Archive: April, 2010

Check out this Freddy Krueger tat before you read Drew Lazor's Nightmare on Elm Street review

POSTED: Saturday, May 1, 2010, 12:21 AM

Filed Under: Movies Movie Review

We couldn't resist posting this picture of local artist Ryan Beck's Freddy Krueger tattoo, in honor of the release of Nightmare on Elm Street today. The tat was done by Adam Pietras at Gemini Tattoo (13629 Philmont Ave.). But without further ado, here's Drew Lazor's review of a Nightmare on Elm Street: [ C+ ] For those horror-remake viewers who carry with them the expectation that chunky Version 2.0 production budgets will translate into pitch-perfect performances and crisp character development: You do realize that Freddy Krueger is an undead, sweater-wearing burn victim with steak knives screwed to his hand who enjoys disemboweling teen cuties in their sleep, right? Let's not get ahead of ourselves, blood buckets. In Samuel Bayer's reboot of the now-26-year-old Elm Street series, a new group of fresh-faced upper-middle-class white kids are terrorized in their dreams by the one and only Krueger, given a new lease on "life" by brilliant character actor Jackie Earle Haley. The plot is basically the same: The vengeful specter stalks pretty high-schoolers (Kyle Gallner, Rooney Mara, Katie Cassidy, Thomas Dekker) due to a gross injustice their parents collectively committed years back. There is one vital distinction, though: In 2010, Krueger is an accused pedophile, which conveys much more seat-shifting unease than the dubious, why-don't-you-just-say-molester "child murderer" title we've been fed through eight flicks. New-look Freddy sheds Robert Englund's propensity for vaudevillian one-liners, favoring instead a guttural growl not far removed from Haley's Watchmen hero Rorschach. Modern-day touches (one victim runs a "vlog," lolz!) are merely a means to a time-honored end: Watching scared kids gettin' skewered. If you like that you'll like this.

Posted by Molly Eichel @ 12:21 AM Permalink | Post a comment

MONDAY: Chuck fans gather to rally for the show NOW UPDATED

POSTED: Friday, April 30, 2010, 10:31 PM

Filed Under: TV

Chuck's Yvonne Strahovski, Zachary Levi and Adam Baldwin

Fans of the NBC television show Chuck are holding a flash mob (uh ... guys, maybe consider a name change) to show their support for the always-in-peril hour-long comedy about a tech guy at Best Buy-like megastore Buy More who accidently downloads a super computer into his brain and becomes a secret agent. The fansite chucktv.net reports they'll be holding this ... let's call it an enthusiastic gathering ... at the subway station at "400 Market Street," which we figure means the 5th and Market El stop UPDATE: They actually meant the Subway sandwich shop at 400 Market St. at 11:40 a.m. on Monday. Participants are asked to wear clothes that mirror the Buy More uniform, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Sign up here to participate. The location is a smart move, especially considering its proximity to the Fox studios, although I figure Philly as a location was chosen because it's the home base for new NBC owners Kabletown/Comcast. While Chuck isn't the smartest or the best show on television, it's totally adorable, thanks mostly to Zachary Levi who plays the title character, Adam Baldwin as Major Casey (you may remember him as Jane from Firefly) and a strong supporting cast. It's nerdy but fun and better than most crap I watch on TV. The show, from The O.C. creator Josh Schwartz, has been on the bubble for pick-up each year of its three-season run (although, I don't really understand why. Product placement on the show is nuts). Chuck fans are hardcore, though; last year, chucktv.net organized the "Footlong and Finale" movement, which encouraged viewers to buy a footlong hoagie from major show sponsor Subway. The gambit worked and Chuck was picked up for another season.

Posted by Molly Eichel @ 10:31 PM Permalink | Post a comment

Grindhouse Galore

POSTED: Friday, April 30, 2010, 9:53 PM

Filed Under: Movies

wrongsideoftheart.com

Earlier today, I reviewed American Grindhouse, which will play on the big screen at the Piazza tonight. But, just like you, my attention has wandered on this beeyooteeful Friday afternoon and for the last 10 minutes I've been enamored with WrongSideoftheArt.com, a site that collects old B-movie/exploitation/grindhouse movie posters in one spot, including the above artwork for 1978's Good Guys Wear Black, starring Chuck Norris and Anne Archer (aka Dennis and Dee's mom from It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia). As you can see, they spell her name sans 'e' on the poster. Enjoy. Via Vulture

Posted by Molly Eichel @ 9:53 PM Permalink | Post a comment

The Decemberists' Colin Meloy to write young adult novels about the Jersey Shore?!

POSTED: Friday, April 30, 2010, 9:35 PM

Filed Under: Music Books

Meloy

Naw, Colin Meloy's got no love for Wildwood, despite the risk of dashing all of our hopes and dreams. The bespectacled frontman of the Thinking Man's Rock 'n' Roll Group The Decemberists has signed up to write a series of Young Adult novels called Wildwood. Meloy told NPR the series is "a classic tale of adventure, magic and danger, set in an alternate version of modern-day Portland, Ore." We're sure Meloy's version will be all twee and nice and Portlandic, but how much better would these book be if they were set in the seaside town where the entirety of the Great Northeast migrates to every summer weekend. But what could have been! Possible plot points for a Wildwood-themed young adult series? A young boy must dispose of all the used condoms he finds in and around Morey's Piers, all without catching chlamydia or doing any body shots, or his beloved home will sink into the depths of Atlantic Ocean. Oh, and he's magic or some shit. Okay, your turn!

Posted by Molly Eichel @ 9:35 PM Permalink | Post a comment

THE CRITICAL MASS WEEKEND OMNIBUS: If He Dies, He Dies weekend

POSTED: Friday, April 30, 2010, 7:41 PM

Filed Under: Weekend Omnibus

Neal Santos

Rowan and Hastings

Praise be to the gods of weekend! It's gonna be a nice one so why don't you... Friday: ...spend your entire night inside? Hit up the Secret Cinema presentation of rare NYC-filmed noir Guilty Bystanders and listen to Rutgers prof Richard Koszaski discuss his book Hollywood on the Hudson. If you prefer your hip-hop with a wink and nod, check out Rowan & Hastings who end their Philly run tonight at Welcome to the Terrordome IV: The One Where Rocky Beats the Russian. Saturday: Hit up the TrickGo Zine Yard Sale, where the mimeograph is king. Then it's off to the Piazza for some Swift Half/P.Y.T./etc. goodness at the Piazza Restaurant Week. Eat a lot because you have a big day tomorrow... Sunday: ...when you start you day at Zoe Strauss' Under I-95. It's her final exhibition under the highway, so don't miss it. Then it's off to the Class of 1923 Arena for the Philly Rollers Girl to see Mo Russ sing his heart out and, of course, some derby (the rollerskates kind, not the horses kind). Or head to the Piazza for some lady-lovin'/guy-on-guy action with SundayOUT! @ the Piazza.

Posted by Molly Eichel @ 7:41 PM Permalink | Post a comment

THEATER REVIEW: Rooms: A Rock Romance @ Prince Music Theater, 4/29

POSTED: Friday, April 30, 2010, 6:20 PM

Filed Under: Arts

Photo | Mark Valenzuela

CAUGHT IN A COY ROMANCE >> 11th Hour Theatre Co.'s production of Rooms: A Rock Romance is the theater equivalent of a light dinner at a tapas restaurant: pure entertainment without anything too heavy. With a bite-size 90-minute running length, Rooms is still able to pack in plenty of passion, catchy tunes and fluffy jokes without unnecessarily weighing down audience members. There are times, though, when the play's action is so condensed as to seem comical or confusing. But with a plot revolving around a rapid romance, the breakneck speed helps capture the exhilaration of new love and exciting opportunities. Growing up in Glasgow in the '70s, Monica P. Miller (played by a charming Alex Keiper) desires only fame, while Ian Wallace (the subtly endearing Michael Philip O'Brien) desires to just be left alone in his room. Naturally, the two are brought together by a bat mitzvah, begin a coy romance, end up London playing the parts of punk rock superstars, then within a week are in New York City on the fast track to failure. Yes, it's all a little far-fetched, but enjoyable if you can abandon yourself to the ride and stop from giggling at the actor's occasionally overwrought Scottish accent. Miller and Keiper are both more than capable of hamming it up and laughing along with the audience. Though outlandish, the ending is the satisfying conclusion the audience had been waiting for. And, judging by attendees' post-show humming through the halls, it seems that Rooms has succeeded in its goal of producing a piece of uplifting theater.

Through May 2, $24-$27, Prince Music Theater, Independence Studio, 1412 Chestnut St., 267-987-9865, 11thhourtheatrecompany.org.

RELATED: ARTS PICK: Rooms

Posted by Emily Currier @ 6:20 PM Permalink | Post a comment

MOVIE REVIEW: American Grindhouse

POSTED: Friday, April 30, 2010, 4:39 PM

Filed Under: Movies Movie Review

american-grindhouse

I had a professor in college whose focus was on early film. She used to joke that mere minutes after Thomas Edison invented the movie camera, exploitation cinema was born. The sentiment is echoed in director Elijah Drenner's ode to the shocking and schlocking films that filled grindhouse theaters. But what is grindhouse? It's the taboo onscreen, it's movies made on shoestring and shown on the fringe. Drenner begins his study with white slavery-scare silents and moves throughout film history from the Hays code to '50s drug propaganda to '70s gorefests to The Passion of the Christ, which director John Landis (Trading Places, Animal House) calls the genre's only true recent touchstone.

Drenner's history is loving a tribute in the vein of Easy Riders and Raging Bulls — docs that fill your Netflix queue with movies that you never get around to watching. There are some glaring omissions in its roster of talking heads — where is explotation king Roger Corman? But guys like Landis and director Joe Dante (Gremlins, Piranha), who recounts how a man was killed at grindhouse, but the houselights never went up, nor did the movie start — are entertaining and passionate enough about the subject to make up for any absences.

American Grindhouse, Fri., April 30, 8:30 p.m., free, PUFF at the Piazza at Schmidts, 1050 N. Hancock St.

Posted by Molly Eichel @ 4:39 PM Permalink | Post a comment

TRAILER!: Jonah Hex

POSTED: Friday, April 30, 2010, 3:00 PM

Filed Under: Movies trailer!

Well, this looks terrible. (But that whole machine-guns-on-a-horse thing is pretty sweet.)

Posted by Molly Eichel @ 3:00 PM Permalink | Post a comment

PRINTED MATTER: Arts + Entertainment, April 29

POSTED: Thursday, April 29, 2010, 9:45 PM

Filed Under: Printed Matter

thesecretcinema.com

Guilty Bystander, part of "Hollywood on the Hudson"

Here's what you'll miss if you don't pick up a City Paper this week: FEATURES!

Shaun Brady shouts out the New York film industry, which didn't get its heyday till after WWII and after the Golden Age of Hollywood. Secret Cinema's "Hollywood on the Hudson" program hits Moore College tomorrow night.
A.D. Amorosi chats with Ronen Koresh, whose dance company is preparing big premiÃ¨res at the Suzanne Roberts Theatre this weekend. How A.D. puts the troupe's m.o.: "sexually potent" and full of "animal grace." Rawr.
Last Chance: Holly Otterbein doesn't want you to regret not seeing shows at Stratasphere, Bahdeebahdu and Pageant : Soloveev.
And don't forget to check out our Equality Forum guide, including two movie reviews and a preview of tomorrow night's Brian Sanders tribute.

A COLUMN!

J. Edward Keyes' Hang the DJ is all about LCD Soundsystem's new album, This Is Happening, which takes cues from Bowie but stays wholly original.

REVIEWS!

Shaun Brady gives The Secret in Their Eyes a C+ in Flick Pick, claiming that one scene "serves little purpose other than calling attention to itself."
Movie Shorts on The Cartel, Dancing Across Borders and Waking Sleeping Beauty

AND THEN THERE'S ...

Kaleidoscope quick hits on the Shout Out Louds, Zoe Strauss, Paul Guest and David Bordwell
Arts Picks on "Live Cinema" at the Art Museum and Pennsylvania Ballet's Program IV
Music Picks on Future Islands, Jónsi and more
Album reviews on The New Pornographers, Frightened Rabbit and more
An Agenda section chock-full of goodies, like Icepack, a feature on Rowan & Hastings and tons of Picks.

PREVIOUSLY: PRINTED MATTER: Arts + Entertainment, April 22

Posted by Carolyn Huckabay @ 9:45 PM Permalink | Post a comment

Why Gregg Kravitz is totally queer

POSTED: Thursday, April 29, 2010, 9:26 PM

Filed Under: LGBTQ | TV

So, as those of you who, like me, tend to keep up only with the soapiest elements of the political scene are surely aware, much ado has lately been a-done about the professed sexual orientation of Gregg Kravitz, a democratic candidate for State Representative in the 182nd District of Pennsylvania (that's in Philly, y'all). A self-identified bisexual, Kravitz recently found himself under fire from his rival for the seat, incumbent Babette Josephs, who claimed that Kravitz's queer identity is a fabrication intended to capture the vote of the significant LGBTQ vote in the district. Predictably, the claim has been pored over across the blogosphere (nailed it!), with typing heads wondering if they're valid (who knows?), if the discussion is even in-bounds in a political arena (of course, everyone has a right to work the identity politics of their own identity), and whether or not his sexuality should be a factor to the voters in the LGBTQ community. Ultimately, his potential performance as a representative doesn't seem to rest much on whether or not he is bisexual. Allies of the LGBTQ community can do as much to support and further the interests of the community as card-carrying (there are cards now, right?) members if they're truly dedicated to the issues. What the stories to date have missed thus far is the truly subversive, even subliminal, pandering that Kravitz has been doing toward the community of which he may or may not be part. Behold:

Seems harmless enough, no? But say it out loud...

kravitz1

By missing this obvious hidden message in Kravitz's campaign materials, the media has not only missed a crucial piece of his play for the vote of the LGBTQ (well, mostly the GBQ parts) community, but they've overlooked a valuable piece of evidence as to the validity of Rep. Joseph's claims. Namely, that New Directions is the name of the glee club in Glee. If that reference is intentional it indicates a familiarity with the Fox program which is in turn a convincing piece of evidence that Mr. Kravitz is at least half gay, maybe more.

Class dismissed.

RELATED >> Equality Forum coverage

charlie

Posted 2010-04-29 16:36:45

Is it too early to dub this "Erectiongate"?

Posted by Admin @ 9:26 PM Permalink | Post a comment

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Q&A with SHARI SOLANIS: "The goal isn't pornography"
What we're trying to do this weekend
ICE CUBE: In Memoriam: Joe Tartaglia
Coming soon to Philly: Two cockamamie movie promotion schemes
SEXY TIME Q&A: I've never had an orgasm during sex with a man — and I'm 30!
Q&A with Tony Goldwyn: "Life is gray, and relationships are, too"
CONCERT REVIEW: Primus (3D & quadraphonic sound) @ The Tower 10/17
PHILLY LOVE NOTES: An ode to Spruce Street
CONCERT REVIEW & PHOTOS: James Blake @ TLA 5/11
ICEPACK ILLUSTRATED: The Archbishop meets the Geator, the Mayor goes suit shopping, Le Bec Fin fin.

About this blog

Featuring everything from event roundups to concert reviews and sex talk, City Paper's Critical Mass is a space for off-the-wall coverage of Philly's A&E scene.

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