Meryl Streep portrays Sister Aloysius and Philip Seymour Hoffman plays Father Flynn in "Doubt."
This week’s DVD releases include new outings from Jim Carrey and Adam Sandler, but it’s a haunting, Oscar-nominated drama that is the true must-see.
Tag Archives: entertainment
‘Scoundrels’ musical is a kick
Left to right, Brian McKay, Christy Adamson and Stephen Patterson in a scene from "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels."
Steve Martin and Michael Caine are tough acts to follow, but Stephen Patterson and Brian McKay do just fine in the national touring production of “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels,” playing through Sunday at Reno’s Pioneer Center.
The show is a musical adaptation of the 1988 film starring Caine and Martin and while the plotting is similar, the music adds a new dimension. This version of “Scoundrels” is a full-on song-and-dance show in the classic musical theater tradition. Dialogue is interspersed with jazzy tunes that are often even funnier than the Jeffrey Lane script.
Click here for full story: http://rgj.com/article/20090404/ENT/90404035/1056
Filed under Theater Reviews
RCO spotlights local boy
Christopher Lin-Brande
The Reno Chamber Orchestra is putting a local boy in the spotlight this weekend when Christopher Lin-Brande appears as a featured soloist.
Lin-Brande, a violinist, grew up in the Biggest Little City and attended Reno High School before leaving the area to study economics and pre-med at Yale University. He was also a regular fill-in player with the Chamber Orchestra and a contract player with the Reno Philharmonic while living here.
Click here for full story: http://www.rgj.com/article/20090404/ENT/904040303/1056
Filed under Features
‘Witch Mountain’ is fun despite flaws
From left to right, Carla Gugino, AnnaSophia Robb, Alexander Ludwig and Dwayne Johnson in "Race to Witch Mountain."
RACE TO WITCH MOUNTAIN
2 ½ stars (out of four)
Rated PG for sequences of action and violence, frightening and dangerous situations, and some thematic elements
98 minutes
Walt Disney Pictures
Disney’s re-imagining of the 1975 family adventure “Escape to Witch Mountain,” has its share of flaws but it’s still a likable feature, in large part thanks to the winning cast.
Dwayne Johnson stars as Jack Bruno, a Las Vegas cab driver with a sketchy past. Despite his desire to go straight, former associates are trying to lure him back to a life of crime, but that becomes a minor concern when two children, Sara (AnnaSophia Robb) and Seth (Alexander Ludwig), wind up in his cab and offer him $15,000 for an extraordinarily long journey.
It doesn’t take long for Johnson to learn that the kids have special abilities and that they’re being hunted by both the U.S. government and something far worse. When Sara and Seth tell Jack they are actually extraterrestrial, he balks. Still, he sticks with them, trying to keep them out of harm’s way despite increasing trouble and the nagging thought that they’re telling the truth. Eventually, Jack recruits a beautiful scientist named Alex Friedman (Carla Gugino) to the cause.
The story has a number of plot holes, most notably that the children regularly fail to use their abilities at times when they would come in most handy and that elite government agents are depicted as bumbling goons. This may bother demanding viewers, but the youngsters in the audience should be able to look right past the trouble spots and enjoy the ride. Truth is, adults can do that too, and those who like Johnson’s affable demeanor probably will. He is winning from start to finish and Robb, Ludwig and Gugino only serve to make him better.
Credit also goes to director and co-writer Andy Fickman who keeps the pace fast enough that viewers don’t have much time to dissect the nagging inconsistencies.
Filed under Movie Reviews
‘Scoundrels’ musical mimics the film
A scene from "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels."
If you saw the 1988 movie “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels,” Brian McKay says the musical theater version will feel awfully familiar.
“The musical that opened on Broadway in 2005 is very, very closely based on that movie,” said McKay, who stars in the touring production of the show, which is in Reno this weekend. “The script has all of the fantastic humor that made the movie so successful.”
Click her for the complete story: http://rgj.com/article/20090403/ENT/904030388/1056
Filed under Features
Video Verdict: New DVDs for March 31
Dev Patel, left, does his best to field questions from Anil Kapoor in "Slumdog Millionaire," the 2008 winner of Oscar's best picture award.
This week’s DVD releases include a complicated French thriller, a Will Smith drama and a sentimental tearjerker, but the clear frontrunner is this year’s best picture Oscar winner.
Filed under Video Verdict
Reno Philharmonic names new music director/conductor
Laura Jackson
The Reno Philharmonic has hired Laura Jackson as its new music director and conductor, and executive director Tim Young says she was the favorite not only of the search committee but of orchestra musicians and the public. She is also the first woman to hold the orchestra’s top artistic post.
“I feel ecstatic,” Jackson said. “I really do. It’s often hard to sleep because I have so many ideas percolating in my head. Every piece I hear now, every piece I listen to, I think, ‘Oh my gosh, I want to do this.’ “
Young said the orchestra’s search committee found each of the five finalists impressive, but it was Jackson who made the biggest impression.
Click here for entire story: http://www.rgj.com/article/20090328/NEWS18/90328010&OAS_sitepage=news.rgj.com%2Fbreakingnews
Filed under Features
Five facts about the circus
Everyone knows circuses are a great place to see acrobats and performing elephants. But, with the Kerak Shrine Circus in Reno this weekend, I thought it would be fun to look at some things you might not know. Here goes …
Click her for full story: http://rgj.com/article/20090327/NEWS18/90327051
Filed under Features
It’s worth watching ‘Watchmen’
Malin Akerman, left, and Patrick Wilson play superheroes in "Watchmen."
WATCHMEN
3 stars (out of four)
Rated R for strong graphic violence, sexuality, nudity and language
162 minutes
Warner Brothers
“Watchmen” may be a superhero movie, but it’s got more in common with “Sin City” and “V for Vendetta” than the traditional caped crusader flick. That’s because it’s dark, gritty and built around a traditional detective story. It’s also because the movie is based on a graphic novel written by Alan Moore, who also penned “Vendetta.”
Filed under Movie Reviews
Video Verdict: New DVDs for March 24
Bolt the superdog and his pal Rhino in a scene from the Oscar-nominated, animated film "Bolt."
This week’s DVD releases include the latest James Bond thriller and two animated films, one for adults and one for the kiddies.
Filed under Video Verdict
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