Peter Schilling “Dig around and find something!” Steve Jevning said, poking through a box of doll heads. “That’s how we do it here. See it, touch it, if something talks to you, grab it!” Jevning is the founder and executive director of Leonardo’s Basement, a South Minneapolis educational center for children of all ages. In a space … Read more
I long ago discovered the correlation between the price paid for a pair of sunglasses and the speed at which I lose them. I once dropped a sweet pair of Ray-Bans over the side of a friend’s Sunfish and watched them sink to the bottom of Lake Michigan after only one week. Eventually, frugality had … Read more
Pinocchio, 1940. Directed by Hamilton Luske and Ben Sharpsteen, written by Aurelius Battaglia, William Cottrell, Otto Englander, Bill Peet, Erdman Penner, Joseph Sabo, Ted Sears and Webb Smith (all that for an 88 minute film!). Featuring the originally uncredited voices of Cliff Edwards, Dickie Jones, Christian Rub, Walter Catlett, Charles Judels, Evelyn Venable, Frankie Darro, … Read more
An Inconvenient Truth, 2006. Directed by Davis Guggenheim. Created by and Starring Al Gore (and, yes, today’s politicians are stars). An Inconvenient Truth has been marketed, without a hint of irony, as ‘the most terrifying film you’ll ever see’. There’s some truth in that, though not, I think, in ways the filmmakers intended. For myself, … Read more
Nacho Libre, 2006. Directed by Jared Hess, written by Jared and Jerusha Hess and Mike White. Starring Jack Black, Hector Jimenez, Ana de la Reguera, and Darius Rose. Mexicans sure are funny. This was hammered into my cranium about ten minutes into Nacho Libre. Early on, we see Jack Black serving grotesque meals to poor … Read more
Since it seems as if The Oak Street Cinema isn’t going to open its doors to rep cinema anytime soon (if ever), fans of the old school can head on down tonight to the Matchbox Coffee Shop (1306 2nd Avenue NE–just off Broadway) where the affable Barry Kryshka is going to show Watermelon Man. According … Read more
“OK, see, the thing I’ve got in my head is that we’re finally nearing the Armageddon because even the Godless are starting to freak out. Hollywood, that’s the Gomorrah of our time, and what’s going on? Religion. Look at it: Da Vinci Code, The Omen, that Mel Gibson thing with the Indians, even that Al … Read more
My digital camera is gone; above, stock photo subtly suggesting that the Virginia Madsen character is an angel. Get it? There’s more in case you don’t… A Prairie Home Companion, 2006. Directed by Robert Altman, written by Garrison Keillor. Starring Garrison Keillor, Meryl Streep, Lily Tomlin, Virginia Madsen, Kevin Kline, Lindsay Lohan, John C. Reilly, … Read more
Tonight, in an alley behind the Matchbox Coffee Shop (1306 2nd Avenue NE–just off Broadway) a great guy named Barry is going to show some keen flicks. In his words: “We shoot video onto the painted brick, fairly large. We have a portable speaker, but I’m hoping to get FM transmission up and running as … Read more
This just in from our Hollywood Operative: Neil LaBute, who you’d would think would know better, is trying his hand remaking The Wicker Man. Big mistake. The original Wicker Man is a triumph of ham, of cheap thrills, creepy Scottish countrysides made even creepier by poor camerawork, and a ridiculous script that seems as if … Read more