Movie

ATLANTA -- Shirl Jennings doesn't look people in the eye when he talks to them, which is disconcerting. But he isn't being rude or shy. He can see, all right. He just hasn't gotten used to making eye contact during a conversation. He forgets to look down, too, for curbs and chairs and other obstacles below eye level. When he was blind, as he was for most of his 58 years, he never had to worry about such things. "I'm so used to looking straight ahead," said the resident of Conyers, Ga. "Being blind was more easy sometimes."

I got a chance yesterday to see Martin Scorcese's movie "Hugo," a delightful story based around the life of movie pioneer Georges Méliès. It was part of my New Year's resolution to see more literary adaptations, and I couldn't have picked a better place to start. The movie is based on Brian Selznick's Caldecott medal-winner "The Invention of Hugo Cabret," which weaves together the tales of Méliès and an orphaned boy who lives in a Paris train station. It has a fantasy-like feel, as the little boy traipses around early 20th Century Paris and learns about the men who made magic on the big screen.

We want to know what movie (if any) you're planning to spend your hard-earned dollars on this weekend. Take the poll on the left side of the page and look for the results in Friday's edition of b .

L. Frank Baum's classic about a wonderful wizard is getting a new look, in a movie prequel called "Oz: The Great & Powerful. " This isn't a true adaptation -- in fact, Dorothy, the Cowardly Lion and other key characters do not even appear, and references to Baum's work are kept to a minimum. Early reactions show that the movie may be more appealling to general sudiences than to critics . It's a reimagining of the background of the huckster who is swept away to a magical land and is thrust into an uncomftable role as leader.

Everyone knows there will be a movie made about the death of Osama bin Laden. But who will play whom? Conan O'Brien has the answers:  (Spoiler alert: Joe Biden will be played by Bob Barker.)   

A cake was delivered to the Baltimore Sun's offices one day a few months back. It was a seven-layer cake from Caroline's Cakes in Annapolis. Gosh, was it good. I remember having posted about how good it was somewhere -- Twitter or Facebook or here? -- but now I can't find it. Anwyay, the same cake apparently makes an appeance in the new movie The Help , says Suzanne Loudermilk on Baltimore Magazine's In Good Taste blog. By most accounts, the cake gives a layered performance in the film.

Today's news that a pro-Sarah Palin documentary will debut in June has the political world buzzing about a potential presidential run for the former governor of Alaska. The $1 million film, titled "The Undefeated," paints Palin as an "inspirational maverick,"  and will premiere just in time to influence the first votes in Iowa, according to CBS News.    The Twitter world, by contrast, wasn't so concerned about whether she's running. Twitter users were too busy making up funny names for her movie.  Under the tag #namepalinsfilm, Twitter users wrote jokes all day long (doesn't anybody have to work?

T he real-life drama of Mayor Sheila Dixon's criminal trial is still unfolding, but it's not too early to start thinking about the inevitable. Who will star in the movie version of this gripping tale? I haven't come up with a title just yet - "The Defendant Wore Pashminas"? - but with all the courtroom a stage these past two weeks, I've started getting some casting ideas for the men and women who are its players. With multiple lawyers on each side, this movie could be a boon for actors and actresses who look good in suits.

If you have been furloughed as a result of the government sequester, Beltway Plaza Mall has a suggestion on how to spend you time off. Starting today and running through April 29 th , the Greenbelt mall is offering furloughed workers the chance to see a movie and get lunch, fruit and a cookie - for free. You must present your furlough notice from your employer, which includes the name of the employer and dates of the furlough to the Academy 8 Theater box office to receive coupons for the freebies.