- Issue Archive for
- Sep 2-8, 2010
- Vol. 20, No. 35
News+Features
School Bus
Those depending on PAT to get to class give proposed cuts an F
People on the Bus
Further cuts will make getting to class even harder for students
Taxing Debate
Rendell, gas drillers have different ideas of fair tax on shale
Deadline, Schmedline
County years behind on department review
Inducing Labor
P-G unions mulling over contract offer, buyouts
Food+Drink
Hot Franks
It's not just hot dogs at this Strip District eatery.
Music
Corey Layman concludes a year-long project: recording a new song every week
"It was definitely aided by the fact that I'd be tinkering around and learning to record with the iPhone."
Guitarist Sir Richard Bishop's latest explorations feature power-trio Rangda
Bishop approaches experimental guitar as a vehicle for circumnavigating the globe to absorb folk traditions purveyed by some of the least famous musicians on the planet.
Thomas Function packs teen kicks and pop hooks with plenty of attitude
The bravado, the immature mood swings, the hope to be loved -- it's the whiny id that Thomas Function taps so well that constitutes much of the band's appeal.
Lady Gaga brings the future to the gleaming new CONSOL Energy Center
With all due respect to Sir Paul, if you go to one pop concert in Pittsburgh this year, Lady Gaga's may be the most culturally relevant and freaky-fun.
On Screen
The American
Edward (George Clooney) is a professional in the hired-gun business. After a bit of unexplained trouble in Sweden, he's now hiding out in a small village in Italy, working on a new assignment. But the hunter is also the hunted -- Edward is jumpy -- and there is a strange man lurking about. And like other sympathetic dramas about assassins, The American enjoys the built-in contradiction inherent in the job -- how can this nice guy kill for a living? -- and much of the film seems to be about the interior unraveling of Edward. Not that he'll tell you -- the dialogue is spare and small talk prevails -- but there's a heaviness in Clooney's performance that says beneath Edward's efficiency lies a lot of unresolved turmoil. The American is the second feature from Anton Corbijn, the noted photographer and music-video director. Corbijn is no stranger to creating atmosphere with cameras, and the film is handsomely filmed. Clooney is imminently watchable, though fans of his glib charm will be disappointed, and this film has virtually none of the action that its kicky poster suggests. It's light on plot, moody and closer to a European character study than an American thriller. And even the patient viewer may take exception to the film's noirishly existential ending. In English, and some Italian, with subtitles. (Al Hoff) [2.5 out of 4 stars]
Takers
Don't get me wrong: John Luessenhop's crime caper is pretty junky, from its ridiculous scenarios to its hoary "stylish" direction. But if you needed a last blast of no-brainer air conditioning, replete with lots of male eye-candy, wildly silly chases and an odd quip or two, this is a palatable popcorn-muncher. An uncatchable crew of bankrobbers becomes the target of a cranky L.A. vice cop (Matt Dillon). Fortunately, the gang has agreed to do the proverbial one-last-job, which involves maps, disguises, a giant hole in the ground -- and is sure to only end in tears. The film is so lazily plotted that it doesn't even set up which crew member has which specialty: The gang, who most often resemble -- and pose like -- a Hot Young Things fashion spread, includes Paul Walker (whose acting is flatter than a pancake), Hayden Christensen (as a hipster-doofus gangster), Michael Ealy and fresh-from-the-tabs singer Chris Brown. Their leader is played by Idris Elba, who adds another lame role to post-The Wire resume. (Al Hoff) [2 out of 4 stars]
Going the Distance
Oh, modern love. You finally find the right guy/girl, and then they move 3,000 miles away. But hey, we can make it work, right? Right?
In this cheerfully vulgar romantic comedy from Nanette Burstein (American Teen), our make-it-work couple meet in New York City: Erin (Drew Barrymore) is an aspiring journalist, and Garrett (Justin Long) works at an indie record label. Among the things they share: a love of Centipede, drunken hook-ups, bawdy humor and hipster dream-jobs in dying industries. It's oh-so-much fun, until Erin moves to San Francisco for her (fingers-crossed) career.
Real-life on-again-off-again couple Barrymore and Long make an engaging and believable pair, but the longer the film goes on, the more steam it loses. There's just not a lot of comic potential in cross-country phone calls and text messages. Burstein fills in the holes with some by-the-book piffle as Erin has a bad day at her waitress job, or a mopey Garrett gets a beer with his buds. Excessive pining just doesn't make for a good comedy. Especially when we're pretty sure we know where this story is going ...
I'm not sure Burstein's mash-up of a love story with Apatow-style R-rated riffage completely worked, though there are some good laughs. (This is the rare rom-com where the wacky sidekick friends are a lot less funny than the leads.) But on the plus side, the messy, quick-witted, tomboyish Erin seems like a girl you'd actually know, and more real than the glossy high-heeled Popsicle sticks that usually populate these films. Starts Fri., Sept. 3. (Al Hoff) [2.5 out of 4 stars]
