Wonderful Life

It's not exactly in keeping with the holiday sprit, but ... A double feature of locally produced horror films is set for tonight at the Hamilton Arts Collective, 5440 Harford Road. Jamie Nash and David Thomas Sckrabulis' Two Front Teeth features a zombie Santa Claus, a dangerous flying creature with a glowing nose and a conspiracy-obsessed tabloid writer. Chris LaMartina's Book of Lore, named best horror feature at September's ShockerFest International Film Festival, focuses on a dead girlfriend, the ensuing murder mystery and a town's sordid past.

"IS THAT your Christmas tree in the middle of the street?" my friend asked, pointing to the remnants of a Douglas fir resting on its side, a tuft of angel hair wafting in the breeze.Perhaps the tree flung into the road was symbolic of a holiday highlighted by:My sister-in-law's emotional breakdown Christmas Day when her husband failed in his shopping quest to find a copy of the video "My Best Friend's Wedding" and foolishly thought he could substitute "It's a Wonderful Life" even though the Julia Roberts tape was the only thing she had asked for and he still couldn't get it right and he knew that she could watch Jimmy Stewart on TBS anytime she wanted and the tape IS NOT THE POINT ANYHOW!

With Pasadena Theatre Company's presentation of "It's a Wonderful Life," President Sharon Steele makes an impressive directing debut.The show, in its second incarnation, has become PTC's answer to productions of Dickens' "A Christmas Carol" by Chesapeake Music Hall and Colonial Players.Steele has assembled a fine cast for this adaptation of the 1946 movie classic, compiled a marvelous soundtrack that enhances the drama and managed seamless transition to move the actors through the intimate Humanities Recital Hall at Anne Arundel Community College and draw in the audience.

Strong voices and sappy lyrics combine to make "It's a Wonderful Life" a good sentimental evening for the whole family during holiday time.The musical version of the Frank Capra film classic appears at Toby's Dinner Theatre for the third time, continuing through Jan. 18.For the few who have not seen the movie, the story focuses on George Bailey, a man whose life never seems to go the way he has planned in the small town of Bedford Falls.In a moment of crisis, Bailey wishes he had never been born, and, with the help of angel Clarence, he gets to see his wish fulfilled.

Ina Savage was walking in Roland Park with members of her new club when she spotted something glittery in the grass. It was a child's toy, discarded in an overgrown schoolyard. Ina reached down and, in a grand sweep, lifted skyward a magic wand."I wish for a new brain," she exclaimed.Members of the Morning Out Club nodded and laughed."Don't we all!" someone added.Like social clubs focused on books or investing, the group Ina belongs to formed because its members share something in common: They expect to die in their prime from an illness that usually strikes the old. Their brains are decaying.

The Senator Theatre holds its annual celebration of its 1939 origins this weekend with 1939 prices and a classic movie.For 25 cents today and tomorrow, you can see the 1939 film "Made for Each Other," starring Carole Lombard and Jimmy Stewart and directed by John Cromwell, with a screenplay by Jo Swerling.The comedy-drama is about the first years of a marriage and all the woes that go with it, including in-laws and childbirth.The theater will be showing a mint 35mm print of the film.Show times are noon, 2: 30 p.m., 5 p.m., 7: 30 p.m. and 10 p.m. at the theater, at 5904 York Road.

A watershed moment comes in "It's a Wonderful Life" when Jimmy Stewart's character, George Bailey, learns that his brother Harry has gotten married and has been offered a job out of town. These events will shatter George's own lifelong dreams of escape. In the next seconds, Stewart's face undergoes an astonishing series of transformations, most of it conveyed by his eyes.First is dumbfounded surprise at his brother's good fortune, followed swiftly by the shadow of despair as George calculates his loss.

One look at John Travolta's funky hipster angel in "Michael" and you may indeed come to believe that it's a wonderful life -- if not permanently, at least for the amount of time you share with Travolta.The conceit is delicious. Think of Leon Redbone or Tom Waits or Dexter Gordon or maybe the tubby, slovenly late-middle-aged Jack Kerouac hung with a set of wings that could guide a !B Tomcat onto a carrier deck. Think of a gravely voice, sleepy eyes, a spray of whiskers from an injudiciously applied razor.

Say this for "The Preacher's Wife": It gives you that old time religion, without irony or doubt. It's like a man in a pulpit imploring you to give your life to Jesus. It's a $35 million fish bumper sticker.Those not so oriented are best advised to stay away; they'll be irritated by the faith of the true believers and the treacle dripping from the Christmas trees. A shame, because they'll miss something powerful and real, which has less to do with God than man: Courtney Vance's performance as an inner-city minister who's lost his faith in himself and therefore his faith in Himself.

When James Stewart tried to glue her flower back together in Frank Capra's classic "It's a Wonderful Life," adorable little Zuzu wasn't thinking about how enchanting the movie was. "It was just a job," says Karolyn Grimes, who was 6 at the time.Now, 50 years later, the magic of the film that has touched so many lives has enveloped Grimes, too. Everywhere she goes, fans want to tell her their stories, to forge some connection with the little girl who said, "Every time a bell rings, an angel gets his wings!"

If you've seen Freaky Friday, Vice Versa or even It's a Wonderful Life, you've already seen 17 Again. Except you've seen it done better. Yet another tale of adults revisiting their youths and becoming better people for it, 17 Again errs not only by covering such well-trod ground, but also by doing so through a main character - played by a game but ill-served Zac Efron - who's about as dense as they come. That makes for a protagonist who's more irritating than amusing, never good news for a comedy.

It's a well-established axiom that theater critics have hearts that are three sizes too small. How else could we skewer productions that folks in the audience - including the 5-year-old sitting on my lap - wholeheartedly enjoy? Such is the quandary facing this reviewer of the first national tour of D r. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas, which launched Thursday at the Hippodrome Theatre. Aspects of this holiday production that faithfully re-create the beloved children's book and television program - the scenery, costumes and special effects - as well as Stefan Karl's performance as the Grinch, are superb.

It's not exactly in keeping with the holiday sprit, but ... A double feature of locally produced horror films is set for tonight at the Hamilton Arts Collective, 5440 Harford Road. Jamie Nash and David Thomas Sckrabulis' Two Front Teeth features a zombie Santa Claus, a dangerous flying creature with a glowing nose and a conspiracy-obsessed tabloid writer. Chris LaMartina's Book of Lore, named best horror feature at September's ShockerFest International Film Festival, focuses on a dead girlfriend, the ensuing murder mystery and a town's sordid past.

The Senator Theatre's annual holiday twin bill, with proceeds going to the Maryland Food Bank, is set for Sunday. It's a Wonderful Life, with Jimmy Stewart getting a healthy dose of holiday self-worth, courtesy of the good folks of Bedford Falls, will show at 11 a.m., 3:45 p.m. and 8:30 p.m., while Alastair Sim's take on that classic humbug Scrooge, A Christmas Carol, will show at 1:45 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. Admission is $6, or $6 worth of nonperishable food....

I don't much care for films that celebrate "small-town values." I always feel judged, even personally attacked, by these movies. When the restless Jenny in Forrest Gump leaves town and ends up an ex-junkie dying of AIDS, I read it as a threat to any woman who doesn't stay put and marry the town idiot. This time of year, I'm inevitably confronted with another movie that really disturbs me, It's a Wonderful Life. Yes, Jimmy Stewart is captivating and Donna Reed is radiant, but I find the story very depressing.

Silence and darkness flooded the auditorium as a string of prayers emanated from above focusing on a single man, George Bailey. The pervading question: "What makes a man so desperate as to consider suicide on Christmas Eve?" River Hill High School's recent production of It's a Wonderful Life tells a tale of the triumph of love during difficult times and illustrates a newfound appreciation of friendship and life. Straying slightly from the original 1946 film by Frank Capra, the River Hill production of It's a Wonderful Life recounted the story of George Bailey, who is given a chance to reflect on his life and the effect he has had on others.

WHAT YOU SAY I enjoy several holiday movies as part of my Christmas traditions. A Christmas Carol and A Christmas Story are musts while doing last-minute wrapping and waiting for the kids to go to sleep. A Charlie Brown Christmas, How the Grinch Stole Christmas and The Year Without a Santa Claus are great to watch cuddled up with the kids in the big chair. But my all-time favorite holiday film is It's a Wonderful Life. The reason is the story shows the beauty of family love. Family is what makes the shopping, cooking, wrapping, decorating, card-writing -- all the details of Christmas -- worth it on that day. Katie Cole, Kingsville It's a Wonderful Life with Jimmy Stewart has always been my favorite holiday story year after year.

Videos made by youngsters from Reservoir Hill will be screened Thursday at the Creative Alliance at the Patterson, 3134 Eastern Ave. The short films include one featuring animated food and another centering on a straightforward discussion between area youth and the police. If that isn't enough to attract you, consider this: The evening includes food! Dinner will be served at 7 p.m., with the films starting one hour later. Tickets are $15, free for young people accompanied by a paying adult.

NEW YORK - Stick Sarah Jessica Parker in a room filled with reporters, all men, and the first question they ask isn't about co-starring alongside Matthew McConaughey in her new film, or her marriage to actor Matthew Broderick, or her six years starring in HBO's Sex and the City, or the Golden Globes and Emmys she's won, or even her three decades in showbiz. No, what these guys want to know is: "Who designed your outfit?" "Oh, thank you," gushes Parker, either grateful for the attention or -- more likely -- glad to get the obvious question out of the way first.

A feature in which Sun writers and critics sound off about the movies. Thanksgiving is over, so it's time to start gearing up for Christmas. Which means, of course, that It's a Wonderful Life will be showing up on TV soon. It wasn't long ago that the 1946 movie - starring Jimmy Stewart as a small-town banker so despondent one Christmas Eve that he contemplates suicide, only to be stopped by an apprentice angel struggling to earn his wings - seemed to air nearly every day. Since the film had fallen into the public domain, any station could air it, whenever it wanted.