Slated to open Friday at AMC Quail Springs Mall 24, 2501 W. Memorial, the movie is set in an isolated Lebanese village with an uneasy truce between the town’s Christian and Muslim populations. The peacekeepers are the women — Christian and Muslim alike — who distract the men’s bellicose tendencies any way they can, whether […]
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Savages
Savages is a chance for Stone to hone his pulp fiction. Based on the best-selling novel by Don Winslow (who also co-wrote the script with Stone and Shane Salerno), the movie follows two best buds in California who cultivate some mighty fine bud. Ben (Aaron Johnson, Kick-Ass) is the philanthropic Buddhist of the multimillion-dollar marijuana-growing […]
Posted inMusic
All in the family
Photo: Chris Phelps It won’t be hard to spot indie-rock act Eisley’s tour bus out on the road this summer. It’ll be the one with the “Baby on Board” sign. “It’s going to be funny, with my sisters both pregnant,” said singer and guitarist Sherri DuPree-Bemis of her siblings and bandmates Stacy King and Chauntelle […]
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Chesty Morgan’s Bosom Buddies
Now that that’s, um, out of the way, let’s dive into the new triple-feature Blu-ray, Chesty Morgan’s Bosom Buddies, from pioneering sexploitation director Doris Wishman and the cult-film gods at Something Weird Video. For fans of really whacked-out movies, it’s one of the year’s few must-own discs. Busting out of the box first is […]
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21 Jump Street
In the prologue, we’re introduced to high school nerd Schmidt (Jonah Hill, Moneyball) and his dumb-jock tormenter, Jenko (Channing Tatum, Magic Mike). Seven years later, both enroll in the police academy, and form an unlikely friendship by helping each other get through. At graduation, they barely can contain their excitement about a law-enforcement career: “Get […]
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Montu — Bloom
Opener “Dock Ellis” is a doozy at nearly nine minutes, although it never overstays its welcome. John Barkley flexes his muscle here with keyboard work of Stevie Wonder pedigree, while Jon Godsy is equally impressive with the bass line throughout. “Shama Pt. 1” and “Skip Dickson” borrow from lo-fi purveyors Toro y Moi and Ariel […]
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Crime Does Not Pay: The Complete Shorts Collection (1935-1947)
Roughly 20 minutes apiece, give or take, these rare scare films are hosted by a guy (or guys, as the identity changes; one has a lazy eye) introducing himself straight to the camera as only “the MGM reporter.” He interviews presumably real-life experts about criminal activities, and then we’re treated to a lengthy re-enactment of […]
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Sound of Noise
Unfortunately for him, avant-garde musicians Sanna (Sanna Persson) and Magnus (Magnus Börjeson) are plotting something big: a full-scale, public performance of his masterpiece, Music for One City and Six Drummers. They only need four more drummers, so they recruit them Blues Brothers style, in order to “give this city a concert it’ll never forget.” Welcome […]
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God Bless America
Frank (Joel Murray, TV’s Mad Men) is tired. Of everything. But mostly how stupid and how ignorant and superficial his fellow Americans have become, how incapable they are of face-to-face conversation, how the only things they seem to believe in are shallow platitudes and singing competitions, how spoiled and disrespectful they allow their children to […]
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Red Scorpion
Nearly two years later, Synapse Films comes to the rescue, not only bringing it back on DVD, but debuting it on Blu-ray — and in an uncensored cut, no less! Now that I’ve watched it, I can say with certainty it’s the best action movie ever produced by a notorious federal felon (Jack Abramoff, who […]