19 Nov 2012

Not-So-Silent Nights: Holiday Concerts in the Quad Cities and Surrounding Areas

By Mike Schulz

Steven Curtis Chapman in the i wireless Center's 12 Gifts of ChristmasOur area's roster of holiday-themed concerts, which began with November 17's annual Holiday Pops at the i wireless Center, will continue at the Moline venue with November 30's 12 Gifts of Christmas, a New Anthem presentation emceed by Lisa Whelchel of The Facts of Life fame and showcasing performances by, among others, contemporary Christian artists and Grammy Award winners Steven Curtis Chapman and Laura Story.

Those are impressive headliners. But when it comes to gifts of a musical nature, 12 is really low-balling it; the Quad Cities and its neighboring burgs will actually be hosting more than two dozen holiday concerts between November 30 and December 22, among them even more engagements featuring nationally beloved singers and musicians.

18 Nov 2012

Abe, Honestly: "Lincoln," "The Sessions," and "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, Part 2"

By Mike Schulz

Sally Field and Daniel Day-Lewis in LincolnLINCOLN

Steven Speilberg has never directed a talkier movie than his presidential biopic Lincoln, and only on rare occasions, it seems to me, has he directed a better one.

12 Nov 2012

Is You Is or Is You Ain't My Santa?: "Miracle on 34th Street," at the Circa '21 Dinner Playhouse through December 30

By Mike Schulz

Grace Moore, Laila Haley, John Payonk, Katie Casel, and Krianna Walljasper in Miracle on 34th StreetThe Circa '21 Dinner Playhouse opened its presentation of Miracle on 34th Street on Friday, and if you're familiar with the 1947 film classic this musical version is based on, you should know that Laila Haley, who portrays Susan Walker, isn't on a par with the movie's Natalie Wood. She's actually so much better than Wood that it's not even funny.

09 Nov 2012

His Word Is Bond: "Skyfall"

By Mike Schulz

Daniel Craig in SkyfallSKYFALL

Longtime fans of the franchise can, and likely will, argue over whether Skyfall is one of the all-time best James Bond films or whether it just feels that way because it's now been six years since the last decent one. (Despite having friends who'll stump for everything from Moonraker to The World Is Not Enough, I don't know anyone who really cares for 2008's Quantum of Solace.) But here's a question that I'm not sure merits any argument: Prior to this latest adventure, has any other Bond movie looked quite so spectacular?

06 Nov 2012

What's Happenin': Thursday, November 8, through Tuesday, November 20

By Mike Schulz

 

WildlifeMusic

Wildlife

Rozz-Tox

Tuesday, November 13, 8 p.m.

 

It's November, it's chilly, it's time to trade the fall jacket in for the winter coat ... . Who's up for seeing some wildlife? Better yet, who's up for seeing some Wildlife from the comfort of a heated building while sipping a Vietnamese coffee?

04 Nov 2012

Pilot Lit: "Flight," "Wreck-It Ralph," and "The Man with the Iron Fists"

By Mike Schulz

Denzel Washington in FlightFLIGHT

Within the first 15 minutes of director Robert Zemeckis' Flight, you'll witness what must rank as one of cinema's most frightening, emotionally wrenching plane crashes. Yet in the end, and as harrowing as this passage is, I'm not sure that it's actually more terrifying or heartbreaking than the scenes of Denzel Washington's Whip Whitaker - the pilot whose heroic actions save 96 lives aboard that ill-fated flight - battling his urge to drink and, with only the mildest feelings of regret, losing that battle again and again and again.

01 Nov 2012

A Passage to India: Singer/Songwriter Kiran Ahluwalia, November 9 at St. Ambrose University

By Mike Schulz

Kiran AhluwaliaHer first CD, Kashish - Attraction, earned her a Best Global Album nomination at the 2002 Juno Awards, the Canadian equivalent of the Grammys. Her second, 2003's Beyond Boundaries, received the Juno for Best World Music Album of the Year. Her latest, 2011's Aam Zameen - Common Ground, made her a two-time Juno winner in that category.

Consequently, the estimable world musician and frequent touring artist Kiran Ahluwalia must be feeling relatively secure about career longevity, yes?

"No," says the Indo-Canadian singer/songwriter, with a laugh, during a recent phone interview. "Oh, God, no.

"I mean," she continues, "I released my fifth CD last year, and I've been doing this full-time for 12 years now, and I definitely feel like I have enough gigs lined up for the next two years. But there really isn't any security in my portion of the industry. So you kind of have to have short-term plans - a year down the road, two years maximum. Because after that, who knows what's going to happen?"

29 Oct 2012

A Map of the World: "Cloud Atlas," "Chasing Mavericks," and "Silent Hill: Revelation"

By Mike Schulz

Tom Hanks and Halle Berry in Cloud AtlasCLOUD ATLAS

I've seen plenty of movies in which a number of excellent passages can't seem to blend into a satisfying whole. But prior to the release of Cloud Atlas, the film version of David Mitchell's sprawling 2004 novel, I don't think I'd ever seen a movie in which so many merely adequate sequences combine to form a whole that's not only satisfying but downright exhilarating. Directed by Tom Tykwer and siblings Andy and Lana Wachowski and running just shy of three hours, this genre fantasia should be a mess, and it oftentimes is. It's also, however, a hypnotic, glorious, grandly entertaining mess, one that's probably far more enjoyable than a more presentationally faithful adaptation would've been.

23 Oct 2012

What's Happenin': Thursday, October 25, through Wednesday, November 7

By Mike Schulz

Del the Funky HomosapienMusic

Del the Funky Homosapien

Rock Island Brewing Company

Friday, October 26, 9 p.m.

 

Fans of funk, rap, and hip hop aren't going to want to miss the October 26 concert at the Rock Island Brewing Company, considering the venue has booked an evening with the legendary underground artist and hip-hop emcee Del the Funky Homosapien. But there's actually a sect of people who might be even more jazzed by the arrival of this California-based music sensation: video-game fanatics.

22 Oct 2012

Piano Mover and Shaker: Quad City Arts Visiting Artist Leon Bates, October 27 at Augustana College

By Mike Schulz

Leon BatesOn any given day, you can find the acclaimed classical pianist Leon Bates headlining one of the world's most renowned concert halls, or playing alongside one of America's most prestigious symphony orchestras, or performing and educating as an artist-in-residence - a position he's currently filling as Quad City Arts' latest Visiting Artist.

But your best chance of running into Bates - whose public concert for Quad City Arts will be held at Augustana College on October 27 - might actually be at the gym, as he's no doubt one of the few professional pianists who is also, as we discussed during a recent phone interview, an avid bodybuilder.

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