"Y: The Last Man" is one of the most acclaimed comics of the decade, a dystopic scifi series that builds an elaborate universe around the premise of what would happen if every man on earth was wiped out by a plague. The characters are indelible and unique and the adventure is heart-pounding. Created by Brian…
Category: Film
Review: “Step Up Revolution” — Silly Politics, Great Dancing
As you may know, I had low expectations for "Step Up Revolution," the fourth in this series of street dance movies. The trailers I found underwhelming and disappointing. The director has never done a film before. Many of the amazing dancers from previous "Step Up" films didn't seem to be in the cast. And…
William H. Macy in “The Last Dragon”? Shonuff! (video)
I was watching the wonderfully cheesy kung-fu flick "The Last Dragon" tonight when I spotted the perpetually beleagued actor William H. Macy in a bit part. He is apparently some kind of producer of the television show that the love interest Vanity stars in in the movie. Here Macy is trying to convince Vanity to…
“Battle of the Year” Trailer: USA! USA! USA!
"Planet B-boy" director Benson Lee has been mentioning in appearances that he has been working on creating a fictionalized version of his ground-breaking documentary on b-boying. And here it is: "Battle of the Year", slated for release in January 2013. It looks pretty formulaic, but potentially will have some exciting dance footage (in 3D,…
Step Up Revolution = Breaking II Electric Boogaloo
This — seriously — is the plot of "Step Up 4" aka "Step Up Revolution": greedy developer wants to tear down local neighborhood in Miami to make way for a fancy hotel. Dancers organize to stop him… using the ultimate weapon : their sick dance skills. Oh, and the female lead dancer is the…
Learning about The Cal Academy’s Amazing Expedition to the Philippines
Tonight I got around to watching "Reefs to Rainforests," the documentary about the 2011 scientific expedition to the Philippines organized by the California Academy of Sciences. It's a really amazing story about the largest expedition ever organized by the Academy in its 158 years of existence, with about 100 participants from the Academy and…
Chewie Meets Robodog (video)
Here's a quick stop motion animated film I created in about 10 minutes using the free "Lego Superhero Moviemaker" app on the iPhone. Of course Lego would like you to use Lego-branded products to make animations. But there's no stopping you from using anything you have lying around your desk. Say, a Chewbacca action figure…
Jiro Dreams of Sushi: A Delicious Portrait of Master Sushi Chef and His Sons
I just saw "Jiro Dreams of Sushi" last night in San Francisco, at a special showing with the director of the film David Gelb. What a perfect film for a foodie — a respectful and elegant portrait of a master chef Jiro Ono and his stern but loving relationship with his two sons. The…
“Mr. Beebe”: Incredible Tap Performance featuring Harold Nicholas (video)
My favorite video clip that jazz historian Mark Cantor showed at the Jewish Community Center of SF last Saturday was this this outstanding performance from the movie "Carolina Blues" (1944) featuring Harold Nicholas, one half of the legendary Nicholas Brothers. According to Mark, older brother Fayard Nicholas was drafted during the war at the…
Mark Cantor’s Treasure Trove of Vintage Jazz Footage on Film
On Saturday, I had the pleasure of sitting in a packed auditorium at the Jewish Center of San Francisco to watch a lovingly curated showing of vintage clips of jazz dance on film from the 1930s to the 1950s. Called the "Giants of Jazz on Film," this is a popular series of film clip showings…