The opening-credit sequence of Windtalkers — a montage of Monument Valley — instantly invokes memories of the opening of John Woo’s immediately previous film, Mission: Impossible 2, in which Tom Cruise was dangling off a rock. It is the last moment of similarity between the two. Windtalkers is a World…
It’s tough being a dad in this world of uncertainties and expectations. Alimony keeps the ex-wife at bay, and tuition payments keep your ungrateful offspring from dissing you outright 24/7. But there is one little loved one in your life who will always consider you the supreme daddy numero uno,…
The seemingly endless cycle of arts events, though slowing, has yet to cease. As one festival (the International Hispanic Theatre Festival) ends, another (the Florida Dance Festival) begins. For the next seventeen days expect this town to be overrun with hardbodied, expressive types when dancers of all kinds begin to…
In the end is a beginning, as the saying goes. And so it is with Apartment 3A, a romantic comedy with a Hollywood ending that marks a Hollywood beginning: the Acting Studio Stage Company’s new space on Hollywood Boulevard. While there are certain drawbacks to this production, plenty of encouraging…
It’s no surprise that the Louisiana-born novelist Rebecca Wells has seen her wildly popular books translated into eighteen languages, with no less than six million copies in print. She’s no deep-thinking stylist, but she has an unfailing gift for injecting Southern sentimentality, low-grade neurosis, and mischievous charm into stories that…
The plot of The Importance of Being Earnest, for those unfortunates who’ve missed it these past 109 years, goes something like this: A dandified London wastrel by the name of Algernon (Algy) Moncrieff (portrayed in this adaptation by Rupert Everett) welcomes into his chambers his friend and ally, Ernest (Colin…
“It’s not like I’m going to be sitting there and balancing eggs on spoons,” says actor/playwright Bill Spring about his new performance piece Miss Vanilla and the Hustler, debuting this weekend on Miami Beach. “It’s accessible material.” Set on South Beach, where the Atlanta native has resided for the past…
A few famous artists on regret: “I Regret Nothing,” proclaimed French chanteuse Edith Piaf in what came to be known as her signature song. “Miss Otis Regrets,” wrote composer Cole Porter about a woman who murdered her lover and politely canceled a social engagement owing to the dire consequences she…
When this column debuted at the beginning of 2000, readers and editors scoffed at its occasional subject matter, the comic book. Kids’ stuff, they growled, junk food for adults who still live in their parents’ basements. And maybe they were right back then. The industry was dying; the art form…
Big is sometimes better. For instance South Florida has become home to the largest Hispanic theater festival in the United States, which this year will host thirteen companies from seven other countries (Brazil, Chile, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Nicaragua, Slovenia, and Spain). Almost all of the companies have been presenting theater…
Once again reels from Rio will screen on the sands of Miami Beach to kick off this year’s festival, which includes 24 films and visits by a number of actors and directors. The big treat: For the first time ever, the opening film (A Dog’s Will, reviewed below) will be…
For true South Florida-style diversity, look to Coconut Grove. Located on Biscayne Bay, a few miles south of downtown Miami, the lushly landscaped area is perhaps this city’s most eclectic neighborhood. Over the years it has boasted bratty college kids carousing and cruising around in their cars on weekend nights,…
It is often said, this town is going to the dogs. Nothing could be more apt this weekend when the South Dade Kennel Club holds its eleventh annual All Breed Conformation Show and Obedience Trials. Close to 700 canines will jump through hoops, run through tunnels, pose, and obey commands,…
What a difference a week makes. In the last issue of New Times, Florida Stage in Manalapan was lauded as the Best Theater in South Florida. Now along comes its final show of the season, Women Who Steal, which is, to be very blunt, the worst show of the stage’s…
The sudden cancellation of Cesar Beltrán’s “The Centennial” exhibit at Maxoly Art Cuba gallery, two weeks before its closing date, is a sad and depressing reminder of how a mix of blatant ignorance, scare tactics, and inflated claims of patriotism can crush artistic freedom in Miami. This is a loose…
Thirty-four years later, Carson has returned to the school to deliver a series of lectures on the power of fable and film as metaphor, and he asked Coppola, whose film was partially inspired by David Holzman, to join him. Carson–who appears in Coppola’s feature debut, CQ, and who helped Roman…
The bad news for Memento fans is that Christopher Nolan’s Insomnia is far less complex and challenging in form than the backward-edited art-house hit that sparked as much disdain as devotion among moviegoers last year. The good news for Memento-haters is that Insomnia is far less complex and challenging in…
It’s very tempting to not just dismiss Enough, the latest bill-paying gig by Michael Apted (Enigma) starring Jennifer Lopez, but shred it altogether. Ms. Lopez hasn’t exactly added to her acting credibility with a string of showy, glamorous roles in such mediocre fare as The Wedding Planner and Angel Eyes…
Like many of us, Susan Hargreaves is passionate about food. But her enthusiasm extends beyond just satisfying her taste buds. She lectures about food, regularly invited to do so at high schools, colleges, and libraries throughout South Florida. And she’s also created a slide show, a quiz, and even a…
When local escape artist/magician Dylan Ace approached Miami hotels and nightclubs for a place to perform his act, small-minded management types had serious insurance concerns. You see, his show will include a stunt where the 20-year-old baby-faced Kendall native hangs 100 feet in the air upside down, by a burning…
Murder mystery alert: Some devilish scheming and startling plot twists are lying in wait for unsuspecting audiences in Murderer, which opened recently at the Actors’ Playhouse in Coral Gables. Theatergoers may also be surprised by some rough language as well as explicit violence and nudity, decidedly a departure from the…
If you enjoy movies about a violently widowed man who’s unsure of his identity — and is covered in tattoos that remind him of his mission of vengeance — but you can’t be bothered with the frustration of watching a movie that’s edited backward, put that Memento DVD aside and…
