Liam Neeson stars as Bill Marks in Non-Stop. PHOTO BY UNIVERSAL PICTURES Liam Neeson continues to save the day in Jaume Collet-Serra’s Non-Stop, a claustrophobic thriller that, if nothing else, lives up to its title. Never before has a film been so stagnant in setting, yet brisk in the way it tells its tale. It […]
New York City
Posted inArts & Culture
Play of lovers
Three performances of Romeo and Juliet will be shown on the big screen at AMC Showplace 12 on the Westside Valentine’s Day weekend. This is not the classic 1968 movie, or the 1996 Leonardo Dicaprio version of the film. This is a film of the critically acclaimed Broadway production starring Orlando Bloom opposite Tony-nominated Condola […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Hippy hit
Springfield Theatre Centre presents Hair opening Friday, Jan. 10 at the Hoogland Center for the Arts and running two weekends. Hair is set in New York City during the Vietnam War. Claude, his good friend Berger, their roommate Sheila and their friends struggle to balance their young lives, loves and the sexual revolution with their […]
Posted inMusic
A Wolfe, bells and the blues
The Todd Wolfe Band plays Coz’s Pizza, Thurs. Nov. 21. We’re closing in on Thanksgiving, and therefore Thanksgiving Eve, that best and biggest bar-party night of the year. The weekend before gives us pause to be thankful as well. Welcome to the diverse and devout Springfield music scene at its finest. Sometimes world-class music turns […]
Posted inOpinion
This year’s election circus
Election days can be dizzying – like trying to absorb a three-ring circus with all three acts going at once. In last week’s elections, the national media focused tightly on the center ring, where two gubernatorial contests and one mayoral race were spotlighted. The most interesting of these to me was the dazzling, out-of-nowhere, high-wire […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Stage phenomenon
Springfield Municipal Opera (The Muni) ends its 2013 season with the Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize-winning rock musical that made a sensational 12-year run on Broadway. This local production of Rent will run for three consecutive weekends in September. Based loosely on Puccini’s opera La Boheme, Rent tells the story of seven artists, musicians and creatives finding their voices […]
Posted inOpinion
Militarizing America’s police forces
Attention citizens: I have received inside information revealing that global terrorists are targeting us again. Their target is not Washington, New York City or even Disneyland. Rather, it is: Concord. You know, in New Hampshire. The state capital. Even though only about 43,000 people live there, Concord apparently has some sort of secret significance that […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Explain reveals Hart to be a lightweight
I was prepared for Kevin Hart not to be the next Richard Pryor but that he doesn’t have the chops to fill Chris Rock or Dave Chappelle’s shoes is a grave disappointment. Kevin Hart: Let Me Explain is the comic’s first concert film, one that shows him in performance at New York’s Madison Square Garden, […]
Posted inOpinion
Jamie gets punished
If you are sensitive to stories of human suffering and economic hardship, let me warn you that the following report contains material that could be upsetting, so discretion is advised. It’s about a fellow named Jamie. He lives in New York City, and he has recently had a very rough go with a large financial […]
Posted inMusic
Another year passed
Me, oh my how the time does fly! Looks like we are into another year of life on Earth for those of us fortunate to be participating. As far as milestones for 2012, I think the best for me was seeing my Mom turn 80 years old. We asked her to celebrate with a community […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Legendary raconteur
Legendary singer/songwriter Jackson Browne performs at Sangamon Auditorium, UIS with guest Sara Watkins. A 2004 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and 2007 Songwriters Hall of Fame inductee, Browne kicked off a career in the ’60s in New York City though most of his life and work was in California. Hits such as “These Days,” […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Bold prints
Roger Shimomura, an internationally renowned artist known for his prints, paintings and performance works, talks at the University of Illinois Springfield Oct. 11 at 5:30 p.m. Following the lecture, there will be an exhibit reception from 6:30-8 p.m. in the UIS Visual Arts Gallery. Shimomura’s collection of prints, America Behind Barbed Wire, colors a Pop […]
