Thursday, January 31, 2008

Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins

Martian Lawrence is back on the big screen in the first of two family comedies this year. I lucked in to a free screening of this movie and was pleasantly surprised. The cast is fun and Michael Epps steals every scene he is in. It was good to be able to actually laugh again during a Martin Lawrence film versus waiting for it to be over and forgotten.

Click here to check out the official website.

Saturday, January 26, 2008

Untraceble

A new thriller has hit the big screen that taps in to the exploitation of the internet and our morbid curiousity in seeing accidents and shocking video. Diane Lane works in the FBI's Cyber crimes devision when she is tasked with tracking down a website that displays the actual murder of seemingly innocent victims whose demise are accelerated when more viewers tune in. The movie is entertaining, the acting is good, and the online deaths are creative if not easy to watch. The movie is a good late night rental when the kids are tucked in and there are better movies playing now that you would be better off spending your money on.

Click here to check out the official website.

Thursday, January 24, 2008

Argonautika

The Shakespeare Theatre Company's lastest production, Argonautika, is the epic tale of Jason and his Argonauts questing for the Golden Fleece as envisioned by writer and director, Mary Zimmerman. Mary Zimmerman's retelling or, more to the point, reimagining of this classic delivers a production that is beautiful, irreverent, hilarious, daring and slightly modern. The riff on Hercules and the roll call of the Argonauts as a rap are truly inspired. The is a must see performace. Get a ticket today before you miss out on an evening of shear theatric pleasure.

Click here to check out the official website.

Tuesday, January 22, 2008

How She Move

I have to admit I have a fondness for the dance movie. I have seen such questionable classics as Footloose, Flashdance, Breakin' and Breakin' 2: Electric Bugaloo, Center Stage, and Save The Last Dance. In this film the premise is lame as in most of these types of films but the dancing is very cool. Rutina Wesley delivers and energetic dance performance and the soundtrack is fun as it should be. Wait to rent this on DVD so no one will know your dirty little secret or luck in to some free movie passes like I did.

Click here to check out the official website.

Saturday, January 19, 2008

Cloverfield

J.J. Abrams brings to the screen a new visual take on the giant monster run amok a la The Blair Witch Project. The good stuff: cool big monster, realistic destruction, everyone dies; the bad stuff: token love story, shaky cam. I appreciate the way the film was shot but at times it was too chaotic to even watch on the screen without making you get motion sickness. The further back in the theatre you are the better. I recommend seeing this film but definately sit back at least ten rows from where you would normally sit to be able to enjoy this film.

Click here to check out the official website.

Friday, January 11, 2008

The Orphanage (El Orfanato)

Guillermo del Toro brings us another great Spanish film by presenting Juan Antonio Bayona's El Orfanato. Even though this is a ghost story, to pigeon-hole this as just another horror movie would be like saying Pan's Labyrinth was just another war movie. The story is well conceived and the plot twists are perfectly timed to reveal the truth behind the hauting occurences. Being a foreign film with subtitles does not detract from the film in any way as the performances are fully engaging and makes the captions unneeded past the opening act. This is another in hopefully a long line of great spanish films to hit the American cinema.

Click here to check out the official website.

Saturday, January 5, 2008

Ozzy Osbourne & Rob Zombie @ The Verizon Centre

I must start out by saying I almost missed this concert and just made it to the Verizon Center as Rob Zombie was taking to the stage. The cliche of topless girls at a rock show was not needed here as they were blasting from the video displays above the stage from Zombie's art work and clips from his favorite cult and horror films. Zombie was great and satyr-like as ever as he rocked the house. When Ozzy hit the stage, his banter was that of an old crazy man yelling to the young kids tresspassing on his front lawn - not a far stretch if you have seen his reality show. But you have to give the man props - he still rocks and better then most of the new bands on the scence now that owe so much to him as one of the original, kicking-n-screaming rock gods of heavy metal.

Click here to check out Ozzy's website or here to check our Rob's website.