Arena Grand Movie Theatre Blog
Posted Tuesday, January 29, 2013 within Reviews.
Review submitted by Arena Grand fan: Simone C.
Simone's rating: 5 out of 5 stars!
Every so often, a movie comes along that immediately draws you in. The plot is engaging; surrounded by mystery and horror. It contains a frightening supernatural entity. Time flies by as you watch, holding onto your seat. Mama is that movie. Finally, we have a scary movie that contains a good story and a terrifying supernatural creature.
(SPOILER ALERT!)
Mama starts off with a radio news report of a shooting at a high profile corporation. Evidently, the CEO, Jeffrey, went crazy and shot his business partners and estranged wife. We can only guess that their stock tanked, maybe he invested badly (which is not a stretch to the imagination nowadays) and he snapped. Jeffrey goes home and gathers his daughters, Victoria and Lily, to go, well, who knows where? His brother, Lucas, shows up at the crime scene but the police can provide no answers except that his brother took the kids and disappeared.
Speeding along recklessly on a snowy mountain road, the father, Jeffrey, loses control of the car, veers off and slides down a steep hill and hits a tree. Miraculously, they all survive with minor cuts and bruises. They walk through the woods, not knowing where they are going until they reach an old abandoned cabin (or is it?) called Helvecia (a possible homage to a village by the same name in freshman Director Andres Muschietti's Argentina). A shadow darts past as they enter the cabin. After making a fire to warm them up, Jeffrey then emotionally breaks down in the filthy kitchen and pulls out a gun, agonizing over murder/suicide as the only way out for him and his girls. He approaches Victoria, the elder girl, holding the gun. She asks what it is as she cannot see -- her glasses are broken and he has removed them. Suddenly, out of nowhere appears a twisted, wraithlike creature that pulls him away and snaps his neck.
Fast-forward five years, after a painstaking investigation and search for the missing family members, Lucas finally gets a call indicating the girls have been found. Unfortunately, they are feral (Lily moreso) and need rehabilitation. Daniel Kash's convincing Dr. Dreyfuss (Aliens, Alphas) steps in to assist, desiring to make a case study of them. He offers a special house to Lucas and Annabel to better accommodate and afford the girls. Plus, he can study them more closely and conveniently. Unlikely guardians artist/musician couple Lucas (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau who you might know better as Jaime Lannister in Game of Thrones) and Goth Annabel (ginger Jessica Chastain, Maya in Zero Dark Thirty and the lovable and fun Celia Foote in The Help) want to adopt the girls and accept. Through his hypnotherapy with Victoria, Dr. Dreyfuss realizes Mama is real and goes on his own quest for answers: Who is Mama? Mama is not quite what she seems (beyond her pretzel shape and unstable mind); she will keep you guessing.
Guillermo del Toro's past horror handiwork (The Devil's Backbone, Pan's Labyrinth, Hellboy, Mimic, Splice, etc.) proved to me that with his involvement as Producer, Mama would deliver. For me, any macabre motherly subject matter can be tormenting and upsetting, to wit, "Mommy Dearest","The Others", true story baby killers Susan Smith and Andrea Yates (and many a Deadly Women episode on Discovery I.D.). However, Muschietti's Mama brings a whole new meaning to the words "maternal instinct". Mama's Picasso-esque despair-wracked, twisted body and banshee/La Llorona-like appearance and formidable wailing will make you cry for your own mama. Hair-raising, disturbing and unsettling, Mama should satisfy the sinister seeker's palate. Five stars for this spine-chilling celluloid!
Many thanks to Simone for sharing her review! Check out other reviews of this film at IMDB.
Click here to view the trailer or purchase your ticket to see Mama
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Posted Monday, January 14, 2013 within Reviews.
Review submitted by Arena Grand fan: Simone C.
Simone's rating: 5 out of 5 stars!
Quentin Tarantino's latest work, Django Unchained, blends the Spaghetti Western with other movie genres of the 1960's. Set in the Pre-Civil War Deep South, Dr. King Schultz (Christoph Waltz, a good guy this time, polar opposite his uber-evil character in "Inglourious Basterds") is a bounty hunter/dentist. Jamie Foxx (of "Ray"and "Collateral") plays Django, a slave.
Through Dr. Schultz's research, he learns that Django worked on a plantation where the highly desired outlaws, the Brittle Brothers, also worked. No one had ever seen them, but Django had, so Dr. King sought out the most likely path the traders and Django would have traveled to strike a bargain with them to purchase Django to help him find the outlaws. The first scene shows the slaves traveling through various and terrible weather conditions. In the distance appears a rickety stagecoach crowned with a giant molar - a silly, bobbing, swaying tooth on a big spring. Dialogue exchanges between the traders and the Dr., and in Dr. Schultz's expertly doled out persuasive efforts, was able to convince the slave traders to purchase Django.
And thus, the duo begins their adventure; two accidental/second hand heroes inadvertently righting wrongs and doling out justice the 19th Century western way. The plot is solid, the gratuitous gunslingin' and blowin' up is satisfying and rest assured, you will be amused by the well-placed music for certain scenes, from rap to rock to R&B to western -- all expertly and appropriately poised with the action sequences.
True to form, Quentin Tarantino again effectively addresses an uncomfortable subject matter as he does in many of his other films.
Django Unchained is replete with a cornucopia of calamity and gratuitous gunslingin'. For a two hour and 45 minute runaway stagecoach ride I was nearly exhausted when the credits rolled. To quote Django: "You said to get dirty, I'm getting dirty." And dirty Django becomes, a Tarantino masterpiece that captures the bitter flavor of the mid-1800s, scenes that make you squirm, laugh, become angry, and then feel vindicated. Five stars all the way.
Many thanks to Simone for sharing her review! Check out other reviews of this film at IMDB.
Click here to view the trailer or purchase your ticket to see Django Unchained
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Posted Thursday, January 3, 2013 within Events.
February 23, 2013 at 5:30 PM at the Arena Grand Movie Theatre
Register now and purchase your Event Package. Package includes a "Producer Pass"- your admission ticket for the movie of your choice, all event activities and an event logo pillow case. Additional Producer Passes can be purchased for event night or to be used for a movie at a later date. What a Great Gift for Friends and Family! Come Enjoy Fun Activities, Yummy Treats and a Movie at any of the eleven beautiful Arena Grand Theatres.
All Proceeds go directly to the "Giving Foundation" at Nationwide Children's Hospital to purchase items for areas of greatest need. Many of you probably know someone who has received their special care. Let's pull together to celebrate recovery for all who benefit from the wonderful staff and many gifts at Nationwide Children's Hospital.
An appearance from Brutus Buckeye and the OSU Cheerleaders will kick-off the night at 6:00 p.m. There will also be Build-A-Bear creations for donation, representatives from Sweet and Sassy with fun products, Aunt Annie's Pretzels and Snacks for purchase at the Arena Grand Concession.
Compete in the virtual "Pillow Fight" by purchasing an event logo pillow case, as part of your event package or separately, on the registration page. Each purchase counts as a feather point for your School! Individual school with the most points will take home the Feather Weight Championship Title and receive a pizza party from Donatos!
To register and for more information visit: Pajama Jam 2013
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Posted Thursday, December 20, 2012 within Reviews.
Review submitted by Arena Grand fan: Simone C.
__Simone's rating: 5 out of 5 stars! Non- Tolkien fans, though, may give it 3.5 __
For those of you wondering how a humble Hobbit such as Frodo Baggins got all mixed up with affairs of wizards, dwarves, elves and men, and matters of good, evil and rings, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey lays down the blueprint of how it all got started. Much of the back story was taken from the appendices of the Lord of the Rings Trilogy to fill in the gaps.
If you dig character-driven, fantasy adventure stories with a lot of dialogue, some good fight scenes, several seemingly-impossible-to-escape-from tight situations, then you should be entertained. If you are a huge fan of Tolkien and are expecting The Hobbit to have a beginning, middle and end resolution in this one movie, forget it. [Spoiler Alert] The movie ended just as Smaug's eye opened. I then realized this evil, legendary dragon makes his appearance next year! Duh, it's a TRILOGY - another Peter Jackson magnum opus! Oi vey! How did I miss THAT?
Peter Jackson's penchant for detail provides beautiful cinematography; outstanding costumes; unbelievable special effects/CGI/ makeup; and superb casting and screenplay. If Mr. Jackson loses any more weight, however, he will become invisible as if wearing the One Ring! If you desire a lot of constant roller coaster ride action, this movie may not deliver for you. If you understand that this movie is a foundation for the next two, and Peter Jackson's intention of painstakingly incorporating the appendices' details into the plot and the methods he uses to weave the minutia within the story will reveal in time their importance and relevance, you will be pleased. Instant gratification this movie provides not. However, there is comfort in familiarity with the main characters, and even Elijah Wood reprises his role as Frodo, albeit very briefly. We have wizardly Ian McClellan's stellar Gandalf and divine Cate Blanchett's ever and always ethereal Queen Galadriel. Hugo Weaving's mysterious Elrond makes you forget his baddie Agent Smith part in The Matrix. Long-in-the-tooth Christopher Lee resurrects the duplicitous Saruman (not a far reach from his Hammer Films Dracula). Note the bonuses: a couple hottie dwarves: Richard Armitage (Strike Back, Captain America, Robin Hood) as the Dwarf King Thorin Oakenshield (dubbed from the makeshift oak log shield he used as a shield fighting evil Albino Orc Azog); Aidin Turner (Being Human, Showtime's The Tudors) as Fili. (Who knew dwarves could be so comely??) Andy Serkis'(Caesar- Rise of the Planet of the Apes) creepy Gollum is always a crowd pleaser. Let's not forget the well-seasoned Dr. Who alum Sylvester McCoy to provide comic relief and wizardly wisdom as the magically druidic Radagast the Brown rounding out the tale (reprising the role in the next two chapters).
Of course, there is evil running amuck in Middle Earth. I am not sure even Voldemort could match the Witch-king of Angmar, aka Lord of the Nazgul aka Black Captain/Necromancer aka Sauron tag team and their band of Orcs. These infernal amigos could make even "He-Who- Must-Not-Be-Named" tremor in his treacle. We'll see more of them in the next installments. Plus you get a number of Wargs, Orcs, Stone Giants, Goblins and a few Trolls -oh, my -.
Don't expect non-stop action; you may find this epic slow. Part I is for character and story development. I am a huge Tolkien fan, so I am prejudice. Therefore I give it 5 stars; non- Tolkien fans, though, may give it 3.5. . . patience, Precious . . . good things come to those who wait . . . for Parts II and III.
Many thanks to Simone for sharing her review! Check out other reviews of this film at IMDB.
Click here to view the trailer or purchase your ticket to see The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
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Posted Thursday, November 8, 2012 within Events.
Veterans Day, Sunday November 11, 2012 at 2:00 PM Only
100% of all ticket sale proceeds for this movie are being donated to Honor Flight Columbus, an organization that recognizes and celebrates World War II and Korean War veterans by flying them to Washington, D.C. to visit memorials dedicated to their important service at no cost to them.
Representatives from Honor Flight Columbus will be on site to provide additional information regarding their organization and will have merchandise available as well.
Tickets available only at our box office. Tickets are $5.00 for general admission and $3.00 with military I.D.
FILM SYNOPSIS Tory Hedderman is a self-centered, apathetic and brooding 16 year old who doesn't really care about anyone or anything -- that is, until his family has to move from New York City to rural West Virginia. When Tory is caught vandalizing a patriotic town statue of a WWI vet, he is ordered to perform community service at a local veteran's hospital. Through the experience, Tory meets individuals who challenge his perspective on the world. "Doughboy" is a family drama that incorporates documentary footage of real-life vets sharing their views on patriotism, young people today, and how the world is changing before them.
Cast: Barrett Carnahan, Terry Kiser, Emily Capehart, Michael Allen, Claudia Esposito, Rick Montgomery, Jr., Emily Bach
Director: JW Myers
MPAA Rating: PG - not rated by the MPAA
Learn more by visiting: Arena Grand Website
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