Justin Kroll For The State News Since the 1960s, movies about interracial relationships such as "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner" and "Jungle Fever" have taken a more dramatic and serious approach.
"A hitman and a salesman walk into a bar … " is the tagline for "The Matador" — and the whole movie is one long, hilarious punchline. Hitman Julian Noble (Pierce Brosnan) and struggling businessman Danny Wright (Greg Kinnear) are both in Mexico City on business.
By Justin Kroll For The State News It is rare today in movies that we see directors take the gamble of slowing a film down and making it into a piece of thought-provoking art, instead of a fast-paced, action-packed epic.
Curtis Remington might look like your average businessman by day. But by nightfall, khakis are traded for bright colors, keyboards for guitars and short haircuts for wispy wigs. A graphic artist by day and a Beatle by night, Remington is the rhythm guitar and harmonica player for the Beatles tribute band Yellowsub Marines, and he loves every minute of it. "This isn't a full-time job, this is a full-time passion," Remington said.
The message that the female body is mistreated in MSU Department of Theatre's "The Waiting Room" is as loud as the piercing screams in Act 1.
Imagine a world where you can be arrested for speaking out against your government, dancing at a concert or painting your fingernails.
The Oreos on display don't twist or crumble, and you definitely can't bite into them. The popular cookies are just a sampling of the smorgasbord of art in the victual-themed "Feast Your Eyes" exhibit at (SCENE) Metrospace, 303 Abbott Road.
A miniskirt? Too provocative. Toss it to the ground. An ankle-length gray number looks too matronly.
Every week, The State News presents five things going on in the world of pop culture that might make your life a little bit better.
Woody Allen could be a philosopher, but it's a good thing he opted for a directing career. "Match Point" weaves the story of four young people's lives into an example of how luck can dictate our paths.
When I browse through the DVDs at Best Buy or FYE, the last emotion I expect to feel is nostalgia. Yet that yearning for yesterday hits me time after time when I see the shows I grew up watching available to the masses again. The biggest shock has to come from learning that "Beakman's World" — the science-experiment show that featured Beakman, the dour Lester the Rat and Josie — has "The Best of Beakman's World" on DVD for the low, low price of $5.97 at Amazon.com. As a kid, I loved watching Beakman perform experiments to answer questions about rainbows and why the sky is blue.
The Xbox 360 is the current pinnacle of gaming experience. And — as is appropriate for a pinnacle — it's proved quite hard to reach.
Newly appointed chair of the Department of Theatre, George Peters hopes his strong administrative background will help put MSU theater in the spotlight.
"Last Night Out" describes the night before Brandon's wedding as Joshua takes a reluctant Brandon out on the town. The characters are played by Brandon Bautista and Joshua Ortman, whose first names correspond with their characters'. Ortman begins the night by flaunting his bad boy persona — he hits on girls, drinks excessively and enthusiastically takes Brandon to a strip club against his wishes.
By Erik Adams Special for The State News As you can read in any rock magazine of note (Spin and Harp, for instance), Rilo Kiley frontwoman Jenny Lewis set out to make her solo debut, a soul album in the vein of 1971's "Gonna Take a Miracle" by Laura Nyro and LaBelle.
The Union Ballroom hosted an almost contradictory event Friday — an arena rock show in an intimate environment. Contradiction or not, it was definitely a hand-clapping good time for audience members when Almost Queen — a Queen tribute band — hit the stage with screaming guitar solos, monstrous drum beats and heavenly vocal range. "Really, we started the band when we found a guy that looked exactly like Freddie Mercury," said Tom Cavanagh, guitar player for the tribute band, before the show. Cavanagh, who has a striking resemblance to Queen's guitar player Brian May, was right about his band mate Joseph Russo looking like Queen's late great lead singer Mercury. Russo wore the trademark white tank top with white jeans and, of course, sported the Mercury mustache.
The biggest sports game of the year is just down I-96, and you want to party with the big name celebs in Detroit.
Wynton Marsalis & the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra didn't just perform at the MSU Auditorium Wednesday night — they generated a mind-blowing event. The show was over before the audience had a chance to grasp the virtuosity of jazz brilliance on stage.
MSU alumni Marty Shea and Ian Bonner are making names for themselves in the film business. Their recent short film "21 Carbs," which Shea and Bonner wrote and directed, has won two awards and been accepted to eight film festivals.
The title sums up the whole plot — "Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World" is about just that.