Film Review: The Innkeepers
The Innkeepers is Ti West’s (The House of the Devil) take on a good ol’ fashioned ghost story, and it’s a really fun time. The writer/director/editor has the unique ability to convey an homage and at the same time make it feel new (sort of like a horror movie equivalent of The Artist). The story is simple – the creepy old Yankee Pedlar Inn is on the verge of closing, and the two bored employees decide to try and contact the spirits that haunt the place in the last few days it’s open. The film comes complete with a psychic former actress (Kelly McGillis), a mysterious old man (George Riddle), and retro, yet strategic camera dollying.
West takes his sweet time getting to the actual haunting, but it’s A – well worth the wait, and replete with suspenseful and startling moments throughout, and B – totally okay because the characters are good and the dialogue is often funny and feels like a better, more engaging and empathetic version of the trite, predictable dialogue of the older horror flicks West is pulling from. Claire (Sara Paxton) and Luke (Pat Healy) are believable small town inn employees; their dynamic is realistic. It’s not unpleasant or useless to watch them on their downtime – in fact, it creates tension to see them comfortable in a place they shouldn’t be comfortable in at all. And I have to say, I much prefer Claire and Luke’s subtle characterizations through humor to the either melodramatic or non-existent character development that occurs (or doesn’t) in most recent American horror films. The main characters of The Innkeepers didn’t have to suffer a trauma years ago that they repressed but that didn’t fail to infiltrate and ruin every part of their lives before they started to get terrorized by spirits. They could just sort of be slacker, small town kids who work at an inn and are interested in ghosts. It’s refreshingly simple, though still well-crafted and well written.
Lena Dunham, the indie wunderkind known for her film, Tiny Furniture, makes a funny cameo as a truly annoying coffee shop barista. The film has that sense of self-awareness and is somewhat outwardly reflective of its own indie cred, but manages to not be at all pretentious about it. The Innkeepers is just a pure, solid, and super fun ghost story that is entertaining throughout and feels classic without sacrificing any of the scare, getting good and frightening at the end.
2012 Albany Tulip Festival Seeks Artists
The 2012 Albany Tulip Festival Committee is now accepting applications for artist exhibits at the 64th annual festival which takes place this year on May 12 & 13 in Washington Park.
Art submitted can fall under painting (watercolor, acrylic, pastel, oil, etc.), drawing, sculpture, prints, photography, etching, collage and mixed media. No craft, commercial or retail vendor applications will be accepted.
All exhibitors must be 18 years or older and the cost is $70 for two days and a $10 jury fee.
The application deadline is Monday, Feb. 13, 2012. You can request an application here.
Life’s a ‘Cabaret’: Park Playhouse announces production switch for summer season
Park Playhouse, Albany’s free theater series that takes place in Washington Park, announced Wednesday that for it’s upcoming season that “Cabaret,” not the previously advertised “Legally Blonde,” will be produced for the company’s twenty-fourth season.
“Legally Blonde is a show that Park Playhouse may do someday,” said Owen M. Smith, the producing artistic director of Park Playhouse. Smith, who has been head of the venerable summer theater program for three years, expressed confidence in the change from the movie-turned-musical “Legally Blonde” to “Cabaret.”
“Our funding structure has changed and we’ve taken a look at the new budget structure. Legally Blonde is a lesser known title and a more expensive production and this is not the first time we’ve changed shows,” said Smith.
“(Cabaret) is a better fit for our budget and people have wanted to see Cabaret for years.”
Park Playhouse, which began in 1989 as part of a municipal arts program and has evolved into its own non-profit organization, is still in a revival phase since Smith took over in 2010. Under Smith’s tenure, Park Playhouse has produced critically-acclaimed productions of “Annie Get Your Gun” and “The Producers.”
“We all felt good about the switch,” Smith continued.
‘Cabaret,’ which was written by Kander and Ebb and first performed in 1966, is set in 1931 Berlin as the Nazis are rising to power. The show focuses on nightlife at the seedy Kit Kat Klub and revolves around the 19-year-old English cabaret performer Sally Bowles and her relationship with the young American writer Cliff Bradshaw.
“I think Cabaret is a story that needs to be told and we will be doing it in a very different than what people have seen before.”
Oscar Nominations 2012: Who Will Win? Who Should Win? Who is Demian Bichir?
It’s a crazy awards season, folks. This year, the list of films and actors that would be nominated for Oscars wasn’t as glaringly obvious as it’s been in years past. There are so many “very good” films, and not the usual stack of five or six great ones to choose from. We believe the nominees are more exciting this year than ever, as many more films were in contention for the coveted nominee spots. In fact, several films that critics were sure would be included were almost completely left out (Young Adult, Drive), and there were films that no one thought would be included that were (Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close…this year’s The Blind Side. Our theory is that old white men in the Academy have a weird thing for Sandra Bullock). The Oscars, thanks to the recent, confusing addition of many smaller films and indie releases getting big, critical praise, as well as the decreasing relevance of the Golden-Globes-as-Oscar-predictor, are pretty up in the air, and as movie fans with a vested interest in watching Hollywood react to its own, incestuous, self-congratulatory traditions, who could ask for anything more?
So with that, Knickerbocker Ledger’s two self-proclaimed resident People Who Like To Tell You Their Opinions About Movies, Cait Rooney and Robin Zlotnick, give you our Oscar Predictions…
Legendary singer Etta James dead at 73
Legendary singer Etta James, in which her song “At Last” most recently defined the inauguration of President Barack Obama, is dead at the age of 73.
James had been terminally ill with leukemia for at least the last year, but had suffered health woes for years stemming from past drug addiction and weight problems.
James died in Los Angeles, Calif.
According to the Associated Press:
James performed well into her senior years, and it was “At Last” that kept bringing her the biggest ovations. The song was a perennial that never aged, and on Jan. 20, 2009, as crowds celebrated that – at last – an African-American had become president of the United States, the song played as the first couple danced.
But it was superstar Beyonce who serenaded the Obamas, not the legendary singer. Beyonce had portrayed James in “Cadillac Records,” a big-screen retelling of Chess Records’ heyday, and had started to claim “At Last” as her own.
An audio clip surfaced of James at a concert shortly after the inauguration, saying she couldn’t stand the younger singer and that Beyonce had “no business singing my song.” But she told the New York Daily News later that she was joking, even though she had been hurt that she did not get the chance to participate in the inauguration.
James did get her accolades over the years. She was inducted into the Rock Hall in 1993, captured a Grammy in 2003 for best contemporary blues album for “Let’s Roll,” one in 2004 for best traditional blues album for “Blues to the Bone” and one for best jazz vocal performance for 1994′s “Mystery Lady: Songs of Billie Holiday.” She was also awarded a special Grammy in 2003 for lifetime achievement and got a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Her health went into decline, however, and by 2011, she was being cared for at home by a personal doctor.
She suffered from dementia, kidney problems and leukemia. Her husband and her two sons fought over control of her $1 million estate, though a deal was later struck keeping Mills as the conservator and capping the singer’s expenses at $350,000. In December 2011, her physician announced that her leukemia was terminal, and asked for prayers for the singer.
In October 2011, it was announced that James was retiring from recording, and a final studio recording, “The Dreamer,” was released, featuring the singer taking on classic songs, from Bobby “Blue” Bland’s “Dreamer” to Guns N’ Roses “Welcome To the Jungle” – still rocking, and a fitting end to her storied career.
Table Scraps: Blue Ivy Theories
“Hello Hello Baby Blue! We are happy to announce the arrival of our beautiful daughter, Blue Ivy Carter, born on Saturday, January 7, 2012.” -Joint statement from Beyoncé and Jay-Z, Beyoncé’s website, 1/9/12
Immediately, the internet was aflutter with various theories for the meaning behind the name…
“Welcome Baby Blue! They obviously chose to name her Blue because it has to do with power, sophistication, and loyalty. The color blue is very rich and often comes in different shades, just like Beyoncé and Jay-Z themselves.” – Ms. Florence Gander, Art Department Head, Ben Franklin Regional High School, Maryland
“Blue Ivy is like, such a symbol for something familiar, yet super out of the ordinary. Extraordinary, even. Because like, Blue is a color, and like, Ivy is a plant. Ya know? Ohmigod, they can do no wrong!” – Jill Bean, President of the Blue Ivy Carter Fan Club
“It’s clearly a marketing ploy. Beyoncé and Jay-Z are two savvy business people who know where the future lies. Blue Ivy Carter. BIC.” – Josef Camden, Marketing Coordinator, BIC Pens
Table Scraps: And The Nominees Are…
Press Release From The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences:
Los Angeles, CA – January 2, 2012 – The Academy has not yet announced how many Best Picture Nominees there will be for this year’s Oscars because, simply, we haven’t made up our minds.
One thing is certain; there will not be ten again. Ten was…well, it was just reckless. It became evident with the release of a shocking statistic regarding last year’s Oscar broadcast: a 450% rise in the number of pencils people jabbed into their eyes by the time the last best picture nominee was presented. Details of the statistic show that the pencils were, in fact, jabbed into their eyes in response to the number of best picture nominees and not, as first thought, in reaction to James Franco and Anne Hathaway’s spirit-crushing awkwardness (for that, there was a 700% increase in voluntary check-ins into psychiatric hospitals in the week following the broadcast).
Community leader, theatre veteran named as co-chairs for 2012 Knickerbocker Film Festival
The Knickerbocker Film Festival announced on Tuesday that Judd Krasher, the chair of the Lower Central Avenue Neighborhood Association, and Kat Broadus, a Capital Region theatre veteran, have been named as co-chairs of the 2012 Film Selection Committee, according to the film festival.
“Both bring a dynamic flair to the further growth of the film festival,” said Joe Bonilla, the chief executive officer of BASKnickerbocker Inc., which is the primary sponsor of the film festival, along with the Avid Agencies, Printz & Patternz, the Hudson River Coffee House, and El Loco Mexican Cafe.
Krasher, 23, formed the Lower Central Avenue Neighborhood Association earlier this year to bring awareness to community issues surrounding the development and growth of the Lower Central Avenue neighborhood, which includes the Townsend Park apartments, Waterworks Pub, Rocks Club, and Citizen Action.
Broadus has been part of – whether in a directorial or producer role – of a number of Capital Region theatrical productions over the past few years. “I’m excited to be part of this,” said Broadus.
Along with Krasher and Broadus, the 2012 Selection Committee is comprised of Michael Corts (CEO of the Avid Agencies), Dan Crowley (President of Printz & Patternz), Monica Arias-Miranda (President/CEO of the Hispanic Coalition of New York), Samantha Bunn (city editor of the Knickerbocker Ledger), Nathan Lebron, among others.
The Knickerbocker Film Festival, now in it’s third year, first started in 2010 with a week long film exhibition at the Madison Theater, followed by a 2011 run at both the Spectrum 8 and the Madison.
The dates and venues for the 2012 festival have yet to be announced. Submissions can still be accepted through January 2, 2012. More information can be found at knickfilmfest.com.
Comedy Review: Louis C.K.: Live at the Beacon Theater
Louis C.K.’s brand new hour long stand-up special is available for streaming or download on louisck.net, for five measly internet dollars, which everyone knows is equal to fewer than zero real life dollars. I’m pretty sure paying five dollars through Pay Pal is the equivalent of being handed a free candy bar or something, so it’s hardly a price to pay for a joyous 62 minutes. What I’m saying is just do it. Just get it and watch it. It will make your life better.
Louis C.K., who’s finally starting to become widely recognized as the most brilliant man alive, starts the special with a two minute stroll from the streets of NYC into the Beacon Theatre, through the crowd waiting outside to get into the show. It’s basically the opening credits of Louie, but he walks up into the Beacon instead of down into the Comedy Cellar. Because what Louis C.K. presents, in this special and in his show, is Louis, getting to places and performing comedy. That’s all he needs to do, and we gladly follow him there, because there is simply no place else we’d rather be.
Table Scraps: 25 Days of Christmas TV Movies
These 9 TV Movies. This December. On Every Television. All the time.
The Real Rudolph (Animal Planet) - An inspiring true story. A blind, albino, red-nosed Alaskan Malamute sled dog, once shunned by his mush mates, leads his team to become Iditarod champions! This Christmas miracle of a story comes to a tragic end when, in a vicious snow storm, this blind and albino wonder dog…gets lost.
The Year Christmas was Cancelled by Crazy, Childhood Hating Adults (Nickelodeon) – In an evil twist, the grouchy grown ups of Greenville cancel the best holiday ever! A band of coincidentally racially diverse children won’t let their imaginations be stifled, and they wage a campaign to Save Christmas! They gather all the kids in the town center, several made-for-TV boy bands play songs, and Miranda Cosgrove makes a speech. The mayor still won’t give in, claiming Christmas fosters too much unrealistic happiness. With only 5 minutes til midnight, the real Santa Claus arrives and magically reveals that he knows the lame and unjustified reasons each adult hates Christmas. The skeptical grown ups realize they’ve just been unnecessarily bitter. Plus, Santa is real! Everyone hugs and Christmas is allowed. It ends with a really awful song.
The Christmas Immacu-Pact (Lifetime) – A trio of teen carolers take part in a pregnancy pact one Christmas and claim that they were each immaculately impregnated. The PTA is furious and the church pastor has to move to Denver.
