OCT
2012 30

Shoes in Cinema: Kinky Boots

I picked the wrong week to quit sniffing cobblers glue. I’m in Virginia now, and although the worst seems to be over, the whole DC Metro area got pounded like British currency. My fella, Hot Latin Boy, is holding down the fort at Plumcake Cottage in Baja, Mexico where a previously inactive volcano has started to be less inactive as one might hope. Frankly I’m just one Aimee Mann song away from that crazy scene in Magnolia and I’m pretty sure my wiper blades won’t be able to take it. I’ve got this weird survivalist streak that means my hatches…

JUN
2012 20

Fool the Manolo Once, Shame on You

Manolo says, fool the Manolo five times, shame on the Manolo. This is the problem that the Manolo has with the movies of the Wes Anderson: the advertising always promises that the movie will be most hilarious. (Indeed, what could be funnier than Bill Murray and Bruce Willis playing the pair of old codgers?) And yet, the Manolo can assure you from hard-won experience that, at best, this new movie will be only mildly amusing. Yes, it will be twee, so very, very, very twee. With the twee costuming, and the twee mood setting, and the twee music. Will it…

MAY
2011 10

My Top 5 Movies About Shoes

Ahh the cinema. Who doesn’t love curling up on the couch, perhaps with a loved one, a good friend, or simply a snuggie, and getting lost in the magical world of movie-dom? Regardless of what your interest, chances are pretty high that you will be able to find a film that suits your fancy. Be it romance, action, comedy, horror, or a true to life documentary, there is always a title out there to titillate your mind and stimulate your senses. “But what about shoes?” you ask? No worries, I’ve got you covered. While there is no cinematic “shoe” genre,…

APR
2011 15

Do You Like Scary Movies?

Calling all slasher fans! If any of you loved the satirical classic Scream as much as I did (I know, I know…Scream 2 was decent and Scream 3 was an overall disaster, but the original was fantastic) I’m sure you’ve been counting down the days until our beloved heroine Sydney Prescott faces her masked murderer once again in Scream 4. Set to open this Friday, the film features a hot young updated cast (seeing as this sequel is 15 years after the original, the casting director clearly wanted some fresh blood to shed)Â along with the original trilogies survivors for…

JAN
2011 03

Alan Rickman’s Voice Brings All the Girls to the Yard

Manolo says, firstly, how is it possible that the Manolo has never heard of this movie before? Secondly, this must be counted among the greatest of the Alan-Rickman-based cinematic moments ever. Thirdly, that voice, it is like the melted butter poured into the brandy snifter filled with warm lobster flesh, while Chuck Mangione plays the Mozart softly in the background.

DEC
2010 28

What the Manolo Is…

Manolo says, it is Tuesday, time to see what the Manolo is… Reading… Watching… Listening to… Just before the Christmas, the Manolo had the pleasure of accompanying some young friends to the new Disney Rapunzel movie, Tangled. He is happy to report that he found both the outing and the movie to be delightful. Two things about this movie were exceptionally gratifying to the Manolo. The first is that the screenplay was unburdened by the endlessly annoying and out-of-the-place pop cultural references and adult-oriented jokes so common in most children’s movies today. In the other words, there was none of…

NOV
2010 16

What the Manolo is…

Manolo says, it is Tuesday, time to see what the Manolo is… Reading… Listening to… Watching… The Manolo, who last evening engaged in the spirited round of Twittering with his internet friends about the topic of My Fair Lady, has gone back and reviewed the evidence. In doing so, he has reached the twin conclusions: Conclusion the First: Eliza Doolittle is the prostitute. This is the unspoken subtext of both the Broadway play and the movie, one, which acknowledged, even in passing, gives more depth and richness to the story. What is the Manolo’s evidence for this seemingly heterodox idea?…

APR
2010 13

Things that Fill The Manolo with World Weariness

Manolo says, just the thing to gloomy up the bright and sunny spring day. P.S. The Manolo’s review of the first Sex and the City Movie.

NOV
2008 24

Ayyyy! Monday Puzzle Corner

Manolo says, this week our friend Spirit Fingers has challenged us to identify the movies about the fake musicians.

SEP
2008 16

What the Manolo is…

Manolo says, it is Tuesday, time to see what the Manolo is… Reading… Watching… Listening to… The Manolo finally managed to see the Sex and the City movie. His reaction: In the word, meh. Although supposedly set in the present day, the movie seemed dated, as if it were the daguerreotype from the previous millennium, quaintly hinting at the outdated customs and obsolete mores of the distant past. On the one of the hands, Carrie and her pals were sweeter and more vulnerable, more desperately romantic, than we have ever before seen them (although less funny). They were also more…

DEC
2007 04

Manolo’s Holiday DVDs

Manolo says, many of the Manolo’s internet friends have been saying to the Manolo, “Manolo, you are the man of great taste, culture, and wit, please to recommend for us the suitable gifts for the holiday season.” And so the Manolo has heard the cries and will now give you his five favorite DVDs for gift giving purposes. The Funniest Television Show Ever Finding the Flight of the Conchords is like finding the perfect little absurdist world, where everything, every detail, every musical note, every facial expression is not only hilarious, but hilariously true. You know that this is how…

NOV
2007 06

What the Manolo Is…

Manolo says, it is Tuesday, time to see what the Manolo is… Reading… Watching… Listening to… The Manolo must admit that he came away from the American Gangster movie dissatisfied and more the little disappointed. The first and most prominent problem is that not for the single instant did the Manolo buy that Russell Crowe (of whom the Manolo is the giant, huge fan) was the tough Jewish street cop from New Jersey. Firstly, his accent was terrible, nearly as bad as the “southern” accents of Nicole Kidman and Jude Law in Cold Mountain. And secondly he just did not…