Columbia Screening Pass-palooza: “The Nut Job 2: Nutty by Nature”!

Posted on July 31, 2017 by Denise

As we gear up for Back-to-School (ALREADY???), why not grab the little ones and head to a screening?  I’ve got something particularly squirrely…The Nut Job 2: Nutty by Nature.  Synopsis!

Surly Squirrel (Will Arnett) and the gang are back. We are once again in Oakton where the evil mayor has decided to bulldoze Liberty Park and build a dangerous amusement park in its place. Surly and his ragtag group of animal friends band together to save their home, defeat the mayor, and take back the park. NUT JOB 2 also features the voice talent of Katherine Heigl (The Nut Job), Jackie Chan (Kung Fu Panda 3), Peter Stormare (Penguins of Madagascar), Bobby Cannavale (Ant-Man), Isabela Moner (Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life), and Maya Rudolph (The Angry Birds Movie). THE NUT JOB 2: NUTTY BY NATURE releases in theaters nationwide on August 11.

Are you just a squirrel trying to get a nut?  Move your butt!

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Con News: Balitmore Comic-Con welcomes Harry Potter artist Kazu Kibuishi!

Posted on July 31, 2017 by Denise

Well, BCC is at it again; this time they’re adding creator/artist Kazu Kibuishi to their Kids Love Comics Pavillion!  Those amazing new Harry Potter covers?  HIM.  And those new covers are able to stand side-by-side with the amazing work Mary GrandPré did on the original books.  I love his use of shadow!

But he’s just one of the many cool cats coming to the Kids Love Comics Pavillion this year.  And I’m not just saying that because I know that Chris Flick is an awesome (and talented) dude…but hey, who doesn’t love an artist who can draw the [RADIO EDIT] out of some werewolves? A-OOOOO!

Read on for all the Holy Cow This Is Amazing info, and see you at BCC!

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Elsewhere Review: Stephen King and Richard Chizmar’s Gwendy’s Button Box

Posted on July 30, 2017 by Denise
Read the original piece HERE at Green Man Review!

My mom had a button box. I used to paw through it, looking for shiny mother-of-pearl, and iridescent bits of abalone. When I got older, that button box became mine (though it’s more a button mason jar now), but I still love it. There’s a few non-button items in there now; a small dreidel from a friend’s holiday party years ago, a spider ring from a forgotten Halloween, and some beach stones I’ve never been able to part with. But Gwendy Peterson has a different kind of button box. And let’s just say that it’s a long way away from anything I’ve got lying around.  Thank goodness for that.

King and Chizmar have fashioned a tale that’s as easy to read as anything King has written; that man is an expert storyteller, and his superb talent is in full effect here.  Sadly, I’ve never read anything by Chizmar, but after Box, that’ll definitely change.  Because their tale of 12-year-old Gwendy, a chubby kid who’s just trying to get herself healthy (and let’s face it, stop the teasing her heartless/clueless classmates dump on her), is a delightful slow burn of disquiet and dread.
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Baltimore Screening Pass-palooza: “The Glass Castle”!

Posted on July 25, 2017 by Denise

Ooh, a glass castle sounds pretty!  But I’m sure folks would see way too much of me than anyone in their right mind would be comfortable with…so why don’t we just focus on the film The Glass Castle, shall we? Synopsis!

Chronicling the adventures of an eccentric, resilient and tight-knit family, THE GLASS CASTLE is a remarkable story of unconditional love. Oscar® winner Brie Larson brings Jeannette Walls’s best-selling memoir to life as a young woman who, influenced by the joyfully wild nature of her deeply dysfunctional father (Woody Harrelson), found the fiery determination to carve out a successful life on her own terms.

Family!  Unconditional love!  Brie Larson!  Woody Harrelson!  C’mon!

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From NPR: Feeling ‘Young, Scrappy And Hungry’? Have A ‘Hamilton’-Inspired Meal

Posted on July 24, 2017 by Denise

Because food + Hamilton = amazeballs. 

“There’s nothing like a fandom to encourage innovation, and the devotees of the Broadway hit Hamilton: An American Musical are no exception — whether they’ve actually seen the show in person or have memorized every lyric of the 46 songs on the soundtrack album. So it was only a matter of time before enthusiastic fans were going to search out culinary tributes to their most treasured folk hero…. 

You’ll find plenty of suggested menus on Ye Olde Internet, from “Aaron Burr-gers” to “Hercules Mulliga-tawny Soup” — and who wouldn’t want a trio of Schuyler Sisters cakes adapted from classic Barbie Doll cake recipes?

Of course, if you’re a purist — and Hamilton would love a purist — then history has its eyes on you.”

http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2017/07/24/538393424/feeling-young-scrappy-and-hungry-have-a-hamilton-inspired-meal?utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=news

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Baltimore Screening Pass-palooza: “Kidnap”!

Posted on July 24, 2017 by Denise

Halle Berry is gearing up to save her son…and I’m gearing up to give you passes to see her do it.  In the movie Kidnap, that is.  Synopsis!

A typical afternoon in the park turns into a nightmare for single mom Karla Dyson (Academy Award winner Halle Berry) when her son suddenly disappears. Without a cell phone and knowing she has no time to wait for police help, Karla jumps in her own car and sets off in pursuit of the kidnappers. A relentless, edge-of-your seat chase ensues, where Karla must risk everything to not lose sight of her son. In this tense, action-fueled thriller, directed by Luis Prieto and from the producers of SALT and TRANSFORMERS, one mother’s heroic attempt to take back her son leads her to ask herself how far she will go to save her child.

Ready to take an adrenaline ride?  C’mon! Continue reading →

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Pony News: #BronyCon #BronyPalooza schedule announced! 

Posted on July 21, 2017 by Denise

It’s almost time, mah ponies! Time for another glorious weekend of brohoofs, sing-alongs, and general awesomeness! That’s right, BronyCon is coming!

And since we’re close to The Weekend, BronyCon has released the full schedule for BronyPalooza 2017!

Personally, they all sound terrific… But I really can’t wait to hear Michelle Creber & Black Gryph0n Saturday night! Read on for the full list of fun! FUN!

Keep on reading!

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“Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets” – beautiful, messy

Posted on July 21, 2017 by Denise

Nutshell: Dazzling, beautiful, uneven.  The lightning-in-a-bottle that was Besson’s The Fifth Element doesn’t strike twice here, even though the visuals and world-building magic is definitely present and accounted for.  It’s as if with Valerian, Besson focused more on the universe he was creating, rather than the characters that were meant to live in it and what they’re supposed to achieve. Which makes it a beautiful, fascinating, mess. Grade: C+

“I’m not asking you to die for me. I’m asking you to trust me.”

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TrailerWatch: Fassbender and Ferguson hunt “The Snowman”

Posted on July 20, 2017 by Denise

“The only thing we know for sure, is that he’s playing games with us.”

Can I say that a thriller titled The Snowman looks…chilling?  Because it does.  Synopsis!

When an elite crime squad’s lead detective (Michael Fassbender) investigates the disappearance of a victim on the first snow of winter, he fears an elusive serial killer may be active again. With the help of a brilliant recruit (Rebecca Ferguson), the cop must connect decades-old cold cases to the brutal new one if he hopes to outwit this unthinkable evil before the next snowfall.

Fassbender and Ferguson are a draw, but there’s even more to the cast than that. J.K. Simmons, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Toby Jones, Chloë Sevigny…

If you’re looking for a thriller to cool you down at the beach, maybe the book this movie is based on would fit the bill? I’m adding it to my queue. The Snowman rolls into theaters October 20, 2017.

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Baltimore Screening Pass-palooza: “Detroit”!

Posted on July 20, 2017 by Denise

It’s really hot outside.  So why not head into the air-conditioning, and learn a little something while you’re at it?  I’ve got passes to Detroit, a film based on the 1967 Detroit/12th Street Riots.  Synopsis!

From the Academy Award winning director of THE HURT LOCKER and ZERO DARK THIRTY, DETROIT tells the gripping story of one of the most terrifying moments during the civil unrest that rocked Detroit in the summer of ’67.

I loved Kathryn Bigelow’s Zero Dark Thirty and The Hurt Locker, and I expect the same sort of gritty realism here. (In fact, the trailer is absolutely gripping.) Ready to get your historical drama on?  Well, let’s do this!

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