Richard von BusackSF Station Writer |
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Richard von Busack's Articles
| | Mo got his start with the band Zulu, accompanying Papa John Creech INTERNATIONALLY famous trad Delta blues revivalist Keb’ Mo’ was born Kevin Moore in South-Central—the handle is a phonetic version of the way his name sounds south of the Santa Monica Freeway. Mo got his start with the band Zulu, accompanying Papa John Creech More » |  | | | In ‘Forget Sorrow,’ local artist Belle Yang ups the ante on the autobiographical graphic novel BELLE YANG’S Forget Sorrow (W.W. Norton; $23.95) exemplifies the graphic novel’s strengths as a strategy for telling family history. The local author and illustrator, who once studied at UC–Santa Cruz, has published books for both adults and children; this is her first graphic novel. More » | | | | Director thinks big, real big, in Chinese historical battle epic CARVED FROM a two-part movie of nearly five hours, John Woo’s humongous Chinese hit [i]Red Cliff[/i] seems to be either too short or too long. Promising subplots keep trying to break out. Emotional moments rise out of nowhere, only to have their force dissipated by yet another battle scene. Thousands die, most of them impaled by wide-gage spears and arrows, but I couldn’t tell you for certain which side they were on. More » | | | | The dialogue is better than the action in yakuza revenge flick THE SHINY Orientalism of [i]Ninja Assassin[/i]’s dialogue is more of a treat than the fight scenes, which consist, basically, of a lot of whipping razor chains and puréed ninjas, who go up in what look like explosions in a ragu factory. The beginning made me whicker like a quarter horse: a tattooist (the great Randall Duk Kim) is hand-poking a squirmy yakuza who won’t hold still—this despite his large entourage, the alcohol he’s guzzling and the artist’s sage comment that “the needle is doing what the needle is meant to do.” More » | | | | Cormac McCarthy has seen the future, and it is really, really bleak SLOGGING THROUGH the sleet are two figures, half-starved on a perilous road to the sea; they are survivors of some thorough but indefinite holocaust. All civilization has broken down utterly; there is no light, no game—even the deer have given up the ghost—and long-pig consumption is on the rise. [i]The Road[/i] is meant to be deep; it’s meant to be respected. More » | | | | Wes Anderson's 'Fantastic Mr. Fox' is perfect holiday entertainment ORSON WELLES had a famous comment about how the studio at RKO was “the biggest electric-train set a boy ever had.” Looking back at Wes Anderson’s career, it seems as if this cult director took the metaphor literally. [i]The Darjeeling Limited[/i] was clearly an electric-train-set movie. And the toylike submarine in [i]The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou[/i] earned Anderson the derisive nickname “Capt. Neato.” More » | | | | Woody Harrelson delivers bad news in new drama about the impact of Iraq on the homefront WOODY HARRELSON may be the John Wayne our war in Iraq deserves. If Harrelson’s newest, [i]The Messenger[/i], seems to run off the rails, it may have been intended to be the kind of movie that wasn’t supposed to be on the rails in the first place. Here is an effort to make a small-camera movie about the Iraq war veterans trying to cope with the sorrow and wrath More » | | | | A tale of abuse and redemption features fine acting and simplistic judgments SHAKESPEARE may have been wrong when he wrote that the world is a tragedy to those who think and a comedy to those who feel. Peruse the public reaction to the much-laureated [i]Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire[/i], and it appears to be the other way around. Lee Daniels’ tragedy, which won double awards at Sundance, seems to be elevated to the status of something special by its noteworthy acting. More » | | | | Playwright Philip Grecian talks about adapting 'A Christmas Story' for San Jose Repertory Theatre BING CROSBY could have put it all in a Christmas song: the rifle that’ll shoot your eye out, the Nehi lamp and the clinker-filled coalscuttle. Bob Clark’s 1983 film of [i]A Christmas Story[/i], through 24-hour screenings on cable, has become essential to the holiday. The stage adaptation at San Jose Repertory Theatre, which starts previews this week, takes different angles on Jean Shepherd’s comedic memoir, with Rep stalwart Dan Hiatt as the adult Ralphie. More » | | | | A comedy about rebellious ’60S DJs is all wet DISMISSING [i]Pirate Radio[/i] as a bad film made by bad people is shirking responsibility. It’s an easy shot to describe it as a sinking ship—[i]Pirate Radio[/i] tries to top the ending of [i]Titanic[/i] with a new Miracle of Dunkirk. But [i]Pirate Radio[/i] is handily the worst movie of the year, and that alone gives it some stature, some worthiness of dissection. More » | |
Richard von Busack's Articles
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