Shout Outs to the 718 and 212

New York is a city known for its diversity, so it seems fitting that its artists will have unique perspectives on storytelling. That concept is explored in “Representing 718 and 212: New York City Artists,” the newest exhibit at local modern art Mecca Lèche-Vitrines Art Alliance (3038 N. Federal Hwy.,…

He’s Like Michael Winslow, But Funny.

Normally, when given the choice between attending a stand up act filled with impressions or shoving cutlery into assorted orifices, the latter is the better option. Seriously, how many John Madden and Jack Nicholson imitations can one handle before the sweet relief of a spork in the eye is appealing?…

Our top DVD picks scheduled for release this week:

. . . And Justice for All: Special Edition (Sony) Appleseed Ex Machina (Warner Bros.) August Rush (Warner Bros.) Bee Movie (DreamWorks) Black Widow (Fox) Dan in Real Life (Buena Vista) Def Comedy Jam: D.L. Hughley (HBO) Fantastic Four: World’s Greatest Heroes Volume 3 (Fox) Hitman (Fox) Housewife, 49 (Acorn)…

On the Lam

It’s relatively early in the year, I know, but “Wifredo Lam in North America” is such a knockout that I’m prepared to go ahead and declare it one of the best exhibitions of 2008. Yes, it’s that good. The show, now at the Miami Art Museum (MAM), is the Cuban-born…

Three the Hard Way

No Country for Old Men (Paramount) “A horror comedy chase” is how a grinning Tommy Lee Jones describes No Country for Old Men in the making-of — meanwhile, his fellow actors add to the list such adjectives as “a very primitive ride,” “a rabbit chase through Texas,” and “a very…

The Games People Play

For the crime of obliterating high culture, for the crime of getting off on vicarious degradation — and, above all, for the crime of sitting through any movie that resembles the one he’s (re)made — Michael Haneke sentences you (me, us) to Funny Games. Scratch that: to a second fucking…

Look Whos Back!

Was Dr. Seuss, née Theodor Seuss Geisel, oblivious to his own genius? The allegory of his charming Horton Hears a Who! remains fluid today and, like its crafty rhymes, ebbs and flows with the times. The conviction of an innocent pachyderm known as Horton to stand up against tyranny and…

Pounding Headache

You’ll know in the first few minutes exactly what Patapon has going for it. There’s the goofy premise, which casts you as the tribal god Patapon, lord of a band of creatures called, imaginatively enough, Patapons — little savages that are basically eyeballs with arms and legs. Then there’s the…

People, Politics, and Paint

In the past few weeks, the big headlines for theater people were mostly flashy. Famous plays, mean plays, experimental plays, and big-budget musicals opened across the three counties, while Sol Theatre got a major overhaul and came roaring back to life after half a year of inactivity. And so theater…

Cheap Booze For Expensive People

Happy Hump Day, dear reader, and congratulations to you for so gracefully surviving at least half of another workweek. Gritty, wily you — at this rate, I do believe you’ll make it to Saturday! Your remarkable stamina and easy optimism deserve some kind of celebration. Which is why a lot…

Short Doses

The thing about Martin Short is that he’s at his best when he’s teetered on the edge of uncomfortably annoying. Take his role in Clifford: Short did his absolute damndest to make not only Charles Grodin, but you as well, want to smack the living shit out of a 10-year-old…

The Sodom & Gomorrah to Thelma & Louise

A pulpy, pornographic film from the ´90s is surfacing at the Gateway Theatre (1820 East Sunrise Boulevard) today. The Living End, directed by Gregg Araki, is about a pair of gay outlaws. The one is a movie critic with HIV, waiting for AIDS to set in. The other is a…

Choose Your Own Adventure

By the time this article hits the newsstands, the Cats playoff picture will probably be crystal clear, therefore it’s time to grab your pen or pencil and get with the circling. “We would just like to (congratulate/chastise) the Panthers for (making/missing) the playoffs yet again. We, the miserable South Florida…

The Cure For What Ails Ya

What’s the struggling artist to do? You’re full of passion for their work but you can’t seem to get anyone in the art world to take notice. Street-corner caricatures? Magazine contests? Going back to stripping, even though you promised yourself you never would again? No, no, and double no. The…

Wax On, Wax Off

Try thinking of director Nadine Labaki’s Caramel as a Steel Magnolias for Middle Eastern sensibilities, only also set amid an ultraconservative, male-dominant Arab culture. Thankfully, inside a Lebanese hair salon, working Beirut women can dish unfiltered gossip without reproof, and partake in proprietress Layale’s (Labaki) candied hair-removal technique: She slaps…

A Spellbinding Musical

Most of us came of age during our collegiate years. Our twiggy limbs and bony hips grew fleshier than we would have liked, and our tongues became magically untied when flirting with the opposite sex. But then, we didn’t have green skin. Or sorcery skills. Or flying monkeys to contend…

Family: Making you Cringe Since (Your Birthday Here)

Your dad likes polka music and lots of scotch. Your mom has “a thing” for Lorenzo Lamas – a fact she tells everyone whenever wine is served. Your sister left home at 16, pierced her septum and fashioned her hair into liberty spikes. Now she’s an investment banker, a Republican,…

It’s Not Easy, Bein’ Green

The price of gasoline is higher than you would like. Aside from the whole wallet-pinching aspect, you know that you’re also fueling poisonous emissions and political conflicts. Well, alternatives have been around for longer than we think: the diesel engine was originally designed to run on peanut oil and electric…

Patty Melt

Everyone’s got a little green man inside him, just waiting to guzzle beer, flip bar stools, and generally cause a ruckus on Saint Patrick’s Day. And that’s cool! This is the one holiday where a bit o’ ruckus is not only allowed; it’s damn near expected. There’s a ton to…

Don’t Just Nibble at Your Books: Feast!

Don’t ever try eating your books and magazines; they have no nutritional value and the binding gets stuck between your molars. Besides, there are better ways to celebrate the Broward County Library’s Literary Feast than with Faulkner puree or a Sedaris smoothie – like attending programs, forums, and lectures with…

Snap Your Affection

Some festivals roll into town with a whimper, others with a cough, and then you have Jazz in the Gardens. This two-day extravaganza of smooth grooves is coming down Dan Marino Boulevard riding the sweet sounds of George Benson’s guitar, the immortal pipes of Chaka Khan, and whichever musical trick…

You Give Love a Bad Name

There’s not much that’ll leave you as woefully inspired as a broken heart. Maybe your girl dumped you because you never washed the dishes or your boy-toy cheated on you with a college-aged tart. Maybe — just maybe — both your girl and your guy left you because you couldn’t…