Premiere Event: “Captain America” Double Feature

April 3^rd, 2014-New York, NY-The AMC Loews 34^th Street 14 theater was sold out for the "Captain America" Double Feature.  The event would start with a showing of “Captain America: The First Avenger” followed by the premiere of “Captain America: The Winter Soldier”. I was fortunate enough to get tickets to the event.   

This double feature was worth the wait. By 4:00pm, fans were lined up inside the box office lobby waiting to receive a “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” film poster and limited edition lanyard that had the title superhero’s shield on the front and the event information on the back. These were Marvel fans genuinely looking forward to the night, some even coming in costume. I could hear the animated conversations from my spot toward the back of the line, and knew I was just as amped as they were.

At 4:45pm, the line began to move as tickets were scanned. The promotional items were handed out and each person was given the 3D glasses required to enjoy the movie experience. The theater was packed as people looked for the best seat. From my seat in the fourth row center, 5:30pm could not come soon enough.

The night started with Captain America trivia with the winner receiving either a shirt or special 3D glasses.  “Captain America: The First Avenger” was shown to the audience, who cheered, laughed and applauded every moment as if this was the film debuting in theaters that night. As an observer, the reactions to the action sequences were fun to listen to. Being a fan of Marvel, I really enjoyed catching up on Captain America’s story as well as the scene at the end of the credits that introduced the initial trailer for the “The Avengers”.   

After a half-hour break between movies, “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” premiered at 8:00pm. This film was absolutely amazing and had the attention of those in attendance that night. I could not even begin to describe what made this movie work as well as it did. That being said, I would not wish to spoil it for anyone who plans on seeing it this weekend. All I can really say is just see it because you will be in for an amazing experience.

2014 Oscar Observations

The Academy Awards, or Oscars, are something I look forward to every year. I love movies and enjoy seeing what gets nominated. Here’s what I noticed watching this year’s ceremony.

Wizard of Oz’s 75^th Anniversary Tribute (In High Definition): Judy Garland’s children, including Liza Minnelli, were on hand to honor the 75^th anniversary of the film The Wizard of Oz. Whoopi Goldberg even wore ruby red sequined heels when introducing singer Alecia “Pink” Moore. Pink’s amazing rendition of “Somewhere Over The Rainbow” was a highlight of the evening.

Introducing Idina Menzel?: Idina Menzel’s performance of Best Song winner “Let It Go”(from Frozen) was stunning as was the backdrop of Swarovski crystals that adorned the stage behind her. Her voice made it possible to almost forget John Travolta’s mispronunciation of her name when he called her “Adele Dazeem”.  

Gravity Wins Big: As foretold, Gravity won its fair share of Oscars: Its achievements in sound mixing and sound editing were noticed as were its visual effects… The cinematographers and editing teams received Oscars…Alfonso Cuaron won the Best Director award for his work on the space thriller.

A Night of Predictability: The Oscar prognosticators usually seem to know who will leave with the famed gold statue. This night, the Academy seemed to agree with them:  Cate Blanchett accepted the Best Actress award for her role in Woody Allen’s Blue Jasmine…The Supporting Actress award went to 12 Years a Slave’s Lupita Nyong’o.

The Artistic Gatsby: The Great Gatsby was honored for its attention to detail. Catherine Martin received the award for the film’s costume design and accepted a second for being one half of the production design team.   

Oscar Pizza Party: Viewers at home were not the only ones who ordered fast food to celebrate the night. Host Ellen DeGeneres delivered on her promise to order pizza for those in attendance when a deliveryman from a Hollywood pizzeria came on stage with three pies. The pure joy of watching the celebrities indulge was priceless.

Academy, My Dear Watson: Two stars of the BBC series Sherlock were part of 2014’s Oscar nominated films: Benedict Cumberbatch (Sherlock Holmes) was a presenter as well as a part of the ensemble cast of Best Picture winner 12 Years A Slave… Martin Freedman (Dr. Watson) was in the live action short nominee The Voorman Problem.

That wraps up my summations of the 2014 Oscars. Here’s to another great year at the movie theaters.

Sources: NY Daily News Oscar Ballot in 'Your New York', a section in the Sunday newspaper-March 2^nd, 2014; ABC’s Oscar Telecast-March 2^nd, 2014; and IMDB.com

Throwback Thursday: NHL Olympians

At the Olympics, the world sends its best athletes to compete for national pride. Some of the participants are well known while others are not. For "Throwback Thursday", I want to revisit the National Hockey League participants from past Olympiads:

                                       Ottawa Senators (#39) Dominik Hasek- Team Czech Republic

                                                                                                                                                                       Vancouver Canucks (#37) Jarkko Ruutu (in white jersey )- Team Finland

                                                 New York Rangers (#24) Sandis Ozolinsh- Team Latvia

                                         Washington Capitals (#8) Alexander Ovechkin- Team Russia

                                                Buffalo Sabres (#30) Ryan Miller-Team USA

                                        Boston Bruins (#33) Zdeno Chara (on the left)-Team Slovakia

                                           New Jersey Devils (#30) Martin Brodeur- Team Canada

These photos represented some of the NHL Athletes that made the Olympics an international experience.   To end this blog, I decided to give one hockey player a particular honorable mention for his legacy in both the NHL and the Olympics:

                                        Pittsburgh Penguins (#66) Mario Lemieux -Team Canada

Throwback Thursday-"MNM-brash, young, and champions"

It is Throwback Thursday. In honor of this, I want to post an article I wrote on 5/26/2005 about  MNM's early success as a WWE tag team:


MNM-brash, young, and champions

By: Diana Siciliano

                       

 When they first showed up on Carlito’s Cabana, Johnny Nitro, Joey Mercury, and Melina established themselves as the team to beat…up. During that segment, the trio crashed an interview Carlito was conducting with Rey Mysterio Jr.    They had a red-carpet entrance and a smug attitude.  Melina, the manager of the team, took the microphone, proclaiming MNM “the ‘it’ team on the scene.”  According to her, her team had the chance to win the tag team titles from the champions Rey Mysterio Jr. and Eddie Guerrero, who were having problems. However, with no sign of Guerrero, the match wasn’t going to be at that moment.  So, Melina, Nitro, and Mercury settled for beating up on Mysterio.

Eddie Guerrero sought to fix the rift between him and his tag team partner on Carlito’s Cabana the next week.  Rey Mysterio Jr. did come out and hear his partner out.  However touching a moment this was, MNM made sure the other half of the tag team champions was out to get them as well.  MNM appeared on the Titantron during Guerrero and Mysterio’s reconciliation to send a message and a challenge.  The message was clear as Melina, Nitro, and Mercury used spray paint to write their initials on the hood of Guerrero’s well-designed, green lowrider!

              Eddie would be offended by their actions, and grant the new team the match they wanted. So, it was that the first match of MNM’s Smackdown career would be for the tag team titles. Johnny Nitro and Joey Mercury proved they were a solid team that would resort to anything to win those belts.  They double-teamed Rey Mysterio behind the referee’s back, leaving Eddie Guerrero in a rage in the corner.  Guerrero’s frustration would lead to the momentum shifting to the champions.

               However, that same attitude led to the champs’ downfall.  Guerrero and Mysterio were so set on beating Nitro and Mercury that they did not see the role Melina would play in the match.  Rey Mysterio Jr. had Mercury set up for the “619” sweeping leg strike, but Melina interjected, getting between the two competitors.  Guerrero pulled her away, only to get hugged fiercely.  With Guerrero distracted, Nitro connected with a right hand. Mercury found his senses and joined Nitro in hitting Mysterio with the “Snapshot” finisher. A three count later, MNM were the new tag team champions.

               Determined to get their titles back, Guerrero and Mysterio immediately asked for their rematch. At the start of the contest, MNM were caught off guard by the former tag team champs. That would change during the course of the match when Rey hit Eddie with a kick that was meant for MNM.  Eddie started to leave the ring, which would have provided MNM with an advantage, but thought better of it.  He returned to Rey’s corner to watch Mercury’s and Nitro’s frequent tags slow down Mysterio’s defenses. When there was a chance for a tag to Guerrero, Rey was ignored and left to win the belts back on his own.  Though Mercury was surprised at this turn of events, he, along with Nitro, kept on the offensive to retain their tag titles.

                Given their early record, one can’t argue with MNM's success.  Though some would say MNM are a brash team that cheated to win their titles, they are forced to concede MNM is a solid tag team…A solid tag team whose confidence will prove to be backed up in future matches.

John Morrison(formerly Johnny Nitro) at WWE Live Event 3/20/2011

John Morrison(Formerly Known as Johnny Nitro) at Ringfest 2009

Melina at Ringfest 2009

Movie Review: “About Time”

Romantic comedies are the films that can be overly sentimental with moments of wit that take place as “boy-meets-girl” leads to “boy-loses girl- and-wins-girl-back”. Friends and family likely try to help the love match with comedic results. By the end, the audience leaves the theater either believing the on-screen chemistry or not.

“About Time” is a quirky version of the genre that gives “boy” multiple chances to right his life.  On the day of his 21^st birthday, Tim (Domhnall Gleeson) learns a family secret from his father (Bill Nighy) that alters his perception on things. This gift given to Tim is one that allows him to bend the space-time continuum to affect or just revisit past events of his life. Once he knows this, the young man uses this gift with a determination to enrich his life. Along the way, he meets a struggling playwright (an excellent Tom Hollander) and Mary (Rachel McAdams).

Tim learns his gift is useful for doing good deeds for others as well as ensuring his own happiness. However, he realizes there are limitations to this. What follows is a riveting set of scenes that show that family is what matters as well as the importance of living in the present and accepting your decisions.

My verdict: I enjoyed this movie. Domhnall Gleeson gave a great performance as Tim. His awkward nature leads to some of the film’s brightest spots. He had the comedic timing, yet could also bring out the emotional vulnerability a son has for his father. The scenes between Nighy and Gleeson are memorable and poignant.

The only thing that viewers might say is an issue with this movie is its sentimentality. By definition, a romantic comedy is supposed to have this element. However, I will admit that Tim and Mary get together and seem to lack the visible spark that couples should have in these pictures. They are a decent couple, but there are scenes where it seems you are moving along their timeline waiting for them to genuinely connect.

Oddly, the sentimental element comes from the father and son bond. I really felt Bill Nighy and Domhnall Gleeson had an emotional connection throughout this movie. The moment the film shifts focus to them, it resonated with me as a viewer.  Anyone with a sensitive side will probably need to bring a Kleenex as this film makes you think as much as it makes you feel.

Overall, “About Time” is a wonderful movie. I recommend it to anyone who wants to see a great story about a son maturing into a man as he actively seeks to control his destiny. Now, if only I could go back in time and return to the theater to revisit the first time I saw it… (8 out of 10)