Jaunted - Tag: Movie Travel

Seattle: Due On Broadway Travel: "Shrek" Opens In Seattle

egw — 2008-08-14T12:00:10-05:00

And your ogre can sing: "Shrek: The Musical" takes the next giant, flatulent step towards Broadway tonight with its out-of-town world premiere in Seattle.

The adaptation of the DreamWorks children's movie stars Broadway vets Brian D'Arcy James ("Sweet Smell of Success," "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels") and Sutton Foster ("Young Frankenstein" and the VH-1 show "Flight of the Conchords"), with a book by David Lindsay-Abaire, is expected to siphon tourist dollars away from "The Little Mermaid" and other family faves, even if it falls flat on its green face. But the out-of-town tryout is crucial to developing the buzz that will fuel ticket sales--something "Young Frankenstein" never built last fall in its previews in Chicago.

"Shrek" runs through September 21 in the Emerald City and opens in New York in November. If you happen to be a Washingtonian who can get there, won't you drop us a line?

Related Stories:
· Seattle Goes Green: Shrek the Musical Makes Premiere [Playbill]
· Can Shrek Sing? Broadway Finds Out This Fall [Jaunted]
· Broadway coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: TonZ]

Travel Films: Transsiberian Is an Ice-Cold Thriller

pbb — 2008-07-22T12:30:21-05:00

We went to see the movie Transsiberian this weekend on the name alone, and it was totally awesome. We're hardly the first to compare it to a Hitchcock thriller, but the parallels couldn't be more apparent.

Woody Harrelson does a tremendous job as the overly loud, not-quite-with-it American tourist and Emily Mortimer ("Lars and the Real Girl") is wonderful as his more worldly wife. Shortly after the pair boards the train from Beijing to Moscow, a mysterious young couple joins them in their cabin. It's not much longer before things get super creepy. (Ben Kingsley shows up later as a Russian detective.)

The Brad Anderson film premiered at Sundance earlier this year and so far is in a very limited release in New York City. We tried to get distribution info from the studio, but haven't heard anything back just yet. For now, you can check updated showtimes at Moviefone.

Related Stories:
· Intrigue on an Ill-Fated Train, Moscow-Bound [NYT]
· Movie Set Travel: The Darjeeling Limited [Jaunted]
· Movie Travel coverage [Jaunted]

Toronto: Singing, Dancing Travel: Beef up on Bollywood

egw — 2008-07-14T12:15:16-05:00

Fans of big-screen musicals like "Hairspray," "Sweeney Todd" and the forthcoming "Mamma Mia!" may be both delighted with and frustrated by the Bollywood style of movie-making. The films native to India, which produces more movies each year than Hollywood, often top three hours and feature extended musical numbers and singers unknown outside of Asia. But India plans to show off its innovations with a Bollywood world tour led by two of its biggest actors.

Amitabh and Abhishek Bachchan may not be household names Stateside but they are giant stars--say, Martin and Charlie Sheen without the divorce drama--in their native India. Son Abhishek is married to former Miss World Aishwarya Rai, whom Westerners may have seen in the Jane Austen-meets-Bollywood flick "Bride and Prejudice." (She'll also be appearing in next year's "Pink Panther" sequel with Steve Martin.)

The trio, along with several other Bollywood stars, will hit Trinidad, Atlantic City, London and more with "The Unforgettable Tour," which kicks off July 18 in Toronto.

Related Stories:
· The Unforgettable Tour [Official Site]
· Movie Travel coverage [Jaunted]

Los Angeles: "Knocked Up" Knock-off Travel: LA's Koreatown

BS — 2008-06-25T09:45:05-05:00

"Knocked Up" must have seeped into our sub-consciousness more than we'd like to admit. While re-watching it on a flight to LA this weekend, we were shocked to realize our lunch and dinner reservations for the next day were at the same two restaurants the protagonists visit in the film: hip sushi joint Geisha House and cheesy classic Miceli's.

While both restaurants served their very mainstream purpose, this coincidence left us feeling waaay too unoriginal and in search of something off the beaten path. Near the end of the movie--after Katherine Heigl kicks Seth Rogen out of her car in a fit of pre-labor rage--he yells in outrage "I had to walk through half of Koreatown!" We didn't want to walk through half of it, but we were intrigued.

Box Office Shocker Travel: "Zohan" Popular... with Israelis?

egw — 2008-06-24T12:45:01-05:00

Critics gave a jaded eye-roll to Adam Sandler's latest flick in which he plays an Israeli assassin-slash-hairdresser, expecting it to garner half-hearted protests for its outsized characterizations. But "You Don't Mess with the Zohan" found an unlikely audience in Israelis, the very people Sandler's character spoofs.

Venice: Talisman Travel: Sienna's Carry-on of Choice

egw — 2008-06-10T11:00:01-05:00

Forget an oversized pillow or a lucky horseshoe--when actress Sienna Miller travels far and wide for movie roles, she always takes with her a pair of men's pajamas. Not just any pajamas, though. Sienna's sleepwear was a gift from late actor Heath Ledger from back when they were shooting the period romance "Casanova."

Miller and Ledger, who play unlikely lovers in the film, were caught out in a rainstorm and had to rush back to his apartment, where he lent Sienna the dry clothes from under his pillow. She later passed them back to him when he couldn't sleep. Ledger's dad returned them to her after his death in January.

We all have that luxury item we won't leave home without; what's yours? Don't laugh; we swear by our silly eyeshade for catching some z's in a light hotel room or on a daytime flight.

Related Stories:
· Sienna Miller Remembers Heath Ledger--with Pajamas [People]
· Remembering Heath Ledger [Jaunted]
· Celeb Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo from "Casanova": movies.aol.com]

Crawford: Western White House Travel: A Town Sees Itself in "Crawford"

egw — 2008-06-09T13:00:01-05:00

When President Bush is your neighbor, local barbecues are never the same: A new documentary explores the relationship of Crawford, Texas to its most famous resident, currently he of 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. Nearly half of the town's 705 residents turned out for the film's outdoor premiere.

Bush moved to Crawford in 1999 and brought the eyes of the world with him. Opponents of the president also used the town to influence public opinion, like when soldier's mother Cindy Sheehan took her antiwar feelings public with a protest across from Bush's ranch.

Hilariously, the IMDb summary for "Crawford" is hidden because of "spoilers," just in case you've been under a rock for the past 8 years.