starring: Ralph Fiennes, Gerard Butler, Vanessa Redgrave, Brian Cox, Jessica Chastain, James Nesbitt, Paul Jesson
written by: John Logan
directed by: Ralph Fiennes
MPAA: Rated R for some bloody violence
Film Review: “Coriolanus”
Spinning Platters Weekly Guide to Bay Area Concerts, 2/2/12-2/8/12
It’s another week of live music, and, although it might seem to be a little slow, since every is getting amp’d for Noise Pop, there is still plenty of awesomeness. You may even get some things that you will never see again!
Continue reading “Spinning Platters Weekly Guide to Bay Area Concerts, 2/2/12-2/8/12”
Sketchfest Review: Eddie Izzard: In Conversation with Greg Proops at the Palace Of Fine Arts, 1/25/2012
We’ve all had that experience of longing to see our favorite superstars in an up-close-and-personal format, possibly away from the bombast and glamour that comes with huge live shows or blockbuster movie performances. The real question, however, is whether we really ARE prepared to approach them in such an intimate setting, especially where most of the gusto and persona is shelved, or at least tuned downward, to reveal the human being that exists behind the fame and glory. We might find ourselves rather disarmed, or hopefully plenty intrigued, when our heros — be they musical, comedic, or of the silver screen — come and tell the tales of times less fortunate, the struggles they experienced, or their hopes and dreams that may be in an entirely unexpected avenue.
Also, when you’re Eddie Izzard, and you show up to San Francisco NOT in full transvestite regalia, you’ll probably throw some people off — but the crowd at this sold-out show at the Palace Of Fine Arts seemed to love every minute of this special opportunity to see the Yemen-born, English-raised, world-celebrated comedian in some of his most personal and self-expressive moments.
Sketchfest Review: Stella at Mezzanine, 1/21/12
Spinning Platters’ writers Christopher Rogers and Dakin Hardwick both got to enjoy a performance by Stella: Michael Ian Black, David Wain, and Michael Showalter‘s nightclub show.
Instead of boring you with a typical “review” of the show, Spinning Platters is opening the fourth wall, and allowing you into the personal lives of these two legendary journalists. This is a transcript of a private chat between the two, discussing the show on Google Chat.
After the jump, you will learn how a writer thinks.
Continue reading “Sketchfest Review: Stella at Mezzanine, 1/21/12”
Sketchfest Review: Risk! Live Podcast at The Eureka Theater, 1/27/12
Comedians live some pretty crazy lives… I guess you need a certain amount on insanity to inspire the occupation of the jester. Kevin Allison’s podcast Risk! True Tales, Boldy Told ranks up there with WTF with Mark Maron as one of the few places where you can hear comedians speak frankly about the life decisions that brought them to where they are now. This installment of Risk! allowed us the opportunity to hear from five comics about some of the stranger things that have happened to them.
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Sketchfest Review: The Meltdown with Kumail Nanjiani, Jonah Ray and many more at Cobb’s Comedy Club, 1/28/2012
On Wednesdays, in Los Angeles, you can go to Meltdown Comics and see comedy in the back of a comic book store. On Saturday night in San Francisco, hosts Kumail Nanjiani and Jonah Ray brought the comics but left the store behind. What this meant is that we were treated to a long and varied night of stand-up from a number of Meltdown regulars without a single back issue in sight. A small group of Spinning Platters writers were there, and Marie Carney and I are going to take on the task of telling you as much as possible about each comedian while saying as little as possible, and of course not burning material. That’s right: capsule reviews! Continue reading “Sketchfest Review: The Meltdown with Kumail Nanjiani, Jonah Ray and many more at Cobb’s Comedy Club, 1/28/2012”
Sketchfest Review: Comedy NightLife at the California Academy of Sciences, 1/26/11
When I saw the roster of performers playing at California Academy of Sciences I knew I had to check it out. Thomas Lennon, Robert Ben Garant, Greg Proops, Rick Overton and Will Franken were all scheduled to be there plus many more. I had no idea how they were going to pack in all of those performances, but with the entire California Academy of Sciences at their disposal it was easy to fit everyone in, but not so easy to see all the performers you wanted to. Continue reading “Sketchfest Review: Comedy NightLife at the California Academy of Sciences, 1/26/11”
Sketchfest Review: Drew Carey’s Improv-a-Ganza at Marines’ Memorial Theatre, 1/27/2012
I confess, I didn’t know that Drew Carey’s Improv-a-Ganza was a television show. I never had a chance to even watch it. What I did know, however, was Whose Line is it Anyway?, the long-running hysterical show imported from the UK and beloved by improv fans like me. With so many fantastically funny people roaming our fair city during Sketchfest, sometimes choosing the shows you’ll attend can be hard. Not for me, at least not last night: I couldn’t wait to get myself to the Marines’ Memorial Theatre for the second weekend in a row for an Improv-a-Ganza with Drew Carey, Ryan Stiles, Greg Proops, Chip Esten and Jeff B. Davis.
Sketchfest Review: Hill/Jones, Don’t We Boys, and Knuckles & Tits @ Dark Room Theater, 1/21/2012
Dark Room Theater, a charming, janky barge, landlocked in the heart of the Mission. People are packed to the hypothetical rafters, forced to face their obvious claustrophobia to catch a glimmer of comedy. Young professionals, holding burritos, are held in anticipation (and melancholy due to confiscated beer). Continue reading “Sketchfest Review: Hill/Jones, Don’t We Boys, and Knuckles & Tits @ Dark Room Theater, 1/21/2012”
Sketchfest Review: An Evening With Thomas Lennon, Robert Ben Garant, and Kerri Kenney-Silver at Cobb’s, 1/27/12
There are three televisions series that I have every episode of committed to memory. Those are My So-Called Life, Police Squad, and The State. Of course, I made sure to follow the careers closely of all those involved. Yes, that meant weeding through a ton of Spy Hard’s, Stardust‘s, and VH-1’s I Love The Best Time Ever’s out of devotion, waiting for that genius to come about again. So, of course, it was a special treat to me when I found out that three of prime creative forces behind The State were going to have a discussion of their history in television. I was pretty stoked. (Excuse the slang)