CinemaDave

The 40th President would be 99 today, he will live forever in history.
This is a sample of why Reagan was a great leader.

Some actors you grow up with through the years and these actors seem to be around forever. James Garner always seemed to have been on some television show ("8 Simple Rules for Dating My Daughter," "The Rockford Files,") and was a reliable leading man on the big screen (**Victor/Victoria**, "The Great Escape"). Gena Rowlands made serious dramas ("Women Under the Influence") and as of late, this actress has added dramatic panache to seemingly lightweight movies like "Hope Floats" and "Paulie." It is this audience identification that gives "The Notebook" an emotional punch to the many generations of moviegoers.

Based on best selling Nicholas Sparks’ novel of the same name, "The Notebook" opens with an older man (James Garner) visiting an older women (Gena Rowlands) in an assistive living facility. She has been diagnosed with dementia. As part of her memory therapy, the old man reads a story from a notebook about Allie (Rachel MacAdams) and Noah (Ryan Gossling), two teenagers in rural South Carolina.

Allie is the sparkfire daughter from wealth and priledge. Noah is a hardworking carpenter with big dreams of success. After a romantic evening in an old mansion, Allie is taken back to Charleston by her mother (Joan Allen); so that Allie can date men of wealth and stature. Noah writes her for 365 days, but he does not receive a response from Allie. World War II breaks out and Noah joins Patton’s assault on Berlin. Allie becomes a nurse and meets the man of her mother’s dreams, the wealthy man about town, Lon (James Marsden).

The narrative flashes back and forth between the older couple and the young lovers with vibrancy. You wait for both sets of actors when the other pair is not onscreen. Audience members, who have not read the book, will wonder what the connection is between these couples.

One behind the scenes connection involves Gena Rowlands and her son, **The Notebook** Director Nick Cassavetes. Cassavettes has created a beautiful film that should serve as a tourist guide to South Carolina. One beautiful sequence involves a canoe trip down a swamp with birds and lily pads that recalls the paintings of Monet.

Cassavetes directs his ensemble of actors with dignity and intimacy. Rachel MacAdams gives a spunky and likeable performance as the tom boy Allie. Given that her last role was that of Lindsay Lohan’s chief rival in **Mean Girls,** MacAdams is showing herself to be a versatile actress. Gossling and Marsden are likeable rivals for Allie’s affection. Joan Allen could have portrayed Allie’s mother as a wicked stepmother, but fortunately reveals the character’s depth of her decisions. Rowlands and Garner strike the perfect notes for the swansong performance of their careers.

Odd as this may sound, both **The Notebook** and **Spider-Man 2** have much in common with regards to the romance department. Both movies feature leading characters that love each other, but face obstacles that intrude on their relationships. Withstanding the trials of time, each couple grows closer to each other with each challenge. Given the 3 week marriage and divorce cycle of Hollywood marriages, it is amazing that the motion picture industry knows how to make a movie like **The Notebook** any more.

From generation to generation, comedy becomes a classic is when it is true. Comedy endures when it challenges the conventions of society. A comedy fails when it crosses the line and becomes mean spirited. One would think that a movie about corporate layoffs ("Up in the Air") and a stage play about trailer park living (The Great American Trailer Park Musical") would become snobbish, instead both comedies illuminate the human condition.

With "Up in the Air," Director Jason Reitman confronts the horror of being fired, yet by end of the movie (listen to the closing credits of this movie), one realizes that being fired is not really about about death and dying, but rebirth.

There is no rebirth in Starke, Florida, the city where the state executes convicted murderers. However there is a fictional trailer park called Armadillo Acres that houses every Florida Cracker stereotype; Norbert the tradesman (Stephen C. Anthony), his agoraphobic wife Jeanine (Margot Moreland) and his siren next door, Pippi (Kelly Atkins). "The Great American Trailer Park Musical" celebrates a niche in society that has more in common with "Hee Haw" and "Petticoat Junction" than it does the high society of Palm Beach and Coral Gables.

One has to drive to the Actor's Playhouse at the Miracle Theatre to see this live show, but it is worth the trek. With an original musical score, "The Great American Trailer Park Musical" has a touch of bluegrass, blues and an outrageous disco number involving hurricanes. The supporting cast, most notably Gwen Hollander and Meghan Coleen Moroney as the trailer park Greek Chorus, keep energy level high.

"The Great American Trailer Park Musical" is pure fun and succeeds by exposing the ticket buyer to a life beyond the stereotype. (For tickets, contact Actors' Playhouse Box Office: (305) 444-9293.)

Thanks to the Washington Post for this information;
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/01/28/AR2010012800054.html

Thursday, January 28, 2010

At 71 minutes, President Obama's State of the Union address Wednesday ranks among the longest such speeches in the past 45 years. These are the longest State of the Union addresses:

2000 (Clinton): 89 minutes

1995 (Clinton): 85 minutes

1998 (Clinton): 78 minutes

1998 (Clinton): 76 minutes

1967 (Johnson): 71 minutes

2010 (Obama): 71 minutes

Source: The American Presidency Project, University of California at Santa Barbara

...and when the visit from the House of Cousin Frankie concluded, Aunt Anne received a foot stool from the woodshed.

A flashback from the 1970s!

Cousin Lucille explains taxidermy;

Cousin Frankie in the garden...

and discusses the first crop of the season.

Cousin Frankie's concern for bird habitation;

Uncle Paul and Cousin Frankie say "Hi" to Uncle Jim, with some assistance from Cousin Lucille.

A montage of projects for the woodshed,
boat building....



..a transplanted fire hydrant....


....another establishing shot of the woodshed....



....and the backyard.

Cousin Frankie shows Uncle Paul his train set.

The establishment shot.

Uncle Paul and Cousin Frankie discuss wood working in his wood shed.

"HOPE FOR HAITI NOW: A GLOBAL BENEFIT FOR EARTHQUAKE RELIEF"

ANNOUNCES LINEUP OF SUPERSTAR MUSICAL PERFORMANCES

Wyclef Jean, Bruce Springsteen, Jennifer Hudson, Mary J. Blige, Shakira, and Sting
Will Appear in New York City;

Alicia Keys, Christina Aguilera, Dave Matthews, John Legend,
Justin Timberlake, Stevie Wonder, Taylor Swift,
and a Group Performance by Keith Urban, Kid Rock, and Sheryl Crow in Los Angeles;

Coldplay, and a Group Performance by Bono, The Edge, Jay-Z, and Rihanna in London

All Performances to be Available for Purchase from Apple® iTunes® Store
with Proceeds Benefiting Select Haiti Relief Funds

More than One Hundred of the Biggest Names in Film, Television, and Music
to Appear on "Hope for Haiti Now," Along with Wyclef Jean in New York City,
George Clooney in Los Angeles, and CNN's Anderson Cooper in Haiti

Additional Television, Online, and Mobile Partners Make "Hope for Haiti Now"
the Most Widely Distributed Global Telethon in History

NEW YORK, NY; LOS ANGELES, CA; and LONDON, ENGLAND (JANUARY 19, 2010) -- "Hope for Haiti Now: A Global Benefit for Earthquake Relief," today announced its lineup of superstar musical performances. The global telethon will feature performances by Wyclef Jean, Bruce Springsteen, Jennifer Hudson, Mary J. Blige, Shakira, and Sting in New York City; Alicia Keys, Christina Aguilera, Dave Matthews, John Legend, Justin Timberlake, Stevie Wonder, Taylor Swift and a group performance by Keith Urban, Kid Rock, and Sheryl Crow in Los Angeles; and Coldplay, and a group performance by Bono, The Edge, Jay-Z, and Rihanna in a newly added London location. All musical performances will be available for purchase for $.99 per song through the Apple® iTunes® Store beginning Saturday, January 23, with all proceeds benefiting Haiti relief funds managed by "Hope for Haiti Now" charities.

In addition to musical performances, Wyclef Jean in New York City, George Clooney in Los Angeles, and CNN's Anderson Cooper reporting from Haiti, "Hope for Haiti Now" will feature more than one hundred of the biggest names in film, television, and music supporting the cause with testimonials and by answering phones during the telethon.

The Clinton Bush Haiti Fund and United Nations World Food Programme have joined the list of relief organizations that will benefit from "Hope for Haiti Now," which also includes Oxfam America, Partners in Health, the Red Cross, UNICEF, and Yele Haiti Foundation. Proceeds from "Hope for Haiti Now" will be split evenly among each organization's individual funds for Haiti earthquake relief.

"Hope for Haiti Now" will be the most widely distributed telethon in history, both internationally and across media platforms. The two-hour telethon will air on ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, CNN, BET, The CW, HBO, MTV, VH1, and CMT on Friday, January 22, 2010 at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT and 7:00 p.m. CT. "Hope for Haiti Now" will also air on newly added networks including PBS, TNT, Showtime, COMEDY CENTRAL, Bravo, E! Entertainment, National Geographic Channel, Oxygen, G4, CENTRIC, Current TV, Fuse, MLB Network, EPIX, Palladia, SoapNet, Style, Discovery Health, Planet Green, and Canadian networks including CBC Television, CTV, Global Television, and MuchMusic. The event will be live streamed online globally across sites including YouTube, Hulu, MySpace, Fancast, AOL, MSN.com, Yahoo, Bing.com, BET.com, CNN.com, MTV.com, VH1.com, and Rhapsody and on mobile via Alltel, AT&T, Sprint, Verizon, and FloTV. "Hope for Haiti Now" will also air internationally on BET International, CNN International, National Geographic, and MTV Networks International, which is available in 640 million homes worldwide. "Hope for Haiti Now" will be the first U.S.-based telethon airing on MTV in China. Facebook and Twitter have signed on as official social media partners to help drive donations and tune-in to the telethon.

Based on production needs and venue sizes, all "Hope for Haiti Now" studio locations will be closed to the media. Photos, pool video footage and talent interviews from "Hope for Haiti Now" will be serviced to news outlets immediately following the event.

"Hope for Haiti Now" is produced by Joel Gallen and Tenth Planet Productions, in collaboration with Viacom's MTV Networks and George Clooney.

About MTV Networks

MTV Networks, a division of Viacom (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), is one of the world's leading creators of entertainment content, with brands that engage and connect diverse audiences across television, online, mobile, games, virtual worlds and consumer products. The company's portfolio spans more than 150 television channels and 400 digital media properties worldwide, and includes MTV, VH1, CMT, Logo, Harmonix, Nickelodeon, Nick at Nite, Nick Jr., TeenNick, AddictingGames, Neopets, COMEDY CENTRAL, SPIKE, TV Land, Atom, GameTrailers, and Xfire.

When I began the concept of “Literary Cinema” programming,
I asked one of my female colleagues to recommend a title for February to celebrate Valentine’s Day. Without hesitation, she quickly suggested “Love Story” and spoke enthusiastically about the title. With some trepidation, I chose the title.

I met ridicule from “cinema insiders.” As I researched the film, I learned that “Love Story” IS the film on Harvard University that incoming freshmen mocked as part of their imitation. Feeling foolish, I sought to at least give the attendees a good lecture.

It turns out that Erich Seagal, the author of “Love Story,” had a very interesting career. He was a scholar of Greek Literature and was the screenwriter for the Beatles cartoon, “Yellow Submarine.” Apparently Professor Segal felt embarrassed by the success of his novel and was shunned by his faculty.

Taken as a time capsule, one can look at “”Love Story” as a historical documentary of 1970. The music of Frances Lai used to play on AM Radio frequently in the 1970s. Combined with the musical score, the cinematography was gorgeous and created
visual poetry.

The results, the audience wept like a baby. I provided Kleenex and my gang of 20 little old ladies used half a box. This group said that they enjoyed this movie like they did 35 years earlier. It was a golden moment for me when one of the participants mentioned that she was a student of Erich Segal. She confirmed his embarrassment over the success of this movie.

This was an important lesson for me.
Despite the cornball nature of this film, people enjoyed “Love Story” for it’s pure emotion and simple story telling. Also, I had forgotten that Ali McGraw had a potty mouth. The dialog consisted with alternative forms of the expression, “bull doody!” I was worried about complaints. The complaints never happened and I began to think for the first time about more mature titles for future “Literary Cinemas.”

As his dad, Ivan Reitman, prepares to direct his sequel, "Ghostbusters 3," Jason Reitman has developed an impressive resume. Having been honored by the Palm Beach International Film Festival and Oscar nominated for "Juno," Jason is currently earning kudos for his work with George Clooney with "Up in the Air."

After his portrayal in the title role of "Chaplin," Robert Downey Jr. was acclaimed as the best actor of the new generation. Sadly, the actor became better known for his visits to rehab, rather than for his performances. Now enjoying his box office success for the "Iron Man" franchise and Golden Globe acclaim for "Sherlock Holmes," He earned his renaissance by hard work, since "Chaplin," Downey has participated in over 50 motion pictures since 1992.

Downey gives a textbook performance as "Sherlock Holmes." While not pushing Rasil Rathbone's iconic image out of the spotlight, Downey does capture Rathbone's vocal cadence. Downey does not look the part, but he certainly creates an original interpretation. Downey's Sherlock Holmes is a victim of being consistently the smartest man in the room.

No longer having the burden of being married to Madonna, Guy Ritchie has directed his best movie, finally revealing his potential since his British flicks, "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels" and "Snatch."

No matter what happens, Jim Carrey will be a year older than me.