Scattered Dour
The Weather Man, starring Nicolas Cage as a disappointment of a son and a failure of a father, was screened for critics in the spring, before its April release was pushed to October, ostensibly to allow for the off chance that Cage or Michael Caine (as Cage’s father) might be…
Bad Medicine
You’d have a tough time finding a more articulate assessment of the U.S. health care system than this exchange in the snarky romantic comedy As Good As It Gets: “Fucking HMO bastard pieces of shit!” snarls Helen Hunt’s character, Carol, a beleaguered waitress and single mom. Her son’s doctor doesn’t…
Moore’s the Pity
It’s always hard to pan an earnest film, especially one by a first-time director. And The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio, a plucky striver if there ever was one, can’t find a single cynical note on the scale. Essentially a hagiography in praise of Evelyn Ryan (Julianne Moore), a woman…
This Week’s Day-by-Day Picks
Thursday, October 27 The weather is cooling down, but there’s still a chance to feel haute today at Fall Fashion Weekend. A see-and-be-seen opening and a runway fashion show will provide endless eye candy, from the stunning fashions to the models wearing them to the couture designers who made them…
Strange Brew
When watching Where the Truth Lies, a film noir about a young celebrity journalist’s obsession with a comedy duo from the 1950s, a single question arises again and again: Why? Why have the immense talents of Kevin Bacon and Colin Firth, both of whom are excellent in this movie, been…
There’s Something About Chris
Chris Elliott may not be a household name. But one look at his mug will instantly conjure up images of a hive-ridden stalker with a shoe fetish (a.k.a. Dom “Woogie” Woganowski) from the now-cult classic flick There’s Something About Mary. Or maybe the creepy caretaker in Scary Movie 2. Or…
Foiled Again
It’s been 85 years since Douglas Fairbanks slashed his way into the top tax bracket as the masked hero Zorro, and Hollywood still can find no reason to shut down the franchise. Technically speaking, The Legend of Zorro, starring Antonio Banderas as the guy with the sword and Catherine Zeta-Jones…
Ghoul and the Gang
Halloween rules. It’s a chance for you to get to plow through candy and cocktails — guilt-free. Here’s a roundup of H-town’s best fright-night bets: For adults, children and adults who act like children, there’s Six Flags AstroWorld’s annual Fright Fest. With the park closing soon, this’ll be your last…
Killer Cuts
SAT 10/29 It’s way kitschy and gory, but The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is still one of the most influential horror flicks of all time. So what’s happened since the STIHL-wielding Leatherface first hacked up all those hillbilly hippies in rural Texas back in 1974? Well, some forgettable sequels were made…
Capsule Reviews
Doo Wop II the Sequel According to Big Mama in the Great Caruso’s latest musical revue, doo wop was an incantatory musical potion created from “gospel, jazz and four-part harmony.” Of course, as Big Mama (a smooth Samantha Coombs) adds, the biggest influence was the blues. Happily, all those head-bopping…
Witch Way Is Up
If you have sweet memories of Judy Garland skipping down the yellow brick road with her trio of misfits, beset by a cackling Margaret Hamilton and aided by a giddy Billie Burke and that adorable little Toto, you might resist the familiar show’s Broadway spin-off, Wicked. Based on Gregory Maguire’s…
Dark Star
It sounds so strange at first, like a harmonica ditty played by a tone-deaf inmate through his nose, but you grow used to it, this sour tune. It lulls you into a daze, its rhythm set to the pace of human breath. It’s coming from Diane Landry’s “Flying School (École…
Anti-Rock
LCD Soundsystem appears Friday, October 28, at the Meridian, 1503 Chartres, 713-225-1717.
Capsule Reviews
“Angelina Nasso: Transparent Presence” Angelina Nasso makes paintings with dots of rich color that create the effect of dappled light. The works are abstract but feel like they just might resolve themselves into a recognizable scene. But the paintings on view at McClain Gallery are less satisfying than the last…
Oddball Purgatorio
“Nobody knows — that’s part of what makes this whole thing so horrible.” That’s what Brian Wolff of Drums & Tuba said a week after Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans, reflecting on the devastation. He was worried about the condition of the city that has become home base for the…
We’re Kings of the World!
Astros fans, this is it. The Fall Classic. After 43 years, we’ve finally made it. And unlike, say, Carlos Beltran, you’ve got plenty to do during the World Series. Sure, you’ve already created your “Go Astros!” masterpiece in white shoe polish on your car. Your lucky hat hasn’t left your…
Walk Away, Walk Away
Hard to believe, but Friday night’s rock and roll lollapalooza at Toyota Center will mark the 12th time U2 has tripped through Houston’s wires since 1981. Can you name all the venues the righteous Irishmen have played here, “In God’s Country” so far? Still haven’t found what you’re looking for?…
Reckless Kelly
The packaging for Reckless Kelly’s most recent release, Wicked Twisted Road, contains a miniature die and a foldout board game based on its lyrics. Its country-folk tearjerkers (“Wretched Again,” “These Tears”) set players back several spaces, while its Celtic romps and honky-tonk numbers propel them toward the finish line. Other…
“Imperfect” Is Right
We’ve all been kicked in the junk by Marvel superheroes before. Watching Elektra was like two hours of nut-pummeling by a relentless, sac-hating donkey. But superhero films — even bad ones — gross bazillions of dollars. So it’s no surprise that Marvel is cashing in with a slew of licensed…
Base Raps
As if we needed any more proof that rock is, if not dead exactly, then certainly seriously hurtin’ here in Houston, we have the musical aftermath of the Astros’ clinching of the National League pennant. You’d think that area rockers could crank out a fight song — after all, we…
Super Furry Animals
The seventh album by these Welsh baroque-pop mavericks refines their flamboyant songcraft in one grandiose, candy-coated, 54-minute package. Far more adventurous and fun (and less maudlin) than recent efforts by peers like Mercury Rev and Flaming Lips, Love Kraft slyly alludes to several classic-rock touchstones (Beatles, Nilsson, Crosby, Stills, Nash…
Cameron Crowing
Titanic: Special Collector’s Edition (Paramount Home Video) Loved and loathed in equal measure, Titanic nonetheless is among the few modern-day movies deserving of lavish treatment; this boxed set, three discs with three hours of new stuff, feels almost as big a production as the feature itself. Writer-director James Cameron, never…
Dangerdoom
Just as I and everyone else had suspected, The Mouse & The Mask — the much-anticipated project between the masked MC known as MF Doom and underground beat man Danger Mouse — is, quite simply, a fuckin’ trip. When two of the most acclaimed, prolific names in indie hip-hop come…
The Detroit Cobras
The Detroit Cobras may look like another smash ‘n’ bash Motor City garage band trailing in the wake of the White Stripes or the Dirt Bombs, but there are distinct differences. The Cobras are essentially a cover band, but other than the occasional remake of tunes like Hank Ballard’s “The…
Our top DVD picks for the week of October 25
ABBA: The Movie (Universal) AC/DC: And Then There Was Rock (Chrome Dreams) Alias: The Complete Fourth Season (Buena Vista) Audioslave: Live in Cuba (Sony) The Beat That My Heart Skipped (Wellspring) Bewitched (Columbia/Tristar) The Day of the Triffids (Pro-Active) Dominion: A Prequel to the Exorcist (Warner) Face (Image) Herbie: Fully…
Gris Gris
From Sleater-Kinney’s The Woods to new releases from Dead Meadow and Modey Lemon, there’s a pretty good psych-rock strain to this year’s music, and the latest from Houston-to-Bay Area transplants Gris Gris adds to it. “Ecks Em Eye” slowly ascends into a sax-honking march, and by the third track, front…
The National
Imagine this critic’s alarm when, after submitting a not-all-that-flattering review of the National’s recent Alligator CD but before said review was published, he discovered that the songs had somehow grown all over him like some insidious-yet-not-unpleasant rash. Yes, what he’d taken as stoic insouciance (look ’em up, smart guy) on…
Ready to Rumble
Houston is doing something this week that no Texas city has ever done: hosting some World Series games. It’s not like Austin or Port Arthur ever really had the chance to do so, sure, but at least we beat Dallas. (Or Arlington, or wherever it is the Rangers play.) If…
Various Artists
While the White Stripes, the Black Keys and the Hives have made some damn fine modern “garage rock,” nothing beats the sounds from the genre’s heyday in the mid-’60s. The Nuggets and Pebbles compilations already have mined this mother lode of reckless, wailing vocals, fuzzed-out guitar and caveman drums, with…
Los Skarnales, with Dale Peterson
Los Skarnales’s most recent record, Pachuco Boogie Sound System, was runner-up for our Album of the Year, and musically it covered more bases than one of Condoleezza Rice’s press conference non-answers. So many bases, in fact, that Los Skarnales has become one of the few bands in Houston that can…
Faded Love
Mike, Joe, Chris, Lawrence, Sequoia and their friends are looking ghetto fabulous. The men sport sags, giant tattoos and sleeveless shirts. The women wear bright halter tops and shiny metallic belts. But nobody’s feeling fabulous. They’ve just visited a packed Federal Emergency Management Agency aid center on the South Loop…
Technical Difficulties
The half-pound Angus burger I ordered at Fox Sports Grill, the gleaming new sports bar in the Galleria, comes to the bar medium-rare as specified. The patty sits on a bun, but it isn’t yet a sandwich. The lettuce, tomato and pickles are over on the other end of the…
The Dead 60s
The 1960s might be dead in this Liverpool quartet’s world, but the late ’70s and early ’80s are alive and kicking on its self-titled debut, which evokes the sound of the Clash driving its train in vain into the Specials’ ghost town. Yet another stylish post-post-punk band, the Dead 60s…
Shattered Illusion
It was an unexpected sight, to say the least. Right in the middle of the high Chihuahuan Desert of far West Texas, along a blank stretch of road dominated by barbed wire and cedar posts, a small adobe storefront glowed. Like a mirage, sleek thousand-dollar handbags and luxurious heels sat…
Special Spears
Asparagus, from the Greek word meaning “stalk” or “shoot,” was first cultivated in Greece 2,500 years ago. The crispy herb asparagus ($7.95) at the Post Oak Grill (1415 South Post Oak Lane, 713-993-9966) raises this classy ingredient to new heights. Four large spears are rolled in panko (coarse Japanese bread…
Gettin’ Jiggy Again
Talk about striking while the iron is hot: It’s been only a year since Saw became an instant cult hit, as well as a topic of debate among horror fans. Was it an innovative new classic, or did the occasionally lackluster acting and ludicrous final twist doom it to also-ran…
Letters to the Editor
Out of the Park Relief pitch: Keep ’em coming! I’m really enjoying the comic relief of the Astros daily updates [“Astros Daily Update”]. It has certainly helped break the tension of this fan, who crumbles under the pressure of the playoffs. Last year, I learned I probably could not handle…