Friday, May 18, 2012
Troupe to perform three-act murder mystery at Zion Episcopal Church.
The Douglaston Community Theatre will debut its latest production, "Murder Takes the Stage," this weekend with three performances at Zion Episcopal Church. The three-act play, which was written by James Reach, is a mystery about a theater production during which a cast member ends up being murdered. The Douglaston troupe's show is directed by Kevin C. Vincent. This weekend's shows are May 18 and 19 at 8 p.m. and May 20 at 2 p.m. Next weekend's performances will be May 25 at 8 p.m. as well as May 26 at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. Tickets are $15 for adults and $13 for seniors and students with identification. There are also discounts for groups of 10 or more people. To order tickets, call 718-482-3332. Zion Episcopal Church is located at 243-01 …
Monday, May 14, 2012
Both Tim Burton's 'Dark Shadows' and Filipino thriller 'The Road' are amusing, but uneven.
Tim Burton's "Dark Shadows" starts out so energetically and maintains a darkly comedic vibe through at least half of its proceedings that it's a disappointment when it eventually resorts to genre cliches in its final third. The film, based on Dan Curtis's late 1960s show of the same name, is obviously a labor of love for Burton and star Johnny Depp, who are both said to be huge fans of the original show. Although the picture's tone occasionally wobbles between the type of kooky humor we've come to expect from Burton and Depp and something slightly darker, the filmmaking team behind "Dark Shadows" scores in the art direction department. Collinwood Manor is depicted as a creepy piece of architecture atop a hill in a small Maine fishing town…
Monday, May 7, 2012
'The Avengers' is a well-made comic book picture and 'The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel' relies on the charms of its able cast.
“The Avengers” is, if nothing else, one of Hollywood’s most successful marketing triumphs of recent years. The picture, which grossed a whopping $200 million this past weekend, has drawn together comic book characters Iron Man (Robert Downey, Jr.), Captain America (Chris Evans), Thor (Chris Hemsworth) and The Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), each of whom have previously appeared in their own feature film. Add “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” creator Joss Whedon as director and throw a few minor characters into the mix – Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner), Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) and Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) – and there you have it - a cultural phenomenon. In this case, it’s a pretty decent one. While “The Avengers” does not live up to the near-deafening …
Thursday, May 3, 2012
Cast your vote on which film in the summer blockbuster season has you the most excited.
The first weekend of May officially kicks off the summer movie season. This year's first summer blockbuster will be "The Avengers." Throughout the course of the summer, moviegoers will get new installments of Batman, Spider-man, the "Bourne" series and "Men In Black," but also Ridley Scott's anticipated science fiction epic "Prometheus," which just may have something to do with "Alien," as well as Pixar's "Brave," "Rock of Ages" and a remake of the 1970s T.V. show "Dark Shadows." But there are also a handful of independent films that are drawing buzz, including "Beasts of the Southern Wild," a hit at Sundance about a young girl caught up in Hurricane Katrina, new films by Wes Anderson and Woody Allen and Spike Lee's "Red Hook Summer." Cast…
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
The exhibit is the Douglaston gallery's largest of the year.
The National Art League will debut its 82nd Annual Open Show – the gallery’s largest exhibit of the year – early next week. This year’s selection of works includes pieces not only from the Douglaston gallery’s membership, but also artists from several other states, said Marie Marsina, the league’s president. “It’s one of our biggest shows,” she said. “We had 125 entries and our judge selected 84 pieces. We have about 30 nonmembers in the show. And there are a large variety of people who are shipping their work in. It’s exciting for us that we are getting so much outside interest.” Marsina said some of the show’s participants sent in work from Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey and Ohio.” Works from the show will be put up on May 6 …
Monday, April 30, 2012
'The Five-Year Engagement,' 'Bernie' and 'Sound Of My Voice' are all solid, but 'The Raven' is an average thriller.
“The Five-Year Engagement” is just as raunchy as a handful of recent Hollywood comedies of which I was not a fan, namely “The Hangover Part II” and “The Change Up.” But what sets the romantic comedy apart from that crude pack is its sweet-natured tone and obvious love for its characters, rather than using its leads – Tom (Jason Segel) and Violet (Emily Blunt) as objects for humiliation. In the film, the couple has decided to wed, but a variety of circumstances primarily revolving around Violet’s career as a psychologist have prevented them from tying the knot. “Engagement” works not only because Segel and Blunt are funny and endearing, but also because the picture surrounds them with a smorgasbord of well-drawn supporting characters, …
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
More than 60 works raffled off at Douglaston gallery's fundraiser.
The National Art League raffled off more than 60 oil, watercolor, mixed media, collage and ceramic works at its annual fundraiser on April 22. Funds raised during the art raffle will go toward the gallery's upkeep and renovations. Take a look at our slide show of photos from last weekend's event. In May, the league will hold its 82nd Annual Open Exhibition. Photos courtesy of the National Art League.
Monday, April 23, 2012
"The Lucky One" and "The Moth Diaries" are misfires from talented directors.
This week’s new releases are both about strangers in town with secrets to hide. And both movies are genre films, of sorts, directed by established filmmakers. Unfortunately, the third element these pictures have in common is that they are not particularly good. “The Lucky One” is the latest Nicholas Sparks novel to receive the big screen treatment – this time by no less than Scott Hicks, who directed the critically acclaimed “Shine.” In the film, Zac Effron stars as Logan, a marine who served three tours of duty in the Middle East and barely escaped with his life. He attributes his survival to finding a picture of a young woman named Beth (Taylor Schilling), who scribbled “keep safe” on the back of the photograph. As it turns out, the …
Saturday, April 21, 2012
Scott Montgomery will play Douglaston house of worship on May 6.
Organist Scott Montgomery will perform May 6 at the Community Church of Douglaston, bringing an end to the house of worship's annual concert series. Montgomery, who is the winner of the American Guild of Organists National Young Artist Competition and Audience Award, will play pieces by Bach, Vivaldi, Paine, Buck, Gigout and Mendelssohn. Tickets cost $25 for adults, $20 for seniors and $5 for students. The church's previous performers in this year's concert series included viola and violin player Amadi Azikiwe, jazz and folk outfit The Edna Project, and violin and piano players Duo Prism. The Community Church of Douglaston is located at 39-50 Douglaston Parkway. For more information, visit the church's website.
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Douglaston gallery's spring raffle acts as the league's largest annual fundraiser.
The National Art League will raffle more than 60 pieces of artwork on April 22 to raise money for the Douglaston gallery’s upkeep and renovations. The spring raffle is the league’s largest annual fundraiser, during which attendees can win paintings valued at hundreds of dollars through the purchase of tickets costing $10 or less, said Lynne Jaffe, an art league member who runs the raffle. “You could win something worth $100 by paying $3,” Jaffe said of the raffle. “Our members are gracious enough to support the league by donating their work.” Currently, the league has amassed 62 pieces for the show that include everything from realistic to abstract works across a variety of styles, such as oil, watercolor, mixed media, collage and ceramics…
Michael Feiner
9:17 pm on Tuesday, May 8, 2012
When I spoke to you at CB 11, it didn't sound as though you gave "The Avengers" as good a review as you did. I found the movie to be very entertaining and would give it a top notch review. Downey Jr., the Hulk portrayal and the NY scenery were tremendous. "The Avengers" is a wonderful movie experience! more ›