Thursday, May 17, 2012
Check out CEPAC’s star-studded summer lineup that features a performance by Kristen Chenoweth and a new play by Tyler Perry.
The stars of the Disney Channel series “Imagination Movers” come to CEPAC Saturday, May 19. Catch one of two action-packed performances at 2 p.m. or 5 p.m. Tickets are $27 or $37 plus fees and can be purchased online. Tyler Perry makes himself at home at CEPAC the second week of June. Catch two performances of “Madea Gets a Job” Wednesday and Thursday, June 6 and 7 followed by the premiere of “The Haves and Have Nots” Friday and Saturday, June 8 and 9. Tickets to both shows are $27 plus fees. Buy them online. Kristen Chenoweth brings her debut tour to CEPAC Friday, June 22. The “Wicked” star performs in the John A. Williams Theatre at 8 p.m. Tickets are $37, $57, $77 and $125 plus fees. Tickets can be purchased through Ticketmaster. Son …
Sunday, May 6, 2012
A superhero all-star movie featuring Iron Man, Thor, Captain America and the Hulk makes a smash in theaters this weekend.
The summer movie season starts early, and this could be the biggest movie of the year. It is one of the most entertaining comic book blockbusters ever made -- Marvel's "The Avengers." Robert Downey Jr. is Iron Man; Captain America is Chris Evans; Thor is Chris Hemsworth, and The Hulk is Mark Ruffalo. The team is assembled thanks to Samuel L. Jackson's Nick Fury character. They need to stop a diabolical bad guy who, you guessed it, wants to rule the world. But they spend nearly as much time battling each other as they do battling evil. What's great about this film is the sense of humor it has without disrespecting the characters or the fans who have been waiting forever for this superhero mash-up. The main characters get plenty of screen …
Friday, May 4, 2012
The Lovett High School Film Fest will screen 18 created by high school directors from around the world.
The Lovett School is rolling out the red carpet for its second annual High School Film Festival Saturday, May 5. “Our inaugural film festival was one of the biggest cultural events of last year, attended by more than 500 audience members and many of the celebrated filmmakers,” said Jen Sarginson, director of communications for the school. “This year we received over 200 submissions from teen filmmakers all over the world.” Of the 200 films submitted, 18 will be screened at the festival at Lovett’s Hendrix-Chenault Theatre including entries from as far as away as Russia and the United Kingdom. Three films by Lovett students will be shown: “Back Here,” directed by senior Fraser Jones; “Still,” directed by senior Kendall Payne; and “The …
Sunday, April 29, 2012
A ship full of bumbling Pirates take us on a 3D Claymation animation trip worth the voyage.
A below average pirate captain (voiced by Hugh Grant) seeks to win the elusive "Pirate of the Year" award, but faces some strong competition in "The Pirates! Band of Misfits." From the folks who brought us Wallace and Gromit, the story is feather-light but strong enough to introduce the characters and establish their conflicts, which are pretty predictable. It's more of a comedy than an adventure, appealing to both children and adults. Such a film should be a crowd pleaser at the box office. Audiences love pirate movies. Toss in some quirky characters -- like a twisted Queen Victoria and Charles Darwin -- and you have an evolutionary success. The film is an enjoyable 90 minutes. The voice casting was mostly on merit and not on stunt …
Sunday, April 22, 2012
Teen heartthrob Zac Efron breaks out in his first real adult role as a war veteran who has come home looking for love in a romantic melodrama that is worth the price of admission.
Zac Efron plays Logan, an Afghanistan war veteran on his third tour, who comes across a picture of a woman who inspires him to search for her, stateside, in "The Lucky One." His search lands him at a kennel in Louisiana owned by Beth (Taylor Schilling) and her grandmother, Ellie (Blythe Danner). He gets a job there and, over a period of time, settles in, still not telling anyone his real reason for being there. As you might imagine, sparks start to fly. "The Lucky One" is a Nicholas Sparks movie. He's good at this kind of thing, writing books that turned into movies like "Message in a Bottle," "Nights in Rodanthe" and "The Notebook." This film, in my opinion, is one of his better stories. And, with an attractive young cast, it should be …
Sunday, April 15, 2012
The Three Stooges get a new look with some fresh new faces, and no one is laughing.
From the people who brought you "There's Something About Mary" and "Dumb & Dumber" comes the much anticipated movie about three morons in "The Three Stooges." It's Larry, Moe, and Curly 2.0. This time around Larry is played by Sean Hayes, Moe is Chris Diamantopoulos, and Curly is Will Sasso. The film is three episodes drawn into one 90-minute movie. The Stooges do what they can to try to save the orphanage they grew up in. This movie has been talked about for more than 10 years now and, sad to say, it's pretty anticlimactic. I was never a real big fan of the original Stooges, and it's pretty safe to say that these three were doing impressions rather than a performance. The eye-poking and slapping is so repetitive it's almost sad. This film…
Sunday, April 8, 2012
Break out the pie, the American Pie, that is. Its been nearly a decade since we last heard from the crew that made amorous behavior toward pastries so popular. Now they are back for the reunion.
The kids are back, rediscovering their youth, now in their thirties in "American Reunion." This is the fourth installment of the "American Pie" franchise, featuring pastry lover Jim (Jason Biggs), nice guy Oz (Chris Klein), and party animal Stifler (Seann William Scott). Each character is dealing with some sort of midlife crisis and relationship problem that builds up to an actually funny comedic payoff in the end. The supporting cast of secondary characters helps this film bring humor to sexless marriages, rehashed high school flings and dead-end careers … or, as I like to say, comic gold. This may be the best film in the series since the original, which came out back in 1999. Serving as a reminder of lost youth, many of these characters …
Sunday, April 1, 2012
A familiar fairy tale gets a new look with a fresh new story line, great young actors and an evil Julia Roberts you'll love to hate.
It's more than just a remake of "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs." Sure, the evil queen banishes her stepdaughter to the woods to avoid the attention of Prince Charming. Don't expect the same outcome in "Mirror Mirror." Julia Roberts is well-suited to play the evil queen. Lily Collins plays the role of Snow White, and Armie Hammer is, of course, the Prince. A great supporting cast around these three makes this a film for young and old to enjoy. Adopted by a group of rebellious but kind dwarfs, Snow White transforms into a brave young woman, determined to save her country from the Queen. With the support and commitment of new friends, Snow White reclaims her birthright and wins back her Prince…with a few twists. The movie is fun to watch. …
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Manny Rivas's mixed-media piece "One Half Can Equal Whole" earned him first place in the Congressman David Scott's Congressional High School Art Contest.
Winning first place in the first art contest you’ve ever entered is impressive, but winning first place in an art contest that earns you a $10,000 scholarship is an accomplishment. Campbell High School sophomore Manny Rivas, 16, took home first place in Congressman David Scott’s 10th annual Congressional High School Art Contest for his mixed media piece “One Half Can Equal Whole.” In addition to a $10,000 scholarship to the Art Institute of Atlanta, Rivas received a one-year young patron membership to the High Museum of Art. Rivas described hearing his name called as the first-place winner a surreal experience. “When I won I couldn’t even talk,” he said “I had all this stuff to say just in case I did win. My parents were crying. I wasn’t …
Sunday, March 25, 2012
A best-selling young-adult book becomes a movie and is bound to be a hit. It's a survival-of-the-fittest reality show that leaves you craving for more.
It's one of the most anticipated movies in some time, and we have the scoop right here. It has all the elements of a big hit -- teen romance, violence, and action. Mix in some rising young stars and you have "The Hunger Games." Jennifer Lawrence isn't a household name yet, but she will be. Known to this point for her critically acclaimed role in the film "Winter's Bone," Lawrence plays Katniss, one of two people from her district who must play a nationally televised game, in which there can be just one winner -- the last one living. Equipped with knives, swords, bows, arrows, and other weapons, the massacre begins. This futurist tale takes place in the country of Panem, after an apocalyptic war. The country is split into 12 districts, with…
