NEWS
'RV' a tourist trap
By BRIAN HIBBARD | Apr. 28, 2006If there were a terrorist color scale for "dangerously funny" movies, "RV" would fall somewhere in the green.
BRIAN HIBBARD
NEWS
Black attacks
By BRIAN HIBBARD | Apr. 26, 2006Lewis Black may not be able to shake his spastic angry finger at you through the speakers, but his characteristic wit and in-your-face attitude on his new CD "The Carnegie Hall Performance" is just like watching a performance of the irate comedian live."Lewis Black: The Carnegie Hall Performance" is a simply titled double-album chock full of all the expected maniacal, political and diabolical ideas from the comedian and playwright who is perhaps most famous for his Back in Black segment on "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart."The first track may give listeners the wrong impression, as Black goes on for a while about how Carnegie is an inappropriate venue for a puissant like himself because respectable composers like Leonard Bernstein have performed there.
NEWS
Joe Schmoe comes to Buffalo
By BRIAN HIBBARD | Apr. 12, 2006Joe Satriani, one of the most overrated and pretentious guitarists out there, stated in a recent interview with The Spectrum, "I don't get up in the morning and see a guitar god." However, his performance at the Canter for the Arts on Monday would prove otherwise.If he wasn't making his usual "groovy-pouty" face, he was wearing a cheesy smile and jerking his head around like each note was a masterpiece.
NEWS
'Thank You' cuts through the smokescreen
By BRIAN HIBBARD | Apr. 10, 2006Smoking by the bricks before detention went out of style long ago, but that doesn't mean cigarettes aren't still at large.
NEWS
Medicine given orally
By BRIAN HIBBARD | Apr. 3, 2006With greater distribution, the porn industry has undergone a revolution releasing films of all sorts.
NEWS
Lee makes 'Inside Man' work
By BRIAN HIBBARD | Mar. 29, 2006When people heard Spike Lee intended to direct a bank robbery film they probably thought, "Spike's too good to be directing that stereotypical crap!" While the bank heist premise might be familiar, Lee takes the formula and turns the robber's motive into a moral crusade."Inside Man" is Denzel Washington and Spike Lee's most recent collaboration since "He Got Game" in 1998.
NEWS
Heavy blimp hits Buffalo
By BRIAN HIBBARD | Mar. 27, 2006Led Zeppelin's music is famous for its vivid, dramatic and orchestral quality. Now that the group is disassembled, the opportunity to experience a performance of their music with a full orchestra on board is a thrilling one.The Buffalo Philharmonic with Randy Jackson, an expert Robert Plant impersonator, performed at Kleinhans Music Hall Saturday night.It was an informal evening by philharmonic standards: musical conductor Brent Havens donned a leather jacket with a Cadillac logo on the back - a reference to the Cadillac commercials featuring "Rock and Roll" - as he rocked back and forth, grooving to the music while leading the orchestra.The show opened with the classic "A Whole Lotta Love," an odd choice for a symphonic adaptation, with its irregular meanderings and strident vocals.
NEWS
A Floydian trip
By BRIAN HIBBARD | Mar. 6, 2006Pupils dilate, breathing quickens, rainbow colors and patterns flash before your eyes and mellow music pervades the senses.
NEWS
"Delirium' a dazzling, delightful nightmare"
By BRIAN HIBBARD | Feb. 15, 2006Art moguls, parents, stoners, seniors, children and casual thrill-seekers can rarely all enjoy the same entertainment, but with the innovations of Cirque du Soleil, they can all rejoice in the same incredible experience.Audiences were treated to a dazzling synthesis of music, acrobatics and multimedia at the HSBC Arena Monday when Cirque du Soleil presented "Delirium."Delirium" showcases 20 of the internationally renowned performance group's most famous songs remixed by Quebecois producer and musician Francis Collard.At most events, front-row seats are more desirable, but the arrangement of "Delirium" raises the value of the cheap seats.
NEWS
'Firewall' satisfies the system
By BRIAN HIBBARD | Feb. 8, 2006Writer Joe Forte's "Firewall" has some fairly overdone elements: a classy bad guy with a British accent, a man trying desperately to save his kidnapped family and a bank heist.But while "Firewall" does not have the most unique plot to hit screens this year, it remedies the routine story with solid performances, direction and style.Director Richard Loncraine ("Richard III") has Harrison Ford, ("The Fugitive," "Star Wars") play Jack Stanfield, head of security for a global bank.
