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Daily Loaf

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The Twilight Saga: New Moon – The Amandas report from the preview screening

Posted by Amanda Allwood on Nov. 19, 2009, at 5:57 pm

Going to see The Twilight Saga: New Moon? If you aren’t already jumping out of your chair kind of excited, you should be, because we thought it was pretty much amazing…we being me, Nice Amanda and my BFF Mean Amanda. I mean, sure, we might be in our 20s and maybe this isn’t the coolest thing ever for us to love, but we do love it and you should too.

We had the distinct pleasure of checking out the sneak preview last night so if you are into random conversations about werewolves, vampires, “Star Wars for girls” and vampire dildos you should probably listen to the podcast below where the Amandas will educate you on the Twilight saga, what we thought of New Moon and what to look out for, including Jacob’s miraculous back muscles, Edward’s weird nipple, some actual funny scenes and we didn’t even mention the bad wigs! (run-on sentence? Yep, that’s how thrilled I am about this, I have lost all ability type like an adult).

Download the podcast here

And you can check out the real Creative Loafing review here: The Twilight Saga: New Moon: one Twifan’s stream-of-consciousness review

Tags: Edward Cullen, jacob black, New Moon, new moon review, Twilight, twilight dildos, vampire, werewolf
Posted in Arts & Entertainment, Movies |



CL Holiday Auction Item #41: Be a movie critic!

Posted by Joe Bardi on Nov. 19, 2009, at 4:40 pm

Creative Loafing Holiday Auction

All proceeds benefit The Children’s Home. New items will be added for bidding on The Daily Loaf throughout the auction, which concludes Dec. 16. For more info, return to the Holiday Auction page.

Are you a film fanatic who’s always dreamed of writing your own review of a big Hollywood release? If so, we’ve got just the offer for you: The winning bidder will accompany Associate Editor Joe Bardi (left) to a special preview screening of a major upcoming release. (That’s “preview,” as in “see it before it opens and make your friends jealous.”) Love it? Hate it? Either way, you sort out your thoughts and write the CL movie review for the chosen film — to run in both the print and online editions of Creative Loafing. After you’ve completed the review, attract readers with your own media blitz, including an appearance on CL’s Reel Projections podcast and heavy promotion of your review through Twitter, Facebook and CLTampa.com. Soon, thousands of CL readers will look to you for guidance on what movie to see next. Feel the power!

Suggested opening bid: $50

Place your bid below:

Tags: cl auction, critic, holiday guide, Joe Bardi, movie reviews, Reel Projections
Posted in Holiday Guide Auction, Movies |



The Twilight Saga: New Moon: one Twifan’s stream-of-consciousness review

Posted by Franki Weddington on Nov. 19, 2009, at 9:30 am

Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart in New Moon

Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart in New Moon

I’d like to begin by saying that when it comes to Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight Saga, all faculties go down the drain. I like to consider myself a reasonably intelligent, slightly nerdy and only rarely socially inept twenty-something, which, to my mind, means that my obsessive — nay, rabid — devotion to a mediocre teen romance novel (about freaking vampires) is somewhat out of the ordinary. But millions of ladies (and dudes) of myriad ages and backgrounds can’t be wrong.

Which is why I should have been prepared for the onslaught of hysteria and hormones that accompanied last night’s pre-screening of New Moon, the anticipated sequel to Twilight that has had fans jonesing for another dose of Edward, Bella and Jacob for 12 long months (Which isn’t all that long I guess; I never had the fortitude to be a Star Wars fan.)

I know, I know; my fellow Twihards are itching to hear about the actual movie (and Taylor Lautner’s abs. I’ll save you the suspense: they’re amazing.) But I have to set up the scene. I arrived to a half-full theater of mostly women — and a few husbands and boyfriends (mine included) who had clearly been dragged along against their wills and better judgment.

Amidst unbearably high-pitched shrieks and screeches (mostly) from the audience’s younger members, the usual gaggle of TV and radio promotion people bestowed precious merch to the ultimate Twifans: she who knows the most trivia wins. By the time the movie actually began, I was thanking my lucky stars that my eardrums had somehow been spared. Boy, was I wrong. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: abs, alice cullen, Edward Cullen, emmitt cullen, jasper cullen, kristen stewart, movie review, New Moon, new moon review, Robert Pattinson, rosalie cullen, stephanie meyer, taylor lauter, twifan, twilight saga
Posted in Movie Review |



Movie Review: The Blind Side, starring Sandra Bullock, Tim McGraw and Quinton Aaron

Posted by Chris Humpherys on Nov. 19, 2009, at 6:00 am

The-Blind-Side-posterI’m a sports snob. I strongly believe there’s only a handful of truly great sports movies. It’s just too difficult for filmmakers to recreate the drama that takes place on the field. So when the Creative Loafers asked me to review The Blind Side, a sports movie I would never see starring an actress I really don’t like, I was skeptical.

I fell into my comfy leather chair at the Cobb Theater Cinebistro in Wesley Chapel, fully expecting to pan everything about the movie. Then a strange thing happened. The film turned out to be pretty good.

Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: football, kathy bates, michael lewis, michael oher, movie review, quinton aaron, Sandra Bullock, The Blind Side, tim mcgraw
Posted in Movie Review, Movies, Sports |



The CL Holiday Movie Preview, featuring The Twilight Saga: New Moon, Avatar, Up In The Air and more

Posted by Joe Bardi on Nov. 18, 2009, at 4:24 pm

Hard to believe, but the holiday season is in full swing at the multiplex. The last few weeks have already seen the release of some big blockbusters (2012, A Christmas Carol) and at least one surefire Oscar contender (Precious, which had a smash limited release last weekend and was just announced for a Fri., Nov. 20 opening in Tampa bay), and Hollywood promises the best is yet to come. With six weeks until January, here are 12 must-see titles to close out the decade.

Friday, November 20
WHAT’S HOT: THE TWILIGHT SAGA: NEW MOON
They’re hot, moody and in love. Only problem: He’s a vampire who’s gotta get a move on, driving her into the arms of a group of vampire-hating werewolves. The buzz on the latest Twilight film is out of control, led by recent revelations that stars Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart are necking in real life. The franchise is becoming more cultural touchstone than mere film series, and New Moon looks poised to propel the “Saga” into the upper echelon of high-grossing film series like Harry Potter and Star Wars. Believe it.
COUNTER-PROGRAMMING: AN EDUCATION
If all that Twilight hokum sounds a bit childish, the Tampa Theatre will be opening director Lone Scherfig’s An Education in direct competition with the vampires. Starring Carey Mulligan as a 17-year-old student who falls in love with a much older man (Peter Sarsgaard) only to get an early lesson in heartbreak, An Education made film-fest waves earlier in the year after the film picked up an Audience Choice Award at Sundance. Also of note: British novelist Nick Hornby (High Fidelity, About a Boy) co-wrote the screenplay.

Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: an education, avatar, everybody’s fine, fantastic mr. fox, film, george clooney, holiday movie preview, invictus, james cameron, Joe Bardi, kristen stewart, Robert Pattinson, Sherlock Holmes, the lovely bones, The Messenger, the twilight saga: New Moon, up in the air
Posted in Movies |



CL Holiday Auction Item #42: The Complete Vampire Package: From Twilight to True Blood

Posted by Joe Bardi on Nov. 18, 2009, at 10:00 am

Creative Loafing Holiday Auction

All proceeds benefit The Children’s Home. New items will be added for bidding on The Daily Loaf throughout the auction, which concludes Dec. 16. For more info, return to the Holiday Auction page.

With this weekend’s release of Twilight: New Moon, the superfans’ ravenous appetite for handsomely brooding bloodhounds will be temporarily satiated. But it won’t be long before they’re craving more, more, more! So what better way to suck up than the ultimate vampire gift-pack: a New Moon reusable, aluminum water bottle (BPA-free!), two different New Moon T-shirts, a New Moon poster (size 11 1/2” x 17”), a set of New Moon Commemorative Cards, and the two-disc Special Edition DVD of the original Twilight movie. And in case that still doesn’t quiet your bloodlust (particularly the lust part), we’re throwing in the Complete First Season DVD of HBO’s red-hot series True Blood.

Current Bid: $20

Place your bid below:

Posted in Holiday Guide Auction, Movies |



Movie Review: Pirate Radio, starring Philip Seymour Hoffman and Bill Nighy

Posted by Joe Bardi on Nov. 13, 2009, at 11:56 am

When you strip away all the pomp and circumstance from rock ’n’ roll — the fashion and politics and drugs and groupies and stardom and burnout — what’s usually left is a few simple chords and a tune you can hum. In the 50-plus years since Chuck Berry, Little Richard, etc. created an art form, rock ’n’ roll music has morphed from a powerful expression of freedom and rebellion into a multi-billion-dollar commodity to be packaged and sold by record company soul-suckers that view artists as cattle and the audience as ignorant rabble worthy only of being led around by the nose or dragged to court. It didn’t used to be this way.

The new film Pirate Radio remembers a time when the music was king. Well, OK, the music and a small handful of outlaw DJs floating just off the coast of Britain, pumping their pirate signal to millions of the Queen’s subjects while royally pissing off the authorities in the process. Pirate Radio isn’t a true story, per se, but elements of it are inspired by real events in 1960s Britain, when a legal loophole allowed unlicensed broadcasters to drop anchor within spitting distance of the mainland and thrill the masses with records by The Kinks, The Rolling Stones and The Who.

Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: 1960s, bill nighy, britian, emma thompson. kenneth branagh, England, Joe Bardi, love actually, movie review, Music, Philip Seymour Hoffman, pirate radio, rhys ifans, tom sturridge
Posted in Movie Review, Movies |



Movie Review: 2012, starring John Cusack, Oliver Platt and Amanda Peet

Posted by Joe Bardi on Nov. 12, 2009, at 2:59 pm

Walking out of 2012, the latest disaster epic by Independence Day directer Roland Emmerich, I couldn’t help but feel that the Hollywood Industrial Complex has painted itself into a corner. Make no mistake: 2012 is the disaster movie to end all disaster movies. In the film, almost all of Earth’s continents are destroyed by a combination of massive earthquakes, explosions and huge fireballs that can only be extinguished by massive tsunamis. Cars are flung around like confetti, skyscrapers crumble into dust, and famous landmarks are crushed beneath overturned aircraft carriers. Give credit to Emmerich and his special effects team; 2012 looks terrific. If all you’re looking for is some mindless, high-testosterone action on a Saturday night, I highly recommend this movie.

But for the non-adrenaline junkies in the audience, 2012 suffers from all the same flaws as most of the disaster genre: weak characterizations, preposterous plot and story, and a length (2 hours, 40 minutes) that makes the film ideal for screening on flights to Australia.

Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: 2012, amanda peet, danny glover, disaster movie, end of the world, independence day. the day after tomorrow, john cusack, mayan claendar, movie review, roland emmerich
Posted in Movie Review, Movies |



Movie trailer mania: Clash of the Titans, Salt and Prince of Persia

Posted by Kevin Hopp on Nov. 11, 2009, at 3:29 pm

This week has been exciting for movie fans, with the release of three interesting trailers: Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, the Angelina Jolie spy flick Salt and the Clash of the Titans remake starring Sam Worthington.

Check them out after the jump!

Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: angelina jolie, Clash of the Titans, Jake Gyllenhall, prince of persia, salt
Posted in Movies |



Movie Review: The Fourth Kind, starring Milla Jovovich

Posted by Anthony Salveggi on Nov. 6, 2009, at 11:28 am

For a movie whose title references the most sinister level of encounter with an alien life form — abduction — The Fourth Kind should probably have come with a modest “buyer beware” warning.

That’s because the film is less about getting prodded and probed by little green men than it is a test of what we are willing to believe and be frightened by. As The Fourth Kind opens, actress Milla Jovovich addresses the audience directly, telling us that what we are about to watch is based on a series of strange occurrences that purportedly happened in Nome, Alaska, during the first week of October 2000.

Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: alien abduction, aliens, aolaunde osunsanmi, dr. abigail tyler, hypnosis, mental illness, milla jovovich, regression therapy, The Fourth Kind, ufos, will patton
Posted in Movie Review, Movies |



Movie Review: The Box, starring Cameron Diaz and James Marsden

Posted by Rabid Nick Refer on Nov. 6, 2009, at 9:39 am

boxIf Alfred Hitchcock and Edgar Allan Poe got together to do their own version of The Matrix, it would look a lot like Richard Kelly’s The Box. The Donnie Darko director returns with a morality tale that twists and turns around a complex story like barbed wire around a rose. No matter what notion you have of the film going in, you’ll have a drastically different one coming out; that I can guarantee you.

Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: Alfred Hitchcock, Cameron Diaz, donnie darko, Edgar Allan Poe, Frank Langella, Rabid Nick Refer, Richard Kelly, The Box, the matrix, The Shining, twilight zone
Posted in Movie Review, Movies |



How the upcoming disaster flick 2012 went green

Posted by Katie M. on Nov. 5, 2009, at 2:15 pm

untitledFor a big budget, Hollywood-style disaster film, 2012 probably wouldn’t come to mind as an “eco film” to most people. But not only does the movie serve as a message (or warning) of the effects of impending climate change, the director, Roland Emmerich, and producers took great strides to be as green as possible when making it.

Roland Emmerich, known for directing and producing other big budget disaster movies such as The Day After Tomorrow and Independence Day, has been living a green lifestyle himself – driving a Prius and using solar energy to power his home – and wanted to carry over some eco-friendly practices into his filmmaking. He stated to MNN at the Environmental Media Association Awards, “After making The Day After Tomorrow, I said to myself, ‘From now on my movies should have a green footprint’.”
Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: 2012 film, 2012 movie, biofuel, carbon offsets, eco-friendly film, ema awards, Environmental Media Association Awards, green efforts, habitat for humanity, Michael Wimer, mnn, mother nature network, roland emmerich
Posted in Green Community, Green Living, Movies |



Preview: Independents’ Film Festival and Cine-World Film Festival

Posted by Joe Bardi on Nov. 4, 2009, at 2:46 pm

Relationship Card

It used to be that film festivals in the Tampa Bay area were a rarity. No longer. Totaling up all the fundraisers, workshops and side programming that go along with the ever-expanding number of festivals, it’s clear that fest-hopping has become a year-round sport. And that’s great, because we can all stand to broaden our horizons beyond the standard Hollywood pulp that fills the multiplex each Friday. In the next few weeks, there are two festivals of note: one with lots of local appeal, and one a bit farther south that attracts filmmakers (and filmgoers) from all over the world.

Independents’ Film Festival
Hosted by Tampa’s The Education Channel, the 16th annual Independents’ Film Festival promises an intimate look at locally produced films, including a strong program of student films out of USF. I say intimate because all screenings will be held at The Education Channel’s beautiful, newly upgraded screening room with seating for about 65 people. Festival organizers also promise ample opportunity to hob-nob with filmmakers and other fest attendees, as each themed evening begins with a food and drink reception and ends with coffee and dessert. (All included in the $15 ticket price.)

Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: cine-world film festival, cinq, dan bakst, independents film festival, Joe Bardi, precious, push, relationship card, rhapsody, robert deniro, sapphire, Sarah Howard, sarasota, the education channel, usf, UT
Posted in Movie Review, Movies |



DirecTV ads: First Chris Farley and David Spade, next Heath Ledger, JFK and Jesus Christ? (With video)

Posted by Kevin Hopp on Nov. 3, 2009, at 10:29 am

jokerLast week I posted a column about how I thought DirecTV had taken their ad campaign a bit too far by using a scene from Tommy Boy featured dead actor Chris Farley. In the article, I had said that while I wouldn’t stop using DirecTV if I had it (which I don’t because satellite TV sucks in Florida), I don’t particularly find the commercial to be in good taste. There were several comments on Loafing’s website, some positive and others telling me to suck it. There was also a comment released by David Spade’s crew to People Magazine saying, “That [DirecTV] would include Tommy Boy in that [ad campaign], I thought was very flattering.” Spade added, “Oh, my God if [Farley] was here, I guarantee he’d be stoked that this little movie is included,” Kevin Farley, Chris’s brother says it “shows him doing what he loved to do most, making people laugh.”

Yesterday, I found a great post on /Film about the whole mess, which includes a video that might just be next for DirecTV. The clip uses several now dead celebrities — including Heath Ledger, President Kennedy and Jesus Christ. The video is meant to be funny and illustrate a point, but I’m sure some will find it offensive. However, the point is made, and in my opinion, there’s no difference between what is done in this spoof and what is shown in the Farley ad.

Check out the Heath Ledger/Jesus Christ DirecTV ad after the jump …

Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: chris farley, david spade, DirecTV, Heath Ledger, Jesus Christ, John F. Kennedy, Kevin Farley, People Magazine
Posted in Movies |



Review: Star Wars In Concert, The Force was with them

Posted by Anthony Salveggi on Nov. 2, 2009, at 1:51 pm

It may have been the day after Halloween, but thousands of people had plenty good reason to play dress-up this past Sunday afternoon at the St. Pete Times Forum. One didn’t have to look far to find a Yoda or Princess Leia milling about the concourses. Many congregated toward a makeshift exhibit of original Star Wars props and artifacts, including a Darth Vader costume, blasters and helmets. Nearby, children and adults alike sidled up next to Stormtroopers for photo ops. It was all a prelude to the main event inside the arena, “Star Wars: In Concert.”

Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: anthony daniels, Anthony Salveggi, dirk brosse, John Williams, return of the jedi, St. Pete Times Forum, star wars in concert, the phantom menace, thx
Posted in Concerts, Movies, Music |



Movie Review: Cirque Du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant Starring John C. Reilly, Salma Hayek and Willem Defoe

Posted by Daphne Hernandez on Oct. 30, 2009, at 2:14 pm

[Editor's Note: This is the first post by new CL film contributor Daphne Hernandez. For reasons unknown, Wordpress swallowed this post last week and I was only able to track it down today. But hey, it's Halloween and this is a flick you might want to see this holiday weekend. So please, check out the review and excuse our tardiness.]

Duo

Cashing in on the popularity mass hysteria of vampire lore, Cirque Du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant falls in line with the myth-deflaters of Twilight. Vampires don’t have to kill humans to survive, bats are just rodents that live in caves, and subspecies do exist.  They’re just like you and me, but not like you and me.

Darren Shan (Chris Massoglia) lives a cookie cutter existence best conveyed in a J. Crew catalog. In an alternate universe where everyone wears pastels and drab khakis; he’s the straight-A student your mother will likely trade you in for. After his rebel-without-a-cause best friend Steve (Josh Hutcherson) convinces him to ditch class, they get caught and Darren is grounded. In an effort to prove to Steve he’s not the “Mr. Perfect” goody two shoes, they follow a flyer tossed out of an Addams Family-style Studebaker (with a Des-Tiny vanity plate) to the Cirque Du Freak, “The oldest continuing freak show in the Western Hemisphere.”

Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in Movie Review, Movies |



The most hated women in film: A top eight list

Posted by Chris Humpherys on Oct. 30, 2009, at 1:54 pm

bunny rabbit 140I recently wrote a ‘five overrated movies’ post that garnered a fair amount of attention. I prefaced the piece by stating that film is largely a matter of personal preference and I was just sharing my opinion. I received so much response, both positive and negative, that many suggested a follow-up article. So, at the risk of offending even more readers, here goes….

I love women. And I love film. But far too often in movies, the role of the villain is written specifically for the male. When given the opportunity, however, some women have embraced the villainous role and ran with it, giving us chilling performances that have often defined their careers.

After watching Saturday Night Fever the other night, I was reminded how much I couldn’t stand Stephanie Modano, brilliantly portrayed by one-hit wonder Karen Lynn Gorney. Throughout the movie, Modano belittled John Travolta, transmitting the abuse she received from others all day directly onto him. I squirmed every time she was on screen. Travolta was no saint, but he certainly didn’t deserve her hatefulness.

That got me thinking about the most detested female characters in film, because for me, she definitely ranks. Accordingly, here’s a list of eight women who instilled us with everlasting images that left us with a sheer hatred, if not fear, for their characters. Where do they rank on your list?

demi moore indecent proposal 8) Demi Moore – Indecent Proposal (1993)

Character: Diana Murphy

Famous Quote: “The dress is for sale. I’m not.”

I know what you’re going to say. This one’s on Woody Harrelson. He’s the one who ultimately allowed, if not encouraged, his wife to sleep with Robert Redford. He could have nixed that offer in a heartbeat or simply knocked Redford’s block off as soon as it was suggested. But he didn’t and he ultimately paid the price. The movie asked whether a couple’s self-respect and marital vows could be bought. The scene in which Harrelson shouted from the rooftop, begging his wife to return as Moore and Redford flew off in his helicopter, made even the least jealous man cringe. Despite trying to put the events of that evening behind them, in the end Moore lost respect for Harrelson and ended up with Redford. While Moore may not have been entirely in the wrong in this film, she was still contemptible, torn between two lovers and ultimately ending up with neither. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: Fatal Attraction, femme fatale, Glenn Close
Posted in Arts & Entertainment, Movies |



Kevin’s Kreepy Korner: The Halloween edition

Posted by Kevin Hopp on Oct. 30, 2009, at 1:45 pm

Halloween_eyes

Welcome to a very special, spook-tacular edition of Kevin’s Korner. This week, as we get our costumes ready, our tricks perfected and our tolerance for candy pushed to its peak. Plus, I have some great movie news, including scary tale involving a Spider-Man villain, the newest film from the Broken Lizard crew, and so much more. So, grab some candy corn and read on. And have a great (and safe) Halloween!

Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: BeerFest, blockbuster, Box office Report, Broken Lizard, Charlize Theron, Club Dread, CNN, district 9, Dylan Baker, Halloween, Kevins Korner, Mad Max 4, Mel Gibson, Michael Clark Duncan, Neil Blomkept, Netflix, Nuke The Fridge, Redbox, Sam Worthington, Short Circuit, Slammin' Salmon, spiderman 4, Steve Carr, Super Troopers, The Fourth Kind, The Other Guys, zombies
Posted in Movies |



Original ending to Paranormal Activity (with video)

Posted by Kevin Hopp on Oct. 28, 2009, at 6:00 am

paranormal-activity 3Paranormal Activity has been a huge success created on a miniscule budget. As with any from-out-of-nowhere hit, the urban legends related to the film are growing in popularity on the Net. By now you may have heard that Steven Spielberg was locked in his house for hours after watching the DVD, and was so freaked he brought the movie back to Dreamworks in a garbage bag. Well, that one turns out to be true. In addition, Spielberg offered a suggestion for tweaking the ending of the film, which P.A. director Oren Peli followed. (Duh!) Spielberg’s ending is the one you see in theaters today.

Last week, as the buzz around P.A. grew, the original ending of the film (shown at festivals earlier this year) hit the Internet. It’s obviously spoiler-ific, so if you haven’t seen the movie, skip it. You’ve been warned.

To see the original ending to Paranormal Activity, click below …

Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in Movies |



Movie Review: Michael Jackson’s This Is It

Posted by Joe Bardi on Oct. 28, 2009, at 12:26 am

I went into Michael Jackson’s This Is It fearing the worst. After months of breathless coverage following MJ’s demise, what could a hastily assembled documentary about the rehearsals for the King of Pop’s comeback 50-night stand at London’s O2 Arena possibly have to add to the spectacle? I feared This Is It would be little more than a crass attempt by the financial backers of the concerts to not only recoup their money but make a killing in the process. After seeing the film, I can report that greed has won the day.

Read more and check out the This Is It trailer after the jump …

Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in Movie Review, Movies, Music |



Movie Review: Aviva Kempner’s Yoo-Hoo, Mrs. Goldberg

Posted by Joe Bardi on Oct. 27, 2009, at 3:18 pm

I’m embarrassed to confess that I had no idea who Gertrude Berg was before I watched You-Hoo, Mrs. Goldberg, an enlightening if somewhat stock documentary from director Aviva Kempner (The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg). A radio and television pioneer, Berg enjoyed a long career playing signature character Molly Goldberg, a stereotype-shattering Jewish matriarch who maintained a decades-long run in the public eye. Berg starred in and wrote every episode of the radio and TV incarnations of The Goldbergs (and we’re talking thousands of shows), in the process inventing the sitcom and many of the tropes we find commonplace today.

Read more of Joe Bardi’s review after the jump …
Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: aviva kempner, gertrude berg, Jewish, Joe Bardi, movie review, mrs. goldberg, Tampa Theatre, Television, the goldbergs, yoo-hoo
Posted in Movie Review, Movies |



Is DirecTV being inconsiderate to Chris Farley and his fans? (video & poll)

Posted by Kevin Hopp on Oct. 27, 2009, at 1:31 pm

Recently, DirecTV brought out its newest commercial in the campaign that has featured a scene from a famous movie, re-edited into a pitch for satellite TV. (You know, like this one …) The newest clip features the movie Tommy Boy, and has caused a bit of a stir as it features Chris Farley, who you’ll recall died of a drug overdose in December of 1997. So, are people being a bit prudish about this or did DirecTV actually commit a no-no?

Check out the DirecTV ad after the jump and vote whether you think the ad is kosher:

Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: advertising, chris farley, david spade, direct tv, Kevin Hopp
Posted in Movies, Television |



Kevin’s Korner: Ninja Turtles, The Crow, Bill Murray and so much more

Posted by Kevin Hopp on Oct. 27, 2009, at 12:56 pm

Korner 1

And now, the article you’ve waited all month … err, all week … err, all day … well, you’ve waited long enough, it’s Kevin’s Korner (Insert applause here). This week we have all kinds of fun movie news, a trailer and a bit of a rant. So buckle up, it’s gonna be a bumpy ride; well, not really, but you get the idea.

Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: Bill Murray, Bruce Campbell, college humor, perfect storm, Sam Raimi, spiderman 4, Steven Norrington, teenage mutant ninja turtles, The Crow, The Weather Channel, vanilla ice, Wolfman
Posted in Movies |



Rabid movie review: Lars von Trier’s Antichrist

Posted by Rabid Nick Refer on Oct. 23, 2009, at 6:00 am

anti2The opening prologue to Lars von Trier’s Antichrist is so visually and rhythmically arresting that it lures the viewer into a state of calm that will slowly be smeared over broken glass as the film progresses. The director seems to take great pleasure leading the viewer through a wilderness of both pleasure and horrific despair. He knows he’s about to leave you unsettled — and he likes it.

Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: antichrist, art, controversy, gore, horror, Lars von Trier, metaphors, Rabid Nick Refer, The Shining, Twitter, unsettling, Willem Defoe
Posted in Movie Review, Movies |



Introducing Routes Music, an in-progress documentary about music that’s traveling across America and back

Posted by Alex Pickett on Oct. 22, 2009, at 5:25 pm

Right now, I’m sitting in a dark, one-bedroom basement apartment in the uptown section of New Orleans. To my right is Catman , a 28-year-old heavy metal fan who got the nickname two decades ago from some cruel children after his Tourette syndrome caused him to lick his hands repeatably and wipe them on his shirt. (These days, he’s lost the habit but still wears the moniker proudly.) On the table next to him is a small studio: mixers, drum machines, two guitars including a Lyon series Washburn electric, a microphone — all connected to a Dell Inspiron 530 desktop. In a thick British accent, Catman describes his musical tastes, his past bands (from the Nundown to Albino Spiders) and the first album he ever danced to (Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band). He briefly stands up and hits a button the drum machine filling the room with a techno remix of the old Super NES game, Battletoads.

On my left, two music fans hover over Catman with three video cameras. One of them, Phil Bardi, probes Catman with questions, slowly getting the musician to open up while operating two cameras on a tripod. The other is Terrence Duncan, who pans and tilts and zooms around the room, catching Catman’s musical history on HD. These videographers are with me.

We’re Routes Music – a documentary film acting as a roving music census, taking in the true musical passions (and disgusts) of folks like you and me, and folks like him and her, all across a place we like to call America.

Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: Alex Pickett, California festivals, carpetbagger, Catman, cross country, D.I.Y. music, Dell, heavy metal, local music scene, local musicians, music documentary, music scene, New Orleans, Phil Bardi, phish, Phish 8, Routes Music, sgt pepper's lonely hearts club band, Terrence Duncan, the beatles, Tourettes, travel blog
Posted in Movies, Music, Routes Music |



Movie Review: Amelia starring Hillary Swank and Richard Gere

Posted by Anthony Salveggi on Oct. 22, 2009, at 4:13 pm

Under Mira Nair’s direction, Amelia is pretty enough to look at, but its lack of dramatic momentum and episodic nature are deficits the film’s handsome production values can’t overcome. As a biopic, Amelia falls short in two critical areas: It fails to sufficiently illuminate its protagonist, and it is unable to convey the weight of her accomplishments. For this, the script by Ronald Bass and Anna Hamilton Phelan must also shoulder a considerable part of the blame. Perhaps because the writers seem to take for granted that their story has an automatically compelling subject at its center, they eschew illumination for melodrama. As a result, its title character remains a rather opaque figure dutifully hitting her marks in the story of her life — or, more accurately, its final 10 years.

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Tags: amelia, amelia earhart, Anthony Salveggi, biopic, george putnam, hillary swank, mira nair, movie review, richard gere
Posted in Movie Review, Movies |



GIFF fundraiser tonight in Ybor City feat. Matt Butcher, Poetry n’ Lotion and a screening of Visioneers

Posted by Franki Weddington on Oct. 22, 2009, at 3:09 pm

arts_tv_sidebar1_32The Gasparilla International Film Festival is still months away, but it’s never too early for festival organizers to begin raising some scratch for Tampa’s biggest annual movie shindig. Tonight, GIFF and Brokenmold Entertainment are throwing one such event, a concert by Orlando singer-songwriter Matt Butcher and recent Best of the Bay multi-award winners Poetry n’ Lotion.

This being a fundraiser for a film fest, the music will of course be preceded by a film screening; in this case, the 2008 black comedy Visioneers, starring The Hangover’s Zach Galifianakis. Visioneers flew very under the radar upon its initial release, but has started to garner more attention now that The Hangover has made Galifianakis a mainstream attraction.

Set in a near future not unlike the present except that people keep spontaneously combusting, Visioneers ably skewers corporate culture and is something of a piece with Mike Judge’s cult classic Office Space. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: brokenmold entertainment, demi'smarket, fundraiser, Gasparilla International Film Festival, Matt-Butcher, office space, poetry-n-lotion, the hangover, things to d in tampa bay, visioneers, Ybor City, zach galifianakis
Posted in Arts & Entertainment, Movies |



The Cove: Proof a documentary can change the world

Posted by Kevin Hopp on Oct. 21, 2009, at 12:17 pm

thecoveIf you missed it, The Cove is a documentary about the Japanese town of Taijii — the scene of a brutal, annual hunt and slaughter of dolphins. The film is much more than a collection of horrifying images; it’s also at turns beautiful, suspenseful, and even comical. (The Cove is also one of the first movies I reviewed for Creative Loafing, which means it holds a special place in my heart.) I got a chance to talk to the director Louie Psihoyos and star Rick O’Barry about the film. Their mission was simple: Stop the needless slaughter of dolphins. Today, it looks like they have been successful.

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Tags: Louie Psihoyos, Rick O'Barry, Taijii, The Cove
Posted in Movies |



Eco apocalyptic films: A glimpse of our future?

Posted by Katie M. on Oct. 21, 2009, at 10:47 am

MAD_MAXWe’ve been hearing about the plethora of environmental films and docu-dramas out today that preach about changing our ways concerning our food, climate change, pesticide use, and so on (Food Inc., The Age of Stupid, Fresh, A Chemical Reaction, etc.). But did you ever look at Mad Max as an “eco film”? Its portrayal of a dystopian future where fuel is scarce and society collapses as a result, thus leaving humanity with a ravaged Earth and living in anarchy. (The scenario now sounds more and more like a possible future of our own.)
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Tags: 9, a chemical reaction, eco apocalyptic films, eco docu drama, environmental films, food, Fresh, Inc, logan's run, Mad Max, Movies, sci fi, soylent green, the age of stupid, the day after tomorrow, the road, treehugger, Wall-E
Posted in Green Community, Green Living, Movies |



The Age of Stupid showing tonight at USF St. Pete campus (video)

Posted by sharonjoykleitsch on Oct. 20, 2009, at 2:16 pm

age-of-stupid-new-001Are enough people waking up to make a difference? Or, maybe the scenario of The Age of Stupid, the film that’s circulating the globe, is a prediction of things to come.

The Student Environmental Awareness Society is starting their Environmental Film Series with the question, “Why didn’t we stop climate change when we had a chance?”

The film stars Pete Postlethwaite looks back from a devastated Earth in 2055, wondering who these people were in 2008/9 and what they were thinking to allow such a disaster as global warming.
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Tags: docu-drama, eco-documentary, environmental film, pete Postlethwaite, Student Environmental Awareness Society, the age of stupid, USF St. Petersburg
Posted in Events, Green Community, Green Living, Movies |



Toy Story 3-D Double Feature: Is It Worth Your Dime?

Posted by Jamie Turner on Oct. 20, 2009, at 9:31 am

toystory1and2trailer3d

The only Disney franchise with a sequel good enough to get a theatrical releases is back, but should we care? The Toy Story 3-D Double Feature (TS3D) costs almost twice as much as a normal movie. 3-D movies have traditionally been a little blurry on screen, and those big goofy glasses can make your head throb. Plus, everyone saw Toy Story and Toy Story 2 years ago when they first came out (though they are now in “The Disney Vault,” and not the easiest movies to get a hold of).  You may also be wondering if Pixar’s early work still looks good over a decade later, given how far computer animation has come in the time since Toy Story’s release? So it’s not worth it? This 3-D double feature is a total rip-off, right?

WRONG! The Toy Story 3-D extravaganza is totally worth every penny!

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Tags: 3-D, disney, Double, double feature, Feature, pixar, story, Toy, Toy Story, Toy Story 2, worth
Posted in Movie Review, Movies |



Final filmfest reviews: Prodigal Sons, Fig Trees, Big Gay Musical at TIGLFF

Posted by David Warner on Oct. 18, 2009, at 3:38 pm

Tape_021_3The 20th annual Tampa International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival concludes today, and if the lines outside the films and the comments from Executive Director Chuck Henson are any indication, this was one of the most successful seasons ever, with large increases in single ticket sales offsetting the drop in corporate sponsorship. The fest certainly felt like a success; last night was a case in point, with long lines and big laughs for the screening of Eating Out 3, and a crowded, convivial men’s party at Czar.

There are a few films left to see, culminating with the splashy Big Gay Musical (right) at 7, reviewed below by Ryan Jent. And if you missed Prodigal Sons or Fig Trees, both of which screened earlier today, read the reviews below and decide whether you need to add them to your Netflix queue; for my money, Sons was one of the most powerful films in the fest, so be sure to check it out if you missed today’s screening. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: Big Gay Musical, Fig Trees, Prodigal Sons, Tampa International Gay &, tiglff
Posted in Arts & Entertainment, Movies, tiglff |



Filmfest review: Eating Out 3: All You Can Eat at TIGLFF

Posted by Ryan Jent on Oct. 17, 2009, at 6:13 pm

Had you told me years ago that there’d be a second installment of Eating Out, let alone a third, I’d have thanked you for the warning. The films are full of eye candy, sure, but living proof of why serious actors John Travolta their way into the closet.

But the now-franchise, the third installment in particular, knows exactly what it is: hunky guys, funny girls, ridiculous plots, a dash of heart and the potential for more. No one’s Oscar-bound, but those at the helm have found a winning formula. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: Eating Out 3: All You Can Eat, Tampa International Gay and Lesbian Film Festival, tiglff
Posted in Arts & Entertainment, Movies, tiglff |



Filmfest review: I Can’t Think Straight at TIGLFF

Posted by Courtney Bishop on Oct. 16, 2009, at 6:56 pm

30Two rich families move to London. Girl meets girl at a tennis match. Girl, Leyla, begins to question her feelings about her boyfriend, and more so, about her sexuality. Other girl, Tala, fights the temptation that Leyla dangles in front of her because she’s engaged and she says that people just can’t live like that — as in two women can’t be together in a romantic relationship.
Girl, Leyla, is heartbroken that Tala won’t budge, but uses the inspiration that Tala provides her as fuel to find herself. Time passes and girl and girl get set up on a dinner date by their friends. Although girl, Tala, has broken things off with her fiancé, she still hasn’t come out to her parents. This disappoints Leyla. Girl and girl go their separate ways. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: I Can't Think Straight, Tampa International Gay & Lesbia Film Festival, tiglff
Posted in Arts & Entertainment, Movies, tiglff |



Filmfest reviews: Patrik 1.5, College Boys Live at TIGLFF

Posted by Ryan Jent on Oct. 16, 2009, at 6:47 pm

Patick 2

Patrik 1.5

Patrik 1.5 I can count on one hand the number of subtitled films I’ve watched — and prior to watching Patrik 1.5 I’d have wagered its place would be on my middle finger. The Swedish film showcases the perfect gay couple, their new suburban home and an adoption gone awry, saddling them with a homophobic, criminal teenager due to a typing error. No thanks. It all sounded a bit trite, ridden with tired plot devices. Then I watched it. Beautifully shot, its place wasn’t on my middle finger — but rather my thumb, pointing straight up and a bit green from the film’s symbolism. Goran loves to garden; his husband, Sven, loves to drink. It turns out that Patrik, 15 and not 1.5, loves to garden as well — and the film blossoms into something beautiful. I’ve never seen another Swedish film, but if they’re anything like Patrik 1.5, I’m getting a passport. (Or updating my Netflix queue.) Friday, Oct. 16, 9 p.m., Tampa Theatre. —Ryan Jent

Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: College Boys Live, Patrik 1.5, Tampa International Gay & Lesbian Fim Festival, tiglff
Posted in Arts & Entertainment, Movies, tiglff |

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