Arts and Culture (All)

Article - Theatre Reviews; by Davina Grace Hill - 7/28/11

Bowie Community Theatre’s Language of Angels

You may be done with the past, but the past is never done with you.
—Magnolia (1999)

That aphorism sums up the point and the effect of Bowie Community Theatre’s ambitious Language of Angels.
Whether they are angels, ghosts or memories, voices from our past accompany, haunt and speak to us throughout our lives. They rarely speak in a linear or logical way, and often we aren’t sure of their message.
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Article - Movie Reviews; by Diana Beechener - 7/28/11

Captain America: The First Avenger

This patriotic hero had more dimension in comicsCaptain America: The First Avenger

Writing a negative review of Captain America: The First Avenger makes me feel a traitor. But here goes. On paper the Cap (Chris Evans: Puncture) is a pretty good idea: He wears a costume that pays tribute to the stars and stripes. He fights Nazis with gusto. And unlike other action heroes, his virtue is beyond reproach.
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Article - Live Music; by C.T. Schwink - 7/21/11

Keeping the Music — And the Party — Alive

Power Movement Project rebooted after all these years

Five years after they last played together, Power Movement Project sounds sharp. In practice at bassist Marc DeRusso’s Annapolis home, their hip-hop rock fused with reggae undertones shakes the house and booms down the street.
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Article - Movie Reviews; by Diana Beechener - 7/21/11

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2

A decade of magical movies ends with a spellbinding film

Dirty, exhausted and ready to embrace his fate, Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) enters the forest for a showdown with the evil Lord Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes: Clash of the Titans). Most moviegoers know how the story ends, yet the movie audience gasped as the battle began. That’s the power of Potter.
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Article - Theatre Reviews; by Jane C. Elkin - 7/21/11

Infinity Theatre Company’s Little Shop of Horrors

Musical comedy doesn’t get any better than this toothy horror story.

Broadway’s most profitable show ever, Howard Ashman and Alan Menken’s sci-fi musical Little Shop of Horrors, is now playing at Infinity Theatre Company, a professional troupe from New York that is the area’s newest addition to the summer arts scene....

Article - Theatre Reviews; by Jane C. Elkin - 7/14/11

The Talent Machine’s Li’l Abner

If’n you like watchin’ young’uns have a good time, you’re gonna like Li’l Abner.

In 24 years of showcasing Annapolis’ youth, The Talent Machine has groomed countless stars of community and professional theater, who continue to prove allegiance by fostering the company’s newest talents.
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Article - Movie Reviews; by Diana Beechener - 7/14/11

Horrible Bosses

Three friends prove the best revenge makes for great comedy

Everyone has had a moment of wanting to kill the boss. Maybe it’s a fleeting thought after a bad meeting or a constant daydream in a hostile work environment. Either way, typically, calmer heads prevail and no lives are lost.
In Horrible Bosses, calmer heads don’t prevail, and it’s pretty damn funny.
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Article - Theatre Reviews; by Davina Grace Hill - 7/14/11

Summer Garden Theatre’s The Marvelous Wonderettes

Songs from the ’50s and ’60s are the stars of this refreshing show

Annapolis Summer Garden Theatre’s The Marvelous Wonderettes is frothy, refreshing and a complete contrast to its most recent production, Chicago. The all-black set has given way to pastels, and the jailhouse trollops are replaced by 1950s’ suburban teenagers.
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Article - Movie Reviews; by Diana Beechener - 7/7/11

Cars 2

A southern-fried catastrophe ruins Pixar’s stellar run at the top of animation.

After 16 years of producing the most lauded animation in the film industry, Pixar has earned the blind trust of critics and audiences alike. This is why the horrible, thoughtless cash grab of Cars 2 seems like such a betrayal. It’s like finding out your favorite uncle secretly enjoys kicking puppies.
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Article - Theatre Reviews; by Jane C. Elkin - 7/7/11

Bay Theatre Company’s Rumple Who?

Kids are totally invested in the story, and the script is so packed with hyperbole that it transcends caricatures to entertain the adults as well

Will Bartlett’s one-hour musical adaptation of Rumplestiltskin has run continuously off-Broadway since 1985 with good reason. It does a nice job of distilling a long and complex children’s classic with a warped message into an entertaining and concise plot with a healthy moral. And this summer, lucky little Naptowners need travel only as far as West Street to see it.
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