Son of God

Religious movies are very tricky because odds are someone will be mad. My stance has always been if it's a well made film then I don't care if it's religious. Son of God is a poor and well done movie at the same time. Apparently this was a mini series on the History Channel and according to people who saw the mini series nothing was changed. I never saw the mini series so I can't comment on that but what I can tell you that I can tell this was a mini series. Mini series contain separate episodes and you can tell that there are separate because between each scene is broken up by a fade to black followed by a fade in to the next scene. This happened every single time. That's the biggest complaint I have because it doesn't make the story coherent and just feels like separate episodes. Basically it doesn't feel like a story. I will say it got better about halfway in and it appeared more coherent in terms of story. The acting was fine but nothing to really talk about. The guy who played Jesus was ok in some scenes but in others felt like he was cheesy and trying to hard. The cinematography is fine as well. Some of the shots located in the desert or outdoors were shot well but when it would go to an in closed space it felt like a set. The movie is two hours and twenty minutes and it some parts, especially at the beginning, it dragged. The special effects looked like 1992 computer graphics. I can't suggest this movie because I don't know everyone's religious stance. But it terms of telling a good story and filmmaking in general? No and yes and for that I can only give it a 6/10.
(Review by Chase Lee)

Non-Stop

Liam Neeson leads the way as being the best of the more mature action stars. He is tall, formidable, and totally convincing as a man totally in control of his world. Playing an alcoholic U.S. Air Marshall depressed over the loss of his daughter to cancer, he must save the passengers on a six hour flight to London from unknown terrorists. The script by John W. Richardson, Chris Roach and Ryan Engle is brought to life by director Jaume Collet-Serra in this French/American production from Joel Silver. As long as you just go with the tense and unrelenting action and don't think about the plot holes, you will have good time.

The transatlantic flight from New York to London is seen through the bleary eyes of Bill Marks who was drinking in his car and smoking cigarettes like a chimney just before his before going into the airport. He peruses the passengers waiting to board the plane assessing everyone for potential problems. There's Jen (Julianne Moore) who manages to switch seats with Bill's row mate Zach (Nate Parker) because she wants to sit by a window, there's a little girl Becca (Quinn McColgan) who is flying alone on the way to see her father, and Nancy (Michelle Dockery) the stewardess for first class who knows not to serve Bill a cocktail. Bill starts getting text messages on his secure Air Marshall phone. The caller tells him that in 20 minutes someone will die unless 150 million is transferred into an account. He tells another agent on board, Jack (Anson Mount) who would raise anyone's hackles as being just suspicious from the get go especially when he tells Bill to not take it seriously. Of course, he informs the pilot (Linus Roache) and they begin to follow the standard procedures which would mean putting a dead zone on all electronics on the plane. But Bill wants to keep it on to track which of the passengers may be sending the messages. Things start to move along quickly as Bill's bosses inform him that the bank account for which the ransom money was to be sent is in his name. Soon he's the main suspect and his drinking and bad rep are working against him. Who can he trust, how can he catch the bad guy?

The rest of the movie is tense, non-stop action, and no one is above suspicion. Bill really wants to have another drink, and he's smoking cigarettes on the plane's bathrooms covering up the smoke detectors with duct tape which he carries with him. The messages keep coming, the bodies count accumulates, and everyone thinks Bill is culprit. What's a guy to do? Neeson does a serviceable job as the man on the edge trying to get to the terrorists while scaring the bejeesus out the passengers. Everything moves quickly so the you can't think about details too closely. The viewer is impressed with Bill's point of view and it's worth the ride. Just go have lunch afterwards and don't worry about the small stuff.
(Review by reesa)

Alamo Richardson Special Programming: On The Case: Crime Movies and More

Alamo Richardson Special Programming:
On The Case: Crime Movies and More
March 2014

Dallas – February 24, 2013— In March, Alamo (100 S. Central Expressway #14, Richardson, TX 75080), turns all attention to some favorite crime movies like MEMENTO, THE MALTESE FALCON, NORTH BY NORTHWEST and CLUE. Yes, CLUE! http://drafthouse.com/dfw/richardson.


"Crime doesn't pay but going to Alamo this March does! In celebration of Wes Anderson's latest film—the crime caper THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL—we're thrilled to feature a few of everyone's favorite crime flicks of all time! But the investigation doesn't stop there. We're also featuring every Anderson film that we could get our hands on, back on the big screen for Wes Anderson Week, culminating with the Dallas-treasured first, BOTTLE ROCKET! Plus a whole lot more cool stuff throughout the month. So get on the case this month at Alamo Drafthouse Richardson,” said James Wallace, Alamo DFW programmer.



Titles playing at Alamo Drafthouse Richardson in March:

Wes Anderson Week in celebration of THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL featuring:
- March 1: MOONRISE KINGDOM
- March 2: FANTASTIC MR. FOX
- March 3: THE LIFE AQUATIC
- March 4: THE ROYAL TENENBAUMS
- March 5: RUSHMORE
- March 6: BOTTLE ROCKET

March 8: Master Pancake presents: BACK TO THE FUTURE (2 shows)
March 9: Tough Guy Cinema: DIRTY HARRY
March 11: Tiki Bingo Night in Glass Half Full
March 11: MEMENTO
March 12: MONTY PYTHON AND THE HOLY GRAIL Quote-Along
March 13: The Beyoncé Sing-Along
March 13: PEE-WEE’S BIG ADVENTURE: Charity Screening benefitting Concerns Of Police Survivors & Officer Down Memorial Page
March 13: Geeks Who Drink in Glass Half Full
March 16: THE MALTESE FALCON
March 17: Only at The Alamo: THE BOONDOCK SAINTS on St. Patrick’s Day
March 18: WellGo: THE WRATH OF VAJRA
March 19: March MAGIC MIKE Madness
March 20: THE BIG LEBOWSKI Quote-Along
March 21: MUPPETS MOST WANTED release
March 21: DIVERGENT release
March 21: Drafthouse Films: CHEAP THRILLS release
March 23: NORTH BY NORTHWEST
March 26: The Action Pack: CLUE Quote-Along
March 28: THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL release
March 29: Cartoon Cereal Party: CAPTAIN N with special guest Randy Studdard, creator and former Nintendo staff member; Nintendo Power Magazine editor. Presented by GoSeeTalk.com
March 31: Music Monday: OUR VINYL WEIGHS A TON with a vinyl swap in the lobby!

*Please note: Some dates subject to change. Always check http://drafthouse.com/dfw/richardson for up-to-date showtimes and tickets.


About the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema:
The Alamo Drafthouse is a lifestyle entertainment brand with an acclaimed cinema-eatery, the largest genre film festival in the United Sates and an online collectible art store. Named “the best theater in America” by Entertainment Weekly, the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema has built a reputation as a movie lover’s oasis not only by combining food and drink service with the movie-going experience but also introducing unique programming and high profile, star studded special events. Alamo Drafthouse Cinema – Richardson is at 100 S. Central Expressway #14, Richardson, TX 75080. http://drafthouse.com/dfw/richardson

Movies Scheduled 2/23-March 1

Just a friendly reminder, don’t grab passes so you can trade them off for a better movie. It isn’t fair to everyone if someone just grabs every pass that is out there. If you can’t make don’t enter the contest. Sure I know something may come up or you may get sick.



I don’t know about y’all but I am excited to see Mr. Peabody and Sherman, sure I know it is a cartoon but aren’t we all big kids? What movies are you excited to see?






Please contact me if you have any questions at damitdaina@hotmail.com



Sunday
Feb. 23rd



Monday
Feb 24th

Mr. Peabody and Sherman 7:00 pm LOOK Cinema
The Wizard of Oz 7:30 pm Angelika Dallas
Draft Day 7:30 pm Studio Movie Grill Arlington





Tuesday
Feb 25th

Son of God 7:00 pm AMC Northpark
Non Stop 7:30 pm AMC Northpark



Wednesday
Feb. 26th

300: Rise of an Empire 7:30 pm AMC Northpark



Thursday
Feb. 27th



Friday
Feb. 28th



Saturday
March 1st
Mr. Peabody and Sherman 10:00 am AMC Northpark

Pompeii 3D

Ok I have to confess something. I really like the Roland Emmerich films on disasters. I really enjoyed The Day after Tomorrow and 2012 but I did not enjoy this one. I will keep this brief as you guys can already tell this movie is going to be bad. This was an unnecessary movie about this terrible disaster and sticking a cheesy romance story in it. It was like Titanic with lava and I love Titanic but this is terrible. Paul W.S. Anderson has proven to us once again he is a bad director. His over the top action and terrible dialogue bleeds into this as well. This is the same guy who did Mortal Kombat: Annihilation and all the "awesome" Resident Evil movies. But unfortunately every movie he makes engulfs large wads of cash at the box office. The acting is mediocre at best. The cinematography is cool in some parts but is filled with CGI and there were some shots where it looked like a green screen and took me out of the movie. The actual volcano eruption was cool but towards the end I just wanted it to be over. If you like 3D disaster movies this is for you. I just never got into it and this is coming from the guy who liked John Cuscak driving a limo through destruction in the movie 2012. 4/10
(Review by Chase Lee)

In Secret

I am a sucker for films set in the 1800's but this one was ok. I have to give props on the directing of this film. The sets, costumes and the acting sold me on the era and that's all in the direction but I thought the story was eh. The story to me felt like a poor attempt of Romeo and Juliet. And at some points, don't get mad at me, it felt like a Lifetime movie. I realized I was in a theater and not watching something on my tv at some points. Some parts felt like a soap opera and I think that's why it reeked of television in some parts. I am also not knocking on the acting because the acting was good and I was intrigued by their performances. Elizabeth Olsen plays the main character we follow and she always does a good job. Tom Felton (from Harry Potter fame) does good but the one actor that really well is Oscar Issac. His character, in my opinion, had the best depth and you saw it unfold from the moment you saw him to the last moment you see from him. I thought his performance was hands down the best. The cinematography was well done and for the era its set in almost every shot will be colorful with costumes and beautiful lighting. I have always said its hard to mess up a movie set it the past in terms of cinematography. Because every shot should be filled with eye candy and great framing and this is no exception. The film felt like it dragged towards the end a bit and I sat wanting this movie to wrap up. It wasn't because I was bored but the story was just dragging and wanted it to just end in several places. So the editing could have been trimmed and maybe they could have tricked me in thinking the film was better paced. I had a good time with this film, a bit more than I should have, but the story felt dated and just mediocre at best. 6/10
(Review by Chase Lee)

3 Days to Kill

Kevin Costner has been slowly making a comeback to the big screen in the past few years with strong supporting characters in movies and a lead in an award winning TV mini series. Now with two big movies coming out in a couple of months of each other, he's set to become the new Liam Neeson. The premise of this new film from director McG (Terminator Salvation) is from a story by Luc Beeson (The Professional and the Transporter movies) which he wrote with Adi Hasak which seems like it's a rip off of Neeson's Taken, but not. There's a world created by movies where CIA black operatives are cool cold blooded killers who only get bad guys. There's plenty of action in this French/American production, along with family dramedy of a dying dad reuniting with his estranged teenage daughter.

Kevin Costner plays Ethan Renner, a cleaner with the CIA. His latest job is bungled when the bad guy gets away after he collapses when he gets his bell rung from a bomb explosion which is also exacerbated by previously unknown brain tumor. The doctors tell him he only has a couple of months and the CIA thanks him for his service. He goes to see his ex wife Christine (Connie Nielsen) to ask for time to spend with his daughter Zoey (Hailee Steinfeld). She will allow it but only if he promises that he is truly finished working. Of course that's not going to happen because Vivi (Amber Heard) with the CIA needs him to finish the previous job as he was the only one who can identify The Wolf (Richard Sammel). In exchange for his assistance, Vivi offers him an experimental drug that will give him more time on his ticking clock.

The story is infused with a bit of humor as Ethan trying to seriously reconnect with his daughter who calls him by his name instead of “dad” gives her bike (which she doesn't want), sizing up her boyfriend, and getting phone calls from her while he's interrogating suspects. Even having one guy give her a recipe for spaghetti sauce while duct taped in the bathroom. Ethan is not a bad man, considering he doesn't kick out the squatters he finds living in his apartment in Paris (apparently it's a law that you can't kick them out in the winter), and he asks for advise on raising daughter from a man he just tortured for information. Amber Heard who won the Shining Star Award at the 2010 Dallas International Film Festival is the cool CIA stiletto wearing boss to Ethan. She's droll and enigmatic and looks like she could have done the job herself so why does she have to drag in Ethan? Every time Ethan manages to corner a bad guy, he collapses from his condition and the after effects of the drug that Vivi injected.

As Hollywood action stars get older, we can probably expect to see more ageing actors show that they are not going to get farmed out to play character parts. Liam Neeson is also coming back next week with Non-Stop, and more Expendables will be hitting the screen soon. So if you like your action stars grizzled, road weary, don't care if the plot is filled with pot holes, like shots of Paris, and have nothing else to do this weekend, then this is the film for you.
(Review by reesa)

Special Free Screening of Casablanca

Feb. 18, 2014

TCM Unveils Cities Chosen for March 4 Screening of Casablanca,
Including 10 Locations Chosen with Input from Fans

Screenings to be Presented as Part of TCM's Ongoing 20th Anniversary Celebration

Free Tickets Now Available for Download at tcm.com/20

Turner Classic Movies (TCM) has unveiled the complete list of 20 cities that will be treated to a free theatrical screening of classic Casablanca (1942) on Tuesday, March 4. Nearly 10,000 fans voted to help choose 10 of the markets that will host screenings, with the most votes going to Baltimore, Buffalo, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, New York, Orlando, St. Louis and San Diego. Those cities join the previously announced screenings in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Denver, Detroit, Miami, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Seattle and Washington, D.C.

Presented in collaboration with Warner Bros., TCM's 20-market screening of Casablanca is one of many events surrounding the celebration of the network's 20th Anniversary as a leading authority in classic film. Although the screenings are free, tickets are required for entrance. Free tickets are now available for download from the TCM 20th Anniversary website: tcm.com/20.

TCM's special screenings of Casablanca will begin at 7:30 p.m. local time in all 20 cities. The following is the complete roster of theaters that will be showing the film:

Atlanta, Ga. – Regal Atlantic Station
Baltimore, Md. – Landmark Harbor East
Boston, Mass. – AMC Boston Commons
Buffalo, N.Y. – Regal Walden Galleria
Chicago, Ill. – Music Box
Dallas, Texas – Angelika Film Center
Denver. Colo. – Landmark Mayan
Detroit, Mich. – Uptown Palladium
Houston, Texas – Regal Edwards Marq’E
Los Angeles, Calif. – Landmark West
Miami, Fla. – AMC Aventura
Minneapolis, Minn. – Landmark Lagoon
New York, N.Y. – AMC Lincoln Square
Orlando, Fla. – Regal Winter Park
Philadelphia, Pa. – Ritz East
St. Louis, Mo. – Wehrenberg Chesterfield Galaxy
San Diego, Calif. – Landmark Hillcrest Cinemas
San Francisco, Calif. – Cinemark Century 9 SF Centre
Seattle, Wash. – AMC Pacific Place
Washington, D.C. – Landmark E Street

* Seating is limited. Entry will be on a first-come, first-served basis. Tickets do not guarantee entry.

About Casablanca

Casablanca is Warner Bros.' Oscar®-winning wartime romance. Widely regarded as one of Hollywood's greatest films, the movie stars Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, Paul Henreid, Claude Rains, Sydney Greenstreet and Peter Lorre.

In Casablanca, Bogart plays Rick, a nightclub owner who gets involved in smuggling refugees out of Vichy-controlled Casablanca. Bergman is Ilsa, the woman he once lost and who is now seeking to escape the Nazis with her husband, Victor (Henreid). And Rains is the corrupt police inspector whose loyalties are hard to place.

Casablanca earned eight Academy Award® nominations, winning Oscars for Best Picture, Best Director (Michael Curtiz) and Best Screenplay (Julius J. Epstein, Philip G. Epstein and Howard Koch).

Fans who want to own this treasured film will be glad to know that an elegantly packaged gift set edition, Casablanca 70th Anniversary 3-Disc Blu-ray + DVD Combo Edition is available for purchase. The limited and numbered collection contains almost 14 hours of bonus materials, with five comprehensive documentaries, commentaries and collectibles that include a 60-page production art book with never-before-seen photos, personal memos and archival documents, a reproduction of the original 1942 film poster and a set of four drink coasters. In addition, Casablanca is available as a single-disc Blu-ray or Special Edition DVD, as well as being offered as part of a Blu-ray Double Feature with African Queen, and included in the Best of Bogart Collection.

About Turner Classic Movies (TCM)

Turner Classic Movies (TCM) is a Peabody Award-winning network that presents great films, uncut and commercial-free, from the largest film libraries in the world. TCM, which is available in more than 85 million homes, features the insights of hosts Robert Osborne and Ben Mankiewicz, plus interviews with a wide range of special guests. Currently in its 20th year as a leading authority in classic film, TCM offers critically acclaimed original documentaries and specials; film series like The Essentials, hosted by Robert Osborne and Drew Barrymore, and Friday Night Spotlight; and annual programming events like 31 Days of Oscar® in February, Summer Under the Stars in August and TCM Essentials Jr. during the summer. TCM also connects with movie fans through such events as the annual TCM Classic Film Festival in Hollywood and the TCM Classic Cruise, as well as through the TCM Classic Film Tour in New York City. In addition, TCM produces a wide range of media about classic film, including books and DVDs, and hosts a wealth of material online at tcm.com and through the Watch TCM mobile app.

TCM is part of Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a Time Warner company. Turner Broadcasting creates and programs branded news; entertainment; animation and young adult; and sports media environments on television and other platforms for consumers around the world.

Connect with Turner Classic Movies

Website: http://www.tcm.com
Pressroom: http://news.turner.com/tcm
Facebook: http://facebook.com/tcmtv
Twitter: http://twitter.com/tcm |
TCM Store: http://shop.tcm.com
Watch TCM app available for iOS and Android Platforms.

Movies scheduled 2/162/22

Ok. It is getting out of hand how many people just bring their chair drop it off in the morning and then come back about a hour before the reps get there. If you are going to leave your chair you need to leave a person in it. I know the theaters don’t like that either. You would hate to come back and your chair be moved by the theater. So from now on have a person with your chair.



I know I am sounding like a broken record. Trust me I don’t want to just delete your response but when you get so many of them saying you want the pass this person or that person is offering. Then I feel bad since I have so MANY I don’t have time to say “Please respond to the person and not the group”.





Please contact me if you have any questions at damitdaina@hotmail.com



Sunday
Feb. 16th



Monday
Feb. 17th



Tuesday
Feb. 18th

Need for Speed 7:30 pm Angelika Dallas



Wednesday
Feb. 19th

3 Days to Kill 7:30 pm Cinemark 17
3 Days to Kill 7:30 pm AMC Northpark
Pompeii 7:30 pm Studio Movie Grill Royal
Need for Speed 7:30 pm Cinemark Rave Ridgmar
Need for Speed 7:30 pm Cinemark West Plano
Need for Speed 7:30 pm Northpark



Thursday
Feb. 20th

Bad Words 7:30 pm TBA
History’s “Vikings” Season 2 7:30 pm Angelika Dallas



Friday
Feb. 21st



Saturday
Feb. 22nd

Endless Love

This is definitely not a bad romance movie and this is coming from the guy who actually liked The Notebook. What I really appreciate about this movie is the surroundings of the main characters to be more interesting than the main characters. The dads of the girl and the guy were interesting. The mother of the girl was interesting. You get my point. There was enough story with all them personally that's what I enjoyed the most. The acting is fine. The main two do their thing and be the pretty "Hollywood" couple but I really liked the actors playing the parents and friends. I thought they did very well. The cinematography was ok and nothing to special. A good example of good cinematography in a romance movie is The Notebook. At an hour and, a little over, 45 minutes this movie does kind of drag in some parts but is interesting due to, the surroundings, it kept my interest the whole way through. The ending is cheesy but the ride was tolerable and interesting. Not a bad romance movie but also not my favorite. If you read the book go see it or if you need a valentines day movie to watch. Guys it isn't that bad. 6/10
(Review by Chase Lee)

ScriptsLIVE! When Harry Met Sally

The Dallas Screenwriters Association (DSA) had their inaugural ScriptsLIVE! event February 12 which was hosted by the Alamo Drafthouse. Ivan and Jason Reitman's concept of live readings of a movie script using famous actors was the inspiration for the concept that will be performed at the Alamo Drafthouse in Richardson on the second Wednesday of every other month. We may not be able to see the big names that Hollywood can provide, but Dallas has a large stable of talented actors as the ones that read When Harry Met Sally at this first event.

A truly great movie is only as good as the written word. No matter how competent the actors and director or even having exquisite art direction will not save a movie if the dialogue and storyline is weak. The best way to show off a screenplay is to read it out loud. Writer Nora Ephron had created a quirky romantic tale of two opposite characters who find love a decade after first meeting and disliking each other. Last night's reading was from the movie script and was without the Billy Crystal adlibs and Rob Reiner's direction that made the final 1989 film. But the script stands on it's own. It was read by Cooper Harris as Sally, Spencer Harlan as Harry, Sarah Adams as Marie, Adam Litwin as Jess, Giovannie Cruz and Chase Austin as secondary roles, and Elizabeth Dukes Melancon and Troy Randal Smith as the assorted other characters. They brought the story alive with their enthusiastic performances which they enhanced by endearing looks to each other, small hand gestures and even a stadium style wave. It was also supported with pictures from the movie flashing behind them.

Considering this is the first effort, the small technical problems will hopefully be ironed out for the next event. The sound could have been better. There was lots of microphone feedback, and if you were eating noisy food it was hard to hear. Plus the pictures could have been more frequent and better timed with the story. Overall, it was entertaining and enjoyable and worth coming back.

Mark your calendars for the upcoming schedule!
April 9 – Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
June 11 – Toy Story 3
August 13 – Groundhog Day
October 15 – Galaxy Quest
December 10 – Back to the Future
(Alamo creative director James Wallace will be performing the lead!)

For more information on the Dallas Screenwriters Association and their other live readings and workships go to http://www.dallasscreenwriters.com

Robocop Review

I really liked the original but this one felt a bit flat to me. The original Robocop was gritty, dirty, violent and better executed in my opinion. The directing of the new one is loud, flashy and shiny. That's the best way to put it. It's not a bad movie but I think the director is lacking the grit from the original. The acting is ok. Michael Keaton and Gary Oldman were the best parts as they did their best with the script that was given to them. The cinematography isn't bad and it actually makes the action scenes better to watch. It's two hours long but it felt longer than it did so the pacing was a bit slow for a Robocop movie. Overall it's not bad and the action scenes are cool but this is just another shiny and flashy reboot and I just felt neutral about it. 5/10
(Review by Chase Lee)

Robocop

The remake of the original 1987 Robocop has been in the works since 2005. Brazilian director José Padilha signed on in 2011. The screenplay by Joshua Zeturner is based on the characters created by Edward Neumeier and Michael Miner. There is still the Detroit Police Department, there is still OmniCorp which make robots for enforcement and there are still the bad guys that Murphy must exact revenge for his murder. The film was supposed to be released in August 2013, but has since changed to open right before Valentine's Day. A nice balance to the overload of romantic movies that will open this weekend.

The movie opens like the first film with a TV show, only this time it's commentator Pat Novak (Samuel L. Jackson) who like out present day FOX network offers his obviously slanted opinions on the use of robots in other countries. Novak is staunch opponent of the Dreyfuss Act which restricts the use of robots to uphold the law as it's method doesn't allow for an emotional element when dealing with humans. OmniCorp CEO Raymond Sellars assigns their chief scientist Dr. Dennett Norton (Gary Oldman) to use his skills with robotic prosthetics to create Robocop.

Alex Murphy (Joel Kinnaman) a Detroit police detective and his partner Jack Lewis (Michael K. Willimans) are investigating missing weapons from the police evidence room. Lewis is badly injured and Alex is horrendously burned and maimed when his car blows up. His wife Clara (Abbie Cornish), wanting to save his life no matter what, signs the papers for OmniCorp to use Murphy in their project. Murphy is outfitted with the Robocop body and software which enhances his strength and tactical skills. His brain can access and instantly compute data that helps him locate criminals. His human side helps him relate to the public. It seems the program is a success until a glitch is discovered. Dr. Norton has to alter his brain chemistry to keep him focused. Unfortunately he no longer recognizes his wife, son and his best friend. He becomes more of a robot. Like in the first movie, Murphy manages to rewrite his programming and continue with the mission that spurred his meltdown. He wants to solve his own murder. He almost closes the case when OmniCorp's military tactician Mattox (Jackie Earle Haley) pulls the plug.

Although there's a lot of violence in the movie, it's more of the computer game type of visuals as we get a P.O.V look through Robocop's eyes. He's quick and efficient taking down the bad guys in record time. The movie is rated PG which means it's not graphically blood dripping. Robocop is taken apart and put back together like Ironman, only Ironman mechanics is a suit, while Robocop is assembled parts. The only human pieces are his face, brain (with computer chips), lungs and one hand.

The Paul Verhoeven version was a more subversive film on corporate corruption, greed and privatization. Even the smiling TV newscasters in their now dated 80's style played on the satirical dumbing down of our society. While the 2014 film looks good, it seems to lack a bigger picture that the first one addressed. It's a lot better than expected, but it's a bit paint by numbers action film.
(Review by reesa)

Movies Scheduled 2/9-2/15

Hey I know some of y’all know we don’t get paid to do what we do for y’all. That also goes for the people handing out the passes as well. So please don’t harass them asking if they sent out the passes yet. They do have more than just Dallas that they are doing and have either jobs or families they are tending to as well. So wait just a bit they will get the passes out to you.

Don't forget to reply to the sender and not the group when responding to posts. That way you get the ticket you want.





Please contact me if you have any questions at damitdaina@hotmail.com



Sunday
Feb. 9th



Monday
Feb. 10th

Lost in Thailand 7:30 pm Alamo Drafthouse
Robocop 7:30 pm AMC Northpark
Robocop 7:30 pm AMC Valley View
Robocop 7:30 pm Cinemark 17



Tuesday
Feb. 11th

Winter’s Tale 7:30 pm Cinemark West Plano
About Last Night 7:30 pm TBA
Endless Love 7:30 pm AMC Northpark



Wednesday
Feb. 12th

Pompeii 7:30 pm AMC Northpark



Thursday
Feb. 13th

Bad Words 7:30 pm TBA
Winter’s Tale 7:30 pm AMC Northpark





Friday
Feb. 14th



Saturday
Feb. 15th

Gloria

Gloria is interesting in the sense that it's not bad I just don't really relate to it. It basically follows the main character Gloria and she is divorced and quite frankly enjoys life. She meets up with another divorced man at a club and they connect. And that's all I will say because the magic is finding out what happens. I thought the directing was good and not great. I think it's because I have been exposed to many "enjoy life" and "feel good" movies. There is nothing wrong with that but you have to stand out and this one didn't really stand out. The acting is good and there really is nothing exciting about it. The cinematography is actually beautiful in it's simplicity which I really enjoyed. The reason I can't give this a higher score is because I have never been divorced nor am I middle aged. But I can recognize it's a good movie. This was Chile's submission into the Oscars for best foreign film and I can say it's good but there is a reason it wasn't accepted (to much competition). This will definitely hit better with the divorced or middle aged crowd but as for me it was missing a unique spark you have to have to stand out. 7/10
(Review by Chase Lee)

One Chance

Anyone with YouTube access can search for Paul Potts the first winner of “Britain's Got Talent” and be brought to tears as the unsuspecting looking young man pours out his heart with his amazing operatic voice. This film version of his journey by director David Frankel with a screenplay by Justin Zackham makes Potts more appealing as portrayed by Tony award winner James Corden. It's a nice inspiring Hollywoodized movie that hits all the right buttons and makes you feel good afterwards.

Paul (James Corden) had always loved opera. He was also always bullied at school and as an adult even losing a few teeth in one altercation. His father Roland (Colm Meaney) wants him to give up the music and work at the factory like everyone else in their small town. His mother Yvonne (Julie Waters) is more supportive. Paul works at a mobile phone store with Braddon (MacKenzie Crook) who tells him to try out at a local talent show so he can earn money to go to opera school in Venice. His new girlfriend Julz (Alexandra Roach) who he met online lives in a neighboring town and doesn't quite believe him when he calls her from Italy.

Paul's biggest problem is confidence and he blows his chances when he chokes before his idol Luciano Pavarotti. He later gets a chance to play the lead in a local production of Aida but he's struck with appendicitis and a tumor on his thyroid. Shortly after getting his voice back, he's struck by a car. He perseveres throughout by the love of his now wife Julz who never stops believing in him and despite the the disapproval of his father.

The soundtrack was scored by Theodore Shapiro and was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Original Song in a motion picture. (Sweeter Than Fiction by Taylor Swift). Pott's own vocals were used in the singing parts. The journey to perform and be judged by Simon Cowell on the televised talent show makes a nice sweet story. It looks like the YouTube video was merged with the movie. Lots of liberties were taken in this film. So what if they changed him to being Welsh even though he was really from Bristol. So what if they took out his siblings making him an only child. It's a Billy Elliot sort of tale where a poor sod finds creative rewards by his sheer talent and gumption. Not a dry eye in the house.
(Review by reesa)

Monuments Men

One of the horrific results of war ravaged countries is the loss of cultural artifacts due to bombs and fire. During World War II, the Nazi's systematically set out to steal all the historic paintings and sculptures from museums but mostly from private collectors. Based on the book The Monuments Men: Allied Heroes, Nazi Thieves and the Greatest Treasure Hunt in History by Dallas based author Robert M. Edsel, director George Clooney also wrote and produced with Grant Heslov this feature with some favorite and familiar movie stars. The movie based on the real life events is a throwback to the propaganda war films of the 1940's with all the patriotic speeches about how saving the art is saving who we are.

George Clooney plays art conservationist Professor George L. Stout who convinces the president to save the art from the ravages of the U.S. bombing of Europe. Now, Lt. Stout must assemble a team of art scholars who can identify the most precious of the pieces to keep them out of Hitler's hands. James Rorimer (Matt Damon) is a curator with the Metropolitan Art Museum. He has to convince Claire (Cate Blanchett) to trust him as she was in charge of inventorying the art the was stolen from Paris. But she is wary of him, thinking he may be a greedy American coming to take it for his museum. The rest of the platoon is broken into teams to scout various cities and churches. Sculptor John Goodman as Sgt. Walter Garfield is with Jean Dujardin playing French design specialist Lt. Jean-Claude Clermont. Sgt. Richard Campbell (Bill Murray) is an architect is with theater director Pvt. Preston Savitz (Bob Balaban). Their point man in Europe is Major Donald Jeffries (Hugh Bonneville) who appreciates Stout giving him a second chance as he was a notorious alcoholic. They also pick up an American soldier who was born in Germany, Sam Epstein to help interpret.

The movie looks good. The art direction and costumes give it a nice vintage feel for the time and place. The actors are convincing playing older men who want to serve their country and happy to be able to use their particular expertise in doing something critical but somewhat under appreciated. The team is not given support by the ground troops in place so they are basically on their own. The team suffers casualties and ponders if what they are doing is worth the cost of their lives. It's hard to make a movie about chasing art into a couple hours. To keep things interesting the story is sprinkled with humor from it's quirky characters. A sense of urgency develops when Hitler signs a Nero command that everything must be destroyed in case of his death. On top of that the Russians are coming in and plundering the art as compensation.

It's an interesting footnote to the war and there have been movies made about the stolen art, maybe from not this particular perspective. There were actually about 345 men and women involved, but this movie would make it seem only seven of them saved all the art. This is a slow and uneven tale that relies mostly on the chemistry of the actors. The fact that over 5 million pieces of art were recovered is monumental feat in itself. One that deserves to be just pretty as a picture.
(Review by reesa)

An Evening of John Williams Music at The Alamo Drafthouse

Alamo Richardson Special Programming
February 16, 2014 Highlight:
An Evening of John Williams Music:
HARRY POTTER & THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN (3:30 pm)
INDIANA JONES & THE LAST CRUSADE (8 pm)


Dallas – February 3, 2014—Alamo Drafthouse Cinema – Richardson in collaboration with the Richardson Symphony Orchestra, celebrates the music of the master of movie scores, John Williams, on Sunday, February 16, 2014 at 100 S. Central Expressway, Richardson, TX 75080. The 35-piece orchestra of the Richardson Symphony will perform for 30 minutes prior to two films back to back. An Evening of John Williams Music features include HARRY POTTER & THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN at 3:30 pm and INDIANA JONES & THE LAST CRUSADE at 8 pm. http://drafthouse.com/dfw/richardson


An Evening of John Williams Music

Join us for a night featuring musical selections from the legendary composer's most iconic film scores with a 35-piece orchestra from the Richardson Symphony Orchestra performed in the theater paired with the two separate film showings: HARRY POTTER & THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN and INDIANA JONES & THE LAST CRUSADE. The two sets from the symphony feature different pieces and will include selections from a variety of films featuring the signature scores of Mr. Williams and not just music from the two films shown.

“It goes without saying that John Williams is considered to be one of the greatest film composers of all time, if not the greatest. As of 2014, Mr. Williams holds the record with the most number of Oscar nominations in the Best Musical Score with 43 nominations with 4 wins and likely counting. In his career spanning more than six decades, he has composed some of the most popular and recognizable film scores in cinematic history, including JAWS, STAR WARS, INDIANA JONES, E.T., CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND, JURASSIC PARK, HARRY POTTER, SUPERMAN, SCHINDLER'S LIST, SAVING PRIVATE RYAN and many more—all scores that movie lovers like us hum without even thinking about it,” said James Wallace, Alamo DFW creative director.


30-minute concert prior to these feature films:

HARRY POTTER AND THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN (2004) 3:30 pm $15
http://drafthouse.com/movies/an-evening-of-john-williams-music-harry-potter-and-the-prisoner-of-azkaban/dfw

INDIANA JONES AND THE LAST CRUSADE (1989) 8:00 pm $15
http://drafthouse.com/movies/indiana-jones-and-the-last-crusade/dfw



The Richardson Symphony will have approximately 35 musicians involved in the performances before the films. This will include all strings (violin, viola, cello and bass), all brass (French horn, trumpet, trombone and tuba), woodwinds (flute, clarinet, oboe and bassoon) and percussion (a variety including timpani).

“Our continued collaboration with the Alamo Drafthouse is important because it helps the symphony reach a much broader and more diverse audience as it increases our exposure throughout the community,” said Clay Couturiaux, Richardson Symphony Orchestra’s music director and conductor.

“The hope is to gain a whole new fan base for the orchestra through the exposure at Alamo. Music plays such an integral role in film. It adds to the plot, builds suspense, helps to define character and creates atmosphere and emotion. Imagine watching the movie JAWS without the music track,” concluded Couturiaux.

The orchestra will be performing a full concert featuring John Williams' music on Saturday, February 15th at the Charles W. Eisemann Center for Performing Arts at 8:00 pm. Details: http://richardsonsymphony.org



About Richardson Symphony Orchestra
The RSO was founded in 1961. Maestro Clay Couturiaux is the only the third conductor of the orchestra and is now in his second year. He is also the Music Director and Conductor of the Monroe, Louisiana symphony and is Assistant Director of Orchestral Studies at the University of North Texas.

The RSO performs six concerts per season at the Charles W. Eisemann Center for Performing Arts and performs at other events throughout the community. Additionally, the RSO has a youth music education program that culminates in a series of concerts for the third graders of the Richardson Independent School District. The RSO is also the proud host of the annual Lennox International Young Artists Competition for Strings and Piano. The semi finalists are invited to compete on the UTD campus each January. The top three winners receive cash prizes. The first place winner also has the opportunity to perform with the entire orchestra at our March concert. http://richardsonsymphony.org



About the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema:
The Alamo Drafthouse is a lifestyle entertainment brand with an acclaimed cinema-eatery, the largest genre film festival in the United Sates and an online collectible art store. Named “the best theater in America” by Entertainment Weekly, the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema has built a reputation as a movie lover’s oasis not only by combining food and drink service with the movie-going experience but also introducing unique programming and high profile, star studded special events.

*Please note: Some dates subject to change. Always check http://drafthouse.com/dfw/richardson for up-to-date showtimes and tickets.

Movies scheduled 2/2-2/8

Brrr it is cold today. I hope y'all are staying nice and warm. I don't know about y'all but I am ready for Spring!!

Just a heads up peeps. Please read all instructions on the contests you have to send a email. For example if it says put the city in the subject line they will get hundreds of emails and for different markets and they will not be able to go through every single email. So if you want to win, read. It is that simple.



Please contact me if you have any questions at damitdaina@hotmail.com



Sunday
Feb. 2nd



Monday
Feb. 3rd

Fruitville Station 7:30 pm Texas Theater
Hungarian Rhapsody: Queen Live in Budapest 7:30 pm Angelika Dallas



Tuesday
Feb. 4th

300 A Fan Event 6:30 pm AMC Northaprk



Wednesday
Feb. 5th

Endless Love 6:30 pm AMC Northpark, 5:30 pm for Autograph signing
Need for Speed 7:30 pm Cinemark West Plano
The Monuments Men 7:30 pm TBA



Thursday
Feb. 6th

God Is Not Dead 7:30 pm Cinemark West Plano
Vampire Academy 7:30 pm AMC Northpark
Pompeii 7:30 pm AMC Northpark





Friday
Feb. 7th



Saturday
Feb. 8th