Tickets on sale starting today for “Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring” at GR Symphony

Attention “Lord of the Rings” fans!!!   Tickets go on sale today at 10:00am for a special event Friday, October 16, 2009 at DeVos Performance Hall.

Its “Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring” with live orchestral accompaniment!

The full-length movie will be projected above the Grand Rapids symphony’s orchestra and chorus as they perform Howard Shore’s musical score for the film.

The 2001 movie from the celebrated J.R.R. Tolkien story was directed by Peter Jackson, won 4 Oscars (Cinematography, Visual Effects, Makeup, Music-Original Score) and it was nominated for 9 more Oscars (Actor in a Supporting Role – Ian McKellen, Set Decoration, Costume Design, Director, Editing, Music-Original Song, Best Picture, Sound, Screenplay).

The movie is rated PG-13 for epic battle sequences and some scary images.

Runtime: 2 hours and 58 minutes

Cast includes: Elijah Wood, Sean Astin, Ian McKellen, Viggo Mortensen, John Rhys-Davies, Dominic Monaghan, Sean Bean, Billy Boyd, Christopher Lee, Hugo Weaving, Liv Tyler, Cate Blanchett, and Andy Serkis.

For tickets and more information, (more…)

 Powerful storytelling and amazing performances make The Curious Case of Benjamin Button a lock for academy award contention.

Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett lead a great cast of actors that capture their characters so well, you forget you’re watching actors.

The uniqueness of the concept makes the movie very intriguing and there’s also a Forrest Gump (1994) quality about this movie, but its not as uplifting and triumphant.

 “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”

(2008) (rated: PG-13 for brief war violence, sexual content, language and smoking) (2 hrs, 39 min)

Starring: Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett, Taraji P. Henson, Julia Ormond, Jason Flemyng, Mahershalalhashbaz Ali, Tilda Swinton, Jared Harris

Director: David Fincher – Zodiac (2007), Panic Room (2002), Fight Club (1999), Se7en (1995), Alien 3 (1992)

Genre: Drama/Fantasy/Romance

The Plot: Tells the story of Benjamin Button, a man who starts aging backwards with bizarre consequences.

MY TAKE: This is clearly one of the best movies of 2008 with a great concept (aging backwards), great cast, great story, great makeup and costumes.

Pitt and Blanchett are great in their roles as their characters age in opposite directions, while keeping the personality and voice throughout.   The rest of the cast is superb with characters that are well rounded with depth regardless of their screentime.

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(RE-POSTING FROM 5/23/08)

Indiana Jones 4: a shocking disappointment
 

Yes, I hate to say it, but “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” was a sucker punch to the stomach of *this* eager fan of the franchise.     I am a huge fan of “Indiana Jones”… its 2nd only to “Star Wars” as a favorite franchise… these are the movies that got me excited about going to the theater when I was a kid… but this leaves a sour taste in my movie-going stomach.

Don’t get me wrong… all the elements were there: the typical edge of your seat action, good versus evil, gags, fighting, heroes in peril, one liners, a little romance… it was a fun adventure… the whole franchise is…

((… and I was disappointed by the way they explain what the crystal skull was.. and they way they explained it… why? why? why? did they have to do it that way? it unravels all the little flaws I had accepted earlier in the movie… at one point in the end sequence I wasn’t sure if I was watching Indiana Jones or “A.I.” ))