Kansas.com: Entertainment

'New Moon' shines bright

Michael Phillips — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 15:08 CST

"The Twilight Saga: New Moon" is a tick better than the first "Twilight," which wasn't bad either.

Those are hardly superlatives on the order of "shattering" and "beautiful," but compared to the film versions of "The Da Vinci Code" and "Angels & Demons," the only two movies ever made with less sex than the first two "Twilights," they're matchless.

The first "Twilight," a lower-budget and scruffier affair directed by Catherine Hardwicke, may have been lame in the visual magic department, but its stars and their smoldering eyes did a valiantly angst-y job in launching a major franchise.

Awash in color

Joanna Ramondetta — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 17:20 CST

Two exhibitions open tonight at Wichita Center for the Arts that offer different interpretations of the painting medium.

The main gallery is awash in color with the 40th annual Kansas Watercolor Society exhibition, while the east gallery holds a pristine display of paintings by Wichita artist Brian Hinkle.

A reception will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. Friday.

Maroon 5 staying sharp

Ed Condran — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 17:15 CST

Catching a band between albums can be a good thing — for both hard-core and casual fans.

When Maroon 5 performs Sunday at Charles Koch Arena, the pop-rock band will preview a few cuts from its forthcoming but as yet untitled album, which will drop in early 2010. The band will also render the hits.

"I think this is a situation where everybody wins," guitarist James Valentine said while calling from Fairfield, Conn. "We get to go out and try a few new songs. We'll definitely be playing this new song, 'Last Chance,' which has gone over well.

Confection construction

Lori Linenberger — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 17:10 CST

One of the ways people know that the holiday season has arrived in Wichita is when Gingerbread Village takes place in all its sugar-coated, graham-cracker goodness.

Thousands of children — and a good many adults — will pack into Church of the Magdalen this weekend to marvel at expertly crafted gingerbread houses and to create their own miniature versions festooned with gooey frosting, colorful candies and delicious decorations.

It's all for a good cause.

The Eagle's holiday story contest: A Christmas pact

Clare Vanderpool — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 18:06 CST

It was Christmas Eve, 1950. The night air was crisp and the stars shone down on the woods behind B Street. Frankie, George, Hildi and Norman hunkered together around their crackling fire of twigs and leaves. There was an eerie quiet as the normal hum and clamor of the mine was still. The Evanston Mine had just closed for good and the lives of the B Street Gang would never be the same.

For a time no one spoke. Frankie buttoned up his red and black plaid jacket while George battened down the flaps of his hat over his ears. Norman watched his breath form a cloud in the air and waited for his sister to break the silence.

Hildi, the only girl member of the B Street Gang, had earned her spot when she won Frankie's shooting marble and the only way he could get it back was to let her into the club." This Christmas is going to be the worst ever," said Hildi. "Dad has to be at his new job the day after Christmas. Our station wagon is packed and tomorrow, after nine o'clock church, we're heading to Arkansas. The only turkey we'll be having will be between two pieces of bread and wrapped in wax paper. And does anyone actually live in Arkansas?"

Gig Guide (Nov. 13)

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 10:42 CST

Blues/R&B

America’s Pub, 116 N. Mead, Eden Brent, Wed. 7 p.m., $15

Betty’s Runway Lounge, 4000 S. Broadway, Jerry Heusman, Dee Custard, Wed. 8 p.m.

A packed powwow

Lori Linenberger — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 17:22 CST

Members of the Wichita Kansas Intertribal Warrior Society will honor veterans this weekend with a two-day powwow.

Visitors will encounter a colorful panorama of dancers, arts and crafts booths, aromatic food and riveting storytelling. Here are eight things to look for and appreciate at this weekend's event:

Date for disaster

ROD POCOWATCHIT — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 15:19 CST

Disaster movies are supposed to deliver disaster. There's supposed to be death, destruction and chaos, with our heroes hanging off cliffs then scrambling back to safety at the last possible moment before something explodes.

These films are the equivalent of theme park rides. They are seldom art. And they usually go the quickest route needed for emotional investment. After all, who has time to build characters? There are buildings to blow up!

Head into "2012" with all that in mind and you'll be better off. Expecting anything more is just a waste of energy. But you'll need to settle in for the two-and-a-half-hour journey (which is really too long. This isn't "Ghandi").

Glass masters

JOANNA RAMONDETTA — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 17:22 CST

There is everyday run-of-the-mill glass that we all have in our shelves.

And then there is glass "art" — that mysterious realm where glass transforms from the functional into another artistic medium all its own.

Wichitans have been exposed to an unusually wide variety of art glass. Examples of Chihuly, Steuben and Tiffany — all heavyweight masters in the field of glass art — can be found at the Wichita Art Museum.

Many rivers to cross

Jason Dilts — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 17:22 CST

On a cold night in early October, hundreds of people crowded into Rock Island Live to witness a milestone in a Wichita artist's career.

Aaron Newton, guitar in hand and voice penetrating through the audience's cheers, performed that night to celebrate the release of his first EP, "Two Rivers," a six-track compilation of bluegrass-tinged songs.

For the singer-songwriter, who will perform Saturday night at the Riverside Perk, the scene was a long way from where he started.

'Carol' needs human touch

ROGER MOORE — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 11:57 CST

The new Disney "A Christmas Carol" is another epic achievement in motion-capture animation, advancing the art form closer to photo-realism than "The Polar Express" or "Beowulf." Dazzling, ornate visuals take us to the snowy London of 1837, swooping over its digital rooftops and down its digital chimneys. Faces take on musculature, expression and detail.

But like those earlier films, and certainly to a greater degree given the pathos, warmth and wit of the story, "A Christmas Carol" lacks and needs — desperately — that human touch.

That cinematic literalist Robert Zemeckis, who in Forrest Gump had a character say "I'm going to San Francisco" and then scored the scene with the pop song "If You're Going to San Francisco," gives us Dickens straight, no chaser. He grasps the tone of the Charles Dickens novel (darker than most film versions). He lays out the familiar story beats and even more familiar touchstone lines.

ICP has the last laugh

Brian McCollum — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 11:57 CST

In 1994, a New York record executive caught a glimpse of a Detroit music kingdom in the making.

Jeff Fenster, a vice president with Jive Records, had jetted into Detroit for a show by Insane Clown Posse, a rap duo with a fetish for Faygo and painted faces. He was struck by the sight: hordes of Michigan teens decked out in ICP gear, many in wicked-clown makeup like the group's Violent J and Shaggy 2 Dope.

"We just watched these kids at the merchandise table, buying multiple T-shirts for a band most of us had never heard of," he says. "They were ponying up to buy into this culture."

SINGER JEWEL NO LONGER TOURS NONSTOP

BOB CURTRIGHT — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 11:57 CST

The singer known simply as Jewel used to be on tour two years at a time.

These days, including for her upcoming stop at the Orpheum, she prefers to tour only two weeks at a time so she can have a real life.

"I sing 14 concerts in 14 cities and then go home," Jewel said by phone from her home in Stephenville, a town of about 15,000 in north-central Texas.

Church a work of art

Joanna Ramondetta — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 11:57 CST

Among the things a first-time visitor to St. Anthony's Catholic Church notices are the intricately designed stained glass windows.

Bob Walterscheid, a lifelong church member, is proud to see his family's name on one of the windows in the 104-year-old church. His grandfather, an original member of the church, was there when construction began in 1902.

Over the years, Walterscheid and fellow church members have worked tirelessly to keep the church in the beautiful condition it stands in today.

Gig guide (Oct. 29)

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 18:22 CDT

BLUES/R&B

Bubba’s Nekked BBQ, 2428 W. 13th Craig Steward Today 5 p.m.

C. Major’s Rockin Daddy’s, 110 S. Hillside Jukes w/ Dan Monnat Today 9:30 p.m., $5

Step out on Halloween

Eagle staff — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 15:08 CDT

Bars and clubs in the Wichita area are getting into the spirit of Halloween this weekend with costume contests, decorations, drink specials and more.

Here's a look at what some nightspots are doing. Events are Saturday night unless otherwise noted:

* Champs, 1106 S. Seneca: Costume party Friday and Saturday with cash prizes.

'Serious Man' never finds way

ROD POCOWATCHIT — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 16:09 CDT

Joel and Ethan Coen's films have always had a distinctive style.

Whether cartoonish ("Raising Arizona"), sultry ("Blood Simple"), comical ("The Big Lebowski") musical ("O Brother, Where Art Thou?) or violent (their Oscar-winning "Fargo" and "No Country for Old Men"), the writing/editing/producing/ directing brothers create movies with universes all their own. Yet, somehow, they all have a common tonality.

So the brothers' latest comedy/drama, "A Serious Man," is unmistakably theirs. It feels every bit like a Coen brothers film, and that's both good and bad.

A chance of byways

Lori Linenberger — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 15:59 CDT

Art enthusiasts will have a chance tonight to see all nine of the large-scale paintings done by noted Kansas artist Stan Herd as part of a state project to promote culture and tourism.

The richly hued works won't be for sale, however. Next month, they'll be given away by the Kansas Lottery to those who bought specially designated tickets. Each has a value of about $5,000.

Herd, who's known internationally for his crop art as well as his paintings and film work, will be at Artifacts Gallery, 4729 E. Douglas, tonight to talk to visitors. He'll have other paintings as well as prints and postcards at the gallery for sale.

HALLOWEEN PACKED WITH FUN EVENTS

Eagle staff — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 08:54 CST

If you like Halloween, it doesn't get much better than this: The scary holiday falls on a weekend this year, so there's a lot more time to pack in fun events.

Some of the more popular events traditionally held this time of year were held last weekend, but there's still lots going on this weekend.

Here's all the information you need:

Tallgrass Film Festival program

ROD POCOWATCHIT — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 12:49 CDT

The seventh annual Tallgrass Film Festival program features several Kansas-made projects as well as almost 30 other feature films, and several short film programs.

Note that most films are unrated and some may be suitable only for adult audiences. Screening times and locations are subject to change. Go to www.tallgrassfilmfest.com for updates.

Special events with screenings