2018 Top 10 Television

Here's my 2018 Top 10 Television List.

1. Castle Rock (Hulu)
2. EastEnders (BBC)
3. Will & Grace (Revival)
4. The Christmas Chronicles (Netflix)
5. The Ranch (Netflix)
6. Days of Our Lives
7. Roseanne (Revival)
8. Mrs. Brown's Boys (BBC)
9. Grace & Frankie (Netflix)
10. Alex, Inc. (ABC)

2018 Top 10 Theatre

Here is my 2018 Top 10 Theatre List.

1. Angels In America (An Other Theater Company-Provo)
2. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (An Other Theater Company-Provo)
3. Let The Right One In (An Other Theater Company-Provo)
4. Cabaret (Utah Valley University)
5. Annie (Hale Center Theater-Orem)
6. Six Characters in Search Of An Author (An Other Theater Company-Provo)
7. How I Learned to Drive (An Other Theater Company-Provo)
8. Next Fall (An Other Theater Company-Provo)
9. Holiday Inn (Broadway HD)
10. Gypsy (Broadway HD)

2018 Top 10 Films

Here is my 2018 Top 10 Films List.

1. Mary Poppins Returns
2. Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald
3. A Star is Born
4. Halloween
5. Call Me By Your Name
6. Black Panther
7. Avengers: Infinity War
8. Solo: A Star Wars Story
9. The Incredibles 2
10. Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again

Mary Poppins Returns

Thank you Rob Marshall for bringing us back to the golden age of Disney! Thank you for bringing this world a piece of brilliant film making that is so desperately needed at this time in our nation! We need optimism, hope, family, and entertainment that can take us out of our worries for a few hours and at the same time bring us hope for the future. That is what you have brought to the world with "Mary Poppins Returns."

To be able to sit in a crowded movie theater and to see adults and children alike laugh and cry together, children singing songs as they leave the theater, was pure pure magic! This beautiful film brought me back to the joys of my childhood and brought back such happy memories of those golden age Disney films that brought me such joy as a child! Thank you Marc Shaiman for one incredible score and memorable songs, particularly the final song, who's message is so sorely needed today!

Click here for IMDB Trivia about the Film

Emily Blunt, you were so so beautiful and exquisite as Mary Poppins. Reading the trivia on IMDB it was so heartwarming to read that Julie Andrews herself approved and gave her blessing to the casting of this remarkable talent! Every time the camera caught your eyes you made me cry. You were so lovely in the role and I can't think of anyone else playing this role other than Julie Andrews herself.

Lin-Manuel Miranda, you lit up the screen with that charming smile and your wonderful personality. You took an original role and created such a wonderful character and in your usual manner, brought us into the story from the beginning and kept us there! Ben Whishaw, you broke my heart as the adult Michael. You played this role with such vulnerability and sensitivity! I was rooting for you from the beginning. The beautiful Emily Mortimer as the adult Jane Banks, as always, lit up the screen with such beauty and poise! You captured the heart of this character so well and brought her into adulthood with such grace! Pixie Davies, Nathaniel Saleh & Joel Dawson you all lit up the screen with such innocence and pure joy as the Banks children. Thank you all for reminding us all of the joy of being a kid again! Julie Walters, you were pure joy as always as the wonderful Banks housekeeper, Ellen; Colin Firth, Meryl Streep, Angela Lansbury, and the incomparable Dick Van Dyke, you were all wonderful to see on the big screen once again! And thank you so much to the wonderful David Warner for your awesome performance as Admiral Boom; you can't have Mary Poppins without Admiral Boom!

This wonderful film was pure joy from beginning to end! Thank you Disney for allowing Rob Marshall to have his vision come to life on the big screen! Don't miss this wonderful film!!

Holiday Baggage

I stumbled upon this beautiful and touching film yesterday while searching Netflix for something to watch. I absolutely fell in love with this film from the very beginning. I didn't even know this film existed until yesterday.

I adore Cheryl Ladd and Barry Bostwick who play Pete and Sarah Murphy, Pete a retired pilot and Sarah a heart surgeon at a Chicago hospital who meet to sign divorce papers in a restaurant and sudden circumstances leave Pete stuck in Chicago for Christmas when he planned to be getting married in the Bahamas to his new "young" girlfriend. Needless to say what happens next is a beautiful holiday story of love, family, and the importance of sticking together as a family no matter what the circumstances.

The entire ensemble cast is incredible and I highly recommend this film for the holidays!

Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald

I have been waiting to finally have the opportunity to see the highly anticipated next chapter in J.K. Rowling's Fantastic Beasts film saga and I was not disappointed in the least! Wow, what a film! J.K. Rowling has tied the Harry Potter series quite neatly into this prequel saga about the battle between the Wizarding World and the Muggle World not only throughout Europe but the United States as well. She has ingeniously expanded the Wizarding World quite cleverly and this installment was packed with thrills galore and excitement abounds throughout this entire film! I couldn't take my eyes off the screen.

Once again Eddie Redmayne touched my heart as Newt and delivered another fine performance as the wonderful under appreciated hero of this saga and alongside the wonderful Jude Law as a young Dumbledore. attempts to save the Wizarding and Muggle worlds from the evil Grindelwald, played to perfection by Johnny Depp. The entire ensemble deliver excellent performances all around and I am so excited to see where J.K. Rowling takes us next! Don't miss this exciting film!

The Birdcage

I sat down and re-watched one of my all-time favorite comedies and Robin Williams film and laughed my ass off! I adore this film and it still holds up against the test of time. Even now with more freedoms including marriage for the LGBTQ community, this story is still relevant today. We still have anti-LGBTQ politicians in office and particularly, our Trans-Gendered family members are still facing so many challenges and life-threatening situations each and every day and we still as a community are facing challenges all over America and the world at large.

This wonderfully touching and funny film is based on the original French Film, "La Cage Aux Folles," which because a musical by Arthur Laurents, Harvey Fierstein and Jerry Herman back in the 80's which was groundbreaking, even for Broadway and I remember seeing it at the Palace theater after I graduated from high school on my very first trip to NYC. Robin Williams and Nathan Lane play a gay couple, Albert (Lane) and Armand (Williams) who's son has come home from college to tell them that he is getting married to the daughter of an ultra-conservative politician (Gene Hackman). The hilarity ensues when the in-laws come over to dinner!

I adore this film and despite the stereotypes, which are based in reality, it remains a true champion of our community and shows that we all want the same thing, love, family, acceptance and understanding. If you haven't seen this film, what is wrong with you? Get a copy, sit down, and prepare to laugh your ass off the way I did!

Love Actually

Day 15 of my Holiday film fest.

I remember seeing this wonderful holiday themed romantic comedy anthology classic on the big screen back in November of 2003 and instantly falling in love with it! This was the grandaddy of all anthology (multi-plot) romantic comedies and was written by Richard Curtis (Notting Hill, The Vicar of Dibley) and was followed by Garry Marshall's: "Valentine's Day," "New Year's Eve," and "Mother's Day." None can even come close to this masterpiece.

With an all-star cast: Hugh Grant, Liam Neeson, Colin Firth, Laura Linney, Emma Thompson, the late, great Alan Rickman, Kiera Knightley and many more, you can't go wrong!

From death, unrequited romance, marriage, first-time romance, infidelity, you get everything under the sun in this movie gem! It is an adult romantic comedy and not for the kiddies. It is set in Britain and has strong language, but is worth your time. I'm confident you will fall in love with this film as I did!

White Christmas

Day 14 of my Holiday film fest. Sorry again, another hectic week.

What can be said about this wonderful Christmas classic that hasn't already been said?! This is hands down my favorite Christmas movie of all time! I had the great opportunity back in Christmas of 2014 to see this film on the big screen with my dear late mother and it was a real treat for both of us. We would watch this film together every Christmas and also with my late father when he was alive.

This is Irving Berlin at his finest. With Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Rosemary Clooney and Vera-Ellen where could you go wrong? Absolutely nowhere! This is one of the finest movie musicals ever made and what's not to like: singing soldiers, romance, the lights of Broadway, a cozy Vermont lodge and a White Christmas!

Do yourself a favor and watch this again, or see it for the first time! This film always puts me in the Christmas spirit every time I watch it!

The Christmas Chronicles (Netflix)

Day 13 of my Holiday film fest. I apologize once again. I'm playing catch-up again. It's been a hectic week!  I didn't know what to expect when I sat down tonight to watch this brand new holiday film from Netflix, boy were my expectations blown out of the water!

What a delightful and heartwarming holiday film! Witty, entertaining, and just plain old-fashioned fun! It's been a long time since I've seen a Santa Claus film that has been this much fun to watch! Thank you Netflix for delivering, what I feel is destined to become another classic, a fun, witty, and touching film for the holidays. A film about family, team work and just believing in yourself and holding on to that child-like faith in the good that is in this world!

Kurt Russell delivers a bang on performance as the jolly old elf and I had so much fun watching him play this role! This is the Santa I always dreamed about! The entire cast is top notch and I highly recommend you sit down one night this holiday season and watch this awesome Netflix original! Don't miss it! There is a very good reason why this is the most popular Netflix original right now and is getting so many views! It's one terrific film!

The Holiday

Day 12 of my Holiday film fest. I adore this beautifully crafted romantic comedy. Cameron Diaz plays the delightful Amanda, a hugely successful movie trailer creator/producer in Los Angeles who breaks up with her long-term boyfriend and decides to take a few weeks off for Christmas, preferably somewhere far from the hustle and bustle of L.A. She looks online and finds a website for house swapping to save money on vacations. Enter the sad Iris, played beautifully by Kate Winslet, a reporter for the London Telegraph who has been in love with the same man for over three years, but who doesn't feel the same way. She too has had it and wants to get away far from England. Amanda stumbles upon Iris' ad on the house swapping website and a deal is made. Both their lives will be changed forever, mainly due to two awesome gentlemen: Graham, Iris' older brother, played wonderfully by the handsome Jude Law; and, Miles, a movie composer played to hilarious perfection by the wonderful Jack Black.

I fell in love with this wonderful film when I first saw it on Netflix a few years ago and it is among my all-time favorite romantic comedies. If you haven't seen this film, get a copy! You will fall in love with "The Holiday" like I did. Written and directed by the wonderful Nancy Meyers ("It's Complicated" and "Something's Gotta Give"), two other films by the way you need to see as well!

As Good As It Gets

I re-watched this wonderful and delightful romantic comedy last night and fell in love with it all over again! I remember seeing this with my dad at the Water Gardens Theater in Pleasant Grove back in 1997.

Jack Nicholson gives one of the best performances of his career as the OCD writer, Melvin Udall. Melvin on the suface is very narcissistic, mean and nobody wants to be around him, particularly his gay neighbor, the delightful Simon Bishop, played wonderfully by Greg Kinnear. We also meet the delightful Carol, played beautifully by the wonderful Helen Hunt, who is a waitress at the local cafe Melvin frequents.

You have to see this film to see how these three people cross paths and how their lives are changed forever! This film is delightful and touching! You truly see how sometimes we are put with people for a reason! The tag line for this film is: "A comedy from the heart that goes for the throat." A perfect tag line for this film! If you have't seen it, do yourself a favor and get a copy! You will not regret the time you spend with Melvin, Simon & Carol! Your life will be changed forever!

Scrooge

Day 11 of my Holiday film fest. This is my all-time favorite version of the Dickens' classic hands down! Albert Finney is magnificent as Scrooge and is surrounded by an incredible array of British theater talent that is second to none! The score is by Leslie Bricusse (Victor/Victoria, Jekyll & Hyde) and the wonderful and sorely missed Anthony Newley (Stop The World I Wanna Get Off, Doctor Dolittle).

From the beginning of the overture to the final scene, you will be magically and musically transformed back to Edwardian England and to the timeless tale of redemption and love! The music fits so well into the story and adds so much depth and soul to the story!

Do yourself a favor, if you haven't seen this version, get a copy and watch it! I am confident you will fall in love with it as I have! I never miss it each and every Christmas!

Radio City Christmas Spectacular (75th Anniversary)

Day 10 of my Holiday film fest. Finally caught up. Christmas in New York City wouldn't be complete without the annual Radio City Christmas Spectacular. This wonderful video was captured during the 75th Anniversary celebration back in December of 2007 which now this year marks the 86th year of the Radio Christmas Spectacular.

I love this show and every time I have been in NYC during Christmastime I never miss it! This video captures the excitement of one of their shows and it's not to be missed! The sets, gorgeous costumes and of course the Rockettes themselves are not to be missed. So if you've never been to one of these, catch this video. It can be purchased on Amazon and iTunes.

The Muppet Christmas Carol

Day 9 of my Holiday film fest. Anyone who knows me well knows that this is my all-time favorite Christmas movie! The Muppet version of the beloved Dickens' classic is so heartwarming, hilarious and brilliantly executed! Micheal Caine's wonderful interpretation of Scrooge is superb and the rest of the "human" actors all give magnificent performances all around!

This film was made shortly after Jim Henson's tragic death due to pneumonia, but his wonderful son, Brian took the reigns like a pro and did a wonderful tribute to his late father's legacy! What we get is a beautifully crafted film in true Henson style including the quirky Muppet humor that must accompany any Muppet film!

This will always be a part of my Holiday film fest every year!

Noel

Day 8 of my Holiday film fest. This grossly overlooked 2004 holiday drama, I stumbled upon last year when watching Netflix, looking for holiday films to watch. I will be forever grateful that I stumbled upon this hidden gem. It touched my life forever!

Susan Sarandon portrays Rose Collins, a children's book editor, divorced and the sole caretaker of her mother who suffers from Alzheimers. One Christmas eve she finds herself walking into the neighboring room of a patient in the same hospital her mother's staying at and runs into a quiet ex-priest, played by the wonderful Robin Williams. In another part of the same city, lives police officer Mike Riley played by Paul Walker and his fiancee Nina Vasquez played by Penélope Cruz. Mike Riley is the jealous type which causes a riff between them on Christmas Eve. Then while on duty with his partner, Paul (Rob Daly), Mike is confronted by a lonely waiter named Artie (Alan Arkin) while paying his check, a confrontation that will change both their lives forever!

This beautifully done film is a story of love, loss, family and relationships set during one Christmas Eve in New York City. A lot of the story hit really close to home for me and I think that is why I fell in love with this film when I first saw it last Christmas. I highly recommend this film to everyone! You can buy or rent it on iTunes and Amazon Prime. Unfortunately it's no longer available on Netflix.

A Christmas Carol (2014)

Day 7 of my Holiday film fest. Playing a bit of catch-up, so sorry. This is one of my all-time favorite versions of Dickens' beloved classic. George C. Scott gives the performance of his career as the old miser, Scrooge. Mr. Scott delivers such a varied, soulful and three-dimensional performance in this well done British made for television movie.

I remember when this first aired on television back in 1984. In fact that was my first Christmas here in Utah. My folks and I had moved to Utah that year back in June. It is hard to believe that that is now been 34 years.

The entire ensemble give magnificent performances all around. I personally feel that out of all the straight forward dramatic versions of this timeless story, this one stands out as one of the best and if you haven't seen this version get a copy straight away! Don't miss this wonderful interpretation!

The Man Who Invented Christmas

Day 6 of my Holiday film fest. This incredible and touching film is one of my newest favorites. I fell in love with it last year when I saw it for the first time and had to make it a part of my film fest permanently. In a nutshell, this is the story of Charles Dickens and the creation of his most famous and popular as well as most financially successful books of his career, "A Christmas Carol."

The film tells a "what-if" scenario and is taken from diaries of Dickens and obviously writer's imagination. It is brilliant from beginning to end! And is touching and life affirming as the source material that inspired it!

Dan Stevens (Downton Abbey) gives the performance of his career as Charles Dickens himself. An incredible performance from a truly gifted artist! Sharing the screen with him is the incomparable Christopher Plummer (The Sound of Music) himself playing Ebenezer Scrooge. These two share the screen with a chemistry that is magic! Great teamwork from both gifted actors! The rest of the ensemble are terrific and give outstanding performances all around.

This is a fun yet heartwarming tale for the holidays! If you haven't seen it don't hesitate any longer. You will not regret it!

The Family Stone

Day 5 of my Holiday film fest. This wonderfully charming and heartwarming holiday comedy/drama is one of my personal favorites! Claire Danes, the incomparable Diane Keaton, Rachel McAdams, Sarah Jessica Parker, Dermot Mulroney, Craig T. Nelson, Luke Wilson and a terrific supporting cast make up the craziest family you'll ever meet!

I love and adore this film. It's a tearjerker but at the same time it's a wonderful holiday tribute to family with all of it's quirks, fights, challenges, eccentricities, etc. A wonderful holiday film for the entire family.

If you haven't seen this film don't hesitate any longer. Hopefully, it will become part of your holiday traditions like mine!

Stalking Santa

Day 4 of my Holiday film fest. This has to be one of my all-time favorite mockumentaries. I count it among the greats such as "Waiting for Guffman," "Best in Show," "This is Spinal Tap," "A Mighty Wind," and "Best of Show." This wonderfully charming and funny film stars two of my dearest friends, Chris and Lisa Valentine Clark alongside the writer and hilarious local comedic actor, Daryn Tufts. This was filmed here in Utah but it could be in any town USA. Chris and Daryn are hilarious together as a team of researchers trying to prove the existence of Santa Claus. Lisa gives as always, a wonderful and hilarious performance as Chris' wife. And if that weren't enough, you get great narration by Captain James T. Kirk himself, William Shatner. The supporting cast are all wonderful and this is just a good old-fashioned comedic film that will bring joy and laughter to your household this Christmas! I highly recommend this film.

Home Alone 2: Lost in New York

Day 3 of my Holiday film fest. Christmas just wouldn't be Christmas without this comedy classic from the pen of the late, great John Hughes. I remember as if it were yesterday when I saw this awesome and heartwarming comedy on the big screen with my late parents at the old Carrillon Square Theatre's in Orem off of University Parkway where Best Buy, Jay Dawgs stand now.

I remember my father laughing his guts out particularly during the battle scenes between Kevin and the Wet Bandits. Watching it again tonight brought back so many fond memories! This film is also a love letter to NYC and how beautiful it can be at Christmas. This is an annual tradition of mine to play this film every Christmas! If you are one of the rare people who haven't seen this classic, what are you waiting for?

Mickey's Christmas Carol/Yodelberg/The Hockey Champ/Pluto's Christmas Tree/The Art of Skiing/Corn Chips

Day 2 of my Holiday Film Fest. These classic Christmas/Winter themed Disney shorts have always been among my favorites since I was a child and when "Mickey's Christmas Carol" came out in 1983 when I was 16, I was so delighted to see it on the big screen when it came out alongside a re-release of the Disney animated classic, "The Rescuers." This John Lassiter/Disney version of the beloved Dickens classic "A Christmas Carol," was such a delight and it's among my favorites. All of the beloved classic Disney characters are here: Mickey (Cratchit), Scrooge McDuck (Scrooge), Donald Duck (Fred), Goofy (Marley), Jiminy Cricket (Christmas Past), Willie the Giant (Christmas Present), Pete (Christmas Yet to Come), Daisy Duck (Belle), J. Thaddeus Todd (Fezziwig), Minnie Mouse (Mrs. Cratchit), Ratty & Moley (Solicitors), and a host of others filling in as cameo's/extras. A thoroughly enjoyable and heartwarming version of this timeless classic.

The other shorts in this collection are either Christmas or Winter themed. "Yodelberg" is a 2013 homage to the Disney original Mickey/Minnie shorts pitting them against a dangerous avalanche; "The Hockey Champ" is a 1939 classic pitting Donald Duck against Huey, Duey and Luey in an impromptu hockey game; "Pluto's Christmas Tree" pits Pluto against the hilarious team of Chip and Dale as they torment the poor dog when Mickey brings home their Christmas tree; "The Art of Skiing" is a 1941 classic about the true art of skiing demonstrated by our favorite clumsy Goofy; and last but not least, "Corn Chips," the 1951 classic pitting Donald Duck against Chip and Dale over a box of popcorn. All of them true classics and brings back a lot of wonderful memories for me!

A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving / The Mayflower Voyagers

Day 1 of my Holiday Film Fest. I am a huge fan of Charlie Brown and these two animated classics are so much fun!

A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving is a true classic and I've been watching it my whole life. It has always been a tradition in my family to sit in front of the TV every thanksgiving evening to watch this fun animated classic. What can be said about this fun piece. Everything you love about Charlie Brown and his world is here to enjoy! Particularly, the wonderful bits with Snoopy and Woodstock. 

The Mayflower Voyagers is new to me. I hadn't seen it before this year. Didn't realize it existed. What a fun way to teach children about the very first Thanksgiving and the story behind the pilgrims voyage on the Mayflower to the Americas and the very beginnings of our nation. Charles M. Schulz has put together a fun but educational presentation of the Thanksgiving story in true Charlie Brown fashion and it's such a fun piece to watch.

A great start for the holiday season!

Holiday Watch List - 2018

I am so sorry I never finished my Halloween Watch List this year, life gets in the way sometimes. But I hope you out there who were watching with me enjoyed it!

Well as with my Halloween Watch List I do every year as I did with my dear late mother, we also did the same starting on Thanksgiving Day (the official beginning of the holiday season) through December 31st. I hope you'll join me. And I will do my best to complete it this year and not let life get in the way so much. To take the time for me and enjoy the holidays despite the normal day to day challenges of life. Happy Thanksgiving and Holidays everyone! Love you all!

Holiday Watch List - 2018

1. A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving/Mayflower Voyagers
2. Mickey's Christmas Carol/Yodelberg/The Hockey Champ/Pluto's Christmas Tree/The Art of Skiing/Corn Chips
3. Home Alone 2: Lost in New York
4. Stalking Santa
5. The Family Stone
6. The Man Who Invented Christmas
7. A Christmas Carol (1984 with George C. Scott)
8. Noel
9. The Muppet Christmas Carol
10. Radio City Christmas Spectacular: The Rockettes
11. Scrooge
12. The Holiday
13. The Christmas Chronicles (Netflix Original)
14. White Christmas
15. Love Actually
16. A Christmas Prince (Netflix Original)
17. Mickey's Once Upon A Christmas
18. A Holiday Engagement
19. Christmas in the Smokies
20. 48 Christmas Wishes
21. Angels in the Snow
22. The Christmas Project
23. The Holiday Calendar
24. Christmas Inheritance (Netflix Original)
25. Christmas Wedding Planner
26. Christmas With a View
27. It's Christmas Time Again, Charlie Brown
28. A Christmas in New York
29. Christmas in the Heartland
30. A Charlie Brown Christmas
31. Back to Christmas
32. Home by Christmas
33. Christmas Eve on Sesame Street
34. Elf
35. Miracle on 34th Street (1947)
36. A Christmas Story
37. It's A Wonderful Life
38. The Polar Express
39. How The Grinch Stole Christmas (1966)
40. New Year's Eve

Top 10 Musicals

Recently, I met a challenge on Facebook to name my Top 10 Musicals. I posted photos with no explanation just the photo. Well here they are with titles and an explanation for each one. These are in no particular order and I promise I will return to this soon and name my Top 10 Golden Age Musicals.

Bright Star

I had heard so much about this musical from friends that when it came on tour to Pioneer Theater Company with the original leading lady, Carmen Cusack, I had to go see it. I was blown away by her incredible performance in this Steve Martin/Edie Brickell musical! I was moved and uplifted by this incredible true story based on a newspaper article and my life was changed forever. Click here for my review of the production.

Memphis

I never got to see this live on Broadway, but when Fathom Events brought it to the big screen I took my mom to see it and was completely blown away by the incredible touching and heartbreaking story of love, prejudice, and the love of music. This story was about two vastly different people who fall in love over their love for music and who are eventually torn apart by the prejudices of the day but in the end are reunited briefly and the message of not allowing anyone to steal your dreams comes through loud and clear. An incredible piece of work!

Billy Elliot

I went to see this through Fathom Events on the big screen but unfortunately the local theater showing it had received an IMAX copy and were unable to screen it. I bought it through iTunes when it came out and fell in love with this musical adaptation of the wonderful British film of the same name. I loved the film and the screenwriter and Elton John teamed together to bring it to the musical theater stage with wonderful results! This particular performance that was captured live featured one of my all-time favorite British actresses, Ruthie Henshall in that famous Julie Walters role in the film of Mrs. Wilkinson the ballet teacher who encourages a young man to follow his dreams to be a dancer despite the horrible social uprising happening in his hometown and pressure from his very stubborn and prejudiced father and brother. Absolutely touching story that is enhanced by the incredible Elton John score.

Newsies

I have a love-hate relationship with Disney Theatricals and most people that know me well know that I only love 5 of their musicals: "Aida," "Beauty and the Beast," "Hunchback of Notre Dame," "The Lion King," and "Newsies."

I remember when the original film came out and how I fell in love with it but did have a few problems with it and it wasn't a huge box office hit, but became a cult classic when it came out on home video.

But when Disney Theatricals decided to green light adapting it for the Broadway stage, playwright, the wonderful Harvey Fierstein teamed with Alan Menken and Jack Feldman (Composer and Lyricist) to adapt this incredible story for the stage, I feel the show improved vastly and IMHO is better than the film all around.

This story touched me deeply and I fell resonates today with the new millennial generation. It calls them to action, to be the change in the world they want to see, and to let no one stand in their way of their dreams! That nothing is impossible if you believe in yourself and your friends and family around you!

Rent

I am not ashamed to call myself a "Rent Head!" When I first saw this live on stage at the Capitol Theater with the national tour I fell instantly in love with this incredible story! I was blow away by its simplicity. Its themes of tolerance, unconditional love and acceptance, survival, never giving up on your dreams are still relevant today! When they so wisely filmed it live on stage I quickly bought it on iTunes and watch it regularly! I love it more and more each time I watch it! This was my generation post college and I related it to so much. Thank you Jonathan Larson!

Sunday in the Park with George

I remember seeing this on Broadway after my senior year in high school. I personally feel that this is Sondheim's masterpiece! The story of love, art and how it connects generations was so moving to me and the performances by Mandy Patinkin and Bernadette Peters blew me away! The entire ensemble was so incredible! This was so avant garde for its time and highly criticized by some, but I loved it and it will always hold a special place in my heart!

110 in the Shade

I had the great honor of being able to see Audra McDonald and Will Swenson perform this wonderful and incredible touching musical at the Hale Theater in Orem with my mother and was completely blown away by their performances. This is the musical adaptation of the beautiful play, "The Rainmaker." Audra McDonald's performance as the lonely spinster, Lizzie, broke my heart and I could so relate to her plight. I was completely drawn in by this story and it changed my life forever!

Dear Evan Hansen

Out of all of the contemporary musicals, this one hits very, VERY close to home. Almost TOO close! From the moment the incredible Ben Platt took the stage, I was in tears the entire show! We're talking Ugly Cry. I went through an entire box of Kleenex. NO KIDDING! Evan Hansen was me in school. I made up stories to get attention. I was the one everyone made fun of, and until I moved to Utah at age 16, my younger years in school were miserable. I feel from the very core of my being everything this show is about and expresses to its audience! This musical from the heart takes you by the throat and doesn't let up. It's not an easy show to sit through but it will definitely change you.

Next to Normal

Okay. This is another incredibly tough show to sit through but so well worth it. I relate as well to this story and understand depression very well and how it an affect an entire family. This wonderful musical really presents mental illness very well but at the same time respects the sufferer highly and brings to the stage all of the ugliness that comes with depression but does it with a whole lot of love. I was so blessed to be able to work on the UVU production of this incredible show as a costumer/dresser and each night sitting backstage listening to the incredible score and the several times I got to sit in the audience and view this wonderful production with incredible performances by dear friends and fellow UVU students is an experience I will never forget! Those performances touched me deeply and will follow me the rest of my life. This show will be forever part of my DNA!

Wicked

I am such a huge fan of this musical. It was the last Broadway production I took my mother too before she passed away and it was one of her favorites as well. I adore "The Wizard of Oz" and this take on the story was incredible! Stephen Schwartz's wonderful score and Winnie Holzman's incredible script left me in emotional tatters by shows end. I so related to Elphaba and her plight and this musical touched me deeply.

There you have it. I adore musical theater immensely and I have had so much fun watching countless wonderful musicals over the past 30 years but these stand out as ones that touched a chord within me and will forever be with me!

Friday the 13th

Day 14 of my Halloween Film Fest. Nothing compares to this horror classic! Of course, when this came out, rightfully so, my parents wouldn't let me anywhere near this film. It was so controversial and considered almost pornographic. So I never saw this classic on the big screen, but when I finally got to see it when I was much older I absolutely appreciated it for what it is! It is nowhere near pornographic and the blood and gore is kiddie stuff compared to the crap that is done in movies today, but for it's time it was shocking and I can see that after viewing it many times since and appreciating it as a horror classic. This film was a box office hit back in 1980, but unfortunately, it spawned a huge sequel franchise that would almost destroy the horror genre forever. Every producer of horror films tried to beat it, create their own franchises, but what we got for so many years after, until Wes Craven came out with his classic, "Scream," was nothing but plot less junk with the focus on how bloody and how gory they could make it, nudity and sex taking center stage and characters you didn't give a damn about. These stupid "so called" artists nearly destroyed this genre and I have zero respect for any of them. I also include the sequel to this film, which I absolutely despise! I know it gave rise to the most famous of all horror movie villains, Jason Voorhees, but I feel if he had never come along, the horror genre would have stayed a much more respectable and artistic medium, but history is history.

Director, Sean S. Cunningham plays homage to Carpenter's "Halloween" as well as Hitchcock's "Psycho" in this horror classic and directs the incredible script with such artistry and give us a story of sheer terror and suspense! It never lets up from beginning to end and no other film following it has equaled it!

Don't mess with any of the sequels or the horrible remake. There is only one true original!

The Fog

Day 13 of my Halloween Film Fest. Out of all of the 80's horror classics, this is my all-time favorite! Not only do you have the scream queen herself, Jamie Lee Curtis, you have her sharing the screen for the first of only two times with her famous mother, the legendary Marion Crane herself (Psycho), Janet Leigh. You also get a fantastic performance from John Carpenter's famous spouse, Adrienne Barbeau and a wonderful supporting performance from the legendary Hal Holbrook as Father Malone.

Following his huge independent hit, the cult classic, "Halloween," Carpenter and his producer from "Halloween" Debra Hill, pull no punches in this phenomenally terrifying film which gave me nightmares when I first saw it as a teenager. Carpenter and Hill have written a horror classic filled with vengeful ghosts, romance, children in peril, and suspense so thick you can cut it with knife. 

Taking a simple premise and using a climate phenomenon "Fog," Carpenter and Hill send shivers up your spine throughout the entire course of this film.

If you haven't experienced this classic, WATCH IT NOW! You will see why it is considered a cult classic of the finest kind!

Carpenteresque

Dracula Untold

Day 12 of my Halloween Film Fest. I can't believe it's been 4 years since I first saw this exciting and spectacular film in the theater's. It still is exciting and thrilling as it was 4 years ago when I first saw it!

There have been so many films made with the most famous vampire of all time as its central character, the one and only Dracula. This wonderfully thrilling film from Gary Shore doesn't disappoint in any way and gives us a new and interesting take on the legend with bits of real history put in.

The basic premise is that Vlad is put into a no-win situation when the ruler of the Turks demands that Prince Vlad of Transylvania give up 3000 of his loyal subjects first born sons including his own for his army. Vlad decides to make a deal with the devil (so-to-speak) and the rest of the story is the legend we all know and love, to become the most feared creature on Earth in order to beat the Turks and save his own kingdom.

This is a classic tale of good and evil and the price paid for what seem to be on the surface, choices made from good intentions. This is a classic horror/adventure film of the best kind! I enjoyed it the first time I saw it on the big screen and this time around I fell in love with it all over again!

Luke Evans brings the performance of his career to the role of Vlad/Dracula and the rest of the ensemble surround him with excellent performances!

I highly recommend this film if you haven't seen it yet! It's a fun and scary adventure for the adventurous at heart!

A Star Is Born (2018)

I went into this film with an open mind being a fan of Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga's. I was not disappointed to say the least!

I was blown away by Lady Gaga's performance and Bradley Cooper broke my heart! But also, two surprises for me, two incredible supporting performances by Sam Elliott, who always delivers superb performances, but Andrew Dice Clay playing Lady Gaga's father? OMG! What an incredible performance!!!!!

Of course there is much criticism to be had about this one since it has been made three times prior: Barbara Streisand/Kris Kristofferson (1976), Judy Garland/James Mason (1954), and Janet Gaynor/Frederic March (1937). Each film was completely different in their own right. 

The one thing that stood out for me in this incarnation was the boldness of it! It held nothing back! I do agree that the mid-portion of the film could have used a few cuts for running time purposes, it did get a bit tedious in places, but overall, the film resonated with me, and I am totally in love with Lady Gaga as an actress. I knew she'd be good! The modern day aspect of physical beauty being so much a part of the showbiz industry, it helped that Lady Gaga, who has dealt with that issue most of her life, was cast in this part! I feel that Lady Gaga is absolutely beautiful and I adore her and this film made me love her in even more!

I highly recommend this film! It's timely and it really does show how fame can destroy someone so easily!

Halloween (2018)

I remember when I was barely 10 years old when the original John Carpenter film classic came out in the theater's. Of course, my folks would never allow me to see it but only 8 years later when I went to college and saw it on the big screen at a midnight Halloween showing I was completely blown away! What an intense and exhilarating experience! And, Jamie Lee Curtis, the original Scream Queen herself giving a performance of a lifetime.

Now, nearly 40 years later, director/writer David Gordon Green along with his fellow writers, Danny McBride and Jeff Fradley, have created a true and worthy sequel to the original based on the premise that none of the films after the original exist. This idea paid off in a big way! And I'm so glad for these writers and the director's boldness in taking such a leap!

From the very opening scene to the eerie credits, all those memories from when I first saw the original came flooding back and I was hit with a lot of emotion, in a good way! What a fitting tribute to John Carpenter's original vision as well a new vision for today's audiences!

CLICK HERE

As Jamie Lee Curtis mentions in the video (click on the link above) that this film resonates today with the Me Too movement and women and men taking back their lives from past trauma's and saying No More. I will take back control of my fate and will not allow myself or anyone to turn me into a victim ever again!

Jamie Lee Curtis gives the performance of her career as the traumatized Laurie Strode, who, 40-years later, finds herself as the victim, having nearly destroyed her daughter's life with her obsession with Michael Myers, who randomly chose her and nearly killed her and actually succeeded killing her closest friends. This film is not only a homage to the original, but it brings back the terror of what random terrorism is and puts you "the audience" in the front seat to witness the horror.

Director, David Gordon Green pulls no punches, but still manages to not focus on the blood and gore, but on the brutality of someone like Michael Myers. A brilliant modern masterpiece of horror that proves that this genre can still produce great work and not stoop to "pulp" and almost "pornographic" type of entertainment that has so long soiled this genre. Thank you David Gordon Green for producing such a work of integrity and a great horror masterpiece!

CLICK HERE

Let The Right One In

Once again, An Other Theater Company has produced an incredible production that has gone beyond anything they've done so far!

Director's Christopher Clark and Morag Shepherd have taken this stage adaptation of the John Ajvide Lindqvist novel of the same name and truly have produced an artistic and theatrical gem. A hauntingly disturbing yet beautiful production!

The basic premise is a young boy who is being taunted viciously by schoolmates is befriended by a young girl who isn't what she appears to be.

Come see what that is and be taken in by this incredible and haunting story! The entire ensemble work so well together and deliver stunning performances all around! Deep and soul searching performances that left this audience member in emotional tatters by the end of the play. I love thought provoking theater like this and I am so proud of An Other Theater Company for having the courage to do theater like this! If you love Halloween and eerie entertainment don't miss this spectacular production! The word is out though, performances are selling out quickly. An Other Theater Company is becoming the theater to compete with in Utah County. The audiences that are craving new and innovative theatre are flocking to this little theatre company. Please come and support this type of theatre in Utah County. It is so needed!

Halloween Watch List 2018 - Beautiful Creatures

Day 11 of my Halloween Film Fest. Out of my entire list this year, this is one of my personal favorites, my "Sleeper." I remember sitting by myself in a darkened theater viewing this film and falling in love with it minute by minute. I feel, personally, this is one of the most beautiful Horror/Romance films of all time. A thrilling and bewitching tale of love in the face of the battle between good and evil. This film will always have a special place in my heart.

Director & Writer, Richard LaGravenese has put together an incredible story along with a fantastic ensemble cast. The incredibly handsome Alden Ehrenreich (Solo-A Star Wars Story), Alice Englert as Ethan and Lena, the star crossed lovers who are destined to meet but find themselves separated by fate. A tale as old as time. They are surrounded by a superb supporting cast: Jeremy Irons, Emma Thompson, Eileen Atkins, Viola Davis, Margo Martindale and Emma Rossum.

If you haven't seen this gem, do it now! You will fall in love with it as I did! It is a beautifully done adaptation of an awesome novel (which I recommend as well)!

Halloween Watch List 2018 - Hocus Pocus

Day 10 of my Halloween film fest. This has to be, hands down, my all-time favorite horror comedy. And this one only Disney could have pulled off! Where can you go wrong: Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy. 

Director, Kenny Ortega along with writers, Mick Garris & Neil Cuthbert, have created a horror comedy classic for the ages in true Disney fashion. I'm sure that if Walt Disney were still alive he would have loved this film!

The basic story, if you happen to be one of the rare few that haven't seen this gem, is about three witches who upon trying to drain the life of Salem's children are caught and brought to justice and hung for their crimes, but not before Winifred Sanderson, the eldest sister, places a curse upon Salem that one night they would be brought back to life to get their revenge. Well they get their chance, and hilarious mayhem ensues!

There is not one weak performance in this wonderfully fun film from beginning to end! I always have to sit down and watch this classic every Halloween! It combines all that is great about the classic horror genre, witchcraft, full moons, black cats, zombies but at the same time pure Disney comedy magic combined in with it all!

Do yourself a favor and revisit this wonderful Disney classic!

Halloween Watch List 2018 - The Stepford Wives

Day 9 of my Halloween Film Fest. I remember when I was much younger seeing the original version of this based on the novel by Ira Levin, who not only wrote the screenplay to the horror classic, "Rosemary's Baby," but also one of the greatest thrillers for the Broadway stage, "Deathtrap." It was your typical 1970's B movie which had it's terrifying moments and the idea, particularly back in 1975, was very controversial and horrendous.

Skip to 2004 when this Frank Oz directed re-make of this film, and he takes it down the "Horror Comedy" route to perfection. Even today, this re-make is still relevant along with the original film. This film got a huge backlash but I loved every single moment of it. Matthew Broderick and Nicole Kidman were fantastic as Joanna & Walter, a Manhattan society couple who, after Joanna has a mental breakdown after being fired from a major television network, move to an idyllic town in upstate Connecticut called "Stepford." But all is not what it seems in this town. Thus begins a strange tale that you have got to see to believe.

The rest of the supporting ensemble: Glenn Close, Christopher Walken, Bette Midler, Roger Bart and John Lovitz make this delicious Horror Comedy treat a delight to watch. I personally feel that Frank Oz and screenwriter Paul Rudnick (In & Out) have taken this B movie gem and turned it into a Horror Comedy classic. I really enjoyed it this time around re-visiting it! You will too!

Halloween Watch List 2018 - So I Married An Axe Murderer

Day 8 of my Halloween Film Fest. It has been real fun re-visiting these films this past week and this one is no exception. I have always been a huge fan of Mike Myers from SNL but when this film came out back on the 30th of July 1993, I will never forget it. This Horror Comedy classic was a sleeper hit and wasn't what I expected.

It really felt like a normal romantic comedy until the last 25 minutes of the film. It then turned so dark, so quickly, and it was so much fun to finally find out the "real" story.

Mike Myers plays a free-lance San Francisco poet who meets a quirky butcher played by the wonderful Nancy Travis when coming into her shop to get some haggis for his mother for family dinner. The rest I will leave for you. With a great supporting cast including Mike Myers doubling as his father, the wonderful Brenda Fricker, Amanda Plummer, Anthony LaPaglia, and great cameo's by the late-great Phil Hartman, Charles Grodin and Steven Wright.

This Horror Comedy defies all conventions of the genre, mixes in romantic comedy elements, and gives you a quirky and goofball movie going experience. It was so much fun to watch again. Do yourself a favor and watch this one!

Halloween Watch List 2018 - Gremlins

Day 7 of my Halloween film fest. This was another Horror Comedy classic from 1984, premiering on the 8th of June 1984, the same day "Ghostbusters" came out, which by today's standards would be considered risky, but it did farely well alongside it and it is considered a classic as well. Of course, this alongside "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom," which came out a month prior, led to the MPAA creating the PG-13 rating.

A young boy named Billy, played by Zach Galligan, receives a present one Christmas Eve from his father, played by the wonderful Hoyt Axton; a tiny, very cute creature called a "Mogwi." The young Chinese boy his Dad buys the creature from warms him that you can't expose him to bright light (sunlight will kill him), expose him to water, and never feed him after midnight. Well things don't go as planned, and mayhem ensues.

This movie is a bit  darker than "Ghostbusters," but Steven Spielberg (Producer) and Joe Dante (Writer) created a fun and spooky romp, a tribute to the B-movies of the 1950's and 1960's. Setting it at Christmas time gives it even more of a twisted climate.

This film is definitely an 80's film but is still holds the test of time IMHO. It was so much fun watching it last night after a long hiatus. I had so much fun, like I did when I first saw it in theater's. You will too. The supporting cast: Corey Feldman, Phoebe Cates, Frances Lee McCain, Polly Holliday, Harry Carey, Jr., and Dick Miller all create a fantastic ensemble. This will be the most fun you've ever had being scared!