Re-reading Ian McEwan’s Atonement last weekend, my first thought was: I hope to God that Joe Wright — whose broadly grinning Pride & Prejudice made a mess of Jane Austen two years ago — doesn’t screw up this wonderful novel about lust, love, loss, and what art can do to…
She’s no princess, but Nearly Naked favorite Kerry McCue (starring this week and next in that company’s Metamorphoses) is as close to stage royalty as we have around these parts. Royalty that used to work at Dairy Queen, that is. I knew I wanted to be in show business when,…
The Girl Next Door (Anchor Bay) If the horror of Saw was a poblano pepper, this here is the habañero. Derived from Jack Ketchum’s infamous novel, sometimes word-for-word, The Girl Next Door — based on a true story — is a sort of Hostel meets Stand By Me: A group…
Casting Nicole Kidman as The Golden Compass’ glacial, intractably smooth megalomaniac Mrs. Coulter is no less inspired for being obvious. Indeed, she was the first and only choice for director Chris Weitz, who adapted this first installment of Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy. Despite the book’s description of the…
Rock films come in two forms. The first is the concert/documentary variety, the best of which pinpoint a band’s musical moment within the context of its era: the Maysles Brothers and Charlotte Zwerin chronicling the Stones in Gimme Shelter, Martin Scorsese celebrating the Band in The Last Waltz. Then you…
For a game that’s considered Microsoft’s premier 360 title this holiday season, it’s amazing how sloppy Mass Effect is. Graphical glitches distract from otherwise fascinating character designs and alien vistas, constant stops and stutters lengthen load times, and the inventory system must be the worst in history. And just as…
Battlestar Galactica: Razor (Universal) The Best of Crank Yankers (Paramount) Bob Hope: MGM Movie Legends Collection (MGM) Erik the Viking: The Director’s Cut (MGM) Exiled (Magnolia) The Flash Gordon Collection (Passport) Tyler Perry’s House of Payne: Volume One (Lionsgate) Ingmar Bergman: Four Masterworks (Criterion) Lady Chatterley (Kino) Law & Order:…
I’d been looking forward to Nearly Naked Theatre’s production of Metamorphoses ever since they announced it as part of their lineup two seasons ago. Back then, the folks at Nearly Naked wisely postponed the show once they realized that its elaborate set, which involves a full-size swimming pool right on…
Seussical: This cheerful tuner based on the much-loved books of Dr. Seuss screams to be seen by — dare we say it? — kids of all ages, even those who haven’t yet met Horton (who heard a Who) or visited the Jungle of Nool. Childsplay’s version, which has become its…
We wasteful Americans adore plastic. Cups, plates, and vessels don’t require cleanup after use — we can just pitch them and ignore the environmental ramifications. That makes breakables downright retro. It’s no wonder that ceramics has experienced a breath of new life as artists have adopted it as a legitimate…
“A Century of Retablos” at the Phoenix Art Museum: If you happen to be a man, a little touch of gray may very well get you further in this world than plastic surgery. The physical evidence of age, survival, and experience demands respect from peers. The same rule can easily…
Hot Rod (Paramount) Andy Samberg, best known for stuffing his dick in a box on Saturday Night Live, is Rod Kimble, a wannabe stuntman with very little “man” in him. He lives with his mom (Sissy Spacek, not kidding) and a stepdad (Ian McShane), who needs a new heart at…
There are comedies of discomfort, and then there’s Margot at the Wedding, Noah Baumbach’s scalding follow-up to The Squid and the Whale. An immersion in sibling malice and simmering resentment, with one of the most infuriating characters in recent movies holding us under, Margot tramples the commandment that only the…
Hard to believe that it’s been 20 years since the release of The Princess Bride, if only because it hasn’t aged a day — the mark of something truly, blessedly timeless. The trailer for Disney’s new Enchanted at least suggested that it aspired to Princess Bride greatness. If nothing else,…
I’m Not There is the movie of the year — but to whom does Todd Haynes’s Bob Dylan biopic actually belong, and when was it really made? The great attention-grabber of last month’s New York Film Festival, I’m Not There is as notable for its stunt casting as its elusive…
There’s no surer sign that a franchise is in trouble than when it blasts into outer space. So you were right to be nervous when Nintendo announced its plans to follow up the subpar game Super Mario Sunshine with something called Super Mario Galaxy, which promised to launch the mustached…
Bratz (Lionsgate) Drunken Angel: The Criterion Collection (Criterion) Elvis: Blue Suede Collection (Warner Bros.) ESPNU Honor Roll: The Best of College Football Vol. 3 (ESPN) Happy Days: The Third Season (Paramount) Hot Fuzz: 3-Disc Collector’s Edition (Universal) The Land Before Time: The Wisdom of Friends (Universal) Laverne & Shirley: The…
When they painted over the Rose Johnson mural outside Paisley Violin, I was bereft. I doubted I’d find an outdoor mural I liked as much; I’m a Rose fan from way back. There’s something about her brightly colored, solemn-faced figures that I can’t get enough of, so I found myself…
Maybe I’m just a sucker for scandal, but it wasn’t until the recent squabble over the Downtown Chandler Artwalk that I became jazzed to drive out there. The East Valley Art Guild used to be in charge of the monthly event, held on first Wednesdays but rubbed out by the…
Notice how your best gal pal broke the solemn sanctity of girls’ night and ditched you for the past couple of weekends? Either she’s laying the groundwork for a healthy social life when she dumps your sorry ass or she’s getting ready for late April, when she knows you’ll be…
Science and art are not mutually exclusive, and never have been. Don’t believe us? Then how else can one explain the work of Harold E. Edgerton, whose “Seeing the Unseen: Photographs by Harold E. Edgerton” exhibit showcases imagery not shot through the lens of some fancy digital SLR or TLR,…
Science and art are not mutually exclusive, and never have been. Don’t believe us? Then how else can one explain the work of Harold E. Edgerton, whose “Seeing the Unseen: Photographs by Harold E. Edgerton” exhibit showcases imagery not shot through the lens of some fancy digital SLR or TLR,…
