Morality,
masculinity and family
put to the test in 'Breaking Bad'
I was excited to
receive my copy of Entertainment Weekly last week, which
included a cover story about the 10 best television shows on
the air right now. In the No. 2 slot was the brilliant and
hypnotic "Breaking Bad," a show that I've written
about before.
'Repo
Man' expands
the horror genre
When I review
movies like "Daybreakers" - the futuristic vampire
thriller that arrived in theaters two months ago - I often
hear from readers who question my intellectual critique of a
horror film.
Burton
breaks through
with 'Alice in Wonderland'
Tim
Burton is one of the great imaginative minds of modern
American cinema. When he rose to greatness, he gave us twisted
fairy tales, where gothic bleakness met the whimsy of happily
ever after.
Why
'Avatar' didn't deserve best film
For most of the
world, Sunday was Oscars night. Trophies and red carpets.
Acceptance speeches and snubs.
Damon
smack dab in the middle of combat
There have been
movies made before about the hell of the battlefield. There
have been dramas about Iraq, exploring the unusual rules of
engagement that have hampered our troops.
Oscar
nominees include
unsung movies, stars
For movie fans,
it might as well be Christmas Eve. This weekend is the
biggest of the year - Oscars weekend - with all of the red
carpet glitz, movie star panache and cineaste debates. It
all begins at 7 p.m. Sunday.
Uncovering
three Oscar mysteries
There's only a week left until a
new and improved Oscars ceremony takes over the national
conversation.
Wolfman'
lacks substance
Benicio
Del Toro is a good many things, but "The Wolfman"
proves that he is no werewolf.
Scorsese
targets human guilt
Attention, all
lovers of thrillers and ghost stories: "Shutter
Island" is not the movie you think it is.
Looking
back at cinema's
scariest werewolves
With
"The Wolfman" hitting theaters Friday, werewolves
are officially back in fashion in the hallways of Hollywood.
Get
the jump on your
Oscar office pool sheet
The countdown is
officially underway: 24 days until the Academy Awards.
Firth
anchors 'A Single Man'
It felt odd
naming "A Single Man" as one of my favorite films
of 2009 a month ago, well before it had even opened in an
area movie theater.
The
Oscars are bloated,
confused but popular
In
most years, the announcement of the Oscar nominations yields a
quick assessment of what the selections mean to the
independent film community.
French
films flood Union Theatre at UWM
Every winter, the
Union Theatre at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee hosts
a series of films imported from France - offering local
audiences an unparalleled opportunity to partake, as well as
compare and assess the very best jewels of modern French
cinema.
'Collapse:' A haunting,
brilliant hit 'on demand'
The Sundance Film
Festival wrapped up a week ago, closing out an extended
conversation among those in the film world about just what
direction the future of cinema will take.
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'Radio'
tunes into black middle class
August Wilson has
made his mark in theater for his 10-part series on black
history. Each play represents one decade of the 20th
century, and all with one exception are set in Pittsburgh,
Wilson's city of origin.
Musical
remains a timeless treasure
Mix the magic of
young love, the frustration of unrequited love, a doting
mother, a celebrity and a healthy dose of idol-worshipping
screamers, and you have the formula for "Bye Bye
Birdie," which is presently playing at Waukesha Civic
Theatre.
'Wiz'
brings it home
"The
Wonderful Wizard of Oz," a book written by L. Frank
Baum in 1900, has had a long life.
No
curses in Raabe Theatre production
Shades of the old
melodramas and silent movies with musical accompaniment
echoed through the Raabe Theatre at Wisconsin Lutheran
College as the drama students re-enact the soap operas of
bygone days.
Local
talent being showcased by MSO
The
Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra will share the stage with
Wisconsin’s future musical stars at the Pabst Theater
during the 43rd annual Audrey G. Baird Stars of Tomorrow
concert at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 25.
Classic
grabs attention
of modern crowds
Anton Chekhov
lived his short life (1860 to 1904) with passion and
productivity. But as a physician and writer, he was probably
best known for his short stories.
Fireside
offers 'fabulous' musical
Combine seven
gifted musicians and eight talented vocalists. Give them a
great medley of songs from the 1950s and 1960s. Grace them
with skilled direction and a knowledgeable narrator and
tuneful arrangements and you have the formula for a sure hit
at the Fireside Theatre in Fort Atkinson.
Waukesha
West staging
'Fiddler on the Roof'
"Fiddler on
the Roof," under the direction of Nathan Berish, is
launching a very ambitious production at Waukesha West High
School.
Skylight
offers second part
of Figaro story
This
season, the Skylight Opera Theater has presented two of the
operas based on Pierre Beaumarchais' Figaro trilogy:
"The Barber of Seville" by Rossini was followed by
"The Marriage of Figaro" by Mozart.
'Purgatorio'
plays on emotions
"Purgatorio"
is a play by Ariel Dorfman which reflects this playwright's
continuing interest in writing about the ravages of tyranny
and exile, something he experienced living in Argentina and
Chile.
'Blackbird'
boasts intensity
The
lyric in "Blackbird" by the Beatles is mournful:
"Blackbird singing in the dead of night, take these
broken wings and learn to fly." Perhaps this is the
reason that David Harrower chose this title for his
wrenching, prize-winning drama about a confrontation between
a young woman and an older man 15 years after their
inappropriate relationship.
'Thief
Lord' falls short
The adaptation
from book to the stage is often a challenging one.
'Mid-Life!'makes
fun of aging
Having
the ability to laugh at things that could just as easily be
the cause of fear and frustration is a healthier alternative
than depression or worry.
UW-Waukesha
hosting
special performance
The University of
Wisconsin-Waukesha, in conjunction with the Waukesha Parks,
Recreation and Forestry Department, will hold performances
of Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tale, "The Little
Mermaid and the Prince."
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