Jan14
Tag Archives: Alan Rickman
Mar16
Happy St. Pat’s Day Weekend
Since it’s St. Patrick’s Day weekend, I’m planning to watch one of my all time favorite Irish movies, Michael Collins. That man was truly what I would call one of my bad boys. He was strong, full of conviction and even though he was hated by the British, he did what he needed to do to stand up for what he believed even to the point of dying for those beliefs. This movie somewhat romanticizes what happened in the fight for Irish independence but it’s a good film. I love the way the cast relates to each other and the scenery and cinematography are superb. It doesn’t hurt that Alan Rickman, Aiden Quinn and Liam Neeson are easy on the eyes, too. Enjoy the day, drink a toast to your favorite Irishman and watch a flick.
Oct8
Die Hard Five!
Being a huge Alan Rickman fan, I’ve always wanted the Die Hard franchise to bring him back as his brother. Alas, that’s not to be but at least this Christmas season, they’re bringing in his son. I also love that they are using one of my favorite bands’ music in the film. At about 1:40 mins into this trailer is the music of TSO- Trans-Siberian Orchestra. Now, if they could only resurrect Hans, it’d be perfection.
May17
Tea with Alan Rickman
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ChRYSf_9SoM
Someone shared this on Twitter yesterday and I love, love, love it. ENJOY!
May8
Seeking Inspiration
When I need inspiration, I watch movies. I love all kinds including foreign films. I watch not only for the plot, but for the pacing, the dialogue and the scenery. Any one of those things can be the impetus for some new inspiration for me. Sometimes even a character in the film may trigger an idea. I love cinema- of any era.
And then, there is always these two guys: 
Feb21
Happy Birthday, Mr. Rickman
It’s that time of year again. Alan Rickman’s birthday. I hope everyone has a piece to cake to celebrate. I borrowed this video from You-tube. Follow the link to show the creator some love. Guest blogging, too: http://www.caseycrow.com/blog/
Dec8
“Seminar” On Broadway- A Review
I’ve been back from my trip to New York to see Seminar for a while now and wanted to post this review but life has been getting in the way. On top of work at the day job and trying to finish the first draft of my latest novel, I’ve been sick off and on, but here we go with the long-awaited review.
First and foremost, Alan Rickman was spectacular. I have long admired his work and was a bit fearful that seeing him at long last in person would be a disappointment. I’m happy to say he is all I imagined and more in the flesh. He’s so relaxed and confident on stage. He doesn’t seem to be acting; rather, he seems to be having a real conversation with the other characters. So natural and unaffected. I’ve been to many plays over the years and believe me, I’ve seen some actors who are not as at ease on stage as Mr. Rickman was in this role. The only other actor I’ve seen that has this same quality to the same extent onstage is Richard Griffiths.
The rest of the members of the ensemble cast were well-chosen by the casting director. Jerry O’Connell seemed a little rushed in his first lines, but he soon settled in and did a wonderful job. Hamish Linklater was spot on in his role – he was one of my favorite people in the play with his understated angst. In fact, no one in the play over-emoted which can sometimes be a distraction.
As to the women in the cast, Lily Rabe was wonderful as the hostess of the writing class. When she grabbed all the snacks after the first session, that hit home. As a writer myself, I’ve indulged in those binges of rejection-eating. Ms. Rabe carried herself well.
Hettienne Parker was very natural in her role. There were several times she interjected comments into the group that seemed like they were off the cuff and real. Knowing they were lines she’d spoken many times, I was impressed at how fresh and new they sounded. Bravo for her.
Theresa Rebeck has razor-sharp wit and I enjoyed her writing very much. My seventeen year old son also thought the play was wonderful and he enjoyed the wit as much as I did. The references to Tin House and The New Yorker were appreciated by this writer.
I love the tag line on the sign outside the theatre: Young writers are like good books, you can’t enjoy them until you’ve broken their spines. I believe there are a lot of agents and editors who believe that and there may even be some truth to it!
In short. if you can get to New York while this play is showing, do it. It’s worth the trip. If you’re an Alan Rickman fan, this is a must see.
Nov8
Super Excited
I’m super excited to be flying to New York on Friday to see Alan Rickman in a play called Seminar on Saturday. He’s absolutely my favorite living actor and I’ve got 4th row tickets. I’m terrified that I’ll hyperventilate and pass out when he steps out onto the boards. Of course, if I die of a heart attack, I’ll go happy, right?
I’ll be sure to blog about the experience if I survive. They may haul me out in one of these like he has on:
Oct21
“The Sun Ain’t Gonna Shine”
I love this song and I especially love this movie version. Whenever I talk about my love for Alan Rickman’s work, I get the old song and dance about him always playing the bad guy. Au contraire, mon amis. He’s got quite a few films under his belt where he’s a wonderful person and this is one of my particular favorites. This film, Truly, Madly, Deeply is a great flick and the role of Jamie is played by Alan to perfection. Juliet Stevenson is awesome as well. Check out this video of Alan singing The Sun Ain’t Gonna Shine, which really is a sad song but they sing it in a fun manner in this scene from the movie. AND, isn’t he handsome?
Aug14
The Last Installment of the Harry Potter Films
I was probably one of the last people to see this one. It wasn’t for lack of trying, but things kept coming up to prevent me from getting to the theatre. I finally saw it on Friday and there were only about eight of us in the room, so I figure that the rest of the population has seen it.
I have to confess that I was a bit disappointed in it. The first thing that annoyed me was the lighting. Yes, I get that it was supposed to be an Armageddon type battle but the cinematography was terrible. There was a lot of this film that I couldn’t see. I had to peer at the screen to determine what action was occurring. In the scene with the horde on the hill, the hill was black, the death eaters wore black, the sky was black… See where I’m going with this? It was quite hard to discern what was what. Very annoying and it took me right out of the story.
As to the flash back scene with Snape, I was highly disappointed with that. As anyone who has read this blog knows, Alan Rickman is my absolute favorite actor and I’ve always felt like he was underutilized in this series of films. Again, we have the same issue. This scene was beautifully written in the book and the film version made short shrift of it and didn’t engage my emotions as the written word did. It could have been done so much better but I think the film maker wanted to focus on flash and action, not emotion. We were saying goodbye to characters we loved and I wanted it to be more poignant.
The film seemed disjointed and more about the special effects than the story. I mean, really, why did the director spend so much time in Bellatrix’s vault and in the room of requirement? Just to show off the special effects? That”s how it felt to me.
Don’t get me wrong, there were parts I liked but overall, this one was not the best of the films. I’m sure a lot of people will disagree with me and remember, this is only my opinion so don’t crucify me in the comments. We can agree to disagree if need be.
So, all in all, in my opinion, the final movie fell short of my expectations. Sad, really, as I hoped the series would go out with a bang, not a whimper.
From Warner Bros Site
Ramblings of a Writer 