Monthly Archives: July 2016

Happy Birthday, Harry and J.K Rowling!

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Hedwig and Harry

Today we celebrate two very special birthdays; Harry James Potter, born in England on July 31, 1980, and the creator of this beloved wizard, J.K Rowling. This gifted writer created a magical world, a wizarding world that changed our culture forever. Following the saga of Harry and his best friends, Ron Weasley and Hermoine Granger, Rowling energized a generation of children to read.

J. K Rowling

I am a Harry Potter head for sure. I celebrated my 60th birthday last year at The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios in Florida. I was also one of the millions who visited Universal upon the inauguration of the “Wizarding World.” I’ve read all of the books 3 times over and love the overarching message of the power of love and friendship in this best-selling series.

Let’s take a little trip down memory lane with our favorite wizards!

Emma Watson (Hermione Granger)

Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter)

Then and Now

Rupert Grint (Ron Weasley)

Then and Now

Original Dumbledore

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Albus Dumbledore

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Michael Gambon

“He Who Shall Not Be Named” aka Voldemort

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Ralph Fiennes

Fight for Harry

Severus Snape

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Alan Rickman

 

Friends and Family

Sirius Black – Gary Oldman
Molly Weasley – Julie Walters
Professor McGonagall – Maggie Smith
Hagrid – Robbie Coltrane
Ginny Weasley – Bonnie Wright
Fred and George Weasley – James & Oliver Phelps
Neville Longbottom – Matthew Lewis

Boo, Hiss!

Tom Felton (Draco Malfoy)
Josh Herdman (Gregory Goyle)
Jason Issacs

Can You Name these Harry Potter Characters?

List of Harry Potter cast members

Happy Birthday, Harry Potter!

 

“How Civilized Are We, really?”

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Turner Classic Movies Big Screen Classics

Planet of the Apes (1968)

TCM’s Classic Movies Series is the perfect opportunity to re-visit or perhaps attend for the first time the theatrical screenings of – “Planet of the Apes”, “Animal House” and “The King and I”.

Each film will include a special TCM-produced commentary by host Ben Mankiewicz who will provide exclusive insights, behind-the-scenes looks and more.

I’m a big proponent of heading to the theater to watch an anticipated movie on the big screen. Even though we have the convenience of DVDs and streaming, nothing beats the experience of sitting in the dark and enjoying a great film with fellow movie lovers.

Planet of the Apes may make you question just how civilized and superior humans really are to our primate relatives. It serves as a metaphor for man’s frailties and social prejudices. It holds up a mirror for people to challenge the idea of humanity.

A science fiction film directed by Franklin J. Schaffner, it stars Charlton Heston, Roddy McDowall, Kim Hunter, Maurice Evans, James Whitmore, James Daly and Linda Harrison. The screenplay by Michael Wilson and Rod Serling was based on the 1963 French novel La Planète des Singes by Pierre Boulle.

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The film tells the story of an astronaut crew who crash-land on a strange planet in the distant future. Although the planet appears desolate at first, the surviving crew members stumble upon a society in which apes have evolved into creatures with human-like intelligence and speech. The apes have assumed the role of the dominant species and humans are mute creatures wearing animal skins.(Wikipedia)

Join Astronaut George Taylor (Charleton Heston) as he attempts to uncover the truth after waking up on a desolate planet and discovering that apes are in control! See the classic that bravely challenged social issues and made people ask the question, “how civilized are we, really?”

 

In Select Cinemas Nationwide 

Get your tickets today!

 

 

Pioneers of Television Special: Robin Williams Remembered | PBS Charlotte

Posted by donnamarie on

robin williams

I love Robin Williams. His talent was beyond compare. I’ve written about his unique gifts in a previous post and how deeply his passing affected me. So, I was very excited to see that PBS is paying tribute tonight at 10pm to this comedic genius.

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This tribute to actor and comedian Robin Williams features one of his last full-length interviews for the Pioneers of Television series, including never-before-seen comments on his life and comedic and dramatic work, as well as tributes to Williams by those who knew and worked with him, and clips from his career.

In 1998, Williams won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance as Dr. Sean Maguire in Good Will Hunting. In addition, Williams was nominated thrice for Best Actor for his performances in Good Morning, Vietnam, Dead Poets Society and The Fisher King. He also received twoPrimetime Emmy Awards, six Golden Globe Awards, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, and four Grammy Awards throughout his career, and was inducted as a Disney Legend in 2009. (Wikipedia)

Join PBS Tuesday, July 19 at 10 PM for a remembrance of one of the pioneers of comedy, Robin Williams.

Make sure to watch!

For a Preview trailer, click on the link below.

http://www.wtvi.org/pioneers-of-television-special-robin-williams-remembered/10276

Most Quotable Films Part Two 👏🎞

Posted by donnamarie on

As I write on my About page, I’ve loved movies ever since I was a kid at the Saturday matinees. When the VCR was developed, I was in heaven. The ability to view my favorite films whenever I wanted was a day I had envisioned since childhood.

This post is Part 2 of Most Quotable Films and features some of my favorite, most notable quotes from my best-loved movies.

My family has a lot of fun reciting movies and my children were raised watching and memorizing movie lines.There are way too many quotable films to name, but here goes:

CaddyShack (1980)

CaddyShack is a raucous joyride of quotes. How could it help be starring Chevy Chase, Rodney Dangerfield, and Bill Murray?  I don’t know how any of the cast could keep a straight face during filming. One of my favorite scenes is in the pool with the candy bar. Not going to give it away so give it a look-see.😂

 

Blazing Saddles (1974)

Starring Gene Wilder, Clevon Little, Harvey Korman, and Madeline Khan, this Mel Brooks film has to be one of the funniest flicks of all time! It offends everyone and in a past post titled “Too Blazing Hot”, I posed the question if this movie could be made today because of its’ incorrectness in practically every scene. However, this satire of western films lasers in on a myriad of stereotypes and folklore. My husband’s favorite scene was the villains around the campfire. After seeing it he insisted on us returning to the theater for what turned out to be an afternoon of non-stop belly laughs. If you haven’t already, make it a point to see this classic.

Young Frankenstein (1974)

Yet another Mel Brooks masterpiece, Young Frankenstein pays homage to the original Frankenstein and its’ sequels. I’m a huge Universal monster fan and was blown away with Brooks’ accuracy in the scenes and references to all the films. Absolute genius!

I’ve only touched on a minuscule number of quotable films. Let me know some of your favorites in the comments!

Most Quotable Films 🎥 🗣

Posted by donnamarie on
“A Few Good Men” (1992)
“Fight Club” (1999)
“The Sixth Sense” (1999)
“Pulp Fiction” (1994)

As I write on my About page, I’ve loved movies ever since I was a kid at the Saturday matinees. When the VCR was developed, I was in heaven. The ability to view my favorite films whenever I wanted was a day I had envisioned since childhood.

I have two children and raised them to be movie junkies, as well. We frequently have conversations laced with film quotes like – “It doesn’t have to be gold” from the Billy Wilder classic, “Some Like it Hot!” or “Do or do not. There is no try.” from the wise Yoda in “Empire Strikes Back”.

This post features some of my favorite, most notable quotes from my best-loved movies. There are way too many to name, but here goes:

The Godfather Trilogy

Trivia: Marlon Brando boycotted the Academy Awards and turned down his Oscar for Best Actor in protest of the treatment of Native Americans in film and on television. Al Pacino also was a no-show for being nominated as Best Supporting Actor and not Best Actor. He had more screen time so didn’t appreciate the slight.

The Princess Bride (1987)

Beloved intergenerational classic in my family. Hilarious and definitely quotable!

“You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.” Inigo Montoya

Some Like it Hot! (1959)

This Jack Lemmon, Tony Curtis, Marilyn Monroe comedy vehicle has always been close to my heart because, for its time, was the most subversive film I’d ever seen. And I mean that in a good way! Cross-dressing, gay marriage, it’s brilliant! In my top 5.

My top-pick ending of all time!

Forrest Gump (1994)

Tom Hanks “made his bones” to quote The Godfather in this remarkable cinematic triumph. Forrest Gump will probably go down as one of the most quotable films of all time! “Mama always said life was like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re gonna get”.

Wizard of Oz (1939)

1939 is considered to be the most amazing year in the motion picture industry for the quality of films and audience attendance. “Gone With the Wind”, “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington” and “The Wizard of Oz”, which is one of the most beloved works of our time. It continues to tug at our heart strings with every generation.

“Some people without brains do an awful lot of talking.” Scarecrow

This group is just a sampling of some of the best. Stay tuned for Part Two of the Most Quotable Films. In the meantime:

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Share some of yours!