Socal Reviews

Arts & Culture

Books

IS KIM O'NEILL A BABY PSYCHIC? Sshh! Your Baby has Something to Say! Kim O'Neill's passion is clear: to empower and inspire all women to access this incredible gift, even for non-expecting ladies. Read More

Film

SHE'S OUT OF MY LEAGUE JOINS THE LEAGUE OF GREAT ROMANTIC COMEDIES She’s Out of My League could easily be the type of comedy that simply relies on physical gags throughout the film. Luckily for viewers, it's much smarter than that. Read More DEFENDOR’S EVERYDAY EXTRAORDINARY HERO With Defendor, first-time director/screenwriter Peter Stebbings swings like a pendulum between dark comedy and drama with virtually no missteps. Read More HAPPY TEARS IS A MIXED BAG With Happy Tears, it’s refreshing to see real women portrayed on the big screen as opposed to the adolescent male fantasy construct that’s usually presented. Read More THE GOOD GUY: TOO GOOD TO BE BAD To say that The Good Guy is merely good or bad is to misrepresent the film, which does justice to certain truths about the state of modern relationships while giving its characters the short shrift. Read More THE 2011 OSCAR RACE KICKS OFF EARLY WITH SHUTTER ISLAND Shutter Island may not end up being the best picture of the year, but as of Feb. 19, it’s definitely the film for all other movies to beat. Read More

Food & Drink

Live Stage

THEATRE REVIEW – AIN’T MISBEHAVIN’ It was delightful to watch these performers of different generations make Thomas “Fats” Waller’s music come alive. There was something for everyone. Read More Theatre Review: EVES RAPTURE ROCKS, FORSOOTH! Eve's Rapture, far surpassed my initial expectations Read More

TV & DVD

WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE - DVD Review The beauty of this so-called “dark” film is that Max is allowed to release and express his anger through his imagination. Read More PONYO - DVD Review Miyazaki returns here to the ecological consciousness of earlier films like Nausicaä and Princess Mononoke, but does it with a childlike delight that makes Ponyo less a sermon than a joyful celebration of life on earth. Read More THE INFORMANT! - DVD Review The script is witty if not laugh out loud hilarious, although it’s debatable if the intent would have played without Damon’s almost euphoric embodiment of the lead character. Read More EVERYBODY'S FINE - DVD Review While the plot is unpredictable and moving, the all-star cast adds to the movie’s charm. Read More ICE CASTLES - DVD Review As a remake of a late-seventies triple-hankie special about overcoming adversity through dubious athletic training and dippy romantic music, the remake puts forth a token effort to modernize the story but ignores the fundamental absurdity at its heart and removes most of the original’s entertaining conflict. Read More