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Showing posts from March, 2017

Upcoming and a GIVEAWAY: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, May 2-14 at the Fisher Theatre (Detroit)

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*Disclosure: I have an ongoing relationship with Broadway in Detroit. The opinions expressed here, however, are my own. A while back, I read The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time , and I remember liking it a lot. The stage version is now coming to Detroit this May! About the show: WINNER OF: Five Tony Awards including Best Play, Six Drama Desk Awards including Outstanding Play, Five Outer Critics Circle Awards including Outstanding New Broadway Play, Drama League Award for Outstanding Production of a Broadway or Off-Broadway Play The Detroit premiere of the National Theatre production of THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT-TIME will play the Fisher Theatre, May 2-14, 2017 as part of a North American Tour. Ticket prices start at $35 and are now on sale at all Ticketmaster locations, by phone at 1-800-982-2787 , and online at  www.broadwayindetroit.com or www.ticketmaster.com , and at The Fisher Theatre Box Office. The Tony Award-winning new play by

Restaurant review: New dishes at Noodles & Company, Novi, MI {and a giveaway!}

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*Disclosure: I received a complimentary meal from Noodles & Company in exchange for this blog post. The opinions expressed here, however, are my own. If you're a longtime reader of my blog, it's no secret that I'm a big fan of Noodles & Company - I go there fairly often with my family, and I have reviewed them twice ( here and here ) on my blog, as well. This week, I was able to sample some of the restaurant's new dishes, at the Novi, MI location, and I definitely did not leave hungry! We started off with the new Thai chicken soup, which I have actually ordered before, fairly recently. My previous favorite at Noodles & Co. was the chicken noodle soup, which is now a seasonal menu item, I believe, but this is a close runner-up.  The Thai chicken soup is a coconut curry soup (although not spicy, in my opinion) with onion, cabbage, red bell peppers, lemongrass, lime galangal, turmeric, and shallots, and is quite tasty; it manages to taste creamy withou

GIVEAWAY - Silicon Valley: The Complete Third Season, on Blu-ray {ends 3/31}

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*Disclosure: I received a copy of Silicon Valley: The Complete Third Season to review, in exchange for this post. The opinions expressed here, however, are my own. I started watching Silicon Valley  on HBO rather recently, but it's a hilarious show, especially if you are in (or know people in) the tech industry. Silicon Valley: The Complete Third Season  comes to Blu-ray + Digital HD combo pack on April 11th, but you can win yourself a copy here before then! About the show: From Mike Judge (King of the Hill, Beavis and Butt-Head) and Alec Berg (Curb Your Enthusiasm, Seinfeld) comes a new season of the Emmy®-nominated comedy that takes viewers inside Silicon Valley's high-tech gold rush: a land of big ideas and bigger egos. After last season's shocking ending, which found Pied Piper celebrating legal victory just as Richard (Thomas Middleditch) was ousted as CEO, Season 3 picks up where we left off, with Richard offered the diminished role of CTO and the rest of h

Movie Review: Beauty and the Beast (2017)

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Beauty and the Beast has big shoes to fill - the 1991 Disney animated version is beloved by audiences worldwide. Luckily, Disney brings the magic once again with this live-action adaptation, aided by a superb cast. The movie starts by introducing us to the prince (Dan Stevens) and his lavish castle lifestyle. He's in the midst of throwing a masquerade ball when an old woman appears at his doorstep, begging for charity. He laughs at the woman and denies her food or shelter; it's then revealed that she's an enchantress. She turns the prince into the Beast, and his household staff into objects, and then leaves him the rose she originally brought, as a reminder. Once the rose loses all of its petals, too, the staff will become inanimate; if the Beast falls in love with a woman before then, though, and his feelings are reciprocated, with a kiss, then the curse will be broken. Meanwhile, in a provincial life nearby, Belle (Emma Watson) is going about her daily routine, incl

Movie Review: The Last Word

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Shirley MacLaine comes back to the big screen for The Last Word , and she is perfect in the part: curmudgeon older lady who decides to change aspects of her life before she (eventually) passes away. The cast is what makes this movie so good, and it's a fun film to watch. Harriet (MacLaine) is very Type-A, and likes to be in control of everything in her life. It only makes sense, then, that she goes to her local newspaper and asks to speak with the obituary writer, Anne (Amanda Seyfried), with an unusual request: she wants Anne to write her obituary before she dies, so that she can read it. Anne's boss tells her that Harriet was a very big advertiser in the paper back in the day, so they're essentially obligated to do this (and hey, if she leaves the newspaper some money in her will, that's an extra bonus). Anne starts talking to Harriet's friends and family, though those terms can be used loosely - most people hate her, and family-wise, she only has an ex-husband

GIVEAWAY: Comedy 20 movie collection on DVD {ends 3/21}

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Yesterday I posted about Mill Creek Entertainment's Action 20 collection (a collection of twenty action movies), as well as giving one of my lucky readers a chance to win a copy. Today I present the Comedy 20 collection (also by Mill Creek) as well as a giveaway! About the collection: A premium, 20-Movie Collection of licensed films from Columbia Pictures / Sony Pictures. Movies in the collection include: Punchline (1988) / R Sally Field, Tom Hanks “A wonderful, bittersweet comedy…” – Rex Reed & Dixie Whatley, AT THE MOVIES Field stars as Lilah Krytsick, a New Jersey housewife and mother who desperately wants to make it big as a comedienne. Hanks plays Steven Gold, a self-centered Lenny Bruce-type who's been stealing the spotlight with his irrepressible, natural comedic talent. Drawn to one another, Steven helps the stumbling Lilah turn her routine from flat to funny, while Lilah helps Steven keep his anguished life together. Postcards from the Edge (1990)

GIVEAWAY: Action 20 movie collection on DVD {ends 3/20}

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Mill Creek Entertainment recently released its Action 20 movie collection - twenty action movies in one package! One of my lucky readers will win a copy - read below for details. About the collection: A premium, 20-Movie Collection of licensed films from Columbia Pictures / Sony Pictures. Movies in the collection include: S.W.A.T. (2003) / PG-13 Samuel L. Jackson, Colin Farrell, Michelle Rodriguez, LL Cool J, Jeremy Renner Two wisecracking, battle-hardened veterans (Samuel L. Jackson and Colin Farrell) team up with a pair of street-smart rookies (Michelle Rodriguez and LL Cool J) to form the most freewheeling - but effective - S.W.A.T. team ever. Their first assignment: transport an international drug kingpin into federal custody - after he's offered $100 million to anyone who will free him! Basic (2003) / R Samuel L. Jackson, John Travolta, Connie Nielsen, Giovanni Ribisi, Tim Daly A DEA officer (John Travolta) is recruited to investigate the mysterious disappearan

GIVEAWAY: 4-pack of tickets for Motown the Musical, 4/18 at the Fisher Theatre, Detroit {ends 3/19}

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Earlier this month I wrote about MOTOWN THE MUSICAL, which will be in Detroit from April 18-30 at the Fisher Theatre. One of my lucky readers now has the chance to win a 4-pack of tickets for opening night! ( Tuesday, April 18th ) Click here to read about the show, and here to purchase tickets from Ticketmaster.

Blu-ray Review and GIVEAWAY: Fences {ends 3/17}

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*Disclosure: This is a sponsored post on behalf of Review Wire Media for Paramount Pictures. I received information to facilitate my review as well as a promotional item to thank me for my participation. I was excited to review Fences , as Viola Davis won the Oscar for her performance in it, and her co-star, Denzel Washington, also directed it. That being said, I had heard that it was a very slow-paced movie (and I'm not a fan of slow movies), and this ended up being true. Official synopsis: Adapted by legendary writer August Wilson from his own renowned play, FENCES follows former Negro-league baseball player Troy Maxson (Washington) in 1950s Pittsburgh as he fights to provide for those he loves in a world that threatens to push him down. An unforgettable and timeless masterpiece, FENCES “connects with people on a deep, emotional level” (Glenn Whipp, Los Angeles Times ) and pulses with the universal truths of love and forgiveness, despite what lies beyond your own fence.

Movie Review - Kong: Skull Island

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The screening of Kong: Skull Island that I saw was held at the Epic theater at MJR Troy, and I highly recommend watching it in a large-screen format like that: it made it very easy for me to become immersed in the film. Scientists Bill Randa (John Goodman) and Houston Brooks (Corey Hawkins) get permission from the government to explore a previously undiscovered island in the Pacific that has only recently been noticed on satellite imagery. They hire an Indiana Jones of sorts, James Conrad (Tom Hiddleston), just in case things go south ... which, of course, they immediately do, once the gang discovers that not only does Kong, a gigantic gorilla, guard this island, but the island is also inhabited by some lizard creatures who aren't too friendly either. Needless to say, Kong doesn't take too kindly to the scientists performing nuclear tests on the island - ie, trying to blow up his home - and chaos soon ensues.

GIVEAWAY: Gifted movie prize pack, including lunchbox + keychain {ends 3/14}

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*Disclosure: This is a sponsored post on behalf of Review Wire Media for Fox Searchlight. I received information to facilitate my review as well as a promotional item to thank me for my participation. Gifted will be in theaters on April 7th, and one of my lucky readers has the chance to win some movie-related swag! Swag includes lunchbox, cat keychain, pencil box, and calculator. About the movie: Frank Adler (Chris Evans) is a single man raising a child prodigy - his spirited young niece Mary (Mckenna Grace) - in a coastal town in Florida. Frank's plans for a normal school life for Mary are foiled when the seven-year-old’s mathematical abilities come to the attention of Frank’s formidable mother Evelyn (Lindsay Duncan) whose plans for her granddaughter threaten to separate Frank and Mary. Octavia Spencer plays Roberta, Frank and Mary’s landlady and best friend. Jenny Slate is Mary’s teacher, Bonnie, a young woman whose concern for her student develops into a conn

Movie Review: Before I Fall

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Comparisons of Before I Fall to Groundhog Day (1993) will be inevitable; however,  Before I Fall  is much more of a serious movie. The film focuses on the last day in the life of a teenage girl, though she doesn't know it's the last day until certain events occur. Samantha (Zoey Deutch, Why Him? ) wakes up on a typical day—February 12th, dubbed "Cupid's Day" at her high school—and goes about her normal life. Her three best friends pick her up at home, and they ride to school. She receives roses from her boyfriend, Rob (Kian Lawley), as well as one from a secret admirer, though she knows it's from Kent (Logan Miller), a childhood friend of hers, who has had a crush on her for a while. Kent invites her to a party he's throwing that night, and later she and her friends—or "baes," as they call themselves—head to the party. At the party, they run in to Juliet (Elena Kampouris, My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 ), the school outcast, whom the four of th

Movie Review: Table 19

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Table 19 is promoting itself as a comedy and a "chick flick," but if so, it's the saddest comedy I've ever seen. There are definitely comedic moments throughout the film, but there's a good heap of life issues thrown in there as well. Eloise McGarry (Anna Kendrick) is determined to attend her oldest friend's wedding - even though her brother, Teddy (Wyatt Russell), just recently broke up with her, after two years of dating, and is now dating someone else. Even though Eloise helped the bride with seating arrangements, she's now been relegated to Table 19 - the very last table in the ballroom, where all the "misfits" get seated. At her table, she meets a couple that currently hate each other (Lisa Kudrow and Craig Robinson); the bride's former nanny, Nanny Jo (June Squibb); an ex-con who wants to keep that a secret (Stephen Merchant); and a high schooler who is looking for a girl (Tony Revolori). This band of misfits, however, soon comes to

Upcoming: Motown the Musical, at the Fisher Theatre {Detroit}, April 18-30, 2017

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*Disclosure: I have an ongoing relationship with Broadway In Detroit. The opinions expressed here, however, are my own. MOTOWN THE MUSICAL will be playing at the Fisher Theatre (Detroit) this year, from April 18-30, and I'm excited to see it! I've heard a lot of good things about the musical, but have never seen it in-person before. *** To enter to win tickets for the 4/18 show: click HERE . Giveaway ends 3/19/17. About the show: Producers Kevin McCollum, Doug Morris and Motown Founder Berry Gordy, and Broadway in Detroit are proud to announce that MOTOWN THE MUSICAL will return to Detroit’s Fisher Theatre, April 18-30. Ticket prices start at $39 and are now on sale at all Ticketmaster locations, by phone at 1-800-982-2787, and online at www.broadwayindetroit.com or www.ticketmaster.com , and at The Fisher Theatre Box Office. Directed by Charles Randolph-Wright, MOTOWN THE MUSICAL is the true American dream story of Motown founder Berry Gordy’s journey from feather