herbiehancock

Last night we went to see the Trans-Siberian Orchestra in concert at the Palace in Auburn Hills, Michigan.  The tickets for the concert were a Christmas gift from my sons.  I love the music of the Trans-Siberian Orchestra and really enjoyed the concert. The Palace is a large venue for a concert in my opinion.  There were so many people there that it was a bit overwhelming for me at first.  It is the same stadium where the Detroit Pistons play basketball, and it was filled to the rafters with people last night.  We really enjoyed the concert.  Traveling there, however, was another matter.  The drive there reminded me of something that I already know.  I am NOT a city girl.  Give me small town life in the midst of farm country any day over life in a big city. There was a lot of traffic.  We got snarled up in it and inched along for quite a while.  We didn't know why the cars were backed up at first, but eventually we came upon the rea...

I'd mentioned somewhere on this blog that if ever you want a movie on a good road adventure, you should blindly pick up a Todd Philips movie. Due Date is a great example why that has so far been unfailingly true. Due Date is a movie about the journey of Peter Highman( Robert Downey Jr.) who is on his way from Atlanta to visit his wife who is due in a couple of days time. During his visit to the airport, a chance encounter brings him face to face with Ethan Trembay ( Zach Galifiniakis), an aspiring actor whose only real role model in life is Charlie Sheen's character from Two and a Half Men. . While the story is as simple as that, the journey for Peter doesn't quite turn out to be that simple. A minute into the flight that these two gentlemen take towards L.A., an unforeseen incident sees them grounded at the airport and that's where the adventures of these two men begin. Ethan from here on is the guy who will evoke laughs even if he's not uttering a syllable. Wheth...

oh so much has happened over this past year! we've had ups and downs and plenty of change. we've met new friends, said goodbye to friends, and were reunited with childhood friends. plus, we tackled some pretty big accomplishments!   { photo } here is what i'm thankful for in the year 2010: * we got engaged ! * i got two rings from dannon - one which he made himself, and one which he designed for me to wear always. * 5 months later, we had a wedding & promised to love each other always. * i finished graduate school and began practicing therapy. * i got my first  tattoo  {that's right, it's only my first}! * we made a crazy decision to switch cities, then actually moved , to los angeles from san francisco {i like to make big decisions without thinking too much ;) }! * we went adventuring in thailand on our honeymoon . * we took care of our very own elephants !!! * i began a life of art . * we bought a car and i started driving for the first time in 5 years {y...

Have a nice day.

Ashutosh Gowariker is the kind of film maker you could call a sensitive type - one who wouldn't ever be in a tearing hurry to reach a climax, someone who believes in the adage that songs could do a lot to move a story forward and someone who believes that there are numerous untold stories in Indian folklore that need to be told to broader audiences. To an outsider like me he represents someone whose intentions can never be questioned when he sets out to make a movie. In short his movies deserve that bit of respect that eludes a lot of the film-makers in India. And it is with such honest respect for AG, that I chose to watch Kheley Hum Jee Jaan Se on the very first day ahead of Rakta Charitra-2 . Given his previous debacle of Whats Your Rashee , I didn't find too many takers to accompany me on the occasion but since I liked the promos with an intent as firm as Bhuvan's, I did manage to march in for the 10 p.m. show. 2 hours and 40 minutes later, I wasn't sure if I could...

new year's is almost here.  are you ready?  have you been getting your fill of "best of 2010" lists, or maybe making some of your own?  are you the sort to make resolutions or goals or bucket lists?  and most importantly {let's be honest} do you have a special outfit in which to ring in the new year?   we had originally been planning on taking a trip this weekend to park city, ut where my cousin will be getting married on sunday, but unfortunately that didn't work out.  so we are now looking for a new new year's eve plan here in los angeles.  i'm sure it will involve some sort of house party with dear friends.   it got me thinking though, about that glorious day in my future when i'll be able to throw a big new year's eve party of my own!  creating and hosting events and parties is one of my favorite things to do {i wish i could do it for a job}, but with a 500 sq ft apartment, hosting parties isn't really an option.  i mean unless you c...

-A mousy librarian (Goldie Hawn) gets mixed up in a plot to kill the pope. Chevy Chase is a dashing detective. -Remember when Hawn and Chase were, like, hot properties? Those were the days... -Spooftastic.

Please will it to die in a hole.

"I did not go to any military academy and yet by myself I conquered all of Europe..." , thus thunders Adolf Hitler ( Bruno Ganz) in an epochal moment of the Second World War. Epochal, because these were his words just before he concedes that all is lost and there's nothing that could be done to salvage the Third Reich from there on. The shoulders droop, the temper subsides and Hitler's eyes wilt towards the floor. If ever there was a movie, from which you would get all the monies worth from just one monologue, it is this one monologue in Der Untergang - the story of Hitler's last days. It's a script that's compiled from memoirs written by Hitler's associates ( including a secretary) who were present during those fateful days of the war that saw the Fuhrer coming to terms with the fall of his empire. The first thing that strikes you about the movie is it's stark realism of it's characters some of whom, given their impending surrender deem it f...

No 319 - The Lion King Directors - Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff Man! I LOVE The Lion King! I was even willing to sit through the longest most OTT DVD menu with an annoying CGI Zazu to watch the film. So long that I can't find a YouTube video of the menu in its entirety.... but you can have a bit of the pre -film ordeal I sat through. That's dedication. So, the special edition DVD has been spruced up a little bit so we get a much sharper, crisper looking film, and that is OK with me, it just makes it a joy to watch. From the opening African chanting to the final Circle of Life.... this film makes me happy. So lets talk about the highlights, and of course the guilty admission that I do really like some Elton John songs - specially when blended in with the African tribal singing . Firstly this film has a star studded cast... and somehow, I had never realised that Matthew Broderick plays Simba ! Gosh. But look at all these others: What's great about this cast is that the...

No 78 - Rosemary's Baby Director - Roman Polanski After Psycho, lets continue the theme of weird psychological horror linked to motherhood... And a film which is principally there to create a sense of unease (and it does this very well). From the opening credits and the haunting hummed lullaby, it becomes clear that something isn't quite right. The film follows Rosemary and her husband as they move into a new apartment and Rosemary's husband Guy befriends the elderly tenants whilst Rosemary falls pregnant. The film is littered with unusual events. Nothing obviously supernatural, just little moments which don't feel right. From a jittery paranoid Guy to an oddly clingy and nosy bunch of elderly neighbours... there is also a suicide and the mystery of Tannis root . The odd moments happen in the background... as does every other character. This is Rosemary's film and all we do is follow her for the entirety of the film. Luckily... Mia Farrow is astounding in this f...

No 45 - Psycho Director - Alfred Hitchcock Psycho is one of those films that has already been analysed and discussed to an incredible degree. I don't feel like I'll really be able add anything that hasn't already been explained a hundred times before. So all I'm going to do is discuss the little magical moments which help make this such a brilliant film. The film follows Janet Leigh's Marion Crane as she steals some money from her work and proceeds to act very suspiciously. This means that (naturally) she attracts a lot of attention from the police and other types as she flees - initially you think this may be a bad thing, the fool is hardly subtle, but actually it turns out to be a good thing because it means there are a lot of people who remember her after the tragedy of meeting Norman Bates and his mother. The shower scene is probably the most famous part of Psycho, and arguably the most famous sequence of Hitchcock's entire career. Whilst people may not hav...

on sunday, one of my best friends married her best friend.  they had the ceremony in an outdoor ampitheatre at newport beach, then the reception in a big tent at the hyatt.  i felt so honored to be able to share in the love, celebration, and chaos-management that comes with a wedding.  i went from dying of laughter as we got her into her dress {don't worry licia, that's all i'll say about that ;)} to crying my eyes out seeing her all dolled up.  she looked Gorgeous!!!  the reception was a blast! the food was amazing, we got to catch up with more old friends we hadn't seen in a long time, and there was MUCH celebratory dancing.  two things i love about indian weddings: 1. the women are so beautiful in their colorful sari's, and 2. everyone knows how to rejoice through the act of dance!  here are some of my favorite photos from the special day:  { the beautiful bride, dancing with her beautiful momma } it was so much fun, one of the most FUN wedding...

So, before I jest uselessly about Foul Play , Bunny Lake is Missing , and Being There (gathering my thoughts...), I need to solve this dilemma once and for all. So, gentle readers, if you'd take the time to tell me how, exactly, I may improve that lengthy sidebar over there without actually changing the template (because that is too strenuous and the more time I may spend scrolling through my Dashboard, watching old SNL episodes on Netflix, and drinking Dr. Pepper, the better), I'd be most grateful, and, I don't know, review a movie you like especially. So, uh...carry on.

Winter's Grip A giant hand  with snow fingers and nails of ice  gripped the awning  over the porch until the warmth of the afternoon sun relaxed it  and coaxed it to loosen its hold, causing it to let go and slip  and drip away. (from inside the door looking out)

( Gone Baby Gone is on TV) Danielle: I love Casey Affleck. He should've gotten an Oscar. Me: He did. For Jesse James . Danielle: No, he didn't. Me: What? Who did? Danielle: I don't know. Me: Outrage! Danielle: Scoff! Me: We must find out who won, so we may address them with the proper scorn! (to the internet, pause) Me: Okay, fine. Danielle: Who nominated Hal Ashby?

That such crap can exist on paper in form of a script is a blot on the art of screenwriting. That someone finds such trash worthy of being made into a movie is just plain regrettable. Eurotrip is a crass, puerile and an incredibly inane piece of cinema. Boy stumbles upon girl on the net, writes a rude e-mail, regrets, wants to make up, ends up going all the way to Europe (without knowing her address), makes out with her in a confession box and all's well in the end. The movie has such an idiotic script, it could make an infant's gibberish seem smarter. I normally avoid spoilers while writing reviews but I thought I should really save you all the trouble (or misfortune) should you ever even think of watching this. Matt Damon in a 2 minute special appearance does more to redeem this movie than the other 86 minutes put together. There's also a star turn by Vinnie Jones playing a rogue English soccer fan that evokes a smile. (And at this point I am racking my brains to see if ...

this weekend was one of the most fun i've had in a while!   christmas eve was relaxing and quiet.  we listened to music and sipped our neighbor's "sweet heart" juice that they made {raw cane juice with spices like tumeric, cinnamon & nutmeg. if you live in l.a. you can visit their shop,  raw cane superjuice bar , in hollywood. amazingly good!}.   i must have slept pretty heavy, because when i woke up christmas morning i found these little elephants in our stockings!  they're technically tree ornaments, but we love them so much we decided to make them our anniversary elephants in honor of our honeymoon in thailand.   here's the clean "before" photo, with all our packages wrapped up {except for one of chloe cat's toys that she opened already.  it's a pom i made out of yarn.  she LOVES them!}. and here's the "after" photo.  nice and messy!  {chloe cat wasn't sure exactly where to pounce first.} we got each other some fun gi...

Oatmeal, Chocolate Chip and Pecan Cookies adapted from Epicurious via Smitten Kitchen Makes about 3 dozen cookies (see note 3) Ingredients 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature 3/4 cup sugar 1 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 2 large eggs 1 1/2 cups flour 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1/8 teaspoon ground clove 1 cup quick-cooking oats 2 cups chopped pecans 12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips Method Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a large cookie sheet with parchment or a Silpat (nonstick baking mat). Using an electric mixer, beat the butter in a bowl until light and fluffy. Add both sugars, salt, and vanilla, and beat until well mixed, about three minutes. Stir in eggs, one at a time. Sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove in a separate bowl. Add half of the flour mixture to the butter with the mixer on low speed. Once the flour has been incorporated, add ...

-A conman (Ryan O'Neal) ends up taking the recently orphaned daughter of an old flame (Tatum O'Neal) with him on the road, to transport to her aunt's house. Great Depression-era shenanagins ensue when she blueballs him into returning 200 dollars he acquired through her. -Tatum O'Neal, as far as I can tell (I've seen no other Oscar films of that year) deserved the Oscar. Petulant and stubborn without being annoying or precocious, she scowls down all patronizing eyes while still managing to turn it into feigning little girl innocence. -Ryan O'Neal's fine too, but let's face it, all he has to do is look oily and let Tatum to the work. -Shot is lovely black-and-white by Peter Bogdanovich and cinematographer László Kovács. Pleasant, thirties hit-heavy soundtrack. -For the most part, engaging, tight, adorable episodic movie about, I don't know, overarching goodness or something.

-An Elvis-obsessed ex-convict (Nicholas Cage) and his sexpot girlfriend (Laura Dern) break his parole to drive to California. Meanwhile, her crazed Southern belle mother (Diane Ladd) sicks her two boyfriends, a professional private eye (Harry Dean Stanton) and a gangster (JE Freeman) on their tail. Batshit insanity ensues. -I get the feeling David Lynch knows nothing of human interaction, or else, laughs in its face (I don't blame him, of course). Everything the characters say is spat out in melodramatic, post-soap opera declarations and lip quivering, a parody of both Southern dramas and Bonnie-and-Clyde road movies, with some truly perverse Willem Dafoe action. -Diane Ladd is hilarious as the mom, the weirdest of them all (that isn't Grace Zabriskie). Nicholas Cage is tolerable for once. Laura Dern does her Lynch thing. -Nightmarish and disturbing, with a happy ending that hates happy endings. John Lurie and Crispin Clover.

-Bill Murray made melancholy by the likes of Sofia Coppola, Wes Anderson, and now Jim Jarmusch. -Tilda Swinton, you do your damn thing. -This Alex Whatserface, bitchy girlfriend from Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist , she specializes in overtly-peky sexuality, doesn't she?

In 2002, in second year of college when I saw Road Trip on Star Movies in India , I didn't think there were cooler movies that existed. Road Trip was funnier than American Pie for me- it was a road adventure woven into a college love story around friends that made it cool and pretty watchable with an unforgettable portrayal by Kyle Edwards who played the scrawny DJ Qualis -a loser friend to the cooler character of John played by Breckin Mayer. So when I saw Road Trip: Beer Pong at Clixflix, there was nothing that could've prevented me to pick it up based on a sheer token of nostalgic respect for the original. What was even better was the mention in the opening credits of: Based on the movie Road Trip and the familiar Kyle Edwards introducing the University of Ithaca to an unsuspecting group. Road Trip: Beer Pong is a self-confessed tribute to the original cult comedy classic ( christened CCC from hereon) by writer Brad Riddel. It's directed by Steve Rash. At it'...

happy post-christmas monday to everyone!  i hope you all survived the weekend and have some pretty amazing memories to carry with you into the new year.  i had a splendid weekend, filled with loved ones, a wedding, and some great gifts {more on that later}.  one gift in particular was the super cute fold + mail stationary from boygirlparty .  i was so excited to have such fun letter-writing supplies and i began to wonder who in the world i should write to.  so i did a little internet research and found several amazing sites for all of us who love sending a genuine, hand-written note to make someone else's day brighter.   { photo } today's good deed idea is all about writing letters to sick children and their families.  there are several organizations that do this:   make a child smile , love letters , hugs and hope , and {in the UK} post pals .  all of these organizations highlight children who are sick or terminally ill, with addresses wher...

ANOTHER CHRISTMAS COMES AND GOES After all the hoopla and hurry-scurry, all the planning, all the worry, so much build-up, so much to do, and just so quick, it's done and through. Presents bought and wrapped and given. Visiting family---the miles driven! So much food---what a feast! Much more than we needed,  (to say the least). Fudge was boiled up.  Eggnog was poured. Carols proclaimed the birth of the Lord. There were parties and concerts,  celebrations galore, lights were hung, wreaths were placed on the door, but now the tree is empty of boxes and bows, and outside it gently snows, and another Christmas comes and goes. Another Christmas comes and goes. Will they remember why Christmas came and say a prayer of thanks in His name? We can hope...but only Heaven knows, as another Christmas comes and goes.