This documentary by journalists Tim Hetherington and Sebastian Junger, about their 2007 stay with an American platoon in a Taliban-infested region of Afghanistan, raises its voice by lowering it. Stripped almost bare of mood music and input from experts or Army poobahs, this hyper-vérité film belongs to the soldiers whose daily routines are followed as they hole up in a…
Primus’ claim to fame — other than giving South Park its theme — remains its status as the funkiest freak-bass rock band of the ’90s. Like the other ’90s alt rockers, the band has seen its mainstream fortunes dwindle. But bass noodler Les Claypool still leads Primus with a metal lifer’s absurdly unclouded verve. Claypool and his band are stopping…
After obligatory helicopter views of the New York City skyline open Adam McKay’s The Other Guys, we’re introduced to Danson and Highsmith (Dwayne Johnson and Samuel L. Jackson), a duo of headline-grabbing, unflappable supercops who keep the city exciting, if not safe, with law enforcement by the Michael Bay book. They aren’t the Other Guys. This is the fourth feature…
Dear Mexican: I am a retired gringa living in Mazatlán, Sinaloa. Most of us foreigners here are liberal and sympathetic to the immigration problem, which the U.S. Congress refuses to address in a meaningful way. Unfortunately, I get lots of e-mails from acquaintances “apprising” me of the horrible situation in el norte, and how all their tax dollars are being…
The premise of The Killer Inside Me — based on Jim Thompson’s 1952 crime novel and directed by Michael Winterbottom — could be summed up in a classified ad: Texas cop with pleasant boyish demeanor seeks compliant dames for sadistic sex games culminating in murder. Thompson’s fearsome tale is recounted in the first person by a blatantly unreliable narrator. Foisting…
In suspense films about confinement, characters may be kidnapped or tortured, but the real captive is the viewer. We’re stuck in our seats, powerless against manipulated time and repeated turnabouts, eager or morbidly curious participants. For all of its stylistic ambitions and cool triangulations, J Blakeson’s debut does little to modify or interrogate the genre, eagerly trading on the spectacle…
Bob Dylan once appeared on the ’90s sitcom Dharma & Greg. He said he took the gig because every time he’d done something he thought he should do, it had turned out poorly. There was no good reason to appear on the show, he said, so that did it. It’s an approach that effectively encapsulates the legendary bard’s career. Dylan…
In Kansas City, you can wok around the clock at one of the many Chinese restaurants named for the cooking pan that’s a staple in most Asian kitchens. Scattered around the metro are China Wok, Rainbow Wok, Lucky Wok, Hunan Magic Wok, Ironwok, Super Wok and Wok-N-Roll Express. And there are three Master Wok restaurants, all owned by husband-and-wife restaurateurs…
Jackson County Executive Mike Sanders sees Omaha in his nightmares. He dreads the day that he and his family visit Nebraska’s largest city and board a train to get around, thanks to a big pile of money delivered by the U.S. government. And it’s not just Omaha that keeps Sanders awake. It happens when he imagines rail projects in Denver…
Studies in Crap: “Memory Lane,” July 8 Nom de Plumage Thanks, big time, for the walk down sweet memory lane from 30 years ago. Turns out “Warren” and I have a lot in common. I had a pen name, too: “Brookes DeSoto.” I worked for records (I replaced my entire Beatles collection), and I had a hell of a time…
Cliff Middleton speaks with a preacher’s zeal and intensity. When he isn’t locked in eye contact with you, trying to convince you of his cause, his gaze wanders over your shoulder, as if looking for an invisible flock. He discusses — at length — justice, truth and his father. Those subjects intersect in Blue Springs, in the home of Cliff’s…
If you love soup but don’t like the idea of ladling hot liquid down your throat when it’s 174 degrees outside, Cafe Sebastienne, the stylish lunch spot at the Kemper Museum, has may have the dish for you. Categories: Dining, Food & Drink Tags: Cafe Sebastienne
Update (3:20 p.m. August 4): Westport Flea Market Joe Zwillenberg says he’s tracked down the guy who swiped one of the Flea’s Best Of Kansas City plaques. Zwillenberg had taken to Facebook to find the guy, and hey, it worked. One of the thief’s friends saw the post and convinced him to give Zwillenberg a call. “Not exactly like finding…
Until his obituary ran in the New York Times this week, I had never heard of the late Morrie Yohai, the inventor of the snack food delicacy known as Cheez Doodles. Yohai died at age 90, nearly a half-century after creating — with the help of his staff at Old London Foods — the crunchy treat made of airy cornmeal…
The polls haven’t even closed for 24 hours, and while the in-fighting has stopped (well, have Todd Tiahrt and Jerry Moran kissed and made up, yet?) and the partisan attacks are just getting started (whoo hoo!), here’s a look back at the winners and losers of the evening. Winner: Kevin Yoder’s casting agent Kevin Yoder’s win last night ensures that…
We appreciate your business here at Wayward. Now, let me ask you a quick question. If you like the Wayward, might you also be interested in our print music section? No, you don’t have to walk outside to get it! It’s available online, just not on this specific blog. All you have to do is click to get there. Simple…
We may need a separate category for frozen-yogurt-store openings. Peachwave, which went from one to three locations in Johnson County last month, is part of the self-serve revolution. And thanks to tips from Fat City readers, I headed over to the location at 9424 Mission Road — which opened July 8 — to get the scoop. Categories: Dining, Food…
Update (1:04 p.m. August 4): Heat is suspected of killing two more people, bringing the total number of deaths believed to be caused by the extreme weather up to four. Not a lot is known other than the Jackson County Medical Examiner is investigating, and we may not get answers for weeks or months. Oddly, the city says to check…
Of course, the Phelps family (a.k.a. the Westboro Baptist Church) was protesting Lady Gaga’s show at the Sprint Center last night. But here’s a video of 96.5 The Buzz’s openly gay radio host, Scoops, lookin’ fine in pleather and a bra, kissing Megan Phelps-Roper on the cheek. What? Categories: Music Tags: 96.5 the buzz, Scoops, Westboro Baptist Church
Downtown Independence is going to the dogs McClain Enterprises, the company operated by husband-and-wife entrepreneurs Ken and Cindy McClain in Independence, Missouri — their restaurant properties include Ophelia’s, Square Pizza, Clinton’s Soda Fountain and Cafe Verona, among others — is getting into the hot dog business this autumn. The newest restaurant in downtown Independence will be called Up Dog. Categories:…
