The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement

"The Queen is never late, everybody else is simply early."

Five years after becoming the heir to the Genovian crown, Princess Mia Thermopolis (Hathaway) learns there are more obstacles in her path.  First, Genovian law states that she must be married to be eligible to rule.  They begin to screen appropriate choices, settling on an arranged marriage with Duke Andrew Jacoby (Blue) of England.

Meanwhile, Viscount Mabrey (Rhys-Davies) presents another potential heir to the throne: his nephew Nicholas Devereaux (Pine).  Nicholas was born and raised in Genovia, and knows the laws and traditions.  To keep the Viscount in check, Queen Clarice (Andrews) invites Nicholas to live in the palace until Mia's coronation.


The Princess Diaries did so well, director Garry Marshall made a sequel.  However, the original male lead, Robert Schwartzman, did not want to return... so they had to deviate from the storyline of Meg Cabot's "Princess Diaries" series.  They address Michael's absence during Mia's opening voice over.

They also moved the setting to Genovia, which allowed new characters to appear, while still keeping the core characters around.  Some minor characters, such a reporter and one of the teachers, pop up during the film.  The male characters are welcome additions to the cast, while Kim Thomson's reporter verges on grating.  John Rhys-Davies is great as the mustache-twirling villain... although he is better known for playing supporting characters.  Chris Pine and Callum Blue are fine as the men vying for Mia's attention.  Both are decent actors and attractive.  Don't even get me started on the other princess characters... is there really a point to their presence in the film?  Raven-Symone is not necessary for the film, and I still genuinely don't know why they added her character, but then barely used her: either expand the character or lose it completely.

When the film originally premiered, I preferred it's predecessor... but watching them now, I prefer this film.  They are both fun films (especially when they are back-to-back on TV), and worth looking into.

The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement (2004) 113 minutes
Director: Garry Marshall
Starring: Anne Hathaway as Mia Thermopolis
Julie Andrews as Queen Clarice Renaldi
Hector Elizondo as Joe
John Rhys-Davies as Viscount Mabrey
Heather Matarazzo as Lily Moscovitz
Chris Pine as Nicholas Devereaux
Callum Blue as Andrew Jacoby
Kathleen Marshall as Charlotte Kutaway
Tom Poston as Lord Palimore
Joel McCrary as Prime Minister Motaz
Kim Thomson as Reporter Elsie Penworthy

The Princess Diaries

"You know, most kids hope for a car for their 16th birthday, not a country!"

Mia Thermopolis (Hathaway) feels invisible: people sit on her and barely know she's alive.  She lives with her mother, Helen (Goodall), and has never met her father or his family.  Before her 16th birthday, she is invited to have tea with her grandmother.  Mia learns that her grandmother, Clarice (Andrews), is the queen of the small European country of Genovia.  Also, since the death of her father, Mia is the only heir to the throne.

Every day leading up to her birthday, Mia secretly goes to the Genovian embassy to receive princess lessons from her grandmother.  To avoid a media firestorm, they keep the news a secret, and she also receives protection from Joe (Elizondo), the head of Genovian security.  She undergoes a makeover, making everyone notice her.  Can she keep the secret from her best friend Lily Moscovitz (Matarazzo) and everyone else in her life?


I was in high school when this film debuted and I fell in love with it immediately.  I loved it so much that it was the first movie I ever bought.  It's the film that originally made many people (including me) fall in love with Anne Hathaway.  And with Julie Andrews as the Queen, how could it be anything other than awesome?

The story was taken from the popular "Princess Diaries" series written by Meg Cabot.  I have never read any of the "Princess Diaries" books, but the story still resonates.  This is the dream of most little girls: becoming a real-life princess.  But this isn't the dream... this isn't like the Disney princesses we grew up with, this is about the challenges of being in the limelight in this modern world.  It isn't just frilly dresses and being awesome...  In the end it is a story about figuring out who you are and what you want to be, which is universally relate-able.

The perfect film for girls... (and there's a sequel!)

The Princess Diaries (2001) 115 minutes
Director: Garry Marshall
Starring: Anne Hathaway as Mia Thermopolis
Julie Andrews as Queen Clarice Renaldi
Hector Elizondo as Joe
Heather Matarazzo as Lily Moscovitz
Mandy Moore as Lana Thomas
Caroline Goodall as Helen Thermopolis
Robert Schwartzman as Michael Moscovitz
Erik Von Detten as Josh Bryant
Patrick Flueger as Jeremiah Hart

Snow White and the Huntsman

"What does she want from me?"
"Your beating heart."

After the death of his wife, King Magnus (Noah Huntley) is bewitched by the beautiful Ravena (Theron).  They marry, and she kills him and steals the kingdom, and keeps his daughter locked in a tower.  Years later the kingdom is in ruins.  Ravena still looks young and beautiful, after draining the life from the women of the country.  She learns the only way to stay young forever, is to consume the heart of the king's daughter, Snow White (Stewart).

Snow manages to excape, and makes her way to the dark forest.  Ravena's men, led by her brother Finn (Spruell), are unable to follow her, so they force the Huntsman (Hemsworth) to lead the expedition.  Meanwhile, Snow's childhood friend William (Claflin) begins his own rescue mission.  With a scrappy troupe of dwarves: Beith (McShane), Muir (Hoskins), Gort (Winstone), Nion (Frost), Duir (Marsan), Coll (Jones), Quert (Harris),  and Gus (Gleeson), can Snow reclaim her kingdom.


I watched this film with a few friends... and while the film was running we kept noticing the similarities between this film and other recent films, including Twilight.  It is an interesting film... not what you expect.  It isn't bad, it's unique.  Charlize Theron is incredible as Ravena: creepy and intimidating.  I still don't see what's so great about Kristen Stewart... she has 2 expressions, and is an ok actress.  The male leads were fine.  Unlike other Snow White films, the dwarf characters were not played by little people, they were played by actors, with their faces imposed on the bodies of little people.  I really don't see why that needed to happen... there are plenty of talented actors who are little people, and apparently this decision received a significant amount of flack during the casting process.

All in all, the cast and effects are impressive, but the story is not what you expect.

Snow White and the Huntsman (2012) 127 minutes
Rated: PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, and brief sensuality
Director: Rupert Sanders
Starring: Kristen Stewart as Snow White
Chris Hemsworth as The Huntsman
Charlize Theron as Ravena
Sam Claflin as William
Sam Spruell as Finn
Ian McShane as Beith
Bob Hoskins as Muir
Ray Winstone as Gort
Nick Frost as Nion
Eddie Marsan as Duir
Toby Jones as Coll
Johnny Harris as Quert
Brian Gleeson as Gus

Luftslottet som sprängdes: Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest

After being shot, Lisbeth Salander (Rapace) is placed in intensive care.  While Lisbeth fights for her life, a secret group work to blame her for everything.  Her father (Georgi Staykov) is a few rooms away recovering from his injuries, while deadly giant Ronald Nidermann (Spreitz) hides from the police.

Meanwhile, Mikael Blomkvist (Nyqvist) and the staff of the Millenium, plan to publish Lisbeth's story and the conspiracy surrounding her life.  They convince Mikael's sister, Annika Giannini (Hallin), to serve as Lisbeth's lawyer and protect her in ways they cannot.


The final film based on the late Stieg Larsson's Millenium trilogy (after The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and The Girl Who Played with Fire).  It's been awhile since I read thebook, but I assume it sticks relatively close to the novel... with minor plot and character omissions that are not necessary to the pacing of the story.  This film has the same director at the helm (Niels Arden Oplev directed the first).

Unlike the other films, this film has minimal violence, as it mostly takes place in the courtroom and / or Millenium's investigation.  There is a big confrontation towards the end of the film, but that is about it.

Once again Michael Nyqvist and Noomi Rapace deliver intense performances.  They are great actors, and I love seeing them in Hollywood films.  The rest of the cast is fine, but doesn't hold a candle to Nyqvist and Rapace.

This film is in Swedish, with subtitles.  There is a significant amount of swearing.

A good film, but not as exciting as it's predecessor.  As usual, the book is better!

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest [Luftslottet som sprangdes] (2009) 147 minutes
Rated: R for strong violence, some sexual material, and brief language
Director: Daniel Alfredson
Starring: Michael Nyqvist as Mikael Blomkvist
Noomi Rapace as Lisbeth Salander
Lena Endre as Erika Berger
Annika Hallin as Annika Giannini
Jacob Ericksson as Christer Malm
Sofia Ledarp as Malin Erikson
Anders Ahlbom as Dr. Peter Teleborian
Mikael Spreitz as Ronald Niedermann

What to Expect When You're Expecting

"She's like a magical pregnancy unicorn."

Five couples have nine months to prepare to be first time parents:

-Jules (Diaz), a weight-loss trainer, and Evan (Morrison), a professional dancer, try to bring their baby into the world, without slowing down their busy lives.
-Women's pregnancy author Wendy (Banks) and her foodie husband Gary (Falcone) are excited to finally be pregnant
-Retired racecar driver Ramsey (Quaid) and his much younger, trophy wife Skyler (Decker) are expecting twins
-Photographer Holly (Lopez) and her producer husband Alex (Santoro) are trying to adopt, even though he doesn't feel ready
-Rival food truck owners Rosie (Kendrick) and Marco (Crawford) have a one-night stand and unexpected consequences


The trailer for the film looked ok, but I assumed it was one of those comedies that shows all the funny moments in the trailer.  So I never really planned to see the film... but many of my friends saw the film and loved it, so I added it to my Netflix queue, and was pleasantly surprised.

Elizabeth Banks steals the show as Wendy, who gets more than she expected.  She has great chemistry with Ben Falcone, and has several funny conversations with Rebel Wilson.  Brooklyn Decker doesn't get to do much, but she has many funny moments.  The "Guys Group" is funnier than I expected... Chris Rock, Rob Huebel, Thomas Lennon, and Amir Talai are great together. They have strong chemistry, and the cute kids help.

A solid ensemble comedy.

What to Expect When You're Expecting (2012) 110 minutes
Rated: PG-13 for crude and sexual content, thematic elements and language.
Director: Kirk Jones
Starring: Cameron Diaz as Jules
Jennifer Lopez as Holly
Elizabeth Banks as Wendy Cooper
Chance Crawford as Marco
Brooklyn Decker as Skyler Cooper
Ben Falcone as Gary Cooper
Anna Kendrick as Rosie
Matthew Morrison as Evan
Dennis Quaid as Ramsey Cooper
Chris Rock as Vic
Rodrigo Santoro as Alex
Joe Manganiello as Davis
Rob Huebel as Gabe
Thomas Lennon as Craig
Amir Talai as Patel

Dark Shadows (2012)

"You locked me in a box, for over two hundred years!"
"Don't exaggerate, it was only a hundred and ninety-six."

Barnabas Collins (Depp) angered a witch in the 1700s and is cursed as a vampire.  The people of the town chain him in a coffin and bury him alive.  Almost 200 years later, Barnabas is freed and returns to the family estate.  The years have not been kind to the Collins family, their wealth and business have grown stagnate, and they have been cursed.

The Collins estate is home to widow Elizabeth Collins Stoddard (Pfeiffer), her angry teenage daughter Carolyn (Moretz), her shady brother Roger Collins (Miller), Roger's special son David (McGrath), David's new nanny Victoria (Heathcote), and psychiatrist Dr. Julia Hoffman (Bonham Carter).  Angelique (Green), the witch who cursed Barnabas, has the Collins familly in her sights... can Barnabas save the family?


The film is based on the gothic soap opera with the same name.  Dark Shadows originally ran from 1966 to 1971.  It was revived in 1991 and 2004.  Tim Burton and Johnny Depp were huge fans of the original show and wanted to bring it to a bigger audience.  They recruited other Dark Shadows fans and Burton regulars to fill the cast and crew.

I've never seen the show, and don't really have a desire to see it... however, I enjoy (many) Burton films, so I figured I'd give it a try.  Johnny Depp continues to shine in a quirky role.  Yes, he can play the handsome leading man, but it really comes alive in the roles you don't expect.  Helena Bonham Carter matches Depp's weirdness factor, while no one else quite reaches that level.  They are all good, but Depp and Carter are the highlights.

It is an interesting film, that probably appeals more to fans of the show... and diehard Burton fans.

Dark Shadows (2012) 113 minutes
Rated: PG-13 for comic horror violence, sexual content, some drug use, language and smoking
Director: Tim Burton
Starring: Johnny Depp as Barnabas Collins
Michelle Pfeiffer as Elizabeth Collins Stoddard
Helena Bonham Carter as Dr. Julia Hoffman
Eva Green as Angelique Bouchard
Jackie Earle Haley as Willie Loomis
Johnny Lee Miller as Roger Collins
Bella Heathcote as Victoria Winters / Josette DuPres
Chloe Grace Moretz as Carolyn Stoddard
Gulliver McGrath as David Collins

The Front Page (1974)

"Well, if it's in the papers, it must be true. They wouldn't print a lie."

Hildy Johnson (Lemmon) is the best reporter at the Chicago Examiner, but quits to get married.  His editor, Walter Burns (Matthau), plans to fight dirty to keep him around.  Meanwhile, the big news story is Earl Williams (Pendleton), who was convicted of murder and sentenced to hang the next day.  The newsmen painted Earl as a dangerous, despite his meek nature.

During his final psych evaluation, Earl manages to escape.  The entire police force and the reporters are on Earl's trail... but he stumbles into Hildy and Walter's path.  With the biggest scoop in his lap, will Hildy choose the story or his fiance, Peggy Grant (Sarandon)?


"The Front Page" was originally conceived as a stage play in 1928.  The story gained popularity, and was turned into a film in 1931.  In 1940, Howard Hughes turned it into a battle of the sexes, making Hildy a woman and Walter's ex wife.  In 1974, Billy Wilder decided to remake the film with Walter Matthau and Jack Lemmon, in their third on screen pairing.  Unlike the other films, Wilder chose to set the film in the 1920's, which is the time period of the original story.

The story and characters are engaging.  Lemmon and Matthau are always great together, and this film is no different.  They are perfect partners in crime and foils for each other.  The rest of the cast doesn't stand a chance when matched with Matthau / Lemmon.  The other newsmen are entertaining as a group, and get some great scenes.  Austin Pendleton's Earl Williams works in the film, but doesn't get to do much.  The women of the film don't get to do much, and more or less fade into the background, which is disappointing since they are played by Susan Sarandon and Carol Burnett.  Sarandon is the fiance, a character that you don't really care about.  Burnett, an excellent comedienne, is miscast as Earl's girlfriend Mollie.

The film is fine, but pales in comparison to Hughes His Girl Friday.

The Front Page (1974) 105 minutes
Director: Billy Wilder
Starring: Jack Lemmon as Hildy Johnson
Walter Matthau as Walter Burns
Susan Sarandon as Peggy Grant
Vincent Gardenia as Sheriff "Honest Pete" Hartman
David Wayne as Roy Bensinger
Allen Garfield as Kruger
Charles Durning as Murphy
Herb Edelman as Schwartz
Austin Pendleton as Earl Williams
Carol Burnett as Mollie Malloy
Harold Gould as The Mayor

Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb

"Gentlemen, you can't fight in here! This is the War Room."

Air Force Brigadier General Jack Ripper (Hayden) sends an order to all the planes flying near the Soviet Union, with orders to attack.  He also issues orders to go to radio silence until the target is destroyed.  His second in command, Group Captain Lionel Mandrake (Sellers), believes it is a test.  But the General refuses to call off the attack and seals the base.

Meanwhile, President Merkin Muffley (Sellers) convenes his top advisers in the War Room to assess the situation.  General Buck Turgidson (Scott) thinks they should allow the attack to proceed, but nuclear scientist Dr. Strangelove (Sellers) warns of fatal outcomes.

As the War Room fights, Major T.J. "King" Kong (Pickens) and his crew prepare to reach their target.


This film is widely considered one of the greatest comedy films.  It is a dark comedy, that mixes the intensity of the situation with the behavior of the characters.  A strong cast makes this film even better.

Peter Sellers proves his comedic prowess by portraying three lead characters, with different accents: Lionel Mandrake is a nervous Brit, President Muffley is American, and Dr. Strangelove is an eccentric former Nazi.  Of all of these characters, Dr. Strangelove stands out the most.  The character has one hand that he cannot control.  Also, typically when the character is on the screen, he is alone, as the rest of the cast had a hard time maintaining a straight face during his scenes.

Veteran actor Sterling Hayden is intriguing as the unhinged Brigadier General.  George C. Scott chews the scenery as Buck... he plays it broad and loud, but you can't help but enjoy the character.  And Slim Pickens is always enjoyable, with his heavy Southern accent.  Pickens also appears in the most iconic scene of the film.

The content is not the most current.  The film was made during the 1960s, when people were especially worried about the threat of a nuclear attack and tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union were high.  This is the first and only Stanley Kubrick film I've seen... not sure I want to see any of his other films.

Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964) 95 minutes
Director: Stanley Kubrick
Starring: Peter Sellers as Group Captain Lionel Mandrake / President Merkin Muffley / Dr. Strangelove
George C. Scott as General Buck Turgidson
Sterling Hayden as Brigadier General Jack Ripper
Keenan Wynn as Colonel Bat Guano
Slim Pickens as Major T.J. "King" Kong
Peter Bull as Russian Ambassador Alexi de Sadesky
James Earl Jones as Lieutenant Luthar Zogg
Tracy Reed as Miss Scott

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1941)

"The world is yours, darling...the moment is mine."

Dr. Henry Jekyll (Tracy) is a gifted and revered doctor.  He is in love with Beatrix Emery (Turner), but her father, Sir Charles Emery (Crisp), is concerned with Jekyll's radical new ideas.  Jekyll thinks it's possible to remove the good and evil natures of a person.

He throws himself in the study and creates a serum that could work, and begins testing it on himself.  The serum changes everything about him, and he creates a different persona: Mr. Hyde.  Hyde is a violent person, with a gruffer personality and voice.  Hyde begins a relationship with barmaid Ivy Peterson (Bergman), who expressed an interest in Jekyll after he rescued her.

What life will Jekyll choose?

Like Frankenstein, this is a horror classic that I thought I knew (based on cartoons of my youth), but in reality, I didn't have the whole story.  I knew the story of Jekyll and Hyde because of Bugs Bunny:

I know, I know, as a Literature lover I should read the actual novel... but till that happens, I read a basic description online.  Also, for Christmas last year, I bought TCM Greatest Classic Films Collection: Horror (House of Wax 1953 / The Haunting 1963 / Freaks / Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde 1941).  This Halloween seemed like the perfect time to start watching these films.  I decided to start with the oldest film, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde... which ended up being the only film I watched (as 1. I was busy and 2. I had several "classic" horror films in my Netflix queue, so I decided to work my way through those).

When I looked up this version on IMDb, the comments said that the 1931 Fredric March version was better, and that this film was considered a black mark on Spencer Tracy's career.  At this point I haven't seen any other version of the story (unless you count the 2007 BBC series "Jekyll," so I don't know how it compares to other films.

Spencer Tracy is an interesting choice for the lead.  He is a talented actor, but I don't love him in this part.  And it was interesting to see Ingrid Bergman as the "bad" girl.  She was supposed to play Beatrix, but convinced the producers to switch her to Ivy.  She does ok in the part.  Based on the talent of the cast, I expected this to be better.  It isn't bad, but it isn't great.  Perhaps it gets better with subsequent viewings.

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1941) 113 minutes
Director: Victor Fleming
Starring: Spencer Tracy as Dr. Jekyll / Mr. Hyde
Ingrid Bergman as Ivy Peterson
Lana Turner as Beatrix Emery
Donald Crisp as Sir Charles Emery
Ian Hunter as Dr. John Lanyon

Rock of Ages

"This place is about to become a sea of sweat, ear-shattering music and puke."

Sherrie Christian (Hough) goes to Hollywood to get her big break as a singer, but gets mugged on her first day.  She meets Drew Boley (Boneta), who works at the notorious rock club The Bourbon Club, who gets her a job at the club.

The club is struggling financially, but owner Dennis Dupree (Baldwin) finds a way to break even, when the band Arsenal decide to use the club for their final performance.  As Dennis and manager Lonny (Brand) celebrate, the new city mayor (Bryan Cranston) and his wife Patricia (Zeta-Jones) begin a campaign to rid the city of The Bourbon Club.  The fate of the club lies in the hands of unreliable rocker, Stacee Jax (Cruise), the lead singer of Arsenal.  Will rock and roll prevail, or will the club be demolished?


The film was based on the 2007 Broadway jukebox musical, featuring classic rock songs from the 1980s.  The show was popular enough to get Hollywood's attention.  Adam Shankman, who brought Broadway's beloved Hairspray to film, is an interesting choice for director.  The show is funny, but has a dark side... which did not translate in Shankman's version of the film.  And he chose to cast well-known actors, with the exception of Mary J. Blige, instead of people who are known to do both (although, Julianne Hough and Catherine Zeta-Jones have recently appeared in film musicals).

But I have a few questions:

1) Why change the story?  It waters down the story, gets rid of several beloved characters and adds other characters.  The changes are big enough to change the overall message and tone of the story.

2) Why not cast anyone from any version of the stage show?  Mitchell Jarvis originated the role of Lonny, but was replaced by Russell Brand?  In what world does that make sense?  And I would have loved to see Will Swenson return to the role of Stacee Jax.  Yes, there is nothing wrong with recasting and adding bigger stars to get a larger audience... but you could still cast some theatre actors to fill the roles.

3) What purpose does Bryan Cranston's character serve?

4) Is there a reason that some songs from the show were replaced for the film?  I assume it has to do with copyright issues...

As I write this review, I am listening to the Broadway soundtrack for Rock of Ages... which is awesome.  I enjoyed the film, and will probably listen to it at some point.  Now I want to see the show, which I assume will be far superior to the film (which is normal for musicals).

Rock of Ages (2012) 123 minutes
Rated: PG-13 for sexual content, suggestive dancing, some heavy drinking, and language
Director: Adam Shankman
Starring: Julianne Hough as Sherrie Christian
Diego Boneta as Drew Boley
Russell Brand as Lonny Barnett
Paul Giamatti as Paul Gill
Catherine Zeta-Jones as Patricia Whitmore
Malin Akerman as Constance Sack
Mary J. Blige as Justice Charlier
Alec Baldwin as Dennis Dupree
Tom Cruise as Stacee Jax

Phantom of the Opera at Royal Albert Hall

A Parisian Opera House is terrorized by an unseen "opera ghost," who they call The Phantom (Karimloo).  The new owners, Andre (Snook) and Firmin (James), allow the Phantom's protege Christine Daae (Boggess), to take the lead in the current opera.  Their benefactor, Raoul (Fraser) the Vicomte de Chagny, is a Christine's childhood friend and first love.  With jealousy in the air, will the entire company survive the opera season.

My first introduction to Andrew Lloyd Webber's beloved stage show, "The Phantom of the Opera" was the 2004 film version (which, oddly enough, I have not reviewed).  I loved the 2004 film so much, that I invested in the original West End soundtrack, which I loved.

Since then I have wanted to see the show, but haven't had the chance (yet).  When I discovered the 25th Anniversary show at Royal Albert Hall, I had to give it a chance, and I loved it.  The cast is incredible and the set designs were breathtaking.  Ramin Karimloo played the Phantom in the musical sequel to to "Phantom", called "Love Never Dies."  Sierra Boggess played the role of Christine in the Las Vegas and co-starred with Karimloo in "Love Never Dies."

At the end of the production, Webber says a few words and introduces the original cast.  And there is a special performance by Sarah Brightman and the most famous Phantoms.  It was incredible!

The Phantom of the Opera at Royal Albert Hall (2011) 137 minutes
Director: Nick Morris and Laurence Connor
Starring; Ramin Karimloo as The Phantom
Sierra Boggess as Christine
Hadley Fraser as Raoul
Wendy Ferguson as Carlotta Guidicelli
Barry James as Monsieur Firmin
Gareth Snook as Monsieur Andre
Liz Robertson as Madame Giry
Wynne Evans as Ubaldo Piangi
Daisy Maywood as Meg Giry