08 Mar 2010

All About Steve. And Alec.: Notes on the 2010 Academy Awards Telecast

By Mike Schulz

Best Actress winner Sandra BullockAll told, I thought this year's Academy Awards telecast was awfully satisfying, and I'm not saying that because I predicted 18 out of 24 categories correctly.

Yup. 18 out of 24.

Tying my personal best.

And three of my incorrect guesses were in the short-film categories, where no one knows what the hell is going on.

But I digress.

07 Mar 2010

It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World: "Alice in Wonderland" and "Brooklyn's Finest"

By Mike Schulz

Johnny Depp in Alice in WonderlandALICE IN WONDERLAND

Beginning with 2001's Planet of the Apes remake, Tim Burton has cast domestic partner Helena Bonham Carter in all six of his most recent feature films, and he's never made better use of her beguiling, somewhat perverse charisma than in his new take on Alice in Wonderland.

02 Mar 2010

What's Happenin': Spring, 2010

By Mike Schulz

Deanna SwobodaMusic

Deanna Swoboda

Deere-Wiman Carriage House and Redeemer Lutheran Church

Friday, March 5, 3 p.m., and Saturday, March 13, 7 p.m.


Recruited to educate and entertain area students and music lovers, the latest Quad City Arts Visiting Artist is Deanna Swoboda, and I know what you're probably thinking as you gaze at that photo: Man, that is one bi-i-ig trumpet.

Let the education begin!

02 Mar 2010

Comics' Timing: Comedians Alex Reymundo and Nick Madson on Hard Work, Big Breaks, and Dumb Luck

By Mike Schulz

Alex ReymundoTwo veterans of Comedy Central will perform in the Quad Cities this month, neither of whom, in separate interviews, had any trouble recalling his beginnings in professional stand-up.

Bombing on stage, after all, does tend to stick in your memory.

28 Feb 2010

NYPD Boo-o-o-o-o!: "Cop Out" and "The Crazies"

By Mike Schulz

Tracy Morgan and Bruce Willis in Cop OutCOP OUT

I bow to no one in my adoration for Chasing Amy, Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back, Clerks, and Clerks II. Still, I think it's safe to say that even those of us who frequently love the movies of New Jersey auteur Kevin Smith have always kind of wished he'd find a different director for them. His profanely hilarious, emotionally direct scripts can be exhilarating, but can you imagine how much better they might've played under the guidance of someone who actually knew where and how to position a camera?

22 Feb 2010

"Locker"-ed and Loaded: 2010 Oscar Predictions

By Mike Schulz

Jeremy Renner in The Hurt LockerOkay, yes, we've been trying this for years. But this time, I think I've finally figured out how you can score 24 out of 24 in your office's annual Academy Awards pool.

22 Feb 2010

The Loons! The Loons!: "Shutter Island"

By Mike Schulz

Shutter IslandSHUTTER ISLAND

Shutter Island, Martin Scorsese's operatically paranoid adaptation of Dennis Lehane's 2003 suspense thriller, is easily the best movie of 2010 thus far, so it seems a bit churlish to wish that was higher praise. Don't get me wrong: Even running a wildly overlong 138 minutes, the film is mostly terrific, and one of the very rare works of its kind in which your interest actually increases during the final reels. Yet given Scorsese's glorious technical acumen and the efforts of a ridiculously gifted cast, I still left the cineplex feeling that it just missed greatness, and not even greatness along the lines of GoodFellas or The Departed - more like the genre excellence of Scorsese's 1991 remake of Cape Fear. Shutter Island is a strong, worthy offering, yet as far as this year's releases go, it's only a few degrees more satisfying than Youth in Revolt or Daybreakers. But hey, it's early - I'll happily take it.

22 Feb 2010

Demigods and an Acting God: "Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief" and "A Single Man"

By Mike Schulz

Brandon T. Jackson, Logan Lerman, and Alexandra Daddario in Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning ThiefPERCY JACKSON & THE OLYMPIANS: THE LIGHTNING THIEF

Just because the title is rather unwieldy, and the film is about an adolescent with otherworldly abilities, and this kid has male and female tag-along pals with powers of their own, and there are a lot of CGI effects on display, and the director is Harry Potter & the Sorcerer's Stone and Harry Potter & the Chamber of Secrets helmer Chris Columbus, don't think that Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief is necessarily indebted to J.K. Rowling. The latest Harry Potter movie, after all, found its hero contending with a Half-Blood Prince. This adventure, on the other hand, finds its son-of-Poseidon protagonist attending Camp Half-Blood. See? They're not even remotely similar.

16 Feb 2010

What's Happenin': February 16 - March 1, 2010

By Mike Schulz

Jennifer CoolidgeComedy

Jennifer Coolidge

Penguin's Comedy Club

Friday, February 19, and Saturday, February 20

 

My guess is that you saw the photo accompanying this piece and immediately thought one of three things: (1) "Oh ... it's Jennifer Coolidge! I love her!" (2) "Oh ... it's that actress from Legally Blonde and those Christopher Guest movies! I love her!" (3) "Holy crap! Stifler's mom! I freakin' love her!!!"

15 Feb 2010

Sparks, and No Sparks: "Dear John," "Valentine's Day," and "The Wolfman"

By Mike Schulz

Channing Tatum and Amanda Seyfried in Dear JohnDEAR JOHN

Since no one's been pressing a gun to my head, I haven't read Nicholas Sparks' Dear John, which concerns a pair of star-crossed lovers whose romance is derailed by the young man's Army tenure. I have, however, seen director Lasse Hallström's screen version, which apparently follows the novel's blueprint faithfully (albeit with an altered ending), so permit me a question: Does Sparks have absolutely no shame?

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