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05/16/2013

Maybe You'll be Amazed

Chris Miksanek - The Med City Movie Guy - 'Rockshow'Tonight and Sunday at the Paragon Chateau 14: Paul McCarney and Wings 1980 concert film, restored & remastered. May 16th 7:30 pm & May 19th 2:30 pm." Here's the playlist:

"Venus and Mars" "Rock Show" "Jet" "Let Me Roll It" "Spirits of Ancient Egypt" "Medicine Jar" "Maybe I'm Amazed" "Call Me Back Again" "Lady Madonna" "The Long and Winding Road" "Live and Let Die" "Picasso's Last Words (Drink to Me)" "Richard Cory" "Bluebird" "I've Just Seen a Face" "Blackbird" "Yesterday" "You Gave Me the Answer" "Magneto and Titanium Man" "Go Now" "My Love" "Listen to What the Man Said" "Let 'Em In" "Time to Hide" "Silly Love Songs" "Beware My Love" "Letting Go" "Band on the Run" "Hi, Hi, Hi" "Soily"

Chris Miksanek, The Med City Movie Guy

facebook.com/TheMedCityMovieGuy

twitter: @MedCityMovieGuy

 

Movies Opening in Rochester this weekend include "Star Trek Into Darkness"

Chris Miksanek - The Med City Movie Guy - 'Star Trek Into Darkness'Will it go where none of the other seven films have gone before? Either way, I am seriously looking forward to “Star Trek Into Darkness,” the sequel to J. J. Abrams’ 2009 origin film that starred Chris Pine as sci-fi’s favorite future Iowan.

I’ve seen them all but found only II (“The Wrath of Khan”), IV (“the whale one”) and Abrams’ first reboot memorable while diehard Trekkies, no doubt, can recite the entire series backwards in both Vulcan and Bajoran. (Note to self: check the language options on DVD boxed set). Readers, what’s your favorite Star Trek film and why?

Chris Miksanek, The Med City Movie Guy

facebook.com/TheMedCityMovieGuy

twitter: @MedCityMovieGuy

 

'Romeo and Juliet' in the park

For planning your Shakespeare in the Park time this summer, here's the list from the Cromulent Shakespeare Company in the Cities, which is performing "Romeo and Juliet" all over the metro area:


Shows at 7 p.m. – Sundays, 2 p.m.
Sat., 6/1 – Como (Streetcar Station) Park 1224 Lexington Pkwy., St. Paul
Sun, 6/2 – Minnehaha Park, 4801 South Minnehaha Park Dr., Mpls
Fri, 6/7 – Nokomis Park, 2401 E Minnehaha Pkwy., Mpls
Sat., 6/8 -- (private performance)
Sun, 6/9 – Indian Mounds Park, 10 Mounds Blvd. St. Paul
Fri., 6/14 – Powderhorn Park, 3400 15th Ave S, Mpls
Sat., 6/15 –Newell park, North Fairview Ave. & Hewitt Ave. St. Paul
Sun., 6/16 – Lake Harriet Lyndale Rose Gardens, 4124 Roseway Rd., Mpls
Wed., 6/19 -- Town Green Bandshell, 7991 Main St. N, Maple Grove
Fri., 6/21 – Merriam Park, 2000 St. Anthony Ave., St. Paul
Sat., 6/22 -- Washburn Fair Oaks Park (MIA), 200 24th St. E, Mpls
Sun., 6/23 – Indian Mounds Park, 10 Mounds Blvd., St. Paul
Fri., 6/28 – The Overlook, 145 N Washington St., St. Croix Falls, WI
Sat, 6/29 -- Kenwood Park, 2101 Franklin Ave. W, Mpls
Sun., 6/30 -- Lake Harriet Lyndale Rose Gardens, 4124 Roseway Rd., Mpls

05/09/2013

“Can’t repeat the past? … Why of course you can!”

Chris Miksanek -- The Med City Movie Guy - 'The Great Gatsby' 2013Like Batman and James Bond, Gatsby is a generational thing and once an image is cast in your head it's hard to imagine anyone else. But thrice before Leo A-listers of their times have wooed Daisy.

 

 

 

 

 


Chris Miksanek -- The Med City Movie Guy - 'The Great Gatsby' 1926(left) The first adaptation (1926) starred Oscar-winning silent star Warner Baxter. While this film has been tragically lost, its trailer suggests it was epic even sans words and colors.

 

 

 

 

 


Chris Miksanek -- The Med City Movie Guy - 'The Great Gatsby' 1949(right) Easily overlooked is the 1949 Alan Ladd version in which both Carraway and Gatsby claim Minneapolis origins. But too many flashbacks remove too much of Gatsby’s mystique though Ladd does a better job selling his scrappy upbringing than does his successor The Sundance Kid.

 

 

 

 

Chris Miksanek -- The Med City Movie Guy - 'The Great Gatsby' 1974(left) Heretofore the best-known Gatsby is Robert Redford in the 1974 feature that co-stars Mia Farrow. For my tastes he’s too mysterious for too long and those moviegoers unfamiliar will the book may find some things unresolved.

Readers: who’s the greatest Gatsby of them all?

 

 

 

 

 

Chris Miksanek, The Med City Movie Guy

facebook.com/TheMedCityMovieGuy

twitter: @MedCityMovieGuy

 

05/06/2013

SPCO back in action on Thursday

A long-awaited news release from the SPCO -- hopefully we can look for the same type of release from the Minnesota Orchestra sometime soon:

 
 
Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra concerts resume under the baton of Artistic Partner Thomas Zehetmair
 
Cellist Steven Isserlis performs Schumann’s Cello Concerto
 
 
Saint Paul, MN, May 6, 2013 – The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra will resume its 2012-13 season on May 9-11 at several of its Neighborhood venues. Artistic Partner Thomas Zehetmair will conduct these return concerts, which feature cellist Steven Isserlis performing Schumann’s Cello Concerto. The program also includes Mozart’s Overture to The Marriage of Figaro, Schoenberg’s Ten Early Waltzes, and closes with Mozart’s Symphony No. 39 in E-flat Major.
 
Concerts take place May 9 at Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran Church in Apple Valley, May 10 at Wooddale Church in Eden Prairie, and May 11 at Saint Paul’s United Church of Christ in Saint Paul. An additional performance has been added on May 10 at 10:30am at Wooddale Church in Eden Prairie to help accommodate as many audience members as possible before the season ends in June.
 
The Musicians of The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra ratified a new contract on April 29, 2013, bringing to a close 16 months of negotiations and a lockout that began on October 21, 2012.
 
 
Concert information
 
Featured Artists:
The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra
Thomas Zehetmair, conductor
Steven Isserlis, cello
 
Program:
Mozart: Overture to The Marriage of Figaro
Schumann: Concerto in A Minor for Cello and Orchestra
Schoenberg: Ten Early Waltzes for String Orchestra
Mozart: Symphony No. 39 in E-flat Major, K. 543
 
Dates and location:
Thursday, May 9, 2013, 7:30pm
Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran Church, Apple Valley
Friday, May 10, 2013, 10:30am
Friday, May 10, 2013, 8:00pm
Wooddale Church, Eden Prairie
Saturday, May 11, 2013, 8:00pm
Saint Paul’s UCC, Saint Paul
 
Tickets:
$10, $25, kids $5
Call 651.291.1144, visit www.thespco.org or stop by the ticket office at Third Floor, The Historic Hamm Building, 408 Saint Peter St., Saint Paul, MN.
 
Thomas Zehetmair
With a worldwide reputation as violinist, chamber musician, and conductor, Thomas Zehetmair is one of today’s most outstanding artistic personalities. His international conducting career currently includes three named positions: Artistic Partner of The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, Music Director of the Northern Sinfonia in England, and Principal Conductor and Artistic Advisor of the Ensemble Orchestral de Paris, now re-named the Orchestre de Chambre de Paris. With the two latter ensembles Zehetmair has toured in Europe and Asia. In addition, as guest conductor, Zehetmair works regularly with orchestras such as the Hungarian National Orchestra, Bamberger Symphoniker, National Philharmonic Orchestra Warsaw, Hallé Orchestra Manchester, Camerata Salzburg, and the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra. In the 2011–12 season Zehetmair debuted as conductor at the Salzburger Festspiele, where he also performed with the Zehetmair Quartet, the renowned string quartet that he founded in 1994. In recent seasons he has performed with the Symphony Orchestra of the Bayerische Rundfunk, Orchestre National de Lyon, Konzerthausorchester Berlin, and Radio Symphony Orchestra Helsinki, and has toured Spain with the Ensemble Orchestral de Paris. In addition to performances as principal violin with the Zehetmair Quartet, he appears frequently in concert with his duo partner, the violist Ruth Killius. As violin soloist he has appeared at the most renowned European music centers, such as the Royal Festival Hall London, Konzerthaus Vienna, and the Philharmonie Munich. Thomas Zehetmair holds an honorary doctorate from the Music Academy Franz Liszt in Weimar.
 
Steven Isserlis
Acclaimed worldwide for his technique and musicianship, British cellist Steven Isserlis enjoys a distinguished career as a soloist, chamber musician, and educator. Highlights of recent seasons have included concerto performances with the Berlin Philharmonic (Alan Gilbert, conductor), Philharmonia Orchestra (Vladimir Ashkenazy), and the Orchestre de Paris (Paavo Järvi). Additional appearances have included a European tour with the Orchestre des Champs-Elysées and Philippe Herreweghe, an all-Haydn project with the Mahler Chamber Orchestra, and recitals at London’s Wigmore Hall with Thomas Adès and Olli Mustonen. An avid chamber musician, Isserlis has performed in concerts at the Salzburg Festival, Carnegie Hall, BBC Proms, and the Aldeburgh Festival with partners who included Joshua Bell, Anthony Marwood, and Denes Várjon. Solo recitals have taken Isserlis to distinguished concert halls throughout the world. In honor of the bi-centennial celebration of Robert Schumann’s birth he performed many tribute concerts, including a specially devised program series at the 2010 Cheltenham Festival. Isserlis has played with many of the foremost period instrument orchestras, including the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment (Simon Rattle conducting), the Philharmonia Baroque (Nicholas McGegan), and on tour with the Academy of Ancient Music (Richard Egarr).  He is also a keen exponent of contemporary music and has worked on new commissions with many composers, such as John Tavener, Wolfgang Rihm, and Thomas Adès. His extensive discography includes many award-winning CDs. The recipient of many honors, Steven Isserlis was awarded a CBE in 1998 in recognition of his services to music, and in 2000 he received the Schumann Prize of the City of Zwickau. He plays the Marquis de Corberon (Nelsova) Stradivarius of 1726, kindly loaned to him by the Royal Academy of Music.
 
 
ABOUT THE SAINT PAUL CHAMBER ORCHESTRA
The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, now in its 54th season, is widely regarded as one of the finest chamber orchestras in the world. In collaboration with five artistic partners – Roberto Abbado, Edo de Waart, Dawn Upshaw, Christian Zacharias and Thomas Zehetmair – the 34 virtuoso musicians present more than 130 concerts and educational programs each year, and are regularly heard on public radio’s Performance Today which reaches 1.3 million listeners each week on 256 stations, and SymphonyCast reaching 335,000 listeners each week on 126 stations nationwide. The SPCO has released 67 recordings, commissioned 131 new works, and performed the world premiere of 49 additional compositions. The SPCO has earned the distinction of 16 ASCAP awards for adventurous programming. Renowned for its artistic excellence and remarkable versatility of musical styles, the SPCO tours nationally and internationally, including performances in premier venues in Europe, Asia and South America. Launched in 1995, the SPCO’s award-winning CONNECT education program reaches nearly 6,000 students and teachers annually in 16 Minneapolis and St. Paul public schools. For more information, visit www.thespco.org.
 
 
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05/03/2013

“Iron Man 3” a worthy heir to the franchise

Chris Miksanek -- The Med City Movie Guy - 'Iron Man 3' reviewHistorically, sequels grow progressively worse than their predecessors. Francis Ford Coppola’s masterpiece “The Godfather,” for example, was followed by “The Godfather: Part II,” a great movie but a smidge below its antecedent with “The Godfather: Part III” following a full notch below that. (And don’t even get me started on “Revenge of the Nerds IV.”)

In the Marvel Universe, however, there is a cohesion that buoys the entire franchise.

In this go-round, Tony Stark (Robert Downey, Jr.) flashes back to a missed opportunity to work with a bright scientist named Aldrich Killian (Guy Pearce) who later goes on to become Iron Man’s nemesis (yea, I know, Buddy Pine and Syndrome in “The Incredibles”).

Killian and botanist Maya Hansen (Rebecca Hall) have created a regenerative virus called Extremis. To hide the technology’s imperfections blame is laid on a terrorist strawman called “The Mandarin” (Ben Kingsley).

Lots of fun and action here with Downey once again doing most of the heavy lifting. (Iron Man, heavy listing, ’cause iron weights a … oh, never mind!)

Pearce makes a great villain but is somewhat upstaged by Kingsley’s nuanced “performance.” There’s additional comic relief from Happy Hogan, Stark’s head of security played by Jon Favreau (who helmed the first two films); and, Gwyneth Paltrow’s Pepper Potts has an expanded role. But you forget all of that with the surprise after-credits bonus which real fans would stay for even without my recommendation.

(Speaking of comic relief, Stan Lee’s clever cameos are epic and I give this one a 10.0 but it’s quick so don’t look down at your tub of popcorn for even a second or you’ll miss it.)

The question remains, with the shrapnel removed is this the final film in the series or will a new chapter be written? “The Avengers 2” is slated for a 2015 release but Downey has not yet inked his participation.

Chris Miksanek -- The Med City Movie Guy - 'Iron Man 3' 4 honks

Chris Miksanek, The Med City Movie Guy

facebook.com/TheMedCityMovieGuy

twitter: @MedCityMovieGuy

 

04/30/2013

New films opening in Rochester this weekend include "Iron Man 3"

Readers, which is your favorite Iron Man film? Read my re-reviews of Iron Man 1 and Iron Man 2 in Thursday's PB and then come back here Friday afternoon for my online-only review of Iron Man 3.

Chris Miksanek, The Med City Movie Guy

facebook.com/TheMedCityMovieGuy

twitter: @MedCityMovieGuy

Chris Miksanek -- The Med City Movie Guy - 'Iron Man 3'

04/28/2013

New films opening in Rochester this weekend include: "Pain & Gain" and "The Big Wedding"

Readers, what are your movie plans this weekend?

Chris Miksanek, The Med City Movie Guy

facebook.com/TheMedCityMovieGuy

twitter: @MedCityMovieGuy

Chris Miksanek -- The Med City Movie Guy - 'Pain & Gain'  Chris Miksanek -- The Med City Movie Guy - 'The Big Wedding'

 

04/20/2013

New films opening in Rochester this weekend include: "Oblivion" and "Stand Up Guys"

Readers, what are your movie plans this weekend?

Chris Miksanek, The Med City Movie Guy

facebook.com/TheMedCityMovieGuy

twitter: @MedCityMovieGuy

Chris Miksanek -- The Med City Movie Guy - 'Oblivion' starring Tom Cruise  Chris Miksanek -- The Med City Movie Guy - 'Stand Up Guys'

04/18/2013

Ooo-woo-hoo

ChicagologoI already know what I'm going to be singing in the shower tomorrow. But if you crave a bigger stage, you can bid for your shot to sing "If You Leave Me Now" with Chicago on stage at their Rochester show on April 28.

The band has raised more than $250,000 for the American Cancer Society's breast cancer fight over the past four years with these auctions. This year's auction is in honor of their friend, Paqui Kelly, wife of Notre Dame head football coach Brian Kelly. She is a breast cancer survivor.

Besides the shot at singing stardom, the package includes two tickets and backstage passes to meet the band. Click on this link to enter the bidding. 

— Jeff Pieters