Dom Cobb (DiCaprio) is a thief who specializes in the art of extraction, the stealing of secrets from a target's subconscious. Though his profession cost him everything he has ever loved and has turned him into a fugitive, an offer for a final job -- one that requires him to plant an idea instead of pilfering it -- could be his chance at redemption.
Buzz:
Our founder has already called this "the movie of the decade".
When CIA officer Evelyn Salt (Jolie) is accused of being a spy by a Russian defector, she goes on the run, putting all of her experience and skills to use to elude capture, learn the truth of her identity, and hopefully clear her name.
Buzz:
With Angelina Jolie in front of the camera and sensitive guy Phillip Noyce behind it, I have to stop and recall the point in time when this movie was almost made by Tom Cruise and director Michael Mann. We're thinking this could be the best one-off spy story since The Long Kiss Goodnight (a 90's fave), and the real-life outing of Russian spies in the U.S. couldn't have been more timely! Did you see Angelina in the newest issue of Vanity Fair? She (still) has it.
A trio of orphan girls cause the normally deplorable Gru to rethink his plan to steal the moon.
Buzz:
Universal is still looking for its first animated hit, and we think its gutsy for them to push an original story out into the summer's box-office waters. Initially annoying, Gru and those orphan girls have grown on us (the minions? um, no.), and we're hoping that families, still smiling from Toy Story 3, will be attracted to this tale.
Master sorcerer Balthazar Black (Cage) recruits a seemingly everyday guy (Baruchel) in his mission to defend New York City from his arch-nemesis, Maxim Horvath (Molina).
Buzz:
Everyone's harping on Nic Cage's hair, his financial woes, and how 2010 seems to be his Dungeons & Dragons year. If National Treasure mastermind Jon Turteltaub were not behind this project, I'd have serious doubts about its chances; as it stands, I semi-seriously hope it's a surprise blockbuster -- maybe it'll even earn a sequel? I feel like parents and kids alike could entertained by the story and visuals. Strange how Monica Bellucci's presence is being played down ...
Woody (Hanks), Buzz (Allen), and the rest of their toy-box friends are dumped in a day-care center after their owner, Andy, departs for college.
Buzz:
Easily one of the biggest movies of 2010, the secret weapon here is screenwriter Michael Arndt, who wrote Little Miss Sunshine; his sentimentality is evident in the trailer, which causes Rex-sized lumps in our throat.
When grade-schooler Ramona Quimby (King) senses that her family's home is danger, she uses her boundless energy and enthusiasm to save the day.
Buzz:
A special-effects free family movie is a rare thing these days, although today's parents are probably more familiar with the name Beverly Cleary than their kids? I could be wrong there. Fox-Walden probably shelled out a bit in casting Disney Channel star Selena Gomez, but she's a good face for the marketing campaign as Ramona's long suffering older sister, Beezus. (Also, Ms. Gomez cost way less than Miley Cyrus, who was first approached for the role.)
After their high school basketball coach passes away, five good friends and former teammates reunite for a Fourth of July holiday weekend.
Buzz:
Adam Sandler didn't have much luck with Judd Apatow, but his success with director Dennis Dugan is nearly unparalleled. Together, with plenty of their famous, lovable friends and colleagues in tow (and Rob Schneider) they appear to be channeling 80s-era family comedy and trafficking in the getting-older themes of which Sandler has become so fond. Meanwhile, is Kevin James, in Chris Farley mode, the real draw here?
Bella Swan (Stewart) oscillates between vampire Edward Cullen, who wants Bella's hand in marriage, and werewolf Jacob Black, who has just declared his love for her. Meanwhile, the Cullens and the Quileute werewolves unite to stop an army of powerful vampires from seeking their revenge on Bella.
Buzz:
Call this third chapter the guy-friendly saga since the story provides both supernatural reveals and borderline epic action. Goth parents should revel in Peter Murphy's cameo, and newcomers should feel welcomed by the amount of back story built into the events here. Since Eclipse the book really pushed Stephenie Meyer's work into the spotlight, is it fair to say this movie might improve on New Moon's phenomenal success? The Fourth of July weekend berth should help in this matter.
Aang (Ringer), a young successor to a long line of Avatars, learns that he possesses the power to engage the Fire Nation and hopefully end their century-long war against the Water, Earth, and Air nations.
Buzz:
Regardless of the range of opinions on (1) M. Night Shyamalan's career trajectory and (2) the project's "racebending" controversy, TLAs trailers contain some of the best money shots of the year thus far. The springtime announcement that the movie will be converted into 3D was no surprise, but also entirely welcome. We're unsure exactly how big it will be in the U.S., though this is more worldwide entertainment -- the beginning of a potential trilogy and a renaissance for Shyamalan, who is attached to develop the other two films if all is a go.
A group of elite warriors are hunted by members of a merciless alien race.
Buzz:
When it comes to competing franchises, Predator is way less enduring than Alien, wouldn't you agree? Maybe that's why this reboot doesn't make me red-hot angry as much as Fox's planned Alien prequel. The cast is lean (hopefully Splice will be seen by the naysayers who think Adrien Brody isn't tough enough for the genre), and you really could ask for a much worse director/producer combo than Nimrod Antal and Robert Rodriguez. Truthfully, doesn't it just come down to how cool the creatures look?
By the time the women took their places on stage,
audience anticipation for their organic a cappella renderings had
reached a fevered, if slightly subdued, pitch.
When Sweet Honey in the Rock began harmonizing and storytelling nearly 30 minutes after the scheduled time, the group quickly lured a patient crowd under their spell with a show that was at times educational, often entertaining, and always inspirational.
Although none of the women possesses powerhouse vocals, their voices together create a uniquely beautiful sound encompassing clear, pitch-perfect melodies with substantive, socially relevant lyrics. Adding to their earthy sound are several hand-held instruments such as the shakere, a handheld African percussion device, as well as rhythm sticks and egg shakers.
The six-member group, referred to as “a national treasure” by First Lady Michelle Obama, performed to a nearly sold-out crowd on Dec. 12 at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County.
Aisha Kahlil, her sister, Nitanju Bolande Casel, Carol Maillard, Louise Robinson, Ysaye M. Barnwell and Shirley Childress Saxton comprise the group. Saxton provides sign language interpretations of the group’s performances.
The a cappella ensemble was founded in 1973 at the D.C. Black Repertory Theater Company, and has been wowing audiences the world over with a repertoire founded in spiritual and gospel music (there is a difference); and includes the rich, empowering messages of the civil rights movement, plus entreaties for people to respect each other and Mother Earth.
Indeed, one of the selections performed by the Grammy-nominated ensemble celebrated the sacrifices made by Floridian Harry T. Moore.
As the organizer of Florida’s NAACP during the late 1940s, Moore was responsible for registering more blacks to vote in the state than in all other southern states combined. He and his wife, Harriett, were killed in their home on Christmas Day in 1951 by a bomb planted on Christmas Eve.
“No bomb can kill the dreams I hold for freedom never dies,” are some of the lyrics to “Freedom Never Dies,” that are made even more poignant because of who wrote them, poet and author Langston Hughes.
Local spoken word artist Rebecca “Butterfly” Vaughns, also attended.
“Like is an understatement,” she said when asked to share her feelings about the performance.
“I’m still on cloud nine,” she said of the show that found her “making sounds and beats on her thighs” in concert with the group’s rhythms. “I’ve always viewed a cappella as true talent,” she said, because of artists’ inability to hide behind the music.
While steeped solidly in the African-American experience, the content of the group’s selections evoked strong spirituality, as well as environmentally conscious sentiments from members of the audience.
The group sang of a West African woman’s challenges to have a child after difficulty conceiving. Once the child is born, the song says, the family realizes that the prayers cannot stop because the child deserves a fulfilling life.
Another selection encouraged the young and “young at heart” to “listen to the still small voice [within]…and do what the spirit say.”
In differentiating between a “spiritual” and “gospel music,” Barnwell explained that spirituals represent a vast body of songs created by Africans with a number of themes, including life and death, and are inclusive of remnants of other religions, such as Buddhism and Islam.
Gospel music, she explained, is a “20th century phenomenon that is an evolution from blues and jazz.” Of gospel’s ever-evolving format, she said, “every generation brings their secular sound into the sacred setting.”
My 16-year-old daughter accompanied me to the show. Her reactions ranged from hand-clapping and joyous smiles, to grabbing a quick snooze, to brief snickering when Kahlil launched into unanticipated earthy howls at the beginning of “The Soul of Nature,” a song of praise for Mother Earth.
While not blown away by the individual vocals, I was thoroughly entertained by Sweet Honey’s beautifully engaging stage presence. I enjoyed their smooth, almost effortless harmonies and their authentic renderings of rich African folklore, along with the profound, often ignored philosophies of this country’s civil rights movement, through song and storytelling.
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