The Gwinnett Daily Post Weekend/Entertainment Section

Movie critic Michael Clark gives his Oscar picks — Page 8

PAGE 2 • WWW.GWINNETTDAILYPOST.COM • FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2011

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what to do, hear, see, watch, read, listen to, visit and eat in Gwinnett and Atlanta

week end

Art Beat ....................................................................Pg. 5

Movies.....................................................Pgs. 7-12, 14-15

Showtimes ............................................................Pg. 10

By Venue ................................................................Pg. 13

Gwinnett Calendar ............................................Pg. 16

Metro Calendar ....................................................Pg. 16The “Weekend” arts and entertainment guide includes select events inthe coming week.To be considered for a listing, send a fact sheet to:Weekend, Features Department, Gwinnett Daily Post, 725 Old Nor-cross Road, Lawrenceville, GA 30045; or call 770-963-9205, e-mail [email protected] or fax 770-339-8081.

The Dish: Babalu Cuban Joint spans 751miles to bring Cuba to Dacula ....................Pg. 4

Weekend Design: Brian Giandelone

INSIDE

Staff Photo: Jason BravermanBabalu Cuban Joint is located at 802 Dacula Road in Dacula.

Pencil us in.Find out what to do,

where to go and who to see.

Every Friday in Weekend.

BY CAROLE TOWNSENDStaff Correspondent

ATLANTA — STOMP,the unique percussive musi-cal production that combinesdance, music and engagingaudience interaction is com-ing back to the Fox Theatrein Atlanta from Wednesdaythrough March 6. The showreturns with some excitingnew surprises and intriguingnew props, such as tractortire inner tubes and paintcans.

An international sensation,STOMP has evolved andgrown in scope and varietyfor 14 years. It has becomethe most financially success-ful off-Broadway show inhistory, and the New Yorkproduction has enjoyed a 15-year run in the city’sOrpheum Theatre. There aretwo STOMP troupes inEurope, and internationalengagements include Korea,Brazil, Greece, Australia,Chile, China and SouthAfrica. STOMP has playedin more than 350 cities and36 countries.

Show creators LukeCresswell and Steve McNi-cholas take pride in the factthat STOMP is a dynamic,never-the-same-thing-twiceshow that amazes and

delights audiences, eventhose who have seen theshow more than once.

“After creating new rou-tines for STOMP OUTLOUD in Vegas, Luke and Idecided it was time to re-work elements of our mainproduction, STOMP,” McNi-cholas said. “Every rework-ing has involved losing somepieces and gaining new ones,but has always stayed true tothe original premise of theshow: to create rhythmicmusic with instantly recog-nizable objects, and do itwith an eccentric sense ofcharacter and humor.”

Performers in this imagi-native, high-energy produc-tion use dance and easily rec-ognizable items to createsounds and visual imagesthat delight both children and

adults. Zippo lighters,brooms, trash cans, boots,even hubcaps are all used tocreate a musical productionthat has to be seen to bebelieved and appreciated.

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2011 • WWW.GWINNETTDAILYPOST.COM • PAGE 3

Make some NOISE

• What: STOMP• Where: Fox Theatre• When: Wednesdaythrough March 6• Showtimes: 8 p.m.Wednesday-Fridays, 1,5, and 9 p.m. Saturdayand 1:30 and 6 p.m.Sunday • Tickets: Prices rangefrom $24 to $59.• More info: www.stom-ponline.com.

IFYOUGOSTOMP returns to Fox Theatre

Special PhotoSTOMP returns to the Fox Theatre on Wednesday. The show runs throughMarch 6.

INSIDE THE PERIMETER


THE DISH

Babalu Cuban Joint678-985-0555802 Dacula Road, Dacula

BY CAROLE TOWNSENDStaff Correspondent

• Open since: January

• Location: 802 Dac-ula Road in Dacula, nearthe intersection of OldPeachtree Road and Dac-ula Road

• Hours: 11 a.m. to9:30 p.m. Mondaysthrough Thursdays; 11a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Fri-days and Saturdays; 11a.m. to 9 p.m. Sundays.

• Owner: Ivan Jaramillo

• Atmosphere: Situat-ed in the corner of a newoutparcel development onDacula Road in Dacula,this small, quaint Cubanrestaurant offers healthy,fresh authentic fare with anod toward local farmers,wineries and breweries.Small but definitely witha retro, Ybor City Cubanfeel. There’s a big palmtree in one corner, and adisplay of good cigars(not Cuban) for sale bythe register. By the timewarm weather arrives, thefestive patio should becompleted.

• Menu: Jaramillo saidthat opening BabaluCuban Joint two monthsago was “a dream cometrue.” Having been taughtto cook by his mom fromthe time he was a littleboy instilled in him a lovefor the art of creating fla-

vorful cuisine. Putting hishealthy and fresh spin onCuban food sets hisrestaurant apart.

“We cook with verylow sodium and muchlower fat (than is typicalin Cuban food),” saidJaramillo, adding that hebuys fresh vegetablesfrom local growers andserves craft beers madelocally. Jaramillo is alsoproud of the impressivewine list offered atBabalu, and the sangria is“excellent.”

“I’m the owner-opera-tor. I’m here all the time.That’s important,”Jaramillo said.

If you see somethingon the menu that youmight want to try butaren’t sure, he’ll even

take the time to describethe dish to you and helpyou understand the menu.

Desserts are not over-looked, with authenticchoices such as TresLeches, Dulce de Lecheice cream, Quattro Leches(yellow cake soaked inthree sweet milks andcaramel), and even pastry,fruit and cheese selec-tions. Jaramillo evenoffers protein smoothiesflavored with tropicalfruits — mamey, mangoand berry.

• Things you mightnot know: The popular“751” sandwich gets itsname from the fact thatit’s 751 miles from therestaurant’s location toCuba.

Staff Photo: Jason BravermanBabalu Cuban Joint in Dacula serves its 751 Cuban sandwich with black beans and rice.The sandwich is named after the number of miles from the restaurant to Cuba.

All menu selections are available for both lunch anddinner

Lunch• Platters include sandwich and gourmet salad or

choice of one of five soups made daily, $6.99, servedfrom 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. daily

• The 751 Cuban Sandwich: Swiss cheese, roastedpork, ham, mustard and pickles on Cuban bread

• Healthy Cuban Sandwich: Like the 751, butmade with turkey and chicken

• Ropa Vieja: Shredded beef, pickles, cheese onCuban bread

Dinner• Paella: “The real deal,” made with fresh seafood

(shrimp, mussels, scallops, fresh fish and squid), olivesand capers, $ 23.99

• Carne con Papas: Sirloin tips with potatoes,$9.99

• Chicken platter: Chicken breast, black beans andrice with Cuban bread, $9.99

ONTHEMENU

www.babalucubanjoint.com

The exciting projectundertaken by the city ofSuwanee, SuwaneeSculpTour, has its firstdeadline Tuesday whenartists are required to turnin their registration formsfor acceptance into thisunique exhibition.

Suwanee SculpTour, aproject of the SuwaneePublic Arts Commission,will be an exhibit of 10 to15 original outdoor sculp-tures displayed arounddowntown Suwanee fromMay through March2012. The project is mod-eled after successful pro-grams in Columbus,Georgia and elsewherearound the country.

Artists interested inparticipating in SuwaneeSculpTour can find moreinformation about artworksizes, materials, otherdeadlines and the registra-tion form by going to the

Suwanee website atwww.suwanee.com andchoosing the “Public ArtExhibit” feature. This willlead to a pdf form selec-tion with all the informa-tion available. Artists maysubmit up to three origi-nal sculptures for consid-eration. Selected artistswill receive a stipend ofup to $1,000 and be eligi-ble to win cash awardstotaling more than$5,000.

Spokesperson Denison

Brinson, Suwanee’s Eco-nomic and CommunityDevelopment Director,has great enthusiasm for

this project. “This will be a cultural

amenity for all of Gwin-nett,” Brinson said. “We

believe this can become atourist attraction forSuwanee and for all ofthe county. As this event

grows each year, withnew sculptures being


PLUS! Passes to Daytona Lagoon, entrance toPonce De Leon Inlet Lighthouse, Ice Skating at Daytona Ice Arena, passes to the Museum ofArts and Sciences, passes to the Marine ScienceCenter, gift certificate for Bubba Gump ShrimpCo., gift certificate for Caribbean Jack’s

Restaurant, gift certificate to Capt’s TavernRiverfront Grill, and entrance to Jackie

Robinson Ball park and Mary Bethune’sHouse for four (4).

GRAND PRIZE TRIP FOR FOUR INCLUDES:

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Airfare (air transportation for 4 from Atlanta, GA to Daytona, FL) and

3 nights accommodations at El CaribeResort & Conference Center!

ART BEATSuwanee SculpTour public art event finalizes call for artists

• See Art Beat, Page 6

ART BEATHOLLEY CALMES


For more information, contact Valerie Greenat 770.963.9205 ext. 1201 or email [email protected]

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exhibited on a yearlybasis, people coming tosee it can also stop at theMall of Georgia or visitother Gwinnett attrac-tions.”

Suwanee has long beena leader in the Gwinnettarts community. TheSuwanee PAC, estab-lished in 2008, hasalready commissioned aspectacular suspendedsculpture created byworld renowned industri-al artist Koryn Rolstadfor Suwanee’s City Hall.Suwanee encouragesdevelopers to commit 1percent of their new pro-jects’ cost to fundingpublic art on their prop-erty or support public artin other locationsthroughout the communi-ty.

“It is so cool that somany Gwinnett commu-nities have gotteninvolved in the arts,”Brinson said. “Suwaneehas chosen public art andsculpture as their artisticfocus. We have a greatpark, and great spaces toshow off artists and theirart.”

Suwanee has more thansculpture to offer, howev-er.

“I love nothing betterthan to sit on the patio atMellow Mushroom andwatch people look at theart in the windows thathas been provided by theNorth Gwinnett ArtsAssociation,” Brinsonsaid.

The organization,founded in early 2010,has been a dynamic forcein Suwanee’s arts com-munity. But art doesn’thappen without financialsupport. People’s Bankand Trust has been amajor contributor to mak-ing Suwanee SculpTour a

reality, according to Brin-son.

Brinson said, “Art isone of those things thatuntil you experience it,you don’t know how itwill affect you. Everytime I talk to a neighbor-ing city, we’re all realiz-ing the importance of thearts and what it brings toour town. We’re all find-ing our own way, ourown niche. When you put

it all together, it is signif-icant.”

For more information,call Denise Brinson orToni Shrewsbury at 770-945-8996 or e-mail themat [email protected] [email protected].

Holley Calmes is a free-lance writer and public rela-tions consultant specializingin the arts. E-mail her [email protected].

• From Page 5

Art Beat

www.gwinnettdailypost.com


AN ADDITIONALPERFORMANCE HAS BEEN ADDED DUE TO POPULAR DEMAND!*

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BY MICHAEL CLARKMovie Critic

Since hitting the mother lode in thelast century with the triple-threat thatwas “Dumb and Dumber,” “Kingpin”and “There’s Something AboutMary,” writer/director brothers Peterand Bobby Farrelly have gone on tomake a half dozen clunker clones in arow. With “Hall Pass” their streak isextended to seven.

Forbearers of sorts to Judd Apatowand his cronies, the Farrellys are lessclever versions of their imitators andtheir imaginations seem to be stuck inthe eighth grade. There are only somany ways you can repackage sexualeuphemisms and bodily fluid jokesbefore appearing desperate.

As a concept, “Hall Pass” is betterthan most; it’s in the execution whereit all falls apart. For the most part,best friends Rick (Owen Wilson) andFred (Jason Sudeikis) are happilymarried suburbanite schlubs. Theytruly love their wives (Jenna Fischeras Maggie and Christina Applegate as

Grace) but still regularly gawk atother women and talk about sex infront of them. The men’s boorishbehavior is harmless but insulting,and like the movie itself is more tire-some and juvenile than outrightoffensive.

After discussing the matter withtheir self-help author neighbor Lucy(Joy Behar), Maggie and then Gracedecide to take her iffy advice: giveRick and Fred one-week hall passes.For seven whole days, they can berelieved of their marital commit-ments, act like they’re single againand get it all out of their systems.Fred is ecstatic, Rick less so and theirthree poker buddies can’t wait to sitback and watch them start reelin’ inthe babes.

It becomes painfully clear early onthat these guys are all bark and nobite and would rather stuff themselvessilly at Applebee’s and enjoy a post-meal nap than actually chase women.What Rick and Fred don’t realize isthat during this same time Maggieand Grace are staying at a beachhouse and are being doggedly pur-sued by two randy amateur baseballplayers. Turnabout is fair play.

While it is set in the Farrelly’shometown of Providence, R.I., themovie was shot almost exclusively in

and around Atlanta although few locallandmarks can be readily identified.One noted exception is the legendaryBuckhead watering hole “Johnny’sHideaway,” also known to both itsfans and detractors as “God’s WaitingRoom.” The Hideaway sequence isn’tvery funny, but another taking placeat what looks like the Country Clubof the South involving marijuana-laced brownies is.

As they sometimes do, the Far-rellys veer off the harmless romanticcomedy road and in at least oneinstance here, literally crash into atasteless, ill-fitting ditch. After adressing down by one of the ballplay-ers, one of the wives puts herself innear-death peril. Insulting remarksmeant as jokes regarding women of acertain age land with gigantic thuds.A jealous stalker/boyfriend shows uppacking heat and a tire iron with theclear intent of murder. The filmmak-ers recover somewhat in the finalscenes — all involving Rick —where the humor is genuine, intelli-gent and borderline heartwarming.

Unless you’re a Farrelly brotherscompletist, save yourself some timeand money and wait for the DVDwhich, given the movie’s likely box-office tanking, should be availablebefore summer starts. (New Line)

Hall Pass (R)

★★★★★★

MOVIES

Farrelly brothers put out another immature clunkerJust ‘Pass’ on it

Alexan-dra Dad-dario,left, andOwenWilsonstar in“HallPass.”

Special Photo: Warner Bros.

PAGE 8 • WWW.GWINNETTDAILYPOST.COM • FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 25 2011 FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2011 • WWW.GWINNETTDAILYPOST.COM • PAGE 9

The Skinny: Easily the strongestgroup and also the most anticlimacticof the competitions. Both Franco andEisenberg are too young and neitherhas been around the block enoughtimes. Both Bardem and Bridges arerecent winners and many feel theygot their nods based on past gloriesand a perceived lack of other possi-ble deserving candidates.

The Bottom Line: Pure and simple,Firth in a landslide. His Vegas oddsare 1-33; it won’t even be close. Hehas put in the time and the sweatequity and has proved over and overthat he is far more than just a hand-some, go-to period-piece leadingman. His is not only the best perfor-mance in any category in 2010 it isthe finest, most realized performanceby anyone in the last decade.

What is regarded by most critics, audiences and industryinsiders as the worst year for movies in 50 years finally comes toa close Sunday night when the 83rd annual Academy Awardsmercifully closes the books on 2010.

For the second year in a row, allfour of the acting races are run-aways and the only tension of theevening will take place in the last10 minutes of the four-hour broad-cast. In another effort to rope inyounger viewers, the Academy haspegged Best Actor nominee JamesFranco and tabloid regular AnneHathaway as co-hosts which couldprove to be interesting. Though thecamera loves both of them, neitherhas ever hosted an event of thismagnitude before and each willhave to rely on their comedic chops

in order to make it through the night with their dignity intact. Below is my take on the six major awards, a few glaring

omissions and some of the lower-profile winners.

VIEWPOINTS

MICHAEL CLARK

Javier Bardem“Biutiful”

Jeff Bridges“True Grit”

Jesse Eisenberg“The Social Network”

Colin Firth“The King’sSpeech”

James Franco“127 Hours”

MIA: Paul Giamatti,“Barney’s Version”

The Skinny: Kudos to the Academy foreven nominating the under-the-radarLawrence; in a perfect world, she’d be thefavorite.Williams and Kidman were greatas well but also in an ultra-depressingmovies that tanked big time. If sentimentwas the sole deciding factor, Bening wouldtake the prize in a walk, even though shestarred in a comedy.This is her fourth nom-ination and it will be the fourth time she’lllose to another higher-profile, (usually)younger nominee.

The Bottom Line: While still in her 20sand with just a single previous nomination,Portman began her career before she wasa teen and is rightfully considered by herpeers to be wholly deserving of the award.She is a consummate professional whoavoids scandal and she alone turned whatshould have been a low-performing, art-house downer into a bona fide blockbuster.

Annette Bening“The Kids Are All Right”

Nicole Kidman“Rabbit Hole”

Jennifer Lawrence“Winter’s Bone”

Natalie Portman“Black Swan”

Michelle Williams“Blue Valentine”MIA: Rosamund Pike “Barney’s Version”

The Skinny: Ruffalo … sorry, he’s a light-weight and shouldn’t have even received anomination. Hawkes and Renner were bothsuperb but each played evil, sick-puppytypes who generally don’t do well in thiscategory — Joe Pesci in “GoodFellas”notwithstanding. Rush managed to win theBAFTA, but that was mostly due to the factthat “The King’s Speech” was a British pro-duction and he’s Australian. He’s also wonbefore (in “Shine”) and is technically the co-lead in his movie.

The Bottom Line: Like Portman, Balebegan his career prior to puberty (remem-ber “Empire of the Sun”?) and he takes alot of daring chances with his choice ofroles. He’s also had a huge scandal (the“Terminator Salvation” on-set tirade) and isthe current Batman (the Academy isn’tkeen on superheroes). None of the pastmatters here; Bale deserves it and will win.

Christian Bale“The Fighter”

John Hawkes“Winter’s Bone”

Jeremy Renner“The Town”

Mark Ruffalo“The Kids Are All Right”

Geoffrey Rush“The King’s Speech”MIA: Dustin Hoffman “Barney’s Version”

The Skinny: This is always the most volatile andunpredictable category, and even though there isa clear front-runner, it could provide a big surprise.Yes, she’s cute and is exactly what the Academygravitates toward, but Steinfeld’s was a lead per-formance.Weaver? Has anyone even seen thismovie? Carter won the BAFTA but that’s becauseshe played the mother of Queen Elizabeth II andshe looks good in hats. It is the presence of wildcard Steinfeld and the always classy but not reallydeserving Adams in the mix that could set thestage for an upset.

The Bottom Line: Whenever two or more per-formers from the same film (“Thelma & Louise,”the first two “Godfather” flicks for example) arenominated in the same category, they usually can-cel each other out in the voting.Young beautifulwomen regularly beat out seasoned, more talent-ed veterans. However, the recent past nomineeLeo has a lot of momentum and should pull it out— and will probably give the most colorful, lengthyand emotionally-packed acceptance speech.

Amy Adams“The Fighter”

Helena BonhamCarter“The King’sSpeech”

Melissa Leo“The Fighter”

Hailee Steinfeld“True Grit”

Jacki Weaver“Animal Kingdom”MIA: Mila Kunis “Black Swan”

The Skinny: Last year, after not doing so since the early ’40s, the Academydecided — solely because of continued low ratings — to double the amount ofBest Picture nominees. In addition to reeking of desperation, it ultimately deval-ues the prize and plays havoc with the voting. Although actual figures are neverrevealed to the public, many insiders believe last year’s winner (“The Hurt Lock-er”) won with less than 50 percent of the votes, thus capturing the prize by defacto default. Even with 10 reasonably decent titles in the mix, only two haveany viable chance to win.

The Bottom Line: The front-runner from the time of its release in the summerall way up to its win at the Golden Globes, “The Social Network” was both thecritics’ darling and an audience favorite. However, like many things associatedwith the Internet, the movie’s initial sheen has dulled and it has lost all of its mar-ginal momentum. In addition to being far more deserving, “The King’s Speech”is exactly what old school members of the Academy want in a Best Picture win-ner. It’s a beautifully photographed uplifting drama overflowing with memorableperformances and a superbly crafted screenplay delivered within a measured,no-nonsense framework.There’s not one weak chink in its stiff upper-lip armorand it will emerge victorious, if only by a slim margin.

Darren Aronofsky for “Black Swan”David O. Russell for “The Fighter”Tom Hooper for “The King’s Speech”David Fincher for “The Social Network”Joel Coen and Ethan Coen for “True Grit”

MIA: Christopher Nolan for “Inception”

The Skinny: This is by far the tightest race of the evening. Aronofsky and Rus-sell — who are often mistaken for each other and don’t play well with others —don’t have a prayer.The Coens have won multiple times and “True Grit” wasgood but not great. Hooper won the usual bellwether Director’s Guild prize but isnot well known and his film will likely win the Best Picture award.

The Bottom Line: The Academy will again assume the role of Solomon (“Sav-ing Private Ryan,” “The Pianist,” “Traffic,” “Brokeback Mountain”) by splitting upthe two big non-acting prizes and will award the Oscar to Fincher. “The SocialNetwork” is not his best effort and this will be a premature “lifetime achievement”affair, but the timing is right. It will go far in making up for the overlooking of“Fight Club,” “Se7en,” “Zodiac” and “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.”

BEST ACTOR BEST ACTRESS BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

BEST PICTURE

BEST DIRECTOR

THE SOCIAL NETWORK

THE KING’S SPEECHINCEPTION

TOY STORY 3

TRUE GRIT

THE FIGHTER

THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT

WINTER’S BONE BLACK SWAN

127 HOURS

Who’ll win and who’s missing from this year’s awards

For more Oscar predictions, see page 11

PAGE 8 • WWW.GWINNETTDAILYPOST.COM • FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 25 2011 FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2011 • WWW.GWINNETTDAILYPOST.COM • PAGE 9

The Skinny: Easily the strongestgroup and also the most anticlimacticof the competitions. Both Franco andEisenberg are too young and neitherhas been around the block enoughtimes. Both Bardem and Bridges arerecent winners and many feel theygot their nods based on past gloriesand a perceived lack of other possi-ble deserving candidates.

The Bottom Line: Pure and simple,Firth in a landslide. His Vegas oddsare 1-33; it won’t even be close. Hehas put in the time and the sweatequity and has proved over and overthat he is far more than just a hand-some, go-to period-piece leadingman. His is not only the best perfor-mance in any category in 2010 it isthe finest, most realized performanceby anyone in the last decade.

What is regarded by most critics, audiences and industryinsiders as the worst year for movies in 50 years finally comes toa close Sunday night when the 83rd annual Academy Awardsmercifully closes the books on 2010.

For the second year in a row, allfour of the acting races are run-aways and the only tension of theevening will take place in the last10 minutes of the four-hour broad-cast. In another effort to rope inyounger viewers, the Academy haspegged Best Actor nominee JamesFranco and tabloid regular AnneHathaway as co-hosts which couldprove to be interesting. Though thecamera loves both of them, neitherhas ever hosted an event of thismagnitude before and each willhave to rely on their comedic chops

in order to make it through the night with their dignity intact. Below is my take on the six major awards, a few glaring

omissions and some of the lower-profile winners.

VIEWPOINTS

MICHAEL CLARK

Javier Bardem“Biutiful”

Jeff Bridges“True Grit”

Jesse Eisenberg“The Social Network”

Colin Firth“The King’sSpeech”

James Franco“127 Hours”

MIA: Paul Giamatti,“Barney’s Version”

The Skinny: Kudos to the Academy foreven nominating the under-the-radarLawrence; in a perfect world, she’d be thefavorite.Williams and Kidman were greatas well but also in an ultra-depressingmovies that tanked big time. If sentimentwas the sole deciding factor, Bening wouldtake the prize in a walk, even though shestarred in a comedy.This is her fourth nom-ination and it will be the fourth time she’lllose to another higher-profile, (usually)younger nominee.

The Bottom Line: While still in her 20sand with just a single previous nomination,Portman began her career before she wasa teen and is rightfully considered by herpeers to be wholly deserving of the award.She is a consummate professional whoavoids scandal and she alone turned whatshould have been a low-performing, art-house downer into a bona fide blockbuster.

Annette Bening“The Kids Are All Right”

Nicole Kidman“Rabbit Hole”

Jennifer Lawrence“Winter’s Bone”

Natalie Portman“Black Swan”

Michelle Williams“Blue Valentine”MIA: Rosamund Pike “Barney’s Version”

The Skinny: Ruffalo … sorry, he’s a light-weight and shouldn’t have even received anomination. Hawkes and Renner were bothsuperb but each played evil, sick-puppytypes who generally don’t do well in thiscategory — Joe Pesci in “GoodFellas”notwithstanding. Rush managed to win theBAFTA, but that was mostly due to the factthat “The King’s Speech” was a British pro-duction and he’s Australian. He’s also wonbefore (in “Shine”) and is technically the co-lead in his movie.

The Bottom Line: Like Portman, Balebegan his career prior to puberty (remem-ber “Empire of the Sun”?) and he takes alot of daring chances with his choice ofroles. He’s also had a huge scandal (the“Terminator Salvation” on-set tirade) and isthe current Batman (the Academy isn’tkeen on superheroes). None of the pastmatters here; Bale deserves it and will win.

Christian Bale“The Fighter”

John Hawkes“Winter’s Bone”

Jeremy Renner“The Town”

Mark Ruffalo“The Kids Are All Right”

Geoffrey Rush“The King’s Speech”MIA: Dustin Hoffman “Barney’s Version”

The Skinny: This is always the most volatile andunpredictable category, and even though there isa clear front-runner, it could provide a big surprise.Yes, she’s cute and is exactly what the Academygravitates toward, but Steinfeld’s was a lead per-formance.Weaver? Has anyone even seen thismovie? Carter won the BAFTA but that’s becauseshe played the mother of Queen Elizabeth II andshe looks good in hats. It is the presence of wildcard Steinfeld and the always classy but not reallydeserving Adams in the mix that could set thestage for an upset.

The Bottom Line: Whenever two or more per-formers from the same film (“Thelma & Louise,”the first two “Godfather” flicks for example) arenominated in the same category, they usually can-cel each other out in the voting.Young beautifulwomen regularly beat out seasoned, more talent-ed veterans. However, the recent past nomineeLeo has a lot of momentum and should pull it out— and will probably give the most colorful, lengthyand emotionally-packed acceptance speech.

Amy Adams“The Fighter”

Helena BonhamCarter“The King’sSpeech”

Melissa Leo“The Fighter”

Hailee Steinfeld“True Grit”

Jacki Weaver“Animal Kingdom”MIA: Mila Kunis “Black Swan”

The Skinny: Last year, after not doing so since the early ’40s, the Academydecided — solely because of continued low ratings — to double the amount ofBest Picture nominees. In addition to reeking of desperation, it ultimately deval-ues the prize and plays havoc with the voting. Although actual figures are neverrevealed to the public, many insiders believe last year’s winner (“The Hurt Lock-er”) won with less than 50 percent of the votes, thus capturing the prize by defacto default. Even with 10 reasonably decent titles in the mix, only two haveany viable chance to win.

The Bottom Line: The front-runner from the time of its release in the summerall way up to its win at the Golden Globes, “The Social Network” was both thecritics’ darling and an audience favorite. However, like many things associatedwith the Internet, the movie’s initial sheen has dulled and it has lost all of its mar-ginal momentum. In addition to being far more deserving, “The King’s Speech”is exactly what old school members of the Academy want in a Best Picture win-ner. It’s a beautifully photographed uplifting drama overflowing with memorableperformances and a superbly crafted screenplay delivered within a measured,no-nonsense framework.There’s not one weak chink in its stiff upper-lip armorand it will emerge victorious, if only by a slim margin.

Darren Aronofsky for “Black Swan”David O. Russell for “The Fighter”Tom Hooper for “The King’s Speech”David Fincher for “The Social Network”Joel Coen and Ethan Coen for “True Grit”

MIA: Christopher Nolan for “Inception”

The Skinny: This is by far the tightest race of the evening. Aronofsky and Rus-sell — who are often mistaken for each other and don’t play well with others —don’t have a prayer.The Coens have won multiple times and “True Grit” wasgood but not great. Hooper won the usual bellwether Director’s Guild prize but isnot well known and his film will likely win the Best Picture award.

The Bottom Line: The Academy will again assume the role of Solomon (“Sav-ing Private Ryan,” “The Pianist,” “Traffic,” “Brokeback Mountain”) by splitting upthe two big non-acting prizes and will award the Oscar to Fincher. “The SocialNetwork” is not his best effort and this will be a premature “lifetime achievement”affair, but the timing is right. It will go far in making up for the overlooking of“Fight Club,” “Se7en,” “Zodiac” and “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.”

BEST ACTOR BEST ACTRESS BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

BEST PICTURE

BEST DIRECTOR

THE SOCIAL NETWORK

THE KING’S SPEECHINCEPTION

TOY STORY 3

TRUE GRIT

THE FIGHTER

THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT

WINTER’S BONE BLACK SWAN

127 HOURS

Who’ll win and who’s missing from this year’s awards

For more Oscar predictions, see page 11


SHOWTIMESSHOWTIMESMOVIE TIMES FOR FRIDAY, FEB. 25

BUFORDREGAL CINEMAS,MALL OF GEORGIA 203333 Buford Drive678-482-9263www.regalcinemas.com

Big Momma’s: Like Father,Like Son (PG-13)12:05, 1:00, 2:45, 3:35, 5:25, 6:30, 8:00, 9:10, 10:35,11:45Drive Angry (R)1:15, 3:50, 6:45, 9:15, 11:55Drive Angry 3-D (R)12:00, 2:30, 5:00, 7:30, 10:00The Eagle (PG-13)9:45Gnomeo and Juliet (G)12:50, 3:05, 5:15, 7:40Gnomeo and Juliet 3-D (G)11:50, 2:00, 4:25, 7:15, 9:25, 11:35The Green Hornet (PG-13)2:50, 7:45Hall Pass (R)12:00, 1:10, 2:30, 4:00, 5:10, 6:40, 7:45, 9:15, 10:20,11:50I Am Number Four The IMAX Experience (PG-13)1:30, 4:20, 7:00, 9:40, 12:10I Am Number Four (PG-13)11:50, 12:40, 2:25, 3:30, 5:10, 6:20, 7:50, 9:00, 10:30,11:40Just Go With It (PG-13)12:50, 4:05, 7:00, 9:45Justin Bieber: Never Say Never (G)12:25, 2:55, 5:30, 8:00, 10:30Justin Bieber: Never Say Never 3-D(G)1:25, 4:20, 7:20, 10:00The King’s Speech (R)1:15, 4:10, 7:05, 9:55The Mechanic (R)12:20, 5:30, 10:25No Strings Attached (R)1:15, 4:15, 7:40, 10:15The Roommate (PG-13)11:55, 2:15, 4:50, 7:35, 9:50, 12:10True Grit (PG-13)1:30, 4:40, 7:30, 10:10Unknown (PG-13)1:20, 2:40, 4:00, 5:20, 7:00, 9:35, 10:35, 12:10

DACULAGREAT ESCAPETHEATERS: HAMILTON MILL142160 Hamilton Creek ParkwayDacula, GA 30019678-482-0624www.greatescapetheaters.com

Big Momma’s: Like Father, Like Son(PG-13)12:05, 2:35, 5:05, 7:35, 10:10Drive Angry 3-D (R)12:30, 2:55, 5:20, 7:20, 7:50, 9:45, 10:20The Eagle (PG-13)

1:40, 6:55Gnomeo and Juliet 3-D (G)11:50, 1:55, 4:00, 6:30, 8:35Gnomeo and Juliet (G)12:20, 2:25, 4:55, 7:00, 9:15Hall Pass (R)11:20, 12:10, 2:45, 4:30, 5:10, 7:55, 9:30, 10:10I Am Number Four (PG-13)11:35, 2:05, 4:40, 7:10, 9:55Just Go With It (PG-13)11:30, 1:00, 2:10, 3:50, 4:50, 6:40, 7:40, 9:20, 10:20Justin Bieber: Never Say Never 3-D(G)11:00, 1:35, 4:10, 6:45, 9:25The King’s Speech (R)11:15, 1:55, 4:35, 7:15, 9:55No Strings Attached (R)12:10, 2:40, 5:15, 7:45, 10:15The Roommate (PG-13)12:15, 2:30, 5:00Unknown (PG-13)11:40, 2:15, 4:50, 7:30, 10:00

DULUTHREGAL CINEMAS,MEDLOCK CROSSING 189700 Medlock Bridge Road, Suite 170770-814-8437www.regalcinemas.com

Big Momma’s: Like Father,Like Son (PG-13)11:30, 12:40, 2:10, 3:50, 4:50, 7:25, 7:50, 10:00,10:30Black Swan (R)11:45, 2:30, 5:10, 8:05, 10:45Drive Angry (R)12:20, 2:50, 5:30, 8:10, 11:00The Eagle (PG-13)2:00, 7:55The Fighter (R)5:00, 11:00Gnomeo and Juliet (G)12:10, 2:25, 5:05, 7:45, 10:10Gnomeo and Juliet 3-D (G)11:30, 2:05, 4:30, 7:10, 9:50Hall Pass (R)12:00, 2:40, 5:20, 8:00, 10:50I Am Number Four (PG-13)11:55, 12:30, 2:50, 4:45, 7:15, 7:40, 10:00, 10:30

Just Go With It (PG-13)11:35, 2:20, 7:05, 9:55Justin Bieber: Never Say Never (G)12:20, 3:55, 7:00, 9:45Justin Bieber: Never Say Never 3-D(G)12:45, 4:20, 7:30, 10:15The King’s Speech (R)12:05, 3:45, 7:20, 10:20No Strings Attached (R)11:50, 2:30, 5:10, 7:45, 10:45The Roommate (PG-13)12:25, 2:45, 5:25, 7:55, 10:35True Grit (PG-13)11:40, 2:15, 4:55, 7:35, 10:25Unknown (PG-13)11:50, 2:35, 5:15, 8:05, 10:35

LAWRENCEVILLECOLONIAL 18 THEATRES825 Lawrenceville-Suwanee Road770-237-0744www.amctheatres.com

Big Mommas: Like Father, Like Son(PG-13)10:20, 1:05, 3:40, 6:20, 8:55, 11:30am 2:10, 4:50,7:30, 10:15 Drive Angry 3-D (R)11:40, 2:20, 5:00, 7:40, 10:20,The Eagle (PG-13)11:15, 2:00, 4:55, 7:45, 10:25 Gnomeo and Juliet 3-D (G)10:15, 12:25, 2:40, 5:05, 7:15, 9:25 Hall Pass (R)11:50, 2:30, 5:10, 7:50, 10:30,I Am Number Four (PG-13)10:05, 12:45, 3:20, 6:00, 8:40, 10:55am 1:35, 4:15,7:00, 9:50 Just Go With It (PG-13)10:30, 11:55am 1:20, 2:50, 4:10, 5:40, 7:10, 8:30,10:00 Justin Bieber Never Say Never (G)11:10, 1:45, 4:20, 6:55, 9:35 Justin Bieber Never Say Never:TheDirector’s Fan Cut 3-D (G)10:00, 12:50, 3:30, 6:15, 9:00,The King’s Speech (R)9:55, 12:45, 3:35, 6:30, 9:20 The Mechanic (R)10:35, 1:00, 3:50, 6:15, 8:45

No Strings Attached (R)11:35, 2:35, 5:20, 8:10 The Rite (PG-13)11:15, 2:00, 4:55, 7:45, 10:25 The Roommate (PG-13)12:35, 5:45, 10:35 True Grit (PG-13)10:00, 3:00, 8:00 Unknown (PG-13)10:45, 1:40, 4:30, 7:20, 10:10

AMC DISCOVER MILLS 18THEATRES5900 Sugarloaf Parkway, Suite 415678-847-9265www.amctheatres.com

Big Mommas: Like Father, Like Son(PG-13)10:45, 11:45, 12:30, 1:30, 2:25, 3:20, 4:20,5:15, 6:20, 7:00, 8:05, 9:05, 9:55, 10:50,11:50 Drive Angry 3-D (R)10:30, 1:20, 4:10, 6:45, 9:25, 11:55,The Eagle (PG-13)11:20, 5:05, 11:00 Glove (NR)11:30, 2:40, 6:10, 9:35,Gnomeo and Juliet (G)10:25, 12:40, 3:05, 5:25, 8:15 Gnomeo and Juliet 3-D (G)11:25, 2:05, 4:35, 6:55, 9:45 The Green Hornet (PG-13)2:15, 7:25 Hall Pass (R)11:15, 12:45, 2:00, 3:30, 4:45, 6:15, 7:30, 9:00,10:15, 11:45 I Am Number Four (PG-13)10:55, 12:20, 1:40, 3:15, 4:30, 6:00, 7:20, 8:50,10:10, 11:35,Just Go With It (PG-13)10:50, 1:50, 4:50, 7:45, 10:40, 8:30, 11:20 Justin Bieber Never Say Never (G)10:35, 11:50am 1:25, 2:45, 4:15, 5:35, 7:05, 9:50 The King’s Speech (R)11:05, 1:55, 4:40, 7:40, 10:45 The Mechanic (R)2:20, 8:20 The Roommate (PG-13)11:35, 5:00, 10:30 Unknown (PG-13)10:20, 1:00, 3:40, 6:30, 9:20, 12:00

GEORGIA THEATRE CO.,TOWNCENTER VALUE700 Gwinnett Drive, No. 216678-985-2222www.georgiatheatrecompany.com

The Chronicles of Narnia:Voyage of the Dawn Treader (PG)5:15, 8:15The Dilemma (PG-13)4:15, 7:15, 9:50Gulliver’s Travels (PG)5:10, 7:20, 9:40Harry Potter and the Deathly HallowsPart 1 (PG-13)4:40, 7:50Little Fockers (PG-13)4:05, 7:05, 9:35Megamind (PG)5:20, 7:45, 10:00Season of the Witch (PG-13)5:30, 7:55, 10:10The Tourist (PG-13)4:10, 7:10, 9:45Tron: Legacy5:00, 8:00Unstoppable (PG-13)4:00, 7:00, 9:30

VENTURE CINEMA 123750 Venture Dr.678-957-9545www.venturecinema12.com

The Chronicles of Narnia:Voyage of the Dawn Treader (PG)4:20, 7:05, 9:35Season of the Witch (PG-13)4:05, 7:10, 9:30Tron: Legacy (PG)4:05, 6:55, 9:30Little Fockers (PG-13)5:20, 7:35, 9:50Gulliver’s Travels (PG)5:25, 7:40, 10:00The Tourist (PG-13)4:00, 7:00, 9:25The Dilemma (PG-13)4:10, 6:50, 9:25Harry Potter and the Deathly HallowsPart 1 (PG-13)4:15, 7:25, 9:00

Unstoppable (PG-13)5:15, 7:30, 9:45Megamind (PG)3:45, 4:45, 6:45, 7:45Due Date (R)5:15, 7:30, 9:45

SNELLVILLECARMIKE 12 SNELLVILLE1905 Scenic HighwayPresidential Market Center770-979-1519www.carmike.com

Black Swan (R)1:15, 4:15, 7:15, 9:45Blue Valentine (R)1:05, 4:05, 7:05, 9:40The Company Men (R)2:10, 4:40, 7:20, 10:00The Eagle (PG-13)1:20, 4:10, 7:10, 9:50Green Hornet (PG-13)1:55, 4:50, 7:25, 10:00Hall Pass (R)2:00, 4:30, 7:10, 9:40The King’s Speech (R)1:30, 4:15, 7:00, 9:45No Strings Attached (R)1:35, 4:15, 7:15, 9:55The Rite (PG-13)1:15, 4:40, 7:05, 9:45The Roommate (PG-13)1:45, 4:35, 7:20, 9:50Sanctum 3-D (R)7:05, 9:35Tangled (PG)1:00, 3:20True Grit (PG13)1:30, 4:15, 7:00, 9:30

REGAL SNELLVILLE OAKS 142125 E. Main St., Snellville770-972-7469www.regalcinemas.com

Big Mommas: Like Father, Like Son(PG-13)1:20, 2:30, 3:45, 4:55, 6:10, 7:20, 8:35, 9:45, 11:00Drive Angry (R)2:50, 5:10, 7:30, 9:50Drive Angry 3-D (R)1:30, 4:00, 6:20, 8:40, 11:00The Fighter (R)2:55, 8:20Gnomeo and Juliet (G)2:25, 4:25, 6:25, 8:25, 10:25Gnomeo and Juliet 3-D (G)1:25, 3:25, 5:25, 7:25, 9:25Grace Card (PG-13)2:45, 5:00, 7:15, 9:30I Am Number Four (PG-13)1:15, 2:20, 3:40, 4:45, 6:05, 7:10, 8:30, 9:40, 11:00Just Go With It (PG-13)2:40, 5:15, 7:50, 10:30Justin Bieber: Never Say Never (G)1:35, 4:00, 6:20, 8:40, 10:55Justin Bieber:Never Say Never 3-D (G)2:30, 5:00, 7:30, 10:00The Mechanic (R)5:35, 10:50Unknown (PG-13)2:50, 5:25, 8:15, 10:40

For movie showtimes for Saturday and

Sunday, visit thetheater websites.


calendar@gwinnettdaily

post.com.

Love movies? Want to tell everyonewhat you think? Become a Film Fan.

The Post will pay for the movie and a light snack.

E-mail [email protected].

Probable winners in other categories:Best Animated Picture

“Toy Story 3”Best Foreign Language Film

“Biutiful”Best Documentary

“Inside Job”Best Adapted Screenplay

“The Social Network”Best Original Screenplay

“The King’s Speech”Best Costume Design

“The King’s Speech”Best Cinematography

“True Grit”Best Art Direction “The King’s Speech”

Best Editing “The Social Network”

Best Score “The Social Network”

Best Song “We Belong Together” from “Toy Story 3”

Best Special Effects “Inception”

Best Make-up “The Wolfman”

OSCARS2011


BY CHRISTY LEMIREAP Movie Critic

LOS ANGELES — TheAcademy Awards are, forthe most part, an elegantand tightly controlled affair.But wacky things can anddo happen sometimes —and those are the momentsviewers remember themost.

So here are the mostbizarre moments in theshow’s history are, in noparticular order — becausereally, it’s an honor just tobe nominated:

• The streaker (1974):Just as host David Nivenwas about to introduce Eliz-abeth Taylor, a naked mancame running across the

stage behind him, flashing apeace sign. (It was the’70s.) The whole place nat-urally went wild withlaughter, but Niven, beingthe epitome of British classand cool, didn’t miss a beat.He deadpanned: “Well,ladies and gentlemen, thatwas almost bound to hap-pen. But isn’t it fascinatingto think that probably theonly laugh that man willever get in his life is bystripping off and showinghis shortcomings?”

• Marlon Brando sendsSacheen Littlefeather onstage (1973): Brando wonbest actor for his iconic por-trayal of Don Corleone in“The Godfather.” But herefused to accept the award,

and instead sent a womanwho said she was anApache named SacheenLittlefeather to speak on hisbehalf. Brando was protest-ing what he believed to bestereotypical treatment ofNative Americans in thefilm industry. Littlefeather’sspeech drew a mixture ofapplause and boos, as wellas questions about whethershe was truly a NativeAmerican herself.

• Rob Lowe’s duet withSnow White (1989): AllanCarr injected an element ofhigh camp when he tookover as producer of theAcademy Awards. He was,after all, the man behindsuch splashy movie musi-cals as “Grease” and “Can’t

Stop the Music,” and hewon a Tony for the Broad-way hit “La Cage auxFolles.” But his Oscar cere-mony is considered one ofthe biggest flops in theshow’s history. It included a20-minute opening dancenumber with a squeaky-voiced Snow White-looka-like singing “Proud Mary”

with Lowe, who was justgetting over a sex-tapescandal. Just try to watch itwithout cringing.

• Bjork’s swan dress(2001): Being notoriouslydaring and different as sheis, Bjork dazzled andbedeviled everyone whenshe showed up at the plan-et’s most-watched red car-

pet in a white, fluffy gownwith a swan’s head drapedaround her neck. (The Ice-landic singer and actresswas nominated for bestoriginal song for “I’ve SeenIt All” from Lars vonTrier’s “Dancer in theDark.”) It is arguably themost famous outfit everworn to the Oscars.

Mail your completed entry to GDP/BambiP.O. Box 603, Lawrenceville, GA 30046

or visit gwinnettdailypost.com to enter at

No purchase necessary. Must be 18 years old or older to enter. Void where prohibited and restricted by law. Sponsor’s employees and their dependents are ineligible. Entries must be received by 3/04/11. Winners will be notified.

Name ____________________________ Phone _________________________Address __________________________________________________________Email ____________________________________________________________

AVAILABLE ON BLU-RAYTM & DVD TUESDAY, MARCH 1!

© Disney.

Oscar wild: A look at the Academy’s top bizarre momentsMOVIES


MUSIC

37 Main 37 E. Main St., Buford

678-288-2030www.37main.com

• Today: Electric Boogaloo• Saturday: Fan Halen• Thursday: Accelerator• March 4: Aeromyth• March 5: XVI• March 10: The Brat Pak• March 11: Fly By Radio• March 12: Moby Dick• March 18: 12 Oz. Prophets

40 WATT CLUB285 W. Washington St., Athens

706-549-7871www.40watt.com

• Saturday: The Get Up Kids• Wednesday: Josh Ritter• March 4: Modern Skirts• March 5: Don Chambers and Goat,Lera Lynn• March 11: Toro y Moi• March 12: The Baseball Project• March 22: Godspeed You! Black Emporer• March 23: Drew Holcomb and theNeighbors• March 24: Snoop Dogg

AARON’S AMPHITHEATRE AT LAKEWOOD

2002 Lakewood Ave., Atlanta404-443-5000

www.livenation.com/venue/aarons-amphitheatre-at-lakewood-tickets

No shows listed as of press time.

ARENA AT GWINNETT CENTER

6400 Sugarloaf Parkway, Duluth770-813-7500

www.gwinnettcenter.com

• Today through Sunday: RinglingBros. and Barnum & Bailey presentBarnum’s Funundrum• March 4: Kid Rock• March 7: Hillsong United• April 18: Lady Gaga• Aug. 4: Keith Urban

PERFORMING ARTS CENTER ATGWINNETT CENTER

6400 Sugarloaf Parkway, Duluth 770-813-7500

www.gwinnettcenter.com

• Today: Ethan Bortnick and HisMusical Time Machine• March 5: “A Midsummer Night’sDream”• March 18-20: “Cinderella”• May 20 and 22: “The Little Mermaid”

ATLANTA CIVIC CENTER395 Piedmont Ave. N.E., Atlanta

404-523-6275www.atlantaciviccenter.com

No shows listed as of press time.

BUFORD VARIETY THEATER 170 W. Main St., Buford

770-271-7878www.bufordvarietytheater.com

• Today and Saturday: Landry• March 4 and 5: Jim Gossett• March 11 and 12: Mo Alexander• March 18 and 19: Cal Verduchi

CENTER STAGE1374 W. Peachtree St.

404-885-1365www.centerstage-atlanta.com

• Saturday: Radio One Family Come-dy Tour• Thursday: Good Charlotte• March 5: Ice Cube• March 11: Celtic Crossroads• March 12: Marc Broussard

CHASTAIN PARK AMPHITHEATER

4469 Stella Drive N.W., Atlanta

404-233-2227www.livenation.com

• June 21: Dispatch

COBB ENERGY PERFORMING ARTS

CENTRE2800 Cobb Galleria Parkway, Atlanta

www.cobbenergycentre.com770-916-2800

• Saturday, Monday, March 4 and 6:The Atlanta Opera’s Porgy and Bess• March 8-10: Shen Yun PerformingArts• March 11: Bethany Frankel• March 17-20: A Chorus Line

EDDIE’S ATTIC515-B N. McDonough St., Decatur

404-377-4976 www.eddiesattic.com

• Today: Rebecca Loebe with John Francis• Saturday: Cathie Ryan• Sunday: Granville Automatic, EmilyLynch, Bethdany Dick-Olds, JohnMcNicholas and Jessica Cayne• Tuesday: Sarah Peacock• Wednesday: Dappled Grays• Thursday: Richard Shindell andDrew Nelson• March 4: Peter Bradley Adams andEmily Greene

FERST CENTER FOR THE ARTS

349 Ferst Drive, Georgia Tech campus

404-894-9600www.ferstcenter.gatech.edu

• March 5: Doug Varone and Dancers• March 11: The Vagina Monologues

FOX THEATRE660 Peachtree St. N.E., Atlanta

404-881-2100www.foxtheatre.org

• Today: John Prine and Old CrowMedicine Show• Saturday: George Lopez• Sunday: John Mellencamp• Monday: Tango Buenos Aires• Wednesday-March 6: STOMP

THE LOFT1374 W. Peachtree St., Atlanta

404-885-1365http://www.centerstage-

atlanta.com/shows/the-loft/

• March 4: Miguel• March 11: A-Town Legends feat.Kilo Ali, Raheem The Dream, andShy-D• March 14: O.M.D.

PHILIPS ARENA1 Philips Drive N.W., Atlanta

404-878-3000www.philipsarena.com

• March 12: Harlem Globetrotters• March 19: Steve Harvey and KirkFranklin

RED LIGHT CAFE553 Amsterdam Ave., Atlanta

404-874-7828www.redlightcafe.com

• Today: Austin Holland, ScarletStitch, Arcado, Revelation• Thursday: Larry Keep and Natural Bridge• March 4: Recess Jazz Trio Loves the 90s

RIALTO CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS

80 Forsyth St. N.W., Atlanta404-651-4727

www.rialtocenter.org

• Saturday: Roy Haynes and theFountain of Youth band • March 5: Vibe 2011

SMITH’S OLDE BAR1578 Piedmont Ave., Atlanta

404-875-1522www.smithsoldebar.com

• Today: Zach Deputy• Saturday: Enter the Haggis andPackway Handle Band• Wednesday: The Shadowboxers• Thursday: The Parlotones

THE TABERNACLE152 Luckie St., Atlanta

404-659-9022www.livenation.com/venue/

getVenue/venueId/1294/

• Saturday: Party Erotique• March 4: Bright Eyes

VARIETY PLAYHOUSE 1099 Euclid Ave., Little Five Points

404-521-1786www.variety-playhouse.com

• Today and Saturday: Grace Potterand The Nocturnals• March 4: Bright Eyes

Verizon WirelessAmphitheater

at Encore Park2200 Encore Parkway, Alpharetta

www.ticketmaster.com/venue/115485

• April 2: Band of Horses with Jayhawks

WILD BILL’S2075 Market St., Duluth

678-473-1000www.wildbillsatlanta.com

• Today: Motely Crude• Saturday: Craig Morgan with theJeff Vaughn BandMost tickets available through Ticket-master at 404-249-6400 or www.tick-etmaster.com.

BY VENUE

Special PhotoJohn Mellencamp will perform Sunday at the Fox Theatre

EDITOR’S NOTE: FilmFans features local residentsreviewing the film of theweek: “I Am NumberFour.” Want to be a filmfan? E-mail [email protected].

From the previews, Iexpected this movie to belike “Twilight” with aliens.In that respect, it did notdisappoint. While I enjoyedthe teenage angst and com-ing-of-age plot lines, I hadhoped for a bit moreromance and getting-to-know-you scenes.

But unlike “Twilight,”this movie had almost toomuch going on. Each scenealternated between someseriously mean bad guys, amysterious unrelated char-acter, some arrogant jocks, apretty girl and a UFOwatcher. Woven into all thatwas the development of ourhero’s relationship with his“father.”

With all this action, it’snot surprising that very littlewas revealed about thehero’s home world or peo-ple. In addition, the dia-logue skipped around somuch, covering all the sub-stantial points, that it cameacross patchy and over-edit-ed.

On the other hand, thespecial effects pleased theeye and fit into the overallstory nicely. Because ofthose, I would recommendseeing this movie in the the-ater.

— Jenni McKinney,Buford

Daniel or John Smith(Alex Pettyfer) — he keepschanging his name in themovie — plays an alienrunning from other aliensthat are out to kill him. Hetries blending in with otherhigh school kids in hopesnot to stand out, but howcan he not with his giftedpowers he continues to dis-

cover?He’s constantly having to

move in fear that the otheraliens find him, since theyhave already killed threeothers like himself and he’sNumber Four. Of coursethere’s a little forbiddenlove story twisted in, whichmakes him more vulnera-ble. Lots of action, goodstory and there’s going to befive more movies and bookscoming out to continue thisone.

If you like sci-fi movies,don’t miss this one.

— Kelly Cain,Lawrenceville

“I Am Number Four”was a really good movie.This sci-fi thriller was aboutnine teenage aliens whowere sent to earth to hidefrom an army of otheraliens called the Mogadori-an. The Mogadorians arehunting them down in order.

Even though the plot was

obvious from the commer-cials and title, it was stillentertaining. The actionstarted right from the begin-ning but the movie’s storystarted a little slow. It was-n’t until about the middlethat things started comingtogether.

All the actors, especially

John (Alex Pettyfer), hisguardian Henry (TimOlyphant), girlfriend Sarah(Dianna Agron) and theMogadorians are believable.I think that Sam (CallanMcAuliffe), his sidekick,should have had more linesbecause he played a reallyimportant role. They also

should have let Number 6come into the movie soon-er.

The special effects werereally good, too. They didn’toverdo it. There were a fewsurprises too which made ita really good movie.

— Bryce Wright,Lawrenceville


MOVIESFilm Fans: ‘Number Four’ No. 1 for sci-fi special effects

★★★★★

One of several superb 2010 animatedfeatures snubbed by the Oscar-nominat-ing committee, “Megamind” takes thetired “hero vs. villain” blueprint andskewers it to pieces without gettingsmug or sarcastic. Voicing the title char-acter, Will Ferrell shows unusualrestraint while letting co-stars Tina Feyas a spunky reporter and Jonah Hill as arival foil get all the laughs. David Cross

as a minion named Minion and BradPitt as the reclusive good-guy pick upthe rest of the slack and figure heavilyin the less-than-spectacular final reveal.

Technical specs: aspect ratio:Widescreen (1.85:1/1080p), audio: Eng-lish (7.1 Dolby True HD), French, Por-tuguese and Spanish (5.1 Dolby Digital)subtitles: English SDH, French, Por-tuguese and Spanish.

Special features include:• New film: “The Button of Doom”• Animator’s Corner enhancement

feature• Trivia track• Interactive games• Video comic book• Filmmaker commentary• Four featurettes

(DreamWorks, $49.99)

DISC SPOTLIGHT

MICHAEL CLARK

Megamind Two-disc Blu-ray + DVD

(PG)

Disc:

Movie: ★★★★★★★★★

★★★★★ ★★★★★

So, you think you’regood at movie trivia?Every week, we give read-ers the opportunity to flextheir movie muscles byanswering five trivia ques-tions from our movie crit-ic, Michael Clark.

Congratulations to lastweek’s winner, KathrynBarwick of Lilburn.

Here are last week’squestions again and theanswers:

1. What is the commonmovie bond shared by AlCapone, Howard Hughes,Abraham Lincoln, MarkTwain and Ben Bradlee?

A: All were played inmovies by JasonRobards

2. What was the nameof the dog in “The Silenceof the Lambs?”

A: Precious3. What kind of nut

does the Scat characterperpetually chase in the“Ice Age” movies?

A: Acorn4. Name someone who

has won Oscars for bothacting and songwriting.

A: Barbra Streisand5. Who won an acting

Oscar for the shortest per-formance (just over fiveminutes)?

A: Beatrice Straight in“Network”

Now, for this week’squestions:

1. What famous actressis mentioned by name insongs by Bob Dylan,Elton John, Billy Joel andThe Pretenders, amongothers?

2. Name the last personto win an acting Oscar

whose character in thefilm was an active mem-ber of the U.S. Military.

3. Name the person tobe nominated for the mostacting Oscars without awin.

4. What Coen Brothersmovie is set almost entire-ly in Washington, D.C.?

5. Name someone towin more than one actingOscar in films directed bythe same person.

The first person torespond with all the correct

answers receives a prizepackage of movie-relatedgoodies, which couldinclude promotional T-shirts, hats, posters, DVDs,video games and more. Thewinner also gets their namepublished in the next Week-end section. Please e-mailyour answers, along withyour name to [email protected].

Include “Gwinnett DailyPost Trivia Contest” in thesubject line. In the event noone answers all of thequestions correctly, theperson with the most cor-rect answers submitted by6 p.m. the Monday after thecontest is posted will be thewinner. Only one winnerper household is eligibleeach 30-day period.


MOVIES

questionsquestions

Lights, Lights, camera,camera,

Test your film knowledge with

Michael Clark

Special PhotoScat chases an acorn in the “Ice Age” movies.

Recently reviewed filmsnow playing in theaters:

• Barney’s Version (R) Lost inthe year-end prestigeblitzkrieg, “Barney’s Version”(which delivered lead Paul Gia-matti a Golden Globe) is a bril-liant bittersweet comedy aboutthe life and loves of an ornery,short-sighted TV producer cov-ering a four decade time span.31⁄2 stars — Michael Clark

• I Am Number Four (PG-13)“IANF” deserves credit for onething: it was conceived as a“Twilight” rip-off and that’sexactly what it is. Set mostly ina high school with vampiresand werewolves beingreplaced by human-lookingaliens, it’s loud, sullen and silly.2 stars — MC

• Unknown (PG-13) Like his

character in the surprisesmash “Taken,” Liam Neesontakes on the role of frayed andmanic action hero as a doctorin snowy Berlin who believeshe’s the victim of an interna-tional conspiracy. A good plotcan’t overcome the laughably

inept dialogue. 2 stars — MC

• The Eagle (PG-13) Sturdysupporting contributions fromthe esteemed Donald Suther-land, Jamie Bell and MarkStrong can’t overcome thelackluster and comatose ren-

dering turned in by the mono-syllabic Channing Tatum as thelead in this sword-and-sandalmini-epic. 2 stars — MC

• The Illusionist (PG)This ani-mated French drama man-aged to snare Golden Globeand Oscar nominations but itsappeal to traditional animatedaudiences — children espe-cially — is nil. It’s everythingbad foreign films aspire to:pompous, downbeat, pointlessand smug. 11⁄2 stars — MC

• Sanctum (R) Aware they did-n’t have much of a film, Univer-sal put executive producerJames Cameron’s name on theposter in an effort to hoodwinkaudiences into thinking theywere getting another “Avatar” or“The Abyss” and instead gavethem a bad “Poseidon Adven-ture.” 2 stars — MC

NOWSHOWING

Special Photo/DisneyAlex Pettyfer stars in the suspense thriller “I AmNumber Four.”


GWINNETT CALENDAR METRO CALENDARToday

The Collins HillScreamin’ Eagle Band willpresent the Taste of CollinsHill from 6 to 9 p.m. today atCollins Hill High School on 50Taylor Road in Suwanee.Cost is $10. Call Cindy Sykesat 770-962-8618 or [email protected] formore information.

SaturdayThe Gwinnett County

Library will sponsor a booksigning of author Steve Berryat 7 p.m. Saturday at the Nor-cross Cultural Arts and Com-munity Center. Event is freeand open to the public. Formore information, visitwww.gwinnettpl.org or call770-978-5154.

The LONA Gallery willhost a book signing for localauthor Darryl A. Hines from 4to 7 p.m. Saturday at thegallery, located across fromthe Gwinnett County Court-

house at 186 West CroganStreet in Lawrenceville. Formore information, visitwww.thelonagallery.com or call678-349-2223.

Books-A-Million Discovermills will host a FancyNancy Event, including a teaparty and crafts, at 2 p.m. Sat-urday at the store. For moreinformation, call 678-847-5115.

March 11Southern Ballet Theatre

will present “Aladdin andhis Magical Lamp” at 2:30p.m. March 11 and at 2:30and 7:30 p.m. March 12 and13 at the Performing ArtsCenter at the Gwinnett Cen-ter, 6400 Sugarloaf Parkwayin Duluth. For more informa-tion, visit www.southernbal-lettheatre.com.

March 12Gwinnett County Public

Library will host Author LisaGardner as part of its “Meet

the Author Series” at 7 p.m.March 12 at The Norcross Cul-tural Arts and CommunityCenter, 10 College St. in Nor-cross. It is a free event andopen to the public. For moreinformation, visit www.gwin-nettpl.org or call 770-978-5154.

March 26Gwinnett County Public

Library will host AuthorSuzanne Brockman as partof its “Meet the Author Series”at 7 p.m. March 26 at Parc atDuluth, 3315 Peachtree Indus-trial Blvd in Duluth. It is a freeevent and open to the public.For more information, visitwww.gwinnettpl.org or call770-978-5154.

Apr. 9The Right to Hike will host

a banquet in memory ofMeredith Emerson on April 9at the Gwinnett Center TommyHughes Grand Ballroom, fea-

turing a guest appearance bythe Indigo Girls.Tickets are$75. For more information, e-mail [email protected].

Ongoing EventsNew London Theatre pre-

sents Nunsense, a musicalcomedy by Dan Goggin,today through Sunday at theNew London Theatre in Snel-lville. Friday and Saturdayshows are at 8 p.m. and Sun-days at 2:30 p.m. For moreinformation, call 770-559-1484 or visit www.newlon-dontheatre.org.

The Gwinnett Environ-mental and Heritage Centerwill host the exhibit “YourHouse, My House,” throughApril 16.The exhibit displaysthe homes of people aroundthe world.The exhibit is includ-ed with admission to theGEHC and free for GEHCmembers. For more informa-tion, call 770-904-3500 or visitgwinnettEHC.org.

MondayThe Arts Council

Pearce Series presents“A Closer Walk WithPatsy Cline” at 7:30 p.m.Monday at the Hosch The-atre at Brenau University.Tickets range from $22 to$28. For more information,call 770-534-2787 or visitwww.theartscouncil.net.

March 12The Smithgall Arts Cen-

ter will present SashaMasakowski & MusicalPlayground as part of itsevenings of intimate Jazzconcerts at 8 p.m. March 12at The Arts Council Inc., 331Spring St. in Gainesville. Formore information, visitwww.theartscouncil.net.

March 15The Atlanta Symphony

Orchestra will performNeil Berg’s 100 Years of

Broadway at 7:30 p.m.March 15 at the PearceAuditorium at Brenau Uni-versity. Tickets range from$28 to $35. For more infor-mation, call 770-534-2787 orvisit www.theartscouncil.net.

March 17The Smithgall Arts

Center will present theindependent film “Jumpat the Sun” at 7:30 p.m.March 17 at The ArtsCouncil Inc., 331 Spring St.in Gainesville. For moreinformation, visitwww.theartscouncil.net.

ART Station will hold its15th annual St. Patrick’sDay Celebration from 6 to9:30 p.m. March 17 at ARTStation on 5384 ManorDrive in historic StoneMountain. Tickets are $20 inadvance and $25 at thedoor. For more information,call 770-469-1105 or visitwww.artstation.org.

The Gwinnett Daily Post Weekend/Entertainment Section

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