by Jane Boursaw on July 27, 2010
Movie: ‘Ramona and Beezus’
In Theaters: July 23, 2010
Director: Elizabeth Allen
Runtime: 104 minutes
MPAA Rating: G
Gecko Rating: 
G-rated movies are so few and far between these days, so I’m always thrilled when they come along, mainly because it gives younger kids a chance to see a movie without too much objectionable content.
Even better when the movie is tied to a beloved children’s book series, like the Ramona and Beezus books by Beverly Cleary. I read them all when I was a kid, and still read them even as an adult. Her “young love” series is great, too. ‘The Luckiest Girl’ is one of my all-time favorite books ever. At 94, Cleary is still writing and going strong!
‘Ramona and Beezus’ follows the adventures – or rather, MISadventures – of 9-year-old Ramona Quimby, played by adorable newcomer Joey King. She’s quite imaginative, so we get interspersed scenes from Ramona’s head, like her flying through the clouds or dangling over a perilous gorge (in reality, she’s hanging from some playground equipment).
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by Jane Boursaw on July 26, 2010
The 6th Annual Traverse City Film Festival runs this week from Tuesday, July 27 through Sunday, August 1, in Traverse City, Michigan (my home town!).
The film festival just gets better and better each year. It not only brings hundreds of great movies to northern Michigan that we wouldn’t otherwise see on the big screen here, but it’s had a tremendous boost on our local economy, as well.
This year’s festival promises filmgoers another round of “Just Great Movies,” including 80 feature films and 40 short films representing more than 25 countries. The late John Hughes will be honored with the festival’s annual Michigan Filmmakers Award, and Tom Bernard and Michael Barker, co-presidents of Sony Pictures Classic, will be presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award for their 30 years of work.
Other highlights include panels and Q&A sessions with filmmakers, a tribute to The Beatles in honor of the 40th anniversary of their breakup, a salute to Cuban film, two U.S. premieres from past favorites Sabina Guzzanti (‘Draquila – Italy Trembles’) and Vít Klusák and Filip Remunda (‘Czech Dream’), as well as a new Film Forum Series and the return of Film Industry Panels and the TCFF Film School. For a full schedule of events and more info, visit the Traverse City Film Festival’s official site.
For a story for Variety, I caught up with founder Michael Moore, who talked about the festival’s beginnings, restoring the downtown State Theatre, and how Republicans actually hug him on the street now.
Read the full interview after the jump…
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by Jane Boursaw on July 26, 2010
(Season 4, Episode 1, ‘Public Relations’) Words can’t describe how happy I am to have ‘Mad Men’ back. Did you watch the season four premiere last night? I watched the screener copy several weeks ago, and watched it again last night just because.
I love the “scrappy upstart” that Don Draper and Roger Sterling are building. Everyone seems energized to be creating a new ad company together, even if they were ticked off at Don for the crummy interview he gave, which resulted in a crummy story their clients hated because he didn’t mention them.
And let’s face it. Being an ad guy, Don should know first-hand that what he says will come back to either haunt or hurt the company.
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Movie: ‘Ramona and Beezus’ 
