Grade: B- Everyone gets stuck in a rut once in a while. Unfortunately for viewers, so did the movie Cedar Rapids. Cedar Rapids plays upon the seemingly unexciting lives of insurance agents, taking the audience through the middle-class existence of a core group of characters as they all compete for the Two Diamonds award.
The Visual Studies Gallery buzzed with admiration last Thursday as the opening of the Rumsey Scholarship Competition Gallery welcomed the competing works of seven talented UB art students. The annual competition occurs during the early months of the spring semester, giving ambitious art students in their junior year a chance to apply for the opportunity to earn funding for a travel of their choice the summer preceding their senior year. Students are required to submit their work with a proposal describing the overarching concepts behind their entries, along with a brief explanation of their desired destination.
Whoever says punk is dead is a heretic and clearly was not at Rapids Theatre Wednesday night. Two of the biggest names in punk music, Dropkick Murphys and Against Me!, shared the stage and provided a night full of pints of Guinness and circle pits to a handful of lucky fans who got tickets before they sold out. Dropkick and Against Me!
Through energetic acting, lively choreography, and beautiful sets, Shrek the Musical took members of the audience at Shea's Performing Arts Center out of their seats Tuesday night and brought them to a land far, far away. Directed by Jason Moore and Rob Ashford, scored by Jeanine Tesori, and written by Pulitzer Prize-winner David Lindsey-Abaire, Shrek the Musical is an adventure of fun.
Grade: B+ In a universe where comic book heroes battle against video game juggernauts, the one true winner is the player. It's been 11 years since Capcom last voyaged into the crossover universe of Marvel vs.
All you need for a good time is some bagpipes, kilts, and a handful of guys that are jacked up on Jameson ? and that's exactly what Dropkick Murphys provides. Dropkick Murphys have returned from the abyss with their new album, Going Out in Style.
Artist: Radiohead Album: The King of Limbs Release Date: Feb. 18 Label: [self-released] Grade: B When Radiohead announced early last week that it was digitally releasing The King of Limbs, its first album since 2007's In Rainbows, the following Saturday, the music world exploded with excitement. When the album surprisingly dropped a day early last Friday, that excitement went in about 1,000 different directions, depending on the listener.
Brightest Day No. 20 The Brightest Day story arc marches forward with a regular turf war, as the Atlantean king's crew will square off against Black Manta and the Xebel soldiers in a rumble that will rock Earth's oceans. Thankfully for the sea-dwelling community, Aquaman's four-man squad has enough power to force the invaders back to their extra-dimensional portal located in the Bermuda Triangle.
Last Comic Standing finalist Ralphie May took to the stage at the Center for the Arts Thursday night with a staggering three-hour set. The night opened with the antics of May's wife, Lahna Turner.
Buffalo, make way ? an ogre is coming to town. The Oscar-winning DreamWorks Animation story of the unlikely hero, Shrek the Ogre, traveling to a faraway kingdom to rescue Princess Fiona, is being performed live at the end of this month, as Shrek the Musical is set for eight performances at Shea's Performing Arts Center starting Tuesday and running through Sunday. On his rescue journey, Shrek is accompanied by a donkey whose desire for Shrek's friendship is nothing but annoying.
The Flash No. 9: The Road to Flashpoint After Barry Allen's recent stint with the world's future police, life has slowed down; well, as much as possible for a police-scientist superhero that runs at nearly the speed of light. Allen's life, however, will quickly shift back into high gear, as the death of Central City's up-and-coming junior superhero, Elastic Kid, will test the police scientist's investigation skills to the max. With one of comics' most well known authors at the helm of the series, Geoff Johns has, over the past few months, done something amazing for the Scarlet Speedster and reimagined the Flash's existence within the DC universe.
Despite the absence of Nick Cannon, Drumline Live still managed to bring the noise and the swagger. The Center for the Arts hosted Drumline Live Wednesday night, as an audience of hundreds watched 40 musicians and dancers from several colleges of the Historically Black Colleges and Universities perform their way through African-American musical history. Drumline is a masterful and multi-faceted show that traces the origins of African-American culture.
Artist: A Skylit Drive Album: Identity on Fire Label: Fearless Release Date: Feb. 15 Grade: D+ Boring, repetitive, and, above all, generic, A Skylit Drive have failed to find themselves on their new album, Identity on Fire. The fact that Identity on Fire is the band's third album in four years might lead some to conclude that A Skylit Drive is fairly prolific.
Artist: Clandestine Album: The Invalid Label: Nightmare Records Release Date: Feb. 15 Grade: A- Sporting a name that can simultaneously describe its underhanded subversion of about a half-dozen musical genres and allude to its virtually nonexistent coverage in mainstream musical publications, Clandestine is a band that desperately needs to be heard. Hailing from Los Angeles and fronted by versatile vocalist June Park, the band tackles everything from pop rock to alternative metal to progressive music in its debut full-length album, The Invalid. If Clandestine's name can be taken as a comment of sorts about the band, then the title of the album's first track, "Fearless," can be taken as a mission statement.
Poetry and modern art collide in a new and exciting exhibit at Buffalo's Albright-Knox Art Gallery. Albright-Knox curator Heather Pesanti, hopes to impact gallery viewers by capturing the essence of the Queen City in an innovative exhibit called Surveyor that opens on Friday.
With untrimmed images carefully and casually mounted to the walls of the Visual Studies Gallery in the Center For the Arts, the Mariev Robitaille & Karen Kirchhoff photography exhibition is no ordinary art installation.
Artist: Bright Eyes Album: The People's Key Label: Saddle Creek Records Release Date: Feb. 15 Grade: C+ It began like any other Bright Eyes album ? a unique sequence of sounds preceding a quiet guitar riff, topped with the distinct, haunting vocals of Conor Oberst. However, a blasting voice with an inaudible drawl may not be the best appetizer to ease listeners into The People's Key, the band's highly anticipated seventh studio album.
Love. It's funny how many different feelings that small four-letter word can evoke from us. It's intangible and indefinable, yet somehow we all know it when we feel it.
February is a drag; it's cold, it's dark, and we don't have any days off. Oh yeah, and the most absurd holiday of the year is upon us. The one day a year that makes card companies rejoice and males cringe with fear, Valentine's Day, is also in the month of February? in fact, it's today. I hope that this is not news to any of the current readers, and if so, good job screwing the pooch.
Artist: Cut Copy Album: Zonoscope Label: Modular Recordings Release Date: Feb. 8 Grade: A Dance music freaks and indie-hipsters alike can rejoice over Aussie group Cut Copy's third studio album, Zonoscope.
Solutions by The State News
