Theater/Film Reviews
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The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
It’s very long. It’s also incredibly powerful, keeping me riveted to my seat for its entire 158 minutes, or more then 2 1/2 hours . That’s my take on “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo,” a strong, vibrant adaptation of Stieg Larsson’s novel. Screenwriter Steven Zaillian has taken some liberties with Larsson’s work, though I
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Young Adult
Charlize Theron is a terrific actress and a beautiful woman. She also seems to have a great deal of courage, which she displays in “Young Adult,” opening here today. The movie, another collaboration of writer Diablo Cody and director Jason Reitman, who are responsible for the delightful “Juno” of a few years ago. It’s tight
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Gainsbourg: A Heroic Life
The frequent lighting of cigarettes and the billows of tobacco smoke that provide an almost-constant presence are tempting to the retired smoker, but watching the degeneration of French singer-songwriter Serge Gainsbourg is sufficient to remain resistant to the habit, prominent though it is in "Gainsbourg: A Heroic Life," which opens a five-day run tonight as
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Passione
Like New Orleans, Naples is a city famous for its music. And also like New Orleans, it's famous as a seaport, and as a city where passions run high. "Passione," which opens here today, is a rich and fascinating documentary film of Naples, its people and its music, directed by John Turturro, who also acts
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Christmas With the Rat Pack
Dean Martin was there, and so was Sammy Davis, Jr. But who was the third person supposedly on stage at the Fox Theatre last night for “Christmas With the Rat Pack?” Perry Como? Bobby Darin? Bing Crosby? It sure as heck wasn’t Frank Sinatra, nor even a good imitation. Mark Adams gave an outstanding performance
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Dr Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas
It's difficult to be a curmudgeon this time of the year. Christmas sweetness is everywhere, but there are times when gum drops and candy canes are delicious. So it is with Christmas theatricals. Most of them have enjoyable scenes, if nothing else, and nice singing and dancing. Besides, I encourage all parents out there to
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My Three Angels
My Goodness!! An old-fashioned comedy. You remember — funny lines, many laughs, real wit, good timing, no stupidity, no four-letter words, no violence, two intermissions. That's "My Three Angels," a 1953 Broadway success and a 1955 movie (re-titled "We're No Angels") that has been frequently revived ever since. It opened over the weekend as a
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The Santaland Diaries
Let's look at the other side of the Christmas coin, or the Hannukah gelt, and get a view of those who think differently, like David Sedaris, for example. In search of work one year, he signed on as an elf — named Crumpet, no less — working in the winter wonderland at Macy's in New
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The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
The story is part of everyone's heritage, its literary turns as familiar as the curves on U. S. 61 between here and Hannibal, its characters as well-known to us as our own relatives. And when the famous fence is the first thing we see as we enter the Rep, we settle in for an anticipated
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Being Elmo: A Puppeteer’s Journey
"It isn't easy being green," is one of Kermit T. (for the) Frog's most famous lines, and a more recent Muppet, Elmo, could echo it with a different color, which we learn in "Being Elmo: A Puppeteer's Journey," which opens here today. The documentary, directed by Constance Marks and narrated by Whoopi Goldberg, follows Elmo's