In the summer of 2009, I wrote an article about Jim McNalis and his statue of “The Lady,” Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi, who was finally released in 2010 from a nearly two decade imprisonment by the country of Myanmar (Burma). Jim was granted an audience Dec. 28.
By Dave Montalbano
AdventuresOfCinemaDave.com
You know you got to go through hell before you get to Heaven.
– “Jet Airliner,” Steve Miller Band
This song lyric best summarizes my thoughts about 2011.
This year, I faced the devilish dark soul of show business, yet have been saved by the grace of so many Back Stage Angels: volunteers at Mega-Con, PBIFF, Spooky Empire, FLIFF, the Geeks of Comedy, C.J. Comics and anyone who purchased The Adventures of Cinema Dave in the Florida Motion Picture World.
While celebrity scandal and divorce made mainstream headlines, Florida was blessed with visitation by many Class Acts: Max Winkler, Kyra Schon, Doris Roberts, Jon Provost, Pamela Poitier, Orianthi, Pat Novak, Matt “Guitar” Murphy, Danny Murphy, Doug Jones, Steve Hunter, Tommy Hen-riksen, John Hamblin, Chuck Garric, Peter Ford, Dennis Farina, Barry S. Anderson and The Amazing Randi.
2011 Top films, in reverse alphabetical order: X-Men: First Class, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, The Muppets, Midnight in Paris, Hugo, The Help, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II, Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark, Captain America: The First Avenger and The Artist.
Honorable Mention: War Horse, Soul Surfer, The Rum Diary, Into the Abyss, Insidious, Happy Feet 2, Gains-bourg: A Heroic Life, Drive, Dolphin Tale and Born to be Wild 3-D.
The Oscars are set for Feb. 26. Look for Glenn Close in Albert Nobbs and the movie Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close starring Tom Hanks and Sandra Bullock.
Warner Brothers is projected to be King of the Box Office next year, based on two movies: The Dark Knight Rises (opens July 2012) and The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, which opens 12-14-12, a week before the “end of the world” on 12-21-12, according to the Mayan Calendar. Although, world-renowned magician and hoax debunker James Randi predicts, “The end of the world will not happen.”
So we can rest easy, and I can expect to write another 52 columns.
Dear Reader, thank you for your interest in Flicks, which now begins its 13th year with The Observer.
