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Archive for "Feb 2010"

I will stick this song in your head whether you like it or not

Thanks to the influence of pirate radio stations that embraced it, Concrete and Clay, a British pop song with some atypical vocal harmonies and a Latin beat, was the #1 song in the UK for exactly one week in 1965. The band, Unit 4 + 2, never had another hit, and after attempts at shuffled [...]

Good enough for dinner theatre? For me – that’s a compliment.

On my first day of my first acting class in my first year as a theatre major, the teacher arranged us in a circle on the floor; and, one-by-one, we had to leap to our feet, brandish an imaginary spear, and shout: “I will dare to fail gloriously!” The point is that in the theatre, [...]

MOVIE REVIEW – The Road

The Road Director: John Hillcoat Writers: Screenplay by Joe Penhall, based on the novel by Cormac McCarthy Producers: Nick Wechsler, Steve Schwartz, Paula Mae Schwartz Stars: Viggo Mortensen, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Charlize Theron, Robert Duvall, Guy Pearce Viggo Mortensen’s performance in The Road is great because of all that the movie denies him. Withered and hoarse, [...]

From the Archive – MOVIE REVIEW – Team America: World Police

Originally published 11/1/04 Team America: World Police Director: Trey Parker Writers: Trey Parker, Matt Stone, Pam Brady Producers: Scott Rudin, Matt Stone, Trey Parker Starring the voices of: Trey Parker, Matt Stone, Kristen Miller, Masasa, Daran Norris, Phil Hendrie, Maurice LaMarche -PERSONS attempting to find a motive in this narrative will be prosecuted; persons attempting [...]

From the Archive – MOVIE REVIEW – Shaun of the Dead

Originally posted 9/27/04 Shaun of the Dead Director: Edgar Wright Writers: Simon Pegg, Edgar Wright Producer: Nira Park Stars: Simon Pegg, Kate Ashfield, Nick Frost, Lucy Davis, Dylan Moran, Penelope Wilton, Bill Nighy The Scream movies were labeled “post-modern” because the characters in them had seen horror movies and used them as a template for [...]

Valentine’s Day Weekend – Rocks and Roxie, Rides and Feasts and Geekery

It started when Roxie e-mailed me a list of discount tickets she could purchase through her job – markdowns on distractions all over Southern California. Is “Ambitious Cheapskate” an oxymoron? I’m sure striving to make it not so. They had a sub-half-price offer for Six Flags Magic Mountain – the West Coast’s rollercoaster Mecca – [...]

What’cho lookin’ at, bird?

More substantial post about Valentine’s Day Weekend is in the works – but in the meantime, a brief taste of Pretty from a recent walk Roxie and I took in Upper Newport Bay after several days of rain.

MOVIE REVIEW – Saw VI

Saw VI Director: Kevin Greutert Writers: Screenplay by Patrick Melton & Marcus Dunstan Producers: Mark Burg, Oren Koules, Gregg Hoffman Stars: Tobin Bell, Costas Mandylor, Shawnee Smith, Betsy Russell, Peter Outerbridge, Mark Rolston, Athena Karkanis, Samantha Lemole “I’m just a soul whose intentions are good Oh Lord, please don’t let me be misunderstood”      -The Animals [...]

MOVIE REVIEW – Ninja Assassin

Ninja Assassin Director: James McTeigue Writers: story by Matthew Sand, screenplay by Matthew Sand and J. Michael Straczynski Producers: Grant Hill, Joel Silver, Andy Wachowski, Larry Wachowski Stars: Rain, Naomie Harris, Shô Kosugi, Rick Yune, Ben Miles The blood is very important. Any self-respecting movie that sets out to call itself Ninja Assassin is going [...]

From the Archive – MOVIE REVIEW – Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow

Originally published 9/20/04 Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow Director: Kerry Conran Writer: Kerry Conran Producers: Jon Avnet, Marsha Oglesby, Sadie Frost, Jude Law Stars: Jude Law, Gwyneth Paltrow, Angelina Jolie, Giovanni Ribisi, Bai Ling, Michael Gambon, the late Lord Laurence Olivier It takes a special breed of creative audacity to conceive of images [...]