Sunday, January 1st, 2012
Say Something New - The Concretes
Say Something New - The Concretes
Source: www.rhapsody.com
Williams humanizes the legend in ‘Marilyn’
You don’t really buy Michelle Williams as Marilyn Monroe the first time you see her in “My Week With Marilyn.”
Singing and dancing to a medley of “When Love Goes Wrong” and “Heat Wave,” Williams has the legendary icon’s body language down, but she doesn’t really look like Monroe and she doesn’t have her voluptuous curves, either. In that opening scene, you can only see Williams, a supremely gifted actress, trying really hard.
But just wait a little while. One of the chief pleasures of “My Week With Marilyn” — which should not be approached as anything other than fluffy entertainment — is watching Williams bring to life Monroe’s inner demons and her movie-star allure with equal aplomb. By the time the film’s book-ending closing musical number comes around (“That Old Black Magic”), the illusion is astounding and complete.
Source: www.kansas.com
Pretty (Ugly Before) - Elliott Smith
Pretty (Ugly Before) - Elliott Smith
Source: www.rhapsody.com
Clooney a man at a crossroads in ‘Descendants’
Director Alexander Payne likes to explore men overwhelmed by everyday life.
In the sharp comedy “Election,” his protagonist was a high school teacher (Matthew Broderick) obsessed with thwarting an overly ambitious student. In “About Schmidt,” he followed a recently widowed retiree (Jack Nicholson) who tries to get closer to his estranged daughter. And in “Sideways,” his main character was an unsuccessful writer (Paul Giamatti) trying to make sense of love and career as he braces for middle age.
Perhaps it’s all territory Payne knows well – he certainly seems to speak from the heart. And he continues his study of male angst in “The Descendants,” which stars George Clooney as Matt, a successful lawyer and Hawaii native.
Source: www.kansas.com
New Muppets movie will give you warm Fozzies
“The Muppets” made me feel warm and Fozzie. Not from nostalgia, but in appreciation of an energetic, affectionate ticklefest.
This reboot captures the creativity and talent of the best Muppet extravaganzas, sidestepping the slack plots and guest-star overload (Dabney Coleman! Linda Lavin! Ed Koch!) of the worst. It proves there’s a place for Kermit and Miss Piggy in a world of computer-generated kiddie movies.
The film inhabits that breezy Crayola-colored movieland where characters break into song to explain their feelings, extras dressed like milkmen, cops and librarians perform perfect chorus line kicks, and traveling to France is as simple as plotting a red line on a map. Jason Segel stars as Gary, who has grown to adulthood in this apple pie world. His felt-and-foam brother, Walter, has remained approximately 3 feet tall and 10 years old. No, I can’t explain that. Go ask your mother.
Source: www.kansas.com
Zuton Fever - The Zutons
Zuton Fever - The Zutons
Source: www.rhapsody.com
Don't You Know - The Sleepy Jackson
Don't You Know - The Sleepy Jackson
Source: www.rhapsody.com
You won’t love it ‘Like Crazy’
The doomed romance “Like Crazy” creates an increasing sense of tension, a tightening in your gut. It makes you squirm in your seat — not because the angst of the young love depicted on screen is so vivid and relatable, but because these two people are so incredibly annoying together, you’d much rather see them apart.
Actually, the scenes in which Anton Yelchin and Felicity Jones are living separate lives in different cities — on different continents with an ocean dividing them — make more sense. Sure, they had their fun, but clearly it’s not going to work, so it’s time to move on. Live and learn. Sunrise, sunset.
But no, this is supposed to be a cosmic first love that transcends all reason, so writer-director Drake Doremus keeps shoving them back together, keeps finding strained ways for their lives to intertwine.
Source: www.kansas.com
Are We The Waiting/St. Jimmy - Green Day
Are We The Waiting/St. Jimmy - Green Day
Source: www.rhapsody.com
‘Take Shelter’ a slow-burn tale that pays off
There’s a foreboding sense of dread throughout “Take Shelter,” a gripping drama that’s also part horror story and psychological thriller. And it’s amplified by a powerhouse performance by Michael Shannon that deserves Oscar attention.
It’s the kind of damaged, disturbed character that Shannon does well, with nervous tics and pained eyes. He plays Curtis, a father and husband who provides for his family in small-town Ohio.
He’s happily married to Samantha (Jessica Chastain, also very good), and they have a young daughter who is deaf. So caring for her needs and education is a top priority, despite ever-tight finances.
Source: www.kansas.com
