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August 25, 2006     Barnstable Patriot
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August 25, 2006
 
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By John Walker arts@barnstablepatriot.com The special effects in this remake ofthe 1972 classic The Poseidon Ad- venture are truly great.The question is: "Arethey alone worth the cost of the rental?" The originalhad decent effects for afilm made back before CGItechnol- ogy was around but what it lacked in special effects it made up with in character development, something this remake sorely lacks. What does this 2006 remake have to offer that the original didn't? Better special effects. That's all. The remake itself has lost any ofthe character development and involv- ing storyline that made the original so compelling. This lame remake boasts superb special effects but has to be one of the dullest films since Thomas Edison's 3rd experimental film, Paint Drying. The characters are broad stereo- types. Richard Dreyfus as a gay, re- cently-dumped suicidalpassengeris almost as annoying asKevin Dillon's smarmy weasel. The biggest fault is that there is not one character you can be inter- ested inenough to care whetherthey live or die. You grow increasingly bored and even the special effects can't keep you interested. Poseidon is not a horrible film; it's just incredibly dull. Once the ship gets hit by the rogue wave the film has nothing left of interest to offer. Watching this film will give you a good idea of what havingADD must be like. Considering there is not much to choose from at the video stores this month, Poseidon is not the worst option you will face, but definitely drink lots of coffee before and during to stay awake. Scary Movie 4 Thefourth installmentofthe Scary Movie franchise is also the weakest. It has less of a cohesive feel than the previous three so it plays out more like an extended version of a MAD TV skit than an actual movie. The Wayan Brother's, who have since graduated to ripping off old Bugs Bunny cartoons (Little Man) , originally started the Scary Movie franchise.The films spoofed popular horror films ofthe time withthe first focusing on the Scream movies.Un- fortunately, the films began to lose material when horror films stopped turning out in such high volume. The Wayan's left after the second film and were smartly replaced by the grandfather of spoof films, Da- vid Zucker. The third installment brilliantly focused on two films in its spoof, Signs and 8 Mile; a very successful combination. Thislesser attempt set its sites on films such as War Of The Worlds and The Grudge. It relies too heavily on people havingseenthe source mate- rial to be funny on it's own. Unlike the previous three, the stories that connect the people and events as well as the set-ups for the jokes are too loose. There are some very funny mo- ments, but not enough to make this a repeat watcher like the others. Inside Man Never being a fan of Spike Lee's work, I fail to see what the entire hubbub surrounding them is. I don't think he is a great filmmaker. His films, like Kevin Smith's, have never really lost that film student feel. Also, Spike Lee's scripts tend to be heavy handed when it comes to racial issues. Inside Man is almost an excellent film for Spike Lee, but sadly he just can't seem to pull it off. It'sashame, because it couldhave been one ofthe best heist films to be made. Inside Man is a bank heist film filled with so many clever twists and turns that it makes you truly surprised and shocked that no one hasever attempted to pullsomething likeit off before. Denzel Washington is superb as the detective who is given his big break - to attempt to negotiate the hostages and the rob- bers out of the bank. Lee'sdirection for themostpartis clean and crisp and, with few excep- tions,the film moves along at a good pace. But the exceptions are....what keeps thisfilm from beinggreat? and the ...."I've seen it, pretty good, no need to see it again" category. Inside Man isdefinitely worth rent- ing but, be warned, because you can see how it could have been such a great movie, it is a frustrating film. 1 Poseidon (PG-B) Butter & Egg Man... CONTINUED FROM PAGE C:1 of Lehmac, turns the tables when he seeks his own butter and egg man in hotel manager Oscar Fritchie, the enjoyable Christopher Kauffmann. To tell what comes next would give away too much about this delight- ful play. The Butter and Egg Man is a flunkingper- son's play with rapid-fire , off-the-cuff dialogue pep- pered with lots of 1920s slang. Each of the actors, whether main character or bit player, delivers his or her lines with panache and verve, wonderfully enhancing this jazzy, in- triguing show. Beth Brown is abso- lutely dotty as aging actress Mary Martindale, while Aline Elasmar is delicious as the haugh- tily wealthy, yet utterly frugal Fanny, wife of Joe Lehman. Frye and White are so adorable together, even the most curmud- geonly cynics will find themselves wishing for happily ever. Matthew Archambault puts in a riotous performance as the hapless director, and Manda Martin, though only onstage briefly, is stellar as vapid switch- board operator Kitty Humphreys. Costume designer Kerrie Lovercheck obvi- ously did her homework, creating timely pieces that not only evoke the period, but lend cre- dence to the characters as well. The set, created by Kathryn Kawecki, was versatile and believable, accentuated nicely with lighting from designer James Caddy. Directed by Terry Lay- man, The Butter and Egg Man is a perfectly up- beat way to bid farewell to another tremendous Monomoy summer.This whale of a hit shouldn't be missed. The Butter and EggMan is at the Monomoy Theatre,776 Main Street in Chatham, tonight and tomorrow night at 8. Tickets are $22 and are available by calling 508-945-1589. Rumors has it... CONTINUED FROM PAGE C:1 hungry and notjust for food; they want the dirt on what shenanigansthe Gormans, Chris and her attorney husband Ken (Susan Sard White and Todd Gosselin), the first couple to arrive onthismysteriousscene,arehidingfrom them. Little by littlethe truth, or what the Gormans imagineit to be,comesout,but not before other little stories unravel. We have three other couples with troubles of their own, especially the Ganzes (Lauren Piselli and Rick Smith) who have been in an automobile accident en route to the bash. He, the couple's CPA, is suffering from whiplash and she is suffering from a case of unrequited mouthitis. And then of course there are the Cusacks (Jefferson Post and Amanda Kaiser), who happily throw their oar into the water.He is an understated and questionable analyst to the wealthy and troubled and she is a televi- sion chef who wears her art on her sleeve while carrying the weight of the world on her back. That combination is constantly throwing her into spasms of immense pain, eliciting bouts of belly-yucking laughter from the audience. After all, admit it, truth be told, we all love to laugh at others' pain. Roundingout the partyarethe Coopers (Ken Nardone and Pat Farrell), atroubled couple in a marriage shrouded by doubts of fidelity and insecurity as he attempts to gain a seat in the state Denate while making new "friends," of whom his wife is suspicious. With all these dysfunctional personalities gathered in one room it is impossible to do anythingbut laugh at this farcical play on re- lationships, love lost and found, and hope for "normal."Though we never get to see or meet the Brocks we get to know them intimately and they somehow endear themselves to the audiencethat sitsinwonder atthismagnificent invisible tool Simon has wielded to entertain. For you readers however, the question re- mains: was it a suicide attempt or a murder attempt gone asunder? You'lljust have to see the play to get your answer. Rumors plays at the Academy of Performing Arts,120 Main St. in Orleans,through Sept. 16. For tickets, call 508-255-1963. CONTINUED FROM PAGE C.1 mances sustain and lift this show to a level that exceeds its writing. Jackie Levinson's set design ac- curately depicts the dingy reality of Robert's fife , al- though it seems odd that someone who hangs out in his underwear drinking beer and worrying about the metal thing in his throat that may one day choke him to death would wash his dishes and stack them neatly in the drainer by the sink. The fightin g design by Kevin Hardy gives a sense of the pass- ing sun through Robert's ratty curtains as the day progresses. Jeff Zinn's directing is impeccable. There are, eventually, twists to the story that approach moments of beauty. Some small turn ofthe playwright's wrist and a benevolent gesture is made to offer some- thing of meaning. It is so deep in the show, it may be too late for redemp- tion. The message here might be better con- veyed if the playwright had wrapped his story in something other than stylish mental illness and dysfunction. Neverthe- less, Kropf's performance as Robert is memorable and exciting, and it is well worth the ticket pricejust to see this man in action. on an averageday\% at Wei meet Harbor Actor's Theatre , 15 Kendrick St„ through Sept. 9 Tuesday through Friday at 8 p.m. and Saturday at 5 and 8 p.m. There are additional performances Sunday, Sept. 3 and Tuesday, Sept. 5. General admission tickets are $27; call 508-349-WHAT or uo to www.what.ora Averagematerial... Ground broken for company's new theater By Bethany Gibbons arts@barnstablepatriot.com Wellfleet Harbor Actor'sThe- atre celebrated the official groundbreaking for its new, year-round theatre adjacent to the Wellfleet Post Office this past Sunday. Dedicated and supportive fans of the theater, actors,playwrights, selectmen, family and more, gathered to givethanks and be thanked for more than 20 years of exciting performances and to usher this new era in. Artistic Director Jeff Zinn said, "The kind of theatre I'm interested in isthe theatre that reaches down deep...to reveal ourselves to ourselves. We've created a space where people canexplorethesethingstogeth- er."Theywillsoonhave alarger VINCENT GUADAZNO PHOTO THEY'RE DIGGING IT-Turning over a new theater for the Cape are architect John Freeman, WHAT Board Chair Carol Green, honorary board chair Julie Harris, producing artistic director Jeff Zinn, and Friend of WHAT Larry Phillips. space in which to explore, with two stories, classrooms, a fully trapped stage and more expan- sive backstage and wingspace. They will also have the much needed rehearsal space that theyhavehadtolivewithoutfor the last 120 productions. With a leased space on the Harborthat provided noheatfor off-season use andlittleonstage and backstage area for actors, WHAT has spent the past five yearsraisingfivemillionsdollars for its new building. Assistance isalso being provided by USDA RiiralDevelopmentandtheCape Cod Five Cents Savings Bank. On hand for the occasion was Julie Harris, for whom the stage will be named. Harris was honored with thunderous applause when singled out for thanks.Alsoin attendance was SomervillecomicJimmyTingle who drew laughs as he joked about changing the letters of his own name on the marquee of his own theater, after having misspelled it the first time. "A couple of bums were watching me up there on the ladder and one says, 'Hey, that guy used to be on 60 Minutes,' to which the other bum shakeshis head and offers me a dollar,"he said. Singer Patty Larkin stopped by and sang a cappella from the podium. WHAT expects to open the 200-seat theater inMay,and will continuetousethe90-seatvenue on the Harbor. A benefit raffleis being offered for two sets of life- timesubscriptionsto theWHAT main stage.The drawing will be Sept. 11 at a special one-night onlyproduction of StvffHappens by David Hare, and the winners do not have to be present..For raffle tickets call 508-349-WHAT, or go to www.what.org. WHAT'S new in Wellfleet CONTINUED FROM PAGE C:1 Alexi. And his voice possesses that ever-important immediately identifiable quality. There could be many compari- sons made to the somber crafts- manshipofthelate Nick Drake,but Alexiisnot sodepressed.The songs on Time Without Consequences are mostly bright and ponderous in- stead of dark and brooding, hopeful instead of hopeless. It'strue, Alexi is the new guy. He has a long way to gobefore hisrecord sales willhit that of a Yorke or a Simon though the foundation seems to be there, ready to support this young artist for many more great albums. On Music... NOWPLAYING REGAL THEATERS l it) TjJ^^^^Zl^l^L^r^^^i^^JJr I^RFI^R^^ I ^^ MIB fc^'iMBBLij^Pri^l^lttM HOW TO EATFRIEDWORMS (PG) Digital - Fri. (1230 250) 720 920 Sat. -Thu. (1210250) 8001015 INVINCIBLE(PG) Digital - Fri. - Thu. (1155 225455) 725 955 ' BEERFEST (R) Fri. - Thu. (1240 330) 715 950 ACCEPTED (PG-13)(0C&DA) Fri. (100) Sat. (330) Sun. (100) 1015 Mori. (100) 745 MATERIALGIRLS (PG) Fri. - Mon. (1235 350) 720 940 Tue.(1235) 350 720 940 Wed. - Thu. (1235 350) 720 940 ACCEPTED (PG-13) Fri. (330) 7451005 Sat. (100) 7451015 Sun. (330) 745 Mon. (330) 1015 Tue. (330) 100 745 1005 Wed. - Thu. (100 330) 7451005 SNAKESON A PLANE (R) Fri. - Mon. (1230 100 300 330) 700 800 930 Tue.(1230300 330) 700 800 930 Wed.(1230300 330) 700 930 Thu. (1230100 300) 700 930 STEP UP (PG-13) Fri. -Thu. (1155 230 500) 735 1000 WORLD TRADE CENTER (PG-13) Fri. (1225 330) 745 Sat. -Thu. (1225 330) 700 THE DESCENT (R) Fri.-Thu. 7451005 BARNYARD (PG) Fri. -Thu. (1220 245 505) TALLADEGA NIGHTS:THE BALLAD OF RICKY BOBBY (PG-13) Fri. - Thu.(1200 230 500) 730 1000 PIRATESOF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MAN'S CHEST (PG-13) Fri. - Thu. (1215 340) 750 SNAKES ON A PLANE(R) (OC) Tue.(100)Wed. (100) 800 Thu. (330) 800 HHBliMiHiHB^B BEERFEST (R) Fri. - Thu. (1250 400) 715 950 TALLADEGANIGHTS: THE BALLAD OF RICKY BOBBY (PG-13) Digital - Fri. - Thu. (1240 350) 700 940 SNAKES ON A PLANE (R) Digital - Fri. - Thu. (100 410) 720 955 BARNYARD (PG) Fri. - Thu. (110 430) 705 915 PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MAN'S CHEST (PG-13) Fri. - Thu. (1230 345) 745 ACCEPTED (PG-13) Fri. - Thu. (105 420) 730 945 THE ILLUSIONIST (PG-13) Fri. - Thu. (110335) 720 930 TRUST THE MAN (R) Fri. - Thu. (120 345) 725 925 WORLD TRADE CENTER (PG-13) Fri. - Thu. (1240 325) 700 930 LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE (R) Fri. - Thu. (100 355) 710 925 THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA (PG-13) Fri. - Thu. (1250 315) 705 915