Meridian 360
Capsule reviews of ‘Bride Wars,’ ‘The Unborn’
By The Associated Press
Capsule reviews of films opening this week:
‘‘Bride Wars’’ — This cliched comedy tosses out stereotypes about female materialism and cattiness with all the giddy gusto of a newly married woman flinging the bouquet at her single girlfriends. It’s amazing that two of the film’s three writers are women: Casey Wilson of ‘‘Saturday Night Live’’ and June Diane Raphael (the third, Greg DePaul, also gets a story-by credit). But what’s just as baffling is the way in which director Gary Winick, who brought the radiant best out of Jennifer Garner in the 2004 charmer ‘‘13 Going on 30,’’ manages to squander the appealing screen presence of Kate Hudson and Anne Hathaway. (Then again, the shrill material does him no favors.) Hudson and Hathaway star as Liv and Emma, best friends who’ve obsessively fantasized about the ideal wedding since childhood. When Liv and Emma both get engaged, they accidentally book their weddings at New York’s Plaza Hotel on the same day. Neither will budge, which leads to an increasingly destructive game of sabotage and one-upmanship. It’s unabashedly mean, yes — think of it as ‘‘The War of the Roses,’’ and the peonies, and the hydrangeas — but it’s also never all that funny. And since this incredibly shallow dilemma is the biggest problem facing these women, it’s impossible to root for them to be happy or care whether their friendship survives. Neither could have picked another date or found another venue? Really? PG for suggestive content, language and some rude behavior. 90 min. One star out of four.
— Christy Lemire, AP Movie Critic
‘‘The Unborn’’ — The Kabbalah. Hot college students. A creepy, abandoned mental institution. Gary Oldman. Jogging. Twins. Nazi scientists. A suicidal mother. A lost blue mitten. What do these things have in common? They’re all pieces in the convoluted mythology of ‘‘The Unborn.’’ Best as one can tell, writer-director David S. Goyer’s film is a sort of Jewish version of ‘‘The Exorcist,’’ which is a vaguely novel concept. Catholics are usually the ones who have all the fun purging demons. But Goyer, who wrote the ‘‘Blade’’ series and co-wrote ‘‘The Dark Knight,’’ makes things laughably more complicated than they needed to be. Well, there are some effective scares here, and you’ll laugh at yourself afterward for jumping like a little girl. But other images and pieces of dialogue are just as hilarious — and that probably wasn’t their intention. (Jane Alexander, as a Holocaust survivor with a secret, delivers a line abut Auschwitz that’s particularly off in tone.) Odette Yustman runs around in tight jeans, tank tops and boy shorts as Casey Beldon, a young woman being haunted by startling dreams, then a weird little neighborhood boy, then hallucinatory images of insects, and finally a full-blown spiritual attack. Only Oldman, who classes things up in his few scenes as a rabbi, can help her fend off the impending possession. Meagan Good gets a couple of amusing zingers as the obligatory wisecracking best friend. PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and terror, disturbing images, thematic material and language including some sexual references. 95 min. One and a half stars out of four.
— Christy Lemire, AP Movie Critic
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Ticket Alert
Tickets for Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, 7:30 p.m., Thursday, Aug. 12 at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, go on sale Saturday, March 13 at 10 a.m. CST. Prices are $61.51-$152.03,
www.ticketmaster.com. -
‘Church Basement Ladies’ coming Thursday to MCC’s McCain Theatre
Meridian Community College’s McCain Theater will present "Church Basement Ladies" on Thursday, March 11, as the next Arts & Letters Series production.
The curtain goes up at 7 p.m. -
Mississippi Arts Commission presents Poetry Out Loud State Finals
JACKSON— The Mississippi Arts Commission (MAC) is proud to present the state finals for Poetry Out Loud National Recitation Contest on Thursday, March 11. The event will be held at 1:00pm in the Auditorium at Mississippi Public Broadcasting. The event is free and open to the public. The competition, presented in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and the Poetry Foundation, is part of a national program that encourages high school students to learn about great poetry through memorization, performance and competition. The Mississippi competition began at the classroom level; then a contest was held at each participating school to select the winner. Each participating school's winner advanced to semi-final rounds held in three regions of the state. Nine finalists, three from each region will participate in the state finals. -
The Music Emporium: Going out in style
After 36 years The Music Emporium, 3100 23rd Ave., will close its doors with a celebration Saturday night, March 6, beginning at 6 p.m.
Currently CDs are 50 percent off and clothes are 75 percent off, Aislinn Webb, the store's owner said. -
MLT announces auditions for ‘The Producers’
The Meridian Little Theatre announces auditions for its award winning production of “The Producers.” Auditions will be held March 8 - 9, at 7 p.m. at the MLT playhouse on Hwy 39 North.
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MLT hires youth director
Susie McEachin Johnson has been hired by the Meridian Little Theatre to direct and coordinate its Youth Division programs. Johnson will join producer/director Jimmy Pigford on the theatre’s artistic staff.
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Toughman returns
After a quarter century, the Toughman Contest continues to lead the fight industry as the only boxing event where the outcome can NEVER be predicted, as the only semi-professional pugilistic version that demands both big boxing gloves and the shortest rounds, and as the event with undeniably the best safety record of all adult boxing. It’s no wonder it’s tied for the highest ratings for Fox Sports on “Best Damn Toughman”. The Original Toughman Contest “hits” town once again, live at the Frank Cochran Community Center, Friday and Saturday, Feb. 26-27 at 8 p.m. Want to Fight? Call 1-800-TUFGUYS. Sponsored by Magnolia Beverage, Miller and Coors Light Beers, Bo Haarala Autoplex, Music Emporium, Aflac Insurance, and Your Place.
Tickets on sale now at Bo Haarala Autoplex and the Music Emporium for only $15, $20 at the door nights of event. Don’t miss the Fighter Weigh in Party, Thursday, Feb. 25, 7 p.m. at Your Place. - Grammy Museum hosts 'Mississippi Night'
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Mississippi Arts Commission to host 2010 Governor's Awards for Excellence in the Arts
JACKSON — The Mississippi Arts Commission (MAC) is scheduled to host the 22nd annual Governor’s Awards for Excellence in the Arts on Thursday, Feb. 25.
The event spotlights Mississippi’s outstanding cultural resources and honors those who contribute to the state through their vision and creativity. - Swamp Stomp features regional bands, promote Cajun culture
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