“America’s Next Top Model” has been calm … so far. The little bit of “she doesn’t want to be here” drama that erupted in Episode 1 fizzled quickly as the girl who “doesn’t want to be here” was eliminated.
Episode 2 found the models moving into mansions and walking sky-high runways with no time for any extracurricular shenanigans. If that was the calm before the storm, then tonight’s episode is gonna be a blizzard, y’all.
It’s makeover week.
See Kendal Brown of Northport and the other girls as they magically transform into butterflies, crazy crying butterflies, after the jump …
Review at a glance: Fame has a dark side, even for a 14-year-old celebrity photographer, as seen in the documentary “Teenage Paparazzo.”
Austin Visschedyk, left, and Adrian Grenier,
in a scene from “Teenage Paparazzo.”
Austin Visschedyk appears to be a normal kid. His voice hasn’t cracked, and his face makes him look 10, even though he’s really 14. His whole life is still ahead of him.
But how many 14-year-old boys do you know who have a promising career in progress? And whose working hours seem like those of a bartender? Who travels the streets of Los Angeles by skateboard at 2 a.m. to chase celebrities in hopes of getting that perfect picture?
Austin is a prodigy at photography, and life. Constantly on the phone with other Hollywood paparazzi, he always seeks out the next big celebrity sighting. His work has appeared in the biggest entertainment magazines and websites.
All was going as planned, until he met “Entourage” star Adrian Grenier, who points the camera at him in a reversal of roles.
Austin feels conflicted in his new relationship. Sometimes, he loves the attention and newfound fame. Other times, it becomes an annoyance and a hazard to his career. Grenier, both co-star and director of this film, becomes emotionally entangled with Austin while trying to open his eyes to other more fulfilling opportunities in life.
Is fame really all it’s cracked up to be? You be the judge. With cameos by Matt Damon, Eva Longoria, Paris Hilton, Alec Baldwin and Whoopi Goldberg, the movie presents a different perspective of Hollywood in a compelling way.
“Teenage Paparazzo” is a fabulous film because it offers Hollywood glitz and glamor, along with resulting delusions. The appeal of fame should carry a warning: Be careful what you wish for.
Jennifer West (@thejenwestquest) won the Sidewalk Audience Choice award for her romantic comedy “Piece of Cake” in 2006, which she wrote and directed. She will manage the SideTalk panels at Sidewalk. And her blog, The Jen West Quest, has been featured in Health magazine.
“Teenage Paparazzo” will open the festival at 8 p.m. Friday at the Alabama Theatre.
Video: Interview with Adrian Grenier, director of “Teenage Paparazzo”
For those looking to get away from the excitement of movies and live music at this weekend’s Sidewalk Moving Picture Festival, we have a special announcement. This year’s lineup of Sidetalk panels will include “Media Criticism: Is It Dead?” with me, Wade Kwon, Birmingham’s best blogger (if not most humble).
Claudia Puig (@claudiapuig), Los Angeles-based movie writer for USA Today. Prior to joining the newspaper in 1997, she worked as a staff writer at the Los Angeles Times for 11 years.
What to expect:
In a world in which everyone can critique concerts, albums and films via blogging and other forms of online writing, do the opinions of professional critics in the industry still matter? What is the state of media criticism, and what is its future?
The hourlong panel takes place at 3:30 p.m. Saturday at the Birmingham International Center, 1728 Fifth Ave. N. [map].
Also of note: Our Shout movie critic Chance Shirley will be on the panel “Changing Forms of Distribution,” taking place at 11:30 a.m. Sunday in the same location. And one of our Sidewalk movie critics, Jennifer West, will be managing all the Sidetalk panels on Saturday and Sunday.
Sidetalk panels are free and open to the public. For more information on this and other panels, visit the Sidewalk website.
• • •
The Sidewalk Moving Picture Festival takes place Friday through Sunday in downtown Birmingham. Tickets: three-day pass, $50, $40 for members and students; one-day pass, $20, $15 for members and students.
Review at a glance: “Not My Son” shows Birmingham mothers determined to move beyond tragedy to healing and improving their community.
A mothers’ support group, seen in “Not My Son.”
“Man, the world ain’t supposed to work like this. I’m supposed to be able to do my job without having to ask you if I can. That dude is supposed to be able to wait with his car without you ripping him off. Everything is supposed to be different than it is.”
— Simon (Danny Glover), “Grand Canyon”
This bit of dialogue kept echoing through my head as I watched the film, “Not My Son.”
The movie focuses on Birmingham-area mothers left behind after the murder of their children, though not on the reasons behind these killings. Whether the victims were innocent bystanders or gang members is ultimately unrelated and unimportant to the parents, who bury their offspring before they reach adulthood.
The public-television quality is a bit off-putting, sadly, more akin to a PBS documentary special than a feature film for a theater setting. Regardless, an important message emerges from Dwight Cammeron’s film, and not just for the black community or for families in underprivileged neighborhoods. Problems like this shouldn’t exist, and solutions to them are possible only with a true community effort, whether you’re black or white, rich or poor, single or married, childless or the head of a huge clan.
Films like “Boyz n the Hood” show the nihilistic perspective of the young men and women growing up in today’s mean streets. “Not My Son” shows the hope and determination of mothers to help others carry on, even when their future feels like it’s been taken away.
Perhaps everything is supposed to be different than it is, but these women do a commendable job not only in dealing with the way things aren’t supposed to be, but trying to make them better.
Kenn McCracken (@insomniactive) is a director and an award-winning screenwriter (2005 Sidewalk Sidewrite grand prize, “Muckfuppet”). His song “Theme for an Imaginary Revenge” was used in the music video of the same title, screening at Sidewalk on Sept. 25.
He’s also a writer (Birmingham Weekly, Spin.com, mental_floss), a bassist for the Exhibit(s), an eight-time cat juggling champion for Malta and an ongoing experiment in sleep deprivation. He occasionally steals your best ideas to claim at his blog, Dairy of a Madman.
“Not My Son” will screen at 10:30 a.m. Saturday at the Alabama Theatre Studio Loft.
Review at a glance: The actors in “Gabi on the Roof in July” used improvisation to define their tiresome, self-centered characters.
A scene from “Gabi on the Roof in July.”
Cheering for the hamster in a movie about underdogs trying to make it in the big city might be all the warning you need.
“Gabi on the Roof in July” focuses on young artists living in New York struggling to discover themselves. Gabi leaves college for the summer to spend time with her brother Sam and escape from the emotional fallout of her parents’ divorce.
I appreciate the unique tack that writer and director Lawrence Levine took letting the actors develop their characters through improvisation, then developing the storyline of the script itself. The acting is truly great, but I found it extremely hard to identify in any way with the characters themselves.
The main character, Gabi (Sophia Takal), comes across as a spoiled and annoying child. It’s really difficult to listen to her talk even for brief moments. You just want to yell “Grow up!” at the screen each time she speaks (or strips in an attempt to be an “artist”).
Her brother Sam (Levine) is no better. At first, he seems like the only character about whom you might actually care, but he quickly blows that by adopting his sister’s self-indulgent behaviors. Neither seem to care about anyone else but themselves, which in turn makes it hard to care about them.
I lost all interest about halfway through the 99-minute runtime, making for an endless second half. Only one word comes to mind when considering the entire movie: pretentious.
I did really like one character, the hamster. He didn’t say a damn word the whole time. And just in time for the credits, the hamster finally gets put out of his misery, just like us.
Jennifer West (@thejenwestquest) won the Sidewalk Audience Choice award for her romantic comedy “Piece of Cake” in 2006, which she wrote and directed. She will manage the SideTalk panels at Sidewalk. And her blog, The Jen West Quest, has been featured in Health magazine.
“Gabi on the Roof in July” will screen at 11:20 a.m. Saturday at the Alabama Theatre Studio Loft. The short “Hipster Job” precedes it.
Video: Gabi and Garrett make a bet, in a scene
from “Gabi on the Roof in July.”
Video: An art dealer checks out Sam’s work,
in a scene from “Gabi on the Roof in July.”
Tonight, Samford University plays host to Republican nominee Robert Bentley and Democratic nominee Ron Sparks as they face off in their second gubernatorial debate.
The focus will be on business issues.
The 90-minute event starts at 6:30 p.m. at Wright Center. No word on whether the debate will be carried live. Tickets are free for Samford students and faculty, but the $15 general admission tickets are sold out.
Update: The debate will be broadcast live on WERC (105.5 FM), including streaming, and on the Fox 6 website.
Bentley and Sparks traded soundbites and jabs Thursday at the University of Alabama in their first debate. (See clips below.) The next debate is scheduled for Oct. 19 at Auburn University.
In case you missed Thursday’s debate, we have a couple of video clips.
Video: Sparks and Bentley make opening remarks Thursday.
Video: Bentley and Sparks share their closing statements.
A new promotion for local restaurants started this week.
The first Birmingham Restaurant Week invites diners to sample dozens of restaurants and bars across town for special menus at fixed prices of $10.10, $20.10 and $30.10. Try sushi, pizza, Mediterranean, barbecue, French, Southern and other styles in this 9-day celebration, which started Friday and runs through Sept. 25.
The preview party took place Wednesday at Hotel Highland Conference Center in Five Points South. So popular was the event that food ran out by 7:30 p.m.
A once-barren area in the heart of the city has found new life as a park.
Railroad Park brings a new four-block green space to Birmingham, complete with water features, wi-fi, a bistro, a skate park, two children’s play areas and workout equipment. The park opens at 10 a.m. today.
Located near the central rail lines, the space runs along First Avenue South between 14th and 18th Streets. Discussions about transforming the unused area started as early as the 1970s, but the effort became formalized with the formation of the Friends of the Railroad District in 2001.
The park will be open daily from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. As part of today’s grand opening event, Railroad Park will show the animated movie, “Up.”
Transforming the vacant lot into a fully-realized city park took $25 million and a year and a half. Railroad Park is part of a three-park initiative which includes a new Red Mountain Park and expanding the existing Ruffner Mountain Park.
During construction, bricks and other materials found on the site were incorporated into the walls and seating areas. Hand-cast bricks and original cobblestone were recycled and used throughout the park.
The Railroad Park Foundation, which oversees park operations, continues to raise money through online donations to “buy” a piece of the park, starting at $25 per square foot.
Review at a glance: “A Marine Story” stumbles in tackling too many issues with a broken screenplay.
Dreya Weber stars as Alexandra Everett in “A Marine Story.”
A former Marine returns to her hometown after four tours of duty in Iraq. She’s barely off the train when she tackles a shoplifter at a convenience store.
Early in “A Marine Story,” I’m thinking I’m in for something like the 2004 “Walking Tall” remake: Military vet cleans up troubled town, but with a female lead. That’s a movie I wouldn’t mind seeing.
Instead, it’s a “message movie.” Several messages, actually.
One message focuses on the American military’s shameful treatment of gay and lesbian soldiers. Other issues include the government’s questionable handling of Middle East conflicts and the economy, the role of women in the military and meth’s effects on small towns.
The plot deals with Alexandra Everett (Dreya Weber) coming to terms with her discharge, forced but “honorable,” from the Marine Corps. Her friends and neighbors must also come to terms with her sexuality. Her outing as a lesbian seems contrived, forced by the terribly unlikely machinations of the screenplay.
None of the main characters are believable. They either work as talking heads debating one of the issues or act in arbitrary ways to drive the plot.
Writer and director Ned Farr serves up some clunky dialogue. Camp, while fine in B movies, does no favors for serious social commentary. An example:
“Well, I’m a meth-head now, so …”
Has any methamphetamine addict, anywhere, ever uttered those words?
Despite those severe limitations, the movie features top-notch production; cinematography, sound and editing are all solid. The cast is capable, with many of them putting in extra work behind the scenes. Weber even performs one of the songs playing over the end credits.
Unfortunately, all that talent and dedication can’t fix a broken screenplay. “A Marine Story” is ambushed by its own multiple-message mess.
The death of Twitter logs1I share a lot on Twitter, as I have documented in my weekly Twitter logs for 14 years on this site. But that ends today. The post The death of Twitter logs first appeared on Wade Kwon.
Video: Writing with AI1Learn more about chatbots, generative AI and how they are disrupting writing, business and education. The post Video: Writing with AI first appeared on Wade Kwon.
Episode 2 found the models moving into mansions and walking sky-high runways with no time for any extracurricular shenanigans. If that was the calm before the storm, then tonight’s episode is gonna be a blizzard, y’all.
Jennifer West (@
Aaron Hillis (@
Claudia Puig (@
Kenn McCracken (@
Chance Shirley, co-founder of Birmingham-based 
