Thursday, June 5th Continue reading “Spinning Platters Weekly Guide to Bay Area Concerts, 6/5/14-6/11/14”
Spinning Platters Weekly Guide to Bay Area Concerts, 6/5/14-6/11/14
Win Tickets To See Michael Ian Black at The Chapel on Sunday, June 8th
Groundbreaking comedian Michael Ian Black is coming to The Chapel on Sunday, June 8th for a wonderful evening of slightly surreal stand up. Wonder why this face looks so familiar? Well, he started out as a member of MTV’s The State, one of the greatest shows in television history. (Don’t agree with me? It’s ok to be wrong.) In the 20 years since this program blew our minds, Black has been on a series of programs including Stella, Viva Variety, Ed, VH1’s Best Week Ever, and most recently, Trust Me, I’m A Game Show Host. He also has a fabulous podcast called Topics that I highly recommend you start downloading.
We have a pair of tickets to give away to his gig at The Chapel to one lucky Spinning Platters reader. You’ve got to be over 18 to enter, and all entries must be received by Friday, June 6th at noon. We will be informing the winner via email. Simply use this form to enter! And if you don’t believe in chance, you can buy tickets here!
Show Review: ‘Fantasia’ Live with the San Francisco Symphony
There are few films that have better captured the bond between film and music more than Fantasia (1940). This visionary masterpiece of animation had a profound effect on the evolution of music videos and has helped introduce classical music to generations of children. Fantasia 2000, though not as highly regarded as its predecessor, has also aided in these cultural purposes. Yesterday night and again tonight, the San Francisco Symphony welcomes in audiences to experience the magic of both these films, reminding us of the emotional storytelling power of classical music and the wide spectrum of beauty and characters that animation can provide.
Continue reading “Show Review: ‘Fantasia’ Live with the San Francisco Symphony”
Film Review: The Grand Seduction
A small glass of Irish Canadian schmaltz, please. Thank you!
No matter how predictable, cliché, or improbable a story is, it’ll translate into a worthwhile movie-watching experience if it’s executed well (I’m ready to argue about this). This is definitely the case for Don McKellar’s The Grand Seduction, a remake of the 2003 French film, La Grande Séduction. The Grand Seduction is an incredibly charming film filled with great laughs, lovable characters, and a quaint story that befits the film’s soothingly calm pace.
Film Review: Maleficent
I don’t know you, I may have walked with you once upon a dream…
…but honestly, who are you?
This is not the Maleficent from Disney’s 1959 animated classic, Sleeping Beauty. There’s a physical resemblance, sure. For about 10-15 minutes, the story and tone seems to reflect the Disney version as well. But mostly this is a completely new retelling, including new environments, and newly structured characters and motives. Unfortunately, it’s the title character that suffers the most from the creative liberties taken. Yet, it’s still Angelina Jolie, playing the title character of Maleficent, who ends up stealing the show from start to finish with her powerful features, dark silhouette, and devotion to her character — no matter how weakened the character is now.
Spinning Platters Weekly Guide to Bay Area Concerts, 5/29/14-5/28/14
Thursday, May 29th Continue reading “Spinning Platters Weekly Guide to Bay Area Concerts, 5/29/14-5/28/14”
Review: SOHN, Mr. Little Jeans at The Independent
SOHN and Mr. Little Jeans, who are touring together on a jaunt through the West Coast, have a few things in common. Besides sharing a stage set up of vertically-aligned pulsating LEDs, they’ve both released long-awaited, highly-anticipated debut albums, within a month of each other, after a riding a long wave of well-deserved hype.
Continue reading “Review: SOHN, Mr. Little Jeans at The Independent”
Film Review: X-Men: Days of Future Past
Back to the future past!
The only actors seemingly capable of producing the same intense chemistry with onscreen conversations as Patrick Stewart and Sir Ian McKellan do…are Michael Fassbender and James McAvoy. Put them all in a movie together and it’s practically a how-to on acting. Throw in Hugh Jackman and Jennifer Lawrence and you now have one of the most talented ensembles ever. Oh, wait, Tyrion Lannister, err… Peter Dinklage, too?! With this billed cast, it could’ve been a biopic about the GEICO gecko and I’d get in line. Luckily for everyone, it’s actually X-Men: Days of Future Past, one of the best entries in the X-Men series (including all spinoffs, etc.) and an insanely fun film.
Film Review: Words and Pictures
No matter how you paint this picture, there’s only one word for it: Bad
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Clive Owen pretends like he’s in Dead Poets Society.
Australian director Fred Schepisi has an impressive resume; he’s directed the critically acclaimed pictures Roxanne, Six Degrees of Separation, and A Cry in the Darkness, among others. So naturally it’s disheartening that his newest film, Words and Pictures, is such a disappointment, especially considering it stars two high-caliber actors – – Clive Owen and Juliette Binoche. Unfortunately, writer Gerald Di Pego (Message in a Bottle; Angel Eyes) doesn’t give them much to work with, and Schepisi’s direction seems to echo the mediocrity of Di Pego’s script.
