“I really wish she could hear you sing” When I discuss Audrey Niffenegger’s debut novel The Time Traveler’s Wife with people, I tell them, besides it being a top five book of all-time for me, that it is a romance/love story. There are fantastic elements of science fiction, (one of the best use of time travel I’ve ever experienced), as well as moments of true suspense with the thrilling adventures of our titular traveler too, but they only help bolster the tale of true love at its core. I’ll admit…
Read MoreMonth: August 2009
DESIGN: The Western New York Performing Arts Guide 2009
2009 The Western New York Performing Arts Guide 2009, published by Buffalo Spree Publishing, Inc. Front Cover: By using three stock photos—one to stand-in theatre (Victorian looking actor), another for music (the cello), and the last for dance (ballerinas)—I created a image expressing all the arts included in the publication. Inside Layout: Building off of 2008’s design, I removed the venue images and relied solely on color to delineate theatre from music and dance, and also went from two columns to three, creating more room for text and images. Descriptions…
Read MoreREVIEW: In the Loop [2009]
“An anti-war shag?” There is something about British comedy that resonates with me. I don’t know if it is because we in the States experience so little of it, or maybe because Hollywood rapes and pillages the material for their own water-downed versions, but the humor just seems fresh, uncensored, and hilarious. When I first came across the new political black comedy In the Loop, I will admit to being less than interested. The marketing materials were using the whole Obama silkscreen poster look and I really wasn’t interested in…
Read MoreREVIEW: Orphan [2009]
“Look at the snow orphan—snorphan?” Surprise, surprise, Orphan actually isn’t that bad. Who would have thought something that appeared to be a bad rehash of The Omen could truly entertain? I guess the ability to acquire the services of a couple on the cusp of A-list status actors in Peter Sarsgaard and Vera Farmiga should have raised an eyebrow, but honestly I still had many reservations. In fact, I knew the “twist” before sitting down in the theatre—something that I believe enhanced my enjoyment rather than lessened it. Perhaps this…
Read MoreREVIEW: Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid [1969]
“For a gunman, you’re one hell of a pessimist” Director George Roy Hill had a little success when working with Paul Newman: two Best Picture and Best Director nominees with classics The Sting and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid along with a cult classic in the hockey comedy Slap Shot. The Sting is one of my favorite films and so when the opportunity presented itself to see the first pairing of Hill, Newman, and Robert Redford on the big screen, I had to take advantage. Being the earliest success…
Read MoreREVIEW: In the Company of Men [1997]
“Let’s hurt somebody” The intrigue and controversy surrounding filmmaker Neil LaBute has always fascinated me. His penchant for biting social commentary with an unwavering slant to the maliciousness of people is what came across in my light research of the man. Not until I visited his superb The Shape of Things, a couple years after its release, did I finally enter his world—and I wanted to stay. The things he was saying were harsh and cruel, but at the same time so steeped in truth and reality. So many want…
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