Isabelle Kralj & Mark Anderson
In his last podcast before moving out west, Mark Metcalf talks to the minds behind Milwaukee's Theatre Gigante, a company unafraid to blend theater, dance and more.
Jun 17th, 2013
Romantic, dramatic people with time on their hands
After another nine years, filmmaker Richard Linklater drops in again on a beautiful couple as they work out their romantic drama -- this time in sun-swept, romantic Greece.
Jun 14th, 2013
Filmmaker Ryan Sarnowski
Mark talks to the doc|UWM co-director about the film program, his history with documentaries and his latest project: a doc following the last acolyte of a religion/social movement called Lawsonomy.
Jun 3rd, 2013
“Now You See Me” short on movie magic
While the cast of actors is astounding, director Louis Leterrier isn't on the same level, dragging down the film with dull special effects.
Jun 2nd, 2013
Simple premise, unpredictable execution
Pierce Brosnan does remarkably well alongside Trine Dyrholm, in this tale of unexpected love that doesn't hesitate to get honest.
May 30th, 2013
“At Any Price” takes director from urban immigrants to Midwestern farmers
Bahrani's brilliant successes with little-known casts don't translate to a bigger film with Hollywood veterans.
May 24th, 2013
“Star Trek Into Darkness” a satisfying action-adventure
While Mark's never been a Trekkie, this installment of the rebooted franchise leaves him looking forward to more.
May 17th, 2013
The Luhrmann Razzle-Dazzle
Baz Luhrmann's "Gatsby" delivers big stars and cinematic flash, but misses F. Scott Fitzgerald's elegance and depth of feeling.
May 14th, 2013
Carlo Besasie
The Milwaukee director talks with Mark about his career thus far and the changing landscape of modern filmmaking.
Apr 29th, 2013
McConaughey doesn’t get his hands dirty with “Mud”
Jeff Nichols' script is an excellent star vehicle, but McConaughey is still too glamorous to sell the role.
Apr 26th, 2013
Robert Redford’s “Company” dares too little
"The Company You Keep" could be a gripping film about the fine line between activism and terrorism, but Redford wastes his star-studded cast on melodrama.
Apr 19th, 2013
Matt Kemple
The Milwaukee Comedy founder and part-owner of the Underground Collaborative talks to Mark about the growth in the city's comedy scene and the busy weekend ahead.
Apr 11th, 2013
Lee Ernst
The 20-year veteran of the Milwaukee Rep talks about his theater origins and time in Wisconsin regional theater.
Mar 25th, 2013
Fun, but without straying from its prototype
Dreamworks' newest flick is a clever, prehistoric family romp in a classic tradition, but it's too unimaginative to be more than a moneymaker.
Mar 22nd, 2013
Ilana Setapen
The Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra's associate concertmaster met with Mark to discuss her upcoming solo performance of Prokofiev's Violin Concerto No. 2 and more.
Mar 18th, 2013
“Gatekeepers” exposes Israel’s unseen security force
Six former directors of the Shin Bet intelligence service are interviewed in a documentary by Dror Moreh, opening this weekend at the Downer Theatre.
Mar 15th, 2013
“West of Memphis” documents a harrowing miscarriage of justice
The latest film following the West Memphis Three covers the span of the case, from their apprehension to their eventual release.
Mar 14th, 2013
The Mitchell & Mackie Buildings
Mark talks to Joshua Jeffers, a member of the ownership group managing the two buildings, historical landmarks commissioned by Alexander Mitchell. Photos by Benjamin Wick.
Mar 11th, 2013
Faythe Levine
Mark Metcalf talks with artist, filmmaker and entrepreneur Faythe Levine about her roots, DIY and new film "Sign Painters."
Feb 25th, 2013
The 2013 Oscars
Mark Metcalf breaks down this year's not-so-surprising Best Director snubs and pitches for his favorite Best Picture nominees.
Feb 22nd, 2013
Andy Noble
Mark talks to the longtime music-lover and DJ about his experiences in Milwaukee and his comprehensive, "trim" record collection.
Feb 11th, 2013
Oscar-Nominated Animated Shorts
The Oriental Theater screens all five of the animated short films in contention this year, as well as the live-action shorts.
Feb 8th, 2013
Paula Suozzi
This first installment of Mark's extended podcast series focuses on Paula Suozzi, a former theater/opera director who's recently become a personal trainer.
Feb 4th, 2013
“Warm Bodies”
The zombie-human love story is a unique angle, but the story itself is nothing more than a too-long homage to "Romeo & Juliet."
Feb 1st, 2013
“Amour”
Director Michael Haneke's simple but striking observational technique results in a moving portrait of a devoted elderly couple in their last months of life.
Jan 31st, 2013
“Rust and Bone”
Marion Cotillard, among the great actors of the age, digs down to the truth of a tragic and inspiring role.
Jan 17th, 2013
“Zero Dark Thirty”
If Kathryn Bigelow's latest, about the hunt for Bin Laden, is "just a movie," it's solid entertainment. But Mark Metcalf's not sure about that.
Jan 14th, 2013
“The Impossible”
Naomi Watts and Ewan McGregor deliver powerful performances in Juan Antonio Bayona's "The Impossible," opening Friday at the Oriental Theatre.
Jan 4th, 2013
“Django: Unchained”
Quentin Tarantino's "Django: Unchained" is a great film, but Mark Metcalf says it's difficult to see something so violent in the wake of the tragedy in Newtown.
Dec 25th, 2012
TCD Holiday Traditions, Part Five
Rounding out the Holiday Traditions series are three of TCD's interns: Callie Koller, Kristen Poehlmann and Breanne Brennan.
Dec 23rd, 2012
“Jack Reacher”
Mark Metcalf says "There is a fascinating character hidden inside 'Jack Reacher,'" but unfortunately, "Tom Cruise is not a good actor."
Dec 21st, 2012
TCD Holiday Traditions, Part Four
Continuing with our Holiday Traditions podcast series, Mark Metcalf talks with the TCD Photo Team: Angela Morgan, Lacy Landre and Howard Leu.
Dec 20th, 2012
“Chasing Ice”
Filmmaker Jeff Orlowski will be at the Oriental to introduce and answer questions about his film, "Chasing Ice." Mark Metcalf reviews the powerful documentary.
Dec 19th, 2012
TCD Holiday Traditions, Part Three
Mark Metcalf talks with Matthew Reddin, Sahan Jayasuriya and Carly Rubach about plans for celebrating the holidays.
Dec 15th, 2012
TCD Holiday Traditions, Part Two
Mark talks with Dan Shafer and Danielle McClune about celebrating the holidays, and then Dan asks Mark a few questions about his seasonal traditions.
Dec 6th, 2012
“Killing Them Softly”
Mark Metcalf calls Brad Pitt's new film "a beautiful fusion of traditional movie entertainment pushed right into the real political world we all live in."
Nov 30th, 2012
TCD Holiday Traditions, Part One
'Tis the season, and Mark Metcalf wants to know how TCD celebrates. Tom Strini shares a musical story from Christmas past and offers tips on tree decorating.
Nov 28th, 2012
“Rise of the Guardians”
"Rise of the Guardians," the 3D fantasy adventure opening Thanksgiving week, is a "great way to start the holiday season," says Mark Metcalf.
Nov 21st, 2012
“Breaking Dawn, Part 2”
The Twilight saga's final installment hits the same very low bar for Mark Metcalf, although all the vampires and werewolves are a bit more smiley.
Nov 16th, 2012
“Technology Through The Ages”
Mark Metcalf talks with Nicolet High School student Ben Lawton, who has started a volunteer group to teach elderly people how to use cutting edge technology.
Nov 15th, 2012
To qualify as an American, see these movies (Part 4)
Mark Metcalf's 45-film American Filmology course: Start by earning your "High School Diploma" and graduate all the way to "Doctorate." This is Part 4, "Doctorate."
Nov 14th, 2012
To qualify as an American, see these movies (Part 3)
Mark Metcalf's 45-film American Filmology course: Start by earning your "High School Diploma" and graduate all the way to "Doctorate." This is Part 3, "Master's."
Nov 14th, 2012
To qualify as an American, see these movies (Part 2)
Mark Metcalf's 45-film American Filmology course: Start by earning your "High School Diploma" and graduate all the way to "Doctorate."
Nov 13th, 2012
To qualify as an American, see these movies (Part 1)
Mark Metcalf's 45-film American Filmology course: Start by earning your "High School Diploma" and graduate all the way to "Doctorate."
Nov 13th, 2012
“Smashed”
Starring Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Aaron Paul, "Smashed" explores the couple's drunken downward spiral. Opening tonight at the Downer Theatre.
Nov 9th, 2012
Milwaukee Short Film Festival, past and present
Mark Metcalf talks with Ross Bigley, president of the Milwaukee Independent Film Society, about the 14th annual Milwaukee Short Film Festival.
Nov 8th, 2012
New Voters Series, Part Four
Many young people will vote in their first presidential election this year. Mark Metcalf talked with three Wauwatosa East students who are doing just that.
Oct 31st, 2012
New Voters Series, Part Three
Mark Metcalf talks with eight students from Milwaukee's Rufus King High School about voting in their first presidential election this year.
Oct 29th, 2012
“Fun Size”
This extra-complicated Nickelodeon TV-esque flick is tailored only for the most simplistic of sensibilities.
Oct 29th, 2012
“The Other Dream Team”
This doc on Lithuania's ragtag 1992 Olympic basketball team, supported by unlikely allies the Grateful Dead, is a powerful allegory for their struggles with the USSR.
Oct 26th, 2012
New Voters Series, Part Two
At Milwaukee High School of the Arts, Mark Metcalf talks with four high school students who are eligible to vote in their very first presidential election.
Oct 25th, 2012
New Voters Series, Part One
Many young people will cast their first votes for president this year, and today begins Mark Metcalf's series interviewing new voters. Today's guest, Alyssa Swan, will cast her first vote while studying abroad in Tasmania, Australia.
Oct 23rd, 2012
First Stage opens “Big”
Mark Metcalf talks with Jeff Frank, artistic director at First Stage Children's Theater, before "Big: The Musical" opens the season this weekend.
Oct 18th, 2012
“Samsara,” an article of faith
Ron Fricke's new film, Samsara, conveys the power of faith around the world.
Oct 11th, 2012
Sammy Rangel, Against Violent Extremism
Mark Metcalf talks with reformed gang member Sammy Rangel about his personal story and working with groups like SAFE Streets Outreach and Life After Hate.
Oct 11th, 2012
Collaborative Cinema at The Milwaukee Show
Mark Metcalf talks with Nathaniel Schardin, director of "The Vampire Formerly Known as Dracula," which premieres tonight at The Milwaukee Film Festival.
Oct 4th, 2012
The Director and Star of “Little Red”
Mark Metcalf (aka the Big Bad Wolf) talks with director Tate Bunker and Hannah Obst about "Little Red" before its world premiere at the Milwaukee Film Festival.
Sep 27th, 2012
“The Master”
Mark Metcalf reviews Paul Thomas Anderson's "The Master," opening tonight at the Oriental Theatre.
Sep 21st, 2012
Lewis Black on the 2012 Election
Before taking the stage at the Riverside, Lewis Black and John Bowman joined Mark to talk about the pre-show rituals, the 2012 election and much, much more.
Sep 19th, 2012
One Sikh reflects on the Oak Creek Tragedy
Mark talks with Jesse Dhaliwal about the Sikh religion, his family's American story and how the community's response to tragedy is something to be proud of.
Sep 13th, 2012
“Farewell, My Queen”
Mark Metcalf compares the new film, "Farewell, My Queen" to the British television series "Downton Abbey." The film opens tonight at the Oriental Theatre.
Sep 7th, 2012
Reflecting on the Sikh Temple Tragedy
One month after the tragic shooting at the Sikh Temple in Oak Creek, Mark Metcalf talks with former white supremist Arno Michaelis, founder of Life After Hate.
Sep 5th, 2012
Shakespeare in Houston
Tom Strini interviews Mark Metcalf about spending a few weeks in Texas, acting in "Hamlet" and "Comedy of Errors" in the Houston Shakespeare Festival.
Aug 30th, 2012
“Celeste and Jesse Forever”
Opening this weekend at the Oriental, "Celeste and Jesse Forever," written by and starring Rashida Jones, works hard to be a different kind of romantic comedy.
Aug 24th, 2012
Into the wild with Mark Metcalf
Mark Metcalf shares some stories and photos from his travels through one of America's great treasures, its national parks.
Aug 16th, 2012
“Neil Young Journeys”
Neil Young returns to his hometown in Jonathan Demme's documentary, opening Friday at the Oriental Theatre.
Aug 16th, 2012
Life After Hate
Former white supremist Arno Michaelis speaks out about his past. His story reminds us that people do change.
Aug 7th, 2012
Get your laugh on at the Milwaukee Comedy Festival
Melissa Kingston of Broadminded Comedy and festival hosts Matt Kemple and Patrick Schmitz talk with Mark to preview the biggest Milwaukee Comedy Festival yet.
Jul 26th, 2012
“Beasts of the Southern Wild”
With a stunning performance by Quvenzhane Wallis, "Beasts of the Southern Wild" achieves greatness. "See it now before they become legends," says Mark Metcalf.
Jul 20th, 2012
Pabst Theater, Point Fish Fry and a Flick
Tiffany Coris and Andy Nelson of the Pabst Theater look ahead to this year's Point Fish Fry and a Flick.
Jul 16th, 2012
“To Rome With Love”
Mark Metcalf explores Woody Allen's post-NYC filmmaking journey that has taken him to London, Paris, Barcelona, and now, "To Rome With Love."
Jul 6th, 2012
“Animal House” Revisited
Mark Metcalf talks about playing Douglas C. Neidermeyer in "Animal House" with a fan of the film and friend of the podcast.
Jun 21st, 2012
Another side of Summerfest
Dave "Punky" Wastak has a wealth of stories to share after spending years working behind the scenes at Summerfest.
Jun 14th, 2012
“Hysteria”
Maggie Gyllenhaal stars in "Hysteria," the story of the two men who invented the electronic vibrator. The film opens Friday at the Landmark Downer Theatre.
Jun 8th, 2012
Milwaukee Innovation Week
Milwaukee Innovation Week is June 6 - 11, and Mark Metcalf talks with Laurel Osman and Angela Damiani to preview the week's events.
Jun 5th, 2012
First time voters take to the polls
Mark Metcalf talks with six high school students, who will cast their very first votes in the historic recall election on June 5.
Jun 1st, 2012
“Monsieur Lazhar”
"Monsieur Lazhar" addresses the difficult topic of discussing tragedy with children. The film screens tonight at the Oriental Theatre.
May 25th, 2012
From “white power skinhead” to “Life After Hate”
Former "white power skinhead" Arno Michaelis is now working against the racist ideology he once embraced. This week, he sits down with Mark to tell his story.
May 24th, 2012
“Darling Companion”
Lawrence Kasdan's "Darling Companion," starring Diane Keaton, Kevin Kline and a dog named Freeway, has Mark Metcalf longing for a little authenticity.
May 18th, 2012
Under the lights at the Milwaukee Mile
Stock car racing returns to the Milwaukee Mile for an event benefiting the MACC Fund on June 12, and Mark talks with 20-year-old driver Michael Bilderback.
May 17th, 2012
A Grand Transformation
Mark talks with Tracy Korpela, Laurel Osman and Leah Fiasca about the transformation at The Shops of Grand Avenue and the latest innovation, Pop-Up.
May 10th, 2012
“The Deep Blue Sea”
The Terence Davies-directed adaptation of a Terence Rattigan play is melodramatic and powerful, with a tragically beautiful performance by Rachel Weisz.
May 5th, 2012
“Damsels in Distress”
Damsels in Distress, now playing at the Oriental Theatre, rises out of the "mumblecore" genre but the film ultimately feels unimportant.
May 4th, 2012
Robert Ricigliano, author of “Making Peace Last”
Mark Metcalf discusses peacebuilding, Afghanistan and the changing role of the U.S. military with Robert Ricigliano, author of "Making Peace Last."
May 3rd, 2012
Catching up with Dave Begel
Mark takes a break from the serious side of things this week to catch up with Dave Begel and talk about more lighthearted topics like the weather.
Apr 26th, 2012
“Footnote”
"Footnote," opening Friday at the Downer Theatre, is a compelling exploration of a difficult moral question as both father and son vie for the Israel prize.
Apr 20th, 2012
State of Education in the Walker Era: Part Five
Mark talks with Elm Creative Arts School teacher Jenny McKillen for this week's installment of TCD's award-winning podcast, "Backstage with Mark Metcalf."
Apr 12th, 2012
“We don’t go past the bridge”: Part 7
For the latest installment of "We don't go past the bridge": A Discussion on Race in Milwaukee, Mark Metcalf talks with comedian Joel Boyd.
Apr 6th, 2012
“Apart,” Romance and hocus-pocus
"Apart": Pretty people, young love, paranormal visions of disaster, fate... oh, never mind.
Apr 5th, 2012
America’s Black Holocaust Museum reopens online
Mark talks with Dr. James Cameron's son Virgil and coordinator Fran Kaplan.
Mar 28th, 2012
“In Darkness”
Mark Metcalf finds parallels between Agnieszka Holland's "In Darkness," opening tonight at the Downer, and Steven Spielberg's "Schindler's List."
Mar 23rd, 2012
State of education in the Walker Era: Part Four
Christina Ratatori, founder of dance education group, ta.da (teaching. arts. dance. academics), talks about the benefits of arts in education.
Mar 22nd, 2012
State of education in the Walker Era: Part Three
Mark talks with Jasmine Alinder, of "I Love My Public School" about her efforts to preserve public school funding.
Mar 15th, 2012
“Friends With Kids”
Despite having an accomplished cast and a strong comedic performance from Jon Hamm, Mark Metcalf says, "We all know where "Friends With Kids" is going to end."
Mar 9th, 2012
State of education in the Walker Era: Part Two
Fox Point-Bayside teacher and chief negotiator Mark Conforti speaks out on collective bargaining and the looming fear of a shift toward privatized education.
Mar 8th, 2012
State of education in the Walker Era: Part One
"Backstage with Mark Metcalf" begins a series of conversations on the state of education in Wisconsin. Tom Beebe sits down with Mark to kick things off.
Mar 1st, 2012
2012 Academy Awards
Oscar night is this Sunday, and Mark Metcalf shares his predictions, thoughts and hopes for Hollywood's biggest night, the 2012 Academy Awards.
Feb 24th, 2012
“Coming out” on the North Shore
Mark Metcalf talks with Nick Witte about being gay in Wisconsin and "coming out" at a young age.
Feb 23rd, 2012
“A Separation”
Mark Metcalf reviews Iranian film "A Separation," which looks at a couple parting ways in a very different, yet strikingly similar world.
Feb 17th, 2012
“We don’t go past the bridge”: Part 6
For part six of We don’t go past the bridge: A Discussion on Race in Milwaukee, Mark talks with actor and stand-up comedian Allen Edge.
Feb 16th, 2012
“We don’t go past the bridge”: Part Five
Mark Metcalf talks with author and activist Peggy Rozga and student Javaris Bradford about the Arts@Large Civil Rights tour and gallery project.
Feb 8th, 2012
Mallorey Wallace as Scout in “To Kill a Mockingbird”
Mark Metcalf talks with Mallorey Wallace, who plays Scout in Milwaukee Rep's "To Kill A Mockingbird."
Feb 2nd, 2012
Cronenberg’s “A Dangerous Method” at the Downer
Mark Metcalf reviews David Cronenberg's latest, "A Dangerous Method," opening today at the Landmark Downer Theatre.
Jan 27th, 2012
“We don’t go past the bridge”: Part 4
For part four of We don't go past the bridge: A Discussion on Race in Milwaukee, Mark talks with Boys & Girls Clubs Youth of the Year, Dewayne Boothe.
Jan 26th, 2012
“We don’t go past the bridge”: Part 3
For part three of the series, We don't go past the bridge: A Discussion on Race in Milwaukee, Mark talks with Tony Baez of the Council for the Spanish Speaking.
Jan 19th, 2012
Will Durst on New Hampshire and the road ahead
With Mitt Romney breaking through as New Hampshire's big winner, Mark Metcalf and Will Durst discuss the road ahead for the 2012 presidential campaign.
Jan 11th, 2012
Kickstarted – The next step for WMSE
After raising more than $30,000 through Kickstarter, Ryan Schleicher and Billy Cicerelli talk with Mark Metcalf about what's next for WMSE 91.7 FM.
Jan 5th, 2012
A look back at 2011
Take a look back at Mark Metcalf's picks for the best "Backstage" podcasts of 2011.
Dec 29th, 2011
Spending the holidays at the theatre
Theatre thrives at the holidays, and to discuss what theatre means for Milwaukee this time of year, Mark talks with actor Matt Daniels of In Tandem Theatre.
Dec 22nd, 2011
“We don’t go past the bridge”: Pt. 2
For part two of the series "We don't go past the bridge": A Discussion on Race in Milwaukee, Mark Metcalf talks with Marquette University student Tommy Walls Jr.
Dec 15th, 2011
“We don’t go past the bridge”: Part 1
"Backstage with Mark Metcalf" presents "We don't go past the bridge": A discussion on race in Milwaukee. The series begins with poet Dasha Kelly.
Dec 8th, 2011
Something cooking at VETransfer
VETransfer helps veterans start businesses, and one of those veterans is Sam Stein, who is developing a cooking show based on cooking with natural, fresh foods.
Dec 1st, 2011
Dave Begel on Black Friday, the holidays and much more
On a special holiday podcast, Mark Metcalf and Dave Begel discuss Black Friday and how this new "holiday" fits into the bigger picture.
Nov 25th, 2011
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn: Part 1
What did Mark Metcalf think of "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1"? Let's just say he wasn't at the midnight screening.
Nov 18th, 2011
Music heals at Guitars for Vets
Guitars for Vets provides veterans an opportunity to heal through music. Mark Metcalf talks with Guitars for Vets president Dan Van Buskirk, a true guitar hero.
Nov 17th, 2011
Special Veterans Day edition: Dry Hootch
In honor of Veterans Day, TCD brings you a special Friday podcast with David Pelis of Dry Hootch, a coffee shop and veterans support center on Brady Street.
Nov 11th, 2011
Fostering innovation at VETransfer
TCD's podcast series with veterans in Milwaukee kicks off with Ted Lasser of VETransfer, a first-of-its-kind organization that helps veterans start businesses.
Nov 10th, 2011
History of the LGBT rights movement in America
From the Stonewall Riots in 1969 until now, the LGBT rights movement has grown, but there's still a long way to go.
Nov 3rd, 2011
He said, She Said, A (non-traditional) Wedding Story, pt. 3
Kathy and Justin never planned on getting married -- in fact, both are anti-marriage. But this week, they'll say "I do."
Oct 27th, 2011
“My Afternoons with Marguerite”
Gerard Depardieu brings a deep, rich humanness to his role in "My Afternoons with Marguerite." Now playing at the Downer Theatre.
Oct 25th, 2011
“Detective Dee: Mystery of the Phantom Flame”
"Detective Dee" captures many of the more enjoyable elements of Chinese film, but it's connection to the West is also part of its undoing. Now playing at the Oriental Theater.
Oct 21st, 2011
Same sex adoption and parenting
Kevin McElroy is the co-owner of Robert Laurence Hair Studio in Shorewood, and the father of two boys he adopted with his partner of 24 years.
Oct 20th, 2011
Life after “Don’t ask, don’t tell”
In the wake of the repeal of "Don't ask, don't tell," Mark asks and LGBT rights activist Miriam Ben-Shalom tells her story of being a lesbian in the military.
Oct 13th, 2011
Jonathan West, Sunset Playhouse
At Sunset Playhouse, Jonathan West lives his passion by establishing a sense of community in local theatre.
Oct 6th, 2011
Through the years with Milwaukee Public Theatre
Mark talks with Barbara Leigh, co-founder of the Milwaukee Public Theatre. She discusses her journey from humble beginnings to what the theatre has grown to today.
Sep 29th, 2011
Backstage at the Pabst
Tiffany Coris stops by to give a behind the scenes look at the venues of the Pabst Theater Foundation.
Sep 22nd, 2011
The F-word
After decades of struggle and success in women's rights, has "feminism" become a dirty word? Prof. Merry Weisner-Hanks takes a historical view of the movement.
Sep 15th, 2011
Blood, Gore, and Indie Film – A conversation with Drew Rosas
Fresh off the success of his first feature film "Blood Junkie," filmmaker Drew Rosas embarks on a new project - a deranged psychological thriller set in rural Wisconsin.
Sep 8th, 2011
Sex, Violence and Pop Music
In pop music, is overt female sexuality a form of empowerment, or is it undoing decades worth of work in women's movement? Today, Prof. Gillian Rodger and I start the conversation.
Sep 1st, 2011
He said, She Said – A (non-traditional) Wedding Story, pt. 2
Some brides have been dreaming of their perfect wedding day since they were in pigtails. Kathy Bryja is not one of those brides.
Aug 25th, 2011
He said, She said – A (non-traditional) Wedding Story
Kathy and Justin never planned on getting married -- in fact, both are anti-marriage. But this fall, they'll say "I do." The question is: what the hell happened?
Aug 18th, 2011
Theater for the people
Mark catches up with Dave Begel to have a conversation about local theater, and how to open up the Milwaukee arts scene to a broader audience.
Aug 11th, 2011
Milwaukee is a funny place
And it's about to get a whole lot funnier. The Milwaukee Comedy Festival kicks off August 4, featuring some of the best stand up, sketch and improv this city (and beyond) has to offer.
Jul 28th, 2011
Live action superheroes dominating a theatre near you
In 2011 alone, 12 comic book adaptations are slated to debut on the big screen. This week, comic connoisseur John Steib explores comic book history and the super hero phenomenon.
Jul 21st, 2011
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2
Fourteen years and eight screen adaptations later, the characters of Hogwarts say goodbye with a finale that is less-than-spectacular, but bittersweet nonetheless.
Jul 15th, 2011
At the movies with Gino Salomone
Movie critic Gino Salomone makes a living traveling the world, seeing films and interviewing the stars. Today, he shares some of his best (and worst) interviews and talks about his faux engagement to Sandra Bullock.
Jul 14th, 2011
Whatever happened to the Comedy Stage?
In its heyday, Summerfest's now-defunct Comedy Pavilion hosted some of the country's best comedians. Former stage manager David 'Punky' Wastak reminisces on the good old days.
Jul 7th, 2011
Semi-Twang, rebooted
Before taking the stage at Summerfest, Semi-Twang frontman John Sieger drops in to chat about the inception and revival of one of Milwaukee's great alt-country bands.
Jun 30th, 2011
Meek’s Cutoff
The true story of Stephen Meek and 1,000 pioneers crossing the wilderness is fascinating. The film is not as rich a story.
Jun 24th, 2011
Countdown to the Big Gig
11 days, 600 bands. Are you ready for Summerfest? VP of Entertainment Bob Babisch offers a taste of the world's largest music festival in 2011.
Jun 23rd, 2011
The Riverwest 24 – Community on two wheels
In July 600 cyclists will tour the streets of Riverwest as part of an exercise in stamina and camaraderie. Today, organizers discuss the origins of this fast-growing community event.
Jun 16th, 2011
Ladies who ride: The Bella Donnas
The founders of Milwaukee's latest all-female cycling club chat about how The Bella Donnas use biking to challenge themselves -- and the status quo.
Jun 9th, 2011
Midnight in Paris
In quite possibly his best written and acted film in a long time, Woody Allen takes us to Paris in the 20s as we follow a writer trying to find his voice.
Jun 2nd, 2011
A view of Milwaukee on two wheels
The city's Bicycle and Pedestrian Coordinator Dave Schlabowske talks about plans for a more bike-friendly Milwaukee and the benefits of experiencing our fair city on two wheels.
May 26th, 2011
Small behaviors, big change
Want to save the planet? Environmental stewardship begins with you. Ken Leinbach of the Urban Ecology Center talks about how simple behaviors can have a huge impact.
May 19th, 2011
The buzz on urban beekeeping
Honeybees play a vital role in the food system, but they are in peril. Today, Beepods co-founder Charlie Koenen talks about how saving the bees can potentially save the world.
May 12th, 2011
In a Better World
"In a Better World" isn't a slick, star-studded blockbuster. It is simply a film about people, and how actions (or lack thereof) have complicated consequences.
May 6th, 2011
A hen named Milwaukee
A silkie chicken, to be exact. Today, Mark chats with "Milwaukee" and Jessica Lane of Cream City Hens about the benefits of backyard henkeeping.
May 5th, 2011
Building communities, one garden at a time
Through the Victory Garden Initiative, Gretchen Mead uses urban agriculture to connect people to sustainable food sources, and in turn, to each other.
Apr 28th, 2011
Domestic Violence: A survivor’s story
After decades of experiencing violence in the home, Jenissee Volpintesta was able to break the cycle of abuse for her family. Today, she shares her story.
Apr 21st, 2011
The psychology of domestic abuse
How much does environment inform behavior? Social worker Cathy Arney explains how gender roles, societal messages and abuse at home affect the cycle of violence.
Apr 14th, 2011
Gallery at Large
Non-profit arts advocacy group Arts@Large opens a new gallery to house work by Milwaukee's diverse student population. Check out the grand opening on Gallery Night.
Apr 11th, 2011
Breaking the chain of domestic violence
Daystar Inc.'s long-term transitional home offers shelter and resources to battered women, helping them to become financially stable and emotionally independent.
Apr 7th, 2011
Creating a safe place for victims of domestic abuse
In 2009, domestic violence rates reached a 10-year high. In Milwaukee, the Sojourner Family Peace Center works to aid victims and end violence through education.
Mar 31st, 2011
Of Gods and Men
Based on the true story of seven Trappist monks caught in the middle of Algeria's civil war, the film artfully captures the profound tale of faith and humanity.
Mar 25th, 2011
Helping students reach their true potential
Mark talks with MPS teacher Ralph Janes about how theater and the arts are powerful tools for creating autonomous, high-achieving students.
Mar 24th, 2011
Using the arts to address the whole child
As programs are stripped from schools, Christina Ratatori uses A.R.T. to collaborate with teachers, artists and students to get the arts back in education.
Mar 17th, 2011
Finding Penelope
Patients and caregivers at Luther Manor collaborate on a theatre piece in homage to Penelope, grounded in the serious reality we all deal with as we age.
Mar 16th, 2011
A “Mad Hot” approach to arts education
Danceworks Executive Director Deborah Farris explains how ballroom dance helps to build confidence and leadership in Milwaukee's underprivileged students.
Mar 10th, 2011
“Teaching life skills through stage skills”
As schools are forced to cut back, First Stage Children's Theater and Academy offers a creative outlet for students, fostering empowerment through the arts.
Mar 3rd, 2011
The Illusionist
One may be tempted to call this film "other worldly," but its sweet sentiment is very much a part of this world. Or at least of a bygone era in entertainment.
Feb 25th, 2011
Making the case for arts in education
At the height of Wisconsin's budget crisis, we explore the role of art in education - both in and out of the classroom - starting with Arts@Large.
Feb 24th, 2011
Barney’s Version
Paul Giamatti’s performance in "Barney’s Version" has ‘Oscar’ written all over it. It’s too bad the film itself isn’t award-worthy.
Feb 18th, 2011
Plan your death well
Dr. Bruce Wilson joins Mark again this week, with advice about planning your death, and the potential consequences if you don't.
Feb 17th, 2011
The right to die is “a difficult subject”
It's a complex issue, but undeniably important to talk about. This week, I've invited Dr. Bruce Wilson to join me in starting the conversation.
Feb 10th, 2011
“A deliberate and courageous choice”
In August, a Milwaukee couple made the choice to end their lives. Today, Mary Gute-Witte shares her parents' story and discusses this taboo and difficult topic.
Feb 3rd, 2011
Another Year
Mike Leigh makes great roles for actors, as evidenced in this latest film. He lets them do what actors seldom get to: live in front of the camera.
Jan 28th, 2011
The Penelope Project: Redefining age and memory loss
UWM's Center on Age & Community collaborates with Sojourn Theatre, using Homer's "Odyssey" to creatively engage seniors in long-term care at Luther Manor.
Jan 27th, 2011
Dementia and the burden of care: One woman’s story
When Lynda Markut's mother was diagnosed with dementia, she became both daughter and caregiver. Today, that experience inspires her outreach efforts.
Jan 20th, 2011
Made in Dagenham
"Made In Dagenham" is a workman-like film about women's (ongoing) fight for equal pay, with a brilliant script and several beautifully realized performances.
Jan 19th, 2011
Alzheimer’s: Research and preventative intervention
This week, Dr. Piero Antuono discusses risk factors for the disease and the curative measures being taken to improve quality of life for Alzheimer's patients.
Jan 13th, 2011
Living with Alzheimer’s Disease
Backstage begins a new series talking to caregivers and doctors in Milwaukee who are working to better understand -- and cope with -- Alzheimer's Disease.
Jan 6th, 2011
The Year in Review
2010 was full of ups and downs. But hey... the weather was pretty good, right? This week, Mark and guest David Begel discuss the big stories of the year.
Dec 30th, 2010
Black Swan
It may be said that "Black Swan" is a bit overwrought. It is, but brilliantly so.
Dec 19th, 2010
The not-so-funny side of teenage improv
Two Rufus King students share the creative challenges they face on stage as "kids" and the harsh off-stage reality for young performers.
Nov 24th, 2010
Improv is for everybody
Two high school students find their creative salvation on the stage and struggle to be taken seriously - as teenagers and in the world of high art theatre.
Nov 18th, 2010
Survivor Stories, pt.4
There are many medical treatments for breast cancer, but where can women go to heal the emotional trauma of the disease? The answer is as simple as ABCD.
Nov 11th, 2010
Survivor Stories, pt.3
Cancer diagnosis alone is devastating. For some women, the "M" word - Mastectomy - is just as terrifying. Or, in Regina Aringer's case, oddly liberating.
Nov 4th, 2010
Survivor Stories, pt. 2
A new test can sometimes tell women with a family history of breast cancer if they're predisposed to the disease. If you had the gene, would you want to know?
Oct 28th, 2010
Survivor Stories
In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Backstage begins a new series talking to Milwaukee women in various stages of their own battles with breast cancer.
Oct 21st, 2010
The Watchman cometh
Real-life superheroes -- are they asking for trouble, or empowering communities? Backstage talks to The Watchman about why he got involved in the movement.
Oct 14th, 2010
Mad as hell
And real-life superheroes aren't going to take it anymore. Backstage and TCD go inside the movement with author Tea Krulos.
Oct 7th, 2010
A Woman, a Gun, and a Noodle Shop
Acclaimed Chinese director Yimou Zhang takes a Coen Brothers classic and turns it on its head. I just can't tell whether or not that's a good thing.
Oct 2nd, 2010
MFF’10 – Buried
Mark talks to Executive Director Jonathan Jackson about the final night of the MFF, featuring a film that Variety calls "an exercise in sustained tension."
Sep 30th, 2010
Mesrine
French gangster series"Mesrine" is a wonderful ride, featuring a phenomenally kinetic performance from one of the most exciting actors around today.
Sep 29th, 2010
Marwencol
After he was beaten nearly to death, Mark Hogancamp finds salvation in creating a model village in this story of art, recovery and picking up the pieces.
Sep 28th, 2010
Breathless
What plays right off the screen and into your lap is Paris, youth, sex and romance -the energy of fear and throwing it all away - and doing it all with style.
Sep 25th, 2010
Bring on the shorts!
Short films, that is. MFF'10 offers up seven shorts programs, chock full of wacky characters and animated hilarity you just won't find anywhere else.
Sep 24th, 2010
Curtain Up
Tragedy, romance, action, comedy and visually stunning documentary film - it's all part of the Milwaukee Film Festival, and it all begins tonight!
Sep 23rd, 2010
Irreversible
To say that this film is shocking and disturbing would be an understatement. It is also stunning, brilliant and one of the most compelling films I've seen.
Sep 19th, 2010
Take One
Mark and Milwaukee Film intern Jessica Farrell offer their picks for Take One and discuss how every detail counts when creating a successful film festival.
Sep 16th, 2010
The backbone of the festival
The staff at Milwaukee Film put a lot of hard work into the film festival, but it simply wouldn't run without the aid of dedicated volunteers.
Sep 9th, 2010
Revving up for the Milwaukee Film Festival
The second annual Milwaukee Film Festival is just around the corner. In the weeks leading up to the Fest, Mark talks with the people who make it happen.
Sep 2nd, 2010
Milwaukee Does Strange Things to People
No matter how far she travels, Susan Firer's poems will always be tethered to the geography of her hometown.
Aug 26th, 2010
The Darwin Poems
A walk through Australia's Blue Mountains sent Emily Ballou on a cross-continental journey to bring Charles Darwin's reality to life through poetry.
Aug 19th, 2010
On states, herons and clove cigarettes
What happens when a born mathematician leaves a lucrative career to follow his passion for poetry?
Aug 12th, 2010
Lyricism as outreach
Through the COA's youth programming, spoken word artist Damien Smith helps teens channel their emotions and express themselves through poetry.
Aug 5th, 2010
Poetry that sticks, DIY style
For Keith Gaustad, running a (semi-regular) small-press poetry anthology is a labor of love.
Jul 29th, 2010
The Kids Are All Right
Lisa Cholodenko’s film explores the family dynamic of same-sex parents and their children's desire to meet their father.
Jul 24th, 2010
Poetry, from the page to the stage
Must a poem always follow traditional forms? Or can it evolve and free itself from the page to become something else entirely?
Jul 22nd, 2010
The Girl Who Played With Fire
The second film adaptation in Stieg Larsson's trilogy finds salvation in the performance of lead actrees Noomi Rapace.
Jul 17th, 2010
Vacuum-packed poetry
What makes a poem different than a story? Jennifer L. Knox likes to think of poems as narratives with all extemporaneous detail sucked out -- like air out of a vacuum bag.
Jul 15th, 2010
Coco & Igor
It's beautiful to look at, but watching this film is like thumbing through a coffee table book while waiting for dinner to be served at a boring party. Nothing happens.
Jul 10th, 2010
“Intoxicology”
As the creators of Bittercube, Nick Kosevich and Ira Koplowitz have taken cocktailing to another level and parlayed their collective expertise into an intriguing business venture.
Jul 8th, 2010
MicMacs
MicMacs is stunning to look at and delightful to see. There is tenderness is right in the middle of the story, beneath the gloss and behind the shimmer.
Jul 3rd, 2010
Enabling the celebration
Recipe for a good bartender: combine equal parts wit, product knowledge, sincerity and professionalism. Stir. Garnish with a smile.
Jul 1st, 2010
A career bartender
Robert Biermann has been in the hospitality business for 30 years, serving up beers, shots and the occasional bit of everyday wisdom.
Jun 24th, 2010
The customer is always right
Mixologist, bar chef, bartender.Call him whatever you like, but for Chad Doll of Bryant's it's always customers before cocktails.
Jun 17th, 2010
Please Give
Catherine Keener and Oliver Platt play a couple who sell what the dead leave behind. It's like something out of a Woody Allen film, but with less artfulness and subtlety.
Jun 11th, 2010
The imbibing experience
Backstage begins a new series exploring the emergence of craft cocktailing in Milwaukee's bar scene.
Jun 10th, 2010
Mother and Child
It can’t be true. But it is true. As true as anything we might hope to be or become.
Jun 5th, 2010
Art that just “is itself”
Backstage wraps its focus on visual artists with painter and Milwaukee native Gregory Klassen.
Jun 3rd, 2010
“Whence cometh…Borg?”
What happens when a bunch of "artists, musicians, engineers, derelicts, politicians, activists, noise makers and rejects of contemporary culture" start an art and music collective? DIY magic, that's what.
May 27th, 2010
I Remember Better When I Paint
For those living with Alzheimer's, the act of creation is an act of liberation.
May 25th, 2010
“The spiritual mechanism that enables art”
For kathryn e. martin, creating art is not (and will never be) a "job" -- it's a compulsion
May 20th, 2010
Rocky Trails
Local filmmaker Drew Rosas' first feature, an 80s hipster slasher/comedy, opens tomorrow night at the Oriental
May 19th, 2010
The Secret in Their Eyes
Even though the film begins with a murder and follows the obsession of one man to solve that crime, "The Secret in Their Eyes" is a romance, really.
May 15th, 2010
“A tsunami of [Marc] Tasman”
One self portrait every day, for ten years (and one day). You can do the math.
May 13th, 2010
Babies
Babies is a surprising film, both in the technique it uses to communicate and in the emotional response that accumulates while watching it.
May 8th, 2010
RedLine Milwaukee promotes art, professional development
Lori Bauman spends her days at RedLine Milwaukee with "a conglomerate of a million volunteers" and some seriously talented people
May 6th, 2010
Telling stories with Ex Fabula
No stand-up, no pontification. Just the story, the stage and YOU.
Apr 29th, 2010
Anjl Rodee of the Whiskey Belles
Backstage wraps its Milwaukee Music series with Anjl Rodee of vintage country trio the Whiskey Belles
Apr 23rd, 2010
Feed the Fish
Despite reaching awkwardly for humor, the film finds its center and ends up very a sweet and knowing chronicle.
Apr 23rd, 2010
Westbound
Wisconsin design firm Arketype Productions documents the life and times of Adolph Vandertie, aka the "Grand Duke of the Hobos"
Apr 20th, 2010
The Joneses
The Joneses was the longest 90 minutes in the dark that I have experienced lately.
Apr 17th, 2010
Gallery Night Special: Makeal Flammini
Makeal Flammini's illustrations of assassinated female political figures are about strength, not power. And politics -- not political statements.
Apr 16th, 2010
On not being a cover band of yourself
Improv wizard Jason Wietlispach never steps in the same river twice.
Apr 9th, 2010
Andy Noble may or may not be a control freak
But some things are for certain: He'll never give up on vinyl, and he doesn't want to rip you off.
Apr 1st, 2010
How To Train Your Dragon
How to Train Your Dragon is fairly predictable, but makes for a charming story that children and grown-ups will love.
Mar 28th, 2010
Chloe
Director Atom Egoyan's "Chloe" is a definitive example of elegance in film-making.
Mar 27th, 2010
Greenberg
Noah Baumbach's Greenberg is more like an homage to nothingness and disconnection than it is a quirky, insightful dark comedy.
Mar 26th, 2010
Hal Rammel
When Hal Rammel began experimenting with music, he wound up reinventing the wheel (among other things).
Mar 25th, 2010
Red Cliff
John Woo's "Red Cliff" is like a chess game played by gods. Except the gods are men-complicated, flawed and necessarily devious men.
Mar 14th, 2010
The Bad Lieutenant
In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, as the storm of nature recedes and the rebuilding of the city begins, a man-made storm of drugs,gambling and crime gathers momentum.
Mar 12th, 2010
The troubadour Pezzettino
Mark starts a new music series with Pezzettino, Milwaukee's one-lady indie accordionist, performance artist and video-maker.
Mar 11th, 2010
Which Way Home
Mark reviews Which Way Home, a film that documents the journeys of young children as they migrate from their impoverished homes in Mexico and Central America in search of the American Dream. Plus, listen to a bonus audio interview with producer and former Milwaukeean Jack Turner.
Mar 11th, 2010
Technology at play
Backstage wraps up the tech series with Joe McBride and Kevin Costello of Kinsale Technologies - creators of Bothday, the "conceptual holiday" app; and Text-to-Movie, a tool that lets you turn any script into an animated featurette.
Mar 4th, 2010
No five-year plans
In Internet marketing and new media, you have to be okay with a little ambiguity about your future.
Feb 23rd, 2010
The White Ribbon rattles our beliefs
Michael Hanecke's award-winning film takes you on an uncomfortable though necessary journey into the secret lives of the people in a tiny village.
Feb 18th, 2010
O, Brave New World!
It's Day One out there: How a single human being and some start-up dollars can completely change the world.
Feb 16th, 2010
when a nation could love a novelist
This historical drama boasts powerful performances and stories about the life lessons of the legendary Russian author Leo Tolstoy.
Feb 12th, 2010
Voices in the void
Where is Internet entrepreneurship headed? This innovator is banking on the value of the voice.
Feb 9th, 2010
Drummers get more love?
Local crooner Chris DeMay talks about drumming legends, Milwaukee's local music scene and the truth about groupies.
Feb 2nd, 2010
On the road with Johnny Beehner
Local comedian prefers the open road, doesn't mind hecklers and recalls his worst gigs ever.
Jan 27th, 2010
The Invention of Lying
The question of truth and faith is comically explored in this religious satire that gets Mark to thinking, too.
Jan 26th, 2010
Avatar and District 9 – alike, yet very different
TCD Blogger Mark Metcalf draws comparisons between films that make villains and heroes out of the human experience.
Jan 23rd, 2010
The women of Broadminded Comedy
Who says you have to be ugly to be funny? The zany women of Milwaukee's Broadminded Comedy group prove otherwise.
Jan 19th, 2010
Carlo Besasie, finalist in the People’s Choice Pitch Awards
Carlo Besasie tells us why we should vote for his movie, All the Queen's Men, in the People's Choice/American Film Market pitch contest.
Jan 14th, 2010
The Gentlemen’s Hour
Sophisticated fellas of Milwaukee sketch comedy talk business with Mark Metcalf.
Jan 12th, 2010
Michael Gull and Michael D’Aquisto on life-and-death comedy
Two really funny Milwaukee comedians tell you why hecklers can be beautiful.
Jan 6th, 2010
David Begel wants you to win a prize
Can anyone guess why David calls himself Mark's "TMJ GUY?" No, seriously — can you? We're not really sure either, but the correct answer will make you a winner.
Dec 30th, 2009
Lee Ernst’s Fight Club
The 29-year veteran actor is preparing for uncertainty as a new artistic director ascends at The Rep. And his take on starting a fight club.
Dec 23rd, 2009
Avatar thrills on many levels
TCD's Mark Metcalf says the weekend's top box-office draw is visually mesmerizing and flatly political. Thus, expect every teen will want to see it.
Dec 21st, 2009
Jim Fletcher and Combat Theatre
What could be more gratifying than writing, directing and performing in a play about Martha Stewart in a submarine in 24 hours?
Dec 15th, 2009
Top holiday flicks
TCD's movie maven picks an unexpected mix of comedy, action and drama.
Dec 10th, 2009
My friend, my journey with comedian Lewis Black
TCD's Mark Metcalf reminisces about the good old days that led to this cranky comic's meteoric success and to last Saturday's performance at The Riverside.
Dec 7th, 2009
Run Lola Run keeps moving
It doesn’t try to smugly fool you, but it poses questions about fate and about the effect our actions may have on those we pass by.
Nov 13th, 2009
Taking on Pelham, past and present
The Taking of Pelham One Two Three is a very simple little heist movie except that it may be the best one ever made. Here, Mark Metcalf compares the 1974 version with its 2009 remake.
Oct 26th, 2009
Ward Three’s Natalie Mullins
Wauwatosa West student learns some real-life lessons in the process of bringing her film to life.
Sep 29th, 2009
Festival filled void when it was needed most
Ties run deep for those tied to the Milwaukee Short Film Festival, which created a place of support and growth for the city's inner-film sanctum.
Sep 10th, 2009
Pros help students to produce films
Film students get help from Milwaukee professionals to take their ideas from concept to the big screen.
Aug 31st, 2009
I’ve Loved You So Long
Feisty film is the quintessential example of French cinema's lens on the imperfections of adulthood.
Aug 27th, 2009
Part two
The suit does the talking: the second essay in Mark's two-part series about auditioning for, and appearing in, the hit TV show Mad Men.
Aug 5th, 2009
Mark Metcalf does Mad Men
Sometimes trips to California don't turn out as planned. Part one in a two-part essay on auditioning for, landing and shooting a one-scene part in MAD MEN.
Jul 30th, 2009
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
The previous Harry Potter films have been enjoyable to watch even for those who haven't read the book. How does the Half-Blood Prince compare?
Jul 21st, 2009
A few new ways to see Shakespeare
There is a lot of Shakespeare on film – much of it declaimed, pompous and stale. Here are two takes on Shakespeare that everyone can love.
Jul 20th, 2009
Red River
For years I thought John Wayne was a bad actor, indicative of that kind of Hollywood movie star who could play only a paper thin character, changing his hat maybe and not much more. I felt the same way about Marilyn Monroe until I saw Bus Stop, The Misfits, Some Like It Hot and The Seven Year Itch in a two day span on a little black and white television, hole up in my Lower East Side apartment in New York with no money and nothing to do. When you see them all at once you begin to think about what artists call a "body of work." You can see the subtlety of the changes. You can actually see the artist work, whereas before you were being fooled, as intended, and seeing just character.
Jun 17th, 2009
The Motor City Comic Con
In the third and final installment of his Conventions series, Mark Metcalf reunites and reminisces with Carrie Fisher and Julie Newmar and considers the Michigan film incentives -- and how they compare to Wisconsin's.
May 20th, 2009
The Hollywood Collector’s Show
Mark Metcalf meet Lois Lane, Bobby Brady, Big Bird and a mailman with a machine gun at the Hollywood Collector's Show in part two of his three-part series on conventions.
May 14th, 2009
Conventions
When you’ve worked your whole adult life as an actor, you’re a member of all the unions, have a complicated personal life that doesn’t allow you to leave home for long stretches of time, live in Wisconsin — where there isn’t a lot of union work as an actor, making it hard to make a living — and if you have been fortunate enough to be associated with a few jobs that linger in the public consciousness, one of the things you do, or find yourself doing, is saying yes when invited to a convention, where people come and pay money for autographs and pictures of people deemed to be celebrities. I was a Hirogen Medic in two episodes of Star Trek Voyager. I wore about 50 pounds of foam from head to foot, lost 15 pounds of water weight from sweating inside that foam for ten days, smelled like that sweat and the sweat from all the seven-foot-tall actors that had worn the foam before me but had perished in one conflict or another. The Star Trek people did not want to spend the money to make new costumes, so when they ran out of seven-foot-tall actors to play Hirogens, they just folded the foam over and pinned it up and slammed it on you. There are many people who are so well-versed in Star Trek-ia that they will pay a couple of sawbucks for the autograph and picture of even a lowly Hirogen Medic. I also did a movie about college fraternities that was and still is quite popular. I played an occasionally recurring role on Seinfeld. I dated Elaine, took her to my villa in Tuscany and played pool with Kramer and George’s Dad in their basement at a very small pool table. I wore boxer shorts in that one and conducted the Brooklyn Policeman’s Benevolent Society Orchestra with a bent baton. And then there is the vampire. Primarily because of these adventures, and a few less popular but still known performances, I am asked, occasionally, to go to these conventions, where I am treated like a celebrity. It’s nice. The attention is nice. The fantasy of being well known and liked by strangers is nice. The money is nice, especially lately. And the chance to get out of town, sometimes to very nice locations like London or Florida, is also nice. But you earn it sitting at a table for an average of six hours a day for three days, smiling and being nice, telling stories, answering questions, shaking hands, hugging for pictures, being nice and smiling. It is fun most of the time, but it is also confusing. And it’s work. I once talked to a man for almost half an hour. Answered questions, told stories, asked questions, listened to stories. After about 25 minutes it became apparent that he wasn’t going to buy an autograph, so I asked him straight out. I think I embarrassed him so he plunked down 20 dollars and […]
May 8th, 2009
Take it from a former vampire …
I’m not a vampire, but I played one on TV … bah, dum, bum … rim shot. Old joke … I did play a vampire though, throughout the first season of Buffy The Vampire Slayer, a turn of the (20th) century Warner Brothers Television show that was a pretty big hit and to some a cult classic. It is credited with bringing vampiriana back from the dead. But the truth is vampires never die, and as an icon of popular literature they have always been around. Sometimes they seem to be everywhere; sometimes they must be asleep in their coffins. I played “The Master,” the oldest, the original, and the baddest vampire around. He lived underground in an old church that had been buried in a California earthquake. For reasons I don’t remember he couldn’t go up on to the surface of the earth until a certain moment in time. There was a lot of pre-destination in this particular vampire tale and it all was “written” in a book that only scholars could decipher. Luckily that book happened to reside in the library of the high school in Sunnyvale, the small California town where my church was buried, and the librarian of that high school library just happened to be an Englishman whose special obsession was vampires and the occult. Very convenient. The series lasted for seven or so seasons, so it is way more complicated than I can remember, and I have probably already annoyed devout fans, of which there are many. To prepare for the part, I studied as many of the vampires of our cultural history that I could, revisiting Bram Stoker’s Dracula, the first vampire film, Nosferatu, a true classic made in 1922 by F.W. Murnau, starring the phenomenal Max Schrenk, as well as the 1979 Nosferatu remake by Werner Herzog, starring the great Klaus Kinski. There is a wealth of literature about vampires and werewolves, and it evolves as the times require. The rules change. Joss Whedon, who created Buffy The Vampire Slayer in movie form and then for television, once said that the fun thing about writing about vampires is that you get to make up the rules as you go along. Someone before you made up the previous rules, so essentially there are no rules, as long as you can justify the behavior of your particular undead creature by making up a rule. In television, you can even change the rules you made up in the first season when they become inconvenient in the fifth season. There are some rules, though, that I think are inviolate.Twilight breaks one of the oldest and most established vampire rules: they die if touched by the sun. They hedge their bets by setting it in the Pacific Northwest on the Olympic Peninsula where the sun seldom shines, but it is still a major re-write of the rules. When the lead vampire walks deliberately into the sun, he sparkles as though his skin was encrusted with diamonds. […]
Apr 16th, 2009
Fincher
On the advice of my friend Max Lawton I have been revisiting the films of David Fincher. When I first viewed these films, I did not like them. I found Fight Club to be too belligerent and Seven to be over-the-top and Gothically dark. The Game, as I remembered it, played too much with reality too much and facility and not enough truth. The filmmaking is obviously very skillful, but the morality is heavy-handed. And Zodiac , though it had great set pieces and some nice performances, was long, choppy and lost the continuity it needed to make a cohesive whole. I still haven’t seen Benjamin Button. I think perhaps there is a sense of humor behind Fight Club that I didn’t understand the first time through. But if it is intended as humor then it is almost obliterated by the testosterone and the brutality of many of the images. The idea of men going into parking lots and basements and beating each other senseless, learning to love each other through this violent intimacy, is a wonderfully over the top and humorous comment on the Robert Bly “Iron John” movement of the 1990s. The absolutely necessary feminist movement that brought women out of their closets and kitchens and encouraged them to form significant relationships with each other and to demand a share in our economy and social organization naturally precluded men, who felt left behind and out of the dialogue. The power – or more accurately, the presumption of power – that men wielded for centuries was felt to be slipping away, and they flailed about in what will be, hopefully, the last death throes of white male supremacy, we waged a few stupidly motivated wars, like Grenada and the two Iraq wars, the embrace of greed as a goddess, and some bizarrely adolescent behavior as witnessed in the White House over the past eight years. If Fincher and Chuck Palahniuk, the man who wrote the novel Fight Club, are commenting on this situation, then I don’t think they have gained enough distance to see it clearly – certainly not Fincher, anyway. A big part of him is still down in the basement whimpering in the corner, with blood on his lip, fantasizing about the next time he comes up against that bad man who beat him up. Or maybe it was a woman he had to negotiate with. When Fight Club really does become comedic is near the end when the anarchy that Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt) preaches becomes an organization of men without lives or roots running around making explosives in the semi-abandoned house that they call home. It reminds me of the cockroaches in an old episode of “Fairly Odd Parents,” the Saturday morning cartoon, where the cockroaches set about to attain “world domination” and are nearly successful. I know Cosmo, Wanda, Jimmy and the cockroaches are funny but I am not sure if it is intended as comedy with Fincher. When I say that Fincher’s style […]
Apr 8th, 2009
Blindness
BLINDNESS Fernando Meirelles directed one of the best movies of the past ten years: City of God, which takes place in the slums of Rio de Janeiro. Because the depth and impossibility of the poverty is something that most of us in this country are unfamiliar with, it feels like an apocalyptic parable. It feels like the end of the world, and I am not prepared for it. Blindness, also directed by Meirelles, is more literally about the end of the world as we know it. A disease, or a plague, of blindness overtakes a modern city. It takes rich and poor, good and bad. It spreads like a virus and eventually appears to take everyone. It is not the ordinary blindness of being plunged into blackness. As one character says, “I feel like I’m swimming in milk.” You see white, the presence of light, rather than black, the absence of light. People who are stricken are quarantined to prevent the spread. In most movies or stories about a plague or disease the focus is on the people who are trying to cure or stop the spread of the disease; the drama is in the detective work to find the reason for it. In Blindness, the focus is solely on the victims, those whose sight has been lost, or taken. And these people are more prisoners than patients. To protect the outside world, they are denied access to it. If they come too close to a guard, they are shot. Food is brought to them in limited supply by a mysterious truck. They must form their own colonies, tribes, and develop their own organizations to govern themselves. They are metaphorically starting over from scratch, except that they are blind. All except one. Julianne Moore plays the wife of an ophthalmologist, the first doctor to be infected. For reasons that are never questioned or explained, she is not blind. But to stay with her husband, she says that she is, and is quarantined with him. If she were more accustomed to power, or cared more about power, the fact that she can see in a world that cannot would enable her to govern and propel the action. The most difficult question that I take from this film is why she does not chose to dominate when it would be so easy to do so. She takes care of her husband and helps others in whatever ways she can without giving away the secret that she can see. For most of the film, she is the character that could be a savior but chooses not to be. Her sight is a secret between her and her husband until his reluctance to depend on her causes their relationship to fall apart. Most apocalyptic pictures are about the action and carnage and monsters. Blindness is not that. There is carnal violence, but it is minimal. More terrifying is the social violence in the power struggle between the two wards; Meirelles makes you feel viscerally […]
Apr 2nd, 2009
A handful of observations
AUGUST RUSH I’ll put August Rush on the ring finger because it is a fantasy romance and I think of marriage that way lately. I don’t really like the picture, except that the romance is mostly told with music, and Freddie Highmore, the child actor from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Finding Neverland, is the star. A friend of mine started a play of hers with a quote from Kurt Vonnegut: “If I should die, God forbid, let this be my epitaph: THE ONLY PROOF HE NEEDED FOR THE EXISTENCE OF GOD WAS MUSIC.” I think this film’s embrace of music – and of the possibility that a human can be gifted beyond understanding – suggests the existence of God as well. It’s the shots of people listening that give me that rush of emotion, that make me tear up and gasp. It’s true especially in films about music, but I think in any film about art and artistic expression, the key moment is the appreciation of the action, the moment when everything is redeemed because the audience actually hears what is being played, sung, spoken, acted, or expressed and recognizes that something extraordinary is happening, that a window is being opened into a soul and a life is being exposed with grace and dignity. My heart goes to the audience because, if Kurt Vonnegut is right, the artist walks with God, and in a way brings that as a gift to the listener. The moments of recognition in August Rush gave me that. GOLDFINGER and QUANTUM OF SOLACE The middle finger and the thumb … I spent the weekend at an autograph show with Tony Curtis, Angie Dickinson and Shirley Eaton. Shirley Eaton was the beautiful blond who betrayed Gert Frobe in Goldfinger, my favorite of the early James Bond movies. I hope that one of my last memories will be of Shirley Eaton, dead and naked, lying across Sean Connery’s bed, painted gold. If I’m still having erotic thoughts – and that is the hope – one of them will be of her. Goldfinger was 1964 and she still holds up. Fine featured and elegant, wearing gold tones, a very gracious lady and charming with the many fans that came to see her. The early Bond films celebrated a particularly decorative notion of maleness. They also celebrated the notion of the female as decoration. The new Bond, starting with Casino Royale and Daniel Craig, redefines maleness and the position of the female in his life. Craig’s Bond is a thug, a brutal man with the focus and concentration of a soldier machine who learns charm, social grace and maybe humanity itself when he falls in love with a woman. In the sequel, Quantum of Solace, which came out on DVD and Blu-Ray on Tuesday, he is set on revenge for her death at the end of Casino Royale. It’s a James Bond with human feelings and fast cars and million dollar stakes at the gaming table. But […]
Mar 26th, 2009
Two ways to run an agent
Body of Lies stars Russell Crowe doing an accent. He’s done a lot of accents lately: New York City Irish cop in American Gangster, also directed by Ridley Scott; American cowboy in 3:10 To Yuma; and Virginia family man here, again directed by Ridley Scott. He also apparently put on 66 pounds to play this character, a lead analyst in the CIA, living in affluence in Virginia, running an agent in Jordan by phone while he picks the kids up at soccer practice in the Lexus. It may not be a Lexus and it may not be soccer, it may be ballet, but it is definitely suburban; we are never allowed to forget that. The contrast between the agent in the field, sleeping on floors, sussing out IED’s, being tortured, speaking different dialects of the native language and the boss who processes the intelligence and directs the agent into more and more dangerous situations is made clear every time Crowe is on screen. It’s about all that is made clear. I find Crowe’s acting to be increasingly like a man who goes to a big closet and picks, first an accent, then a few physical mannerisms, the hair, a walk, something to do with his hands. He puts on a character the way you might put on a suit of clothes, but the clothes always have that new clothes look, they haven’t been worn enough to feel owned. And ownership is what brings authenticity, and that is what makes a character in a situation believable. Crowe’s partner, the man on the other end of the satellite phone, the agent in the field, the dog out sniffing up the terrorists, is played by Leonardo DeCaprio, again working against type to play a grown man, doing a tough job, in a dangerous environment. I know he can grow facial hair, or at least wear a wig and beard well, but that doesn’t quite get him over the hump fully into manhood. There’s something about the whine that gets into his voice when he becomes excited that holds him back and makes him still a boy pretending to do a man’s job. He tries on accents too, going a little Southern once in a while during the course of the film. But consistency is a problem with DeCaprio. Ridley Scott has worked with Russell Crowe several times, all the way back to Gladiator. He has also made some films that should be in anyone’s best all time list: Alien, Blade Runner, Thelma and Louise. And one of the best of the modern war films: Black Hawk Down. He knows his way around an action sequence and can tell a story in a compelling way. Body Of Lies is certainly the high-rent version of how Middle East intelligence operations work. Two major stars, an A-list director and a script by the man who wrote Departed, William Monahan, will get you a big budget and a nice release pattern. Why then did it fail? The […]
Mar 19th, 2009
Epic romance
Seventy years ago, Gone With The Wind blew across the movie screens of America and became, for many, the quintessential American movie. GWTWand The Wizard of Oz, also made in 1939, were for decades the definition of the Hollywood spectacular and a road map for how American ingenuity and innovation could bring a degree of enlightenment to a pop culture phenomenon. Now Australia, a movie directed by Australian Baz Luhrman and starring Australians Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman, comes along and reinvents the epic romantic movie genre of the one while fully embracing the fantasy movie genre of the other. Sung with delightful awkwardness by Kidman, “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” becomes the leitmotif of the film. Luhrman has said that he wants to make movies that fully engage the audience in a participatory experience, which never lets them forget that they are watching a movie. He calls it the Red Curtain discipline. His first trilogy of films, Strictly Ballroom, Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet and Moulin Rouge are spectacularly theatrical. They exist by, for and about performance. Australia is a departure because, without being a remake, it takes a film story that is familiar to everyone who knows classic American films – the headstrong lady of breeding meets the equally independent man of nature, they clash, work together against evil, fall in love and vanquish the oppressor – and it re-imagines it. It is a romance novel melodrama, a paper-thin story writ across the face of the incredible landscape of Australia and infused with all the magic and mystery of the Aboriginal culture that has lived there for millennium. I don’t know how Luhrman and cinematographer Mandy Walker create the astonishing colors and compositions that they do. Every square inch of every frame is deliberate and amazing. I’m sure that Australia itself is beautiful, but Luhrman sees it the way Van Gogh saw Arles, with intensity and a clarity that transposes it to the surreal. In the first half of the film, again and again your breath is stopped in your throat by a visual image. And no matter how simple and transparent the story, its visualization – the sheer passionate showmanship of the movie making – connects you to an emotional response. At points it is like listening to the best of Beethoven. There is no way to articulate in words what is happening, or what exactly you are feeling, but you are swept up and away by the mystery of sound and you become an emotion. Of course, as in love, you must be willing to surrender. It is filmmaking of the highest order. But it goes on too long. There are two films here. The first as I described before, the second after the man and the woman have come together and saved the homestead, when they must defend it and defend their love from each other and from the pressures of the outside world. And then there are the Japanese and the authoritarian forces of the […]
Mar 12th, 2009
Superheroes
There are two questions that plague me about the movies. One is: Why do we need love stories? Why is romantic love so basic to our cinematic literature? I tend to think that it is all about procreation and part of an elaborate mating ritual, but I am told that just asking the question makes me a cynic and I’m not sure I am ready to be thusly compartmentalized. The other is: Why super heroes? In the past year alone we have had Iron Man, Batman, The Hulk, Hancock, Hellboy, Bolt, and now Watchmen. Before that came Spiderman, but he ran his course a few years ago. I suspect the Fantastic Four will return and apparently the Last Stand of the X-Men was not, literally, a last stand. And if the endings of Iron Man and The Hulk are to be believed there will be more to come out of that Ultimate Alliance. The answer at an economic level is obvious: They make a lot of super hero movies because people go to see super hero movies and therefore they make a lot of money making super hero movies. Somebody started it and if Hollywood is good at anything it’s jumping on whatever bandwagon is making money. But as a social anthropologist, I wonder what it is about our society that pushes us to need super heroes to play so prominent a part in the culture. A friend once answered that question with, “Well, with our politicians so obviously worthless we need someone strong to look up to.” The man definitely has a point. For the last eight years at least, the perception has been that the leaders of our country, the politicians, are far from heroes. And before that, Bill Clinton, it turned out, was nothing more than a man and a weak one at that. The first President Bush was a bit of a clerk in his manner. Ronald Reagan wore spurs, chaps, and a cowboy hat, and he came out of the West with the sun at his back. He walked the walk and stood in the shadow of hundreds of cowboy heroes; not super heroes, but the literary equivalent of brave, strong men on whom we have always counted. With Reagan it may have been an illusion, or, as some of us still believe, a delusion. But we always seem to need heroes to stand in for us, to stand up for us, to walk into the flames before us. We live in a culture that is patriarchal by design and perhaps by nature. Patriarchal and hierarchical. We choose a leader and that leader goes out and meets the enemy for us so that we can stay at home and live a comfortable life. And that leader has always tended to be male or at least a female who thinks the way a male does, in a vertical way, in the way of dominance and submission, of power and of strength, in the way of winning. […]
Mar 9th, 2009
Monday Night at the Movies
The Milwaukee International Film Festival wriggled, wormlike and whimpering, out the door last year, primarily because the founder was unable to release the choking grip he had on its throat. But the people who made it work – the heart, the lungs, the arms and legs, and to a great degree the brain of the former festival – have found a new face and are creating a world class film festival for Milwaukee to be proud of. It will be known simply as The Milwaukee Film Festival. One of their first events is a series called Monday Night At the Movies. Every Monday beginning March 23rd, at the Marcus Theatres North Shore Cinema, The Milwaukee Film Festival, in partnership with Marcus Theatres, will be screening films from around the world – films that you otherwise would never get the chance to see here in Milwaukee. It is a partnership that has been a long time coming. The primary venue for the festival next September will still be the beautiful Oriental Theatre on Farwell, but Marcus will be continuing their partnership through and including the 2009 Film Festival. One would think that a film festival in Milwaukee would have to work with the Marcus Theatres, but apparently there was some friction between the previous board and Marcus so it never happened. Now, thankfully, it can. Like any city, Milwaukee consists of a lot of small, tight knit neighborhoods: the East Side, Bayview, the North Shore, River West, Wauwatosa, the West Side, the Third Ward, Walker’s Point. There has always been and continues to be a degree of chauvinism within each neighborhood that enables it to, while celebrating itself, turn its back on the neighborhood next door and perhaps remain somewhat ignorant of what is going on over the back fence. One of the goals of the Film Festival is to bring all those neighborhoods, those ethnicities, and those differences together. It is a bold, ambitious move, especially at a time when resources are significantly low, to reach out to new partners and new population centers.The earlier festival focused on the East Side and downtown, where it was born.As it grew in size and in ambition it began to reach out to other neighborhoods.The Times Cinema in Wauwatosa was a venue.The Skylight Opera in the Broadway Theatre Center in the Third Ward was a partner for a few events.And there has always been the hope that developers will bring back the beautiful Avalon Theatre in Bayview so that neighborhood could also be an energy center for the Festival.With the Marcus Theatres North Shore Cinema offering this series of Monday nights, the Festival will enter into another neighborhood and bring another diverse population under its umbrella. Each of the films presented will be introduced by someone from the community with a specific knowledge of the film and the area it represents, and the audience will be invited to come to a discussion group afterward at a nearby restaurant, bar or book store with […]
Mar 2nd, 2009
