On the surface, "Brothers," the new film from director Jim Sheridan, is a war movie. Tobey Maguire plays Capt. Sam Cahill, a dedicated Marine about to ship out for his fourth tour in Afghanistan. Sam is celebrated by his town — and specifically his father Hank (Sam Shepard), an ex−military man — as a hero fulfilling the duty of protecting his country.
I have a history of ending each installment of The Cultural Culinarian on an extremely sappy note. My first go−around, I wrote about the importance of food to my everyday life. Last semester, I discussed things you learn about food in college that can be transferred to the real world.
What can be said about "Me and Orson Welles" has already been said about every movie Zac Efron has ever been in. The movie won't change viewers' lives or their attitudes toward cinema, but it's certainly not without its charm.
Though often overlooked prior to the release of "Guitar Hero" (2005), rhythm gaming has been a popular genre since "Athletic World" was released on the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1987. In the '90s, games like "PaRappa the Rapper" (1997) picked up the mantle alongside the smash-hit "Dance Dance Revolution" series (1998), and in the current decade, "Guitar Hero" was the one game to rule them all. Now at the end of the decade, Activision, the company behind "Guitar Hero," is looking to revitalize the rhythm genre again with the release of "DJ Hero."
I question the benefits and drawbacks of "best of" lists every time December rolls around and various media outlets begin to release their picks for the top films, albums, books, bundt cake recipes, etc. of the year (and, as 2010 approaches, the decade). I'm kind of indifferent when it comes to lists like these. I understand the importance of placing something in context and noting its historical significance, but I kind of feel like rankings reduce works of art that mean something different to every person — works that provoke, engage and entice — to mere numbers. (I have the same issue with awards shows for turning culture into a blood sport, but that's a whole different column.)
Pen, Paint and Pretzels' (3Ps) vision of a materialistic Egyptian queen probably wasn't what Giuseppe Verdi had in mind when he wrote Amneris' role in the opera "Aida" (1871), but Elton John, co-writer of "Elton John and Tim Rice's Aida" (1998), would likely applaud the group's more fabulous portrayal of the spoiled royal. A comical cover of Amneris' "My Strongest Suit" is just one highlight from 3Ps' "Over the Rainbow," a gender-bending cabaret, which opens at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 8 at the Balch Arena Theater.
A new kind of virtual reality has taken the gaming world by storm in the past few years. Long a staple of Japanese arcades, music performance games have become extremely popular stateside. Opinions about the prevalence of these games, such as "Guitar Hero" (2005), "Rock Band" (2007) and the newly released "DJ Hero" (2009), seem to be extremely polarized. Many old-guard musicians lament the growing popularity of these games and see them as affording youth the pleasure of musical performance without actually challenging them to learn a real instrument. Others praise the games, believing they will expose a new generation to classic tunes and spark the excitement of rock ‘n' roll for future members of garage bands.
Rustling in their seats, the audience members anxiously wait for the actors of "Best of Both Worlds." They were supposed to be on stage 10 minutes ago. A crew member clad in black appears to announce that the theatre just received a text from the actors — and that some of them have not even arrived. As ripples of annoyance and impatience run cross the crowd, the entire cast bursts through the garage door on a sparkly purple Cadillac.
Songs alone are not enough to create a pop icon in this post-album market. The genius of Lady Gaga is in the calculated, symbiotic relationship between her music and her persona.
Every great performer — a movie star, an athlete or, in this case, a television series — hopes to end his career (or final season) on a high note of fame and glory.
Amid all of the minutia about Hollywood agencies and development deals and networking (God, shut up about that already) that I'm learning here, there's an intangible skill that I had a hard time articulating until tonight: I'm learning to see media as a fully malleable product.
It's his moment to shine, and Pete Davis is nervous. With the spotlight beating down on his pale face and 60 slightly drunk eyes staring back at him, the 19-year-old Virginian continues to sweat. Drops cascade from his forehead as he uncomfortably shifts back and forth on stage. He inches up closer to the microphone, clutching the note cards in his hand as if afraid they will fly away. The only sounds emanating from his mouth are incomprehensible stutters as he weakly smiles at the audience.
The Daily got the opportunity to conduct a phone interview with the young actress Saoirse Ronan to discuss her role in director Peter Jackson's adaptation of the Alice Sebold novel "The Lovely Bones." Ronan described the process she went through to prepare to portray her character, Susie Salmon, a 14-year old girl who is raped and murdered by her neighbor, and discussed her ascent into the public eye since her Academy Award-nominated role in "Atonement" (2007). Q: Do you interpret Susie Salmon more through the screenplay that you read or through your analysis of the novel? Do you ever find yourself having conflicts with the interpretation of your current director? SR: Well, I focus more on the character and the screenplay instead of the book because it's a different version of telling the story. But still, it's [handy] to be making movies that were based on books. No, I haven't had any conflicts really with the directors that I've worked with, so I've been very lucky. We've gotten on really well. Q: Are there any similarities between you and the character Susie Salmon regarding your personality? SR: Yeah, there's a few. I mean, Susie's a typical teenage girl, so I think that hopefully when girls go and see this movie, they're going to connect with her in some way. But she's interested in photography and fashion, and things like that. And boys, of course. So, I'm interested in all those things. Q: What was it like to film the heaven scenes [in "The Lovely Bones"]? SR: It was a little bit surreal at first because it was all blue screen, and I hadn't worked with that much blue screen before. And most of Heaven was going to be put in afterwards. So, it was sometimes difficult to try and imagine what it was going to be like. We obviously had an idea in our head of what the basic picture was going to be. But it was great and when I saw the movie, it was a lovely surprise to finally see Heaven. Q: In both "Atonement" and "The Lovely Bones," there are a lot of very dark themes, and your character always seems to be right in the middle of the gloom. Given that you're kind of a cheerful person in real life, how do you place yourself in such dark situations that these movies portray?
When is enough enough? Opening tonight in Balch Arena Theatre, Torn Ticket II's production of Howard Ashman and Alan Menken's "Little Shop of Horrors" will satire and expose just exactly how much is enough to fill the stomach of a hungry, flesh−eating, solar−flared, mutant plant.
With the December release of "The Princess and the Frog" showcasing the first African-American princess in a Disney movie to date, we've compiled a list of Disney's less-than-honorable moments over the years. We may not have noticed them as innocent little kids, but now that we're adults (wait, what?), we're calling you out, Walt. 10. "Song of the South": There's a reason this 1946 movie has never been released in its entirety on video or DVD: It portrays Uncle Remus as a happy plantation worker in the South, which Disney thinks, just maybe, might be considered racially insensitive. Or even a flat-out bias incident. 9. "Sex" written in the sky in "The Lion King" (1994): A subliminal message to innocent, unsuspecting five-year-olds to stop being so innocent and just have sex already. Classy, Disney. Classy.
Parisian Café Society generally evokes images of glamour and extravagance blended with that certain "je ne sais quoi" that has made the French the epitome of chic. This same exoticism would be expected from "Café and Cabaret: Toulouse-Lautrec's Paris", an exhibition at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MFA). Unfortunately, the exhibit diminishes the brilliance of Parisian nightlife that Toulouse-Lautrec so famously portrayed.
Unlike many of my fellow college students, I did not go out to a bar or a party on Thanksgiving Eve. I was informed that T-Day Eve is actually a pretty big deal a day late. I did, however, spend Thanksgiving night talking about alcohol. It was via Gchat — I was in my pajamas and ready to go to sleep by midnight at the latest due to a very deep food coma — but there was still some T-Day Eve spirit in my holiday celebration nonetheless.
Supergroups have been a common fad in the music industry over the past decade. Unfortunately, though most of these conglomerations of superstars seem like great ideas (Rage Against the Machine's instrumentalists plus Soundgarden's singer, anyone?), they've usually imploded after one or two mediocre albums — largely due to the huge egos at play. Them Crooked Vultures, on the other hand, seeks to legitimize the concept of the supergroup with their eponymous debut album.
Being a fox in Roald Dahl's world is much more complicated than it might seem. It's not all animal activities for Mr. Fox. Instead of just basic survival — waking, eating, killing, sleeping and reproducing — Mr. Fox must deal with the consequences of thievery and tackle the very human dilemma of not knowing oneself.
Anyone who has played a game in the "Dynasty Warriors" series will have a good idea about what happens in "Red Cliff." This film is touted as being the most expensive Asian production to date, with a budget of $80 million. Directed by John Woo, the film features an ensemble cast of high-profile Asian actors. This film also marks Woo's return to Chinese cinema after 15 years in Hollywood — and perhaps a bid to get back to the roots that made him so successful. Unfortunately, the film's big budget means big battles but not much else.
