Tag Archives : Movies


TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood   Recently updated !

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If you find yourself at Hollywood and Highland let me encourage you to make time to stop by the TCL Chinese Theatre. For years I stayed on the outside of the theatre due to lack of time to go inside but a few years ago I went inside for the first time and loved it.  For those of you who have not been to the theatre on the outside they have cement blocks with hand and foot prints from stars dating back to the very early days in Hollywood hand and foot prints of stars like Frank Sinatra, Marilyn Monroe to George Clooney and the cast of Harry Potter.  You will find that everyday visitors stop by and take pictures placing their hands and feet inside the prints of their favorite stars.  Shirley Temple and I have the same hand size but that is the only hand print that mine comes close to fitting.  At least a few times a year the theatre will host an event to honor different celebrities by having a ceremony and adding their hand and foot prints to the collection.

On occasion the theatre will hold contests through instagram and twitter where they will give out vip seats to the ceremonies.  I was lucky enough to get selected through an instagram contest to be a vip for Gena Rowlands ceremony but due to some technological issues I did not find out I had won till it was too late.  So if you enter be sure to check your instagram or twitter account often so you do not miss out on any cool opportunities.  The theatre is also home to several big movie premieres throughout the year so if you are near by you can show up and try to see some stars walk the red carpet.  The theatre also plays hosts to different film festivals on occasion so keep an eye out on their twitter account for any information on that.  I have yet to be able to make it down to the theatre for a red carpet event so I unfortunately cannot say what that experience is like but it is on my to do list.  If you do decide to see a movie here please note that only one movie will be played in the huge impressive theatre, there are some smaller theatres to the side of the main theatre.

Two and a half years ago the theatre was celebrating an anniversary and held special screenings of old movies for 25 cents.  My friend and I went there to see The Godfather which was an incredible place to see that movie for the first time.  The screen is the second largest in the world and is quite impressive.  There are always some props and costumes from various movies in the lobby which is nice to see as well.  Last spring my mom and I decided to take the vip tour of the theatre.  At the time the tour was $13.50 and I will say that you do not see anything on the tour that you would not see if you bought a ticket to a movie.  However, you get to hear a lot of cool stories about the theatre and Sid Grauman the man who created it all.  If you are a huge movie fan the tour is worth the money to hear about the stories.  I encourage you to park underneath the Loews Hotel and the Dolby Theatre.  You can get the ticket validated at the theatre or any of the shops in the area.  You will pay around $2-$22 depending on how long you stay.  Also while you are in the area you may want to take a tour of the Dolby Theatre, home to the Oscars.  Oh and if you get hungry I highly recommend 25 degrees, a burger place at the Roosevelt Hotel across the street.

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For more information on the theatre visit their website: http://www.tclchinesetheatres.com

Follow the theatre on Twitter: https://twitter.com/chinesetheatres

Follow the theatre on Instagram: https://instagram.com/p/0lCVxWgBX5/

Follow me on twitter and I’ll be sure to retweet the theaters events: https://twitter.com/lovemichelle89

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Review of Get Hard   Recently updated !

I saw a preview for Get Hard when I was at a screening for Focus. My friend and I laughed so much during the preview and I thought I have to see it when it comes out. Well I was very happy to get tickets to a free screening and could not wait to see this movie. I really enjoy Kevin Hart’s movies and Will Farrell has his moments where he makes me laugh so I thought that the combination of the two would be pretty good. If you have not seen a preview for Get Hard it is about James (Will Farrell) getting set up an sentenced to ten years in jail.  He has thirty days before he has to start serving time and enlists Darnell (Kevin Hart) who washes cars where James work.  James assumes that Darnell has been to jail due to the fact that he is black and since Darnell is in need of some money he plays along and agrees to help prepare James for jail.

The main issue that I have with Get Hard is the fact that they took a good storyline and ruined it by adding inappropriate scenes that really made me feel quite uncomfortable.  Darnell turns the mansion James lives in into a jail and enlists the help of the gardeners and cleaning ladies to act like other inmates.  There are a lot of uncomfortable jokes about rape and more than a few racist jokes that will probably make you cringe as it did for me.  The movie did make me laugh quite a bit but that does not make up for all the times that I sat in my seat debating walking out.  All I can say is that if you are use to r rated Will Farrell type comedies then Get Hard is right up your alley.  I would give it a 1/5 and say that if you see it I hope you get to see it for free.

For more information on how you can see movies for free check out: http://mybelleelle.com/movie-screenings/howtoseemoviesforfree/

And follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/lovemichelle89
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Review of the Warner Bros. VIP Studio Tour

A known fact about me is my love for movies and television.  One of my favorite tv shows is Friends so when I found out that you could see the set from Central Perk and sit on the couch I immediately wanted to take the VIP tour at Warner Bros. Studio.  By now I have done the tour three times and while I did see a few of the same things each time every tour was different enough to keep coming back.  The tour begins in the gift shop where you will find really fun merchandise for Ellen, Harry Potter, The Big Bang Theory, Pretty Little Liars and Friends to name a few.  Five minutes before your tour begins you will be brought into a theatre to watch a short film on tv shows and movies Warner Bros. have played a role in creating.  Afterwards three tour guides will come in, call their groups and head off to the trams.

Once on board your tram your guide will want to know what TV shows or movies you like so that they can be sure to point out and take you to places you will like.  My first tour I mentioned that I like Pretty Little Liars so our guide took us on the set inside one of the sound stages.  This is only possible if they are not filming so I got very lucky as this was unavailable on my last two tours.  I was able to go inside all of the Liars bedrooms, see the halls and classrooms of Rosewood High and look inside Emily’s school locker.  I also mentioned that I liked The Big Bang Theory so our guide took us inside their soundstage and we sat in the studio audience and saw Leonard and Sheldon’s apartment as well as Penny’s apartment.

On my second tour we went on the set of Ellen and even though I had been there before since I have been to a taping it was really cool because they took us backstage so we saw some really fun stuff Ellen keeps back there.  On my most recent tour we started walking onto the set of Pretty Little Liars when our guide remembered they were going to start production that day so as a back up plan we went to the soundstage for Mike and Molly since they film in the same spot where Full House and Friends were filmed.  Outside of that soundstage is a sign that says The Friends Stage.  When you go on sound stages for shows that are still on air you are not able to take pictures but it is still really cool.

On my first tour we were taken into a room that had vehicles from Scooby Doo, Harry Potter, and a few other films.  They had a green screen set up where you could take a picture in front of the Hogwarts Express.  On my last two tours this room has been replaced with all Batman related vehicles.  During two of the tours I got to go through their prop house which is awesome.  Though my favorite part will always be getting to go on the set of Central Perk from Friends. It has been moved off the sound stage is identical to what you would see on Friends.  If I remember correctly the couch is from seasons seven through nine and there are only two pieces of the set that are not original, one being Phoebe’s guitar as Lisa Kudrow kept that.  The guide will be more than happy to take your picture and for a huge Friends fan it is really exciting.

Just chillin at Central Perk

Just chillin at Central Perk

The tour lasts for around two and half hours so while you will be getting out of the tram to walk around you will also see a lot from the tram itself.  Twice my tour guides have been great about driving to the houses used on Pretty Little Liars and if you ask nicely they’ll stop long enough for you to get out and a get a picture in front of houses or buildings that you are interested in.  I have never seen any actors during my time on the lot but the guides have all said that it does happen so have your camera ready at all times!  You will stop at a two story building which holds props from Harry Potter on top and you are lucky they will have the sorting hat though results may not be accurate since it put me in Slytherin.

Getting sorted into Slytherin even though Pottermore said I'm a hufflepuff

Getting sorted into Slytherin even though Pottermore said I’m a hufflepuff

Currently Batman props on the bottom but that will change whenever the Batman exhibit leaves.  Whether you are a local like me or visiting California on vacation I would highly recommend the VIP Warner Bros. Studio Tour.

The VIP tour runs at $54 and parking is $7 however, if you are interested in getting a great deal I highly recommend purchasing the Go LA card.  This is especially great for those visiting the area but recently my friend and I purchased the Go LA card because we were also interested in taking the Sony Studio Tour which is also included through the Go LA card.  The Sony tour is $40 but a one day Go LA card is $69 so if you want to do both you’ll save.  There are also other great places you can get into with the Go LA card so I would definitely encourage you to check it out.  Also the tour is very popular so keep that in mind when planning your visit.  You will need to show a government issued id to pick up your ticket so make sure to have that on you.  One more tip is to look up which shows and movies are/were filmed at Warner Bros. so that you can tell your guide what you want to see.  On my first tour I was the only one in my group who spoke up so that meant that what I wanted to see I got to see.

For information on the Warner Bros. VIP Studio Tour visit: http://vipstudiotour.warnerbros.com

For information on the Go LA card visit:

http://www.smartdestinations.com/los-angeles-attractions-and-tours/_d_Lax-p1.html?pass=Lax_Prod_Go

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How To See Movies For Free   Recently updated !

 

Movies for Free

I have always loved going to the movies so one day I wondered if I could see free movies before they are released.  After doing some research on twitter and google I found some great companies that help movie lovers like me get access to movie screenings.  Movie screenings are really fun but there are some things you should know before you sign up for a screening.  In some cases you will be asked to provide your thoughts on the movie by filling out a survey in the theatre or by providing a review on the screening companies website.  Also they give out more tickets than the number of seats to try and ensure a full house so be sure to arrive at least 45 mins to an hour early and if its a popular movie I would recommend 90 mins before the scheduled screening time.  Some screeners will ask for you to leave your phone with security outside of the theatre because they don’t want to risk people recording the movie but in most cases you will just be asked to turn your phone off and keep it in your pocket/purse.

I get my tickets for most of my screenings through http://advancescreenings.com which I highly recommend using.  One of the best things about this particular website is that you can sign up for email alerts.  I get emails almost daily letting me know about movie screenings in my area.  Because the screenings are free they tend to fill up very quickly so do not be dismayed if you strike out on your first few attempts to go to a screening.  I also recommend following Get Screening on twitter especially since they have separate twitter accounts that focus on certain cities so if you live near a major city look on twitter to see if advance screenings has an account based on your area for you to follow.

Advance screenings is my go to spot for most of my screenings but there are other companies that I get screenings through as well.  Gofobo offers quite a few screenings and they are a company that expect a review in exchange for the tickets which is not too much to ask to see a movie for free.  There is also See It First which I have the least amount of luck with but it is still worth checking out.  I have met people at the screenings who won their tickets through radio station giveaways but to me its just easier to click some buttons on the internet.  Please use the links below and I hope this helps you!  Also if you know of any resources I am missing please share in the comments.

Links to screening sites:

https://www.getscreening.com

For those who live in California check this out on Twitter: https://twitter.com/GetScreeningCA

Check out this Twitter link for other states: https://twitter.com/GetScreening

For those of you in Los Angeles check out: https://twitter.com/43KIXLosAngeles

For those of you in Atlanta check out: https://twitter.com/43KIXAtlanta

For those of you in NYC check out: https://twitter.com/43KIXNYC

For those of you in Chicago check out: https://twitter.com/43KIXChicago

For those of you in Denver check out: https://twitter.com/43KIXDenver

For those of you in Los Angeles check out: https://twitter.com/CAScreenings

Check out: https://twitter.com/screenings

Follow Gofobo on Twitter: https://twitter.com/gofobo

Visit their website too: http://www.gofobo.com

Visit See It First: https://www.seeitfirst.net

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