Greg Turkington’s funnyman character Neil Hamburger is like a satirical composite of all the thousands of bad comedians that ever were. He’s a bitter, miserable comic who constantly clears his throat and delivers bad, crass jokes with awkward timing. (“Why did God create Domino’s Pizza? To punish humanity for their complacency at letting the Holocaust happen.”)
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Fathers and Sons: Dano Trumps De Niro in ‘Being Flynn’
Two men, father and son, share the name, Flynn. And as we meet them in Being Flynn, father Jonathan (Robert De Niro) and son Nick (Paul Dano) also appear to share a life trajectory—downhill. Jonathan, a self-styled “great” writer, is already well down the road to ruin, his loser status well in progress, whereas twentysomething Nick’s decline is still a rough draft. Paul Weitz’ script and direction tell a familiar tale: loser father abandons wife (Julianne Moore) and son, goes to prison and disappears, sending letters to son claiming to be finishing up the great American novel.
Jewish Film Fest Kicks Off
The 12th annual Jewish Film Festival kicks off its multi-weekend celebration of culture and tradition from Israel and points beyond. Here are a couple of highlights from the first weekend.
Southern Story Charms in Santa Cruz Mountains
Lenny Magrath is having a bad day. Her youngest sister Babe is suspected of attempted manslaughter, her grandfather is in the hospital and, as an unmarried Southern belle, she’s less than thrilled about turning 30. But Crimes of the Heart isn’t all about Lenny.
Bagelry Hits the Spot
For decades this home of utterly firm, toothsome bagels and laid-back ambiance has provided instant shelter from the usual storms of economic chaos, relationship entanglements and social justice meltdown. In other words, it’s a place where the reliable, the cozy and the bagel all reign together.
Singer Dayan Kai’s Blind. So What?
It’s a sunny but brisk day and I’m sitting at Blue Ball Park with local musician Dayan Kai. He’s there with his family, and every now and then one of his kids runs over to pounce on him or give him a toy to hold. We’re talking about music and the fact that some people are just born musically gifted. “In the Indian tradition,” he says, his long blond hair blowing about in the winter breeze, “they say that you cannot learn to play tabla in one lifetime.”
‘Hello and Goodbye’ at Jewel Theatre
Johnny’s face and shiny head are drenched with sweat as the frantic middle-aged character pleas with his older sister to stay out of their father’s bedroom. There, Johnny fears she might uncover one of the family’s last remaining secrets—that their father isn’t even there.
Why We Love Geeky Glasses
When Buddy Holly finally conceded to glasses, his vision was already 20-800. He had tried some of the earliest contact lenses. They became unbearable after about 10 minutes. So he got glasses. His first frames had thick plastic at the top, with a thinner, less obtrusive metal frame for the bottom half.
DIY Fashion: Arielle Rose
“When I was a kid my mom bought me those bulk Barbie dresses,” says the Santa Cruz dressmaker, “and when she came into my room 10 minutes later I had cut all of them up and put them together in completely different ways.”
‘W.E.’ A Feast For The Eyes
Wielding her obsession with übercelebrity Wallis Simpson like a wand of Maybelline extra black mascara, Madonna has made a better film than we expected.
