I’m beginning to wonder how insulted I should be that my childhood is, for the lack a better phrase, being optioned left and right for feature-length capsules of nostalgia. On the one hand, it’s hard not to get excited about the potential of all the scenarios you played out in your head with your favorite action figures coming to life on screen; on the other, there exists the very real possibility that watching your favorite characters reimagined on screen will cheapen those memories. This year brings the most egregious, and most promising, examples of this practice, with July’s Transformers and this month’s TMNT.
Archive for March, 2007
Just for the Shell of It
Friday, March 30th, 2007Spektral Music
Tuesday, March 27th, 2007
Common wisdom tells us that a plethora of vocal ticks set against alternatingly opulent and cutesy orchestration doesn’t make for a successful album. But if the title of her 2004 album Soviet Kitsch is any indicator, Regina Spektor seems to have come to terms with the arrangement and made it work in her favor. The Russian-born singer-songwriter makes a strong case for that fact with her 2006 follow-up, Begin to Hope, an album that asks you to love it, warts and all. The good news for Spektor is that she makes it near impossible to refuse.
Spoiler Alert
Friday, March 23rd, 2007The best moment of the entire LOST season so far: as Locke makes the submarine explode, Kelly Anne, with perfect comic timing, shouts “you sunk my battleship!”
…and that pretty much sums up how I feel about LOST this season. The jokes we make while watching the show are more exciting than the show itself. The last few episodes have been okay, but haven’t made up for the Jack tattoo episode and Hurley’s love letter to Little Miss Sunshine.
Puttin’ Off the Ritz
Tuesday, March 20th, 2007
I’ve been living on the outskirts of Philadelphia for nearly 25 years (that is, my entire life) and have been writing amateur film reviews for only five or so, but, embarrassingly, I have only recently learned to take advantage of the art house Ritz Theaters chain in the city. For the longest time, I was afraid of the big, bad city and relegated my movie watching to big chains in the burbs. Even so, I feel a bit nostalgic and a bit upset to learn that the three Ritz Theaters are being sold to a national indie theater chain.
Repeat Business
Monday, March 19th, 2007
Okay, so I’m the owner of one of the most coveted, coolest gaming systems out there, the Nintendo Wii, and I’ve got a MacBook that runs Windows for all my Lego Star Wars II and Madden 2007 needs. I’ve spoiled myself a little bit when it comes to gaming entertainment, even if I consider myself anything but a gamer (I don’t ever recall having “fragged” anyone, nor do I claim to know what the hell that even means). But until recently, there was still a gaming itch I’ve been dying to scratch. The need was fulfilled this weekend when Movie Hawk cohort Pat bought himself an XBox 360 and passed his previous-generation XBox along to yours truly in exchange for a couple beers. What do I plan to do with this new-to-me system…play some Halo? Get my Knights of the Old Republic on? Get a dance pad and hit up some DDR? Not quite yet (real answer key: no, probably, maybe some day once I get the bobbleheads off my entertainment center and out of harm’s way). The very first thing I did was run to my local gaming establishment and right up to the “used” rack, where I bought EA Sports’ NCAA March Madness 2004 and began recreating my beloved Hawks’ 2003-04 perfect season.
It’s All Greek to Me
Monday, March 12th, 2007
The comic book revolution continues to influence the films that Hollywood cranks out, bringing familiar characters off the pulp pages and into the public conscience. Last year’s Sin City brought new light to the genre, bringing a very specific look to the film pallet, its rich black-and-white set against stark glimpses of color setting the mood for a fascinating, intriguing story. Frank Miller, the graphic novelist who created the Sin City stories and helped direct the movie, brings his retelling of the Battle of Thermopylae in 480 B.C. to the screen with 300. And while Miller deserves adulation for once again challenging the visual conventions of film, his translation from comic to film here isn’t quite as complete as previous efforts.
Queen of Hearts
Sunday, March 11th, 2007
At this point, there’s little doubt that you know of The Queen, know that it’s considered a fantastic film, and have heard that Helen Mirren’s portrayal of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II is among the stronger performances of the past several years (and, according to the Academy, the strongest of this past year). And so there’s little I can do to convince you to see the movie if you haven’t already. Not only does The Queen put the week after Princess Diana’s death into historical perspective, not only does it clue the stateside population into British royal procedure; it’s also a deeply human, moving account that questions what a monarch owes to her people.
Ruffled Feathers
Friday, March 9th, 2007
It’s always disappointing when your favorite team’s season ends earlier than it should, but for some reason, last night’s loss by Saint Joseph’s to George Washington – a loss that could very well keep the Hawks out of postseason play (the NIT could still very well come knocking) – can’t be seen as much of a surprise. For months, the Hawks have confused and frustrated their followers; the season may have come complete with a cardboard Foghorn Leghorn cutout declaring “I say, I say, you must be at least THIS tall to ride this ride). And last night’s game summarized everything about these Hawks that has infuriated me throughout the season. As a matter of fact, I came up with a game specifically designed for this team: let’s see how many ways you can complete the sentence “The problem with this team is…”
There Are Literally Not Enough Jokes
Tuesday, March 6th, 2007
I’m extraordinarily late in reporting this news – I first heard about it before the new year – but I got an email from reader Tom G. today that reminded me and made me chuckle all over again:
Dave Matthews will be playing the patient in tonight’s episode of House.
Anyone who knows me knows I’m a big fan of House and used to be a big fan of Dave Matthews, so it would make sense that I report the guest spot as soon as I found out about it. But, honestly, I was too overcome with jokes to focus on one. “Does Dave play a patient so riddled with drugs that he mumbles everything he says?” “Will this episode feature a 17-minute jam session?” And so on. Dave plays a mentally challenged musical savant, which isn’t too far off from the truth. Let’s just hope that House has enough Vicodin to put up with listening to selected tracks from Stand Up.
Tonight’s episode will certainly be worth checking out. And once you’re done that, go get the first two seasons on DVD, and be amazed at the wonder that is Hugh Laurie’s American accent.