This Week's Front Page
A movie about nine human-like rag dolls banding together to save the post-apocalyptic world does not sound like a rousing adventure story. But when Tim Burton produces it, there is no sense in ruling out the possibility. Burton, one of the visionaries of 9, transforms the rag dolls - called "stitchpunks" - into endearing, individual characters uniting to fight a destructive robotic beast. (0) comments
With spaghetti tornadoes and ice-creamed neighborhoods, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs succeeds in making an entertaining 90-minute movie from a book that takes, at best, five minutes to read. While the plot of the film wildly diverges from Judi and Ron Barrett's best-selling children's book, audiences won't be disappointed with the changes. (1) comment
The themes of love, money and violence may be most commonly associated with Hollywood action films, but there is no rule against their driving the plot of a ballet production. The Houston Ballet opened its 40th season last Thursday with Sir Kenneth MacMillan's modern ballet Manon, demonstrating the culmination of years of growth and development as both a company and artistic community. (0) comments
When Sublime Frequencies burst onto the scene with the first volume of Thai Pop Spectacular two years ago, it faced a challenge, as historical Thai music was frequently overlooked. Fortunately, its refreshing insight into a vibrant and rich recording industry was a welcome addition to music libraries everywhere. (0) comments
Have you ever dreamed of dressing up fancy for a night on the town? Do you like to laugh at people? Is your grandmother going to be bored this weekend? If you answered "yes" to any of the above questions, a heavy dose of quality theater may be in order. The Lighter Side of the Recession opened this month at Radio Music Theatre, and not only is it a fantastic show but, in the spirit of its title, admission is free for Rice staff and students for select shows through the end of the month. (0) comments