Ginger's follies, foibles and fixations.
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| You Listen to Me, Mr. Kick-Ass Ginger's follies, foibles and fixations. |
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Friday, October 03, 2003 Schooled by Satan! or: It Doesn't Matter If It's Good, It Only Matters if it Rocks School of Rock is the first movie I've seen in a while that I wanted to see again immediately after it was over. Jack Black is hilarious, of course, but this movie would be nothing without the great kids chosen to be JB's rock prodigies. Most of them aren't great actors ("Summer" being one notable exception), but it doesn't matter because they are real musicans with charm and talent that surpasses the occasional wooden line-reading. The chemistry between the kids and Mr. Black is curiously perfect. There's no condescending "kids-movie" gooeyness here. As far as Black is concerned, these aren't delicate flowers of youth, these are band mates, subject to the same praise and abuse of any fledgling rock combo. In fact, the movie kind of dies on the vine whenever Black is separated from his classroom for tiresome bits of "plot" with other adults, such as his pushover roommate (genius screenwriter Mike White), the roommate's shrewish girlfriend (Sarah Silverman) and the uptight principal (Joan Cusack). Thankfully, these moments are few and brief. School of Rock is one of your finer multiplex choices this season, so don't miss it. This Rock is best served big-screen style. posted by Ginger | 10:58 PM Tuesday, September 30, 2003 Money + Time = Entertainment I just found out that Hanson will be playing on my birthday...in London! Man, if I had all the money and time...sigh. Instead, I think I'll be going to "Little Shop of Horrors" on Broadway. I ordered super-mega discount tickets, I just haven't gotten them in the mail yet. the buzz has not been stellar, but what the heck--it has to be better than the movie. I saw the show during it's original Off-Broadway run back nearly (gah!) twenty years ago on one of my first trips to NYC, back when the E. Village was still a bit seedy and when my sense of humor was appopriately tickled by a gigantic, murderous singing plant. It was playing at the Orpheum, where "Stomp" now plays week after week, year after year, in perpetuity. ********* Speaking of Off-Broadway, I saw Cudgel in "Naked Boys Singing!" last weekend. For those just joining us, Cudgel is the actor-singer-dancer I dated briefly early this year. That was pretty funny--especially for Mrs. Boss, who went with me. It was a cute show but I had trouble seeing the point of it -- except, of course, the obvious. It makes sense as a gay show (by and for gay men) but it seems somehow wrong for an audience of primarily drunk bachelorette parties from Jersey, as it was last weekend. In short: if you are drooling over the idea of seeing a bunch of naked guys (singing!) then by all means, check it out. If it sounds like a lame gimmick, well... Cudgel did a good job, though. If you want to do Off-Broadway, check out "Flow" before it closes. It's a one-man show, kind of a cross between monologue, storytelling and hip-hop poetry show, the "actor-rapper from the neighborhood" performs seven different storytellers, each with their own unique rhythms and body movements. It's brilliant, mesmerizing stuff - much of still going through my head weeks later. I'd say more but I don't have the time now... just go if you can. On the movie front, I tried to see a free sneak preview of "The Station Agent" yesterday at 7pm, but when I got there with my invitation in hand, they said people had started showing up at 3pm -- if you weren't press, you weren't getting in. Since I was there, I bought a ticket to "Lost in Translation," which I enjoyed a lot. Bill Murray gives yet another spectacularly nuanced performance, Scarlett Johansson is great and drop-dead gorgeous. And I just want to give a shout-out to Anna Faris! Next to Murray she's the funniest thing in the movie, with (whether intentional or not) a spot-on imitation of Cameron Diaz. She's becoming one of my favorite young actresses these days. posted by Ginger | 3:45 PM Monday, September 29, 2003 Bang Sometime in the wee hours of this morning, I was awakened by what I'm absolutely sure was a single gunshot. This is a noisy place, and I've heard all sorts of bangs - car backfirings, fireworks, crashing dumpsters. But instead of thinking "was that...?" I knew "that was." It's an eerie sound. I didn't check the time, I didn't call the cops. I just went back to sleep, thinking: "I'm surprised that hadn't happened earlier." Update: I hadn't realized when I wrote the above that today is the two-year anniversary of my moving to New York City! It's a fitting tribute. And to think, I haven't managed to get a "real job" yet! posted by Ginger | 7:56 AM |
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