17 and jail bait for some of the ladies in attendance that were screaming. I prefer seeing Pattinson shirtless as he was in the Volturi scenes.

Another groaner and a scene I thought was really cheesy was where Edward and Bella were running in the forest (it happens near the end of the film) -they looked like they were doing a Banana Republic ad or something until I realized the context so when I watch that scene again when I get the DVD then I can better appreciate it.

Another thing of note was that I felt the songs in New Moon wasn't as good as the songs in Twilight. I thought the songs used for the latter movie serviced the film well while I don't think it really added anything to New Moon other than just to have it.

However, one thing stayed the same between films and that is the undeniable hot chemistry that Pattinson and Stewart have. I love Edward and Bella as I think they are one of my favourite literary couples behind Mr. Rochester and Jane Eyre. So glad that they didn't lose their chemistry between films.

Overall, job well done everyone on New Moon. I really did enjoy it and I am looking forward to seeing what David Slade does with Eclipse. I am really looking forward to Eclipse as one of the things I didn't like about the novel New Moon was we didn't get to enjoy Edward and Bella as a couple. Eclipse we will definitely get more of that and I really do hope they film Breaking Dawn (the last in the Twilight series). It would be a shame to only film three but I guess we will have to wait and see how much money films 2 and 3 bring in.

By the way, was there a preview clip for Eclipse after New Moon's credits? I stayed till the end and they showed the title card for Eclipse and we thought they were going to show something but then the film got cut off before we could find out. Anyone care to shed some light on this?

VIFF 2009 - An Education review

Of all the 377 films playing at the 28th Annual Vancouver International Film Festival, there was really only one film that I wanted to see. That film was An Education.

It had great buzz coming from Sundance and even greater buzz from the Toronto International Film Festival. All of this was surrounding one person: Carey Mulligan who plays the central character Jenny.

This is Mulligan's breakthrough role and her first lead. Now, I've been very familiar with this young actress ever since I saw her play Ada Clare in 2005's BBC adaptation of Charles Dickens' Bleak House. I believe she made her feature debut as Kitty Bennett in 2005's big screen Pride and Prejudice.

But in An Education, Mulligan gives a standout performance as Jenny, a 16-year-old school girl in 1961 and destined for English studies at Oxford until one-day she is offered a ride home during a torrential downpour from an older man, David (Peter Sarsgaard).

Jenny's life is thrown into turmoil as she starts seeing David who gives her an education in life by talking her to jazz clubs and auctions, weekends to Oxford and Paris. She is also exposed to David's circle of friends, Danny (Dominic Cooper) and Helen (Rosamund Pike, playing the perfect dumb blond).

So soon Jenny realizes her school education may not be all cracked up and the life her parents, in particular her over-protective father (played to perfection by the always reliable Alfred Molina), wanted for her seems to be thrown in turmoil as she delves further in her relationship with David.

Sarsgaard is perfectly charming as David and you can see how Jenny falls for his charm and lifestyle. Another reason for me to love this film is that they keep on referencing Jane Eyre, which is one of the novel's that Jenny is studying in Miss Stubbs' (Olivia Williams) English class and her classmates keep on calling David, Jenny's Mr. Rochester.

While David seemed to be the perfect suitor, I kept on waiting for the other shoe to drop and have Jenny's world come crashing around her.

When that time comes, you do feel for her and one of my favorite lines of the film is when Miss Stubbs notes that Jenny sounds old and wise from all that she's been through, Jenny says back that "I feel old, but not wise." Mulligan's delivery of that line was note perfect.

An Education plays again at VIFF09 on October 14, 2009 at 11am GR7.
http://www.viff.org/tixSYS/2009/filmguide/films/2628

VIFF 2009 - Cooking with Stella

When I got the Canadian film Cooking with Stella on my list of films to champion as part of my volunteer duties for VIFF09, I took a look at the description of the film and it definitely piqued my interest. It has a great Canadian pedigree behind Deepa Mehta wrote and produced it(with her brother Dilip directing). I loved Deepa's Bollywood Hollywood and her muse Lisa Ray is one of the stars of Cooking with Stella along with funnyman Don McKellar, who plays her husband.

According the VIFF guide, Cooking with Stella is the fiction feature debut of photographer Dilip Mehta, co-written with his sister Deepa, Cooking with Stella is a perfectly judged charmer that wears its politics so lightly you'll never mistake it for a Message Movie. It's the story of Michael (Don McKellar) and Maya (Lisa Ray), a pair of new parents from Ottawa who arrive in New Delhi where Maya has landed a diplomatic post. Comfortable and insulated in their High Commission compound, they get their big taste of India from their cook, Stella. She's a brilliant chef, loyal employee, devout Catholic and a bit of a thief. Stella pads her expenses, pilfers goods from her employers and works overcharging scams with local vendors. Michael and Maya are her latest jackpot, and the great fun of the movie is in seeing her negotiate their importance to her--first as easy marks, then as friends and finally as something like family.

For me, the unfortunate part of this film is that I just didn't like Stella. And I am not sure if we are supposed. Sure, she has some comedic moments but to be honest her thievery was a major turn off for me. As well, it really irked me how she eventually corrupted Maya and Michael's nanny Tannu. The film makers make a point of the poverty that Stella and Tannu live in that perhaps is the reason why they do what they do. For some reason, I though the kindness of her new bosses might stop her life of crime but alas no.

The food in the film did look good and that is probably the best thing in it and you can go the official Cooking with Stella website for the recipes.

VIFF 2009 Mid-August Lunch Review

At only 75 minutes long, Mid-August Lunch is a short but savory Italian treat.

Here is the VIFF 09 description of the film:

In Gianni Di Gregorio's delightful debut, an obliging middle-aged son finds himself catering to a spry but temperamental geriatric foursome--including his own mother. On the August holiday of Ferragosto, that celebrates the ascension of the Virgin Mary into heaven, pretty much the entire city of Rome empties out. Unfortunately for Gianni (played by the director himself), nursing a mountain of debt as well as his elderly mother Valeria, there is no easy escape. When the building manager realizes that he too can pawn off his own mother on Gianni (in exchange for forgiving a certain number of debts), the gray-haired quotient begins to escalate.

This is where the comedy comes in. In total (including his own mother) the senior set totals four and it does turn into an Italian version of the Golden Girls and that is not a bad thing. Each of the women offer different eccentricities that you could equate to the four women from the classic TV show. There is Marina who totally could be the Blanche of the group. There is Gianni's mother that could be the Dorothy of the group while Grazie who incessantly talks is Rose while Aunt Maria, who is a great cook, is Sophia down to the glasses.

There is also something very touching of how Gianni (who looks like Jerry Orbach) takes care of all these women, especially the three that are forced upon. He makes sure they have a place to sleep, make sure they eat well, take their medication and also make sure they are comfortable such as offering them a TV to watch. He does all this while taking more than the occassional sip of white wine.

The food in the movie should also get star billing. Their meals looked absolutely delicious and when the cast were talking about it in the film, it was even more delicious.

Even though Mid-August Lunch has finished its run at VIFF 09, I recommend checking it out if you ever get a chance.

VIFF 2009 -Reviews of The Eclipse and Pelleas and Melisande

Tonight I saw two films that I am championing as part of my volunteer efforts at VIFF this year.

I will review The Eclipse first even though I saw it second.

According to the description in the VIFF guide, The Eclipse is set in scenic Cobh, County Cork and director Conor McPherson's tantalizing amalgam of love story and supernatural thriller stars Aidan Quinn and Ciarán Hinds. Hinds is a widower who falls for visiting ghost-story writer Lena (High Fidelity's Iben Hjejle) while enduring some shocking apparitions.

I have to say that there were moments that when these apparitions appeared that I did jump out of my seat and did feel a chill course through my body but the weird thing was that every time people jumped in the audience it was followed by laughter. In fact there were several moments where the audience laughed and I am really not sure they should be.

For example, after Hinds' Michael Farr sees one these apparitions, he is comforted by his daughter but all of a sudden it is he who is comforting here even though she didn't see any ghosts yet the audience found this funny.

But what I found cloying was Fionnuala Ni Chiosain's score. You knew something scary was going to happen because of her creepy piano tinkling score that I was expecting to jump out of my seat at any moment.

I also didn't understand Conor McPherson's decision to shoot some of the movie in shadows. There was one particular scene were Michael and Lena were walking in a hospital corridor all in shadow and Michael leaves the scene and the camera lingers on Lena in complete darkness. It made no sense.

And Aidan Quinn was such a waste as a writer coming to town for an annual writer's festival that Michael works for in addition to be a woodshop teacher and a writer. Quinn was such a self-absorbed drunken blowhard that there was nothing likeable about him and he really served no purpose to the overall story.

On the ohter hand, Hjejle was winning as Lena and she displayed good chemistry with Hinds.

Hinds was good in is role as a still grieving widower.

There was something I wished the director and writer explained was why did Michael see the apparition that he did. I would like to know that answer or maybe I was just too tired to grasp it.

The Eclipse is playing two more times at VIFF09: Sun Oct 11, 9pm at the Ridge and Thu Oct 15, 4pm also at the Ridge.

http://www.viff.org/tixSYS/2009/xslguide/eventnote.php?notepg=1&EventNumber=3413

Speaking of being tired. Pelleas and Melisande: The Song of the Blind was the film that I saw before the Eclipse. It was a two-hour long documentary that follows the first Russian production of the notoriously demanding Claude Debussey's 1902 opera Pelleas and Melisande.

The documentary was in French and showcased the rehearsals of the production spliced in with interviews of the director, conductor and some of the perfomers.

I will admit it. I fell asleep during the film. It actually was boring. Sorry but there was no way to sugar coat that.

I found the story of the opera to be fascinating: Golaud discovers Mélisande by a stream in the woods. She has lost her crown in the water, but does not wish to retrieve it. They marry and she instantly wins the favor of Arkël, who is ill. She falls in love with Pelléas. They meet by the fountain, where Mélisande loses her wedding ring. Golaud grows suspicious of the lovers, has Yniold spy on them, and discovers them caressing, whereupon he kills Pelléas and wounds Mélisande. She later dies after giving birth to an abnormally small girl.

And at times I wished that the film was just the opera and not behind the scenes.

There were somethings that I wished were better explained. First off, the director of the opera kept on mentioning the name Maeterlinck and I had no idea who he is or was until I read on Wikipedia that he is the author of the play of which Debussey based his opera.

Also, he follwed one of the actors who plays Arkel but never once showed us his name (we had to find out in the end credits) and only followed ever briefly. The same goes for all the people they interviewed. Not a single credit given to anyone.

The film also followed one of the violin players in the orchestra and what I found strange was the woman was speaking (I never learned who she was or how long she's been playing in the orchesra) as a voice over but the camera was on her and she isn't speaking. I found that weird. As well, she brought out the point that Debussey has never been performed in Russia. Now is it just his opera that has never been performed or all his works. Either way, I wouldn't mind finding out why it hasn't been performed in Russia and why is it such a big deal. That is never explained.

It also wouldn't have been nice to get the audience reaction. We got one audience scene but it was in the middle of the film and it went back to rehearsal footage that I got really confused.

Anyways, Pelleas and Melisande has finished its run at VIFF09.

VIFF 2009 -The Young Victoria review

By Vanessa Ho

The lasting image in history that most people associate with Queen Victoria, Britain's longest reigning monarch to date, is of a plump, dour, old woman always in black, forever in mourning for her beloved husband, Prince Albert.

However, in The Young Victoria, playing at the 28th Annual Vancouver International Film Festival (http://www.viff.org/tixSYS/2009/filmguide/films/2982), director Jean-Marc Valle (C.RA.Z.Y) and Oscar-winning screenwriter Julian Fellowes (Gosford Park) presents us with a Victoria (Emliy Blunt) that is vivacious, spunky, strong-willed yet naive.

The film explores her early reign, starting with the year before her she ascends the throne and her struggle with her mother's (Miranda Richardson) advisor, John Conroy (the very villainous Mark Strong) over the issue of Regency. Regency you see is in place when a monarch is unable to rule themselves because of illness or disability or because they are too young. You see, Victoria is 17 and it looks like King William IV (Jim Broadbent bringing nice drunken comic relief) is on death's door and with a Regency in place, it means that Victoria's mother will rule England (but it is really Conroy that will rule). This is where the strong-willed Victoria comes in as she refuses to sign anything that would take away her rights and be controlled

When Victoria turns 18, Regency is no longer needed and soon enough King William IV passes away and she ascends the throne. However, because she is so young and inexperienced, Victoria relies heavily on Lord Melbourne, the British Prime Minister, for advice on everything on who to hire for her household, events to attend and what issues she should be involved in or not.

Sprinked throughout all of this political intrigue is a love story between Victoria and her cousin Albert (Rupert Friend). While initially, they were an arranged match for political reasons (Albert was the nephew of the ambitous Leopold, King of the Belgians), it ended up being a love match.

It really is the love story of Victoria and Albert that gives the film its heart. Blunt and Friend have such great chemistry that is playful, sweet and loving. This chemistry is very evident during Albert's third and final visit to Victoria in England. When Albert enters the room, the camera focuses on Blunt's face and you can just see in her eyes that she deeply loves this man that has just walked into the room.

While this is very much a romantized view of their romance, I think I much prefer it than what the history books tell us.

As well, some of the facts presented were not historically accurate either such as Prince Albert taking a bullet during one of the failed assination attempts on Victoria's life but I can understand that Fellowes wanted to add some drama to the film.

Blunt should also be commended here as Victoria. Early on, just as Queen Victoria is coronated she still shows us that while she is Queen and the weight of a whole nation on her shoulders, Blunt still shows us that she is a teenager that wants to have fun and be mischevious.

The Young Victoria plays October 7, 2009 at 11am at the Visa Screening Room at the Granville 7 Cinemas.

VIFF 2009 - Part two: Docs to watch

In part one, I recommeded five films to be on the lookout for and to recap, they were An Education, The Eclipse, Mid-August Lunch, I Remember and Cooking with Stella.

Now, in Part two, its the docs turn. Five non-fiction films that range in topics from Porgy and Bess to cooking to looking at various aspects of aging.

The first documentary I want to recommned is Porgy and Me: In the World of Porgy and Bess. In the (white) world of opera, Gershwin's alternately celebrated and controversial opera Porgy and Bess is one of the very few works that takes people of colour as its subject. Susanna Boehm's stirring documentary follows the cast of the New York Harlem Theatre Company on their European tour of Gershwin's work.

To view more information about the film, go here:

http://www.viff.org/tixSYS/2009/xslguide/eventnote.php?EventNumber=2989

The second film I like to recommend is Cooking History, a film that inventively uses the field kitchen as a prism through which to view 20th century European history.

To view more information on the film, go here:

http://www.viff.org/tixSYS/2009/xslguide/eventnote.php?EventNumber=3721

Number three is The State of Old, a package of films that addresses various aspects of aging in sensitive, revealing and heartwarmingly positive ways.

To view more information on the film, go here: http://www.viff.org/tixSYS/2009/filmguide/Title/SSrg/tixSYS/2009/filmguide/Title/SS

Pelleas & Mellisinde (http://www.viff.org/tixSYS/2009/filmguide/films/2986) comes in at number four as a doc to watch. Since 1902, Claude Debussy's setting of Maurice Maeterlinck's symbolist drama Pelléas and Mélisande has divided critics and audiences, but if its enigmatic drama and the hypnotic sound of its world have never really entered the mainstream, its influence on later music has been incalculable and its fans quasi-religious in their devotion. This film depicts the first Russian production of this notoriously demanding opera and also blends in rehearsal footage and interviews.

The final doc that must be watched at VIFF 09 is Argippo Resurrected (http://www.viff.org/tixSYS/2009/filmguide/films/4705). Antonio Vivaldi's lost opera Argippo was originally composed for a Prague debut in 1730. Lost for centuries, the opera's score was discovered by young Czech conductor Ondrej Macek.

The 2009 Vancouver International Film starts October 1 and runs until October 16. Hope you go and enjoy all 10 films that I have recommended.

BONUS VIFF 09 Recommendation -The Young Victoria

So there is one more film that I need to give a tremendous shout out to that is playing at VIFF09 and that is The Young Victoria.

This film closed TIFF 09 and now it is coming to Vancouver. The film tells the story of the early reign of Queen Victoria (Emily Blunt), showing how she ascended the thrown and her shaky start trying to rule a nation. It also depicts her romance with Prince Albert (Rupert Friend). My friend Sheri Block who covered the film at TIFF 09 for CTV.ca named The Young Victoria as her second most favourite TIFF experience.

More information including the trailer, go here: http://www.viff.org/tixSYS/2009/filmguide/films/2982

VIFF 2009 -Films to watch Part one

The 28th Vancouver International Film Festival is just around the corner (it starts October 1 and ends October 16). While VIFF doesn't quite get all the pomp and circumstances (meaning Hollywood celebs) as TIFF or the Toronto International Film Festival does but VIFF does offer many of the same high quality films that TIFF often presents such as this year both film festivals are showing The Young Victoria starring Emily Blunt.

This year is no different. Here I like to present 10 films that people should check out at VIFF.

In Part One, I present 5 films that are a must see.

The first film is An Education starring Peter Sarsgaard, Alfred Molina, Emma Thompson and in her breakthrough role Carey Mulligan. I wrote in a previous blog post that this is one of the films I am looking forward to seeing in the fall and am so glad that it is playing at VIFF.

An Education is the story of a teenage girl's coming-of-age set in 1961 London, a city caught between the drab, post-war 1950s and the glamorous, more liberated decade to come. Jenny (Carey Mulligan) stands on the brink of becoming a woman: a brilliantly witty and attractive 16-year-old whose suburban life is about to be blown apart by the utterly unsuitable 30-something David (Peter Sarsgaard). Urbane and witty, David manages to charm her conservative parents Jack (Alfred Molina) and Marjorie (Cara Seymour). David introduces Jenny to a glittering new world of classical concerts and late-night suppers with his attractive friend and business partner, Danny (Dominic Cooper) and Danny's girlfriend, the beautiful but vacuous Helen (Rosamund Pike). Just as Jenny's family's long-held dream of getting their brilliant daughter into Oxford seems within reach, Jenny is tempted by another kind of life.

You can view more about this film on the VIFF website: http://www.viff.org/tixSYS/2009/filmguide/films/2628

The next film on my list is Cooking with Stella, the feature debut of Dilip Mehta, who co-wrote the film with his sister Deepa Mehta. The film stars Don McKellar and Lisa Ray as Michael and Maya, new parents from Ottawa who arrive in New Delhi where Maya has landed a diplomatic post. There taste of India comes from their cook Stella, a brilliant chef, loyal employee, devout Catholic and a bit of a thief. Director Dilip Mehta will be in attendance.

You can view more about this film on the VIFF website:
http://www.viff.org/tixSYS/2009/filmguide/films/3118

Film #3 is The Eclipse not to be confused for The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, this Eclipse stars Ciaran Hinds (soon to be Aberforth Dumbledore in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows) as a widower who falls for a visiting ghost story writer while enduring some shocking apparitions in a film set in scenic, Cobh, County Cork Ireland.

You can view more about this film on the VIFF website: http://www.viff.org/tixSYS/2009/filmguide/films/3413

The Italian film, Mid-August Lunch, is the number 4 film that you should watch at VIFF. The film is abou an obliging middle-aged son who finds himself catering to a spry but temperamental geriatric foursome including his own mother.

You can view more about this film on the VIFF website: http://www.viff.org/tixSYS/2009/filmguide/films/2574

Number 5 is a Quebecois film called I Remember, a dark satire about two-time Premier Maurice Duplessis and set in the mining city of Abitibi in 1949.

You can view more about this film on the VIFF website: http://www.viff.org/tixSYS/2009/filmguide/films/5275

Part 2 are five documentaries that are have to be seen at VIFF and they range in topics from seniors to opera to cooking.

Whiteout: A Perfect storm of predictability

By Vanessa Ho

Whiteout, a mystery-thriller based on the graphic novel by Greg Rucka and Steve Lieber, starts off in 1957 with a gun fight involving Russians in the air over who knows what and ends with the plan crashing in the icy tundra of Antarctica.

Then it switches to the present day and we see U.S. Marshal Carrie Stetko (Kate Beckinsale) finishing her rounds of a U.S. Station in Antarctica. The basic premise of the film is that Stetko is three days away from her tour of duty in the frozen tundra and is about to return to the States just before 6 months of Winter darkness descends and a whiteout that would pretty much keep the people at the station trapped inside for the entire winter. She as she is preparing to leave, a body is discovered out of the middle of now where and she goes to investigate but has a tight time frame or else she would be trapped with a killer on the loose. Of course her investigation does tie into the beginnings fo the film. Helping with her investigation is a UN operative (Gabriel Macht).

Now I am not sure if the graphic novel was predictable but the movie sure was. I pretty much figured out who did it early on and knew that this person wasn't working alone. If you remember what Yoda said in The Phantom Menace: "Two there are: A master and an apprentice."

And this second person was also easy to predict. It was almost like a Murder, She Wrote. Pick the least likely person to be the killer and that person will be the killer.

Beckinsale was fine but Macht was pretty terrible as Robert Pryce, who was supposedly to have some sexual chemistry with Beckinsale's Carrie Stetko but nothing really came of that. Aside from the lack of chemistry with Beckinsale, his other problem was his line delivery was very flat and also he acts so suspicious all the time that you are supposed to think that he is the killer when you know that the most suspicious person in any mystery usually never does it.

The film used Manitoba as a stand-in for Antarctica and one of the things that director Dominic Sena did well was capture the coldness of the place. I have felt the cold of the Prairies and -40 celcius temperatures so I could relate to what the characters were feeling.

As a thriller, the film really does fail. I wasn't scared at all. The only thing that scared me was when Beckinsale's character got frostbite and had to have some fingers amputated.

In the end, Whiteout had more chills (temperature-wise) than thrills.

The singing shines in The Sound of Music

A year ago the CBC held a reality show competition called "How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria?" which was based on a similar show in Britain and was all about finding the lead role for the Canadian production of The Sound of Music.

Now I didn't really want to watch the show but I watched it because one of the contestant Jayme Armstrong was from my hometown Richmond, BC but I couldn't really vote for her because she gradutated from my rival high school, Steveston (I graduated from Richmond High - GO COLTS!!!!)

Anyways, as the show progressed, I became a fan of Elicia MacKenzie, also a fellow BCer, and by the season finale of the show, I thought she was awesome and way better than the front runner, Janna Polzin.

And I usually never, ever vote for reality shows like this. For the entire run, I never voted on the show, but I felt compelled to vote for the deciding one, the episode that would choose Maria.

Because Janna was the obvious favourite, I didn't want it to happen (she didn't exude the tomboy quality that Elicia did for Maria) so as soon as the episode was over, I was on the phone voting several times that night. I can't remember how many times I voted but vote I did.

When the finale episode aired and when they were just about to announce the winner, I was waiting for it to be Janna and was shocked that Elicia won. For some reason, I like to believe that my votes were the deciding ones and that I helped her get the role that she so richly deserved.

See Elicia's winning moment here:


So when I got invited to a wedding in Toronto this year (2009) I knew that one of the things I wanted to while in town was to see The Sound of Music and with Elicia in the title role and not Janna who was named as her alternate (performing on Wednesday evenings and Saturday matinees)



Tonight, August 27, 2009 I finally saw The Sound of Music. First of all, the sets were marvelous. I love the opening scene, after the nuns do their processional along the aisle and we see Maria on the hilltop. That is an amazing piece of scenery and boom right off the bat Elicia wows with the title song.



The nuns were fantastic, in particular the Mother Abbess (I got the understudy Marianne Bindig). Her voice soars when she sings Climb Every Mountain. The other nuns like Sister Margaretta (Mary Ellen Mahoney) provide the comic relief.



All the Von Trapp children were good but the standout was the little girl who played Gretl (Natali Ioffe). She was so adorable in every scene she was in and darn right cute when she sang So, Long Farewell both times.



I got the understudy for Liesl (Anwyn Musico) and she was good as Liesl singing wise, acting-wise not so much. Her love interest Rolf (also understudy Louie Rossetti) wasn't as good in both categories.



Burke Moses made for a very handsome Captain Von Trapp. I particular enjoyed him in his naval uniform when he married Maria. His singing was also first rate especially when he sang Edelweiss.



Now, if there was one small complaint I have about this production it is the acting of Ms. MacKenzie. It was just okay. I was not prepared for her to have a sort of British accent and at times it did sound like she was trying to be Julie Andrews but as the show went on, I think her acting improved which is suprising since she has been doing the show for so long.



MacKenzie truly is a superstar during all the muscial acts. She is so warm and loveable when singing Do-Re-Mi, My Favourite Things and The Lonely Goatherd that you completely understand why the children and the Captain fall in love with her that you fall for her too.



Of course this is a stage play and people tend to forget that The Sound of Music was originally a stage show and not a movie first. I know that Julie Andrews will always be Maria to everyone, she is Maria to me but you got to let that go and also don't complain how the stage show doesn't follow the film. I overheard people saying the didn't know a coupld of the songs and said that they were added to the stage show but in reality they were removed from the film because they just didn't fit. Now one thing that subsequent stage productions have done since the movie is include the two songs that were written specifically for the film: I Have Confidence and Something Good (which replaced Ordinary Couple and Richard Rogers was okay with that since he didn't like that song to begin with). The songs do blend seamless into the stage shows so I am glad they are in there.



Also, the order of the songs is not as they appear in the film for instance, the Mother Abbess sings My Favourite Things to Maria just before she leaves the abbey instead of Maria singing it to the children because they are scared of the storm (she sings Lonely Goatherd instead). I was lucky that I saw the Stratford Festival do the Sound of Music (starring Cynthia Dale) back in 2001 so I was prepared for this production to be different from the film.


What else to say, I mentioned the sets, they were indeed gorgeous. If you check out the video below, you will get a glimpse of what I am talking about. The Von Trapp house is pretty impressive and the costumes too were beautiful in particular Maria's wedding gown. I am lucky that I brought binoculars so I get to see some of the action up close (I was seated in the second to last row in the orchestra of The Princess of Wales Theatre in Toronto).




Another thing is when you are sitting that far back it is hard to get a sense of the chemistry between Maria and the Captain. On film, I felt that Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer had awesome chemistry but I couldn't really feel it between MacKenzie and Moses but I like to blame it on my seat, because if I were closer and could see their faces and emotions, I might have felt something. Although, I think I felt some chemistry during the Landler. I love that scene in the movie and I think I felt a bit of chemistry between McKenzie and Moses during that scene. When I looked at the two of them with my binoculars, you could see a little something between them.



I have heard from people that the stage version rushes their courtship and I do agree. It is a bit quick but in a movie you can take your time to evolve that. Also rushed was the end scene when the Nazis are searching for the Von Trapps at the Abbey was also truncated and less dramatic as Rolf, who finds them, just says no one is there. No confrontation with the Captain as was in the film.


But I did love the end when they climbed the mountain, again kudos to the sets.



We all gave a standing ovation in the end, especially when Bindig came on but it really got going when MacKenzie came on. She really did deserve it, like I said, her singing was the definite highlight. I am so glad that I voted for her.

Julie and Julia a culinary delight

By Vanessa Ho

There are two things you should not do when you go and see Julie and Julia. The first is don't go when you are jet-lagged, which I did as I just flew in on a red eye from Vancouver to Toronto. Not that the movie wasn't boring, I was just so tired from my trip, I was drifting off that I had move around my seat to stay awake.

The second is not go hungry when you see this movie because I guarantee that you will leave this movie starving and wanting to try some of the dishes yourself that are featured in the movie. My particular favourite was the last one, which was Pate Canard or something to that affect.

I felt the same way when I read the book Julie and Julia by Julie Powell (played by Amy Adams). I really wanted to try and make some of the recipes but all that butter makes me want to have a coronary.

So by now you can tell that Julie and Julia is about cooking and it does indeed tell the tale of office worker Julie Powell who is about to turn 30 in 2002 and seems to have no direction in her life. To find some meaning in it, she decides to cook all of Julia Child's 524 recipes that appear in her cookbook Mastering the Art of French Cooking all within 365 days while risking her sanity and marriage to the ever patient, supportive and understanding husband, Eric (Chris Messina).

Julie chronicles this insane project in blog called The Julie/Julia project. The film captures pretty faithful all the joys and struggles Julie has in making some of the recipes that appear in the Mastering the Art of French Cooking and the tool it takes on her family, in particular her husband and friends.

The film intercuts Julie's struggle with her project with the life of Julia Child (Meryl Streep) while she is living in France. This portion of the film is based on Child's autobiography called "My Life in France" and pretty much traces how Child became interested in cooking by taking lessons at the Cordon Bleu to starting a cooking school to collaborating on what would become her most famous cookbook to finally finding a publisher. Also along for this journey is her supportive husband Paul(Stanly Tucci)

One of the great strengths of the movie is seeing Meryl Streep as Julia Child, she not only does a spot on imitation of the French Chef but someone embodies her can do spirit.

I have read that people really like the Julia part and could do without the Julie part. I disagree. I like both parts. The movies does go a length of time without us seeing Julie for awhile or Julia for awhile that I found myself missing them.

Adams does capture the frustration of Julie that is in the book and it was interesting seeing her adventures on the big screen after only reading about it on the page.

It was also interesting to learn more about Julia Child as I didn't know much about her apart from what I saw on TV and the Dan Ackroyd impersonation on SNL. If it wasn't for the autobiography, I don't think writer-director Nora Ephron could have based a whole movie on just Julie Powell's memoirs as there wasn't enough Julia.

I found it interesting that Julie's mother, who is such a presence in the book, seem relegated to a voice on the phone. It would have been nice to see her on camera.

Another strong point is the performances of Tucci and Messina as the husbands to Julia and Julie. They share their wives frustration but while also enjoying the fruits of their labour (meaning the food).

As I said, don't go into this movie hungry, you will want to devour that yummy chocolate cake and Boeuf Bourginon that also appear in the movie. I am getting hungry just thinking about it now.

Fall movies I can't wait to see

With summer wrapping up and the weather cooling down, the fall movie season is upon us and there are several films coming out between September and December that I most looking forward to seeing. Here are a few highlights of some of those films, starting with films that I really can't wait to see and will rush to the theatres probably on opening weekend to see them:

1. The Twilight Saga: New Moon.
Opens November 20th, 2009

Starring: Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner

What is is about: Based on the second novel of Stephenie Meyer's wildly popular Twilight Saga, New Moon is the second book in the series. The film brings the romance between mortal and vampire to a new level as Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) delves deeper into the mysteries of the supernatural world she yearns to become part of—only to find herself in greater peril than ever before. Following Bella's ill-fated 18th birthday party, Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson) and his family abandon the town of Forks, Washington, in an effort to protect her from the dangers inherent in their world. As the heartbroken Bella sleepwalks through her senior year of high school, numb and alone, she discovers Edward's image comes to her whenever she puts herself in jeopardy. Her desire to be with him at any cost leads her to take greater and greater risks. With the help of her childhood friend Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner), Bella refurbishes an old motorbike to carry her on her adventures. Bella's frozen heart is gradually thawed by her budding relationship with Jacob, a member of the mysterious Quileute tribe, who has a supernatural secret of his own. When a chance encounter brings Bella face to face with a former nemesis, only the intervention of a pack of supernaturally large wolves saves her from a grisly fate, and the encounter makes it frighteningly clear that Bella is still in grave danger. In a race against the clock, Bella learns the secret of the Quileutes and Edward's true motivation for leaving her. She also faces the prospect of a potentially deadly reunion with her beloved that is a far cry from the one she'd hoped for. With more of the passion, action and suspense that made "Twilight" a worldwide phenomenon, "The Twilight Saga: New Moon" is a spellbinding follow-up to the box office hit.

Here is the trailer:


2. The Lovely Bones
Opens December 11, 2009

Starring: Sairose Ronan, Rachel Weisz and Mark Whalberg

What is it about: Based on the critically acclaimed best-selling novel by Alice Sebold, and directed by Oscar winner Peter Jackson from a screenplay by Jackson & Fran Walsh & Philippa Boyens, "The Lovely Bones" centers on a young girl who has been murdered and watches over her family – and her killer – from heaven. She must weigh her desire for vengeance against her desire for her family to heal. Oscar® nominee Mark Wahlberg and Oscar® winners Rachel Weisz and Susan Sarandon star along with Stanley Tucci, Michael Imperioli and Oscar nominee Saoirse Ronan. The book was fantastic and a real tear-jerker so I will be bringing my Kleenex to the theatre.

Trailer:

3. An Education
Opens October 9, 2009

Starring: Peter Sarsgaard, Carey Mulligan, Alfred Molina, Dominic Cooper, Rosamund Pike, and Emma Thompson.

What is it about: Generating great buzz from Sundance, especially off the breakthrough performance by Carey Mulligan, who I have been a fan of since Bleak House, An Education is the story of a teenage girl's coming-of-age set in 1961 London, a city caught between the drab, post-war 1950s and the glamorous, more liberated decade to come. Jenny (Carey Mulligan) stands on the brink of becoming a woman: a brilliantly witty and attractive 16-year-old whose suburban life is about to be blown apart by the utterly unsuitable 30-something David (Peter Sarsgaard). Urbane and witty, David manages to charm her conservative parents Jack (Alfred Molina) and Marjorie (Cara Seymour). David introduces Jenny to a glittering new world of classical concerts and late-night suppers with his attractive friend and business partner, Danny (Dominic Cooper) and Danny's girlfriend, the beautiful but vacuous Helen (Rosamund Pike). Just as Jenny's family's long-held dream of getting their brilliant daughter into Oxford seems within reach, Jenny is tempted by another kind of life.

Trailer:

Well, those are really the three movies that I most want to see. I also recommend people see The Young Victoria when it comes out on November 13. It is a film that details the early ears of Queen Victoria's (Emily Blunt) reign and her romance with Prince Albert (Rupert Friend). Both Blunt and Friend have great chemistry in the film and is a fairly historically accurate take on how Queen Victoria came to be and directed by a Canadian to boot (Jean Marc Vallee of C.R.A.Z.Y fame).

Spend some time with The Time Traveler's Wife

If you try and wrap your head around the whole time travel concept that is at the heart of The Time Traveler's Wife, don't bother as it will ruin your experience of watching the film if you try and be logical about it. Just sit back and let yourself immerse in this love story about how time travel brings together and threatens to tear about our central couple Henry (Eric Bana) and Clare (Rachel McAdams)

The Time Traveler's Wife is based on the novel of the same name by Audrey Niffenegger. It tells the story of Henry DeTamble who has a genetic disorder that causes him to time travel at a moments notice. He frequently visits his childhood and re-visits the death of this mother (Michelle Nolden) and visiting his wife Clare at various points in her childhood.

What I loved about the novel was the love story between Clare and Henry. Clare has been in love with Henry since she was six years-old and in one of the movie's cute scene a young Clare (Brooklynn Proulx) asks Henry if he is married, to which he answers that yes. Young Clare gets jealous and says she was hoping that Henry married her.

McAdams and Bana do offer great chemistry as Henry and Clare but they don't quite sizzle as the Henry and Clare do in the novel. But Adams is radiant and shines as Clare especially in scenes where she struggles to be a wife to a husband who disappears all the time.

Screenwriter Jeremy Leven and Bruce Joel Rubin have done a pretty good job in remaining faithful to the book. They got some of the key time travel sequences in there but cut some characters in the book like Henry's Korean neighbour Kimmy and the fact that Henry and Clare's friend Gomez (Ron Livingston) harbours an attraction to Clare.

Another highlight are the two young ladies who play Henry and Clare's daughter Alba at age 5 and 10 (sisters Tatum and Hailey McCann). Alba is also a time traveler like her dad and both sisters that play Alba are very cute in their scenes with Bana and McAdams.

Since it is a romanctic drama, tears are supposed to be shed and of course, as a romantic, I shed some tears and when you get to that part of the movie, you will cry too.