Friday, May 18, 2012
The Kirk Jones movie should have implanted the hilarious Dudes’ Group more frequently.
Have you seen the commercials? The one where Chris Rock leads a few guys through a park along with their children? The one that makes you want to watch What to Expect When You’re Expecting so you can laugh at the popular comedian? If yes—know that you won’t be getting much of Rock in the movie that debuts Friday. The movie, based on the 1984 book of the same name by Heidi Murkoff, is endearing, heartfelt and bring tears to your eyes at times—but doesn’t tell much about what a man goes through as he is expecting. Instead, the movie focuses heavily on the women and the different obstacles and emotions they face as they expect to bring another life into the world. And, I’m not complaining—I’m just saying. The film features an all-star cast …
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
A special traveling exhibit on Harry Potter and the Renaissance is on display at UC San Diego's library.
Harry Potter is mashing up with the Renaissance, so grab your besties and whiz over to UC San Diego (UCSD). A traveling exhibit has made its way to UCSD’s Geisel Library and it combines Renaissance influences with everyone’s favorite wizard, Harry Potter. Harry Potter’s World: Renaissance Science, Magic, and Medicine is making only its second appearance in California at the school’s library through June. The exhibit, which includes materials from the National Library of Medicine’s collections, features six illustrated banners describing the practices, including alchemy, herbology, astrology and natural philosophy, depicted in the magical world of wizardry created by J.K. Rowling. During Harry Potter’s World time at the Geisel Library, …
Friday, May 4, 2012
The summer blockbuter with a $220 million budget opens Friday.
I have to admit it: I was never a fan of comic books growing up. In grade school, I was more interested in collecting baseball cards and Garbage Pail Kids, and catching snakes. In high school, I moved on to catching girls, and raining jumpers on the basketball court. So I didn’t come into the long-awaited and much-anticipated summer blockbuster The Avengers with the same fervor as many others in the audience. That said, it is finally here. Fan boys and comic book savants have been clamoring for its release ever since it was announced that self-professed geek God Joss Whedon was taking over as director. So what should we make of the ridiculously expensive (estimated $220 million budget) and overhyped collaboration of some Marvel’s most …
Thursday, April 26, 2012
The film produced by Judd Apatow is anything but a typical romantic comedy—it’s a drag.
The Five-Year Engagement brings to life five full years of all the complexities that may come from any romantic relationship—and I mean five full years. And I mean all the complexities. The movie, which has a running time of 124 minutes, felt much, much longer. Produced by Judd Apatow, the movie brings back the duo Nicholas Stoller and Jason Segal in this romantic comedy. Segal co-stars in the film as Tom alongside Emily Blunt as Violet. Tom, a sous chef on the rise in San Francisco, meets girlfriend Violet on New Year's Eve. A year later the couple becomes engaged and soon after, Violet scores an opportunity to study for her doctorate in psychology at the University of Michigan. So the lingering—at times, quite depressing—engagement …
Friday, April 13, 2012
The PG-13 documentary highlights problems of an estimated 13 million children each year.
It’s authentic, heartbreaking and dynamic. And, for once, the stories of the estimated 13 million children bullied each year are told in a broad way. The highly anticipated Bully is finally released and though the PG-13 documentary is certainly worth watching, stories seem to be only half told. Bully, which had its local premiere last September in the San Diego Film Festival, is showing now at two theaters—at Hillcrest Cinemas and AMC La Jolla Village 12. The film, directed by Lee Hirsch, tells the story of five children from small towns and their struggles with bullying. Two of those profiled—Tyler Long and Ty Smalley—committed suicide at the ages of 17 and 11. Filmmakers interview their parents in the movie. But the movie digs deeper by …
Saturday, April 7, 2012
Northmont Elementary student takes the Spring Harp Fest contest for second year in a row.
At the 13th annual Spring Harp Fest, Luciano Costello’s luck held for the last time. Next year, he’ll be unknown no more. Luciano, a 9-year-old harmonica prodigy who attends Northmont Elementary School as a fourth-grader, won the Unknown Players Jam contest for the second year in a row at the Harry Griffen Park amphitheater. Two dozen amateur players ponied up $10 each to play 20-30 seconds with a professional band, attempting to wow the crowd and win a trophy. The MC implored the audience to cheer and applaud for the best player, and not just the cutest. But the crowd decided Luciano was the complete package and he brought his silver-and-blue trophy back to parents Paul and Teresa Costello of Fletcher Hills. Luciano says he’s played …
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Thursday, April 5, 2012
The movie opening Friday brings back the cast of American Pie but falls short of comedic wit.
If you loved American Pie, then you’ll appreciate the homecoming of Jim Levenstein and his buddies of 1999 in the new Universal Pictures release American Reunion. But if you’re looking for something more substantial now that you’re an adult—don’t bother. Reunion, just like previous movies in the series, is just as dirty as the original and is better suited for teenage boys. The nearest theaters to Lemon Grove featuring the film are Reading Cinemas Grossmont Center 10 in La Mesa and Edwards Rancho San Diego Stadium 15 near Cuyamaca College. Reunion brings back the same cast of the American Pie in the same gross, bizarre and ridiculous tone that won over teen boys 13 years ago. And just like the first movie, Reunion doesn’t carry the …
Friday, March 30, 2012
Will Ferrell will reprise the San Diego TV anchorman from Action 4 News in Paramount remake.
Will Ferrell announced Wednesday that he will reprise his role in the 2004 spoof of San Diego TV news. He’ll make a sequel to “Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy.” Known for his line “Stay classy, San Diego” (and a vulgar variant), Ferrell told Conan O’Brien that Paramount Pictures will make the film. San Diego appeared only briefly in the original “Anchorman,” which actually was filmed in Los Angeles, Glendale and Long Beach, according to Wikipedia. Will you welcome “Anchorman” back? What did you think of the original—and its depiction of mid-1970s San Diego TV news?
Thursday, March 29, 2012
The headliner group this year is likely to wear a psychedelic 'mod' look from the '60s. Two local students will perform with them.
Groovy, Baby! At times, they look like four versions of Austin Powers in floral jackets and white ruffled shirts. Only Powers' toothy protruding grin is missing. These guys aren't part of the British Invasion. They're Rockola, a band that calls itself "America's Classic Rock Experience." They'll be the headliner for Ramona Music Fest on Saturday at Dos Picos County Park. So, what's the interest in the groovy threads? "1958 to '72 has been our focus," guitarist Bob Tedde told Patch recently. "It was the Golden Age, the most enduring music. For most of us The Beatles were our favorite band. We used to have a Beatles look, with suits and white shirts and ties, but we don't do that anymore." For the Ramona gig, they're thinking of wearing …
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Ramona's 'Cactus' and Whyte will perform with Twang, Grano and Nash, now known collectively as Back to the Garden.
In 1969 an estimated 400,000 people gathered on a New York farm for the quintessential American rock concert of the era: Woodstock. All the big names were there for the three-day event, among them Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Santana, Grateful Dead, Creedence Clearwater Revival, the Who and Jefferson Airplane. Also performing was a fledgling band named Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young (CSNY) that assembled from members of The Byrds, Buffalo Springfield and The Hollies. After Woodstock, it went on to become a global household name and is remembered for its harmonies on songs such as Our House and Teach Your Children. On Saturday, a band reminiscent of CSNY will take the stage at Ramona Music Fest at Dos Picos County Park. Until recently they'…
Hoa Quách
4:20 pm on Thursday, April 26, 2012
Hi Angela! Thanks for the comment. I just did a quick Google News Search of reviews and found a mix bag: https://news.google.com/news/story?hl=en&gl=us&q=the+five+year+engagement&um=1&ie=UTF-8&ncl=ddAIRAqqHI53sGMpwflfkfvLlwryM&ei=3deZT76AMsai2gXd29yRBw&sa=X&oi=news_result&ct=more-results&resnum=2&ved=0CDcQqgIwAQ I think Judd Apatow is great. This movie just didn't work for me. Hoa more ›