Results tagged “michaelmckean”

       

State of Play was a mostly riveting throwback to All the President's Men that starred Russell Crowe as a grizzled D.C. journalist caught in the middle of a hell of a lot of sex, intrigue and murder. Naturally, it was a financial disappointment. Help remedy that injustice by picking it up on DVD today. The big-budget, adult-oriented drama must be preserved! Christopher Guest, Michael McKean and Harry Shearer can do no wrong in my book (well, maybe McKean can). Add Unwigged & Unplugged (LAist review here) to the top of your shopping list. Both Braveheart and Gladiator look great on Blu-Ray. If only I had an interest in ever seeing them again. My friend Mangoo Jonnycakes Nail loved Sin Nombre when he saw it at Sundance. I can't disagree.

       

Of the many things for which I am immensely grateful to my dad, maybe nothing has proven more significant than the love of movies he instilled in me at a very young age. My dad took me to see everything. And by that, I mean he took me to see movies as varied as Amadeus and Tomboy (NSFW) and Sophie's Choice and Blame It On Rio (NSFW). And, of course, he took me to see This Is Spinal Tap. Even now -- watching it twenty-five years after the fact -- it is still one of the few, perfect films I've ever seen. Honestly, how could you improve it?

       

Larry David plays Boris Yellnikoff, the “Woody Allen character” in the director’s latest film, Whatever Works. We’re not so much introduced to Boris as we are identified by him as he looks past the fourth wall to tell moviegoers in the opening scene that, “This is not the ‘Feel Good Movie of the Year.’ So, if you’re one of those idiots who needs to feel good… ehh… go get yourself a foot massage.” But don’t take his word for it.

       

In his “business casual” getup, Michael McKean, the writer and actor who portrays the character Derek St. Hubbins in the film This Is Spinal Tap, looks like he could have stepped out of a regional managers convention, until he opens his mouth. He’s onstage with his legs spread wide, his head tilted to the sky, strumming an acoustic guitar and intoning about “the majesty of rock and the pageantry of roll, the crowing of the cock, the running of the foal!” It’s all so deliberately goofy, and yet McKean’s performance is so stirring, it comes off as positively heartfelt.

The notion of the three guys in Spinal Tap embarking on an acoustic tour designed to showcase the group's musical aspects and downplay their history as an over-the top metal band has a certain, how would you say... Spinal Tap quality about it. "This is our chance to do all those things...like that rock opera about Jack The Ripper... acoustically!" But that's what they're doing - a costume and wig-free, unplugged event, a "Michael, Chris and Harry" show at which they will probably perform "Stonehenge" sans actual Stonehenge models, or dancing dwarves to trod on it.

              

Yesterday The House of Blues on Sunset was host to a press conference with Christopher Guest, Michael McKean and Harry Shearer. The trio, known as both Spinal Tap and The Folksmen, announced their upcoming Unwigged & Unplugged tour and offered a little taste of what to expect. For the upcoming shows, the musicians come "out from behind the hair, the facial hair, and the absence of hair" to perform songs including hits from Spinal Tap and A Mighty Wind. The tour kicks off April 17th in Vancouver and arrives at The Wiltern on April 26th.

The Thamesmen - "Gimme Some Money" Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, Harry Shearer & Friends @ Avalon Joss Stone @ The Greek Sarah Silverman @ Largo Metal Skool, Shapes of Racecars, The Ringers, Crash Hot @ Key Club The Section Quartet w/guests Grant Lee Phillips, Sam Phillips, Linda Perry @ Troubadour Low vs Diamond, The Young Immortals, IO Echo, Mr. Uncertain @ Spaceland Blackcowboy, Neuromance, MC Rut, The Blackout Trust @ Viper Room I Make...

Tonight, Monday night, at 8:00 PM, the Avalon in Hollywood hosts Concert For A Cause, a benefit for the International Myeloma Foundation, with a rare treat indeed: a virtual performance of a virtual band. Yes that will be Michael McKean, Christopher Guest and Harry Shearer on stage, in place of David, Nigel and Derek, a hard jolt of reality from the creators of the greatest illusion in rock history. Spinal Tap. Not to mention...

Recommended Dixie Chicks - Shut Up & Sing - Remember when rugged individualism was the hallmark of the "American character"? Remember when that individualism was defined by a willingness to speak your mind? Remember when criticizing your governmental overlords was a patriotic duty? Yeah, me neither. But maybe country music trio The Dixie Chicks were trying to recall that mythologized frontier spirit when lead singer Nathalie Maines criticized President Bush for launching the Iraq...