The flight and return of self
Following a fall tour that took her from New York to San Francisco, Terry Blackhawk will bring her new award-winning book, Escape Artist, back to her hometown in the new year. The Detroit poet plans to read at local bookstores, including Book Beat in Oak Park and Borders in Rochester Hills. Even though the title,…
Fire At Will
Once again it’s time to dip into the old rock critic mailbag. Today’s massive missive comes from Monika Veronika of Throgs Neck, New York, who writes: “Dear Jeffrey: After reading your Kings Of Leon review and not believing that any band could possibly be as bad as you said they were, I disregarded your warning…
Mortality bites
We here at the deathwatch are forgoing our usual year-end wrap-up of rockin’ stars who died for your sins in 2003 — first off because they’re all nominated for Grammy awards anyway (Warren Zevon, June Carter and Johnny Cash and late 2001 entry George Harrison) and secondly because it’s depressing even to us moribunds to…
Shame game
It’s a dirty job, but somebody has to do it. OK, that’s not true. Nobody has to do it. But for the utterly cynical and depraved, there is a certain perverse pleasure to be found in sloshing through the muck of an entire year, reminding ourselves of just how much perfidy the local media so…
House of Sand and Fog
Behrani (Ben Kingsley) was a colonel back in his homeland on the Caspian Sea, but in America he’s reduced to selling cigarettes behind the counter of a gas station. He buys a bargain of a house, unaware that just days before, Kathy (Jennifer Connelly) was wrongfully evicted from the it. Desperation causes fingers to point…
Mona Lisa Smile
Set in 1953, Julia Roberts is Katherine Watson, the new free-willed art teacher at Wellesley College who has her work cut out for her. But Roberts doesn’t come close to capturing the audience with her role as Robin Williams did in Dead Poets Society. The performances by the other actors are just above mediocre and…
Paycheck
Jimmy Rethrick (Aaron Eckhart) is the sharply dressed, neatly coifed owner of Allcom, and boss of Michael Jennings (Ben Affleck), an engineer/inventor who must perfect the company’s see-the-future-and-take-over-the-world machine. All of director John Woo’s trademark moves are present and accounted for, including the "Mexican standoff," which makes a half-dozen appearances. What’s missing is the palpable…
We Got The Neutron Bomb — Weird World Volume 2
The Weirdos were one of the first Los Angeles punk bands. Formed in 1976 by brothers John and Dix Denney with longtime friends/creative collaborators Cliff Roman and Dave Trout, their brilliant, virile collision of Dadaism, junk culture, mad genius, stupidity and youthful energy reflected both their sleazy Hollywood environment and art-school backgrounds. John Denney’s voice…
Cheaper by the Dozen
A family with 12 kids comes off even wackier than it did in 1950, the first time this film was made. The Bakers are a loving, easy-going couple packing up their country herd and moving to the big city for dad’s dream job. What you get is a fast-food film that goes through the motions…
Autumn Spring
In this modest Czech film, Fanda is an old codger who spends his days acting out harmless pranks. His wife Emilie is the exact opposite, a party-pooping scold. We get yet another film positing that a life of fantasy makes you happy while those who focus on reality become petty and uptight. What keeps all…
Free Will Astrology
ARIES (March 21-April 19): I saw my Aries friend Alexis yesterday. "You’re even more festive than the last time I saw you," I told her. She had on red silk pants, a burgundy cashmere sweater, a silver scarf, black snakeskin boots and a beaded black tunic. I noticed several new piercings and a Hindu-style red…
Blues for Clarence Butler
Not only was this supposed to be a New Year’s column, but I had seriously planned to shift my focus to the more hard-hitting issues that I’ve been steering clear of the past month or so. As I mentioned in my last column, I really do want to respect the wishes of readers who would…
More horny holiday stories
Asked to share their favorite, fondest and most cherished (sex-related) holiday experiences, my readers sent in so many uplifting, deeply moving, Chicken-Soup-for-the-Pervert’s-Soul stories that I couldn’t possibly fit them all into one column. Last week’s column was devoted to Christmas and Hanukkah stories; this week I’m giving over the column to my readers’ favorite, fondest,…
Nutty Nazis
There is only one thing missing from the Broadway musical version of Mel Brooks’ 1968 masterpiece The Producers. It’s not the borscht-belt shtick that sends up everything from beyond-swishy directors to Nazi sympathizers who raise pigeons in their spare time. It’s not the brave, gloriously raunchy depiction of desperate old ladies departing with their money…
A reel celebration
Thirty-seven years after the vision was first shared, Kwanzaa observers still celebrate with a purpose. In fact, one day after the last gifts have been unwrapped on Christmas, thousands of Detroiters will be just beginning the festivities. Kwanzaa, the only holiday created by and for Africa’s descendants in America, is observed Dec. 26 through Jan.…
Why now, mad cow?
Speaking frankly, we owe it to our country to do our best to put this mad cow thing in perspective. So, as loyal citizens, let’s assume that everything the government and the beef industry have told us about our first-known mad cow is true. What that means, at the very least, is that A) on…
N&D Center
31 WED • MUSIC The Dirtbombs — It’s almost too easy, but keen ears everywhere will want to check out the Dirtbombs on New Year’s Eve. Just off the plane from their successful European tour, a smattering of new songs from their latest release, Dangerous Magical Noise, in tow — one of D-town’s most-loved rock…
Letters to the Editor
Can we expense that? Would someone please give Dan DeMaggio $20 for a blow job? But who would want to waste their money when he obviously can’t get it up or keep it up (“Rockette in my pocket,” Metro Times, Dec. 17-23). Blaming his erectile dysfunction on almonds, perfume and the bald guy in front…
Maxing out the old year
The year “The Great Blackout” left millions of couch potatoes in the lurch is over. The year Bostonians wept at the unkept promise of a World Series upset is over. The year the knavishly cheesy American media system seared Ben and J. Lo — aka “Bennifer” — into our lexicon is over. That these days…
Hipsters, suits & history
Art Deco decor, eclectic crowd. Menu ranges from chicken wings to homemade pastas to filet mignon. More than 100 beers; excellent wine list. Wide range of catering packages for any occasion.
