Working again with McDonagh, Colin Farrell (Total Recall) is Marty, a screenwriter having troubles on the job — all he has on paper is a title — and at home with his girlfriend (Abbie Cornish, Sucker Punch). These pale to the life-or-death situation his slacker pal, Billy (Sam Rockwell, The Sitter), gets him into, involving […]
martin
Posted inArts & Culture
Method to the Madness of Jerry Lewis
While undeniably watchable, the project is a pure puff piece. After all, it counts Lewis among its producers, so no way he’s getting treated with anything with less than kid gloves. Anything in his life that might be considered a boat rocker is absent: divorce, bankruptcy, Hardly Working, The Day the Clown Cried, etc. I […]
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Marathon, man!
Comedy! Missed the first-season set of Episodes? Skip it. Instead, grab the new two-disc set collecting the first two years. Although very much a Hollywood in-joke, the Showtime series tells that in-joke with excellence, anchored by Friends vet Matt LeBlanc starring as an A-holier version of himself, reduced to starring on a hockey sitcom overseen […]
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The Definitive Document of the Dead
By the film’s own opening-crawl admission, Document is intended as a teaching tool, so its nature is purposely freeform — and how! Narrated by the late Susan Tyrell (until the new sections), the film captures Romero and friends at work on 1978’s Dawn of the Dead, the now-classic sequel to 1968’s classic Night of the […]
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[REC] 3: Genesis
Despite the subtitle, it’s not really a prequel. Ingeniously presented as a cheesy wedding video, complete with menu and photo montage, the film documents the nuptials of Clara (Leticia Dolera) and Koldo (Diego Martín), and the subsequent country-club reception that gives new meaning to “blow-out.” At some point deep into the dance-party portion of the […]
Posted inMusic
Kendrick Lamar — good kid, m.A.A.d City
The album, which Lamar labeled as a “short film,” tells the story of his life as a good kid in the mad city of Compton, Calif. He raps about trying to avoid temptations, including women, drugs, alcohol, violence and revenge. However, even the good kids succumb to temptation from time to time. The disc twists […]
Posted inMusic
Frndz forever
The guys behind indie rock’s Boyfrndz cut their teeth in a half dozen other bands before finally finding a groove. The three have the tense competition in their home base of Austin, Texas — aka the Live Music Capital of the World — to thank for that. “Playing in Austin separates the men from the […]
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Earth-friendly
Kids and their families can enjoy earth-friendly seminars and activities, including crafts that involve using recycled materials, as well as creek explorations where children can net fish and other reptiles. Casey Lindo, naturalist for Martin Park, said that EarthFest is a great opportunity for children to get outside and explore. “It’s important for kids to […]
Posted inNews
CFN Mailbag
I read your Chicken-Fried News article “To inform or inflame?” in the Jan. 5, 2011, Oklahoma Gazette. I have these comments to make. Muslim terrorism became personal for me in 2001 when a group of missionaries was kidnapped and held hostage in the Philippines and by extreme Muslim terrorists. Two of the men were beheaded, […]
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Take a hike
When I was a kid, we walked to school in 2 feet of snow. Uphill both ways. And did I mention with only one shoe? You might get your delicate tootsies or sensitive schnoz a wee bit frosty, but hiking in winter is worth it. But don’t take my (harsh, berating) word for it. “The […]