In Alexander Payne’s latest telegram from the damaged psyche of the American middle-class man, perfectly unmarried George Clooney plays an imperfectly married rich guy, Matt King, about to leave the well-off to join the ranks of Hawaii’s version of the 1 percent. This is as upper-middle-class as Hollywood gets, even without the poor timing of its Occupy Wall Street moment….
Michelle Williams is more wiggle than jiggle as Marilyn Monroe, more a portrayal of an hourglass half-full than of a soul half-empty. It isn’t for Williams’ lack of commitment to an accurate survey of glam and doom. She spent months studying film and audio and reading about the fated actress, far more labor than Method-devotee Monroe ever managed. But her…
It’s probably no accident that a flurry of cinema-history pastiches are arriving in theaters as obituaries mount for film and the celluloid it’s printed on. What isn’t clear is whether they’re meant as resurrections (the black-and-white French silent-movie homage The Artist) or wakes (My Week With Marilyn). In the case of Martin Scorsese’s visually dazzling adaptation of the award-winning Brian…
In rough chronological order, these are the things that fail in Lars von Trier’s Melancholia: hired livery, love, marriage, maternity, paternity, sex, career, sanity, animals, science, Jack Bauer, sisterhood, electricity, compassion, human will, oxygen, gravity, innocence and life. This isn’t really ruining any surprises; before the movie’s dramatic action begins, the world ends. In a stunningly photographed prologue, unforgettably set…
Latin music encompasses many styles and is wildly popular, but it remains more culturally insulated than many other genres. Kansas City’s Making Movies is a rare crossover band in that it embraces its heritage without being wholly defined by it. The rhythm, percussion and musicality of Making Movies’ sound has clear Latin roots, but the band just as often looks…
As a rapper, Jay-Z has grown less vital every year since 2003’s The Black Album. But instead of skidding into career exile, he has continued to expand his fanbase. Hova’s popularity, in fact, soars higher all the time. Why? How? The man delights in self-marketing. He’s addicted to his own celebrity. And like a true business, man, he expertly identifies…
Morning sunlight warms the old brick warehouse as nearby factories rattle. At 8:45 a.m. on the first Friday of October, nearly 100 people line up outside this five-story building at the foot of Kansas City’s 12th Street Bridge. Many in the crowd presumably saw the resale shop’s Facebook page, which provided a preview of the merchandise. In the former Columbia…
Thee Oh Sees One of the more prominent bands in the fertile San Francisco garage-rock scene, Thee Oh Sees touches all bases of the genre: uptempo Sonics-y janglers, slowly unfurling acid drones, miles-deep reverb. But the band also has an aggressive Captain Beefheart-like, art-rock side that adds a menacing unpredictability to its songs. Frontman John Dwyer, who’s responsible for all…
If I didn’t like the Basil Leaf Café in Lawrence so much, I’m pretty sure I would hate it. This creation of 36-year-old chef Brad Walters is a little restaurant tucked inside a corner of a Phillips 66. I don’t mind restaurants in gas stations, but the lighting here is harsh even by convenience-store standards. The seating is not only…
The Survival 11 Homecoming Event fall clothing drive and Thanksgiving dinner for Kansas City’s homeless is just a few days away, but organizer Richard Tripp still needs help. This year’s event is slated for November 26 from noon to 4 p.m. at the Grand Avenue Temple (205 East Ninth Street). Tripp says he’s in need of 50-gallon trash bags so…
(function() { var scribd = document.createElement(“script”); scribd.type = “text/javascript”; scribd.async = true; scribd.src = “http://www.scribd.com/javascripts/embed_code/inject.js”; var s = document.getElementsByTagName(“script”); s.parentNode.insertBefore(scribd, s); })(); The Kansas City Royals unveiled the updated alternate home and primary road uniforms that the boys in powder blue will be wearing in 2012. Scroll through to see the changes. The Royals broke down the changes, so we…
November has been a deadly month in KCMO. Kansas City, Missouri’s homicide total grew to 101 Monday night. A double shooting left one man dead and another person injured near East 51st Street and Swope Parkway, according to the Star. Around 11 p.m., police found the two people shot in the 3500 block of East 51st Street. One man died…
Karen Pletz was 64 years old. Karen Pletz, the former president of Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences and longtime civic leader facing federal embezzlement charges over handling of school funds, was found dead in Florida just after midnight Tuesday morning. The Star reports that the cause of death is still being determined, but police were called to a…
Can a Rumblejett make your N64 controller shake? Two days before the turkey dismemberment: Tuesday’s Best Bets. Tonight: The Rumblejetts at RecordBar (early show)Bowinero, Broken Mast, Ruthless Antarctic Empire, Ani Mal Donado at CzarThe Atlas Moth, Batillus at the Riot RoomMile High Club at Davey’s UptownDemi Lovato at the Midland Categories: Music
The city’s most beautiful weirdos gathered at the FOKL Gallery in Kansas City, Kansas on Friday night to celebrate the first anniversary of local vintage fashion group We Are Tribe. Photos by Allie Mason.
The Floozies are at it again. The Lawrence band recently released a tour promo video, set to the band’s new song, “Birfday Suit.” Watch it after the jump. Categories: Music Tags: new release, The Floozies
Hermon Mehari It’s cold. Like, really cold. And how does one beat the cold? Chili, spiked apple cider and jazz, of course. Tonight at Clyde Manor apartments (350 East Armour Blvd.), people can enjoy all of the above. In hopes to bring in new residents and entertain current inhabitants, the Manor will host an evening of jazz, courtesy of Hermon…
Facebook: Bar Louie Bar Louie is coming to Zona Rosa. Someone believes in you, drinkers of the Northland. The Kansas City Star reports that Bar Louie will open in Zona Rosa next February. Bar Louie is taking over the former O’Dowd’s Little Dublin space at 8600 N.W. Prairie View Rd. This will be the second area location for the Texas-based…
Flickr: Bucklava Does your day begin and end with the turkey? We’re only two days into this week, but we’re also only two days away from a four-day weekend that begins with the mother of all vacation feasts. Thanksgiving is nearly here. And there is as much joy in thinking about the overeating to come as there is in the…
