“The Secret of Kells” Makes a Case for Oscar Nod

If there was an Oscar race worth following this year, it was the one for Best Animated Feature. Out of nowhere, The Secret of Kells, an enchantingly old-fashioned Irish upstart about a medieval boy monk who dreams of illuminating sacred books, tucked itself into an already juicy lineup that featured…

‘A Nightmare on Elm Street’ Review: Remake Is No Dream

If audiences are willing to pretend that they’ve never seen Freddy Krueger—and the crowd I was with was primed—at least give them the privilege of a tease. Unfortunately, this remake of Wes Craven’s 1984 horror staple pops its cookies early, with barely a glimmer of suburban sunshine to contrast the…

Can Do

No Florida Marlins player has come out of the gates this season hotter than third-baseman Jorge Cantu. Two weeks ago, Cantu set a major league record by becoming the first player in history with at least one RBI (“Runs Batted In”) in his team’s first nine games. Cantu found himself…

Hardcore Karaoke

If you happen to be a 20-something punk whose experience of ’80s hardcore is wholly derived from digitized back issues of Slash and a bootleg DVD of Penelope Spheeris’ seminal doc The Decline of Western Civilization, then this Friday’s Pogo! party at Churchill’s Pub (5501 NE Second Ave., Miami) is…

Boozers Versus Beasts

As a rule, it’s a really bad idea to get drunk at the zoo. Consuming mass amounts of alcohol while surrounded by wild, vicious beasts could easily lead to any number of embarrassing and/or deadly mishaps. You might mistake a gorilla for your girlfriend. You might fall into the lion’s…

Sexy Time

You might have to wait another month for Sex (the debut of Sex and the City 2, that is), but here’s some foreplay for you. This past Tuesday, Sex and the City author Candace Bushnell released her latest novel, The Carrie Diaries, a teen-prequel to her golden franchise. But just…

Jockeys and Juleps

When the late Hunter S. Thompson wrote that the Kentucky Derby was “decadent and depraved,” the Louisville native was referring to the crowd, not the actual event. The derby itself is commonly thought of as the world’s most distinguished horserace — “the most exciting two minutes in sports.” But whatever…

Walk the Kinky Line

The Fetish Factory sells toys intended for adults only — but it’s not just about the whips and chains. If you look past this part, you’ll see it’s very much about the fashion. They sell clothes, shoes, and accessories made of leather and latex that are reasonably user-friendly — and…

The Pretty Dragling

We’re proud to give a graduation announcement: Twelve drag queens — brand-spanking new — are about to enter the professional drag world at 9:30 p.m. Saturday at Atomic Boom (2232 Wilton Drive, Wilton Manors). They went through ten weeks of free workshops, coached by professional drag queens. They learned how…

For Those Ready to LOL

If you’re hit in the nuts and you got it on tape, you’re probably going to get a call from Daniel Tosh’s people. Tosh hosts Comedy Central’s Tosh.0, a weekly program that airs funny viral videos — focusing on ones that have inspired LMFAOs in cubicles across the globe. But…

Public (Intoxicated) Transit

Every day, millions of brave souls board public transportation in the form of buses, subways, and trains. This act is done mostly sober — and you find yourself typically boxed in with people who’d rather lick a rusty turnstile than be cordial. Although that type of bus loop might not…

The Village People

If you live just north of downtown Fort Lauderdale, call yourself a Flagler Village resident. We’re not going to get all hoity-toity here and tell you exactly the property lines to see if you fall inside the village limits — but belonging to the community if you can will be…

Party Like It’s 1862

On May 5, 1862, there was this battle in Puebla, Mexico, where the Mexicans conquered the French. For all people who party, that outcome was a triumph. Cinco de Mayo was born, and for some blessed unbeknownst reason, everyone celebrates it. So you, whoever you are, shall block-party Wednesday for…

The Burning Ballroom From Hell

Dancing With the Stars pulled off a coup when it got Tom Delay, the former Texan Republican majority leader who was indicted for conspiracy, to compete with some butt-shaking cha-cha numbers — like an old gay man ecstatic over coming out of the closet. Unfortunately, Delay recently quit the show…

Strut Your Punk

Most local bands, especially punks, stopped trying to have any sort of stage presence over the last decade. As musicians worried about being the next Marilyn Manson, New Found Glory, or Miami Sound Machine, they focused on getting famous and ignored the audience. Well, Saturday at the Monterey Club, the…

Fast Feet

The Irish music and dance show Riverdance will make a stop at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts for its farewell tour. Next up, it’s off to tour Africa, South America, and Asia — but first, there will be tons of step dancing — feet moving in unison and…

Free Art Classes at 9Muses

In ancient Greek mythology, nine muses governed the arts and inspired creativity: Calliope (epic poetry), Clio (history), Erato (lyric poetry), Euterpe (music), Melpomene (tragedy), Polyhymnia (choral poetry), Terpsichore (dance), Thalia (comedy), and Urania (astrology). At the 9Muses Art Center in Lauderhill, the range of creative expression is as broad, if…

“Losers” Is Not a Winning Comic-Book Thriller

Writer Andy Diggle dedicated his snappy DC comic books “The Losers” to ’80s screenwriting superstar Shane Black, creator of the Lethal Weapon series. But in adapting “The Losers” for film, director Sylvain White and screenwriters James Vanderbilt and Peter Berg strain to achieve the pleasurable mix of cheap laughs and…

“Mid-August Lunch” Remains Fatally Slight

Watching this lauded but fatally slight comedy of manners about a middle-aged Italian who finds himself caring for four spunky old dames, it’s hard to believe writer, director, and star Gianni Di Gregorio also cowrote the bloody Mafia hit Gomorrah. Amiably self-deprecating to a fault, the semiautobiographical Mid-August Lunch features…

“Formosa Betrayed” Dismisses the Taiwanese Truth

Like any normal former TV star with free time and a cause that’s caught his eye, James Van Der Beek could have done a voice-over for a documentary about Taiwan’s bloody struggle for independence — instead, he plays an FBI agent in this educational thriller set in early-1980s Taiwan. After…

“Oceans” Makes Protectionist Message With Well-Filmed Boredom

An almost miraculously photographed showcase of some of the seven seas’ least seen and most incredible specimens, Disney’s Oceans (a follow-up to last year’s Earth) lets its subjects speak for themselves. Timed to coincide with Earth Day, the film’s preservationist agenda is mostly implicit in its wonder at these strangest…