If it’s FRIDAY, you’re in love…and want to take your love to a show – The ENGLISH BEAT, with Dave Wakeling on vocals, will be at the Belly Up Tavern in SOLANA BEACH. If you’d rather “save it for later”...they’ll be there on Saturday, too.
If you like your beats more in the Motown style, at the Grand Ritz Theater in ESCONDIDO, it’s “THAT MOTOWN BAND” playing hits from the Supremes, Temptations, the Miracles, and many more. One of their vocalists was even in the Delfonics.
For sports fans, and those in the military – it’s “Military Night” at the SAN DIEGO SOCKERS game at Frontwave Arena in OCEANSIDE.
So many movies these days have been turned into musicals. I was really disappointed by one of my favorite comedies turned into an awful musical – Tootsie. Well, we’ll see how they did with “BACK TO THE FUTURE: THE MUSICAL” at the Civic Theater DOWNTOWN. It won an Olivier Award a few years ago, among other awards. The film director, Robert Zemeckis was one of the co-writers of this adaptation, and you’ll hear lots of the songs from the film, originally done by Huey Lewis, Chuck Berry, and more. If you’d like, you can take your DeLorean down on Saturday night as well.
A local band, with a singer that’s been heavily involved in the music scene for years (including the formation of “Reelin’ in the Years” and long-time worker at “Record City”) – his cleverly titled band “TEQUILA MOCKINGBIRDZ” will be doing their classic rock thang at Pal Joey’s near SDSU.
Another SATURDAY night, and if you ain’t got nobody…you can still head out to one of these fun events:
Way out in BORREGO SPRINGS, there’s the Borrego Springs Film Festival going on all weekend at the Borrego Springs Performing Arts Center. Lots of panels, parties, and films.
The SAN DIEGO GULLS have a game at Pechanga Arena against the Calgary Wranglers.
And if hockey isn’t violent enough, there’s a BARE KNUCKLE FIGHTING event at PECHANGA.
If you like old school guitarists, check out the DJANGO REINHARDT BIRTHDAY SHOW, at the Sunshine Brooks Theatre, with Luca Pino. The Garner Trio will be opening up, with their ‘20s and ‘30s era blues, jazz, and folk songs.
If you’re way out East, at the RAMONA SOUNDSTAGE, they’ve got Nirvana and Linkin Park tribute bands, as well as KISStroyer. Not sure what band they’re a tribute of.
If your ears can’t take that abuse, the lovely, legendary GLADYS KNIGHT is in town. Just take that midnight, errr, 8 p.m. train to HARRAH’S in Valley Center. No word on if any Pips will be with her.
Sunday afternoon, at WINSTON’S in OCEAN BEACH, there will be a celebration of the late, local blues legend Tomcat Courtney. Lots of great bands on that bill, including Billy Watson, and Chickenbone Slim & The Biscuits, who have a local talent that is the best female guitarist I’ve seen in my life – Laura Chavez.
Movies opening this weekend – the great sports film “UNSTOPPABLE” is on Amazon Prime. It’s the great true story about a college wrestling champ with only one leg. Great performances by Don Cheadle and surprisingly, Jennifer Lopez, and it almost made my Top 10 last year.
On NETFLIX, the movie “Back in Action” with Cameron Diaz and Jamie Foxx comes out. That’s the film he was making when he got hospitalized for that long period of time.
And on APPLE TV+, the second season of “SEVERANCE” airs after a three year hiatus. It stars Ben Stiller and Adam Scott.
At movie theaters…
My wife and I were disappointed with WOLF MAN, the latest horror film from the Blum House team. There were a few scary moments, but it was mostly just gross. And when the guys turned into a “wolf man” – they just looked a bit like Ron Howard’s brother Clint (you can Google him). I gave it 1 ½ stars out of 5.
Despite all the critical praise, my wife and I were both disappointed with NICKEL BOYS, a heartbreaking story about a real reformatory in the Jim Crow South. A bright high school student is arrested, all for accepting a ride from somebody who was wanted by the law. He’s sent to the Nickel Academy, and has to deal with lots of abuse. The problem is that the young director tried so hard to do tricks with the cinematography, and it became more of a distraction. Rotten Tomatoes critics gave it 90% good reviews. The audience that saw it – 67%. My wife and I are more with them. It’s one of those times I think the book was probably better. 2 stars out of 5.
The best movie of the bunch is SEPTEMBER 5. The worst thing it has going for it is the title.
It’s the story of the ABC Sports crew covering the Israeli hostage-taking during the 1972 Munich Olympics. Unfortunately the film feels rather timely. It’s amazing to think, when this sort of thing hadn’t really happened before on live TV, it was ABC Sports that was trying to cover the events as they unfolded. And while I thought the movie “Spotlight” was boring (because it mostly showed people merely looking up phone numbers and contacting people), watching the hustle and bustle of a newsroom, trying to get certain shots, dealing with cables that aren’t working, wondering what to do if someone is killed live on the air with their family watching – is all so compelling. Especially if you’re not familiar with the story and what the final result was. Peter Sarsgaard was great, as always. And an actress that impressed me in a German film a few years ago (The Teachers’ Lounge), Leonie Benesch, is terrific. This is also one of the rare times the hand-held and shaky cameras weren’t a distraction, but added to the story being told. 3 stars out of 5.
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