Reviews of albums, films, concerts, and more from the Bay Area Music and Movie Nerds
starring: Danny McBride, James Franco, Natalie Portman, Zooey Deschanel, Justin Theroux, Rasmus Hardiker, Toby Jones
written by: Danny McBride and Ben Best
directed by: David Gordon Green
MPAA: Rated R for strong crude and sexual content, pervasive language, nudity, violence and some drug use.
starring: Russell Brand, Helen Mirren, Greta Gerwig, Jennifer Garner, Nick Nolte, Luis Guzmán, Geraldine James
written by: Peter Baynham (screenplay), Steve Gordon (story)
directed by: Jason Winer
MPAA: Rated PG-13 for alcohol use throughout, sexual content, language and some drug references.
“Does anyone have a terrible allergy to cigarette smoke?” Joe Wright, the director of Hanna, is hoping the answer is no. It’s a Friday afternoon, and he’s looking a bit rough. Perhaps it’s a combination of jetlag and the looming specter of WonderCon 2011, which will be kicking off in a few hours. While Wright is no stranger to publicity tours, this is the first time he’s working the geek festival circuit. His previous three feature-length directorial efforts — Pride and Prejudice (the 2005 version starring Keira Knightley in an Oscar-nominated lead performance), Atonement (the breakthrough film of Hanna star Saiorse Ronan, whose performance garnered her a Best Supporting Actress nomination at the age of 13), and The Soloist, a contemporary drama starring Robert Downey Jr. and Jamie Foxx — did not take him down this particular promotional path.
Continue reading “Spinning Platters Interview: Saiorse Ronan and Joe Wright on “Hanna””
Rainn Wilson and writer/director James Gunn were in San Francisco this past weekend to promote their bold and demented new film, Super (read our Spinning Platters review here), at WonderCon. It was my first time entering the WC fray, and I found myself wishing I’d brought a bag of bread crumbs while navigating the labyrinthine expanse of Moscone South. But eventually I found the designated press room, where I waited patiently with a table of my fellow online press while Wilson and Gunn worked their way down a seemingly endless line of video interviews. One queasy highlight of this was watching Gunn being forced to awkwardly refer to “Jenna Fischer, my ex-wife” each time he was asked how Wilson came to be involved with the project.
But eventually the video interviews concluded, at which point they were escorted directly to our waiting table. “Here are the nerds!” Wilson cried out in relief upon approaching us. As they got seated (and Wilson bellowed “Hello machines!” into our assorted collection of recording devices), we kicked off a lively conversation on topics like how to make a homicidal maniac sympathetic, pioneering the concept of superhero female-to-male rape, and Wilson’s efforts to keep his character as far from Dwight as possible.
Continue reading “Spinning Platters Interview: Rainn Wilson and James Gunn on “Super””
This week kicks off week one of Fauxchella, the awesome assortment of bands that are also playing Coachella, only we get full length sets, with air conditioning and sound checks. Another reason the Bay Area is better than Southern California. Enjoy the shows!
Continue reading “Spinning Platters Weekly Guide to Bay Area Concerts, 4/7/11 – 4/13/11”
The 2011 Wondercon film panel lineup was the worst in recent memory. It was more notable for what was missing (Captain America, Thor, Super 8, Pirates of the Caribbean) than what was there (Immortals, Priest, The Three Musketeers). Jon Favreau noticed that movies weren’t prioritizing Wondercon for their promotion, and I can’t say I understand why. Was it the relative commercial failure of such ComicCon-loved properties such as Kick Ass and Scott Pilgrim? Or was it really all just about scheduling? But we did have film panels on Saturday (and one on Friday), so I was there. And this is what I saw. Continue reading “Wondercon: The 2011 Film Panels”
October 22nd, 2006. That was the final day for a San Francisco club known as The Pound, a smallish, low building stranded out in the middle of the dreary reaches of Pier 96 near Heron’s Head Park. For true metalheads of the Bay Area, it was a dark day in history, for no venue besides the Pound was better known for providing a consistent schedule of hardcore punk, furious grindcore, and every genre of metal under the sun (which, considering metal, is quite a lot). While larger clubs like Slim’s and the Regency Ballroom have stepped up to the plate to try and appease the hundreds of roaring voices that bellow out for the return of a good metal venue, they have been hard pressed to draw the same underground caliber that the Pound was able to pull in night after night. If the Mezzanine continues to host shows like Sunday night’s Metalliance Tour, however, then we may once again have a contender that fares well in the ring.
Hunx and His Punx played a sold-out record release show for their debut LP, Too Young To Be In Love (Hardly Art), at Bottom of the Hill on Saturday night. Also on hand were Shannon and the Clams (featuring Punx VIP Shannon Shaw), who were celebrating the release of their sophomore album, Sleep Talk. And as if that wasn’t enough, we also got the dependably awesome Grass Widow (recently seen playing with Wild Flag) as the opener. Needless to say, a fun time was had by all.
MCR!!!! That’s all my fangirl heart was screaming while walking towards The Fox and the hoards of people, clad mostly in black, slowly making their way in to the theater. Of course, I didn’t have a ticket, just a photo pass, but trivial details will not keep me from a show! After a brief panic the ticket was procured and I made my way in and was amazed by the crowd already formed on the floor. By the excitement radiating through the room I could tell that this, the fourth time I’ve seen My Chemical Romance, was going to be the best. Continue reading “Show Review: My Chemical Romance with Neon Trees and Architects at The Fox Oakland, 3/31/11”
starring: Catherine Deneuve, Gérard Depardieu, Fabrice Luchini, Judith Godrèche, Jérémie Renier, Karin Viard
adapted and directed by: François Ozon
MPAA: Rated R for some sexuality.