On the Town http://www.observer.com/blog/36029/%2A/feed Recent posts en Bring on the Bergmans http://www.observer.com/2008/bring-bergmans

Celebrating 50 years of personal and professional partnership in the lives of lyricists Alan and Marilyn Bergman, Michael Feinstein’s new show at the Regency is a musical bonanza indeed. Each night features a special guest star. I was lucky enough to see the divine Mary Cleere Haran, who crooned “So Many Stars” with a sublime Brazilian bossa nova beat that could sink your heart. You never know whom you’ll hear. One night it’s Christine Ebersole. The next night it’s Marvin Hamlisch.  read more »

]]> http://www.observer.com/2008/bring-bergmans#comments Arts & Culture Alan Bergman Marilyn Bergman Michael Feinstein Tue, 13 May 2008 13:52:13 -0400 Rex Reed 69145 at http://www.observer.com Get Your Gunn http://www.observer.com/2008/get-your-gunn

The music scene has been more interesting lately than the movies, and that’s a fact. The hot ticket last week (at $250 a throw) was the sold-out concert production of Camelot with the New York Philharmonic, which was broadcast live from Lincoln Center on PBS.  read more »

]]> http://www.observer.com/2008/get-your-gunn#comments Arts & Culture Camelot Tue, 13 May 2008 13:50:20 -0400 Rex Reed 69144 at http://www.observer.com Double Vision http://www.observer.com/2008/double-vision

THE TRACEY FRAGMENTS
Running Time 78 minutes
Written by Maureen Medved
Directed by Bryce McDonald  read more »

]]> http://www.observer.com/2008/double-vision#comments Arts & Culture Movies Bryce McDonald Ellen Page Maureen Medved Tue, 13 May 2008 13:48:08 -0400 Rex Reed 69143 at http://www.observer.com Wham, Bam, Thank You, Maugham! Singh'in in the Rain http://www.observer.com/2008/wham-bam-thank-you-maugham-singh-rain

BEFORE THE RAINS
Running Time 98 minutes
Written by Cathy Rabin
Directed by Santosh Sivan
Starring Henry Moores, Rahul Bose, Nandita Das

Grateful for small favors, I applaud Before the Rains, a lovely, lyrical film with perfect timing that is a welcome relief from BlackBerrys, iPods, gas taxes, punk rock, the failing economy and the boredom of cutthroat election campaigns.  read more »

]]> http://www.observer.com/2008/wham-bam-thank-you-maugham-singh-rain#comments Arts & Culture Movies Cathy Rabin Henry Moores Nandita Das Rahul Bose Tue, 13 May 2008 13:43:12 -0400 Rex Reed 69142 at http://www.observer.com Cough! Ptooey! Frantic Speed Racer Spews Toxic Fumes http://www.observer.com/2008/cough-ptooey-frantic-speed-racer-spews-toxic-fumes

SPEED RACER
Running Time 129 minutes
Written and directed by Andy and Larry Wachowski
Starring Emile Hirsch, Susan Sarandon, Christina Ricci, John Goodman

Even for summer trash, this abomination by the creatively challenged Wachowski brothers is a train wreck so bad that words literally fail me, but I will say it looks like somebody ate 25 cafeteria Jello-O congealed salads and then threw up all over the sets. Happily, I was out of town for Iron Man and have no intention of catching up, but slashing whatever I.Q. points I saved was Speed Racer, an obnoxious two-hour-and-15-minute tribute to noise and Fiestaware from the muttonheads who polluted the planet with the Matrix trilogy; it’s pretty much in a garbage pile of its own. Summer isn’t even officially here yet, but for me Speed Racer fires the opening shot for what threatens to be a three-month school-vacation Marvel-comics festival of violence, stupidity, junk and unsaturated fat, aimed at morons with I.Q.’s of 40 and under, and starring assorted hulks, Spider-Men, Batmen, ninjas, robots, superheroes that are anything but super, and Adam Sandler. Few summer movies promise to be more nauseating than Speed Racer, unless you count the one with Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly as siblings (you need a barf bag just for the trailers).  read more »

]]> http://www.observer.com/2008/cough-ptooey-frantic-speed-racer-spews-toxic-fumes#comments Arts & Culture Movies Christina Ricci Emile Hirsch John Goodman Susan Sarandon Tue, 06 May 2008 11:59:04 -0400 Rex Reed 68793 at http://www.observer.com More Sexy Ingenues! http://www.observer.com/2008/more-sexy-ingenues

THE BABYSITTERS
Running Time 90 minutes
Written and directed by David Ross  read more »

]]> http://www.observer.com/2008/more-sexy-ingenues#comments Arts & Culture Movies Cynthia Nixon John Leguizamo Katherine Waterston Tue, 06 May 2008 12:07:59 -0400 Rex Reed 68796 at http://www.observer.com Robbins' Hood http://www.observer.com/2008/robbins-hood

NOISE
Running Time 90 minutes
Written and directed by Henry Beam  read more »

]]> http://www.observer.com/2008/robbins-hood#comments Arts & Culture Movies Tim Robbins Tue, 06 May 2008 12:03:57 -0400 Rex Reed 68795 at http://www.observer.com Miss M Returns http://www.observer.com/2008/miss-m-returns

THEN SHE FOUND ME
Running Time 100 minutes
Written and Directed by Helen Hunt  read more »

]]> http://www.observer.com/2008/miss-m-returns#comments Arts & Culture Movies Colin Firth Helen Hunt Matthew Broderick Tue, 15 Apr 2008 13:09:30 -0400 Rex Reed 67873 at http://www.observer.com Uma Drama http://www.observer.com/2008/uma-drama

THE LIFE BEFORE HER EYES
Running Time 90 minutes
Written by Emil Stern
Directed by Vadim Perelman  read more »

]]> http://www.observer.com/2008/uma-drama#comments Arts & Culture Movies Uma Thurman Tue, 15 Apr 2008 13:06:34 -0400 Rex Reed 67872 at http://www.observer.com Slayed by Quaid! Middle-Aged Glamour Boy Scores as Scruffy Prof http://www.observer.com/2008/slayed-quaid-middle-aged-glamour-boy-scores-scruffy-prof

SMART PEOPLE
Running Time 95 minutes
Written by Mark Jude Poirier
Directed by Noam Murro  read more »

]]> http://www.observer.com/2008/slayed-quaid-middle-aged-glamour-boy-scores-scruffy-prof#comments Arts & Culture Movies Dennis Quaid Ellen Page Sarah Jessica Parker Tue, 15 Apr 2008 13:03:36 -0400 Rex Reed 67870 at http://www.observer.com