Interview with Diane Lane

Check it out... I was able to score a quick Q&A with Diane Lane, courtesy of Disney®. 

I am not sure what I love more...her down-to-earth personality or the fact that her favorite movie is also mine! "Under The Tuscan Sun" rocks! I watch it at least 4 times a year. I am sure "Secretariat" will become my once a year fling...

Why is the story of Secretariat so appealing?
The story is amazing because it’s true. It is rare and wonderful to portray a woman who is an honorable person. She was an inspiration, not just to women, but to everyone. She shows how important it is in general to have faith in yourself and take chances and risks.

For me it was such an inspiring story and to meet the real woman that you’re playing—as I did—is extremely rare. It was very surreal to spend time with her, somebody that you’re going to be bringing to the screen. It raises the stakes. It is incredible that she could actually look at my portrayal of her. Also the story of Secretariat is so amazing, this horse was such a champion and such an athlete, a great, legendary sports figure and wonderful creature.

Do you think Penny saw herself as a pioneering role model?
No, I don’t think that Penny ever took on that role or saw herself in any heroic way at all. It was just her life and it was rather a timeless story from her point of view, taking on the family business and doing what needed to be done to save it. She rose to the challenge and really inherited the mantle of that task.

It was interesting to me because she’s such a strikingly handsome woman and you could spot her from across the racetrack with that big hair. I think it was actually distracting to journalists. They wanted to say ‘hey, what are you doing here?’ and she would never stoop to being defensive.

What obstacles did Penny have to overcome?
She had to fight to be respected as the voice of authority in her own barn with her own horse, whether she was racing the horse or not. Because she was inheriting her father’s business and property, there were a lot of big decisions that fell to her, in addition to the fact that she was also a full-time, stay at home mother.

There was a deep sense of betrayal that she had about the fact that what she was doing could have been very damaging to the family and to herself. In the aftermath of what Secretariat achieved and in the footage I’ve seen of her interviews, she’s so much more relaxed and comfortable.

I completely identify with how she was feeling, being put on the spot with the press, feeling like she didn’t want to be on the defensive. Yet she had to defend herself because they were all saying at the time: "What are you doing here? You’re a woman, you’re a housewife." And she just wouldn’t respond in a way that could be used against her, so in that way she was very smart and savvy.


Can you identify with Penny’s leadership qualities and career drive?
I can relate to this woman a lot because, like Penny, I am my father’s son. What I mean is that of course I’m my father’s daughter but I’m also my father’s son in terms of the business, in terms of the family expectation that I would act. I followed in his footsteps. For me the family inheritance isn’t gender based and it’s true for Penny too. The leadership qualities that she has are not based on her being a woman, but because we’re dealing with the early ‘70s, her strength is sometimes considered to be more masculine than feminine.

Did your own father pave the way for you?
Absolutely, but I didn’t know that he was doing that. I think families do layer information upon each other. In Penny’s case it involved the study of horse breeding, which was the family business that Penny came from.

It is interesting to analyze the genetic qualities that get passed along; in fact some qualities skip a generation or two. It is also true with animals. We have seen many ‘children and grandchildren’ (offspring) of Secretariat, the colts and foals and fillies, and frankly they haven’t turned out to be like him at all and have not possessed the same qualities—although some of his ‘daughters’ and ‘granddaughters’ have done well. But we’re still waiting for that extraordinary gene to pop up again.


You look beautiful and so elegant in the film, can you discuss Penny’s style?
I think we were all informed by the era. Penny was a woman of her time. I love those shoes with the authentic heel. I had to fight for them because sometimes in film people will say ‘Oh, can you do the sexier version of this,but I’m grateful that the style was celebrated and respected so it is authentic to the time.


Have you always been passionate about acting? Was it natural for you?
I loved acting, I started as a child and it is interesting because I didn’t compare myself to others that were doing the same thing. I just felt that I needed to stay focused and stay out of trouble. I cared very much about the end results and if you stick with that trajectory long enough, you eventually get better and hopefully you’re forgiven for your mistakes in terms of your growth.

Nobody arrives at any level of perfection, you are constantly learning more and in hindsight there are always times that you would have made different decisions, especially if you’re any kind of an artist. It is impossible to achieve total satisfaction, it is a constantly morphing thing, it’s like gambling. You know, you get addicted to the chance that the movie may be wonderful and larger than life and sometimes that is what happens. In some of the movies that I’ve worked on, I definitely felt like we were winning at gambling.”

Do you have any favorite movies from your career so far?
"Under The Tuscan Sun” was wonderful because Italy is my favorite place in the world. It was a magical experience to work there, although it was so painful to be away from my family for that long. But a year or two later I returned for a road trip through Italy with my husband and we stayed in the same hotel I had stayed in and had the same view I had enjoyed from my window, so he could see the view. What I need now is some horses in Italy (laughs) and then I’ll be satisfied.

If you haven't seen Secretariat yet, I encourage you to do so. You can read my review here: http://thedabblingmum.blogspot.com/2011/01/secretariat-film.html





Interview was provided by Disney. © Disney. All rights reserved.

Secretariat, the film

When Secretariat came out in the movie theatres, I so desperately wanted to watch it (as you can see from this post) but I had opted to wait until it came out on DVD, instead. This past week, I was fortunate enough to receive a review copy and I can say that I am so pleased because if I had rented this DVD, I surely would've went out and bought it.

Diane Lane does a superb job playing Penny Chenery Tweedy--but was there ever any doubt?! When she needed to appear strong, firm, and business-minded, she was. When she needed to appear soft and broken-hearted, she pulled it off beautifully.And the supporting cast did a wonderful job, too.

You can read my full review here: http://thedabblingmum.com/reviews/moviesfamily/secretariat.htm

What I didn't mention in the review were the bonus features, which I enjoyed. I only wish they had done a scrapbook of the newspaper clippings from the actual races, along with photos of Secretariat posing for the camera (which was mentioned often in the film but rarely seen).

The commentary with Director Wallace is fantastic! He addresses issue of fabrication to make the story more exciting for film, talks about times he second guesses himself during the filming, and why he chose to shoot certain scenes the way he did. There's also a 15 minute profile of Penny Chenery Tweedy, 10 minutes of deleted scenes, and a 21 minute chat between Penny and Wallace.

You can see the trailer for the film on Youtube. You can rent it on DVD via Netflic or you can buy it on Amazon.com for just $22.99 and get both the Blu-Ray and the DVD version.







Clip with Penny Chenery Tweedy...

Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga' hoole

When the Legend of the Guardians came out in theatres, I really, really wanted to see it. But alas, we had decided to stop going to the movie theatres for awhile and save our money for Christmas. Having now seen the film on DVD, I have to say that I really regret not seeing it in 3-D!

It's simply an amazing film with beautiful imagery and animation. In fact, a few minutes into the film and I had already forgotten I was watching a computer-generated animated film... it was that realistic.

It all begins with a barn owl family sharing the legendary story of the Guardians. Shortly thereafter, two of the owls fall from their home and are snatched away by other owls. Terrified, they try to figure out what's going on but are not told until they arrive at a secret camp. It is there that they are told they will now be trained to fight with the Pure Ones for an up-and-coming war.

When one of the brothers (Soren) talks back to female in charge to protect a small, female owl, he is sent to become a "worker" owl while his brother (Kludd) stays behind (denying his brother) to become a "fighter". During his time as a worker owl, Soren meets an senior owl who trains him to fly so that he can find the Guardian owls and warn them of the impending war.

It's at this point that parents need to really be careful...though the film is animated, it's not for the tender-hearted. There is violence, there is death, there is brutal fighting that can be terrifying for little ones and heart-wrenching for sensitive ones. Aside from that caveat, I can't really say there is anything for parents to be concerned with.

Now, I must make it clear that I have NEVER read the books from which this film was based. I have no idea how it differentiates from the main storyline or if that even matters. And that's okay because the film was done well enough that I don't need a back story.

If I had one complaint, it would be that I have no idea what the magical, mysterical glow was all about. The worker owls had to collect some metal, which was then melted and taken to another location. At that location, the melted metal became something magical. It was then supposed to be used to rule the owl kingdom. And the putting out of the magical, mysterical glow seemed far too easy. Still, it's a small nuance that can easily be looked over.

If you have not seen Legend of the Guardians, I'd like to encourage you to give it a viewing. If not for the storyline than for the breathtaking animation...it will blow you away!

You can order it on Amazon.com for $16.99 or rent the DVD on Netflix. Currently, it's not available for instant streaming.






FTC Disclosure: The reviewer rented a copy of this film to review.

Free Storybooks for Kids

How cool is this? I just got the press release today, checked out the site, and knew I had to share...

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Story Time For Me has released a library of FREE interactive multimedia storybooks for homes, schools, daycares and libraries. The program will encourage children to read entertaining, animated stories with socially relevant themes such as ‘Not to bully’, ‘Sharing’, ‘Being responsible for the environment’, ‘Helping your neighbor’, etc.

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With so many kids doing a lot more reading on the 'net, it's hard to keep them safe. This seems like a fun place to send the kids, knowing they won't encounter anything forbidden, dangerous, or just plain gross.

If you have young ones check it out at... http://www.storytimeforme.com/

Sell Yourself Without Selling Your Soul

I reviewed this book a few years ago and I still think it's worth the price!

Sell Yourself Without Selling Your Soul® is simply brilliant! It's like going back to college and taking several marketing, media, speaking, interviewing, and public relations courses rolled into one!

Harrow's book is so jam-packed with information that you'll find yourself referring to it over and over again. But what I like best about Harrow's style is the fact that she doesn't sugar-coat things and she doesn't give you teasers. If she shares an idea with you, you are guaranteed to receive plenty of examples and detailed information.

Order Sell Yourself Without Selling Your Soul at Amazon.com or check it out at your local library. Trust me, it's worth it. You can even get an autographed copy at the author's website, here.

Letters To God, the film

When I saw, "Letters To God" being advertised, I had no desire to watch it. I don't know why, really. But for some reason it just did not appeal to me. But it did appeal to my 16 year old daughter so tonight we watched it on Netflix instant stream and all I can say is..."Pleasantly Surprised".

I expected it to be over-the-top acting, as most Christian films I've seen are, but aside from the constant talk about God, religion, heaven, and spirituality, it wasn't one of those hokie "Christian" films at all. It, in fact, was rather well done.

A little boy, named Tyler, has brain cancer. To help him get through it, he writes and mails letters to God. With each letter he writes, he feels closer to God, and finds the courage, strength, and peace of mind to deal with his devastating illness.

One day, a substitute mailman takes Tyler's letters to the local church, hoping the Pastor can read them, and pray for Tyler. The pastor, however, feels that the mailman was put on Tyler's route for a purpose and that his heart being touched by the young boy's plight is something God has entrusted to the postal worker.

Meanwhile, Tyler's family is having a hard time dealing with Tyler's illness both from a financial standpoint, and an emotional one.

As the film progresses, Tyler's letters to God touch many lives. And with each life they touch, another person embarks on a relationship with God. When Tyler passes away, his faith and his actions touch so many lives that the postal service is overwhelmed with personal letters to God.

It's truly a touching story about the importance of believing in something bigger than ourselves, of learning to look outside our own troubles in order to find inner strength, and of accepting the fact that sometimes we can't get what we want, no matter how many prayers are sent to God.

If you're looking for a film that inspires... a film that touches the soul... a film that brings both laughter and tears... a film that gives hope, then I encourage you to give "Letters to God" a little bit of your time.

You can watch it on Netflix instant stream or you can purchase it from Amazon.com for just $14.99.

You can watch the trailer on Youtube. You can also listen to an emotional song set to the trailer here.







Disclaimer: The reviewer rented this film to review.

Dollhouse Review

When my son came home for winter break this year we decided to spend our evenings watching Dollhouse and Jericho. Truth-be-told, I heard of Dollhouse when it first premiered back in 2009 and had no interest in watching it. Then last summer I saw the series being sold at Wal-Mart and for a brief moment thought of purchasing it, but decided I wasn't too interested in a show that pimped out women.



When discussing the idea of the show with my son, he informed me that I completely misunderstood the basis of the show—as many viewers may have—and that I should give it another try. Reluctantly, I agreed.


I hopped online and discovered Netflix had both season 1 and season 2 available for instant streaming and immediately placed them in my que. Later that evening, when my husband and daughter were in bed asleep we, insomniacs, began watching Dollhouse.

At first, I found the premise undesirable. You see, the show is basically about a public corporation, known as Rossum, who owns a string of secret, underground establishments that give the wealthy the ability to live out their fantasies by pimping out young, attractive men and women—definitely a premise that anyone with morals will find offensive.


What made matters worse is that the Rossum Corporation had the ability to wipe the memories of their "dolls", leaving them in a functional comatose state until they could be programmed for their next "mission". Of course that mental state also left them vulnerable—even to the point that one of the dolls was being raped by her handler (her "protector").


My distaste for the dolls being used as sex slaves and "operatives" was making me question my own morals. Why was I watching the series?


With each episode, I found myself wondering, "What's the catch?" And thinking there had to be more to the series. Then things started to pick up and the underlying storyline presented itself. And that's when things got interesting…


You see, a young woman named Echo had begun to develop a natural immunity to the constant reprogramming of her brain and was beginning to remember past assignments and forge a new identity for herself. And though she couldn't remember who she was before she arrived at the Dollhouse, or what brought her there, she knew she didn't like being a doll.


With each episode that followed, Echo began to find ways to help her fellow dolls while she continued to hold onto any ounce of memory she could. And with the help of a former FBI agent, she was going to bring down the Dollhouse for good…which is kind of ironic considering that's how she ended up in the Dollhouse in the first place.


You see, Echo was originally a college student named Caroline who had discovered the Rossum Corporation was up to no good and set out to destroy Rossum. When her plan went bad, she was captured and turned into a doll.


Throughout the series, Echo develops a self-awareness that seems to say, "You can take away our memories, but you cannot take away our identities. You cannot take away the core of who we are." And that is what truly makes the show interesting.


Though I enjoyed the series, I must say that I really liked the two un-aired alternative endings of each season the best. They, alone, could have told the entire story and with much more bang, too!


Think Terminator meets mind-wiping technology!

Order Dollhouse, Season 1 and Dollhouse, Season 2 on Amazon.com today!

Watch a brief interview with Eliza (Echo) on YouTube.




Disclaimer: The reviewer rented this series to review.

Yogi Bear's All-Star Christmas Caper

Yeah, I know... Christmas has passed. But I didn't get this DVD until after Christmas and I didn't have time to review it until now... That being said... how much do you love Yogi?!

I used to love watching Yogi and Boo Boo get into mischief just so they could get their hands on some yummy, scrumptious human food. Probably because they had the guts to get into trouble and I, as a young child, never...ever...had that kind of guts.

I'll admit, I enjoyed this 1982 remake of the classic Yogi cartoons, but it seemed to lack substance. I guess for a "Christmas Special" and a remake at that, I expected a little bit more. And yet, I can't fault the cartoonists because they really did follow the original Yogi Bear cartoon formula.

You can read my full review here: http://thedabblingmum.com/reviews/moviesholidays/yogixmascaper.htm

You can also watch a clip from the cartoon on Youtube... thanks to Warner Brothers.




 Disclosure: The reviewer received a complimentary copy of the DVD to review.