FRIDAY –
The DEL MAR WINE AND FOOD FESTIVAL is happening at the Del Mar Surf Cup Sports Park, also Saturday night.
In sports, the SAN DIEGO PADRES play the Colorado Rockies at Petco Park, all weekend.
Over at Snapdragon Stadium, the SAN DIEGO WAVE vs NJ/NY Gotham FC.
For laughs, one of the most underrated stand-up comedians of all time: DEMETRI MARTIN, will be at Balboa Theatre DOWNTOWN.
For tribute bands, a Billy Joel is playing in Solana Beach, Jimmy Buffet in Ocean Beach, and Sade/Toni Braxton in Temecula at the Thornton Winery.
SATURDAY –
More soccer, with the SAN DIEGO FC vs Minnesota United at Snapdragon Stadium. San Diego is in first place, but Minnesota is right behind ‘em.
Local San Diego Music Award winner SARA PETITE is doing her AMERICANA ROUNDUP at the Kensington Club, with lots of local musicians. This time, there will also be a mullet contest.
SUNDAY –
If you want to end your weekend with live music, you have a few choices.
For yacht rock fans, PABLO CRUISE is sailing into the Belly Up Tavern in SOLANA BEACH.
One of the most underrated singer/songwriters around – ANI DIFRANCO is at Humphrey’s by the Bay in SHELTER ISLAND [listen to her “Little Plastic Castle” record and thank me later].
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At the movies, here’s what’s new:
THE LONG WALK
Apparently this was the first novel Stephen King wrote, while in college. It’s a dystopian future that’s rather bleak. Since everyone is struggling, young men try to enter a contest where the winner gets any wish they want granted, and lots of money. And all the others get shot in the head. I think I’ll stick with buying Powerball tickets. When you find out a person is chosen from each state, and it’s televised, I thought of the Hunger Games (oddly enough, this was directed by that director, Francis Lawrence). The movie has a few problems. The first is that the people walking can’t stop for any reason, so we get a few scenes showing them defecating. We see lots of kids shot in the head. I’m not sure how either of those are great entertainment. Mark Hamil was decent as the Major (always torturing the walkers, or trying to inspire them like a sadistic football coach). One of the problems is that King doesn’t write children characters the way kids really act. As much as I liked “Stand By Me” I always had a problem with the few characters trying to be caring to one another, as if that’s what kids would do at that age. In this, it’s the Cooper Hoffman character (nepo baby of the late Philip Seymour Hoffman). He’s uplifting to everyone around him, always saying the right thing when someone is down. And I don’t buy him in the role. It was great seeing David Johnsson. I loved him in “Alien: Romulus” and the criminally underseen “Rye Lane.” He’s fun as the upbeat guy always joking around. It was also nice to see Roman Griffin Davis, the kid from “JoJo Rabbit.” I would’ve liked to see more of Judy Greer (she plays a concerned mom). I remember as a teenager reading “Christine” (the King book about the car that kills people), and digging the fact that he started each chapter with song lyrics about cars. It made me think about all the walking songs that could’ve been used here by Fats Domino, The Proclaimers, Dire Straits, Johnny Cash, Patsy Cline, Aerosmith, and many more. But that would probably not fit the vibe they were going for – which was a depressing, unpleasant experience. 2 stars out of 5.
SPLITSVILLE
It’s a shame that this movie didn’t star Paul Rudd. If it did, perhaps the studio would’ve done better marketing. And it’s a shame, because it’s the best comedy you’ll see all year [side note: I mentioned Rudd because my wife thought the lead actor reminded her of him; I was thinking more John C. Reily]. That lead actor is Kyle Marvin, who co-wrote this with his co-star Michael Angelo Covino. Nepo baby Dakota Johnson was in it (and also produced), and the other wife was played by Adria Arjona (Hit Man, Father of the Bride, Blink Twice). A couple is going to visit their friends at a nice beach house. One woman talks about wanting a divorce. The other couple talks about how they’re in an open marriage. And hijinx ensue! To tell you anything that happens ruins it, but I will say this. It has an incredible fight scene. It has the funniest rollercoaster scene you’ll ever get on screen. Oh, and the funniest scene with a penis since Will Ferrell whipped it out on the drumset in “Step Brothers.” I always like when a movie has a scene that reminds me of another, but they have their own spin on it. In this, it was the sex while driving scene, which was reminiscent of the one in “Parenthood” where Steve Martin crashes his car. Yet where they take this is hysterical. Since this didn’t screen for the critics, it was off to the Angelika Film Center, where my wife and I ate cheeseburgers, sipped wine, and laughed along with the rest of the crowd. 4 stars out of 5.
SPINAL TAP II: THE END CONTINUES
My Top 5 comedies of all-time would be: The In-Laws, Tootsie, Some Like it Hot, Step Brothers, and This is Spinal Tap. I was lucky enough when I worked in radio to interview Harry Shearer in character as Derek Smalls, and take some listeners backstage to meet the band and help them find the stage before a concert (we had flashlights and miners hats). If you know the movie, you know why that was an amazing experience. So I was thrilled about this sequel. I said to my friend (local drummer Ric Root, who is amazing; and still alive) as we were walking in, “This reminds me of the sequel they’re making to ‘Spaceballs.’ It’s perfect that this much time has passed because there have been all these Star Wars shows and movies, and more for the new Spaceballs to pull from. With Spinal Tap, there are so many jokes to pull from.” The music industry is so very different than it was in the early ‘80s. MTV doesn’t show music videos anymore, there’s K-pop, Taylor Swift, social media, etc. So it was a little disappointing that they kept the same beats going as the original. Not the same jokes, per se. It’s not like they had a Marshall amp that went to 12 this time. With the various cameos, some worked, some didn’t. Great seeing Paul Shaffer at a car dealership. Not as interesting seeing Questlove, Chad Smith (Red Hot Chili Peppers), and Lars Ulrich (Metallica), turning down the drumming position via Zoom call. They really had nothing to say that was humorous. But on the subject of drummers, it was fun seeing the female drummer they got (especially in the closing credits). The Paul McCartney scene is a blast (although I thought he should’ve mentioned wanting to play some bass in “Big Bottom”); but on the subject of that song, hysterical seeing Garth Brooks sing it, with Trisha Yearwood adding the line “Talk about mudflaps, yes, I’ve got ‘em!” I won’t begin to spoil the Elton John scenes, but they are fun. My buddy and I, who have been quoting lines from Spinal Tap since the ‘80s, both enjoyed it, but wanted it to be funnier. This film is strictly for the die-hard Tap fans. And something no other critic will probably mention in their review – kudos to Michael McKean for wearing an Albert Lee shirt in a few scenes. He’s one of music’s underrated talents. 3 stars out of 5.