The teen hero of Kick-Ass is tired of being mugged by high school thugs in a New York City that’s notably scummier than the real thing and wonders, in a hilariously put-on accent, “How come nobaddy’s eva tried to become a suppahero?” Dave (Aaron Johnson) soon learns the hard way that trying to intimidate thieves while wearing a ridiculous green…
For a while, at least, a pitch-black (and, therefore, pitch-perfect) tale of our times: Four business partners masquerade as a happy family and move into suburbia and sell their friends and neighbors (that is, contacts and customers) on their early-adopting, newer-than-brand-new layaway lifestyle. David Duchovny, Demi Moore, Amber Heard and Ben Hollingsworth are the client-sponsored grifters; they bait their prey…
Like any former TV star with free time and a cause that has caught his eye, James Van Der Beek could have done a voice-over for a documentary about Taiwan’s bloody struggle for independence — instead, he plays an FBI agent in this educational thriller set in early-1980s Taiwan. After a Chicago prologue suggests that a Taiwanese-American professor and human-rights…
Everyone in the Rizzo family has something to hide: Paterfamilias Vince (Andy Garcia) works as a corrections officer but sneaks off for acting lessons; legal-secretary matriarch Joyce (Julianna Margulies) makes out with Tony (Steven Strait), the ex-con whom Vince has invited to live with them in the Bronx fishing village of the title; daughter Vivian (Dominik Garcia-Lorido, Andy’s kid) strips…
Sad, funny and acutely self-conscious, Noah Baumbach’s new movie is the sort of mordant character study that people imagine was common in the 1970s. Greenberg is unafraid to project a downbeat worldview or feature an impossible protagonist. Loser Roger Greenberg (Ben Stiller) is also painfully poignant. Baumbach’s sixth feature is his first to be set in Los Angeles, and the…
Indianapolis punk act the Zero Boys wasn’t particularly famous during its original heyday in the early ’80s, but its guitar-fueled buzz-saw punk has become a touchstone for many modern-day acts (KC street punks Tanka Ray, for example). The group’s debut album, Vicious Circle, is such a striking piece of in-your-face snottiness, it has been reissued no fewer than four times…
Junior Brown’s voice is rich enough to buy a mansion in the Mariana Trench, but that isn’t the most extraordinary aspect of the country artist’s music. He’s also a terrific guitar player. Brown sports a custom rig that he calls the Guit-Steel: a double-necked instrument that combines lap-steel and electric guitar and allows him to switch styles within the same…
Like baked Brie spread over warm French bread, some things undeniably go better together. Such is the case with this tour uniting Mark Knopfler with his opening guest, Pieta Brown. On his latest solo release, Get Lucky, the former Dire Straits frontman and guitar virtuoso (voted the 27th best of all time by Rolling Stone) still exudes the cozy, Bailey’s-in-your-coffee…
It’s a rare pop band that writes lyrics prophesying its future. As “Lisztomania” predicts, Phoenix has progressed from a mess to the masses. Before the French pop band’s swanky days of sold-out shows and Cadillac commercials, frontman Thomas Mars (no, that’s not his real name) hatched Phoenix in the mid-’90s by playing Hank Williams and Prince covers on the French…
Title: Your Family Survival Plan Author: Miami County Public Advisory Council Date: 1968 Discovered: at A Place in Time Antiques, Olathe The cover promises: Even your Tic Tacs could be a tiny fallout shelter. Representative quote: “If the radiation level in your area indicates that animal sickness may be widespread, you probably will be given instructions on slaughtering. Care must…
It’s important never to judge a restaurant — particularly a new restaurant — on a first impression. Why? One reason is that the experience one night can be completely different a few nights later. That was definitely the case at the expensively mounted Sakura Asian Bistro & Sushi Bar in Lee’s Summit. It’s a beautiful restaurant, although some of the…
A metal-core history (drummer Jacob Ryan and singer-guitarist Dan Eaton defected from the Chariot) means that Queens Club songs are bound to be imbued with intensity. But they also come mapped with predetermined pop purpose, making for enjoyable tracks. The formula works on Young Giant, the band’s first full-length release on Tooth & Nail Records. The intensity resides in the…
The Dead Girls (nee Dead Girls Ruin Everything) rose from the ashes of local power-pop troupes Podstar and Ultimate Fakebook to form the metro’s catchiest supergroup. After five years together, there’s finally a full-length. On Out of Earshot, the Dead Girls defy the trendy lo-fi aesthetic of the moment and instead serve up a slick-sounding debut. That’s a compliment. A…
Though the Rooftop Vigilantes recorded their last release with indie-rock legend J. Robbins, band members haven’t become studio snobs. Until the sophomore LP, Real Pony Glue, finds a label and sees the light of day, there’s this home-recorded, self-released cassette to tide over fans. Who Stole My Zoo? feels like it was thrown together in an afternoon (which is probably…
Around lunchtime on February 5 in Vale, South Dakota, a 33-year-old cattle rancher finished a morning of blogging, then stepped outside with a bottle of wine and a video camera. “Hello, my name is Troy Hadrick. I’m a fifth-generation United States rancher in South Dakota,” he ad-libbed. “I recently found out that Yellow Tail wines is going to be donating…
%{}% A jury has convicted Dustin Hilt of killing his ex-girlfriend, Keighley Ann Alyea. The jury returned the verdict on Wednesday, convicting Hilt of first-degree murder, aggravated kidnapping and aggravated robbery. Hilt, 18, was the first of three men to be tried in the murder of 18-year-old Alyea. Also awaiting trial are Gerald Calbeck, 18, and Joseph Mattox, 22. Alyea…
Spring is that magical time of year when a young man’s fancy turns to love. In that spirit, here’s the story of the doomed romance that society wouldn’t tolerate, just because he was a 45-year-old disc jockey with a creepy minivan and she was a 13-year-old girl. Actually, based on the police reports, it’s probably for the best that Shawn Murphy doesn’t…
Every year, The Advocate magazine gives props to the “activists, artists and other stand-outs” who are advancing the gay rights movement around the globe. Last week, the magazine released this year’s “Forty Under 40” list. It isn’t exactly dominated by the ladies. In 2009, just 10 of the 40 were women. This year, there are only 13. Missouri state Sen….
The world is learning what Kansas City already knows: Boulevard is good enough to win gold. The brewery’s Pilsner took gold in the American-Style Specialty Lager Category at the 2010 World Beer Cup. “We’re still soaking it in — this is our first win,” says Jeremy Ragonese, Boulevard’s director of marketing. The World Beer Cup is the largest beer competition…
It’s got ingredients, all right Fat City readers made many excellent guesses as to this week’s “Where Am I Eating?” question, but no really knew where to find the tasty, nourishing veggie burger pictured at right. And where is it? The new Ingredient on the Country Club Plaza serves the West Coast Veggie Burger, made with edamame, carrot, onion, soy…
When a singer with a distinctive voice starts a new band, trying to place that voice in a new context can be a difficult task. Such is the case with former Danger Bob frontman Karl Michelbach and his new band, the Table of Contents. It doesn’t help matters that Unravel & Return gets off to a rocky start. Everything —…
Yesterday, we spent some time with Kansas City tastemaker Jason Burton, the product designer cum brand manager behind Lab 5702, which provides beverage consultation, package design and flavoring advice for individuals and corporations around the country. Today, we ask him five basic questions. If you were out drinking, where would you most likely be found? Extra Virgin. I’d be trying…
