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.

G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra is one of the worst, if not THE worst movie I have ever seen

By Vanessa Ho







When I posted my review of Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen, I wrote that I grew up playing with the toys. But I also played with G.I. Joes. Now, I didn't love playing with them as much as Transformers, I mean action figures didn't do much except move their legs, arms and heads around vs. Transforming robots.


Nonetheless, I played with them. I don't remember all the names of the toys that I had. I remember playing with Scarlet, Gung Ho and Zartan.


When the first Transformers was a box office success, it was inevitable that their would be a G.I. Joe live action film. There as a 1987 animated movie based on the TV cartoon but that was a real dark and twisted movie that I didn't like at all.

Since I wasn't as big a G.I. Joe fan as a Transformers fan, I really had no desire to see this film but I got a chance to see it for free thanks to Norton (who had a product placement in the film).


The movie didn't screen for criticts and that usually is a sign that the movie sucks. And I had low expectations going into the screening. And I wasn't disappointed in that fact.


First off, all of the acting is terrible. Everyone delivers their lines so stitly that it was laughable. In particular, Rachel Nichols was particularly wooden as Scarlett (although I liked seeing her crossbow weapon) and Dennis Quaid was particularly bad and I expected better from him. But what can you expect when the dialogue was just terrible. I laughed everytime Quaid's General Hawk said "We still got Joes out there" and when he said the G.I. Joe tagline: Knowing is Half the Battle, it came so early and out of the blue that it was laughable and when Channing Tatum as Duke, who was equally wooden, repeated it back, it was also laughable.


Also disappointing was their interpretation of Cobra Commander (Joseph Gordon-Levitt). At first he looked like a burn victim with a bad toupee with a half mask that was reminiscent of the medical droid in Empire Strikes Back. Then he ended up looking like Anakin Skywalker at the end of Return of the Jedi and his mask at the end was the iconi pure silver blank mask but he ended up looking like a silver Elephant Man. Also, they re-dubbed Gordon-Levitt's voice as Cobra Commander. What a waste of a talented actor who was so great in (500) Days of Summer.

His henchmen looked either like the Death Eaters from Harry Potter or men with a bug helmet on their head. But it was cool that to see that these henchmen were controlled by Cobra Commander that on their necks you see the Cobra symbol appear on their flesh.

The basic plot of the movie is the G.I. Joes trying to stop some guy name McCullen (Christopher Eccleston -who was so over the top campy) from stealing and then using these weapons he developed called nanomites from destroying the world.

His henchmen include Duke's ex, the Baroness (Sienna Miller) and Storm Shadow (Leey Byung-hun). It actually was laughable when the kept on saying Storm Shadow in regular conversation as if his name was Steve. Of course Storm Shadow as this rivalry with the Joe's Snake Eyes (played by Darth Maul aka Ray Park) as was made apparent with numerous flashbacks employed in the film.


That was also laughable. You can tell when a flashback was coming when one of the characters looks deep in thought.


If I can say one good thing about the movie is the action and fight sequences. I enjoyed the fight sequence at the beginning of the film, the fight at the G.I. Joe headquarters and the chase sequence in Paris, although it did drag in places and the end fight scene.


There were a lot of things that reminded me of Star Wars for some odd reason. You had McCullen's underwater layer that reminded me of Gungan City, home of Jar Jar Binks.


Anyways, don't waste 2 hours and 15 minutes of your life seeing this movie, even the trailers playing in front of weren't interesting.


The only good thing I got out of it was a free T-Shirt!

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince in IMAX is not worth the extra $5

I think the headline says it all. It wasn't that I dislike HP6 the second go around, I did. I noticed things that I didn't the first time around like the fact that young Tom Riddle had a postcard of the Cave in the orphanage and somethings I didn't like where the heck is Cho Chang?

But it really was the 3D sequences that were very disappointing. I wanted to see HP6 again because of the 3D as the 3D sequences in HP5 (Order of the Phoenix) was phenomenal. The last 20 minutes were just amazing. The flight to London on the Thestrals, the battle at the Department of Mystery where you had prophesies flying at you along with death eaters, fire snakes and water.

In Half-Blood Prince, the only amazing 3D sequence was the trailer to A Christmas Carol that played right before the movie.

There are two sequences in the actual movie that is pretty impressive in 3D and that is the Death Eaters flying through London and into Diagon Alley and then when Dumbledore helps put back together Slughorn's house after he ransacked it to keep the Death Eaters away.

I think that the film makers could have spread the 3D love around the film instead of just the first 12 minutes. Like Quidditch could have been in 3D and the Cave scene and the Astronomy tower would have been great in 3D. I think as an audience member, I wouldn't mind having to take on and off my 3D glasses as long as the sequences were tremendous in 3D.

As I said earlier, the movie is still great. Still love all the stuff that I loved in the first place like Ginny, Ron and Hermione, Quidditch and the cave scene and Luna.

I think when Deathly Hallows parts 1 and 2 come out, I most likely will just see it in IMAX first instead of regular theatre and then IMAX. That way I won't be disappointed paying a premium to see it again.

Funny thing is that I didn't really like HP5 in regular theatre yet when I saw it in IMAX I ended up loving it.

So save $5 and just see HP6 in a regular movie theatre.