July 15th, 2010

THE SORCERER’S APPRENTICE: A Premiere Event

Disney invited me to the World Premiere of The Sorcerer’s Apprentice at the New Amsterdam Theatre in New York City last Tuesday, July 6.  This was the red carpet event attended by cast members Nicolas Cage, Jay Baruchel, and Teresa Palmer, and producer Jerry  Bruckheimer, and director Jon Turteltaub.  It was the first time I (along with my husband)  have ever strolled down the red carpet  and it was certainly an interesting experience.  The whole event was far more organized than I pictured from watching these sort of things on TV.  The carpet extended down about half a block on 42^nd Street between 8^th Avenue and 7^th Avenue.  There were about 6 staging areas where camera and press equipment was setup to photograph and interact with the celebs.  Of course, for us non “fabulous” people there was an express path to walk behind all of the action and I was OK with that. I did not want to end up on Page 6 as a “Fashion Don’t!”

The New Amsterdam Theatre, complete with it’s old-styled charm, has three levels and numerous private balconies.  The internal structure was very beautiful with intricate woodwork and delicate marble murals.  The high arching hallways and exquisite chandeliers really send you back to a time when a night out required suits and even tuxedos.  We were seated off to the left a bit and about 5 rows from the bottom, but unlike most theaters we were not straining our necks to view the movie.  With the three levels of seating and the private balconies, we figured the stars would be seated separately from the general audience.  We were, in fact, wrong as our seating was 1 row ahead and about 10 to 15 seats away from both Nicolas Cage and Jay Baruchel.  Of course, to my determinate I am a rule follower and did not bring a camera so we could not get any pictures to share.  However, there were plenty of pocket digital camera flashes popping. I do have 6 pictures that I took with my phone of Nicholas Cage but they are so dark that only my husband and I know that he was really there.

Enough of the fan stuff, let’s get to the movie.  The Sorcerer’s Apprentice was a fantastic movie and thanks to its PG rating, fun for the whole family.  The movie is a fast paced adventure with a running time of 1 hour and 51 minutes, but feels much shorter.  Nicholas Cage’s performance, as Balthazar Blake,  was one of his best.  He was so natural and seemed very comfortable as the master sorcerer.  I am a huge Cage fan and he can overact a bit, but not in this flick though.  Cage and Jay Baruchel, as Dave Stutler, had great chemistry that really stood out throughout the film.  Baruchel successfully held his own onscreen with the superstar Cage.  Their great chemistry is most illustrated in how witty the movie was with I would say at least six occasions where the crowd genuinely burst out laughing.  The jokes were not forced and just flowed naturally, which is a true testament to chemistry of the lead actors and the talent of the  writing team.   Alfred Molina, Maxim Horvath, showcased his talent as the film’s antagonist and added to the overall wittiness of the picture.  The Sorcerer’s Apprentice was full of CGI effects that were well done and looked realistic even in the absence of IMAX or 3-D viewing as this screening was normal viewing.

A few down points include the rushed feel of the beginning of the movie as it felt as if the movie began at the introduction of the present day Dave and everything leading up to this was added as an afterthought.  Also, Monica Belluci, the Italian bombshell playing Veronica, deserved a larger role with more screen time.  In all seriousness she is a seasoned actor and her character played a large role, but lacked screen time.  Finally, Morgana, played by Alice Krige, needed to be developed more as she was the ultimate evil threat, but the plot lacked the proper build to her climatic fight scene.  If I were to enter this film without some prior knowledge of the story of Merlin I would not really get why Morgana was so feared and powerful.

Overall, the experience was unforgettable as the world premiere lived up to all the hype that I had built up in my head from seeing these sort of things on TV or reading about them on the internet.  The temperature on that July 6^th went above 100*F and the event was just as hot.  I mingled, sort of, with celebrities, walked the red carpet, watched an exciting and enjoyable movie, got free popcorn and soda, and shared a great evening with my wonderful husband.

Enjoy the clip below and make sure that you head to this Family-Friend movie.

The Sorcerer’s Apprentice — Film Clip “Sorcery 101″

Become a fan of THE SORCERER’S APPRENTICE on Facebook

Disclosure Policy: Compensation Level I: Kristina Brooke received two tickets to the Premier of the Movie. All content is solely her own and review is based on her own experiences. For more information regarding disclosure policy at Mom on the Rise please see http://www.mom on the rise.com/about/disclosure.

January 14th, 2009

Enter Panic

"No Soliciting" Creative Commons License photo credit: greefus groinks

I have decided that the only way to explain what has been happening the last few months is to write a song. So sing with me!

If you’re broke and you know it, dodge the calls.
If you’re broke and you know it, dodge the calls.
If you’re broke and you know, got the overdraft fees to show it,
If you’re broke and you know, dodge the calls.

January 1st, 2009

Product Review: Good Deals & Smart Steals

Let’s face it, the economy has us all suffocating and stressed beyond relief. So, when I was asked to review the new book “Good Housekeeping: Good Deals & Smart Steals: How to Save Money on Everything,” I jumped at the offer. And I am glad I did.

The tiny book  packs a huge punch with how to get the most out of your money simply by knowing where to shop. Take, for example, auctions. When we think of auctions we think of Ebay or Yahoo, but did you know that you can find auctions through the United States Postal Service or the United Stated Department of Treasury?

In addition to auctions, some of the other tips include how to save money purchasing big appliances, organizing a clothing exchange with friends, keeping up with car maintence, and even maximizing coupons by shopping on “Double Coupon Days.”

If part of your New Year’s Reasolution is to save money, you will benefit from this amazing tips offered in ”Good Housekeeping: Good Deals & Smart Steals: How to Save Money on Everything“. This book gets two thumbs up from my family.

June 27th, 2008

The Metamorphosis

My life has changed so much over the last few days. I am not teaching any longer (at least for a year) and I have gone from a WOHM to a WAHM. The funny thing is that I am not afraid. I know that no matter what happens, this is the right decision for my family. While I love teaching, I love my daughter more and seeing her for only 2 hours a day is no way to live.

As you can imagine, leaving my job had a lot to do with money but it had even more to do with my personal growth. I need to do some things for myself. I need to lose weight, quit smoking, and take care of my mental and financial health. Working full time and living check-to-check was not cutting it any longer. I was stressed all the time and so I ate all the time and then I smoked too much. I was becoming a person I did not like.

I guess this would be a great place to introduce you to my new site. The design was done by me, although it was inspired by Mrs. Flinger and The Domestic Diva. I am not sure if it will look right in Internet Explorer, so if you are using IE, I recommend switching to FireFox. I am trying to learn to code for all the browsers, but I really can’t understand IE.

My blog will have a new focus too. I will be talking a lot about the steps that I am taking to better my spiritual, emotional, financial, and physical health. This means I will cover everything from finding inner peace to finding $2 off of Tofu. I will also try to write at least once a day unless something else comes up.

I love the feeling of starting anew. This butterfly is going to soar.