- Casablanca – The holiday post titled, “Ways to nurture your writing spirit,” included the joy of listening to dialogue from this 1942 classic, which remains my all-time favorite film. I loved the Epstein brothers’ remarkable screenplay and the chemistry between not only Bogart and Berman but also between Bogie and Captain Renault played by Claude Rains.
- Water for Elephants – On day one of the blogathon last year I reviewed this film based on Sara Gruen’s bestselling drama. The story’s backdrop is a struggling circus in Depression-era America.
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2earned an entire post last July where I discussed the lasting legacy of J.K. Rowling’s body of work. Through her seven-part fantasy series, Rowling made reading cool for millions of kids.
- Twilight Saga – A self-professed Twilight Mom, I shared the fun of heading to my local Cineplex with my girlfriends for the opening night of the film’s New Moon premiere. The post talks about the generational pull of the Stephenie Meyer series and how Twilight screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg translated the book to screen.
- The Avengers – I am adding this action flick to today’s blog. My husband and I saw it Saturday night, and he pretty much summed it all up when he said not even half way through the movie, “This is the best action movie I will ever see!”
It didn’t surprise us that the film shot past even the Harry Potter finale in terms of opening night ticket sales. It’s not just the effects and the pace of this Marvel Studios’ tour de force; it was the genuine comedic moments and bantering among the characters. Director Joss Whedon (of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angelfame) had an incredible lineup of star power at his command starting with Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man. Downey practically stole the show with his comedic and deadpan one liners. Case in point is this testosterone-laced exchange between him and Steve Rogers (Caption America):
Tony Stark: “Genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist.”