Gblakelii

The message of Andre Rieu's 2025 Merry Christmas concert may be International Flavor. The highlight was four non English language songs. Stille Nacht; Puccini's, O Mio Babbino Caro; the Ukrainian Carol of the Bells; and a Greek song featuring 2 performers playing the bouzouki. 65 to 70 percent of the songs were Christmas, both traditional and modern. There was (no surprise) a Strauss waltz! Also included was, Let it Go, from the movie, Frozen! There was some brief, added English narration to the concert. Andre spoke both in Dutch and English, plus of course, played his violin. There were many added attractions such as, the Platin Tenors, and a large Netherlands marching band. We had snow( you have to see it to believe it). Most impressive was the beautiful massive size filmed backdrop scenes! To top it off, perhaps the most encore's ever!

#4 in the film series, DD Next Level, excels on every level! One might be tempted to think, here is a movie that will be a pleasant break from the other crime and violence films, and yet DD Next level does include a fair amount of violent scenes. It is a send up of horror and slasher movies, and it also pokes fun of movies in general. It is actually a movie within a movie. Similarities of characters in the real world jumping into a world of fantasy have been utilized in such classics as, The Wizard of Oz, and Tron. The horrific aspects here are done surprisingly well(will satisfy all horror fans), and the comedy never lets up. The entire (large) cast are a joy to watch. Add to that the superb music soundtrack and you have a movie well worth seeing! Comedy films need to be made more frequently, and this one will get the ball rolling. Of note is the ending which is very unusual and may be unique in this genre. The only change one might make is to shorten the running time a little in order to make room for a song and dance number.

If you have been watching Viña del Mar on broadcast tv over the years, it has been difficult to find. Sometimes it's on at midnight, sometimes prime time, sometimes on different Spanish language stations, and on different months. This year, Viña del Mar '25 is being shown in May, 2 hour episodes, once a week. Each episode has 2 performers. The 1st had Sebastián Yatra + Ha*Ash, the 2nd, Carin León + Morat, the 3rd, Carlos Vives(and Sebastián Yatra duet)+ Myriam Hernandez. The switching camera shots are too frequent, but otherwise it's ok. Huge audience with everyone there to see their favorite performer and singing along as well. There is Lourdes Stephen as host for each episode with advance info on the next installment. Even though it's a task to locate each year, so happy broadcast tv continues to show it!