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Thursday, January 17, 2008 | The Red a Black
Quotable movie offers ‘honest shenanigans’
BY MANDY RODGERS
Thk Red & Buck
Think back to when you were
16. What if you were pregnant or
had gotten someone pregnant?
It probably wouldn't have been
as amusing as "Juno,” the latest
movie tackling the same issue.
However, first-time writer Diablo
Cody's dialogue and characters
still seem honest throughout the
improbabilities of the story.
It only took one time for Juno
Mac Guff (Ellen Page) and her
best guy friend. Paulie Bleeker
(Michael Cera), to get bored and
have sex, resulting in Juno’s loss
of a period for nine months.
Page oozes sarcasm as she
delivers quotable one-liners
throughout the movie, making
Virgins a
hidden
secret of
pop fun
Another notable band
hailing from New York
City. The Virgins don a
strangely asexual moni
ker for a band so spirited
and sensual. With a soul
ful new wave sound remi
niscent of a dance-floor
ready, less scratchy
Strokes, the quartet's
bold bass lines and
socially acceptable sub
ject matter will bring
bodies of all kind onto
their feet to break it
down.
Still a hidden secret of
the Big Apple, the band’s
songs recently scored an
entire episode of the
CW s Upper East Side-set
series "Gossip Girl” a
week after playing a
swanky late night New
Year's show at Lower
Mama’s Boy serves up
delicious crab cakes
BY LAUREN LEIGHTON
& SALLY OSTEEN
Thk Red & Black
Mama's Boy is a
quaint restaurant with a
Southern twist. Open
Monday through Friday
and for brunch on
Saturdays and Sundays.
Mama’s Boy is located
right next to downtown
and quickly is becoming
a popular place to go for
a low-key evening or
quick lunch date with
friends.
This Southern-style
restaurant is very reason
ably priced to suit the
college crowds, with
plates ranging from $8 to
Sl6. One favorite entree
that Mama’s Boy offers
patrons at brunch and
dinner is the salmon
cakes served at
brunch with poached
eggs and Hollandaise
sauce and with mashed
potatoes, sauteed spin
ach and tartar sauce at
supper.
Try whipping up this
recipe in your own kitch
en. and then get over to
Mama's Boy and see how
it compares.
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you wonder if anyone could ever
be that clever —and if they are,
you’re kind of envious.
Cera is utterly adorable as the
young teen whose biggest worry
used to be sweating too much
while running track before he
knocked up his best friend. He
has absolutely no clue what to
do in his situation, and who
would?
It’s no spoiler to say that
Juno’s first idea for an abortion
doesn’t work out, and she
decides to give the baby up for
an adoption.
She finds a nice family in the
local classified ads and meets
them in their spotless home to
make arrangements for a
planned adoption. Juno sticks
out more than her bulging belly
YOUR NEW FAVORITE BAND
C*m htem Thi Vihx.in*
a The Virgins hail from New York City and are known for catchy hooks
and bold bass lines that make audiences get up and dance.
Manhattan hot spot
Mercury Lounge. Rm and
funky. The Virgins may
make everyone feel a lit
tle more metro with its
versatile approach to
indie-pop. The quartet
sounds like a scene’s for
mer geek coming into his
own: slightly sexually
repressed, driven to make
a difference, more than
meticulous with a goofy
Mama’s Boy
Salmon Cakes
Ingredients
About 3/4 pound skinless
salmon
1 tsp chopped capers
3 stalks minced celery
3/4 yellow onion minced
1 tsp dry dill weed
1 tsp dry English mustard
1/2 cup corn meal
3/4 cup mayonnaise
Salt and pepper to taste
Grill salmon and allow to fully
cool While salmon is cooling, mix
all other ingredients by hand,
except mayonnaise, in a large
mixing bowl. Then, add the
cooked salmon Next, slowly mix
in the mayo. Patty the cakes into
about 6 equal portions. Then roll
the cakes in a bowl of commeal
until the outside is no longer
gooey and the cake holds its
shape but is not stiff. Cook in an
oiled frying pan until golden
brown on each side.
Special Thanks:
Mama's Boy
197 Oak Street
(706) 548-6249
OUT & ABOUT
JUNO
Grade: A-
Verdict: “Juno" represents how you
wish a teenage pregnancy would play
out - hilarious shenanigans and the
betterment ot all lives involved.
in the couple’s immaculate
abode, but they eventually find
her oddball comments endear
ing, including the one calling
their future baby a sea monkey.
Jennifer Garner is Vanessa
Loring, the prim and proper
wannabe mom married to Mark
Loring (Jason Bateman), the
wannabe rock star who compos
es commercial jingles instead.
Perhaps Garner's recent ven
ture into motherhood helped her
groove at the heart of it
all. The Virgins really
make music that’d help
the most nerdy men
make waves with the
ladies if only someone
like McLovin knew how
to mack like a boy from
the big city. Imagine
someone strutting their
stuff to the understated
single “Rich Girls" and
it’s bound to put a smile
movie previews
Cloverfield
Action
Rating: PG-13
Starring: Michael Stahl-
I)avid, Mike Vogel and
Odette Yustman
After months of secrecy
and speculation, the top
secret project from “Lost”
creator J. J. Abrams finally
will be unveiled to hungry
audiences Prior to his
departure for Japan, Rob
(Michael Stahl-David)
hosts a going-away party,
but the festivities are
rocked by a series of bizarre
and disturbing natural
disasters. Pandemonium
ensues when New Yorkers
discover a monstrous and
shadowy creature lurking
the streets. Matt Reeves,
screenwriter for James
Gray’s “The Yards,” directs
this Drew Goddard (“Buffy
The Vampire Slayer”)
screenplay.
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slide into the role of Vanessa
with such ease. Her earnest
yearning for a child is effective
as she decorates the baby’s
room and feels it kick.
While pregnant, Juno begins
to discover herself and form
deeper relationships with her
family and friends. She bonds
with her neurotic stepmother
(Allison Janney) and finds solace
when talking to her dad (J.K.
Simmons), who both hoped their
child’s problems were more in
line with drugs rather than being
with child herself.
A memorable film highlight is
the changing of the seasons dis
played by the track team’s shift
in weather conscious apparel
while constantly running around
town.
VITAL STATS
Formed 2006 in Manhattan/
Brooklyn, N.Y.
Latest Release: The Virgins EP
(2006)
Listen at: www myspace.com/
thevirginsnyc
on your face —as well as
that pocket protector
into the trash can.
Sami Promisloff
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27 Dresses
Comedy
Rating: PG-13
Starring: Katherine Heigl,
James Marsden and
Edward Burns
Fresh off the heels of
“Knocked Up," new it-girl
Katherine Heigl returns for
the first of a series of
romantic comedies to be
released early this year.
She plays Jane, always the
bridesmaid but never the
bride. When her younger
sister gets hitched with
her boss and secret love
interest (Burns), she
begins to wonder if she will
ever hear her own wedding
bells. Anne Fletcher
directs the script written
by “The Devil Wears
Prada" and “The Laws of
Attraction" screenplay cre
ator Aline Brosh
McKenna.
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listen up!
PACKWAY HANDLE BAND
Self-titled
Anyone who ever thought bluegrass music isn’t
original or surprising should look no further than to
Athens’ very own Packway Handle Band.
The five-piece’s eponymous third album may not
mine unfamiliar terrain, but their biggest strength lies
in the stunning level of professional musicianship.
Driven by instrumental virtuosity and anchored by
intricate four-part har
monies, the band has
found a near-perfect
balance between tradi
tional bluegrass struc
tures and adventurous
jam passages.
While the vocals are
certainly impressive,
it’s the music that
steals the show. The
fiddle and the mando
lin are the brightest
beacons of light
throughout the album,
especially on the exotic instrumental "Spanish
Scissors.” which sounds like a band of flamenco gyp
sies that have gotten lost in the antebellum South,
and “Tossin’ the Beefcake,” a more orthodox number
where each member tosses solo passages back and
forth at breakneck speed.
Another praiseworthy note: unlike so many of their
genre’s peers, Packway Handle avoids succumbing to
the temptation of cliche-ridden lyrics. While the lyrics
are bound together with country-esque themes (titles
such as "Tuggin’ at the Com,” a song devoted to
ducks, or the opening put about their good friend,
Jack Daniels), they function as quirky and interesting
rather than predictable.
Other highlights: “Downpour” takes the band as
close to blues territory as they get. and guest vocalist
Jessica Horwitz’s soulful heartland voice steers “River
Delta” to success, adding a unique dynamic to the
record.
Verdict: Not life-changing, but engaging and pro
fessional enough to appeal to fans of— and outside
the bluegrass genre.
John Barrett
MGMT
Oracular Spectacular
From the weird world of Wesleyan College to the
late-night lights of Letterman, MGMT (abbreviation
for The Management) slowly is becoming a crossover
sensation and 2008's breakout frontrunner. Now fea
turing former Whig Hank Sullivant, the band is finally
releasing "Oracular Spectacular" its debut on
Columbia Records following a series of independent
EPs with killer cult status. The LP’s best bets are the
re-imagined versions of songs from the former EPs,
most notably the anthems “Time to Pretend” and
“Kids” with original dance breaks included, extended,
and totally intact.
On a first spin, “Oracular Spectacular" takes some
getting used to, filled with heavily layered and repeti
tive hooks as well as an ups well of inorganic experi
mental noise. But at its core, MGMT writes the kind
of post-modern party
anthems that poten
tially will bridge the
ever-narrowing gap
between avant-garde
art school students,
psyched-out hippie
children and fratemi
ty-fond fellows with a
taste for the trippy
once and for all, pick
ing up where The
Flaming Lips left off,
thanks to the touches
of their profound pro-
ducer Dave Fridmann. Sonic walls of sound sidestep
alongside good-time lyrics celebrating the vibrancy of
our independence and affinity for a good time, such
as on “Weekend Wars" and “The Youth.” The dance
floor is sure to slowly bum with the deathly catchy
disco-funk dropped on “Electric Feel” and the band
takes a friendly freak-folk turn on “The Handshake”
as the album forges to its closer “Fbture Reflections.”
Verdict: It might take a few tries, but MGMT will
get you good and grooving guaranteed.
Sami Promisloff
Don’t Go Broke
White Columns Hall
IBR/IBA Flat
ONLY $460.00
Onsite Fitness Room
& Laundry Room
Water & Gas Included.
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