In “Cuckoo’s Nest,” Wong takes on the topic of the high rates of depression and suicide among Asian-American women, and she does it with great charm and piquant humor. Written and performed by Wong, the show has a rhythmic ebb and flow between poignancy and comedy. A San Francisco native, Wong insists the show is […]
DVD reviews
Posted inArts & Culture
Buck
Could do without horses? You’re going to love “Buck.” Winner of the Audience Award at the Sundance Film Festival, the documentary tells the story of Buck Brannaman, Wyoming-based horse whisperer. He travels three-fourths of the year, conducting clinics all over the nation on breaking horses — and sometimes their owners — of bad behavior. What’s […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Scream 4
In the decade that has passed since the previous entry, the landscape has changed greatly for horror films. Gone are the sly, self-aware semi-parodies that the original “Scream” birthed; in vogue is the so-called “torture porn” of the “Saw” series. In its opening scenes, “Scream 4” uses this to its advantage, poking fun at the […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Dracula: The Vampire and the Voivode
In other words, it’s more than a little dry, and a lot like watching a slideshow. Instead of being a first-class treatment of its undeniably interesting subject, it can’t afford standard doc fare like film clips, so it settles for scrolling over movie posters for anything not in the public domain, leaving us with grainy […]
Posted inArts & Culture
The Others
Nicole Kidman, an actress I usually find unappealing, greatly impresses as a single mother living with her two photosensitive children in an old, dark house at the close of World War II. Soon after the arrival of a new house staff, her kids begin to speak of ghostly “others” in the abode (where shadows are […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Scary Movie 2 / Scary Movie 3
Of its four entries to date, the first half were directed first by Keenen Ivory Wayans, and the second by David Zucker, and both did better on their second turn at bat. You can revisit the best of one man and the worst of another now that second and third chapters make their hi-def debut. […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Houdini
Narrated by Mandy Patinkin, the just-OK doc traces his meteoric rise from immigrant to death-defying superstar to spiritualist exposer. Those who’ve never read a book on Houdini — I highly recommend William Kalush and Larry Sloman’s “The Secret Life of Houdini: The Making of America’s First Superhero” — are sure to learn something, but for current […]
Posted inArts & Culture
The Blood Trilogy
Together, “Blood Feast,” “Two Thousand Maniacs!” and “Color Me Blood Red” comprise the quasi-inept but highly influential “Blood Trilogy,” among the first gore films ever made. Prepare yourself for some shots being too dark, some not even in focus, some so long that they include mistakes, and many, of course, containing some of the bloodiest […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Son of Morning
From there, the film’s attempts at satire fall embarrassingly flat, leaving plot hole after plot hole wide open. Perhaps some divine intervention was required, because the film runs a mere 80 minutes, 11 of which are for the credits, more than five of which are just to slooooowly list the extras. Joseph Cross (“Milk”) is […]
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Entertainment review
I miss your TV reviews with Dean Robbins, and I really enjoyed your DVD reviews. Why do you give so many pages to the local music scene? Your food section is perfect. I look forward to it every week. I love the Gazette, and I hope we can see more on the entertainment side. —Jeremiah […]