Macbeth by William Shakespeare |3 out of 4 Stars|Folger Theatre By Kyle Osborne This article isn’t for people who know their Shakespeare cold. For knowledgeable theatre goers, read this take on the play and music. No, this is for those who only kinda recognize the quotes below, and will be…
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Movie Review: ‘Peppermint’ …Please, Make It Schnapp
Peppermint| 1 out of 4 Stars | Rated R By Kyle Osborne You have to hand it to Peppermint, the latest version of Death Wish/Equalizer, starring the always likable Jennifer Garner: It never settles for mediocre when it can go for full blown horrible instead. Virtually every move by Director…
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Review: Never Goin’ Back | 2 ½ out of 4 Stars
Never Goin’ Back | 2 ½ out of 4 Stars | Rated R By Kyle Osborne It’s an odd, but engaging film that mixes an Indie character study vibe with elements of a gross-out, buddy film. I suppose there is some novelty in having two teenaged girls discussing poop, pooping,…
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Review: ‘The Meg’ 2 out of 4 Stars
The Meg | 2 out of 4 Stars | Rated PG-13 By Kyle Osborne Not quite good enough to be “good” and not quite bad enough to be “bad”, The Meg, nevertheless, finds a space somewhere between JAWS and Sharknado as a decent diversion for summer moviegoers. Especially as seen…
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Review: Gauguin: Voyage to Tahiti 2 out of 4 Stars
“Gauguin: Voyage to Tahiti” | 2 out of 4 Stars | Rated R By Kyle Osborne Van Gogh, Michelangelo, Picasso: scores of biopics about noted artists have been made, but as I search my oft-failing memory for one that was 100% successful, none comes to mind. At least Gauguin is…
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Review: ‘The Scottsboro Boys’ at Signature Theatre 3 out of 4 Stars
The Scottsboro Boys | Signature Theatre | 3 out of 4 Stars By Kyle Osborne Kander and Ebb were/are/forever will be known for Cabaret and Chicago and for the song New York, New York, among their large and celebrated body of work. Less well known is their 2010 musical (which…
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Review: Ocean’s 8 | 3 out of 4 Stars
Ocean’s 8 | 3 out of 4 Stars By Kyle Osborne It’s hard to get mad at a film with such low ambitions—Ocean’s 8 only wants to be a light and fluffy summer flick, and on that score it succeeds. It’s fun and breezy and pass the popcorn. Sandra Bullock plays…
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That Time Sandra Bullock’s Mom Called Me
By Kyle Osborne Did I ever tell you about the time that Sandy Bullock’s mom called me at work? I was thinking about that tonight for the first time in years as I was watching ‘Oceans 8’ (opens June 8). It was in the summer of 1995-Sandy had really broken…
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Interview: Leigh Whannell, Creator of ‘Saw’ and ‘Insidious’ Makes Cool New Movie
By Kyle Osborne If you’ve ever seen a movie with “Saw” or “Insidious” in the title since 2004, then you’ve seen the work of Leigh Whannell. Along with his producing partner, Director James Wan, Whannell has written and/or produced and, in some cases, directed films that have scared the bejeezus…
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Review: ‘Upgrade’ 3 ½ out of 4 Stars
Upgrade | 3 ½ out of 4 Stars By Kyle Osborne Director and Screenwriter Leigh Whannell, the guy (along with producing partner James Wan) whose “Saw” and “Insidious” movies have made him very rich and famous, has crafted a taut revenge thriller that is unlike those in his Horror catalog.…
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Review: ‘Saint Joan’ at Folger Theatre 3 out of 4 Stars
‘Saint Joan’ at Folger Theatre | 3 out of 4 stars By Kyle Osborne| Photos: Teresa Wood The play is quite long—this review will be short. George Bernard Shaw’s classic “Saint Joan,” a play from the 1920s about that most famous girl to have ever been burned at the stake…
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Review: Breaking In with Gabrielle Union: 2 ½ out of 4 stars
Breaking In |Gabrielle Union| 2 ½ out of 4 stars By Kyle Osborne It isn’t high art, but the unpretentious thriller Breaking In is a good version of what it is: a popcorn thriller that features a relatable heroine going against some bad guys who have unwisely messed with the…
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Review: Life of the Party with Melissa McCarthy: Zero Stars
Life of the Party | Melissa McCarthy | Zero Stars By Kyle Osborne Has anyone simultaneously generated more goodwill, yet more box office stink bombs than Melissa McCarthy? She is a gifted comedic actor and, by all accounts, a lovely person. Why does she rarely find material that takes advantage…
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Review: I Feel Pretty with Amy Schumer 3 out of 4 Stars
I Feel Pretty 3 out of 4 stars Rated PG-13 By Kyle Osborne Amy Schumer’s new comedy, “I Feel Pretty,” brings back the charming, relatable everywoman who mass audiences embraced so warmly in 2015’s similar (sort of) rom-com “Trainwreck.” This is good news. Schumer’s early years were niche-successful, but…
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Movie Review: A Quiet Place 3 out of 4 Stars
A Quiet Place 3 out of 4 stars By Kyle Osborne A Quiet Place, directed by the actor John Krasinski, who also co-stars with real-life wife Emily Blunt, may just be the most economical movie I’ve ever seen. It doesn’t tell you anything more than what you absolutely need…
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Review: The Way of the World at Folger Theatre
By Kyle Osborne The Folger Theatre has a way of amplifying the mood and tone of each play presented there. There’s something in the air inside that house that is nearly indescribable, but in the case of writer and director Theresa Rebeck’s The Way of the World, it translates into…
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Good, Not Great: Three New Movies That Just Missed The Mark
By Kyle Osborne No, I’m not intentionally trolling and, no, I don’t think my opinion is better than yours. But this past month I’ve seen three movies that, while pretty solid, fell short of my hopes. And what were my hopes based on? They were based on the high praise…
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Movie Review: I, Tonya 4 out of 4 Stars
By Kyle Osborne I, Tonya 4 out of 4 Stars I kinda hate that this movie is being positioned as a snarky comedy in certain circles because it is so much better than that. It’s closer to a Shakespearean tragedy than an SNL skit. There are laughs, to be sure,…
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Movie Review: Molly’s Game 3 1/2 out of 4 Stars
By Kyle Osborne Molly’s Game 3 ½ out of 4 Stars Director Aaron Sorkin writes a script that snaps, crackles and pops. He loves his own words, some might say he loves his own words a little too much, but in the hands of the right actors, so do we.…
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Review: The Book of Will at Round House Theatre
NOTE: The run of the play has been extended through December 30th. By Kyle Osborne Equal parts silly and substantive, The Book of Will introduces us to the unsung heroes who got their old theatre pal’s plays–to reverse the old phrase–from the stage to the page. The fact that their…
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Review: The Shape of Water 4 out of 4 Stars
The Shape of Water 4 out of 4 stars Rated R (for sexual content, graphic nudity, violence and language) By Kyle Osborne If you’ve seen Beauty and The Beast or, really, any number of fairy tales, then there are but few surprises in director Guillermo del Toro’s beautiful The Shape…
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Review: The Disaster Artist
The Disaster Artist 3 out of 4 stars rated R (for language throughout and some sexuality/nudity) By Kyle Osborne I was trying to describe the movies The Room and The Disaster Artist to a friend who lives more than 10,000 miles away and speaks English as a second language. It…
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Review: Thor: Ragnarok – The Superhero Movie for People Not All That Into Superhero Movies
By Kyle Osborne I always go into these Marvel movies with high hopes, even though the whole Superhero/Comic Book genre is not my favorite. Not even close. What’s great about Thor: Ragnarok is that it’s the Superhero movie for people who aren’t that into Superhero movies. I really liked it.…
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Movie Review: ‘American Assassin’: Just Shoot Me
American Assassin 1.5 out of 4 stars By Kyle Osborne True to its literal title, ‘American Assassin’ gets right to the point, as vacationers on a pristine beach are mowed down by gunfire from an apparent Muslim terrorist cell. The body count in the first five minutes numbers in the…
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Movie Review: ‘IT’: Creepy Clown, Underground
By Kyle Osborne The guy sitting next to me at the screening for ‘IT’, the big screen adaptation of Stephen King’s 1986 novel, is about 40 years old. A professional film critic. By my count, he’s yelled out loud four separate times. “Waughh!!!,” followed by exhales heavy enough for high…
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Review: ‘The Big Sick’ : Bad Title, Great Movie
By Kyle Osborne Imagine a romantic comedy that is both romantic and, well, funny! From a genre that has disappointed so many of us starry-eyed hopefuls comes ‘The Big Sick’, a delightful, heartwarming comedy that has an incredible sense of tone and reality. Yes, it is a terrible title, but…
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Movie Review: ‘Baby Driver’ One of the Year’s Best
By Kyle Osborne It’s no wonder that the fanboys were immediately gaga over “Baby Driver,” it’s a movie that is gleefully about movie making. Its flamboyant tracking shots and long takes without a cut are as attention-seeking as a bright red hot rod. The editing is frenetic and the soundtrack…
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My Top Ten Films of 2016
Top Ten Films of 2016 By Kyle Osborne This is probably my least conventional list in years. There’s a super hero flick, a film that was “Rotten” on Rotten Tomatoes.com, and two foreign releases. Whatever, I don’t care—these were the films that moved me the most in 2016. Manchester By…
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Theatre Review: ‘Titanic’ at Signature Theatre
By Kyle Osborne After a decidedly rough 2016, you wanted some good news for the new year? Here it is: Titanic, the Tony Award-winning musical currently playing at Signature Theatre, is as glorious as you’ve heard. You think you know the ending? As the annoying Trivago commercial spokesman might say:…
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Theatre Review: ‘All The Way’ at Arena Stage
By Kyle Osborne Reckoning with the fact that Black Lives Matter. Arm-twisting to get legislation passed. Preparing for possible shenanigans at the upcoming convention. Although it sounds a lot like 2016, it’s 1964. Lyndon Johnson has become President following the assassination of John F. Kennedy several months earlier. High stakes…
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Theatre Review: ‘Destiny of Desire’ at Arena Stage: Dos Thumbs Up!
By Kyle Osborne The new theatre season has just begun and it’s already feeling exceptional. Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater has started things off with a hilarious romp called Destiny of Desire. It’s sexy and silly and a lot of fun to experience. Please read my review and…
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Movie Review: ‘The Visit’
By Kyle Osborne No one has rooted for M Night Shyamalan with more passion than I. ‘Unbreakable’ remains one of my favorite films of the 90’s and, of course, ‘The Sixth Sense’ made him an instant sensation. But let’s face it–he lit the fuses to numerous stink bombs over the…
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Movie Review: ‘Get Hard’ – Will Ferrell and Kevin Hart Bring Up The Rear…Repeatedly
By Kyle Osborne It goes out of its way to be offensive, it takes low brow to a new low, and if you were paid a nickel for every f-bomb and anatomical reference, you’d walk out of the theatre with enough to pay for your popcorn. But “Get Hard” also…
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Theatre Review: ‘Laugh’ at Studio Theatre
Laugh, set in the Silent Film era of the 1920’s, is a love letter to pratfalls and props, to double-takes and dreams of Hollywood and striking it rich. And pies in the face. Helen Cespedes plays Mabel, a rube who would be right at home in a vintage Mountain Dew…
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Movie Review: ‘The Divergent Series: Insurgent’
By Kyle Osborne Not to sound like a curmudgeon, but these so-called “Young Adult” novels turned movies sort of run together for me—which one has Jennifer Lawrence? Is she the same person as Shailene Woodley? What was the name of the one that had Harrison Ford and a kid in…
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Movie Review: ‘Run All Night’ with Liam Neeson and Ed Harris 3 out of 4 Stars
By Kyle Osborne We abhor violence and murder and deadly car chases in real life. Of course we do. But put those elements in a cinematic context and you’re talking about important components of some of the greatest films in American history. ‘Run All Night’ isn’t even close to being…
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Movie Review: ‘The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel’: A Warm Visit With Old Friends
By Kyle Osborne If you’re old enough to remember old TV Shows like ‘The Love Boat’ and ‘Hotel’,then you might think what I’m about to say is an insult, but it’s not…’The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel’ is like an extended episode of the Love Boat. Seriously. It uses the…
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Movie Review: ‘Jupiter Ascending’ – Space Camp
By Kyle Osborne Note: This is not a review. It would be dishonest to say that I saw all of “Jupiter Ascending.” Don’t get me wrong, it’s the worst movie I’ve seen in recent memory, and if I were officially giving it a rating, I’d give Zero out of 4…
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Theatre Review: ‘Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery’ at Arena Stage
Is there anything wrong with a play being “Silly”? Are you kidding? Any Monty Python fan will instantly think of the “Ministry Of Silly Walks” and double over laughing. And so it is with Ken Ludwigs Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery. It’s whip smart and completely sophisticated in its execution, writing and delivery.…
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Movie Review: ‘The Boy Next Door’ Oh, No J-Lo !
By Kyle Osborne I realize that a lot of people think that critics just live for movies like the Jennifer Lopez debacle, “The Boy Next Door,” but the truth is that we don’t want to spend two hours in Hell, just so we can trash a movie that had very…
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Movie Review: “Birdman (Or The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) 4 out of 4 Stars
By Kyle Osborne Like the pompous ass I can be (when I’m at my very best) I have already predicted 3 of the 5 Best Actor Nominees, which will be announced sometime in 2015. Eddie Redmayne for “The Theory of Everything” is the surest of sure things. Steve Carrell for…
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Movie Review: “The Theory of Everything” 4 out of 4 Stars. Certain Oscar Nom for Eddie Redmayne
By Kyle Osborne I know this sounds cocky, but of the 5 guys who will be nominated for Best Actor Oscars at the next Academy Awards—I’m certain I know 3 of them. The first soon to be nominee is Eddie Redmayne, who plays the celebrated scientist Stephen Hawking in “The…
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Movie Review: ‘Interstellar’ 2 out of 4 Stars
By Kyle Osborne I’m not saying that the Emperor isn’t wearing any clothing, but Director Christopher Nolan is walking through the town square in a razor thin thong that his most rabid fans (whose hero worship borders on a proprietary bent) are mistaking for a three-piece suit. “Interstellar,” Nolan’s “Epic”…
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Theatre Review: ‘Elmer Gantry’ at Signature Theatre
By Kyle Osborne There is a moment in Elmer Gantry, about half way through the first act, when you realize you’re experiencing something great—something that you can’t see whenever the mood strikes you—something you can go around the corner and grab like a loaf of bread. That something (someone) is…
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Movie Review ‘Kill The Messenger’ with Jeremy Renner 2 1/2 out of 4 Stars
By Kyle Osborne There’s something appealing about thrillers involving journalists—they’re the ultimate whistle-blowers. Great films, ranging from ‘All The President’s Men” to “The Insider”, have given us portraits of “The Lone Crusader for Truth” putting his reputation if not his very life in jeopardy to expose the evil doings of…
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Movie Review: ‘The Judge’ 2 1/2 out of 4 Stars
By Kyle Osborne You couldn’t ask for a better cast, and the production is first rate-so what’s wrong with “The Judge”? The story follows a slick Chicago lawyer (Robert Downey, Jr.) who never represents innocent people because they can’t afford his services. Downey is perfectly cast as the cocky dandy…
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Movie Review: ‘Gone Girl’ 3 out of 4 Stars
By Kyle Osborne Did he kill his wife or not? That’s the central question in “Gone Girl,” the new movie adapted from the worldwide best-selling novel. Well, it’s the central question for half of the film, before a big “reveal”, and a shift in tone and plot—none of which will…
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Movie Review: ‘The Equalizer’. Denzel Does His Thing!
By Kyle Osborne We go to the movies for lots of reasons—to put away our cares for a couple of hours, or to be taken to a location which we’ll probably never see in “real life.” But sometimes we simply want to see the good guy prevail over the…
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Theatre Review: ‘The Shoplifters’ at Arena Stage Will Steal Your Heart
By Kyle Osborne How does one make serious commentary on the subject of income inequality and the soulless indifference of corporate chain stores? If you’re Canadian playwright and director Morris Panych, you start with a 16 ounce Rib-eye steak being hidden up an old lady’s dress. Next, have said old…
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Movie Review: ‘This Is Where I Leave You’ With Jason Bateman and Tina Fey
By Kyle Osborne “This Is Where I Leave You” stars one of my favorite guys for the past 5 or 10 years—Jason Bateman. He comes home to find his wife cheating on him with his boss, and barely settles in to a bachelor’s apartment before learning that his father has…
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Movie Review: ‘The Maze Runner’ 2 1/2 out of 4 Stars
By Kyle Osborne This week, 2 films that are driving right down the middle of the road, neither terrible nor terrific, but certainly appealing to the narrowest part of their respective audiences. The Maze Runner gets off to a compelling start, as a late teen dude finds himself waking up…
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Movie Review” “Sin City: A Dame To Kill For” 4 Out of 4 Stars
By Kyle Osborne Let’s be honest, movies start getting worse, not better, during August and early September. Typically, these few weeks are when Hollywood dumps the films that weren’t good enough for summer and aren’t good enough for late fall and the holidays. Talk about “expendable.” So, it’s nice to…
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Movie Review: ‘The Expendables 3’ Gets 2 out of 4 Stars
By Kyle Osborne The four eldest actors of the cast of “The Expendables 3” have a combined age of 265 years. If they had to buy tickets to their own movie, they’d get the senior citizen’s discount. They’re not the Expendables, they’re the Depends-ables. This film isn’t rated PG-13, it’s…
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5 Myths About Movie Critics Dispelled (or rather ‘Explained’)
Five Myths About Movie Critics By Kyle Osborne Film critics hold a confusing, often contradictory status among movie goers. They’re the bad guys, the snoots, the nerds with a Twizzler stuck up their… And yet, studio marketing people know that good “quotes” that can be incorporated into the advertising of…
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Movie Review: ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’ 2 1/2 out of 4 Stars
By Kyle Osborne Would I lose credibility with you if I mentioned that ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’ is nowhere near as awful as I thought it’d be? What’s that? I don’t have any credibility to lose? Perfect, because some people are really gonna like it, and I don’t think those…
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Movie Review: ‘Into The Storm’ In The Running For Worst of 2014
By Kyle Osborne You know how sometimes you see a TV commercial for a movie and it’s described as a “Thrill Ride?” I’ve decided to describe the new movie “Into the Storm” that way too, based on how I think of rides at theme parks: It’s crowded. It’s hot. You…
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Movie Review: ‘Calvary” Profound Message With A Light Touch
By Kyle Osborne We learn in the first minutes of “Calvary”, an Irish film starring the great Brendan Gleeson as the Priest of a small seaside town, that Gleeson is a good priest, a good man. And that is precisely why his life is in mortal danger. Inside the confessional…
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Movie Review: ‘Snowpiercer’ Now on iTunes and Still In Some Theaters
By Kyle Osborne Don’t you sometimes get a little suspicious when every critic is raving about a film that hardly anyone you know has seen? Same here. Sometimes it means that the critics have glommed onto something that they dare not pan for fear of losing cool points with their…
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Theatre Review: ‘Carrie: The Musical’ Bloody Good Fun at Studio Theatre
By Kyle Osborne How could you not want to see a Broadway musical that made history—a show that remains part of showbiz lore? Carrie: The Musical, which opened on Broadway in 1988, and quickly closed after five official performances, was one of the biggest belly flops in theatre history. The…
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Movie Review: “Guardians of the Galaxy” 3 1/2 out of 4 Stars
By Kyle Osborne I was sick of the preview trailer by this past Spring, and having never heard of the Guardians of the Galaxy, I figured that Marvel Comics had finally run out of super heroes to star in zillion dollar movies, and had gotten desperate. Ah, but it’s nice…
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Movie Review: “Lucy” – This is Your Brain On Drugs
By Kyle Osborne Have you ever listened intently to, let’s say, an old Uncle tell you a story that is so ridiculously implausible, so far-fetched, that you’re actually too entertained to interrupt and call bull on the whole thing? Well, say hello to Uncle Luc Besson, the director of “Lucy”. …
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Movie Review: ‘Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes’ 3 Out of 4 Stars
By Kyle Osborne Hi Friends! This week I’m posting a video review of ‘Dawn Of The Planet of The Apes.’ I hope you’ll click the image below and watch it. I’m not raving as much as most critics, but it is worth seeing. Tweet Pin It
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Movie Review: “Tammy”. Melissa McCarthy’s Comedy Is Tragic
By Kyle Osborne To paraphrase an old show biz axiom: Slip on a banana peel and fall on your bum? That’s comedy. Slip on a banana peel, fall and crack your skull open and start bleeding? That’s tragedy. Melissa McCarthy’s new comedy “Tammy”, which she and her husband, Ben Falcone,…
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Movie Review: “Transformers: Age of Extinction”
By Kyle Osborne We all know that the Transformers films and their reviled director, Michael Bay, are critic-proof. So why am I even here? If you’re a fan, you’ve already made your plans and you won’t be disappointed. If you’re not a fan, is this fourth film in the franchise,…
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Movie Review: ‘Jersey Boys’ Can’t We All Just Get Along?
By Kyle Osborne I’ve only met him twice, briefly—but Clint Eastwood’s friendly smile and direct eye contact and firm handshake are the stuff movie stars are made of. Everyone who has ever worked with him, especially those whom he has directed, has only the nicest things to say about him.…
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Movie Review: ‘Chef’ 4 Out Of 4 Stars. Jon Favreau Cooks Up Laughs
By Kyle Osborne In the midst of all the summer bombast—the monsters and the superheroes and the big-budget extravaganzas, may we take a moment for a little “counter-programming”? I’ve let it quietly go for a few weeks, but it’s starting to expand into more theaters and it’s time to talk…
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Movie Review: ‘Maleficent’ Shhh…you’ll wake the audience
By Kyle Osborne Every good fairy tale starts with “Once Upon A Time,” and so does the new movie “Maleficent,” Disney’s re-imagining (or some word like that) of the Sleeping Beauty tale, as seen through the eyes of who we always thought was the kinda hot witch who casts the…
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Movie Review: ‘A Million Ways To Die In The West’
By Kyle Osborne Flatulence, pedophilia, explosive diarrhea, male bodily fluids, urinating sheep and a shooting gallery that features “runaway slaves” as the painted metal targets—these are just a few of the “hilarious” subjects that Seth McFarlane mines for groans in “A Million Ways To Die In The West.” McFarlane, best…
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Theatre Review: ‘Cock’ at Studio Theatre- Now Extended Through June 29th
NOTE: ‘Cock” has received a one week extension at Studio Theatre, where it will now close on June 29th. GO SEE IT! By Kyle Osborne “….you don’t have to like the characters in order to enjoy a play, of course. And in Cock that is great news. One more minute…
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Theatre Review: ‘Smokey Joe’s Cafe’ at Arena Stage
By Kyle Osborne When Jerry Lieber and Mike Stoller met in Los Angeles in 1950, the two teenagers could never have imagined that they’d co-write dozens of songs that not only would be chart-topping hits, but would become part of Americana. Decades of pop culture have played out over a…
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Q&A with ‘Godzilla’ Director Gareth Edwards
By Kyle Osborne It’s hard to believe that the man who directed the new ‘Godzilla’ film is still in his thirties. The soft-spoken Brit had only made one other film (2010’s ‘Monsters’) before getting the reigns to a film that reportedly cost well over 100 million dollars to make. Read…
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Movie Review: ‘Godzilla’ 3 1/2 out of 4 Stars
By Kyle Osborne According to Hollywood folklore, the titular character in the film that invented the phrase “Summer Blockbuster” was quite temperamental and wasn’t very cooperative. The mechanical shark in “JAWS” was meant to be seen a lot more frequently than what the final cut revealed, but due to problems…
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Movie Review: ‘Neighbors’ 2 out of 4 Stars
By Kyle Osborne Here’s the question you have to ask yourself before you go to see the new comedy “Neighbors”… “How much do I love dick jokes?” Not one or two over the course of 90 minutes or so, but many. Are phalluses funny? What about power-stream lactation of a…
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Theatre Review: ‘The Threepenny Opera’ at Signature Theatre
By Kyle Osborne For many of us, the only thing we know about The Threepenny Opera is the song “Mack the Knife”—and even then we mostly know it as the swinging, lounge-y version that was a #1 hit for Bobby Darin in 1959. (I happen to remember the bastardized version…
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Theatre Review: ‘The Two Gentlemen of Verona’ at Folger Shakespeare Theatre
By Kyle Osborne Fun. Now, there’s a word you never hear in conjunction with Shakespeare. You hear “interesting” or “edifying” or “educational”, but hardly ever just “fun.” You know, like a pumpkin patch or a boat ride—something that simply gives you pleasure, makes you smile. Get ready to have fun…
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Movie Review: ‘The Amazing Spider-Man 2’ Has 2 Much There, There
By Kyle Osborne The Spider-Man reboot of 2012 with Andrew Garfield in the title role was great—the youthful exuberance and joke cracking was, to me, more appealing than Tobey Maguire’s sleepy-eyed moodiness. Hey, if we want a brooding super hero, we’ll go to a Dark Knight movie. Now comes “The…
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Theatre Review: ‘Two Trains Running’ at Round House Theatre
By Kyle Osborne Playwright August Wilson had already achieved star status by the time of his death in 2005 at the too young age of 60. His cycle of ten plays, one for each decade of the twentieth century, included the celebrated Fences, and introduced theatre goers to his hometown of Pittsburgh—specifically the…
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Theatre Review: ‘The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee’ at Ford’s Theatre
The past couple weeks have been filled with sad and disappointing news on TV and online—it makes one wish for a quick “getaway.” Some way to spend an evening, perhaps, laughing and smiling and enjoying oneself. If only there was a way…. Ah, here’s something: The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling…
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Movie Review: ‘Transcendence’ High-Tech or High Camp?
By Kyle Osborne “Transcendence” comes out of the chute with crackling energy and the promise of a good premise, but don’t get your hopes up—less than half way in the film collapses into camp and never recovers. Johnny Depp plays Dr. Will Caster, a real expert on Artificial Intelligence. He…
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Movie Review: ‘Draft Day’ Not Just By The Numbers
By Kyle Osborne You know how you can tell that you’ve just seen a good movie? If you’ve been entertained or interested in a story, the subject of which you couldn’t care less about, then the film has done its job. Insider trading on Wall Street? I don’t even know…
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Movie Review: ‘Captain America: The Winter Soldier’
The comic hero genre isn’t my thing. I’ve enjoyed the Iron Man series for its detached, winking-at-the-camera take on things. And I enjoyed the Spider-Man reboot for its sense of fun. Although ‘Captain America: The Winter Soldier’ is waaaay too long at 2 and a quarter hours–there are some amazing…
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Theatre Review: ‘Loveland’ at Arena Stage
By Kyle Osborne The last person in the world you’d want seated next to you on a plane from LA to Ohio is Frannie Potts. She’s the kind of overly-familiar chatterbox who makes time stand still. But don’t mistake her sensible sneakers and child-like demeanor for stupidity—there are deep, meleancholy…
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Movie Review: ‘Noah’ : Too Much Bloat, Not Enough Boat
By Kyle Osborne The deal breaker for me wasn’t whether ‘Noah’ took artistic liberties with the Bible’s ancient story from Genesis. It wasn’t that Noah (Russell Crowe) and his family wear clothes akin to jeans and hoodies—or that they do that dramatic removal of the hood (kind of like when…
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Theatre Review: ‘Tender Napalm’ at Signature Theatre. 4 out of 4 Stars !
By Kyle Osborne You know how, in every single courtroom drama you’ve ever seen, there comes a moment when one of the attorneys seems to be going out of bounds, only to be interrupted by opposing counsel with a sharp, “Objection, your Honor!” And then we cut to the judge…
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Movie Review: ‘Divergent’: This Ain’t No Hunger Games
By Kyle Osborne One way to judge the success of a film is whether the audience for whom it’s made can get into it. Oh, people will tell you that their films are made for “everyone to see and love,” but make no mistake, there is a “target demo” for…
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Theatre Review: ‘Normal’ by Molotov Theatre Group
By Kyle Osborne Have you ever known someone, perhaps a relative, an old Uncle, who could tell a scary story that made you shiver? If you can imagine getting chills just from someone’s storytelling– no blood, no scary sound effects—just words—then you have a good idea how you’ll react to…
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Movie Review: ‘The Grand Budapest Hotel’ Don’t Call It “Quirky”
By Kyle Osborne Quirky. Quirky, quirky, quirky. There, I’ve gotten that out of the way before I even start. Has there ever been a film by director Wes Anderson that wasn’t deservedly described as “quirky”? And yet, that word has become too facile, too shopworn at this point. It also…
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Movie Review: ‘Need For Speed’: Shut Up and Drive
By Kyle Osborne Your brain will say, “Oh, hell no!” but your eyes will say, “Oh, my!” Apparently, ‘Need For Speed’ is a series of popular video games dating back to 1994. This will already be known to many people, and that knowledge will either heighten their expectations or make…
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Movie Review: ‘300: Rise of an Empire’ ABS-solutely Beautiful Visuals
By Kyle Osborne It comes down to this question: Is it worth it to see a movie for the sole purpose of the film’s visuals? I mean, would you go to a concert where the music wasn’t the best, but the light show and performances were amazing? For me, it’s…
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Theatre Review: ‘Mamma Mia!’ at The National Theatre. The Corniest Musical You’ll Ever Love
By Kyle Osborne It’s broader than the side of a barn and more over-the-top than a Liberace and Dolly Parton pairing in Vegas. The choreography is clumsy and the actors stiffly recite their lines like Soap Opera characters in a high school play. It’s shamelessly corny and includes pratfalls and…
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Interview: Kit Harington from ‘Game of Thrones’ and ‘Pompeii’
By Kyle Osborne While trudging through icy climes as his best known character, Jon Snow, in the hit HBO series ‘Game of Thrones’, actor Kit Harington is usually clad in more fur garments than Aretha Franklin at an Igloo convention. But starring as the lead character in the big screen…
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Theatre Review: ‘American Idiot’ at The National Theatre
By Kyle Osborne Seeing the Broadway musical American Idiot, currently playing at The National Theatre through February 23rd, is a lot like seeing a Green Day concert…only with better diction and more harmony vocals. This is a good thing, mind you. All of the songs from their CD of the…
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Theatre Review: ‘Mother Courage and Her Children’ at Arena Stage
By Kyle Osborne Anyone who saw Kathleen Turner’s last stay at Arena Stage, 2012’s Red Hot Patriot: The Kick-Ass Wit of Molly Ivins, knows that she can command a stage. And, for that matter, she commands the audience—almost pulling them along for the ride. In this case, a ride atop…
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Theatre Review: ‘Violet’ at Ford’s Theatre
By Kyle Osborne The cast alone makes ‘Violet’ a must-see musical at Ford’s Theatre. Erin Driscoll, a great singer and actress, shines even brighter than the spotlight she deservedly earned as the play’s title character. Set in the Civil Rights era 60’s, Violet is a young woman who sets out…
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Movie Review: “Labor Day” Like A Nicholas Sparks Novel, Only It Doesn’t Suck As Much
By Kyle Osborne Author Nicholas Sparks has had eight of his best-selling novels adapted into mostly silly and subpar movies (Please, fans of “The Notebook,” no nasty letters) with two more in the works for this year and next. The new movie “Labor Day” wasn’t written by Sparks, but it…
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Theatre Review: ‘The Tallest Tree In The Forest’ at Arena Stage
By Kyle Osborne Even as they seem to be gaining in popularity, one-person shows can be fraught with pitfalls; try to incorporate too many characters and you risk coming off as “gimmicky” or, worse, you lose or confuse the audience. Keep it to just one character, and things can quickly…
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The Worst Movies of 2013
By Kyle Osborne You can see my Top Ten Films of 2013 here:http://www.examiner.com/review/the-top-ten-films-of-2013?cid=db_articles And these are other excellent films that, in any other year, would have made a Top Ten list, and just barely missed it this year. They’re all highly recommended. SIDE EFFECTS, PRISONERS, PHILOMENA. PLACE BEYOND THE PINES,…
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I Just Didn’t Get It: Praised Films of 2013 That Didn’t Deserve The Hype
I JUST DIDN’T GET IT By Kyle Osborne These are films that garnered high praise and, in some cases, big tallies at the Box Office, but I just didn’t get it. Didn’t get the glowing reviews, the hype, just….didn’t get it. Captain Phillips Yes, I am fully aware that Tom…
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Which Stars Had The Worst Year in 2013 ?
STAR WHO HAD THE WORST YEAR IN 2013 By Kyle Osborne Hey, remember who the star owners of the Planet Hollywood Restaurant chain were back in the 90’s? The big 3 were Stallone, Willis and Schwarzenegger. And guess what? They were each repeat offenders in 2013, starring in some of…
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Movie Review: ‘Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones’
By Kyle Osborne In the new movie, “Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones,” the first two words of the title have become a kind of “Quentin Tarantino Presents.” It’s a form of branding, rather than a continuation of something. In this case, that’s good news for movie goers, because ‘The Marked…
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Theatre Review: ‘Gypsy’ at Signature Theatre
By Kyle Osborne If ‘Gypsy’ truly is ‘The Greatest American Musical’, as many critics have agreed since its Broadway debut in 1959, then the role of ‘Momma Rose’ is surely among the most coveted and remembered among actresses. Ethel Merman’s original is remembered decades later, Broadway veterans from Bernadette Peters…
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Theatre Review: ‘The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess’ at The National Theatre
By Kyle Osborne ‘The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess”, now playing at The National Theatre is a riveting, emotional experience, but audiences expecting a “typical” Broadway musical should know that their evening will feel much more like a night at the Opera. That’s because it is, or rather, was an opera…
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Theatre Review: ‘Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner’ at Arena Stage
By Kyle Osborne When the film, “Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner” opened on New Year’s Day, 1968, the Civil Rights movement was just barely in the rear view mirror, many wounds still fresh, but enough distance (and change) that racial, uh, discomfort could be mined for comedy. The set-up of…
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Theatre Review: “The Apple Family Plays” at Studio Theatre. Pull Up A Chair!
The Apple Family Plays at Studio Theatre Rating:4 out of 5 Stars December 17, 2013 By Kyle Osborne Give yourself a gift this holiday season and head to Studio Theatre to see “The Apple Family Plays.” Playwright Richard Nelson’s two one-act plays, “That Hopey Changey Thing” and “Sweet and Sad,”…
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Theatre Review: ‘Maurice Hines Is Tappin Thru Life’ at Arena Stage
In “Maurice Hines is Tappin’ Thru Life,” the great hoofer distills all of the best elements of old fashion “showbiz” into a delightfully entertaining ninety minute time capsule. Ostensibly set up as a tribute to his late brother and dancing partner since childhood, Gregory Hines, the show is one big…
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Theatre Review: “If/Then” with Idina Menzel at National Theatre. Pardon Its Progress
By Kyle Osborne Forgive one for using a noun as an adjective, but the best way to describe “If/Then”, the Broadway-bound starring vehicle for Idina Menzel, is to say that it’s very, um…Broadway. The creative team behind the hit musical “Next To Normal”, which also had its pre-Broadway run in…
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What Are The Best Films of 2013? Vote Here – Vote Now!
We’re closing in on the end of a decent year at the movies. I’m already formulating my Top Ten list for the year, though I still have about 5 or 6 films to see before the final ballot is cast. But I want to hear from you! Please visit my…
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Movie Review: ‘Thor: The Dark World’
By Kyle Osborne There are so many dudes walking around in caftans and weird shaped helmets, speaking with Middle Earth accents, that I thought I was watching “Thor of The Rings” for a moment, and not “Thor: The Dark World,” the sequel to the 2011 superhero flick. But just when…
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Theatre Review: ‘Crossing’ at Signature Theatre
By Kyle Osborne There are moments in the new musical ‘Crossing,’ currently in its world premiere at Signature Theatre, that are nothing less than inspired. Not to mention inspriing. And while it feels like a final sanding of a few rough edges would do it some good, the musical gets the…
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Theatre Review: ‘Pride In The Falls Of Autrey Mill’ at Signature Theatre
By Kyle Osborne They say that the secret to comedy is timing, but in the case of ‘Pride In The Falls Of Autrey Mill,’ world premiering at Signature Theatre, just as important as timing is casting. It’s impossible to imagine Paul Downs Colaiizzo’s pitch black comedy without Christine Lahti as its heart…
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Theatre Review: ‘Love In Afghanistan’ at Arena Stage
By Kyle Osborne There are many positive elements swimming about in “Love In Afghansitan,” Charles Randolph-Wright’s world premiere, currently playing at Arena Stage. What there is not, unfortunately, is a single moment where you believe that the main characters are actually in love. As missing pieces go, there isn’t a…
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Theatre Review: Romeo and Juliet at Folger Shakespeare Library
By Kyle Osborne ‘Romeo and Juliet’ is already considered the most accessible (if not over exposed) of Shakespeare’s works. But the new adaptation at Shakespeare Folger Theatre kicks the door open even wider. This is not your father’s Shakespeare—it’s your daughter’s. The centuries old tragedy has been given an almost…
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Movie Review: ‘Ender’s Game’
By Kyle Osborne ‘Ender’s Game’ comes to the multiplex with a built-in fan base of Sci-Fi readers who have devoured the original novel since its award winning year of release in 1985. That’s a lot of time and pressure, and one suspects that fans with that much of an emotional…
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Looking For A Scary Movie? This Guy Has 150 Suggestions For You
By Kyle Osborne If you want to find a diamond, you go to a jeweler. If you want a great recipe, you ask an experienced chef. And if you want to find a scary movie, well, just ask Dustin. In his new book, ‘The Fright File:150 Films To See Before…
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Movie Review: ‘All Is Lost’: Robert Redford Stays Afloat, But Does The Film Sail?
By Kyle Osborne Tom Hanks had a volleyball to talk to. Sandra Bullock had “Houston in the blind.” But poor Robert Redford, the only, and mostly silent, character in “All Is Lost” has nothing but his inner thoughts (which are unheard by the audience). He’s stranded at sea, his impressive…
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