LEISURE Sunday Republican, March 28, 2004 SSO Pops series concludes Saturday every young are minute and 60 of it. loving years Springfield Symphony Orchestra's 60th anniversary season will close in May, but not before we present three "big bang" concerts. The first of these concerts, Saturday, features Art Garfunkel performing with Kevin Rhodes and the orchestra for the last of our four Pops concerts. As I write this, there are fewer than 200 tickets still available. My advice is buy now, so call our Box Office at (413) 733-2291 for information.
This has been among the best-selling of all SSO Pops concerts of the past 10 years; fans from Connecticut, Maine, Vermont, New York, Pennsylvania and all over Massachusetts have purchased tickets and will be converging on Symphony Hall Saturday night. But it was with amazement 50 FIRST DATES (PG-13) A kinder and gentler Adam Sandler plays a fish veterinarian in Hawaii who falls in love with a girl (Drew Barrymore) who has short-term memory loss. (96 min.) AGENT CODY BANKS 2 (PG) Another summer, another assignment for the CIA's ace teen -age James Bond. Frankie Muniz teams up with Anthony Anderson in London to foil a plot to implant mind -control devices in people's teeth. (93 min.) ALONG CAME POLLY (PG13) Ben Stiller plays an insurance risk-assessor who takes all the wrong risks in his own life, starting with a disastrous marriage and moving on to an action-packed romance with Jennifer Aniston, who is his opposite in every way.
(90 min.) THE BARBARIAN INVASIONS (R)A professor named Remy, who has devoted his life to wine, women and left-wing causes, now faces death by cancer, certain and soon. His wife divorced him years ago because of his womanizing, his son is a millionaire who dislikes him and everything he stands for, many of his old friends are estranged, and the morphine is no longer controlling the pain. By the end of 2: BACK IN BUSINESS (PG-13) Calvin's Barbershop is back in business, 4 the story, miraculously, he will have gotten away with every. thing, and be forgiven and beloved. In French with English subtitles.
but threatened by Nappy Cutz, the big franchise operation opening across the street. All of the main characters are back from the popular original film, but somehow this one lacks the zing and feels like a similar plot recycled. Even Cedric the Entertainer's anti-PC zingers lack their sting this time. (118 min.) THE BUTTERFLY EFFECT (R) Ashton Kutcher stars as a boy who keeps journals of his trouA bled childhood, and finds out as a college student that he can use them to revisit the past and change things improving the future, in theory, although it doesn't always work out that way. (113 DAWN OF THE DEAD (R) Healthy humans barricade themselves inside a shopping mall as PA zombies roam the streets.
One bite, and you die and are resurrected as a ghoul. Slicker effects and better acting than the classic 1979 version, but not as tricky, witty or smart. Still, effective on the basic action level, with some sensational sequences. With Sarah Polley, Ving Rhames, Jake Weber, Michael Kelly, Mekhi Phif- er. (100 min.) DIRTY DANCING: HAVANA NIGHTS (PG-13) New ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND (R) names and a new location, but the same plot as "Dirty Dancing." Romola Garai moves with her family from St.
Louis to Havana, is fixed up with a rich boy, but falls for the Cuban waiter (Diego Luna, from Tu Mama (87 min.) The new screenplay by Charlie Kaufmann John Malkovich," is a labyrinth of romantic possibilities, all fragmented. When Kate Winslet breaks up with Jim Carrey, she goes to a company named Lacuna Inc. to have her memories of him erased from her mind. Carrey decides to do the same thing to her and then they meet again, and get stuck in a revolving door of remembering and forgetting, falling in and out of love, in a movie that's a maze of failed and regained romance. With Tom that we MICHAEL learned a JONNES few weeks ago that Jean Howarth of Derby, Great Britain, bought a ticket to the concert and will be flying in to hear Garfunkel and the orchestra.
Our fan base has gone international. On April 24, we celebrate our 60th anniversary with the official Birthday Concert. Featuring Leonard Bernstein's "Symphony No. 1 (Jeremiah)" and Beethoven's soaring masterpiece, "Symphony No. 9," featuring "Ode to Joy," this concert is also selling fast.
Lester Lynch, who was magnificent in the role of Amonasro in our production of "Aida" last season, is among the quartet of vocalists who will be fea- FAMILY FOCUS The following films rated and PG are playing at area theaters: "Agent Cody Banks 2" (PG) "Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen" (PG) "Peter Pan" (PG) "Scooby-Doo 2" (PG) Wilkinson, Elijah Wood, Mark Ruffalo, Kirsten Dunst. (108 min.) GREENDALE (unrated) An allegorical, post-hippie, new-age message film based on the rock musical of the same name from Neil Young. (83 min.) HIDALGO (PG-13) Bold, exuberant and swashbuckling, like something Douglas Fairbanks or Errol Flynn might have bounded through. Viggo Mortensen stars as Frank Hopkins, a half-Indian cowboy bored by working in Buffalo Bill's show; he and his beloved mustang enter the Ocean of Fire, a deadly Saudi desert race with a $10,000 prize. (135 min.) JERSEY GIRL (PG-13) After he loses his wife and his job in quick succession, Ben Affleck moves back to New Jersey to live with his father (George Carlin) and his young daughter (Raquel Castro).
Long years pass in celibacy before a video clerk (Liv Tyler) tries to convince him that she is preferable to a p*rno movie. He's a hard sell, in a warm, funny movie by Kevin Smith "Chasing Jennifer Lopez makes a brief but heartwarming appearance. (102 min.) THE LADYKILLERS (R) Tom Hanks stars in a remake of the classic 1955 British comedy that starred Alec Guinness as a "musician" who rents a room from a sweet little old lady and uses it as the base for a criminal scheme involving four associates. Irma P. Hall plays the little old lady this time, in the film's only completely successful role; she's a churchgoing Baptist who innocently thwarts their plans.
Hanks and friends plan to tunnel into a nearby casino, which generates some real laughs, especially involving explosives and body disposal, but all but one of the characters in this Coen brothers movie are so bizarrely eccentric that they seem to be pleading for laughs; the low-key Guinness, who made anonymity the touchstone of his career, had it right. (104 min.) THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RETURN OF THE KING (PG-13) At last the full arc is visible, and the Lord of the Rings trilogy comes into final focus. This is the best of the three, redeems the earlier meandering, and certifies the Ring trilogy as a work of bold ambition at a time of cinematic timidity. (200 min.) LOST IN TRANSLATION (R) Bill Murray has never been better than in this performance as an American movie star, sad and lonely, alone in Tokyo to make a whiskey commercial. Scarlett Johansson is the much younger woman whose photographer-husband strands her in the same hotel.
(105 min.) MASTER AND COMMANDER (PG-13) An exuberant sea adventure told with uncommon intelligence, re-creating the world of the British Navy circa 1805 with detail and intensity. Russell Crowe stars as Capt. Jack Aubrey. (139 min.) MONSTER (R) The best performance of 2003, in the year's best movie. Charlize Theron embodies the serial killer Aileen Wuornos, a damaged woman who committed seven tured in the Beethoven.
To celebrate the anniversary, the audience is invited to a postconcert champagne reception in the Mahogany Room. This anniversary concert (indeed the season) is made possible with the generous year-long sponsorship by MassMutual Financial Group. Our season officially closes May 15 with the concert presentation of Puccini's great opera, "Tosca." If you thought "Aida" was brilliantly done, then you'll want to hear Kevin, the SSO and soloists tear into this wild, emotional powerhouse of Puccini's work. Money, politics, love, sex, "Tosca" has it all. We will be welcoming back soprano Bridgett Hooks.
Patrons may remember her from her haunting performance of the R. Strauss' "Four Last Songs" a few seasons ago. The SSO family consists of many constituencies but it is the members of one of our con- Film murders. She does not excuse the murders. She simply asks that we witness the woman's final desperate attempt to be a better person than her fate intended.
The movie refuses to objectify Wuornos and refuses to exploit her story in the cynical manner of true crime sensationalism; instead, it shows us a woman whom life has beaten beyond redemption. (109 min.) MY ARCHITECT: A SON'S JOURNEY (documentary, un- rated) Nathaniel Kahn, the illegitimate son of the architect Louis 1. Kahn, goes in search of the elusive genius who left behind three families and many secrets. We get a sense of Kahn's greatness and also his sadness; he was a moving target, driven, secretive, compelled. Nathaniel interviews colleagues, lovers, half-sisters, and visits such Kahn monuments as the Kimball Art Museum and the capitol of Bangladesh.
We begin by pitying the son, but oddly enough the film ends by making us pity the father more. What a sad man. (116 min.) MYSTIC RIVER (R) Clint Eastwood's 24th film as a director, one of his best, is a dark, ominous brooding about a crime in the present linked to a crime in, the past. It involves three boyhood friends who were marked when one was captured by a child molester; when one of their daughters is murdered, old emotions well to the surface. (140 min.) NEVER DIE ALONE (R)A doom-laden, introspective morality tale about a mid-level drug dealer (DMX) who secretly switches his women from cocaine to heroin to keep tighter control over them.
He narrates the story from beyond the grave, in a complex plot involving a New York drug kingpin (Clifton Powell), a Speaking of art stituencies the musicians who comprise the heartbeat of the orchestra. Our 60th Anniversary program book lists the musicians by years performing with the SSO, and the list is striking, indeed. Many of our core musicians have been with the SSO for 15, 20, 25 years or longer. Our musicians lead musically diverse and fascinating professional lives, performing with many different musical organizations and ensembles. Here is a sampling of our musicians' recent activities.
Ron Gorevic, principal viola, has been a member of Prometheus Piano Quartet the past seven years; the ensemble just released its first CD on the Centaur label with music of Vincent D'Indy and SaintSaens. It is available through music stores and Amazon.com. capsules young collector with a past connection to David (Michael Ealy), and a white writer (David Arquette) who thinks he is doing research in tough drug bars, while we think he's asking for trouble. The best work yet by Ernest Dickerson who has the nerve to start dark and stay dark with a story based on work by the legendary ex-con crime writer Donald Goines. (90 min.) THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST (R) A harrowing and graphic depiction of the suffering and death of Jesus, filmed without compromise.
It is a personal message movie of the most radical kind, reflecting Gibson's belief that to fully comprehend the Passion is necessary if Christianity is to make any sense. The most violent film I have ever seen, and one of the most deeply felt. (126 min.) PETER PAN (PG) A live-action version of Disney's 1953 animated musical adaptation. Peter the boy who won't grow up, whose perpetually happy thoughts allow him to fly sniffs around Wendy's bedroom window at night, reveling in the fairy tales she shares with her younger brothers. (113 min.) SCOOBY-DOO 2: MONSTERS UNLEASHED (PG) The same cast is reunited for another outing with the animated dog.
Matthew Lillard is fun, Seth Green is funny and Freddie Prinze Sarah Michelle Gellar and Linda Cardellini reprise their roles in a silly machine that whirls goofy antics before the eyes of easily distracted audiences. There's a scheme to reactivate monsters defeated in the past by Mystery and Peter Boyle makes a satisfactory villain out of Old Man Wickles, but if you have the wit to read this listing you're probably PINGER WITH by Dean Regan "It's damn good!" Dick (Patsy Cline's husband) A Musical Concert Tribute Follow her climb to stardom from her. hometown in Virginia to The Grand Old Opry, Las Vegas and Carnegie Hall! Featuring over 20 Hits including "She's Got "Walking After "Sweet "I Fall To Pieces" and "Crazy" APRIL 15-18 CITY at CityStage Parking FREE STAGE BOX OFFICE: (41 (413)788-7033 3)733-2500 IN COLUMBUS GARAGE CUR TICKETMASTER: www.citystage.symphonyhall.com Sponsored by: The Republican. Ron is also a visiting professor at Smith College and a member of the Smith Chamber Ensemble. Violinist Anne Marie Chubet performs in the Boston College Piano Trio with her husband, James Chubet, on piano and Jan Pfeiffer on cello.
And on the family side, an orchestra offers its congratulations to the following musicians. Principal oboist Fred Cohen married Marcie Cooper last Halloween. Cooper was intrigued to learn that a Fred Cohen had been hired as the music department chair at Montclair State, her alma mater: she had taken oboe lessons from a Fred Cohen a number of years ago and decided to say hello. As it happened, the "Montclair State" Fred Cohen was not her former oboe teacher, but she did learn that the Fred Cohen who had given her oboe lessons was now a professor at UMass-Am- going to be able to think of something better to do than see the movie. (93 min.) SOMETHING'S GOTTA GIVE (PG-13) Jack Nicholson has never dated a woman over 30.
Diane Keaton thinks dating is behind her, and suddenly she finds herself being courted both by Nicholson and by a yourig doctor (Keanu Reeves). (124 min.) "HILARIOUS Kevin Thomas LOS ANGELES TIMES frantic MUNIZ Anthony ANDERSON. AGENT CODY BANKS: DESTINATION LONDON PO www.mgm.com ET I NOW WEST SHOWCASE SPRINGFIELD CINEMAS 1-15 SHOWING 733-5131 RIVERDALE ALL ROAD DIGITAL SHOWCASE CINEMAS MARQUEE CINEMAS EASTFIELD MALL SPRINGFIELD PLAZA 16 ROUTE 20 1250 ST. JAMES AVE. 543-6000 ALL DIGITAL 781-3456 ALL DIGITAL herst.
She contacted the "right" Fred Cohen to say hello and the rest is, as they say, history. Principal flutist Albert Brouwer of Montreal and his wife, Stephanie, a flute substitute with the SSO, welcomed their second son, Jorik, Dec. 14. Violinist Krzysztof Gadawski, also a member of the Hartford Symphony Orchestra, and his wife, Heather a daughter, Noelle, in September. Cellist Joel Wolfe, also a member of the Portland (Maine) Symphony Orchestra, married pianist Linnea Bardarson in November.
And sadly, we had to bid a sad farewell to one of our veteran horn players, Louisa Damiano, last month. Louisa played with the orchestra for 22 seasons. Michael Jonnes is the executive director of the Springfield Symphony Orchestra. SPARTAN (R) David Mamet's thriller is on a large scale; the president's daughter is kidPlease see Capsules, Page H3 MARQUEE a Springfield 16 Springfield Plaza SPRINGFIELD, MASS Showtimes March 28 Scooby Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed PG Sun 12:00 2:10 4:20 7:10 9:15 Scooby Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed PG Sun 1:05 3:10 5:15 7:50 Jersey Girl PG13 Sun 12:25 2:40 4:55 7:10 9:25 The Ladykillers Son 12:20 2:40 5:00 7:20 9:40 Never Die Alone Sun 12:10 2:15 4:20 7:15 9:20 Never Die Alone Sun 1:15 3:20 5:25 8:00 10:05 Hidalgo PG13 Sun 1:10 4:05 7:00 9:55 Starsky Hutch PG13 Sun 1:003:10 5:20 7:30 9:40 Dawn Of The Dead 12:30 2:55 5:20 7:45 10:10 Dawn Of The Dead Sun 1:45 4:10 7:05 9:30 Taking Lives Sun 12:15 2:35 4:55 7:25 9:45 The Passion of The Christ Sun 1:00 4:00 7:00 10:00 Secret Window PG13 Sun 12:10 2:25 4:40 7:00 9:15 Secret Window PG13 Sun 1:00 3:10 5:25 7:45 10:00 50 First Dates PG13 Sun 1:00 3:10 5:25 7:45 10:00 Twisted Sun 9:20 Agent Cody Banks: Destination London PG Sun 12:00 2:20 4:40 7:00 Spartan Sun 9:50 01482396 CRITICS AUDIENCES ARE SOAKING UP THE SUNSHINE IT'S THE BEST REVIEWED FILM OF THE YEAR BY FAR! Ebert Rooper PREMIERE TWO BIG THUMBS A MASTERPIECE! loved I loved it too? Wildly -L Richard Romper A 2 Roger EatETERNAL SUNSHINE www.eternalsunshine.com FOCUS of the spotless mind RO FOCUS FEATURES, ALE ALL NOW SHOWCASE EASTFIELD MALL CINEMAS WEST SHOWCASE SPRINGFIELD CINEMAS 1-15 STADIUM -STYLE SEATING SHOWING 543-600 ROUTE BIGITAL 733-5131-ALL RIVERDALE ROAD DIGITAL NO PASSES. THIS AIN'T FAINT FOR THE OF HEART NEVER is evil anti-hero the most since charismatically DIE Daniel Schweiger, VENICE ALONE SHOWCASE CINEMAS MARQUEE CINEMAS SHOWCASE CINEMAS EASTFIELD MALL SPRINGFIELD 16 WEST SPRINGFIELD 1-15 Stadium- Style Seating Route 20 (413) 543-8000 Spnngfield Plaza St.
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