Multiple bold explorers and a proxy for Monsanto While the big buzz this week will be focused squarely on the latest entry in the decades-long Star Trek franchise, there are also a couple of smaller, counter-programming opportunities, one of which is oddly related to Star Trek. There’s also a second opinion included in today’s column on the Star Trek movie itself, but be warned in advance: Malcolm’s comments contain a character spoiler (although many viewers probably know this particular detail already).   Star Trek Into Darkness Directed by J. J. Abrams When the last “Star Trek” movie came out, I strongly praised its balancing act in terms of respecting the canon and the knowledge of

The Whole Earth Festival was held for the 43rd time on the UC Davis campus over the weekend of May 10-12, 2013. Vendors, artists, performers, cooks, and the general public were part of an inspiring and fun event that highlighted the experience of the wholeness of the earth. From the Whole Earth Festival website . “Whole Earth Festival was born when an art class taught by Jose Arguelles had an “Art Happening” on the University of California, Davis campus in 1969. The students used art to involve visitors in the ultimate goal of learning about activism, wellness, and the environment. Whole Earth Festival aims to ignite passion, propel creativity, and leave visitors with inspiration. Foll

The Great Gatsby (x3) 1925 novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald 1974 film by Jack Clayton 2013 film by Baz Luhrmann There have been four theatrical film adaptations of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby,” the earliest of which was made in 1926, only a year after the manuscript was completed (and which is now lost). Other than the latest version by Baz Luhrmann, the only version easily found for comparison purposes is Jack Clayton’s 1974 film, with a screenplay adapted by Francis Ford Coppola. In anticipation of the press screening of Luhrmann’s film, I downloaded and re-read the novel in the break between last Sunday’s East Coast feed of “Game of Thrones” and the West Coast feed of “Mad Me

Iron Man 3 Directed by Shane Black Malcolm Maclachlan: It’s often that I’ll think more of a flick the day after I see it than when I’m actually watching it. In this case, I like it less. “Iron Man 3” starts out with some compelling ideas and snappy dialogue, but ends up as a typical overstuffed…well, let’s just say towards the end when Robert Downey Jr. and Gwyneth Paltrow argue about which one of them is more of a “hot mess,” my answer is “you’re both soaking in it.” Tony Sheppard: I think we had opposite reactions, or at least opposite post-reaction reactions. I had gone into the film with some fairly specific concerns regarding the storyline and enjoyed the film more than I had expect

9-month-old Oliver Groff and dad Ryan know how to enjoy our great spring weather - laying in the grass at Crocker Park. Oliver and his parents are from Champaign IL for a visit with relatives and appreciate the warm, dry atmosphere compared to where they live. We are looking ahead to mainly 90 degree days and cool evenings.

Another busy week at the Crest Theatre A little over 100 years ago, in January 1913, what we now know as the Crest Theatre first opened its doors as the Empress, a vaudeville theater - soon to be renamed the Hippodrome. In 1946 it closed for extensive remodeling, re-opening in 1949 as the Crest with an interior much as you can still enjoy it today, thanks to extensive renovation and care from the current ownership team and staff. A couple of months ago, news leaked out that the Crest would no longer routinely schedule films on its two smaller screens, disappointing many who feared that Sacramento would lose its only truly independent movie theater (The Tower Theatre being part of a small

A mixed bag of four new films It’s a busy week at the movies and a mixed bag of outcomes, including veteran stars who elevate their material and films that both benefit and suffer by being associated with true stories.   The Big Wedding Written and Directed by Justin Zackham This is the first of two movies this week that become more than they might otherwise be by virtue of their casts. In this case, what would otherwise probably be a C+ grade comedy romp is pulled up a notch or two by stars Robert De Niro, Susan Sarandon (see below also), Diane Keaton, and a refreshingly understated performance from Robin Williams. It’s a surprisingly raunchy-at-times (and appropriately R-rated) take

Oblivion Co-Written and Directed by Joseph Kosinski This week’s column contains a blast from the past, in the context of blasts in the future, as my former writing colleague Malcolm Maclachlan joins me in reviewing “Oblivion.” Malcolm Maclachlan: When you put “The Matrix,” “Total Recall,” “Star Trek,” “Blade Runner,” “Star Wars,” “Wall-E,” “Architectural Digest,” “Planet Earth,” “The Twilight Zone,” and Tom Cruise in a blender, sometimes the results turn out okay. Tony Sheppard: Yes, I agree, albeit for somewhat different reasons. As I watched the movie, I wasn’t so much reminded of other movies as of the books I read as a kid. I was an avid reader of science fiction and at one point I

This continues from Part 1 (link) - uploaded separately due to length. INTERVIEW - PART 2 Tony Sheppard: So, without trying to give too much away, you’ve got this film here with big names on the marquee and yet the characters come and go. By my clock, Bradley Cooper doesn’t even show up until about 55 minutes into the film. Derek Cianfrance: Yeah. TS: Does that make it a hard film to sell to a general audience? I mean you have a poster…. DC: Yeah. TS: …with three characters on it that never appear together on screen. DC: Yeah. Well they…yeah. I always remember “Heat” was like that too – Michael Mann, when De Niro and Pacino are on screen together, they’re never in a two-shot togethe

The Place Beyond the Pines Directed by Derek Cianfrance In “The Place Beyond the Pines,” Ryan Gosling is a motorcycle stunt rider (Luke) in a traveling carnival, who meets up with an old flame (Eva Mendes) as he passes back through Schenectady, New York, only to find reason to consider settling down. But his desire to make money and his riding ability translate into an unlikely series of bank robberies that bring the attention of local police, including Avery Cross, played by Bradley Cooper. Aside from a neat story and strong characters, what really sets this movie apart from most others is a very distinctive narrative structure that spans many years and multiple character arcs. In Febru

Fremont Park was a great setting for the second annual Beer and Chili Festival. Lots of good beer and chili. Lots of people to sample all of it. Here are some photos from the event: The Sacramento Artists Council, Inc. in partnership with The Grid Agency and Dad’s Kitchen (Freeport Location) is hosting the 2nd Annual Beer and Chili Fundraiser on Saturday, April 6th, 2013 at Fremont Park. Sacramento Beer and Chili Festival is a fundraiser for The Sacramento Artists Council and will raise money for art programs that assist at-risk children, children of homeless families and fund adopt a school art programs for Sacramento Regional Schools. Sacramento Beer and Chili Festival will feat

Two drivers in a relatively slow-speed accident faired better than their cars Tuesday afternoon. Around 1:30p.m., a Volkswagon sedan traveling north on 6th Street near T Street collided with a Honda coupe backing out of a parking space on the east side of 6th along Fremont park.  The impact pulled the front bumper off the VW and the Honda backed across the road, hitting a fence around someone's yard. The Honda sustained damage to its rear bumper from the collision. The police officer at the scene said there were no major injuries but a few sore necks and backs. Editor’s note: The “News Digest” goes out every Tuesday morning and highlights our best stories, photos and videos from the

The Host One of this week’s new movies is “The Host” based on the novel of the same name by Stephenie Meyer, known to most people as the author of the “Twilight” series of books. Meyer’s association with “The Host” is probably both the film’s best and worst marketing angle, given that the “Twilight” films have legions of both supporters and detractors. So what of the new film? In “The Host,” Meyer again crafts a story centered on a female (or apparently female) character, with relationships seen from her perspective. I say “apparently” because the initial main character Melanie is taken over by an alien parasitic being called Wanderer and the alien species is never defined in terms of ge

Let's come at this from another perspective. And just in case I sound like I'm anti-arena, I'm not – I'm just inclined to be wary of public spending on developments of this nature as they rarely pan out. Money often gets made, but it's not by the city or municipality involved. Deals are made that involve fabulously wealthy people who generally get wealthier (the Maloofs being bad examples) with public assistance. And if the overall business proposition involved was so appealing, there would be private investors lined up around City Hall, bidding on the opportunity to build an arena and operate it. The only time recently we've had that kind of rush to bid on something was when the city prop

As the Supreme Court of the USA listens to oral arguments March 26 and 27 on The Defense of Marriage Act and Proposition 8, many people, gay and straight across the nation, are showing their desire for equality. Tuesday March 26 many in the Sacramento area rallied for Sacramento Light the Way to Justice in front of the Sacramento Federal Courthouse at 501 I Street for over two hours holding signs, flags and waving at people driving by. It will happen again today starting at 4pm. Just bring some signs to hold for this peaceful stand of love and solidarity.  I asked some ralliers why they were there. A common thread was "celebration". Here are some responses:"For equal rights. I believe

A Directors Week This is an interesting week with a slew of new releases, all of which are from directors with track records that include better or more interesting work than we’re getting now. Given the number of films this week, I’ll keep the reviews and commentary relatively short.   Olympus Has Fallen Directed by Antoine Fuqua Antione Fuqua is building a steady record of crime and action films, probably still most notably “Training Day” with Denzel Washington and Ethan Hawke. In “Olympus Has Fallen,” he gives us what is essentially “Die Hard: The White House” only with Bruce Willis being played by Gerard Butler. That said, it’s a far more enjoyable film and also closer to the origi

McClellan Park was full of color today as over 7,000 runners  joined in the fun of Run or Dye 5K color run. It benefitted United Way California Capital Region’s Fit Kids project. “Run or Dye is a fun way to get some exercise and support a great cause,” said Steve Heath, United Way president and CEO. “Our Fit Kids project is all about helping kids develop a culture of eating right and exercising so they can stay fit their whole lives and avoid the dangerous health issues that come with obesity. We’re grateful to Run or Dye for giving the whole Sacramento area a fun way to get in shape and for recognizing the important work our Fit Kids project is doing. In fact, because United Way recruite

Beginnings and endings. Yet another coincidence this week as I found myself watching a couple of otherwise enjoyable new films that had endings that didn’t really seem to match their beginnings - or their characters for that matter.   The Incredible Burt Wonderstone Directed by Don Scardino “…and the Amazing Anton Marvelton.” Aside from the problems associated with very long titles, the fact that the sidekick’s name is missing from the title of the movie is indicative of the character of Burt Wonderstone (Steve Carrell) and his level of blowhard self-importance. He’s the bullied and ignored kid who rose to fame and fortune and lost all sense of reality and scale in his life. Although

Courage, brains, and a heart … and a movie about Oz Dead Man Down Directed by Niels Arden Oplev Oz the Great and Powerful Directed by Sam Raimi In an odd coincidence this week, after a screening of “Dead Man Down,” I was pondering its release alongside “Oz the Great and Powerful” and also recalling the “The Wizard of Oz” and its three characters in search of courage, brains, and a heart. Much to my surprise, “Dead man Down” which had looked like a fairly run of the mill action film in previews, actually has all three. Having said that, it’s not a fantastic film, and it has some problems, but it’s far more interesting than I was expecting. It’s directed by Niels Arden Oplev who directed

A more upbeat week at the movies After a relatively disappointing month of new releases, and no great expectation of that changing anytime soon, I was pleasantly surprised by two of this week’s new movies. Not that they’re especially wonderful, but they’re both quite a bit better than their previews might suggest.   Jack the Giant Slayer Directed by Bryan Singer Bryan Singer (“The Usual Suspects,” “X-Men,” “Superman Returns”) brings his B-game to this mashup of the traditional English fairy tales of “Jack and the Beanstalk” and “Jack the Giant Killer.” And for anyone who is offended that the movie takes generous liberties in blending and adapting these two stories into a new form, real