Reviews of albums, films, concerts, and more from the Bay Area Music and Movie Nerds
starring: Emily Browning, Abbie Cornish, Jena Malone, Vanessa Hudgens, Jamie Chung, Carla Gugino, Oscar Isaac, Scott Glenn, Jon Hamm
written by: Zack Snyder & Steve Shibuya
directed by: Zack Snyder
MPAA: Rated PG-13 for thematic material involving sexuality, violence and combat sequences, and for language.
As an actor, Tom McCarthy is that guy you know you’ve seen somewhere. You can’t quite put your finger on it, but he was definitely a cop/lawyer/scientist/reporter in something. And in his 20 years as a screen actor, McCarthy has indeed worked with an impressive roster of directors, including George Clooney (Good Night and Good Luck), Peter Jackson (The Lovely Bones), and Clint Eastwood (Flags of Our Fathers). He also had key arcs on acclaimed TV series Boston Public and, perhaps most notably, the final season of The Wire. But it is McCarthy’s work as a writer and director which has earned him the greatest praise.
After breaking out with the 2003 Sundance favorite The Station Agent, in which Michelle Williams took one of her first major steps toward becoming the indie queen she is today, McCarthy directed the celebrated drama The Visitor, which scored an Oscar nomination for lead actor Richard Jenkins. And now, after receiving his own Oscar nomination for co-writing Up, McCarthy is back with the highly anticipated Win Win, the crowd-pleasing tale of a down-on-his-luck high school wrestling coach (Paul Giamatti) who unwittingly discovers a talented young wrestler (newcomer Alex Shaffer) while engaged in some shady business dealings. McCarthy recently sat down with Spinning Platters to discuss the plight of wrestling in New Jersey, how he nearly turned down The Wire, and the creative liberation of costarring in 2012.
Continue reading “Spinning Platters Interview: Tom McCarthy on “Win Win””
It feels like SXSW just ended yesterday… I still haven’t quite caught up on my sleep, and my SXSars has kicked in pretty brutally, but nonetheless, I can’t stay away from the live rock n roll for very long… Check this week out! It’s pretty amazing!
Continue reading “Spinning Platters Weekly Guide to Bay Area Concerts, 3/24/11 – 3/30/11”
This year I probably saw even less buzz bands than the average blogger than last year. My priority was to have a good time, whether that be hanging out with friends or watching great music. So this list is a testament to all the artists, people and venues that made my time in Austin memorable. Continue reading “Marie’s Best of SXSW 2011 Awards”
Another SXSW has passed, and this year, I intended on doing a daily diary, but the internet kind of sucked in our hotel, and I also really wanted to sleep, so instead you get this: a big, huge list of everything awesome at SXSW, including some amazing day parties thrown by our friends at Terrorbird, Force Field PR, Ticketfly, SPIN, NPR, and MOG (thanks!), leaving me pretty tired and delirious. For those of you that don’t want to read, I’ll sum it up: Best bands that I’ve never heard of before were Attic Ted, The Death Set, and DOM. The Kills did not kill, but TV On The Radio, Death From Above 1979, and The Dead Milkmen all played great comeback sets. Now, sit back, relax, have a Shiner Bock and read on:
Continue reading “Dakin’s SXSW Journal: 47 Instant SXSW Gig Reviews”
starring: Mia Wasikowska, Michael Fassbender, Jamie Bell, Judi Dench, Sally Hawkins, Imogen Poots, Valentina Cervi
written by: Moira Buffini (screenplay), Charlotte Brontë (novel)
directed by: Cary Fukunaga
MPAA: Rated PG-13 for some thematic elements including a nude image and brief violent content.
starring: Matthew McConaughey, Ryan Phillippe, Marisa Tomei, William H. Macy, John Leguizamo, Josh Lucas, Michael Peña, Frances Fisher, Bryan Cranston, Trace Adkins, Katherine Moennig
written by: John Romano (screenplay), Michael Connelly (novel)
directed by: Brad Furman
MPAA: Rated R for some violence, sexual content and language.
starring: Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Kristen Wiig, Jason Bateman, Jeffrey Tambor, Blythe Danner, Bill Hader, Joe Lo Truglio, Sigourney Weaver, Jane Lynch, David Koechler, Jesse Plemons, John Carroll Lynch, and the voice of Seth Rogen
directed by: Greg Mottola
written by: Nick Frost and Simon Pegg
MPAA: Rated R for language including sexual references, and some drug use.
Check out the concerts happening around the Bay Area over St. Patty’s Day weekend — after the jump.
Continue reading “Spinning Platters Weekly Guide to Bay Area Concerts, 3/17/11 – 3/23/11”
