MOVIE REVIEW: War Horse

DIRECTED BY: Steven Spielberg

Writing credits

Lee Hall	Screen Play
Richard Curtis	Screen Play
Michael Morpurgo	Novel

CAST:
Jeremy Irvine ... Albert Narracott
Peter Mullan ... Ted Narracott
Emily Watson ... Rose Narracott
Niels Arestrup ... Grandfather
David Thewlis ... Lyons
Tom Hiddleston ... Captain Nicholls
Benedict Cumberbatch ... Maj. Jamie Stewart
Celine Buckens ... Emilie
Toby Kebbell ... Geordie Soldier
Patrick Kennedy ... Lt. Charlier Waverly
Leonhard Carow ... Michael (as Leonard Carow)
David Kross ... Gunther
Matt Milne ... Andrew Easton
Robert Emms ... David Lyons
Eddie Marsan ... Sgt. Fry
Nicolas Bro ... Friedrich
Rainer Bock ... Brandt
Hinnerk Schönemann ... German Soldier in No Man's Land
Gary Lydon ... Si Easton
Geoff Bell ... Sgt. Sam Perkins
Liam Cunningham ... Army Doctor

The story begins with the birth of a colt and the animal's first steps. From the beginning, you can tell this is going to be one extraordinary horse. Albert Narracott witnesses the birth and you can tell there's a bond between young man and colt already.

Report on 2011 Goals

Oh, I dread this one. Back in 2011, my first post in this blog dealt with goals for the coming year. I made a few and I missed a lot. I'm not making excuses, But I'm honestly reporting. Here were the goals: • Read 75 books • Lose 70 pounds • Walk/ride 1024 miles • Meditate 20 minutes a day • Get one book finished and submitted (or self-published) • Enter a short story anthology at least once a month • Blog at least twice a month BOOKS: I quit writing down the book number at 63, so I'm fairly certain I completed this one and possibly then some. Vision has deteriorated so I will be reading mostly ebooks and hardcovers from now on. I'm grateful for the iPad. WEIGHT: Sadly, I weigh the same as I did last year. Tony and I are going to be starting Weight Watchers or similar together so this may improve my chances of success. EXERCISE: Nope, not that either. I'm thinking a "mile" goal is not as good as a "minute" per week. MEDITATION: Mostly. I want deeper more formal meditation though. BOOK PUBLICATION: Got three books almost finished. ANTHOLOGIES: This I've done. Go me. BLOGGING: This I've done and I even have followers. Thank you! So, what will I do next year goal-wise? Good question. I'm not sure yet. I'm still working on it.

INTERVIEW: Ian Healy

Today, I'm honored to be part of author Ian Healy's blog tour for his release of Just Cause, which is the first release on New Babel Books.

BEX: You started writing in Junior High – can you tell us who your inspiration was? A teacher? Another writer?

IAN: I can't put my finger on anyone in particular as being inspirational to me beyond my parents, who encouraged reading and indeed read constantly. I remember walking down the hill to the library with a duffel bag once a week and climbing back up to go home with it bursting full of books. To say I started writing in Junior High is like saying I started breathing then. I have always been a writer and a teller of stories. It just took a more serious focus around that time period.

Yes, Dear Reader, There are Vampires

Dear Bex:

I am not telling you how old I am because it's not your business. Some of my friends say there are no vampires. But I say, "If you see it on the Internet, then it's so."

I have written several blogs who have given me different replies including seeking professional help and requesting to know just what kind(s) of drugs I am on and where the blogger may procure them.

I have finally resorted to your humble blog with your 28 followers. So, Bex, please tell me are there really vampires?

Signed,
A Reader

MOVIE REVIEW: Mission Impossible Ghost Protocol

Brad Bird ... Director
Josh Appelbaum and Andre Nemec ... Writers
Bruce Geller ... writer on original television program

STARS:

Tom Cruise ... Ethan Hunt
Jeremy Renner ... Brandt
Simon Pegg ... Benji
Paula Patton ... Jane
Michael Nyqvist ... Hendricks
Vladimir Mashkov ... Sidorov
Samuli Edelmann ... Wistrom
Ivan Shvedoff ... Leonid Lisenker
Anil Kapoor ... Brij Nath
Léa Seydoux ... Sabine Moreau
Josh Holloway ... Hanaway
Pavel Kris ... Marek Stefanski
Miraj Grbic ... Bogdan

I confess, I'm not much of a Tom Cruise fan. So, my husband and I paid IMAX prices to see Simon Pegg. I'm pleased and surprised to say it was worth it!

First of all, the IMAX version of MI4 is not 3D. Thus, you do not have to wear the stupid ill-fitting glasses, which you have to recycle and then pay for every_single_time you see a 3-D movie. For the most part, I haven't seen a lot of 3D that's worth the extra admission and glasses rental, anyway. However, MI4 was well worth the IMAX screen. The effects, particularly in Dubai, were stunning. In addition, this version of MI was much more of an ensemble cast than the prior versions. There's much more interplay among the stars and it's not just the "Tom Cruise" show. Actually, Cruise was pretty impressive. Simon Pegg as the nerd Benji promoted to a field agent, did an amazing job.

MOVIE REVIEW: Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows

Directed by: Guy Ritchie
Written by: Michele Mulroney and Kieran Mulroney
Additional: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (characters: Sherlock Holmes, Dr. Watson)

STARS:

Robert Downey Jr. ... Sherlock Holmes
Jude Law ... Dr. John Watson
Noomi Rapace ... Madam Simza Heron
Rachel McAdams ... Irene Adler
Jared Harris ... Professor James Moriarty
Stephen Fry ... Mycroft Holmes
Paul Anderson ... Colonel Sebastian Moran
Kelly Reilly ... Mary Watson
Geraldine James ... Mrs. Hudson
Eddie Marsan ... Inspector Lestrade
William Houston ... Constable Clark

Sherlock Holmes is facing his biggest case ever and it has to begin on the eve of Watson's wedding to Mary. Sherlock's willing to fight alone, but his arch-enemy, Dr. Moriarty, is not going to let Dr. Watson go Scot-free for foiling his plans.

MOVIE REVIEW: Hugo

Director: Martin Scorsese
Writers: John Logan (screenplay), Brian Selznick (book)

STARS:

Ben Kingsley ... Georges Méliès
Sacha Baron Cohen ... Station Inspector
Asa Butterfield ... Hugo Cabret
Chloë Grace Moretz ... Isabelle
Ray Winstone ... Uncle Claude
Emily Mortimer ... Lisette
Christopher Lee ... Monsieur Labisse
Helen McCrory ... Mama Jeanne
Michael Stuhlbarg ... Rene Tabard
Frances de la Tour ... Madame Emilie
Richard Griffiths ... Monsieur Frick
Jude Law ... Hugo's Father

Hugo Cabret's twelve when he loses his father to a tragic fire. His Uncle Claude takes him in. The only memento Hugo brings from his past is an automaton, a small metal man that he and his father have been working on to restore.