Arts & Entertainment
Not So Pretty in Pink
We've all heard the adage “if you don't have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.” So instead of bashing The Pink Panther 2, a film whose very existence should make one question the sanity of movie execs (no one liked the first one, guys), I'm going to try to extol its few-and-far-between merits.
It's Business Time
The film adaptation of Greg Behrendt and Liz Tuccillo’s bestselling book attempts to be a treasure trove of relationship wisdom, but the title, He’s Just Not That Into You, is really the only advice it provides.
Guilty Pleasures: She's the Man (2006)
Shakespeare + the two Step Up boys + some sick soccer skills = pure joy. Starring Amanda Bynes as a cross-dressing, soccer-loving teenager, it also features Channing Tatum and Robert Hoffman, both of Step Up fame.
The Big Push
January movies are generally amusing films that tend to lack-in content. Push, a January movie released in February, is entertaining but not worth 10 economically devalued U.S.
Actors I Thought I Wanted to Marry
Going to a movie is much like going on JDate. We scope out the leading men, assess their talents and qualifications and ultimately decide whether they’d function as good first husbands.
Ciao Baby
Street: Tell me about how Ciao came into being. Yen Tan: The idea came about because [actor] Alessandro [Calza] wrote me an email in 2003 to tell me how much he loved my first film, Happy Birthday, and then we just started corresponding.
Thankfully Uninvited
It’s that time of the year again, when studios seem to empty out their trashcans onto multiplexes around the country.
So Long, Farewell...
The premise of Ciao — a film in which two strangers from different parts of the world develop a deep, unexpected friendship — could have led to a laughably bad movie.
Guilty Pleasures: Drop Dead Gorgeous (1999)
"Fuckin' beauty queens blowing chunks everywhere." Intrigued? You betcha. Drop Dead Gorgeous explores the dark underworld of beauty pageants.
The Top Ten Movie Quotes We Do Not Understand
You voted on Under the Button, and here are the results — the top 10 movie quotes we know were meant to impress us, but instead left us scratching our heads. 10.
Blood, Fret and Tears
Using a rusty guitar, a falsetto yowl and as much heartbreak as he could shove into 37 minutes, Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon created For Emma, Forever Ago, one of 2008’s most critically acclaimed records.
Defibrillator: Belle & Sebastian, "If You're Feeling Sinister" (1996)
At the beginning of high school, I was hopelessly uncool. I was socially awkward, and my mother was still buying my clothes.
Shows of the Week: January 29-February 4
Lykke Li The First Unitarian Church 1/30 8:30 p.m., $17.50 People were remixing Swedish internet darling Lykke Li long before she ever stepped foot inside a US venue.
2009: The Year That Will Rock You
After a month of car radio top 40, when you thought you’d die if you ever had to listen to Hoobastank again, our favorite bands are back with new releases for ’09. NASA’s The Spirit of Apollo is overflowing with guest appearances.
You down with MPP?
Animal Collective’s Merriweather Post Pavilion (MPP), which dropped so early in 2009 that we still had unbroken resolutions, has already been called the year’s best album.
Defibrillator: The Band, "Jericho" (1993)
Listening to Jericho while driving with my dad through Ohio tobacco country, the dash of country girl in me comes alive.
Samples: A Sampling
B.o.B., Asher Roth, & Charles Hamilton, “Change Gon’ Come” Up and coming internet favorites B.o.B, Asher Roth and Charles Hamilton philosophize on the election, the economy and plenty of other well-worn topics for socially conscious rappers.
Guilty Pleasures: What Women Want (2000)
Despite his overt anti-Semitic tendencies, there’s something undeniably irresistible about Mel Gibson shaving his legs.
It’s Not Too Late. We promise.
THE BEST The Wrestler Mickey Rourke’s heartbreaking Golden Globe speech — in which he thanked his dogs for being the only ones who were there for him during his long slump — is bupkus compared to his astounding performance as a wrestler forced to retire and cope with his own insignificance.
