Perhaps one of the most anticipated Broadway shows to come through South Florida this year is the musical about two unexpecting lovers, Once. What originated as a 2006 Irish film was later adapted into a 2012 Tony-winning musical performed on stage with a cast that can not only sing, but…
In his San Francisco hotel room, John Cleese has been catching up on American politics. He’s been getting to know a handful of our presidential candidates through his TV set, and, of course, like any sentient being on this planet, he has an opinion about Donald Trump. “He is a…
The thrill of experiencing a Broadway musical production starts long before the actors take the stage. It begins the moment audience members take their seats on plush velvet chairs. The warm lights flicker off, and excited voices hush at the sound of the orchestra tuning its instruments. A few taps…
The War on Terror is now older than most middle-schoolers, yet it seems that nobody gets it. Russian President Vladimir Putin doesn’t. Bashar El Asad doesn’t. And the US military, which this past weekend bombed a hospital in Afghanistan most certainly doesn’t know what the hell is happening. Therein lies the…
Right up into the 1960s, the Hays Code demanded that criminals in American movies face punishment by the final reel, a stricture that, however well-intentioned, served to propagate our national myth: that the only route to success is hard work and decency. Crime still doesn’t pay, exactly, onscreen — the…
Jafar Panahi looks happier than he has in a while — and he’s getting out. That’s encouraging, and it doesn’t mean that his latest act of defiance, the film Taxi, isn’t bold. Once again creating cinema in spite of Iran’s 20-year edict forbidding him to do so, this most daring…
Michael Shannon isn’t a stickler for rules. In his career, he’s ignored most of them, especially the mandate that a theater-trained, Oscar-nominated actor should shun the large roles in dumb movies that let him afford the smart ones. (See: Kangaroo Jack, Bad Boys II, Premium Rush, Man of Steel.) Shannon’s…
There’s much to sadly shake your head at in Pan, a sort of Peter Pan Begins that manages the unlikely feat of making battles between flying pirate ships a crushing bore. Most miserably, there’s the great heap of action set pieces that are easier to wait out than to track…
You’d have to be a monster not to be sniffling by the end of Peter Sollett’s Freeheld, a weepy/rousing retelling of real-life gay-rights triumph that serves as a helpful reminder that the dark ages were, like, just ten years ago. It’s love that lights up that darkness, of course, and…
Since 1963, the Austrian birthrate has halved. You can’t blame Severin Fiala and Veronika Franz’s new thriller, Goodnight Mommy, for the trend, but it sure isn’t helping. The quiet creepshow follows eleven-year-old twins Lukas and Elias (Lukas and Elias Schwarz, great), who suspect their mom (Susanne Wuest) wishes they hadn’t…
Miami’s artistic scene is in a bit of an upheaval. This year, the Perez Art Museum Miami, The Wolfsonian-FIU, the Institute of Contemporary Art, and the Frost Museum all fell under new curatorial leadership. And scared off by increasing rents in gentrified neighborhoods, galleries are quickly fleeing Downtown and Wynwood…
When a lady Darth Vader and an overweight Batman are sharing a Diet Coke and a cigarette, there can only be one of two explanations: Either some interesting life choices were made or there’s a comic con in town. This past weekend, the Greater Fort Lauderdale Broward Convention Center hosted…
I have yet to meet a more passionate Frank Sinatra fan than my grandfather. From 1969’s My Cole Porter LP to the 1955 flick, The Man with the Golden Arm, anything with Sinatra’s name on it was an instant favorite for my abuelo. He was so enamored by Ol’ Blue…
For many of us, this Friday means another short reprieve from another monotonous work day. For the music-loving, party-loving cool kid masses of Miami, however, Friday means three days of non-stop art and killer music performances otherwise known as the III Points Festival. Ahead of all this stimulation overload —…
Wynwood is an ever-evolving neighborhood that grows more and more popular among artists and Miami’s youths alike. Although the area is small on the map compared to its surrounding neighborhoods like Overtown and Allapattah, its impact is significant enough to catch the eye — and measuring stick — of the…
“I specialize in Aaron Sorkin jokes. They never fail at parties,” says filmmaker Leslye Headland over the phone while discussing her pop culture jokes in Sleeping With Other People. After hearing the joke, audiences either laugh-out-loud or wonder, “‘Wait, Aaron Sorkin’s a crack addict?’ Everyone’s on his Wikipedia [after that and]…
Miami’s entertainment scene got a tad less fabulous last July when The Cabaret South Beach, a bar where waitstaff get up and sing, was forced out by its landlords. Luckily, the popular concept has found a new home at Miami’s iconic National Hotel. Kicking off their soft opening today, a…
The best time of the week is finally here: the weekend. Miami offers just about every activity this weekend. On the music front, you can catch Marc Anthony at American Airlines Arena, Brendan O’ Hara at The Annex Wynwood, and Gareth Emery at LIV. You can also take a Sunset…
The Knights Cities Challenge has a simple question for you: What’s your best idea to make cities succeed? If you think you have a solid idea, now is your chance to get it out there. Earlier this year an entry submitted by Nathalie Manzano-Smith with the science nonprofit CappSci submitted…
The Coral Gables Art Cinema will host the U.S. premiere for the Venezuelan film The Longest Distance (La Distancia Mas Larga) this Friday with a red carpet event featuring the film’s director. The debut feature by 37-year-old writer and director Claudia Pinto presents a profoundly heavy subject with a restrained,…
Anyone familiar with Coconut Grove’s rich history knows that the lush community started as a thriving artist’s enclave; despite the commercialization of Starbucks and Chili’s, the Grove was born out of creativity and eclectic charm. Now, the waterfront neighborhood is rediscovering its roots with the return of Fashion Art +…
For die-hard Lord of the Rings fans, the pinnacle of existence is meeting one of the nine members of the fellowship of the ring. On the convention circuit, Sean Astin – who played hobbit Samwise Gamgee — is constantly approached by fans wearing prosthetic elvish ears. Some of them ask…
