Listen & Be Heard Weekly Archives

Before there were Klingons, there were Spartans. Trained from age seven in the art of war, Spartan soldiers don’t retreat and don’t surrender. In the film “300,” adapted from the Frank Miller series, the audience gets a big screen dose of what Spartans were capable of. Sure, the actual historical records are murky, but I [...]

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When I first saw this odd little movie, I knew I had a colorful topic for my 4th Toastmasters ?CTM? speech. I agree with what pundit John Podhorentz wrote in the conservative magazine The Weekly Standard. As a satire, Borat competes with Jonathan Swift. Borat is one of the funniest, most insightful satires in many [...]

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[tag]Johnny Depp[/tag] and his crew of drunken reprobates have returned to pillage, plunder, and pirate their way across the Caribbean, through theaters, and into our hearts. Over the top is a good phrase for [tag]Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man?s Chest[/tag], the center film in the planned trilogy. Traditionally center movie in trilogies have been [...]

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I wanted to go see The Lake House, but my movie viewing partner opted for Over the Hedge and I let her have her way this time. I?m glad I did. Over the Hedge is one of the funniest movies to come along in many, many moons. RJ the raccoon has never had a family. [...]

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Dan Brown?s Da Vinci Code was such a brilliantly crafted story that I believe it would be extremely difficult for any movie to completely capture its magic. That having been said, I believe Ron Howard has come as close as cinematically possible. I read the book and listened to the book on tape, so I went in having a solid familiarity with the plot. But Howard managed to reweave the most important elements of the novel into an intelligible retelling that is user friendly even to members of the audience who are (somehow) unfamiliar with the story.

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I?m giving away plot points here folks, mostly because they don?t seem to make much sense anyway because the movie contradicts itself immediately. But also because there are no real surprises in the movie or what I reveal. First of all, let me just say that I am a big fan of the first two [...]

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?CAVITE? OPENS ON FRIDAY, JUNE 16 Written/Produced by Ian Gamazon and Neill Dela Llana Lumiere, 1572 California Street at Polk, San Francisco, (415) 267-4893 Shattuck Cinemas, 2230 Shattuck Avenue, Berkeley, (510)464-5980 For more information visit www.landmarktheatres.com It was 3 in the morning when I arrived in the Philippines in 1999. It was my first trip [...]

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Take the Lead was fun to watch! Oh, it was hardly original in the genre of “feel good” films, nor was did it offer any fresh insight into the plight of escaping the life of drugs, crime, and prostitution for inner city kids, but it was a good time. I enjoyed the music and the [...]

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Tibet: A Buddhist Trilogy San Francisco, Landmarks? Opera Plaza, 601 Van Ness, 415.267.4893 from April 7th Show times: Sat & Sun – 11:30, 2:15, 5: 00, 8:00* Fri, & Mon-Thu – 2:15, 5:00, 8:00* *Friday, April 7th: Q&A with the Writer / Director Graham Coleman following the 8.00 P.M. screening Berkeley, Shattuck, 2230 Shattuck, Berkeley, [...]

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I have loved Harrison Ford since he first spun Darth Vader out into space, clearing the way for Luke Skywalker to destroy the dreaded Deathstar, thereby saving the universe. Since that time he has made Hollywood history with a career spanning over thirty more movies, 20 of which I would rate 6 or more stars [...]

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The 24th San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival kicks off in San Francisco on March 16 and continues through March 26 with its last film screening in San Jose. The festival has a robust line-up of films and the following are two recommended picks from the festival?s international showcase that display sensitivity to the [...]

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Good Night & Good Luck has been nominated for six Academy Awards including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actor for David Strathairn who plays Edward R. Murrow. This is not a typical Hollywood film. It?s closer to a documentary than the usual entertainment variety Hollywood serves up with extra helpings of special effects, explosions [...]

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Best of the Year? Not in my book. In fact if there were an Oscar for worst picture, Capote would be the first one I?d nominate. The movie could have been an interesting character study of a bizarre, if unfortunate, human being, but it crawled along at such a distressingly slow pace that by the [...]

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by rebecca combs Selene (Kate Beckinsale) has no alliances left but one. Michael Corvin (Scott Speedman), the hybrid lycan (werewolf) slash vampire, travels with Selene as they discover the truth of the Lycan & Vampire war. Selene goes back to the vampire mansion to wake Marcus (Tony Curran), the last of the ancients, before Kraven [...]

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