Spoonful of Cinema: Black Mass
My movie weekend started at 7 p.m. Friday night, when I went and saw Black Mass, the true-crime expose of the Boston crime boss James “Whitey” Bulger. The picture stars Johnny Depp as the murderous, opportunistic kingpin, while Joel Edgerton portrays fellow South-Bostonian and conspirator, FBI agent John Connolly. It’s a somewhat typical, mostly entertaining…
Falcons Are Go! Again!
David Rhodes Brown and Warsaw Falcons must feel as though they’re in some bizarre nexus of the Bermuda Triangle and the Hot Tub Time Machine. On one hand, the Greater Cincinnati band (featuring guitarist/vocalist Brown, bassist John Schmidt and drummer Doug Waggoner) has reunited after a “hiatus” of two and a half decades, and is…
Morning News and Stuff
Hey Cincinnati! Has everyone recovered from all the beer and brats consumed during Oktoberfest? No, not yet? I haven't either. But it was worth it, right? While we take that slow road to recovery, here are today's headlines. • GOP presidential candidate Ben Carson is making his first public appearance this morning in Cincinnati after…
Casino Warrior Unleashes ‘Centaur’
Casino Warrior is a name that many local music fans aren’t aware of. So far, the quartet (bassist Kevin McNair, vocalist and guitarist Miguel Richards, guitarist Billy Buzek and drummer Chad Wolary) has only played two real shows, one of which was its recent EP release party. But rest assured, based on the strength of…
Noon News and Stuff
Good morning all! Hope you're recovering from your Oktoberfest weekend. CityBeat's news team did the Hudy 7k (not the 14k because we're weak), which is basically an Oktoberfest pre-game that involves running some miles and then drinking free beers and eating free cheese coneys and goetta sliders at 9:30 in the morning. It's a good…
Geeky Fall TV
RETURNING SHOWS Doctor Who (Season 9 Premiere, Sept. 19, BBC America) — The Doctor and Clara Oswald in the Tardis. And a possibly new Punk-inspired outfit for Peter Capaldi? Gotham (Season 2 Premiere, Sept. 21, Fox) — The Batman origin story welcomes some of DC Comics’ most notorious villains this season: Mr. Freeze, the Mad…
Stage Door
Actors are a big reason we go to see specific performances, and there are a couple of excellent choices onstage right now as several theaters are kicking off their 2015-2016 seasons. Of particular note is Annie Fitzpatrick, a familiar performer to audiences frequenting productions at Ensemble Theatre. She’s playing Caroline, an over-burdened social worker in…
Morning News and Stuff
Heya! Here’s a quick rundown of the news this morning. Just a few links as you head into your Oktoberfest weekend.Think of it as morning news lite. Goes down easy with no bitter aftertaste. An armed, off-duty officer was asked to leave Over-the-Rhine’s 16-Bit Bar because he was drinking while carrying a concealed weapon, a…
Your Weekend To Do List (9/18-9/20)
FRIDAY Grab a beer at OKTOBERFEST Prost! Since 1976, people have been coming out in droves to experience the rich German heritage that Cincinnati has to offer via our Oktoberfest Zinzinnati, full of delicious food, live music and plenty of beer. This year’s Oktoberfest — the largest in the nation— kicks off Friday at noon…
Beyond the Books
As technology advances, we constantly revisit our old resources to determine their relevance. Perhaps one of the most common debates is if libraries are a thing of the past. Sure, the quiet atmosphere with thousands of books is soothing, but is it really necessary when most, if not all, of its services can be found…
Morning News and Stuff
Good morning y’all. Here’s the news today. First off, you should check out this week's CityBeat news feature about how the feds are working with a Cincinnati neighborhood to help preserve diversity and affordability there. I think you'll find it fascinating. As more and more folks discover how cool it is to live in the…
Spoonful of Cinema: The Visit
The Visit is a change-up for M. Night Shyamalan. Kind of. The man notorious for refusing to make a movie that doesn’t have a massive twist, usually in the final few moments of the film, has brought us Academy Award-nominated The Sixth Sense, but he has also brought us Razzie-nominated films like The Happening and…
Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials
The next installment in the James Dashner young-adult sci-fi series takes place mere minutes after the conclusion of the first movie. The disparate group of teens has managed to escape the perils of the Maze and now faces an even more mysterious journey beyond the confines of their earlier situation. Keeping with the idea of…
Learning to Drive
Cultures will clash in this disparate buddy dramedy about a New York writer (Patricia Clarkson) who starts driving lessons after the dissolution of her marriage and her Sikh instructor (Ben Kingsley), who happens to be dealing with marital issues of his own. It is not the all-too-obvious lessons that Learning to Drive seeks to impart…
Grandma
It would be far too easy to watch Grandma, the new film from writer-director Paul Weitz (About a Boy), and assume it is just an awards season showcase for Lily Tomlin. She stars as Elle, a poet of some renown dealing with a harsh break-up from her girlfriend (Judy Greer) when her teenage granddaughter Sage…
Everest
Baltasar Kormákur, best known, until now, for working with Mark Wahlberg on Contraband and 2 Guns, sets a new course for himself, tackling the story of a Mount Everest climbing expedition beset by a severe snow storm. With a screenplay by William Nicholson (Gladiator and Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom) and Simon Beaufoy (Slumdog Millionaire…
Captive
Kate Mara and David Oyelowo star in this crime thriller from television veteran Jerry Jameson, which is based on the true story of Ashley Smith (author of the memoir Unlikely Angel: The Untold Story of the Atlanta Hostage Hero). At the time, Smith was a single mother beset by addiction issues who was taken hostage…
About Ray
Ray (Elle Fanning) makes the decision to transition from female to male, causing seismic adjustments in her immediate family. Single mother Maggie (Naomi Watts) must track down Ray’s biological father to complete the legal consent form, while Maggie’s mother (Susan Sarandon) and her partner (Linda Emond) bicker and banter about everything from lesbian/feminist rights to…
Onstage: Cyrano de Bergerac
Edmond Rostand’s play, like its hero, seems to have fallen unexpectedly from the moon. Cyrano de Bergerac was a surprising instant hit in Paris late in 1897. Its premiere received an hour-long standing ovation, and it was subsequently performed for 200 consecutive nights. The heroic comedy about the romantic swordsman and poet was an anomaly…
Music: Nellie McKay
A n interview with Nellie McKay, the British-born, American-raised singer/songwriter and vocal stylist who performs a solo show this week at Cincinnati’s 20th Century Theater, can be as unpredictable as her career itself. But it’s also frequently greatly pleasurable, just like her music. McKay’s first album, 2004’s Get Away From Me, was two-discs’ worth of…
Event: Bluegrass for Babies
Enjoy a fun day of activities and education at the annual Bluegrass for Babies event, part of the Healthy Roots Foundation’s fundraising efforts for Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. Centered around Bluegrass music, the event features bands the Comet Bluegrass All-Stars and Hickory Robot, as well as headliners Cabinet. Craft beer and food from Dewey’s,…
Event: Russian Fest
In celebration of their newly constructed church, St. George Russian Orthodox Church hosts Russian Fest. The event features delicious Russian foods from stuffed cabbage to piroshki, tours of the new church and traditional Russian dances performed by the youth parish. Imported crafts such as nesting dolls, wooden boxes and jewelry will be available along with…
Event: Fall Harvest Festival
Head to the Heritage Village Museum’s recreated 1800s living-history town to experience and old-fashioned fall harvest festival. There will be wagon rides, quaint games, a donut-eating competition for kids, cider-pressing and hearth-cooking demos and pumpkin painting, plus people in period-authentic costumes. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday; noon-5 p.m. Sunday. $8 adults; $5 children. Heritage Village Museum,…
Event: The City Flea
It’s all about Cincinnati at the City Flea. This monthly outdoor market combines local scenery with local goods to celebrate the local energy of the Queen City. Small businesses and hobbyists alike gather to display their best deals for your dollar. For the fifth year in a row, City Flea showcases a variety of vendors,…
Event: Fifty Fest
Twenty-five breweries, a ton of food vendors and 10 bands on three stages all adds up to fifty — Fifty Fest 2015, that is. Held at Fifty West Brewing Co., Fifty Fest is a celebratory showcase of the best local and regional beer, food and live music. If you’re not the drinking, eating or dancing…
Onstage: Back to the Future: Live in Concert
The Cincinnati Pops celebrates the 30th anniversary of the classic sci-fi adventure film Back to the Future with a live orchestral accompaniment. As the film plays on a screen above the Music Hall stage, the Pops will perform Alan Silvestri’s iconic score, live, in time with the movie. 8 p.m. Saturday. Tickets start at $25;…
Event: Oktoberfest Zinzinnati
Prost! Since 1976, people have been coming out in droves to experience the rich German heritage that Cincinnati has to offer via our Oktoberfest Zinzinnati, full of delicious food, live music and plenty of beer. This year’s Oktoberfest — the largest in the nation— kicks off Friday at noon with the Running of the Wieners,…
Event: Queen City is Haunted
Whether or not you believe in ghosts, the Queen City is Haunted Tour might make your hair stand on end. This outdoor walking tour stops at local landmarks and abandoned buildings that have held hidden secrets for centuries, where guides tell spooky stories of hospitals, cemeteries, insane asylums and the Cincinnati Murder College. Murders, suicides,…
Event: Cincinnati Comic Expo
The Cincinnati Comic Expo features famous sci-fi and fantasy film and TV stars, including Adam West, the original Batman, Robin Lord Taylor, the Penguin from Fox’s Gotham, Ian Ziering from Sharknado (and 90210), Eve Myles from Torchwood and more, plus a ton of comic-book artists, cosplayers and other assorted events. Programming includes panels, sci-fi speed…
Everything Old Is New Again: The Muppets
Jim Henson’s Muppets — fun fact: it’s a combination of “marionette” and “puppet” — are bona fide pop culture icons and celebrities. From their first appearance on local Washington, D.C. TV in 1955 through 45 seasons of Sesame Street and the franchise’s latest film reboots, Kermit and friends have been entertaining audiences young and old…
Toronto International Film Festival: A Soundtrack
Every year, themes emerge from my personal film festival schedule. Sometimes it is difficult to spot the through-line that connects my selections; in other instances, the lines intertwine almost by themselves, forming a thick knot for readers to firmly grab hold for the long haul. Is there a performer with multiple features calling for my…
Perfectly Poundstone
For a generation of younger fans, Paula Poundstone is most widely known as a panelist on the hit NPR radio program Wait Wait…Don’t Tell Me!. For comedy fans of a certain age, she’s a brilliant stand-up that’s been making audiences laugh since the 1980s. A killer joke writer, Poundstone can just as easily find the…
Eric Adams’ Comic Series Spawns New Directions for Online Publishing
Author, illustrator and publisher Eric Adams seems to march to the beat of his own drum — much like his comic book series’ protagonist, Fahrenheit. Adams had little to no experience with self-publishing prior to the initial release of his wildly successful seven-issue comic series, Lackluster World, in 2004. The author started taking art classes…
‘Cyrano’ Fell From the Moon
Edmond Rostand’s play, like its hero, seems to have fallen unexpectedly from the moon. Cyrano de Bergerac was a surprising instant hit in Paris late in 1897. Its premiere received an hour-long standing ovation, and it was subsequently performed for 200 consecutive nights. The heroic comedy about the romantic swordsman and poet was an anomaly…
Frameri Puts Down Roots
S am Pellerito is deep in conversation with the building manager of Frameri’s new office and showroom. The sandwich board that usually sits in front of the building got stolen the day before and, besides, they need something bigger anyway. “I want, like, a giant banner,” he says, arms wide. “Like, Frameri — BOOM!” A…
Police Chief Blackwell Fired, Intends to Sue City
City Manager Harry Black announced Sept. 10 that Cincinnati Police Chief Jeffrey Blackwell had been fired that day due to “lack of sufficient and proper communication, particularly within the command staff, coupled with a consistent and pervasive disregard for the chain of command,” according to a 35-page memo from the city. That memo contained testimony…
Report: DuBose Shooting ‘Entirely Preventable’
An internal review released Sept. 11 by the University of Cincinnati found that the July 19 shooting death of unarmed black motorist Samuel DuBose by UC police officer Ray Tensing was “entirely preventable” and resulted from tactical mistakes made by Tensing. The report also says Tensing made misleading and untrue statements about that incident. The…
Staying in Character
O n a sunny day in late August, a group from the Northside Community Council gave four representatives from the Environmental Protection Agency, in from Washington, D.C. and the federal agency’s Region 5 office in Chicago, a winding tour of the neighborhood. The walking discussion wasn’t primarily about pollution in the once heavily industrial community,…
Kim Davis vs. Decades of Supreme Court Decisions
Disturbingly incomplete reporting afflicts the drama of county clerk Kim Davis in Rowan County, Kentucky. Davis rebelled after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down bans on same-sex marriages. She refuses to issue marriage licenses although that is part of her $80,000-a-year job. Davis said issuing the licenses to same-sex couples would be complicit in something…
Media Musings From Cincinnati and Beyond
News media does its job when readers and listeners know “so what” as well as “what.” That might take more than one article or broadcast on a given story, but the sum of coverage should allow readers and listeners to decide whether to act and, if the answer is yes, what to do. It’s not…
Morning News and Stuff
Good morning, Cincy! Hang in there: We're halfway through the week and crawling closer and closer to Oktoberfest this weekend. Here are some headlines to help pass some of the time until your next beer. City Manager Harry Black, who fired Police Chief Jeffrey Blackwell last Wednesday, said he will look high and low, near…
The Cool Issue: Revenge of the Nerds
Click here for full access to this year's Cool Issue. T here was a point in time when being called a “nerd” was an insult. It meant you were a loser, an eternal virgin hiding in the basement glued to your computer or comic books, dressed up like Sailor Moon or Han Solo. Today —…
Calendar of Cool
SEPTEMBER Ohio Renaissance Festival — Prepare thyself for adventure. The Ohio Renaissance Festival’s recreated 30-acre, 16th-century village crams 400 years of fun into a day, with human-powered rides, hearty food and drink (turkey legs, beef stew in a bread bowl, mead), games of skill and unique arts and crafts. 10:30 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays.…
The Uber Kawaii Cat Museum
There are some people who love cats, and then there are those who really love cats, to the point of opening a niche museum full of them. Micha Robertson opened the Maneki Neko Museum inside Walnut Hills’ Essex Studios three years ago, but she started collecting the Japanese “beckoning” or “lucky” cats a decade ago.…
Arcade Etiquette
So you’re at a arcade-bar for the first time and you’re overwhelmed by the hordes of drunken youth, flashy lights and Space Invaders sound effects. You spot a large crowd around your favorite Atari game. The bar is full, with a few salmon-shorts-clad beer drinkers sprinkled in. Where to begin? What to do first? Don’t…
Nerds in Northside
Northside’s got itself a new arcade-bar. Arcade Legacy: Bar Edition is home to an expertly curated selection of retro video games, beers, cocktails and gourmet hot dogs. The arcade-bar is the second location operated by Arcade Legacy, whose home base has been inside the Forest Fair Village for three and a half years. “We had…
Gaming for Good
Giacomo Ciminello is wearing a look of nervous excitement on his face — along with a T-shirt that bears the pixelated Space Invaders alien, now accepted as a retro emblem of nerdy coolness. The sky has just grown dark, and a loose circle of mostly young professionals are waiting behind the Brew House in Walnut…
Cosplay 101
Sebastian Hexx is a one-man Justice League. He’s Freddy Krueger, a superhero, a villain, an anime character, an Ohio Ghostbuster, a professional wrestler, a costumer/prop builder at local haunted attractions and more — because he’s a cosplayer, or a “costume player,” someone who dresses up like their favorite character from the fictional world.“Mostly what (cosplay)…
Samwise in Cincinnati
Sean Astin made his cinematic debut 30 years ago in The Goonies, a never-say-die adventure comedy starring several other young actors who also went on to make notable careers in the film industry (Josh Brolin, Corey Feldman, Martha Plimpton). Astin has remained prominently in the spotlight, going on to star in Encino Man, Rudy, Bulworth…
Music: alt-J
When asked in a recent interview with Rolling Stone, the famously opinionated Liam Gallagher (formerly of Brit Rock stars Oasis) said this about music he was digging lately: “Do you know that track by alt-J, ‘Left Hand Free’? That is a great track. But alt-J can fuck right off as far as I’m concerned. It’s…
Sound Advice: alt-J with San Fermin
When asked in a recent interview with Rolling Stone, the famously opinionated Liam Gallagher (formerly of Brit Rock stars Oasis) said this about music he was digging lately: “Do you know that track by alt-J, ‘Left Hand Free’? That is a great track. But alt-J can fuck right off as far as I’m concerned. It’s…
Music: Marcia Ball
Boogie Woogie/Swamp Rock piano pounder Marcia Ball is the poster child for the phrase “born to the craft.” The Texas-born, Louisiana-raised Ball began piano lessons at around the same time she started school and almost immediately felt an affinity for the rolling swing of New Orleans pianists like Professor Longhair and Fats Domino. As her…
Sound Advice: Marcia Ball
Boogie Woogie/Swamp Rock piano pounder Marcia Ball is the poster child for the phrase “born to the craft.” The Texas-born, Louisiana-raised Ball began piano lessons at around the same time she started school and almost immediately felt an affinity for the rolling swing of New Orleans pianists like Professor Longhair and Fats Domino. As her…
Music: Beach House
Now more than a decade into its artistic lifespan, Baltimore’s Beach House wanted a shift in approach when it came time to write songs for what would become its fifth record, Depression Cherry. Sure, the resulting nine songs still employ the band’s signature hypnotic pull, as singer Victoria Legrand’s dreamy voice and guitarist Alex Scally’s…
Sound Advice: Beach House with Jessica Pratt
Now more than a decade into its artistic lifespan, Baltimore’s Beach House wanted a shift in approach when it came time to write songs for what would become its fifth record, Depression Cherry. Sure, the resulting nine songs still employ the band’s signature hypnotic pull, as singer Victoria Legrand’s dreamy voice and guitarist Alex Scally’s…
Music: Death Cab for Cutie
My three favorite band names inspired by unlikely sources would be: a) Steely Dan, after the chrome-plated dildo in William S. Burroughs’ Naked Lunch; b) Toad the Wet Sprocket, a band name concocted by Monty Python for one of its sketches; and c) Death Cab for Cutie, taken from a song by the critically underappreciated…
Sound Advice: Death Cab for Cutie with Twin Shadow
My three favorite band names inspired by unlikely sources would be: a) Steely Dan, after the chrome-plated dildo in William S. Burroughs’ Naked Lunch; b) Toad the Wet Sprocket, a band name concocted by Monty Python for one of its sketches; and c) Death Cab for Cutie, taken from a song by the critically underappreciated…
Royal Holland Continues to Blossom on Second EP
Earlier this summer, Newport, Ky.-based singer/songwriter Matt Mooney released the second of three planned EPs under his project named Royal Holland, Volume Two – Flamingo. Like last year’s acclaimed Volume One – The Maze (which won the Ohio Music Award for “Best Folk CD”), Flamingo was recorded locally with noted producer (and acclaimed singer/songwriter in…
With Love (and Murder) in Her Heart
A n interview with Nellie McKay, the British-born, American-raised singer/songwriter and vocal stylist who performs a solo show this week at Cincinnati’s 20th Century Theater, can be as unpredictable as her career itself. But it’s also frequently greatly pleasurable, just like her music. McKay’s first album, 2004’s Get Away From Me, was two-discs’ worth of…
Campaign Music Trolling
HOT: Campaign Music Trolling With so many conservative politicians soundtracking their campaign rallies with music by artists whose politics are well-known to be on the other end of the political spectrum, it now seems like perhaps it’s all an act of major trolling. Neil Young was not happy when king troll Donald Trump used one…
Expert Advice for Making Your Own Baby Food
The American Academy of Pediatricians recommends that breast milk or formula should be your child’s only source of nutrition for the first six months of life. But before you know it, tiny, curious fingers come reaching across the table, and it’s either time to ante up part of your burger or introduce Junior to solid…
Mita’s (Review)
W hen Jose Salazar talks about his grandmother’s kitchen in Medellin, Colombia, he doesn’t talk about a specific food. His memories are of wooden carts going by in the street, loaded with fresh fruits and vegetables. He talks about his grandmother’s food nourishing a multi-generational household filled with family and friends. His mamita was always…
