The seven things you want and need to know about Furious 7 before you go see it.
Vin Diesel and Jason Statham crash a lot of cars in Furious 7
Sometimes you’ll hear people talk about a movie as being review-proof. This is one of those times. There’s nothing anyone could do or say to keep you away from Furious 7 if it’s something you already want to see. And if you don’t care, there’s nothing I could say to make you care. So what’s the point? I could tell you it’s a rollicking good time for most of its length, and then it devolves into some pretty dumb stuff, too dumb even for itself. It’s basically a bunch of video game levels with some unskippable cut scenes that you wish you could skip.
It’s Gen X versus the hipsters in Baumbach’s uneven new film
Cornelia (Naomi Watts) and Josh (Ben Stiller) have a late night discussion.
Writer/director Noah Baumbach, who is 45, and whose girlfriend and frequent muse Greta Gerwig (Frances Ha) is 31, obviously knows a thing or two about Gen X/millennial conflict, and it’s hard not to wonder how much his real life experiences shaped While We’re Young, his new picture exploring the generational divide. While intellectually clever and undeniably funny at times, Baumbach’s film is not without its problems.
On Saturday night, the San Francisco Symphony hosted Gotta Dance!: Great Moments of Dance in Film at Davies Symphony Hall. If the first thing you pictured when hearing this title was Gene Kelly dancing under the giant orchestrated set of Broadway lights or the long, flowing white dress of Cyd Charisse (or the flashy green dress, for that matter), then this was absolutely the show for you. But what do I know? Maybe you were there!
“If you’re going to San Francisco, be sure to wear some flowers in your hair.” The song that helped launch the infamous Monterey International Pop Music Festival in the ’60s could easily be applied to the crowded show room floor at the Chapel. San Franciscans tend to bemoan bygone eras without realizing that certain acts and underground movements resurrect nostalgia and put their own unique, contemporary twist on it all the time. You just have to know where to find it.
Men with long hair and longer beards accompanied women donning floral wreaths in their tousled hair as they swayed to the psychedelic rock brought by Ultimate Painting and finally, Dutchman Jacco Gardner. The latter, a multi-instrumentalist came on with his backing band at quarter after 11:00 pm and performed most of the hits from his 2013 full-length Cabinet of Curiosities. A soundtrack fit for a Wes Anderson film (meant as the highest compliment), it captivated the audience. “This is the fourth time we’ve been to the Chapel,” Gardner lamented. Certainly, he knows where his fans are located.
Here are some photos of the performance. Enjoy and check out Ultimate Painting and Jacco Gardner if you haven’t yet. Chances are, they’ll be back soon enough.
A multi-instrumentalist, Jacco Gardner was constantly rotating between guitar, keyboards, and even tambourines between songs.
‘Camp’ is the operative word in Bier’s tiresome logging camp melodrama
Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper playing dress up.
Critically acclaimed Danish director Susanne Bier tries her hand at directing an American period piece with her newest film Serena, and, unfortunately, the result is a serious misstep, paling in comparison to her excellent, award-winning earlier films (In a Better World, After the Wedding, and Things We Lost in the Fire, among others). Based on a novel of the same name by Ron Rash, the picture stars Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper in a troubled romance, and the fact that so much talent is wasted here is beyond disappointing.
Why Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is one of my favorite films (of all time) and should be one of yours, too!
Jim and Kate lay beside each other in “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind”
Eleven years ago today (March 19, 2004), Michel Gondry’s award winning sci-fi romantic dramedy, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, starring Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet, was released – and how to categorize such a multifaceted film gem? At the time, it played strong in somewhat limited release, earning $34 million in the domestic box office while garnering very positive critical reviews and mass audience approval. More than a decade later, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is a widely respected title, but it often goes unrecognized for its lasting power and timelessness. It has so much going for it, even eleven years later, that one must wonder why it doesn’t frequent more award ceremony montages, more best film lists, and more casual conversations between friends about their favorite films of all time. The A.V. Club got it right, claiming Eternal Sunshine to be the best film of the 2000s. You may be thinking, ‘I liked the movie, but it’s not one of my all time favorites’. Well, I implore you to reconsider, and here’s why:
Physicist and climate change skeptic Fred Singer makes his case in Merchants of Doubt.
Documentarian Robert Kenner, who deservedly earned an Oscar nomination and several other awards for Food Inc., his last documentary, unfortunately doesn’t retain the same level of quality in his newest film, Merchants of Doubt. The picture, inspired by a book of the same name by science writers Naomi Oreskes and Erik Conway, doesn’t even come close to covering the range of topics promised by the book’s subtitle (which Kenner wisely drops): How a Handful of Scientists Obscured the Truth on Issues from Tobacco Smoke to Global Warming.
Who ordered a ‘fairy tale straight up’? We all did.
Lily James emerging from her pumpkin-turned-coach.
First of all, did anyone else know that the new live action version of Cinderella was directed by Kenneth Branagh (Hamlet, Thor)? The man is an acclaimed thespian and director, and no wonder the cast of the new Cinderella is so perfect, and the direction so sure-handed. And of course, where there’s Shakespearean drama, like the death of a parent or the pining of a tortured soul, Mr. Branagh is sort-of becoming the go to master of capturing these moments quite touchingly and cinematically while still serving a popcorn flick. But the best part of Cinderella isn’t the acting or the direction or the vast array of vibrant colors. It’s the story. After torturing audiences for years with reinterpretations and re-imaginings of classic Disney properties like Alice in Wonderland and Maleficent, how wonderful it is to have Cinderella, which relies on the strengths of its original story. No crazy additions. Only a slight bit of silly CGI. The magic and romance of the classic Cinderella story is ever present, and so very welcome.
