JCH Recommends
If you're one of those people who relishes a really grisly horror movie, be sure to see the expertly executed "28 Weeks Later." The first scene was so disturbing we seriously considered bolting from the theater. What's most frightening is the fact that it seems like this story, or something close to it, could really happen. How would you react in catastrophic circumstances? This story takes place seven months after the "rage virus" has annihilated everyone in the UK and the US Army has taken charge. Reconstruction and the return of refugees is underway when the disease resurfaces. Well meaning American soldiers turn into mass executioners. This movie is surprisingly intelligent and brilliantly, if painfully, directed. We walked out exhausted.
If you are fascinated by prefabricated architecture, new concrete surfaces, the latest in solar power, and modern design, don't miss CA Boom - The West Coast Independent Design show. You can learn about ways to improve your home that you never imagined. And you can go on architectural tours. It's all at Barker Hangar at the Santa Monica airport this weekend March 30 to April 1. Lots of cool people too. (You MIGHT run into one of the Arquettes.) The kickoff party is Friday night 7:30 to 10:30. We can hardly wait.
With Blades of Glory what you see is what you get. The visuals are the funniest parts and you will LAUGH OUT LOUD. Kind of a Strictly Ballroom on skates. A lot of Napolean Dynamite fans will be lining up to see Jon Heder in this perfectly cast comedy role. Heder is famous for odd hairdos and he's got a great one in this movie. The credits reveal an incredible quantity of special effects contributors and the skating sequences don't disappoint. Jon and Will Ferrell make an amusing bickering couple on skates so if you simply want a laugh this weekend, we think your money is well spent on this movie.
We love a girl who can forgive but not forget. That's how Carrie Fisher looks back on her life in her one woman show "Wishful Drinking" at the Geffen Playhouse. Debbie Reynolds and Eddie Fisher should be proud - they produced a problematic but supersmart daughter with a great comic take on life whose mottos include "Instant gratification takes too long." In her gossip addled show, Carrie maps a star-studded dysfunctional family tree and pokes fun at dad - who mistook his new mini hearing aids for pills and swallowed them with water. Carrie reminisces about George Lucas who made her so famous in Star Wars, and OUR favorite revelation: her secret affair with Harrison Ford during filming! She puts on a great show - we were never crazy about Star Wars, but now we're CRAZY about Carrie Fisher. See this, if you can!
If you need a good laugh and love gossip, our friend Michael Musto has a new book for you. La Dolce Musto (Amazon $10.85) is a collection of his most entertaining columns in The Village Voice through the years. John Waters describes the deliciously eccentric Musto as "the best social columnist in New York." We love the fact that he asks the TOUGH questions. For example, he asked Carrie Fisher if the urban legend about her walking in on her mother (Debbie Reynolds) in bed with Agnes Moorehead was TRUE.
And for those of you who love blind items - some examples:
What late star's husband went home with a female impersonator dressed as his dead wife?
What animal activist hypocritically uses dead cows in the form of leather and other S&M paraphernalia when he has sex with young hustlers?
What children's icon was caught out of costume- and character - shopping for dildoes on the west side?
Any guesses?
Here's the perfect Christmas gift for anyone who loves gossip or Hollywood history: MR. CONFIDENTIAL . It's a book about the man behind the famous 50's scandal magazine and it's written by my friend Sam Bernstein. Robert Harrison, the publisher behind Confidential, adored homosexual exposes and gleefully wrote about those "lavender lads" - Liberace being "mad about the boy" and Tab Hunter's "gay pajama party." He even outed Van Johnson by declaring his conversion to heterosexuality. The "baritone babes" Lizabeth Scott and Marlene Dietrich got their share of stories too. I asked Sam to tell me about a scoop that Confidential COULDN'T print and he recalled one about Elvis. Back in 1957. A PR guy claimed that Elvis had an ongoing affair with another famous teen idol. (Tab? Troy? Fabian? Bobby?) Supposedly they got together for "man-play" - wrestling and beyond. Confidential couldn't substantiate the story and didn't print it. WE don't think it was true either. In Tab Hunter's bio he mentioned that he was miffed when Elvis stole his "beard" Natalie Wood away from him.
On Tuesday night The Ten Tenors show opened at the Pantages theater in Hollywood and we liked them WAY more than we expected to. They got a standing ovation when the ten Australian guys sang a tribute to Queen. And were we lucky to be seated in the third row next to the cutest acting couple - Meredith Eaton-Gilden and her husband Michael Gilden. She is currently enjoying success on Boston Legal as a lawyer and love interest to William Shatner's character. We asked her what it's like to work with Shatner and she told us "his character is not politically correct, but HE is a delightful man. " She LIKES him a lot. This diminutive actress has a masters degree in clinical psychology from Hofstra University. Michael is also a singer and they loved the Tenors show, but they skipped the after-party at Basque to go home and walk their two Pomeranians. We scooted down the street to Basque and met the cute Tenors who are staying at the Roosevelt Hotel for the run of the show. Girls wanting to meet the Australian guys might be advised to check out the show and later - the Tropicana bar, where they're probably hanging out..
If you ever sat dozing and daydreaming while a high school history teacher bored you to DEATH with endless and meaningless dates, you're going to LOVE Sofia Coppola's Marie Antoinette. History never had it so good! -maybe because it's a historical story from a woman's point of view, for a change. She presents real human figures we can IDENTIFY with - not just stiff one dimensional characters. Sofia focuses on the everyday life of these famous people - how they dressed, how they shopped, how they amused themselves, what amazing foods they ate, and how they GOSSIPED about each other. Did you realize gossip and hairdressers have been around for CENTURIES! And the scenery and set decoration is beyond lush. It's a feast for the eyes. THANK YOU, Sofia, for making history fun!
On paper The Departed seemed like the last movie on earth we'd want to see. A hyper-macho movie - a nearly all male cast, vulgar, violent, horribly bloody. Another cop movie. But are we glad we gave it a chance! We can't stop thinking about it - the script was smart, the characters were fascinating, the soundtrack added a new level of excitement. We were HOOKED from beginning to end! It's almost like the Irish version of Goodfellas. It's THAT good. Martin Scorcese IS a genius. You're gonna LOVE this movie.
Ever wonder where stagediving and slamdancing started? Right here in Southern California in the early 80's with the Hardcore punk movement. This chaotic underground scene is the subject of the new documentary American Hardcore (the history of American punk rock 1980 - 1986.) If you liked loud fast music and had a shaved head or a crew cut and a threatening demeanor back then, you were probably Hardcore. We remember stuffing kleenex in our ears and keeping a safe distance from the stage during some of these shows, but we thought the scene was really cool. The movie features interviews with bandmembers from Gang Green, Circle Jerks , Bad Brains etc. and it's fun to see how the guys look twenty five years later. Bet you didn't know Moby was in a Hardcore band.
The loss of actor Glenn Ford immediately brought to mind one of our favorite movies of ALL time - Blackboard Jungle. It was a shocking sensation in the fifties and every kid HAD to see it. It was the first movie about juvenile delinquents and featured the first hit rock n roll song - Bill Haley's Rock Around the Clock. It became the theme song of the greaser generation. When that song played at the start of the movie, the audience was ready to rumble. Glenn Ford played a mild mannered teacher assigned to tame a classroom of greasy inner-city thugs including young Sidney Poitier. They nicknamed their teacher Daddy-O and when Vic Morrow pulled a knife on Ford in class - he was sent to the principal's office! We'll miss you Daddy-O.
The American Cinematheque screened the documentary "Who Is Harry Nilsson?" last week and we can't get it out of our mind. Nilsson was a haunting singer/ musician in the 60's and 70's who was so cool the Beatles were fans of his. (His song "Everybody's Talkin' " was the theme for the movie Midnight Cowboy.) The documentary has amazing footage of Harry and John Lennon and Ringo and his various famous friends, thirty or forty years ago. Lotsa drugs and booze. Some of my favorite movie moments featured his record producer Richard Perry flaunting astonishing early 70's clothes - skintight velvet or plaid jackets with pagoda shoulders, shirts with huge dog ear collars, and tiny V neck sweaters with platform shoes. If you love this musical era like we do- see this film.
Now that most of us have seen my favorite movie of this summer, the delicious Devil Wears Prada, there's still something to look forward to on the dog days of summer. A little independent movie called Quinceanera must NOT be overlooked simply because it doesn't have a blockbuster publicity budget. Don't miss it. If you live in LA , the characters and locations are delightfully familiar. If you live somewhere else, it's a whole new world. Real estate, cholos, girl problems, all my favorite things. You'll love the actors and the realistic situations. And you'll walk out of the movie feeling happy. Watch for this little gem in August.
