Film Reel

The 84th Academy Award nominees have been announced. From the raunchy "Bridesmaids" to the epic 3D animated "Hugo" to the charming silent movie "The Artist", here are the critics' picks of the best movies in 2011. Canada has one entry, "Monsieur Lazhar" (directed by Philippe Farladeau), up against Iran's acclaimed "A Separation", for Best Foreign Film.  

When Mom's the Word came to Vancouver back in 1993, the show's writers and creators (Linda A Carson, Jill Daum, Alison Kelly, Robin Nichol, Barbara Pollard, Deborah Williams) had 12 children between them, all under the age of six. The show was humorously relatable, whether you were a parent or not, with a universal message about love, commitment, and family that struck a chord wherever it went, selling out shows all over the world.

Twelve years later,  their children now in their teens, came Mom's the Word 2: the ladies proved they still have what it takes to put together one of the funniest, heart wrenching, intimate shows to hit the stage.

They don't miss a beat with Mom's the Word: Remixed (an amalgamation of the first two shows, starring Jill Daum, Beverley Elliott, Alison Kelly, Barbara Pollard, and Deborah Williams) moving easily from humour to drama to tragedy and back to humour. The play gives a hilarious inside view on relationships surrounding motherhood.

When Robert Plant and the Band of Joy played a sold out show at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre Sunday night, they had barely set foot on stage when the audience jumped to their feet in a raucous standing ovation -- and stayed there until the end of the show.

Front man Plant reached the height of legend in the '80s with his band Led Zeppelin and countless iconic rock albums like Houses of the Holy, Led Zeppelin I, II, III, and Physical Graffiti, to only mention a few, that still sell like wild fire today.

The Year Dolly Parton Was My Mom is a  film about a young girl who discovers she was adopted and fantasizes that Dolly Parton is her mother.

The film is based in the mid seventies. Director Tara Johns cast 12 year old Vancouver actor Julia Stone in the lead role of Elizabeth. Stone connects to her character and delivers a heartfelt performance.

I sat down to talk with her about the film.

WD: What did you think when you first read the script?

JS: I thought it was a beautiful script and really well-written. Whenever I'm reading a story, whether it's in a script or in a book, it's like I'm in the story: I'm not just reading it, I'm in it. That's how it was when I read the script. It was like I was watching what was going on.