By Joe Montague

Tammy Frederick as Mllie Dillmont and Neil Salinas in the role of Jimmy Smith, put in a world class performance at the Meadowvale Theatre, in the Clarkson Music Theatre’s spectacular production of Thoroughly Modern Millie, under the direction of Rob Gorican, the musical direction of Jennifer Peace and with the guidance of choreographer Bob Riddell. With all due respect to the wonderful three hundred seats Meadowvale Theatre, this is a cast that is so deserving of a much larger stage, as there are simply no weak links, and we might add that the sixteen piece orchestra is outstanding as well.  The singing is flawless, the dance numbers are spell binding, and the acting is superb.

As good as Heather Laws (as Miss Dorothy Brown), Christine McMahon (as Mrs. Meers), Philip Tetro (Ching Ho) Martin van Helden (Bun Foo), Dar Bart (Trevor Graydon), Maria Moore (Muzzy van Hussmere) and Amanda Dwyer-Scarlett (Miss Flannery), are in their supporting roles, there is no mistaking who the stars of this show are, clearly those accolades fall to Tammy Frederick and Neil Galinas, who deliver their lines with authenticity, always staying “in the

Reviewed by Film Editor Barry Benintende

Disclosure time: I'm a huge fan of many previous Holmes movies. Growing up in Southern California, my Mom and I would make one Saturday a month a film festival dedicated to the charming work of Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce. With that in mind, the latest installment of Sherlock Holmes had an advantage. If Guy Ritchie's version was in English, it was almost a guarantee that I would like it.  The film is in English and it does have more than that going for it, in order to recommend viewing it. With more action than the previous Holmes films, there is a delicate balance between the always cerebral Holmes and a Holmes that can take care of himself in a scrap. Fortunately, the current incarnation of Holmes can do both.

Ritchie had incredible source material, Arthur Conan Doyle's iconic Sherlock Holmes, the British detective with extraordinary deductive powers and the solid Dr. Watson. Sherlock Holmes the film does justice to the source material without being so reverent that it brings nothing new to the party. The screenplay was written by Michael Robert Johnson, Anthony Peckham and Simon

Paranormal Activity

Reviewed by Film Editor Barry Benintende

After a great deal of hype over the cost of production, Paranormal Activity is nothing more than a well-made, scary, film that holds up on DVD. Paranormal came to theaters claiming it was a true story and the footage was "found" after the fact. To add to the set up, it plays without any conventional opening or closing credits, it begins by thanking "the families of Micah Sloat and Katie Featherston." Best of all, it closes with one of those ominous "current whereabouts unknown" title cards and a bare bones screen of copyright notices. Unless you have never heard of Paranormal Activity, you know it is all a put on to sell tickets and build interest in the film. It is a bold marketing strategy and a successful one too. It does set up the audience for a stark movie with some emotional highs and interesting visuals.

There will be comparisons to The Blair Witch Project, another low budget film that marketed itself the same way. The footage is presented as if it had been discovered after the fact.

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Photos by Alex J. Berliner/Berliner Photography / BEImages / Paramount Pictures Special Screening of 'Shutter Island' in New York, America - 17 Feb 2010 / Paramount Pictures New York special screening of 'Shutter Island' sponsored by Giorgio Armani at the Ziegfeld Theater

Forever Plaid

Reviewed by Joe Montague

The last two decades have seen the rise and fall, and rise again of rappers and hip-hop artists, lone DJs and MCs whose rhymes and beats have forever emblazoned their words on the hearts of some, and outright offended others. Before that we had heavy metal dudes such as, Guns ‘n’ Roses and Aerosmith,  even further back Led Zepplein. The 1960’s saw the birth of girl groups, The Ronettes (“Be My Baby”), The Dixie Cups (“Chapel Of Love”) and The Shirelles (“Mama Said,” and “Will You Love Me Tomorrow”), there was Motown and there was the British Invasion, but there was a time when guy groups, with splendid harmonies dominated the charts in America, and Forever Plaid, the off Broadway production written by Stuart Ross in 1990 is a tribute to those groups. Recently Forever Plaid was presented by Music Theatre Mississauga at the Meadowvale Theatre, and under the capable direction of director David Charchalis, Musical Director Triz Remedios, Arron Smaller (Choreographer) and Producer Pat Brown, the Plaids, consisting of Smudge (Dan Berthe), Jinx (Michael Sumbler), Frankie (David O’Hearn) and Sparky (Dave Martin) were brought back to life one more time.

 

(500) Days of Summer

Reviewed by Film Editor Barry Benintende

(500) Days of Summer is a movie that looks at a relationship like an i-pod on shuffle. The story begins on Day 480-something and then jumps around between days, it is a gimmick that is alternately charming and off-putting, but fortunately, the movie stars a pair of likable actors working with a decent, although somewhat jumpy, script.. 

Joseph Gordon-Levitt is Tom, who remembers Summer, as a series of happy memories, and a few bad ones too. She likes him, maybe even loves him, but she has no desire to settle down, nor does she want anything permanent.  Zooey Deschanel in the role of Summer is brutally honest, but sweet and bright, a person that Tom cannot have, because she has to be her own person, which is what makes life difficult (okay it flat out sucks) for Tom. He is a bit of a romantic idealist who writes greeting cards and he has plenty of boyish charm. Summer is the new assistant to Tom’s boss and she likes Tom enough, that one day she makes her move by the photocopier. The pair tour Los Angeles and chat about architecture, Sid and Nancy and plenty of other topics, that swerve back and forth, as does this movie.