2018 Daytime Emmy Awards (Winners-My Picks)

ACTUAL WINNER: EMBOLDENED
MY PICK: ITALICIZED

Outstanding Drama Series

Days of our Lives
General Hospital
The Bold & the Beautiful
The Young & the Restless

Outstanding Digital Daytime Drama Series

Eastsiders
Ladies of the Lake
Tainted Dreams
The Bay
Venice
Zac & Mia

Outstanding Preschool Children's Series

Dino Dana
Julie's Greenroom
Sesame Street
Sprout House

Outstanding Children's of Family Viewing Series

Annedroids
Free Rein
National Geographic Kids Block
Odd Squad
Top Chef Junior

Outstanding Education or Information Series

Giver
Mind Field
Sea Rescue
The Henry Ford's Innovation Nation
Xploration DIY Sci
Xploration Outer Space

Outstanding Preschool Children's Animated Series

If You Give a Mouse a Cookie
Nature Cat
Peg+Cat
The Stinky & Dirty Show
Tumble Leaf

Outstanding Children's Animated Series

Lost in Oz
Spongebob Squarepants
The Mr. Peabody & Sherman Show
Trollhunters
Wild Kratts

Outstanding Special Class Animated Program

A Storybots Christmas
All Hail King Julien: Exiled
DuckTales: Woo-oo!
Octonauts: Operation Deep Freeze
Puss in Book: Trapped in an Epic Tale

Outstanding Culinary Program

A Chef's Life
Giada Entertains
Lidia's Kitchen
Mind of a Chef
Valerie's Home Cooking

Outstanding Game Show

Family Feud
Jeopardy!
Let's Make a Deal
The Price is Right
Who Wants to be Millionaire

Outstanding Legal/Courtroom Program

Couples Court with the Cutlers
Divorce Court
Judge Judy
Judge Mathis
Justice with Judge Mablean
The People's Court

Outstanding Travel and Adventure Program

1st Look
Destination Craft with Jim West
Jack Hanna's Into the Wild
The Voyager with Josh Garcia
Xploration Awesome Planet

Outstanding Morning Program

CBS Sunday Morning
CBS This Morning
Good Morning America
Today Show

Outstanding Talk Show Informative

Larry King Now
Megyn Kelly Today
Steve Harvey
The Chew
The Dr. Oz Show

Outstanding Talk Show Entertainment

Live with Kelly and Ryan
The Ellen DeGeneres Show
The Real
The Talk
The View

Outstanding Entertainment News Program

Access Hollywood
DailyMailTV
E News
Entertainment Tonight
Extra

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series

Eileen Davidson as Ashley Abbott (The Young and the Restless)
Nancy Lee Grahn as Alexis Davis (General Hospital)
Marci Miller as Abigail Deveraux (Days of our Lives)
Maura West as Ava Jerome (General Hospital)
Laura Wright as Carly Corinthos (General Hospital)

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series

Peter Bergman as Jack Abbott (The Young and the Restless)
Michael Easton as Hamilton Finn (General Hospital)
John McCook as Eric Forreseter (The Bold and the Beautiful)
Billy Miller as Jason Morgan/Drew (General Hospital)
James Reynolds as Abe Carver (Days of our Lives)

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series

Marla Adams as Dina Mergeron (The Young and the Restless)
Camryn Grimes as Mariah Copeland (The Young and the Restless)
Elizabeth Henrickson as Chloe Mitchell (The Young and the Restless)
Jacqueline MacInnes Wood as Steffy Forrester Spencer (The Bold and the Beautiful)
Mishael Morgan as Hilary Curtis (The Young and the Restless)
Susan Seaforth Hayes as Julie Williams (Days of our Lives)

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series

Wally Kurth as Ned Quatermaine (General Hospital)
Chandler Massey as Will Horton (Days of our Lives)
Anthony Montgomery as Dr. Andre Maddox (General Hospital)
Greg Rikaart as Kevin Fisher (The Young and the Restless)
Greg Vaughn as Eric Brady (Days of our Lives)

Outstanding Younger Actress in a Drama Series

Reign Edwards as Nichole Avant Forrester (The Bold and the Beautiful)
Hayley Erin as Kiki Jerome (General Hospital)
Cait Fairbanks as Tessa Porter (The Young and the Restless)
Olivia Rose Keegan as Claire Brady (Days of our Lives)
Chloe Lanier as Nellie Benson (General Hospital)

Outstanding Younger Actor in a Drama Series

Lucas Adams as Tripp Dalton (Days of our Lives)
Rome Flynn as Zende Forrester (The Bold and the Beautiful)
Tristan Lake Leabu as Reed Hellstrom (The Young and the Restless)
Casey Moss as J.J. Deveraux (Days of our Lives)
Hudson West as Jake Webber (General Hospital)

Outstanding Guest Performer in a Drama Series

Ryan Ahston, The Young and the Restless
Robb Derringer, Days of our Lives
John Enos, Days of our Lives
Morgan Fairchild, Days of our Lives
Vernee Watson, General Hospital

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Digital Drama Series

Vanessa Baden Kelley, Giants
Mary Beth Evans, The Bay
Lilly Melgar, The Bay
Alicia Minshew, Tainted Dreams
Anne Winters, Zac & Mia

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Digital Drama Series

Kristos Andrews, The Bay
James Bland, Giants
Richard Brooks, The Rich and the Ruthless
Van Hansis, Eastsiders
Kian Lawley, Zac & Mia

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Digital Drama Series

Molly Burnett, Relationship Status
Jade Hawlow, The Bay
Terri Ivens, The Bay
Kira Reed Lorsch, The Bay
Alexis G. Zall, Zac & Mia

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Digital Drama Series

Brandon Beemer, The Bay
Stephen Guarino, Eastsiders
John Hallbach, Eastsiders
Eric Nelsen, The Bay
Derrell Whitt, The Bay

Outstanding Guest Performer in a Digital Drama Series

Jennifer Bassey, Anacostia
Thomas Calabro, The Bay
Patricka Darbo, The Bay
Chad Duell, The Bay
Mike E. Winfield, Conversations in L.A.

Outstanding Culinary Host

Lidia Bastianiach, Lidia's Kitchen
Danny Bowen, Mind of Chef
Giada de Laurentiis, Giada Entertains
Guy Fieri, Guy's Ranch Kitchen
Vivian Howard, A Chef's Life

Outstanding Game Show Host

Wayne Brady, Let's Make a Deal
Chris Harrison, Who Wants to be a Millionaire
Steve Harvey, Family Feud
Pat Sajak, Wheel of Fortune
Alex Trebek, Jeopardy!

Outstanding Host in a Lifestyle/Travel/Children's or Educational and Informational Program

Roman Atwood, Roman Atwood's Daydreams
Jack Hanna, Jack Hanna's Into the Wild
Brandon McMillan, Lucky Dog with Brandon McMillan
David Osmond, Wonderama
Steve Spangler, Xploration DIY Sci.

Outstanding Informative Talk Show Host

Kit Hoover, Natalie Morales, Scott Evans: Access Hollywood Live
Larry King: Larry King Now
Dr.. Mehmet Oz: The Dr. Oz Show
Kellie Pickler, Ben Aaron: Pickler and Ben
Steve Harvey: Steve

Outstanding Entertainment Talk Show Host

Julie Chen, Sara Gilbert, Sharon Osbourne, Sheryl Underwood, Aisha Taylor: The Talk
Harry Connick, Jr.: Harry
Whoopi Goldberg, Joy Behar, Sara Haines, Sunny Hostin, Meghan McCain, Paul Faris, Jedidiah Bila: The View

Adrianne Houghton, Loni Love, Jeannie Mai, Tamera Mowry-Housley: The Real
Kelly Ripa, Ryan Seacrest: Live with Kelly and Ryan

Outstanding Drama Series Writing Team

Days of Our Lives
General Hospital
The Bold & The Beautiful
The Young and the Restless

Outstanding Drama Series Directing Team

Days of Our Lives
General Hospital
The Bold & the Beautiful
The Young and the Restless

Outstanding Writing in a Digital Drama Series

Conversations in L.A.
Eastsiders
Relationship Status
The Bay
Zac and Mia

Outstanding Directing in a Digital Drama Series

Eastsiders
Relationship Status
The Bay
Venice
Zac and Mia

2018 Tony Awards (Winners/My Picks)

MY PICKS: ITALICIZED
ACTUAL WINNERS: EMBOLDENED

Best Play
The Children
Farinelli and The King
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Parts One and Two
Junk
Latin History for Morons

Best Musical
The Band's Visit
Frozen
Mean Girls
SpongeBob SquarePants: The Musical

Best Revival Of A Play
Angels in America
Edward Albee's Three Tall Women
Eugene O'Neill's The Iceman Cometh
Lobby Hero
Travesties

Best Revival Of A Musical
My Fair Lady
Once On This Island
Rodgers & Hammerstein's Carousel

Best Performance By An Actor In A Leading Role In A Play
Andrew Garfield, Angels in America
Tom Hollander, Travesties
Jamie Parker, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Parts One and Two
Mark Rylance, Farinelli and The King
Denzel Washington, Eugene O'Neill's The Iceman Cometh

Best Performance By An Actress In A Leading Role In A Play
Glenda Jackson, Edward Albee's Three Tall Women
Condola Rashad, Saint Joan
Lauren Ridloff, Children of a Lesser God
Amy Schumer, Meteor Shower

Best Performance By An Actor In A Leading Role In A Musical
Harry Hadden-Paton, My Fair Lady
Joshua Henry, Rodgers & Hammerstein's Carousel
Tony Shalhoub, The Band's Visit
Ethan Slater, SpongeBob SquarePants: The Musical

Best Performance By An Actress In A Leading Role In A Musical
Lauren Ambrose, My Fair Lady
Hailey Kilgore, Once On This Island
LaChanze, Summer: The Donna Summer Musical
Katrina Lenk, The Band's Visit
Taylor Louderman, Mean Girls
Jessie Mueller, Rodgers & Hammerstein's Carousel

Best Performance By An Actor In A Featured Role In A Play
Anthony Boyle, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Parts One and Two
Michael Cera, Lobby Hero
Brian Tyree Henry, Lobby Hero
Nathan Lane, Angels in America
David Morse, Eugene O'Neill's The Iceman Cometh

Best Performance By An Actress In A Featured Role In A Play
Susan Brown, Angels in America
Noma Dumezweni, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Parts One and Two
Deborah Findlay, The Children
Denise Gough, Angels in America
Laurie Metcalf, Edward Albee's Three Tall Women

Best Performance By An Actor In A Featured Role In A Musical
Norbert Leo Butz, My Fair Lady
Alexander Gemignani, Rodgers & Hammerstein's Carousel
Grey Henson, Mean Girls
Gavin Lee, SpongeBob SquarePants: The Musical
Ari'el Stachel, The Band's Visit

Best Performance By An Actress In A Featured Role In A Musical
Ariana DeBose, Summer: The Donna Summer Musical
Renée Fleming, Rodgers & Hammerstein's Carousel
Lindsay Mendez, Rodgers & Hammerstein's Carousel
Ashley Park, Mean Girls
Diana Rigg, My Fair Lady

Best Book Of A Musical
The Band's Visit (Itamar Moses)
Frozen (Jennifer Lee)
Mean Girls (Tina Fey)
SpongeBob SquarePants: The Musical (Kyle Jarrow)

Best Original Score (Music And/Or Lyrics) Written For The Theatre
Angels in America (Music: Adrian Sutton) 
The Band's Visit (Music and Lyrics: David Yazbek)
Frozen (Music and Lyrics: Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez)
Mean Girls (Music: Jeff Richmond, Lyrics: Nell Benjamin) 
SpongeBob SquarePants: The Musical (Music and Lyrics: Yolanda Adams, Steven Tyler and Joe Perry of Aerosmith, Sara Bareilles, Jonathan Coulton, Alex Ebert of Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros, The Flaming Lips, Lady Antebellum, Cyndi Lauper and Rob Hyman, John Legend, Panic! At The Disco, Plain White T's, They Might Be Giants, T.I., Domani and Lil'C)

Best Scenic Design Of A Play
Miriam Buether, Edward Albee's Three Tall Women
Jonathan Fensom, Farinelli and The King
Christine Jones, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Parts One and Two
Santo Loquasto, Eugene O'Neill's The Iceman Cometh
Ian MacNeil and Edward Pierce, Angels in America

Best Scenic Design Of A Musical
Dane Laffrey, Once On This Island
Scott Pask, The Band's Visit
Scott Pask, Finn Ross and Adam Young, Mean Girls
Michael Yeargan, My Fair Lady
David Zinn, SpongeBob SquarePants: The Musical

Best Costume Design Of A Play
Jonathan Fensom, Farinelli and The King
Nicky Gillibrand, Angels in America
Katrina Lindsay, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Parts One and Two
Ann Roth, Edward Albee's Three Tall Women
Ann Roth, Eugene O'Neill's The Iceman Cometh

Best Costume Design Of A Musical
Gregg Barnes, Mean Girls
Clint Ramos, Once On This Island
Ann Roth, Rodgers & Hammerstein's Carousel
David Zinn, SpongeBob SquarePants: The Musical
Catherine Zuber, My Fair Lady

Best Lighting Design Of A Play
Neil Austin, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Parts One and Two
Paule Constable, Angels in America
Jules Fisher and Peggy Eisenhauer, Eugene O'Neill's The Iceman Cometh
Paul Russell, Farinelli and The King
Ben Stanton, Junk

Best Lighting Design Of A Musical
Kevin Adams, SpongeBob SquarePants: The Musical
Jules Fisher and Peggy Eisenhauer, Once On This Island
Donald Holder, My Fair Lady
Brian MacDevitt, Rodgers & Hammerstein's Carousel
Tyler Micoleau, The Band's Visit

Best Sound Design Of A Play
Adam Cork, Travesties
Ian Dickinson for Autograph, Angels in America
Gareth Fry, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Parts One and Two
Tom Gibbons, 1984
Dan Moses Schreier, Eugene O'Neill's The Iceman Cometh

Best Sound Design Of A Musical
Kai Harada, The Band's Visit
Peter Hylenski, Once On This Island
Scott Lehrer, Rodgers & Hammerstein's Carousel
Brian Ronan, Mean Girls
Walter Trarbach and Mike Dobson, SpongeBob SquarePants: The Musical

Best Direction Of A Play
Marianne Elliott, Angels in America
Joe Mantello, Edward Albee's Three Tall Women
Patrick Marber, Travesties
John Tiffany, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Parts One and Two
George C. Wolfe, Eugene O'Neill's The Iceman Cometh

Best Direction Of A Musical
Michael Arden, Once On This Island
David Cromer, The Band's Visit
Tina Landau, SpongeBob SquarePants: The Musical
Casey Nicholaw, Mean Girls
Bartlett Sher, My Fair Lady

Best Choreography
Christopher Gattelli, My Fair Lady
Christopher Gattelli, SpongeBob SquarePants: The Musical
Steven Hoggett, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Parts One and Two
Casey Nicholaw, Mean Girls
Justin Peck, Rodgers & Hammerstein's Carousel

Best Orchestrations
John Clancy, Mean Girls
Tom Kitt, SpongeBob SquarePants: The Musical
Annmarie Milazzo and Michael Starobin, Once On This Island
Jamshied Sharifi, The Band's Visit
Jonathan Tunick, Rodgers & Hammerstein's Carousel

Special Tony Awards For Lifetime Achievement In The Theatre
Chita Rivera
Andrew Lloyd Webber

Special Tony Awards
John Leguizamo
Bruce Springsteen

Regional Theatre Tony Award
La MaMa E.T.C., New York City

Isabelle Stevenson Tony Award
Nick Scandalios

Tony Honors For Excellence In The Theatre
Sara Krulwich
Bessie Nelson
Ernest Winzer Cleaners

Cabaret

I am so proud of my alma mater, Utah Valley University for doing this rarely done Kander & Ebb gem. This is a very difficult piece, particularly for actors, and my dear friend, Rob Moffat has put together one incredible ensemble for this Broadway classic! 

In this production, Rob has put the emphasis on the rise of the Nazi regime and how indifference, which all of the characters in this story have in abundance, can lead to disasters such as the rise of the Nazi Regime and all of it's destructive force that destroyed millions of lives from 1939 to 1944.

I have to give one big shout out to the entire ensemble. This is truly an ensemble piece and there is not one weak link in this cast. This is a very young cast to tackle this material, but they do it with maturity beyond their years, vulnerability, and everything you expect from a professional musical production, which Rob, the ensemble and production team brought to the Noorda stage with this incredible production of this epic classic.

Sadly, the show has closed now, but for those who experienced it, were truly changed forever. Thank you UVU and the theatrical arts department for having the courage to mount this incredible musical masterpiece.

Angels in America: Perestroika

Kudos to An Other Theater Company for another wonderful evening of theater with their staged reading of the second half of Tony Kushner's Pulitzer Prize winning masterpiece.

Director, Kacey Spadafora assembled his entire cast from the first part, Millennium Approaches and treated us the audience to a wonderfully staged reading with the same incredible performances by his brilliant ensemble!

This part of Kushner's seminal work is even more emotionally impacted and I was completely moved by evening's end! The brilliant HBO mini-series left a lot out, which I can see why Kushner, who adapted his own play for the mini-series did that because most of what was left out wouldn't have worked on screen, only on stage. This is why theater is so different from screen work.

Kushner's piece really gets to the soul of humanity and what makes us tick. But it is also now an incredible historical allegory. The entire story is set in the mid 80's, right in the heart of the AIDS crisis and ends in the early 90's where the cold war is coming to an end and the LGBT civil rights movement was just beginning to gain momentum again. The ending of Kushner's piece has the character of Prior Walter directly addressing the audience saying, "We're not going to die secret deaths any longer. We will be citizens!" How prophetic that is today with the victories of Same Sex Marriage on a national level, the Matthew Shepherd Civil Rights Act, more and more corporations including Sexual Orientation in their anti-discrimination policies, etc. 

Thank you An Other Theater Company for having the courage to bring this work to Utah County! I will never forget the experience! Please give this infant theater company your support! They are headed into their second season this fall and they are truly a new and fresh artistic voice in the Utah County theatrical landscape. We need it here so badly!

Oscar Nominations (My Picks) - 2018 Edition

KEY: Bold (Winner)/Bold/Italics (My Pick)

Best Picture

Call Me By Your Name
Darkest Hour
Dunkirk
Get Out
Lady Bird
Phantom Thread
The Post
The Shape of Water
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri

Actor in a Leading Role

Timothée Chalamet: "Call Me By Your Name"
Daniel Day-Lewis: "Phantom Thread"
Daniel Kaluuya: "Get Out"
Gary Oldman: "Darkest Hour"
Denzel Washington: "Roman J. Israel, Esq.

Actress in a Leading Role

Sally Hawkins: "The Shape of Water"
Frances McDormand: "Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri"
Margot Robbie: "I, Tonya"
Saoirse Robbin: "Lady Bird"
Meryl Streep: "The Post"

Actor in a Supporting Role

Willem Dafoe: "The Florida Project"
Woody Harrelson: "Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri"
Richard Jenkins: "The Shape of Water"
Christopher Plummer: "All the Money in the World"
Sam Rockwell: "Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri"

Actress in a Supporting Role

Mary J. Blige: "Mudbound"
Allison Janney: "I, Tonya"
Lesley Manville: "Phantom Thread"
Laurie Metcalf: "Lady Bird"
Octavia Spencer: "The Shape of Water"

Animated Feature Film

Born Leader
The Breadwinner
Coco
Ferdinand
Loving Vincent

Cinematography

Roger A. Deakins: "Blade Runner 2049"
Bruno Delbonnel: "Darkest Hour"
Hoyte van Hoytema: "Dunkirk"
Rachel Morrison: "Mudbound"
Dan Lausten: "The Shape of Water"

Costume Design

Jacqueline Durran: "Beauty and the Beast"
Jacqueline Durran: "Darkest Hour"
Mark Bridges: "Phantom Thread"
Luis Sequiera: "The Shape of Water"
Consolata Boyle: "Victoria & Abdul"

Directing

Christopher Nolan: "Dunkirk"
Jordan Peele: "Get Out"
Greta Gerwig: Lady Bird"
Paul Thomas Anderson: "Phantom Thread"
Guillermo del Toro: "The Shape of Water"

Documentary Feature

Abacus: Small Enough to Jail
Faces Places
Icarus
Last Men in Aleppo
Strong Island

Documentary Short Subject

Edith+Edie
Heaven is a Traffic Jam on the 405
Heroin(e)
Knife Skills
Traffic Stop

Film Editing

Baby Driver
Dunkirk
I, Tonya
The Shape of Water
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

Foreign Language Film

A Fantastic Woman (Chile)
The Insult (Lebanon)
Loveless (Russia)
On Body and Soul (Hungary)
The Square (Sweden)

Makeup and Hairstyling

Kazhuro Tsuji, David Malinowski, & Lucy Sibbick: "Darkest Hour"
Daniel Phillips and Lou Sheppad: "Victoria & Abdul"
Arjen Tuiten: "Wonder"

Music (Original Score)

Hans Zimmer: "Dunkirk"
Jonny Greenwood: "Phantom Thread"
Alexandre Despot: "The Shape of Water"
John Williams: "Star Wars: The Last Jedi"
Carter Burwell: "Three Billboards Outside Ebbings, Missouri"

Music (Original Song"

"Mighty River" from Mudblood
"Mystery of Love" from Call Me By Your Name
"Remember Me" from Coco
"Stand Up for Something" from Marshall
"This is Me" from The Greatest Showman

Production Design

Beauty and the Beast
Blade Runner 2049
Darkest Hour
Dunkirk
The Shape of Water

Short Film (Animated)

Dear Basketball
Garden Party
Lou
Negative Space
Revolting Rhymes

Short Film (Live Action)

DeKalb Elementary
The Eleven O'Clock
My Nephew Emmett
The Silent Child
Watu Wrote/All of Us

Sound Editing

Baby Driver
Blade Runner 2049
Dunkirk
The Shape of Water
Star Wars: The Last Jedi

Sound Mixing

Baby Driver
Blade Runner 2049
Dunkirk
The Shape of Water
Star Wars: The Last Jedi

Visual Effects

Blade Runner 2049
Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2
Kong: Skull Island
Star Wars: The Last Jedi
War for the Planet of the Apes


Writing (Adapted Screenplay)

James Ivory: "Call Me By Your Name"
Scott Neustadter & Michael H. Webber: "The Disaster Artist"
Scott Frank & James Mangold and Michael Green; Story by James Mangold: "Logan"
Aaron Sorkin: "Molly's Game"
Virgil Williams & Dee Rees: "Mudbound"

Writing (Original Screenplay)

Emily V. Gordon & Kumail Nanjani; "The Big Sick"
Jordan Peele: "Get Out"
Greta Gerwig: "Lady Bird"
Screenplay by Guillermo del Toro & Vanessa Taylor; Story by Guillermo del Toro: "The Shape of Water"

Martin McDonagh: "Three Billboards Outside Ebbings, Missouri"

Call Me By Your Name

This coming of age film is beautifully shot and beautifully written. The story surrounds one six-week period during the early summer of 1983 in a small town in the north of Italy. A graduate student (Armie Hammer) comes to work with a college professor (Michael Stuhlbarg) as his research assistant at his home and where the professor's 17-year old son, Elio (played to perfection by the Oscar nominated Timothee Chalamet) eventually falls in love with the student.

Without being exploitative in any way, director Luca Guadagnino leads us through a beautiful coming of age story of young love and two very different characters. Armie Hammer and Timothee Chalamet have great chemistry on screen and you feel for both these characters. Armie's character, Oliver, is still very much in the closet and never really comes to terms with his sexuality, but Timothee's character, Elio, is very much open to his and finally begins to except himself for who he is along with the help and encouragement of his father (Michael Stuhlbarg). One of the most beautiful scenes in gay cinema history takes place between Elio and his father. Kudos to the Luca Guadagnino and the brilliant actor, Michael Stuhlbarg, for such an incredible scene of unconditional love between parent and child.

This film broke my heart. I was moved tremendously! This film so deserves the Oscar nomination for Best Film it's received and I personally feel that Timothee Chalamet deserves to win the Oscar for his touchingly beautiful performance in this film! Don't miss this film!

Murder On the Orient Express

For someone who grew up on the 1974 film version with Albert Finney as Hercule Poirot and an all-star cast including the likes of Lauren Bacall, Ingrid Bergman, Jacqueline Bisset, Martin Balsam, John Gielgud, Sean Connery, Wendy Hiller, Anthony Perkins, Vanessa Redgrave, Richard Widmark, and Michael York; the idea of a new version left me very worried. I am so happy to be wrong!

Kenneth Branagh stars as Hercule Poirot and directs this magnificent adaptation of Agatha Christie's acclaimed novel with another all-star cast including the likes of Michelle Pfeiffer, Daisy Ridley, Leslie Odom, Jr., Tom Bateman, Penelope Cruz, Josh Gad, Johnny Depp, Derek Jacobi, Judi Dench, and Willem Dafoe. In this version, 20th Century Fox (their last film before the big Disney takeover) has delivered an epic film that reminded me of the films of my childhood and of the golden age of Hollywood. Kudos to everyone involved for a job well done. 

One thing that stood out for me, besides the magnificent performances by one incredible cast, is the deep human aspect that was played up, particularly with the ending. This film packs a wallop and I was left in tears at the end of this film. I am so grateful for Kenneth Branagh, the brilliant screenwriter, Micheal Green, for delving deeper into the emotional ramifications of this story. Agatha Christie was truly a great writer and this adaptation has done justice to the source material as well as paying great tribute to the talent of Ms. Christie! Don't miss this film!