DisneyBoy

I think you mean the writers need to slow down and figure him out. I really enjoyed seeing MM finally take a swing at playing self-righteous snotty Abigail. I think if she can continue to keep a little bit of that smug superior condescending attitude about her, it'll be easier to believe her as the "real" Abigail. Some of the time she kind of comes off like Abigail's older sister - related but different. Never the less I really enjoyed seeing her get blunt with Kate. It was hardly the mature way to handle things but it was certainly direct and kind of funny - there's no way anybody would be worse off being in Abigail's bad books than in Kate's! And now that I think about it, maybe Kate dislikes Abigail for the way she screwed up Sami's life (literally). MM really did bring some levels to that confrontation today though didn't she? You could tell she felt vulnerable and attacked and self-pitying and was perhaps on the verge of tears or needing to run off and put on that oversized black hat and get some more coddling from Laura and Jennifer...yet at the same time she was trying to stand her ground and stake her claim as Mrs. Dimera. It was a bit sad and desperate though. She knows she's outmatched, especially with Chad standing there saying nothing almost as though he's humoring her and Kate staring her down like "....really?" I know the show isn't self-aware enough to realize how awful the old Abigail was, but I would kind of like MM more in the role if we got to see her do a little bit of what the old Abigail used to. If she were to have some tempestuous affair and blame it entirely on Chad, or go off and slap someone or just ooze smug superiority, I think I would love her all the more. She's doing a really really good job but the writing doesn't seem to acknowledge what an entitled tramp Abigail used to be. I can't picture this version of the character having had an affair with EJ or drugging Austin at all. But today was a step in the right direction.

I haven't seen enough of Marlon Brando's work to judge him as an actor, but everything I've read about him as a person makes me never want to watch one of his movies. The man was a sadist and an egomaniac.

You don't even like Lumiere? Lumiere Is awesome. The original animated one of course. I also have no desire to see the live-action Beauty and the Beast. If Emma Watson can't sing, why is she playing Belle? If the movie can't improve on the backgrounds from the animated film, why is it even being made? I saw a brief glimpse from the Something There scene and was really disappointed by how fake the topiaries behind the Beast looked. I mean at this point live action movies are animated movies anyways with all the CGI happening, so there isn't even the thrill of seeing the animated sets done for real. It just bums me out. Here's my UO: In spite of all of the superhero movies that are being made, I have no passion for superhero movies anymore it seems. Back in the day when we got a Batman or Batman Returns once every few years and were lucky to have a show like Lois & Clark playing on our TV screens, I would have freaked out at the possibility that studios might start making multiple superhero films every year. But at this point they've all mushed together. We are now seeing our what...third Spider-Man? Our third Batman? Sorry - make that our fifth Batman. If they were sticking to making superhero movies with a unique vision the way Burton did for example then maybe I could get excited about them. But it just feels like these movies are getting made because Hollywood is creatively bankrupt and knows that there's a big comic book audience out there. I mean, I still haven't seen the Avengers for pity's sake! And everybody raves about that movie. But I'm just not especially interested. That's the other thing - people will always say a movie is good for the first few weeks after it comes out and only about two months later will they admit that the movie was only so-so and that they bought into the hype. And then about six months later everyone will admit the movie was a total piece of crap...as if they weren't raving about it the week it first came out. I just have no faith in reviews anymore or even word of mouth.

I love the friendship between Michael Gough and Michael Keaton in Tim Burton's Batman movies. The way Alfred helps Bruce and Selina when they are both running out on their date...the way Alfred frowns when Bruce decides he wants to go to the ball after Alfred has ripped up the invitation...even the way Alfred lets Vicki Vale into the batcave because he believes it's a step Bruce will never willingly take in their relationship... Even though it might be considered a father-son dynamic, I always saw Alfred as respecting Bruce as a true friend and having his back. All four Batman movies are better for having had Michael Gough in them.

This movie didn't really get much buzz when it came out, but I've loved it since I first saw it and definitely think it deserves a glance - Down With Love. Renee Zellweger, Ewan McGregor, David Hyde Pierce and Sarah Paulson do excellent work throughout the film which is a great send up of those Doris Day/Rock Hudson movies and overall just a very stylish flick.

In the world of the movie the character is just a woman... but to all of us in reality, we know the character's traditionally played by a man in drag, and that informs a big part of the show's appeal. Hairspray is about acceptance for everyone regardless of skin color or body shape. There are no gay characters in the story that I recall, but having Tracy's mom be played by a man automatically creates a "gay" character for the audience to enjoy and support. Travolta coyly acting as though that whole level to the performance was non-existent weirds me out because there's no way he's that stupid. I'm not sure why he took on the role at all if he is so staunchly straight. And yes, I can imagine a man playing a female role just for fun and it not being some kind of LGBT commentary...but John Travolta is just too loaded a person to be playing that kind of role and the role of Edna is way too loaded a role. And again, he looked completely freaky in the makeup, kind of like a garbage pail kid. It's a real shame because I love the rest of the cast of the movie. I still have to watch the Live version. Maybe that will be the one I prefer. I didn't double over with laughter during that scene, but I did find two moments rather funny. Okay, three. When Melissa McCarthy's character is on the sink and tells the other woman to "look away!" that got a bit of a chuckle. When Maya Rudolph's character is running into the street and just crumples and says "...it's happening!", that was also kind of funny for me. But the best part of the sequence is when Kristin Wiig is standing there sweating and being offered a Jordan Almond all the while completely denying that there's anything wrong with the food they just ate. That was very well performed and funny. I agree that potty humor isn't my favorite and sometimes feels completely unnecessary, but I don't think this sequence stands out too sorely from the rest of the film.

It's one of my favorites in spite of the loathsome plot. It's kind of amazing how the movie recovers from that. I get really choked up when the husband and wife are sitting in the church watching a young couple marry one another. He's obviously a terrible husband but he's redeemed in that moment and I think it's quite a feat that the movie manages to pull that off. If I recall correctly though at the end of the story he turns violent against his mistress however. All in all he's not the best dude but the film is absolutely beautiful. I definitely don't think West Side Story would work in theaters today. I can't imagine the theater-going audience wanting to sit through so much dancing as a metaphor for street fighting. It kind of makes the original film a chore to sit through and a bit campy in its own way. Maybe if the choreography was much more urban and gritty it might the palatable to audiences, but then it wouldn't be the original show. Plus I don't think modern-day audiences would be as tolerant of singers dubbing over the performances of famous actors.

...still, if Jane had already once been institutionalized, as was suggested by dialogue throughout the film, then Blanche had to know Jane was unbalanced well before things reached the tipping point and she felt it necessary to lie and hide her plans to sell the house. She had seen Jane unravel once before already, to some capacity and given that, she should have been extra careful to keep friends close by. Why would she even consent to living under Jane's care following one of her breakdowns? Especially if she'd hated her enough to try running her down?? And why agree to live on the second floor if there's no ramp or elevator? Blanche is an idiot. This plot makes no sense, whether it's Jane responsible for crippling her or Blanche accidentally doing it herself, it makes no sense either way.

Thank you - I feel the same way. I really wish they had just left that great episode alone and hired someone else to play Wyatt.

Oh my God. Yes. !!! I will never be able to unsee that now. She would have been perfect as Tonya Harding. Any idea why they wouldn't go with her now? She really doesn't seem too old for it. Maybe she's too big of a movie star want a project this volatile. I think Jennifer Garner would have made a great Nancy Kerrigan too.

You definitely couldn't do Return to Oz today. That Disney allowed an Oz movie to be so terrifying is kind of incredible. I love the film exactly as it is but, as Oz the Great and Powerful proved, Disney just wants to recycle elements of the Oz property and make "visually exciting" films that make us sick with CGI. Things like a child questioning adults? Adults putting children in danger? The heroine getting electroshock therapy? The villainess swapping heads? None of that stuff would fly today. I really hate the way studios are comfortable spoon feeding children overly simplified moral platitudes rather than exploring psychologically compelling material. I felt respected by Return to Oz far more than almost any of these so-called kids films I see released today, not that I'm exactly the target demo anymore. Maybe the 80s were just a special time... You are so right. I actually came to love the movie anyway in spite of all of its flaws and it bums me out that the wonderful score will never be adapted to the Broadway stage for those very reasons you just cited. There's so much about the movie that's wrong and I honestly can't believe Disney was so tone-deaf to the First Nations cultures to go and make a movie that heavily rewrote one of their only stories that have seeped into the pop-culture consciousness the way they did. If I Never Knew You is a beautiful Broadway song but it will never be heard on Broadway.

There have been so many versions of Ridley Scott's Legend over the years that it's hard to know exactly what is in the movie and what isn't. It isn't even as simple as stating which soundtrack you heard when you watched the movie. The US cut features a score by Tangerine Dream but I recently learned that so did the UK cut, which ran longer than the US cut. It's only the director's cut that was released on DVD that featured the classical score and restored a lot of character beats and plot details to the story. The trouble is that now when you talk about the movie you have to be careful to specify which scenes you saw in which version. It's still virtually the same film no matter which way you cut it, but it can be a very different viewing experience. I personally get pissed off whenever Disney reanimates portions of their films. There were alligators in The Lion King that were redrawn to make them look more cute. Why? Were children really so traumatized by a quick two second shot of alligators singing? Then there's the original Fantasia, where I can basically understand why they would censor things like black centaurs being subservient to the white centaurs...but at the same time zooming and panning away can't change the fact that we all know what was originally in the movie. I'm of the belief that leaving it in does more good than cutting it out. Even as a child when I saw it I think I remember asking myself why the adults decided to draw the black centaurs a certain way. I think that will remind kids to question what they are shown in media and to be sensitive of others. But I guess Disney wants to protect itself from lawsuits for emotional trauma or something... Still, I just get really annoyed when they go back and edit their movies when they obviously don't have to. They're some of the most beloved works in cinema and certainly some of the most famous. And yet they think we won't notice when they make changes. Does anybody else remember how Belle's hair changed when they released Beauty and the Beast to DVD a few years back? It went from being brown to suddenly auburn and I was really annoyed. I think it has reverted back since, but I'm not sure that it would have if so many people hadn't noticed and complained...

Does anybody know why Jessica Biel wasn't cast as April O'Neil in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movies? As soon as someone said her name to me a few years ago I was flabbergasted that they went with anybody else.

Is this worth seeing in the theaters or should I just watch it at home? I'm a casual fan of the franchise and really enjoyed the out-there designs of the original show... but if this is just a big CGI fest with a bunch of CW-style characters I won't waste my money going to the multiplex.

I finally watched this classic this past week and found myself rather disappointed. Maybe it's just that the hype has gotten so big since the release of Ryan Murphy's Feud series but this picture felt rather clunky and poorly assembled to me. I much preferred Hush...Hush Sweet Charlotte, which I think I watched about two years ago. I suppose the film was groundbreaking for the time of its release because it starred two huge A-listers playing such deranged characters... but I didn't think the twist made any sense and I was practically rolling my eyes at how many opportunities Jane left Blanche to escape from that house. The poor housemaid who was murdered was easily my favorite character. I don't know what to think about the piano player or his attempting to convince his mother that maybe he was going to get lucky with Jane. Was everybody in this universe blind to how completely bonkers the woman in the white face makeup was? I find that hard to believe. Did you guys enjoy it more than I did?

I had heard about Estelle getting work done but not Betty....

....and then she BITES at her! Genius.

I assume Kate felt invested in her after that, hence hiring her as a model for Basic Black... I'm all for Claire celebrating with a meal - the girl looks anorexic. Do you think she really got a lead on her music career or was just using it to try and push Theo into the sack? Hope wouldn't be able to salivate all over Rafe if Caroline were still at the Pub. Remember how uncomfortable she was When Hope started dating Aiden? I bet good old Caroline would start having some visions of the Apocalypse just to push Hope and Rafe apart. And I'd love her all the more for it. Aww... now I'm wishing Caroline were around to talk some sense into mopey Eric and remind him he's loved. We miss you Peggy. At first glance, I like the guy playing Tripp. Sucks I hate his character, but maybe in time...

I would be getting so much more satisfaction out of watching Kate dogpile on Abigail if Kate Mansi was still in the role. Now that I think about it I don't remember Kate ever having an opinion on Abigail in the past. She didn't even attend their wedding last year did she? I guess the writers were stuck in that place where they forget Kate is in any way interested in Chad's life...

It seems silly to even state it but...Michelle Pfeiffer. Obviously. She's starting to show her age little bit but I'm also going to add Famke Janssen to the list.

I'm happy to hear that. I haven't been able to look at her since Moulin Rouge because her frozen face just terrified me. Someone was mentioning that Seth MacFarlane has had work done and I couldn't tell from his photos. Has he? I know male plastic surgery tens to be more subtle sometimes... Here's my big question - has Betty White ever had work done? I was just thinking the other day about how wonderful she looks and how much I admire her for managing to stay in the industry so many decades and continuing to be a wonderful performer...and now I find myself wondering if she too succumbed in some small way. It wouldn't change my opinion of her, of course, but this thread is making me realize practically everyone has had something done. I think Lauren Graham's a great actress and I really is respect her but I have to agree that she has had work done. I remember tuning into Parenthood one time just to see what it was about and being really caught off guard by the strange stuff happening with her face. It's not the worst ever but it's definitely noticeable. I think by the time they were filming the revival of Gilmore Girls it was a combination of aging and weight gain and the weird fillers that resulted in her looking strangely bloated and waxy. And it really bums me out because the wonderfully photoshopped ads for the revival actually made her look terrific next to Alexis Bledel in all her flawless beauty. But then watching the show it really seems preposterous that Lorelai would be uncertain about whether or not she and her man wanted to have kids considering she already looked like she could be a grandmother. I realize weaves are not considered plastic surgery, but I've always wanted someone to explain to me what a "hair system" is. I heard once that Ian Somerhalder from Vampire Diaries had a hair system and I have no clue what that entails.

I loved Once. that movie totally caught me off guard and moved me. And that last shot was beautiful... I really enjoyed the movie version of the broadway musical Hairspray... except for nightmare-inducing John Travolta. He looked so freaky as a woman and it really bothered me that he was cast given his continual denial of any gay rumors and participation in the Church of Scientology. The role's traditionally played by a man and like it or not that automatically gives it an LGBT connection. I remember some interview Travolta gave where he shrugged it all off and said he just saw the character as a woman. It was pretty clear the character would never be "just a woman" and I was very uncomfortable with the way Travolta seemed to be winking at all those rumors while at the same time staunchly defending his masculinity. But mostly I just thought he looked terrifying. I can almost understand why he was cast, being a movie musical icon, but I so wish they had cast anybody else. In all honesty Fierstein probably should have played the part in the movie even though he's not as big a star. It's a shame because the rest of the cast is wonderful but I just can't bring myself to watch the movie because of Travolta. On a different note, I found myself really disappointed in Brave once the plot began revolving around the bear thing. I really thought Merida was going to get to go on some big quest the way a male character would and instead the story seemed to revolve entirely around her relationship with her Mommy. It felt kind of condescending that the scope of this big feminist (sort of) movie would be entirely around a girl and her mother with little room for anything else. Ariel's relationship with Triton was central to The Little Mermaid, but it still didn't stop her from actually, you know, having a life and a story and meeting other characters. People spoke about Brave like it was this big groundbreaking movie at the time when it really wasn't. I hope that they will make a sequel if only so that we can actually get a good adventure out of Merida. Given what happened with the director of the film, Brenda Chapman, I wonder if the studio would even try to make a sequel and potentially rock the boat by not involving her again. I don't know if that counts as one thing the movie did wrong, but the plot took a very big and sudden turn and completely lost me.

It definitely would. It probably won't terrify you in the same way, but it holds up as a wonderful fantasy film. I'm assuming your father rented it at your request, though, right? Not because he wanted to terrify you....

It's an interesting article but I can't help but wonder how she'll be perceived for having spoken out in this way. I love the frankness but admitting that Steven Spielberg called her up to say he dropped the ball at her expense probably isn't something that will endear her to the higher-ups she still has to deal with on a daily basis. It is interesting to see how working as a television writer is so much like so many other less glamorous jobs in that you have to kiss ass almost constantly and never object to your valid ideas or good work being thrown out the window for arbitrary reasons. I didn't keep up with SMASH once I realized it would follow Glee's template of having songs interrupt ordinary life moments...but from what little I saw and everything I heard the show was kind of a mess from day one. It's not as though it was a wonderfully solid series the entire first season and then she got booted out like, say, Deborah Joy Levine of Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman fame. Still, the thought of having to listen to a bunch of grown men laugh and guffaw over fisting jokes when they should be working is really depressing.

Don't worry Lily, you didn't miss much. They sorta-danced at TBD talking about more of their memories (which we never saw on screen) then ran out, started making out at the Inn and Paul asked if Sonny was ready for this. That's all.