Movie Reviews: Argo, The Paperboy and Looper!

There are some very interesting and diverse films currently in theaters.

Following are my reviews on Argo, The Paperboy and Looper!

All of the films will receive a DONLOE Scale rating. On the Donloe Scale, D (don’t bother), O (oh, no), N (needs work), L (likable), O (OK-Outstanding) and E (excellent-exquisite).

ARGO

Ben Affleck has hit his stride with this suspenseful masterpiece. He directs and stars in Argo. Set in 1979 and 1980, during the early months of the Iran hostage crisis, the drama centers on six American officials who flee the U.S. embassy and take secret refuge in the home of the Canadian ambassador.  The CIA decides that they can’t stay there because if the Iranian revolutionaries discover there are Amercians in hiding, that all of them, including the ambassador will be executed in the streets. 

(l-r) BEN AFFLECK & BRYAN CRANSTON

Enter Tony Mendez, a CIA operative played by Affleck. He has an ingenious plan.  The six will pretend to be a Canadian film crew scouting locations for a cheesy pulp sci fi movie called Argo. The movie is funny as hell thanks to John Goodman and Alan Arkin who will both, no doubt, get Best Supporting nods. While there are some comical moments, the film is filled with tension. It’s on the edge of your seat tension. Even though we all know the outcome – Affleck has crafted a film that dropss all of that angst and anxiety right into our laps. Go see ARGO.

Argo gets an E for Excellent. 

THE PAPERBOY

All I can say about Lee Daniels’ The Paperboy is, wow!!!  The incredibly dark and devious film stars Matthew McConaughey, Zac Efron, David Oyelowo, Macy Gray, John Cusack and Nicole Kidman. 

The film takes the audience on a wild ride through the backwaters of steamy 1960s South Florida. Miami Times reporter Ward Jansen (McConaughey) returns to his sleepy hometown where he investigates the murder of police officer.  All of this is played against the backdrop of the sweeping social changes of the 1960s. Based on the provocative bestselling novel by Pete Dexter. 

ZAC EFRON, MATTHEW MCCONAUGHEY, 
NICOLE KIDMAN and DAVID OYELOWO 

Lee Daniels likes dark, real dark!  He did Precious, Monsters Ball, the Woodsman and Shadowboxer.  Nuff said.

This one is so gritty and hardcore. There are some very disturbing scenes and plenty of hot, steamy sex. This is a hard movie to watch. However, the cast does give some good performances. Macy Gray is fabulous!

The Paperboy gets an L (likeable).

LOOPER

Don’t blink or you’ll definitely miss something in this innovative time-bending sci-fi thriller that stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Bruce Willis.

 (l-r) JOSEPH GORDON-LEVITT & BRUCE WILLIS

Time travel never looked like this.  Gordon-Levitt plays Joe, a young assassin in the near future known as a looper. A looper is someone who eliminates people from the even farther future, where criminals with time-travel ability send their victims back in time to be killed.   Things go awry when Joe is sent to kill his older self, played by Willis.  It’s a bit screwy, but it’s interesting how it all comes together.  If you don’t watch carefully, it could get a bit confusing. So watch carefully!

Looper gets an O (OK).

Ain't Misbehavin', The Joyful Sounds Of Fats Waller Fills The International City Theatre

 

One never knows, do one? 

That’s one of Thomas ‘Fats’ Waller’s signature lines used on several occasions in the classic Tony Award-winning musical (Best Musical 1978), “Ain’t Misbehavin,” currently playing at the International City Theatre (ICT) in Long Beach.

If you love Fats Waller’s music you’ll, no doubt, love this show as it pays homage to the musician who specialized in Depression-era jazz and composed, collaborated on, or popularized dozens of hit tunes.

Ain’t Misbehavin premiered at the Manhattan Theatre Club in 1978 before landing on Broadway where it ran for four years. The show nabbed three Tony Awards and three Drama Desk Awards.  It launched the careers of original cast members Nell Carter, Andre De Shields, Armelia McQueen, Ken Page and Charlayne Woodard.

To its credit, the musical doesn’t dwell on Waller’s struggles, or the fact that he died of pneumonia in 1943 at the age of 39. Instead, it keeps the music and Waller’s musical contributions as the focus. Waller’s music was influential during the Harlem Renaissance when both the Cotton Club and the Savoy Ballroom were the places to be and to be seen.

Ain’t Misbehavin, which closes the ICT season, is a fun, toe-tapping, two-act show. It offers 30 poppin renditions, coupled with raunchy offerings and sultry ballads, which were all part of the night scene during The Depression. 

The show features five performers, two men and three women. This production, slightly different from other productions, has a shy woman walking into an old nightclub where the spirit of Fats Waller, a master of the stride piano, still lives. Her shyness is stripped as the music literally comes alive as four performers come to life and begin to easily glide in and out of such fan favorites as T Ain’t Nobody’s Biz-ness If I Do (the first song Waller recorded), Honeysuckle Rose, Lounging at the Waldorf, Your Feet’s Too Big, Find Out What They Like and more. 

The ICT production, directed by Saundra McClain, features Phillip Brandon, Niketa Calame, Amber Mercomes, Lacy Darryl Phillips, Jennifer Shelton and Dedrick Bonner, as well as a five piece band conducted by Rahn Coleman, who rocks on the piano.  The cast is, no doubt, talented with each member displaying their prowess on solo endeavors, but, it's clear, Waller’s music is the star.

A versatile Lacy Darryl Phillips steals the show with a lively, creative and stunning interpretation of The Vipers Drag/The Reefer Song and Fat and Greasy accompanied by an equally impressive Phillip Brandon who also rocks on Your Feet’s Too Big and Honeysuckle Rose with Jennifer Shelton.

While the cast fades a bit on the high-stepping, show-stopping The Joint Is Jumpin, it shines with five-part harmony on the 

ethereal, mournful and gut-wrenching Black and Blue, which has controversial lines like, “I’m white inside, but that 

don’t help my case. 'Cause I can't hide, what is on my face, oh! I'm so forlorn, life's just a thorn, my heart is torn, why 

was I born? What did I do to be so black and blue?”

The closing, like the opening, has the performers frozen in their original positions. The bookend effect works quite nicely. 

Musicians include: Rahn Coleman (piano/conductor), Brad Babinski (bass), James Yoshizawa (drums), Caesar Martinez 

(sax) and Ashlin Parker (trumpet).

caryn desai produces, Rahn Coleman is the musical director, Stephen Semien is the choreographer, John Iacovelli is the 

 scenic designer and Ben Pilat is the light designer.

On the Donloe Scale – D (don’t bother), O (oh, no), N (needs work), L (likable), O (OK) and E (excellent),  Ain’t 

Misbehavin’ gets an O (OK) 

Ain’t Misbehavin’, Long Beach Performing Arts Center, 300 E. Ocean Boulevard, Long Beach. Opens Friday. Thu-Sat 8 pm; Sun 2 pm.  Through November 4. Tickets: $37-44. ictlongbeach.org 562-436-4610.

All-Star Lineup For Eddie Murphy Spike TV Special

TALENT INCLUDES MANY SUPERSTAR FRIENDS OF THE COMEDY ICON

 

CHRIS ROCK, SAMUEL L. JACKSON, TRACY MORGAN, ARSENIO HALL, BRETT RATNER, CHARLIE MURPHY AND MARTIN LAWRENCE ARE SCHEDULED TO APPEAR

 

“Eddie Murphy: One Night Only” Tapes on Saturday, November 3

at the Saban Theatre In Los Angeles and Premieres Wednesday, November 14

on Spike TV

 

New York, NY – October 11, 2012 – Some of Hollywood’s biggest names will turn out to toast their friend for “Eddie Murphy: One Night Only,” the first-ever televised tribute to the comedic superstar.  The celebrity lineup features many of Murphy’s peers and co-stars including: Chris Rock, Samuel L. Jackson, Tracy Morgan, Arsenio Hall, Brett Ratner, Charlie Murphy, Jeffrey Katzenberg, and Martin Lawrence.   “Eddie Murphy: One Night Only” will tape on Saturday, November 3 at the Saban Theatre in Los Angeles and will air on Wednesday, November 14.

 

The exclusive Spike TV event, produced in conjunction with Don Mischer Productions, will include short films, musical performances, sketch comedy and will culminate in an appearance by Murphy.  “There is no better time than the present to honor a man who has for three decades touched the hearts of millions through laughter," says Murphy’s brother and Executive Producer Vernon Lynch.

 

“Eddie Murphy: One Night Only” will pay homage to Murphy’s journey from a 15-year-old aspiring comedian, to the record-breaking “Raw,” which remains the highest grossing stand-up film of all time, to his indelible characters and impressions from “Saturday Night Live” including Buckwheat, Gumby, Mr. Robinson and James Brown.

Kaley Cuoco To Host People's Choice Awards

KALEY CUOCO

People’s Choice Awards to Air Live Wednesday, January 9, 2013 on CBS

October 9, 2012 – Kaley Cuoco, actress and star of “The Big Bang Theory” will return to host PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARDS 2013, LIVE from the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, on Wednesday, January 9, 2013 (9:00-11:00 PM, ET/delayed PT), on the CBS Television Network. 

The People’s Choice Awards is the only major awards show where fans determine the categories, nominees and winners across multiple genres of movies, music and television.  Beginning October 23, fans will have the opportunity to narrow down a selection of nominees in each of over 40 categories.  Voting will take place online at www.Peopleschoice.com/nominees until Friday, November 2.

"It’s an honor to return as host of the 2013 People’s Choice Awards and kick off awards season with one of the most fun events of the year,” said Kaley Cuoco.

Prior to her role as “Penny” on “The Big Bang Theory” – winner of the 2010 People’s Choice Award for Favorite TV Comedy – Kaley Cuoco was best known to television audiences for her role as Bridget Hennesy in the series "8 Simple Rules" – winner of the 2003 People’s Choice Award for Favorite New TV Comedy.  

This year, Cuoco starred opposite Rob Lowe in the Lifetime movie Untouchable: The Drew Peterson Story.  She was also seen in The Last Ride; an independent film which tells the story of Hank Williams’s final days and in 2011, she co-starred in the Universal family comedy HOP alongside James Marsden and Russell Brand.  Cuoco recently wrapped production on Scribble, an indie comedy about a group of aspiring writers.

ABOUT PEOPLE'S CHOICE

Now in its 39^th year, the People’s Choice Awards continues to be the only major awards show voted on entirely by the public for fan favorites in music, movies and television.  The People’s Choice official website at www.PeoplesChoice.com houses the voting platform where fans determine the categories, nominees and winners for the annual awards show.  Every year, potential nominees are determined by national ratings averages, box-office grosses, music sales and PeoplesChoice.com data, then vetted through EPoll Market Research.  Fred Nelson is the President of People’s Choice, and the awards show is produced by Procter & Gamble Productions, Inc. [NYSE:PG], which is represented by MediaVest Worldwide, Inc., supervisors of the production.

Hollywood Black Film Festival Is Ready to Jam

It's time for the Old School College Jam:  
Represent Your Yard at the Hollywood Black Film Festival 2012 Opening Night!
OPENING NIGHT: Thursday, Oct 25, 7pm at The Montalban, 1615 Vine Street, Hollywood, CA
The Hollywood Black Film Festival 2012 Opening Night will present a fun-filled night of college flashbacks with the opening night film, "Note to Self."  The film centers around a handsome and popular student-athlete who embarks on a journey of self-realization while navigating the choppy waters of a love triangle.

What can be better than watching a film that reminds you of your college days, than an after-party that allows you to relive it!

Join the cast and crew of "Note to Self" as they REPRESENT their colleges, universities, fraternities and sororities at the themed 2012 Hollywood Black Film Festival Opening Night and After-Party.  How will you represent your yard? 

Don't be scared to reach into the back of your closet and pull out that favorite college sweatshirt, don that HBCU hat hiding on the top shelf or dust off your fraternity or sorority jacket and join us for our "Old School College" night. 

Get in the spirit of college days and represent your yard!

HBFF 2012 Opening Night Film & After-Party sponsored by One Village Entertainment, Tri Destined Studios, Swirl Films and Southern Girl Desserts.

Tickets can be purchased at  http://www.brownpapertickets.com/browse.html?keywords=producer%3Ahollywoodblackff. Opening Night ticket includes film screening and after-party!

Rick Braun Trumpets The Holidays

“Swingin’ In The Snow” showcases a stellar cast 

on timeless seasonal classics with album sales 

benefiting the Autism Society of America

RICK BRAUN

Sherman Oaks, CA (8 October 2012): As cool as a winter’s eve, as warm as a holiday dinner with loved ones, and as beautiful as an exquisitely ornamented Christmas tree , Rick Braun’s “Swingin’ In The Snow” is a celebration of “the most wonderful time of the year” featuring some of the contemporary jazz star’s talented friends.  Braun produced the elegant 11-song set that will be released by Brauntosoarus Music on October 16^th.  The merry band of musical elves who joined the trumpeter-vocalist in his workshop include Mindi Abair, David Benoit, Gregg Karukas, Dave Koz, Philippe Saisse, Kirk Whalum, Peter White, a string quartet and a gospel choir led by R&B crooner Jeffrey Osborne.  Braun will donate one dollar from each album sale to the Autism Society of America.          

“Since I was a kid, I spent every Christmas enjoying classic holiday recordings by artists like Bing Crosby, Nat King Cole, Frank Sinatra, and Ella Fitzgerald, which inspired ‘Swingin' In The Snow.’  I had a blast recording these great tunes and am honored that so many of my dearest friends, who happen to be incredible musicians, shared their talent with me to create this wonderful project.  This is real music being played by real musicians and my hope is that you will enjoy listening to us as much as we enjoyed making the record,” said Braun, who will again be touring this holiday season as part of A Peter White Christmas with White and Abair, an 18-city U.S. trek that begins the day after Thanksgiving (November 23) in Austin, Texas and concludes December 22^nd in San Diego.   

Counting off with a dose of big band bombast, the album opens in full swing on “I’ve Got My Love To Keep Me Warm.”  Wide-eyed with excitement, “It’s The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year” is as enchanting as ever.   The flugelhorn and piano intro for “Oh Tannenbaum” adds a moment of seasonal solemnity before a pitter patter beat sets the stage for Braun’s suave and sophisticated vocals and a children’s chorus.  Braun and Abair’s charming voices flirtingly frolic on “Baby Its Cold Outside.”  Saisse crafted a traditional arrangement for “The Christmas Song” whereas Braun and White’s fresh take on “Sleigh Ride” is a cheerful acoustic guitar and percussion powered jaunt.  Braun bewitches on “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas” with an assist from an embracing Koz sax solo.  The Allentown, Pennsylvania native gives a shout out to his home state on “No Place Like Home For The Holidays” followed by a mesmerizing rendition of “I’ll Be Home For Christmas.”  In an imaginative tribute to The Drifters, “White Christmas” becomes a finger-popping doo-wop number.  “Silent Night” is beatified by a celestial choir and inspired offerings from Braun’s flugelhorn and Whalum’s sax.

Stylistically, “Swingin’ In The Snow” is a continuation of Braun’s mid-career reinvention that began with last year’s “Sings With Strings” disc.  After 18 years as an instrumentalist who repeatedly topped the contemporary jazz albums and singles charts both as a recording artist and as an in demand producer, songwriter and featured guest musician, the suburban Los Angeles resident realized a dream by stepping up to the microphone to sing standards.  Although he sung backup for Rod Stewart, Sade and others earlier in his career, the horn man had never sung before as a frontman on a gorgeously orchestrated project.  His consistently growing catalogue of radio hits and years of performing on the concert stage has made Braun an enduring fan favorite.  For more information, please visit www.rickbraun.com. 

Braun’s “Swingin’ In The Snow” contains the following holiday chestnuts:

“I’ve Got My Love To Keep Me Warm”

“It’s The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year”

“Oh Tannenbaum”

“Baby Its Cold Outside”

“The Christmas Song”

“Sleigh Ride”

“Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas”

“No Place Like Home For The Holidays”

“I’ll Be Home For Christmas”

“White Christmas”

“Silent Night”

Trumpeter Dennis Angel's 'Timeless Grooves'

 

The Jason Miles-produced album is a jazzy R&B throwback; 

radio grooving to “Forever Funk”

Scarsdale, NY (4 October 2012): Having successfully released more than a half dozen diverse singles that charted and received radio spins around the globe, trumpeter Dennis Angel will release his debut album, the vintage sounding “Timeless Grooves,” on November 13^th via Timeless Grooves Records.  Angel wrote eight songs for the varied 10-track set produced by keyboardist Jason Miles (Marcus Miller, Miles Davis, Whitney Houston, Luther Vandross) that brings something refreshing and unique to the contemporary jazz scene.   

Angel has a way of gracefully emoting pristine pop melodies from his horn over the type of laidback grooves that bring to mind jazz-funk hits from the ‘60s and ‘70s.  After experimenting and dabbling in a wide array of straight-ahead and contemporary jazz, hip hop, R&B and pop to construct an eclectic variety of instrumental and vocal singles, Angel knew he needed a producer to curate the sound for his first album.  Enter Miles, who gave Angel the freedom to create and encouraged the trumpeter to also play flugelhorn on the set.  Giving the well-crafted material a distinctive R&B edge, Miles (keyboards, synth bass, percussion) recruited “some of the very best players in the studio to play live” including guitarists Romero Lubambo, Nick Moroch, Dean Brown, and Will Bernard, bassist Amanda Ruzza, and drummer Brian Dunne.  Joel Mofsenson plays acoustic piano on the vocal tracks and arranged two of the compositions.  Long-time Angel collaborator Gottfried Stoger plays saxophones and deftly arranged the remaining compositions based on the classic American form. 

While Angel and Miles toiled away in the studio in the spring and summer on “Timeless Grooves,” the single “Rio On My Mind” was released as an appetizer.  Radio stations instantly embraced the idyllic soul-infused fiesta spotlighting Angel’s flugelhorn and classy acoustic guitar licks from Lubambo.  As a follow-up, the groovy “Forever Funk,” on which Angel and Stoger engage in a Soul Train line-like trumpet and sax strut, was just serviced as a single.  Angel’s 16 year-old daughter, Rebecca Angel, delivered a heartfelt vocal performance on the empowering “A Song In Harmony,” co-written by the pair.  One of two covers, The Beatles’ “Norwegian Wood” receives a beautiful 3/4-time treatment with elegant etchings courtesy of Angel’s flugelhorn and Lubambo’s acoustic guitar along with a sterling performance by Stoger on soprano sax.  Flugelhorn and tenor sax top the marquee on the leisurely paced “Vegas Vibe,” which bodes to become a radio favorite.  Charismatic baritone vocalist DeForest Raphael pledges allegiance on the patriotic “I Did All This” and is featured on the clever bebop rapper “From Bebop To Hip Hop,” the latter of which charted when released as a single in 2010.                        

“Releasing ‘Timeless Grooves’ represents a life-long dream come true for me.  After playing the trumpet my whole life, the album embodies my personal contribution to the music scene, which I believe adds something new and fresh to the contemporary jazz genre.  We want to bring back some of the great trumpet and sax R&B sounds from the ‘60s and ‘70s and give it a more contemporary feel.  The songs have catchy melodies that came to me during quiet times of just putting my trumpet to my lips.  For me, the heart of a song is a simple yet memorable melody, which is what I tried to incorporate into each recording,” said Angel.

While in high school, Angel was trained by world renowned trumpeter William Vacchiano and had to decide between studying music at The Julliard School and pursuing a law degree.  He chose law school and based his highly respected suburban New York City law practice on the motion picture industry where he works with the major studios.  However, he never stopped playing his trumpet and performed at Carnegie Hall in a brass choir.  In 2009, Angel wrote and recorded the witty “The Wall Street Recession Time Blues” after the market crash.  This timely track garnered considerable airplay and media attention from the likes of the Boston Herald.  Encouraged, Angel continued to crank out new singles, which also were welcomed at radio.  Some were tongue-in-cheek numbers such as “I Need Smooth Jazz” and “Daddy, Can I Drive Your Car?” while others displayed the true talent behind the soulful grooves (“Dizzy Izzy”).  Collaborating with the veteran Miles elevated Angel’s recordings to the next level.  Energized, he is looking forward to performing music from “Timeless Grooves” in a concert setting.  Additional information is available at www.dennisangelband.com. 

Angel’s “Timeless Grooves” contains the following songs:

“Forever Funk”

“Vegas Vibe”

“Norwegian Wood”

“Rio On My Mind”

“A Song In Harmony”

“When Love Is In The Air”

“I Did All This”

“The Breeze”

“Can’t Help Falling In Love”

“From Bebop To Hip Hop”