05 May 2013

Heavy Metal: "Iron Man 3" and "Space Junk 3D"

By Mike Schulz

Robert Downey Jr. in Iron Man 3IRON MAN 3

Iron Man 3 begins with narration by Tony Stark, the superheroic multi-billionaire voiced and eventually embodied, as always, by Robert Downey Jr. His tone is steady and somber as he makes ominous pronouncements about the uncertain state of the world and how we each create our own demons and such, but before long, Stark's more expectedly breezy, wise-ass nature takes over - he stumbles over his words and realizes his blathering isn't really going anywhere, and quickly puts a kibosh on the opening address. The whole routine is reminiscent of Woody Allen's hilariously neurotic "Chapter one ... " intro at the start of Manhattan, and immediately suggests that this second sequel to 2008's effects-laden blockbuster will be both deathly serious and happily insouciant. And it is. I'm just not completely convinced, in the case of Iron Man 3, that that's a good thing.

30 Apr 2013

What's Happenin': Thursday, May 2, through Wednesday, May 15

By Mike Schulz

Bruce Robison and Kelly WillisMusic

Bruce Robison and Kelly Willis

The Redstone Room

Saturday, May 4, 8:30 p.m.

 

First, there was Bennifer. Then there was Brangelina. Then there was TomKat. And now, with their Redstone Room concert scheduled for May 4, local audiences will be treated to the artistic gifts and personal charisma of America's latest celebrity super-couple: Bruce Robinson and Kelly Willis. Or, using the nickname I prefer, BruceWillis!

Wow, that's a terrible nickname ... . Let me reconsider that one and get back to you ... .

29 Apr 2013

Vaudeville-in': Comedian Josh Kahn Hosts "Bottoms Up Burlesque: Komic Kahn," May 17 through 25 at the Circa '21 Speakeasy

By Mike Schulz

Josh KahnAs emcee for the Bottoms Up Burlesque troupe and a former emcee for Burlesque Le' Moustache, Josh Kahn's formal responsibilities shouldn't include disrobing in public. But if you ask Kahn about his favorite experiences from years of hosting and providing comedic filler between striptease acts, don't be surprised if the first one he mentions involves the night he himself stripped on stage. Or rather, as Kahn refers to it, "the first night I stripped on stage.

28 Apr 2013

Meatheads: "Pain & Gain" and "The Big Wedding"

By Mike Schulz

Dwayne Johnson, Mark Wahlberg, and Anthony Mackie in Pain & GainPAIN & GAIN

In Pain & Gain, the witty, savvy, almost perfectly pitched new release by Michael Bay, Mark Wahlberg plays a dimwitted personal trainer who decides he'd rather steal than pursue the American dream, and - .

Yes, I just used "witty," "savvy," and "almost perfectly pitched" to describe a Michael Bay movie. Trust me, you're not as shocked as I am.

21 Apr 2013

"Pines" Soul: "The Place Beyond the Pines" and "Oblivion"

By Mike Schulz

Ryan Gosling and Eva Mendes in The Place Beyond the PinesTHE PLACE BEYOND THE PINES

You may not remember this if you're 25 or younger, but between the mid-'70s and mid-'90s, we were sometimes treated to Very Special Episodes of long-running sitcoms. These episodes, which were usually twice as long as their shows' 22-minute standard, found beloved characters momentarily wrestling with Weighty Themes and tackling Important Issues, and were frequently showered with critical praise and awards despite, or maybe because of, their general self-consciousness and bloat. (Michael J. Fox and Helen Hunt surely owe several of their Emmys to VSEs.) They're mocked now, and they were kind of mocked then, and so it might seem like a particularly condescending insult to say that director Derek Cianfrance's The Place Beyond the Pines feels like nothing so much as a Very Special Episode of a gritty, edgy indie drama.

16 Apr 2013

What's Happenin': Thursday, April 18, through Wednesday, May 1

By Mike Schulz

The 4onthefloorMusic

The 4onthefloor

Rock Island Brewing Company

Friday, April 19, 9:30 p.m.

 

On April 19, the Rock Island Brewing Company hosts an evening with The 4onthefloor, the Minneapolis-based blues-rock outfit noted for all of its songs being written in 4/4 time, and for each of the group's musicians playing a bass drum. Band member James Gould has called this format "limiting in a way that really forces you to be more creative." Which is exactly how I describe my writing talents ... but usually without that "creative" part.

15 Apr 2013

Berger's Joint: "Hair," at the District Theatre through April 28

By Mike Schulz

Under no circumstances would I publicly suggest that you indulge in mind-altering substances before seeing the District Theatre's Hair. I would, however, recommend that you ask for a hit of whatever actor Chris Causer is high on - even if it's just the exhilaration of performing - because, clearly, its side effects include having, and giving, the time of your life.

13 Apr 2013

And Here's to You, Mr. Robinson: "42" and "Scary Movie 5"

By Mike Schulz

Harrison Ford and Chadwick Boseman in 4242

42, writer/director Brian Helgeland's dramatization of three years in the life of baseball trailblazer Jackie Robsinson, is an earnest, deliberately old-fashioned entertainment, an inspirational bio-pic made with professionalism and care but little in the way of emotional or thematic nuance - it's the very definition of what-you-see-is-what-you-get filmmaking. In three specific scenes, though, this seemingly prototypical triumph-of-the-underdog sports flick also achieves a legitimate, rousing greatness, and it's the sort of expansive and lingering greatness that makes you leave the picture feeling, with few reservations, that the movie as a whole was truly great.

11 Apr 2013

Repertory Stories: New Ground Theatre's Playwrights Festival, April 19 through 28 at the Village Theatre

By Mike Schulz

author Dana-Moss Peterson (left), with Jessica Denney, in New Ground Theatre's Mr. MarmaladeOver the years, Davenport's New Ground Theatre has prided itself on the presentation of new works by emerging authors. But this year, even Artistic Director Chris Jansen is shocked to find the company not only producing eight new works in a season, but eight new works - the majority of them by local authors - over a two-night span.

07 Apr 2013

Worst Intervention Ever: "Evil Dead," "Olympus Has Fallen," and "Tyler Perry's Temptation: Confessions of a Marriage Counselor"

By Mike Schulz

Jane Levy in Evil DeadEVIL DEAD

While I like the movie just fine, I'm not enough of a fanatic for Sam Raimi's 1981 splatter classic The Evil Dead to get in a twist about the existence of director Fede Alvarez's new, definite-article-free remake Evil Dead. (It's when Hollywood inevitably remakes Raimi's priceless horror sequel Evil Dead II that we're gonna have problems.) But despite being mostly entertained by Alvarez's beyond-bloody outing, especially during its second half, I do have to question the decision to make it, for so much of its length, so bloody serious. This is a film, after all, in which a demon is released by a supernatural incantation, nail guns and electric carving knives are the weapons of choice, and one character escapes a (more-)dreadful fate by enacting a speedier version of 127 Hours. How are we not asked to laugh at all this?

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