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Archive for the ‘Reviews’ Category

Juli B: Mulberry Project Review

Photo: Steve Ekerovich

A few weeks ago I wrote a review of the new downtown hot spot the Mulberry Project for the recently revived luxury e-zine Juli B. You should read it. Or not. Whatever.

(Also, here’s another recent review I wrote of La Silhouette, a new French resto from from a pair of Le Bernardin vets in Hell’s Kitchen.)

 

Movie: The Brothers Solomon

Will Arnett and Will Forte are the Brothers Solomon

The Solomon brothers want to put a baby in you, and goddammit they will, even if it’s the last thing they do. When their dying father expresses one final wish to have a grandchild, Dean and John Solomon (Will Forte and Will Arnett) must find a way to procreate, stat. And it’s not going to be easy. That’s because until now, they’ve grown and developed (or rather, not developed) in the social equivalent of a concentration camp: a remote arctic location where they were home-schooled by their father. Miffed to find that the ladies aren’t exactly swooning, Dean and John explore other options, such as kidnapping (“We were trying to coax that little girl into our car, but her mom’s being a real pain in the ass,” Arnett explains to the police) and adoption (“What is your return policy?”), before they find Janine (SNL’s Kristen Wiig) on Craigslist, and convince her to serve as a surrogate. Written by Forte and directed by the legendary Bob Odenkirk (Mr. Show), this late-summer gem has all the right ingredients for comedy gold.

Movie: Superbad

-Popular Girl: "You know, you scratch our backs, we'll scratch yours." -Fat Nerd: "The funny thing about my back is that it's located on my cock."

Once again, director Judd Apatow (The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Knocked Up) proves that good things happen when you combine a funny script with funny actors. Superbad tells the tale of Evan and Seth (played by Michael Cera of Arrested Development and Knocked Up’s Jonah Hill), two socially inept best friends and high school seniors who must make the most of their days together before enrolling at different colleges in the fall. With no social skills, less than no sex appeal, and nothing even resembling a cool bone in their bodies, the boys realize that if they want to make it as college men, they’re going to have to turn around their luck with the ladies – starting tonight, on the eve of their graduation. Not to be mistaken for a classic coming of age tale a la Stand By Me, Superbad is about as heartwarming as a funeral. But thankfully, it’s a whole lot funnier.

Movie: I’m Reed Fish

Jay Baruchel stars in I'm Reed Fish

In his breakout movie role, Jay Baruchel (Undeclared, Knocked Up) proves to the world that Zach Braff isn’t the only geeky leading man who can pull off a romantic comedy without making us want to puke. Baruchel plays Reed Fish, a small town radio personality with a hot fiancée (Gilmore GirlsAlexis Bledel) and a solid 10-year plan, whose life is turned upside-down when his former high school crush suddenly reappears on the eve of his nuptials. With DJ Qualls (Road Trip, Hustle & Flow) and SNL alum Chris Parnell at the helms, I’m Reed Fish takes a not-so-original story and turns it into a not-half-bad picture.

TV: Kaya

After a slew of reality show successes like The Hills, My Super Sweet 16 and Rob & Big, this fall MTV returns to the sitcom with Kaya. The half-hour drama revolves around the world of Kaya (Danielle Savre), a young musician whose life is forever changed when she skyrockets to celebrity status virtually overnight. Kaya is managed by her often self-serving father Don (who is totally not based on Joe Simpson), a former supermarket meat manager who must eventually choose between his own newfound success and his daughter. Presented through a series of flashbacks, present day scenes and flash-forwards, the viewer follows Kaya as she attempts to stay afloat amidst the rock & roll lifestyle and all its temptations, from drugs and sex to money and power. It remains to be seen whether audiences will go for a scripted drama on a network that has enjoyed a resurgence thanks to shows that document the real-life excesses of bratty American teens who will literally die if Shakira doesn’t perform at their birthday parties, but MTV has proven adept at catering to the interests of its viewers, and Kaya is likely to follow suit.
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DVD: Kung Fu Hustle

Photo: Kung Fu Hustle

What would the late Bruce Lee have to say about Steven Chow’s Kung Fu Hustle? “It’s no Enter The Dragon.” Maybe not, but KFH manages to hold its own – so well, in fact, that it received 26 nominations (including a Golden Globe for Best Foreign-Language Film) and 17 awards at a slew of international film festivals when it was released in 2004. Set in 1940s Shanghai, KFH is the story of Sing (Chow), a pitiable would-be gangster with high hopes of joining the city’s most notorious crew, Axe Gang. But a series of events find Sing going toe-to-toe with the powerful gang, leading the unlikely hero to discover his inner kung fu master. If you think Drunken Master beats Rush Hour any day of the week, then Kung Fu Hustle is like the Jackie Chan movie you’ve been waiting for, sans Jackie Chan. Check out the DVD before KFH 2 rolls out in ‘08.

 

Interview: John Leguizamo & Donnie Wahlberg

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Who needs Jack Bauer when you’ve got… Pittsburgh?

“I love Pittsburgh, I think it’s underrated,” says actor Donnie Wahlberg, who plays hostage negotiator Horst Cali on Spike TV’s new summer miniseries The Kill Point, shot on location in the ‘Burgh.

Joining Wahlberg on set was John Leguizamo in the role of  Mr. Wolf, the ringleader of a team of disgruntled Iraq War veterans who decide to rob a bank.

Wahlberg admits that although he is ostensibly playing the role of hero, “You could just as easily not root for [my character]. I think in the end people will,” he says, “but [Wolf and Cali] are two flawed characters, they’re not perfect. It seems like sometimes the choices they make aren’t always great, but at their core they’re both good guys and they make a connection. They’re both fearlessly determined to get their way, and while they respect each other, it’s like a very good chess match. They find that they have a lot in common but they both want to win, they both want to accomplish their goals.”  Read more…

TV: It’s Always Sunny in Philadephia

 

It's Always Funny in Philadelphia

The little TV show that could, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia returns to FX this summer for a third season. The show–which was picked up in 2005 after a pilot that reportedly cost only $85 to make was submitted to FX under the title It’s Always Sunny on TV–circulates around four friends (two of whom, Dennis and Dee, also happen to be twins) who run Paddy’s, an Irish pub in the City of Brotherly Love. Midget-turned-actor Danny DeVito joined the cast last year in the role of Frank, the twins’ father–or so we were led to believe before it was revealed at the end of last season than he is actually their friend Charlie’s biological father. A bunch of lazy, depraved, egomaniacal liars, these kids are fast becoming our personal heroes, and if you don’t get FX, don’t worry; episodes of It’s Always Sunny are available for download on iTunes.

DVD: Bickford Shmeckler’s Cool Ideas

PHOTO COURTESY OF SCREEN MEDIA FILMS

Perhaps you missed Bickford Shmeckler’s Cool Ideas when it, um, wasn’t released on the big screen, but have no fear, because this August you’ll have the opportunity to experience Bickford on DVD. An A- (and B-) list cast features Patrick Fugit (Almost Famous, Saved!), Olivia Wilde (The Black Donnellys, The Girl Next Door), Matthew Lillard (Scream, Scooby Doo) and John Cho (Harold and Kumar Go To White Castle). Fugit stars as college student Bickford Shmeckler, whose journal of unbelievably awesome theories and ideas is stolen by his smoking hot classmate Sarah Witt (Wilde), effectively altering life as he knows it. Now, Bickford has to channel all that nerd-juice into a plan of action to get his book back. Make sure to check out the exclusive Dungeons and Dragons bonus feature. It’s what all the cool kids will be talking about this summer.

TV: American Body Shop

Photo courtesy of Comedy Central

The latest series to join the programming schedule at Comedy Central, American Body Shop is set against the backdrop of, you guessed it, an American body shop. Modeled after the improvisational format of Reno 911!, the half-hour comedy gives us an inside view into a world hitherto shrouded by mystery and known only to your local mechanic. The show focuses on the twice-divorced shop owner, Sam, whose spends most of his time trying to keep his business running smoothly as his unruly employees make every effort to undermine him. First there’s Johnny from Brooklyn (a wannabe gangster who alludes to the possibility that he may be in the Witness Protection Program; suffice it to say that he’s not). Then there’s Tim, the “undersexed prankster” who has no concept of comedic timing. Add in a few other misfits and you’ve got a bunch of bumbling idiots with ready access to heavy machinery. Let the laughs begin.