Arts & Entertainment
Whip It Good
Drew Barrymore’s directorial debut, Whip It, effectively straddles the line between indie flick and big-budget Hollywood feature, dropping A-list stars into a rural Texas landscape. The film follows Bliss Cavendar (Ellen Page) as she finds an “out” from her small hometown of Bodeen, Texas.
Guilty Pleasures: The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (2005)
Just ask yourself one question: why wouldn’t you want a pair of thrift store jeans that magically fit you and your three best friends with completely different body types?
Lie to me
Set in an alternate reality in which the human race is not able to lie, The Invention of Lying is British master comedian Ricky Gervais's first foray into directing. He creates a cinematic world whose blunt inhabitants constantly remind his protagonist, Mark Bellison, that he is a “chubby little loser.” This brutal honesty manifests itself in other ways, too; nursing homes are referred to as places “where old, lonely people live.” Mark is in a rut, jobless and struggling with romance, as the woman that he loves, Anna (Jennifer Garner), does not find him a suitable genetic match.
Group Mentality
Whether they’re rocking out on a tour bus, planning a Vegas heist, reading Thoreau or skipping detention, you know these famous movie groups make you want to hop on the bandwagon and join in on the fun.
Shock Me Like An Electric Car
Last weekend, the Kia Soul Collective concert series rolled into Philadelphia. The premise was simple, if a bit odd: test-drive a Kia Soul, see free kickass concerts.
One Track Mind: 10.1.09
An American Chinese “Chasing Rabbit” With a title like “Chasing Rabbit,” this track from An American Chinese’s pending debut LP, Utopian Tree, promises something like a melodic acid trip — and thankfully it delivers.
So Nice They X-ed It Twice
Sometimes pushing the envelope means pulling it back a little. When crafting the newest of new, alternative music is all about innovation and experimentation.
Seem Fame-Iliar?
Watching Fame is kind of like a Theos downtown. At first everything is spinning and you are not quite sure how the man at the door swindled ten dollars away from you.
Not That Bright
Jane Campion’s Bright Star is a romantic period piece about the fated love between poet John Keats (Ben Whishaw) and his neighbor, Ms. Brawne, played beautifully by Abbie Cornish.
To the Max
n anticipation of the September 25 release of I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell, the film adaptation of his best-selling book of the same name, Tucker Max is premiering his movie across the country on a month-long promotional tour.
Plenty of Impact
Street took a minute to sit down and speak with directors Justin Schein and Laura Gabbert to discuss their latest film, No Impact Man, and its impact on the environmental community.
Back in Business
In a blur of breakups, overdoses and suicides, grunge died in the late '90s. What followed was a wave of aural garbage in the form of bands fronted by Eddie Vedder wannabes who just couldn’t cut it — Creed, Nickelback, 3 Doors Down and (unfortunately) the list goes on and on.
One Track Mind
Jay-Z featuring Drake and Timbaland “Off That” Call it recession rap: in his stellar single “Off That,” Jay-Z is so over “Cris, rims, and Tims.” This is not to say that Jay isn’t flourishing.
Defibrillator: Toots & the Maytals, "Funky Kingston" (1973)
From the opening four-on-the-floor groove of “Time Tough” all the way to the final notes of the warm Caribbean breeze that is “Sailin’ On,” Toots & the Maytals’ Funky Kingston astounds.
Mixing it Up
Brett Copell brettcopell@gmail.com www.trippingfranklins.com Spins electro, house The sound: Crunchy.
So Much For Sisterhood
Cat fights, date rape drugs and nudity. At the state school to end all state schools, the Theta Pi sisters sure know how to bring the drama. After a silly prank ends in a girl’s death, the sorority queen bee (Leah Pipes) convinces her sisters to dump the body into an abandoned mine shaft.
Going Green
Despite the recent “eco-movement,” few trendy environmentalists would consider trying Colin Beavan’s (the self-proclaimed “No Impact Man”) approach to reducing our environmental footprint: no electricity, no new clothing and possessions, only locally-grown food and no energy-guzzling transportation for a whole year.
MAXimum Debauchery
This past year, the box-office has been inundated with a host of so-called “buddy comedies” — films focused on male camaraderie that an overexposure to testosterone inspires.
Guilty Pleasures: Hairspray (2007)
Who wouldn’t love John Travolta in drag and Zac Efron with a Jheri curl? Adam Shankman’s adaptation of the Broadway smash Hairspray hit the big screen with the same impact it had on the stage.
