(Dale Robinette | DW Studios)

Interviewing an Academy Award-nominated director could be daunting, but when the director is Jason Reitman, it’s anything but. At the age of 32, Reitman has already written and directed three feature films and several shorts, and has garnered the respect of the film industry. Considered to be one of this generation’s hot, young directors, Reitman sought to clarify that “hot, young” referred to attractiveness. As the son of celebrated director/producer Ivan Reitman, Jason grew up on his father’s sets, experiencing such comedic works as “Meatballs,” “Ghostbusters” and “Kindergarten Cop” firsthand. Reitman recalls his time spent in the editing rooms of these and other films, and cites these experiences as defining, for they taught him to be ruthless with his own work.

Reitman’s first feature film was the 2005 black comedy “Thank You For Smoking,” which was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Picture. Though this film was well received, it was the 2007 runaway hit “Juno” that catapulted Reitman to new heights. Nominated for an Academy Award for Best Director for “Juno,” Reitman says, “It was a tiny film that was very successful.” The film addresses the idea of growing up in a real way, and Reitman says, “I think it will stand the test of time.”

In St. Louis for the 18th annual St. Louis International Film Festival last weekend, Reitman was honored with its Contemporary Cinema Award, which is awarded to “filmmakers in mid-career who are doing innovative, independent-minded work.” Reitman’s latest film, “Up in the Air,” debuted at the Telluride and Toronto film festivals and opened the St. Louis Film Festival last weekend, and it has already been earning some Oscar buzz. This film has been a passion project of Reitman’s, as he wrote the screenplay before directing “Thank You For Smoking.” Reitman cites the book, which is based on the novel of the same name by Walter Kirn, as a “toolbox” to use as a springboard. As for where to break from the source material, Reitman says, “It’s intuitive. I find an author who has the same point of view on life as I do.”

(Dale Robinette | DW Studios)

“Up in the Air” features the incomparable George Clooney as Ryan Bingham, a detached man who spends his life on planes, flying to cities to fire employees of corporations too cowardly to do it themselves. Closed-minded to the idea of human companionship, Ryan seeks comfort in airport lounges, security lines and the perks that go along with frequent fliers. Ryan meets a similar-minded woman in one of these lounges, Alex (Vera Farmiga), and while their relationship is not at the center of the film, the chemistry between these characters is palpable and their witty rapport is infectious. Ryan’s life in the air is jeopardized when a young college graduate, Natalie (Anna Kendrick), convinces Ryan’s boss, Craig (Jason Bateman), that the company can cut costs by firing people via video conferencing.

With “Up in the Air,” Reitman claims, “I wanted to make a love letter to travel,” and not a film about the homogeneity of America. His film certainly speaks to the beauty of Middle America with rich overhead shots of American cities, which act as transitions between scenes. The film was shot mostly in St. Louis, which Reitman really enjoyed. He said St. Louis was a great location, as no prior movie has been primarily shot in St. Louis, and it has many original locations and climate change, and is a Middle America city that can double as other cities. “People were lovely” in St. Louis, noted Reitman, and from “actors to locations, you know when I love them.”

“Up in the Air” truly captures the anxieties of our time. Throughout the film, Reitman used real footage of people from St. Louis and Detroit discussing their reactions to being fired. These confessionals help to set the tone for the film, and their honest and touching portrayals put the film’s story in context. While in St. Louis last February to shoot the film, Reitman spoke at Webster University, where Kevin Renick, a St. Louis man, gave him a cassette tape of a song he wrote about being unemployed that was also titled “Up in the Air.” Reitman used Renick’s song in the film and on the soundtrack. The film is full of such genuine and authentic-feeling moments, and it beautifully tackles relevant issues everyday Americans are facing.

“Up in the Air” seizes upon American culture today and is a strong indicator of Jason Reitman’s potential. The film is sure to be a contender come awards season and Reitman deserves all the praises.

“Modern Family” has a multi-layered formula, combining aspects from different shows, making it almost unrecognizable as any other sitcom. It employs the mockumentary framework of “The Office” with confessionals that add to the comedy without over-sentimentalizing, as well as bringing in faces from other popular comedies—Ed O’Neill from “Married…With Children” and Julie Bowen from “Ed.”

“Modern Family” is about the Pritchett clan: Jay Pritchett (Ed O’Neill) is the patriarch, remarried to the younger, Latina stunner Gloria (Sofia Vergara). Jay can’t enjoy the company of his bombshell wife as he would like to, since he also lives with Gloria’s overly precocious son, Manny (Rico Rodriguez). Jay’s daughter, Claire (Julie Bowen), is married to Phil Dunphy (Ty Burrell), and they are the quintessential suburban couple with three kids. Claire is the domineering, all-knowing mother to Phil’s goofball who classifies his parenting style as “peer-enting,” due to his knowledge of all the “High School Musical” dances and his use of words like “dude,” “down,” etc. Claire’s brother Mitchell (Jesse Tyler Ferguson) and his partner Cameron (Eric Stonestreet) recently adopted a baby from Vietnam. Mitchell and Cameron struggle to find a balance fitting into their new world of playgroups and sippy cups. Avoiding cliché gay stereotypes, Mitchell and Cameron are complex characters whose anxieties over parenting make them believable and lovingly neurotic.

The kids of “Modern Family” manage to almost match the comic talents of their older colleagues. Claire and Phil’s kids, Haley (Sarah Hyland), Alex (Ariel Winter) and Luke (Nolan Gould) make a dynamic trio of siblings. Teen Haley protests her mother’s need to know her boyfriend while Luke gets punished for shooting Alex with his BB gun, and Phil must shoot him in return. When the whole family gets together, Manny adds some spice, as he and Luke get into a fight at school when Manny insists on calling Luke his nephew.

“Modern Family” is actually funny; case in point, it averages an impressive 10 million viewers and wins its timeslot every week. The show’s laughs come from the quirks and shenanigans that occur within a real, diverse family. “Modern Family” is a comedy that can appeal to virtually anyone. It has jokes for all audiences to appreciate. From the six episodes that have aired, some of the best moments include when Jay questions Manny about the traditional Colombian poncho he wants to wear on his first day of school: “Am I driving him to school or is he riding his burro?” During a photo shoot when Cameron dresses their baby Lily up as Diana Ross, Mitchell bumps her head on the wall and rushes her to a doctor. When the doctor asks what Lily had on her head as a buffer, Cameron blurts out “a ghetto fabulous wig,” to which Mitchell says, “You thought ‘ghetto fabulous’ might be medically relevant?” Phil displays his true understanding of his wife in a confessional when he states, “The other day, Claire was like, ‘You have to move your car, there’s no space in the garage for both of our cars.’ What she’s saying, you know, is that I should probably get a sports car.”

“Modern Family” is certainly modern, original and very funny. What more could a viewer want?

“An Education”

Opens Nov. 6

If you’re a fan of “High Fidelity” or “About a Boy,” “An Education” is sure to please, as the clever Nick Hornby penned the screenplay. “An Education” takes place in suburban London in 1961, as brainy 16-year-old Jenny (Carey Mulligan) falls for the older, dapper suitor, David (Peter Sarsgaard). Jenny is an excellent student who has been striving to get into Oxford, but when she meets David, who introduces her to a world of culture that involves running off to Paris for the weekend or going to hip jazz bars, Jenny must decide what is most important to her. Emma Thompson and Alfred Molina also star.

“Pirate Radio”

Opens Nov. 13

“Pirate Radio” already came out internationally a few months back under the name, “The Boat that Rocked.” Like “An Education,” this film takes place in England in the 1960s (I must have a thing for this period in history) and centers around eight DJs who broadcast rock ‘n’ roll from a boat in the middle of the Northern Atlantic. Breaking British laws for their love of music, these DJs defined a generation and drove the government mad along the way. Phillip Seymour Hoffman leads the pack playing The Count and Bill Nighy stars as Quentin, Radio Rock’s owner. This comical band of rebels plays the best of classic rock and tells an interesting tale of sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll at the same time.

“Brothers”

Opens Dec. 4

A film that stars Tobey Maguire, Jake Gyllenhaal and Natalie Portman has already done right by me. But just to be sure, Jim Sheridan directs this remake of Susanne Bier’s 2004 film “Brødre.” Decorated Marine Sam Cahill (Maguire) goes missing overseas, and his troubled yet charismatic younger brother, Tommy (Gyllenhaal), moves in to take care of his brother’s wife, Grace (Portman), and his children at home after leaving jail. Grace comes to care for Tommy, and when Sam miraculously arrives home, most likely with an extreme case of PTSD, it makes for an uncomfortable dinner table.

“Nine”

Opens Dec. 18

Even though I didn’t love “Chicago,” I’m eager to see Rob Marshall’s latest musical feat, partly because the late Anthony Minghella helmed the screenplay. Inspired by Federico Fellini’s autobiographical film “8 ½,” “Nine” is sure to be a lavish experience. Few films this year could even conceive of putting the cast together that “Nine” has assembled. Daniel Day-Lewis stars as film director Guido Contini, who faces a midlife crisis that is repressing his creativity and causing him to become entangled in a web of romantic affairs. He struggles to complete his latest film and is forced to balance the many women in his life, including his wife Luisa (Marion Cotillard), his mistress Carla (Penelope Cruz), his muse Claudia (Nicole Kidman), his confidant and costume designer Liliane (Judi Dench), an American fashion journalist (Kate Hudson), a prostitute from his youth (Stacy Ferguson) and his mother (Sophia Loren). This is sure to be a major contender for the Oscars.

“It’s Complicated”

Opens Dec. 25

Aside from the fact that I am a huge Meryl Streep devotee, “It’s Complicated” is appealing, as it’s directed by Nancy Meyers, master of the rom-com, who brought us “Something’s Gotta Give” and “The Holiday.” Streep stars as Jane, a divorced mother who owns a successful bakery. Though she has been divorced from Jake (Alec Baldwin) for a decade and has three grown children by him, Jane and Jake still have chemistry that is difficult to deny. This is difficult for Jake, who had an affair with the much younger Agness (Lake Bell) and left Jane to marry his mistress. Jane also falls for her architect, Adam (Steve Martin), who complicates this triangle. Acting alongside the triumvirate of talent that is Streep, Baldwin and Martin is John Krasinski, Rita Wilson and Hunter Parrish.

Chef Gerard Craft in front of his Niche restaurant.(Courtesy of Jennifer Silverberg Photography)

Just as a painter possesses the intuition to create the perfect brush stroke, a chef uses his talent to make braised pig’s head with the same level of refinement. St. Louis’ own Gerard Craft is such an artist, whose work can be seen at his restaurants Niche and Taste by Niche in Benton Park.

Craft has received accolades for his work, both locally as the winner of Sauce Magazine’s 2008 and 2009 “Favorite Overall Restaurant” and “Chef of the Year” awards, as well as nationally; he was a 2008 Food and Wine “Best New Chef” and was recently named a 2009 James Beard Award Finalist in the Midwest category.

Craft’s culinary career launched from an unexpected beginning. After dropping out of college in Salt Lake City, he began washing cars in the morning and dishes at night. While washing dishes at a local pool hall, Craft started to cook and found that he enjoyed the instant gratification he received after making a dish.

“I found I really liked the atmosphere of the kitchen. I don’t think school was for me,” Craft explained.

After working in restaurants in Utah, New Jersey and Los Angeles, Craft moved to St. Louis to open his first restaurant, Niche, in 2005. When asked why he chose St. Louis, Craft responded, “We wanted to open a restaurant but not go against the current of New York and D.C. Be a bigger fish in a smaller pond. St. Louis seems to appreciate food.”

Craft has certainly elevated St. Louis in the culinary world, as he is the first St. Louis-based chef to be named one of Food and Wine’s “Best New Chefs.”

The philosophy behind Niche is to make great meals. Craft expanded, “[I] let the ingredients speak for themselves. I do it differently at Taste than I do at Niche.”

After closing the bakery next door, Veruca, run by pastry chef Matthew Rice, Craft opened Taste by Niche this past summer. This new venture offers small plates and classic cocktails in an intimate space. On the subject of what prompted him to open Taste, Craft said, “I didn’t feel there was something like it going on [in St. Louis]. We wanted a place where we could hang out. Really good food, not expensive prices, with good cocktails.”

In this period of economic change, Craft is learning to adjust. He noted that the recession has forced him to learn how to create quality food at reasonable prices. Sustainability is also important to Craft: He has forged relationships with many local farmers, and around 98 percent of the protein served at Niche comes from Missouri.

With his love for simple French cuisine in mind, Craft is embarking on a new journey, as he is set to open a new restaurant, Brasserie by Niche, this fall. Brasserie is taking over the space in the Central West End that Chez Leon once inhabited. Craft will be serving up rustic food—a simple steak frite, onion soup or cassoulet, simple brasserie food. “We wanted to bring something again on the more affordable, more approachable take on French food. I think people think French food is over-the-top fancy, unapproachable. I wanted to show brasserie food as it is [in] Paris or Lyon.”

As the culinary world shifts, Craft sees everyday food as the new commodity. “It’s more and more becoming what people are looking for when they go out to eat. They either want high end and perfect or good comfort food.”

Craft’s parting words: “Follow your dreams. Work hard. I’m successful because I love to do it. It would be pretty miserable to do things you don’t love.”

The show premiered in July, and its season finale aired last week. Though Lifetime renewed it for a second season, this under-rated show has not received the praise it deserves. While many have heard the phrase “A thin woman trapped in a fat woman’s body,” “Drop Dead Diva” puts it into context. When Deb (Brooke D’Orsay) the model wakes up in Jane (Brooke Elliott) the attorney’s body, she first utters, “You sent me to hell?” Though Deb retains her effervescent personality, she also inherits Jane’s intellect and knowledge of legal terms. Jane comes to resemble a version of Reese Witherspoon in “Legally Blonde” with her signature strut, the “booty bounce” that amounts to “shoulders back, show the rack.” Jane also gains Deb’s confidence, which is refreshing considering it’s rare to find a strong, confident overweight woman in today’s television landscape. Deb’s vast knowledge of fashion and her sense of ingenuity serve the new Jane well, as she is able to recall facts about the fashion industry and pop culture that help win her cases.

Aside from Jane/Deb, there is a plethora of entertaining characters. The incomparable Margaret Cho plays Terri, Jane’s super-supportive assistant and friend, who encourages her, provides her with her favorite snacks, and reminds Jane of facts from her life when she doesn’t seem to know who her own mother is, essentially because this is still Deb. Stacy (April Bowlby) is Deb’s best friend and the only person aside from Jane’s guardian angel who knows the truth about Jane. Their friendship picks up where it left off, aside from the fact that Deb is no longer a model but rather a successful lawyer. Kim (Kate Levering) is a nasty associate of Jane’s, who has always looked down on Jane for her looks but is actually jealous of her professional success. Grayson (Jackson Hurst) is Deb’s fiancé who also works at Jane’s firm, and while the two grow close, Jane cannot reveal her true identity to the man she still loves. There has also been an all-star cast of cameos ranging from Paula Abdul, Rosie O’Donnell, Liza Minelli and Nia Vardalos to Tim Gunn and Delta Burke.

The show manages to take an outlandish trading-spaces concept and instill it with a real sense of heart. When Deb’s parents come to the firm to get a divorce, Jane tries to represent her mother, but finds it too difficult. Jane becomes a woman who redeems Deb’s “zero” by taking on cases that are ethical rather than lucrative, and even sues a clothing company on her own behalf when she learns they don’t make clothes in her size. Brooke Elliott shines in every episode with a convincing yet playful performance.

“Drop Dead Diva” obviously falls in the entertaining category and not the brilliant one. But if you can suspend your mind and avoid dwelling on the preposterous concept and the obvious plot conventions, this show has wide appeal.

It should serve to remind us that television doesn’t always have to be serious. It’s a spirited dramedy that teaches the valuable lesson that one’s inner beauty is the only one that truly counts.

You can re-watch the season on mylifetime.com.

I was recently having a discussion over dinner with some friends about the most recent season of “Top Chef.” When I mentioned that I was rooting for Jennifer, the most talented woman on the show, my (female) friend cried out, “Why, she’s such a bitch.” Aside from the fact that it bothered me that this was one of my girl friends who felt this way and not a guy friend of mine, I wanted to explore why she felt this way. I asked her, “Why is she a bitch?” Her response was simple and to the point: “She just is.” I continued to challenge her, asking what Jennifer could have possibly done on the show to garner her disrespect, as Jennifer has not made any enemies and has come to be a force to be reckoned within the kitchen, as she is consistently one of the winners.

Jennifer is an extremely talented chef who wins most challenges, and when she doesn’t win, there is no crying or whining, only cussing. Used to being the boss at her job, where she is the chef de cuisine for renowned chef Eric Ripert’s 10 Arts restaurant in Philadelphia, Jennifer can stand the heat in the kitchen, while those who can’t get dismissed each week. In a recent episode, Jennifer won the Quickfire Challenge, which gave her immunity for the main challenge that week. The main challenge had all the contestants working together as a group, and because Jennifer had immunity, one of the other competitors suggested that Jennifer be the team captain, since whether they did or did not do well, she had immunity and could not be sent home. She agreed to be captain, and her natural leadership skills were readily displayed. Jennifer expected all of the team members to do their part and do it well, walking through the kitchen and telling some people to stop talking and focus on the food, and telling others that their food was not good enough to serve. I can see that this was probably the episode my friend watched, which made her feel that Jennifer was a bitch.

What if this were a man, though? What if the most talented chef on the show were a man? If a man were team captain and demanded the best of these chefs and reprimanded the ones who were slacking, no one would call him a bitch; no one would even comment. This is because it is expected that male competitors are assertive and demanding, but as soon as a woman inhabits these roles, she is immediately marked as the bitch.

One male competitor in particular bothers me, and, in my defense, it is not solely because of his behavior but also because he makes mediocre food and seems to ride on the coattails of some of the more successful chefs. In the premiere episode, the competitors participated in a relay race of chopping and preparing some basic foods. Michael (the Greek one, not the attractive Voltaggio brother), the male competitor in question, was shucking oysters against Jennifer and commented that when he looked over and realized that she was beating him, he was shocked because no girl should be beating him.  In a later episode in which Jennifer won the Quickfire, Michael said that Jennifer won because the judges play favorites and that she didn’t deserve it. First, the Quickfires are judged by visiting chefs and not the main judges who preside over the main challenges, and thus they don’t know the contestants and obviously judge whose food is best. Michael makes crappy food, but instead of getting over this, he puts down Jennifer and attributes her success to the fact that the judges are playing favorites.

I will continue to watch “Top Chef,” just as I will continue to cheer on Jennifer. She’s not warm, fuzzy and nurturing, but rather assertive, foul-mouthed and badass. I hope one day that reality television has better standards and doesn’t feel the need to resort to such simplifications of human behavior, but until it does, I’m rooting for “the bitch.”

Episode 1: “The Pants Tent”

In the show’s pilot episode, Larry accompanies Nancy, one of his wife’s friends, to the movies. It would not be “Curb Your Enthusiasm” if there were no awkward occurrences, and the instigator in this episode is Larry’s pants. The excess fabric causes an inconvenient and innocent bunch-up giving the illusion that Larry has an erection, which alarms Nancy. Also at the theater is Larry’s friend, Richard Lewis’s new girlfriend, Sofia. Throughout the show, Larry has uncomfortable interactions and opinions regarding Richard’s girlfriends, but in this first episode, Larry tries to walk past Sofia to get to his seat. Sofia feels he is taking too long to go by and accuses him of staring at her breasts. Given the fact that she is wearing a provocative, form-fitting dress, Larry delivers a great line—“No, you wear that dress so people look at your shoes.” Later in the episode, Larry calls his wife “Hitler” on a phone call with his friend Jeff, not knowing that he is on speakerphone with Jeff’s outraged parents listening in.

Episode 28: “Krazee Eyez Killa”

Wanda Sykes is Larry’s wife Cheryl’s good friend, and in this episode she is engaged to a rapper, who goes by the name Krazee Eyez Killa. At a party, Krazee confides in Larry about his love for vaginas and the differences that exist between ethnic vaginas. Krazee trusts Larry and warmly asks him, “Are you my n****?”  Later, when Wanda finds out her fiancé’s side activities, Krazee accuses Larry of betraying him, but Larry vows to him that he didn’t say anything. Larry demonstrates his friendship by asking Krazee, “Are you my Caucasian?” Also in this episode, Susie, Jeff’s wife, offers Larry a tour of their new house, but Larry turns down the offer saying, “Yeah, it’s a house. It’s new. I get it. It’s nice.”

Episode 29: “Mary, Joseph, and Larry”

While Larry is Jewish and his wife Cheryl is Christian, their religious differences never seem to have come between them in the past. When Cheryl’s family comes to visit for Christmas, Larry’s lack of Christian knowledge creates a tense visit. After Cheryl and her sister bake Nativity-themed cookies, Larry eats the cookie of the baby Jesus unknowingly. Shocked, Cheryl’s sister tells Larry, “You ate the baby Jesus and his mother Mary,” to which Larry replies, “I thought he was a monkey.” In an effort to salvage Christmas, Larry hires a group of actors to play the Nativity scene and sets them up in his driveway, but he quickly offends the actor playing Joseph by saying that the actress playing Mary is hot. Throughout the episode, Larry has a problem clearing his throat and even sees his doctor to help him remove the irritant in his throat, a pubic hair from his wife following oral sex.

Episode 39: “The Survivor”

For Larry and Cheryl’s 10-year anniversary, Cheryl tells Larry that he can sleep with another woman one time. This proposal drives much of the fourth season, and in this episode, Larry considers a tempting offer from his Hasidic dry cleaner. As they prepare to meet in a hotel, Larry wonders if it’s true that Hasidic Jews have sex through a sheet. Larry shows up at the hotel with a sheet with a hole cut out, much to the woman’s chagrin. Later, Larry is attending a dinner party, and a friend of his comments that he is bringing a survivor to the party. Assuming that he means a Holocaust survivor, Larry invites a friend of his father’s, another Holocaust survivor so that they can meet. Larry brings Solly to the dinner, but his friend brings Colby Donaldson, a participant on a season of the reality show “Survivor.” Colby and Solly get into an all-out fight discussing who had it harder, as a contestant on the show or in a concentration camp. Colby asks him “Did you ever see our show?” and Solly replies, “Did you see our show? It was called the Holocaust!”

Episode 36: “The Car Pool Lane”

Larry and Jeff want to play golf but can’t because they haven’t heard back from the “restricted” golf club about their membership applications. Instead, they want to go to the next night’s Dodgers game, but it is sold out. Cheryl surprises Larry with tickets to the game. Jeff cancels at the last minute and Larry finds himself in traffic on the way to the game. In a stroke of genius, Larry decides to pick up a prostitute, Monena, so that he can use the HOV or car pool lane. Monena insists that Larry take her to the game, and she proves to be entertaining company, until Larry runs into some of the golf club board members who review applications. It doesn’t fare so well for Larry that he escorted a hooker to the game. Earlier that day, Larry nervously bought marijuana from a street dealer for his father, who suffers from glaucoma. He ends the night smoking the marijuana with his elderly father and Monena.

The cast members of “Couples Retreat” are, clockwise from back left, Kristen Bell, Jon Favreau, Kristin Davis, Faizon Love, Kali Hawk, Malin Akerman, Vince Vaughn and Jason Bateman. (John Johnson/Universal Pictures/MCT Campus

The philosopher Herbert Spencer once remarked that marriage is “a word which should be pronounced ‘mirage.’” In the new film “Couples Retreat,” marriage is certainly portrayed as if it were a distant mirage. This new comedy reunites much of the cast of the 2006 flick “The Break-Up.” Vince Vaughn, Jason Bateman and Jon Favreau come together again to play best friends, with Peter Billingsley, who plays their other friend in “The Break-Up,” directing them in this film.

Jason (Jason Bateman) and Cynthia (Kristen Bell) are a couple on the verge of divorce who forcefully coerce three other couples to go on vacation to Eden, a place described as “Disneyland for adults.” After painfully presenting their marital woes through a PowerPoint presentation, Jason and Cynthia beg their friends to accompany them on the trip, claiming they can only afford the group rate. Though everyone seems skeptical about the couples skill-building on the itinerary, Cynthia quickly assures them that it’s optional.

Upon arriving at Eden, aside from the obvious beauty of the place (the film was shot in Bora Bora), philandering Joey (Favreau) is excited to see hot 20-somethings waiting for him while he ignores his wife Lucy (Kristin Davis), who seems just as disinterested in him. Shane (Faizon Love), still reeling from his recent divorce, brings his new 20-year-old girlfriend Trudi, whom he met at the mall. Dave (Vaughn) and Ronnie (Malin Akerman) appear to be happily married amongst their friends, but their issues surface when therapy begins. Everyone soon learns that participation in the resort’s couples therapy is not optional, so their group-rate vacation comes at a price.

This film has arrived and found its place as a raunchy yet sensitive comedy. Co-written by Vaughn, Favreau and Dana Fox, wit and humor come across while the film explores the deep-seated issues that affect these four couples. “Couples Retreat” balances out the serious problems at the core of these marriages with physical comedy that ranges from Dave in a sticky shark situation to a scantily clad yoga instructor who thrusts himself against both the men and women to demonstrate proper form.

Vaughn is the highlight of the film as the voice of reason, coming to realize that he does take his beautiful wife for granted. My favorite scene has Dave playing an intensely heated game of “Guitar Hero” against the resort’s manager. John Michael Higgins and Ken Jeong turn in hilarious cameos as two of the therapists, and Jason pulls a hypothetical gun on Jeong, asking him whether he and Cynthia will make it, but decides to holster it for later. Everyone’s problems are confronted when the group must make a dangerous trip to the singles resort on the other side of the island to retrieve the runaway Trudi.

In the age of intelligent comedy, this film has found its stride. With an all-star cast and sharp one-liners, “Couples Retreat” is worth the trip.

Rating: 4/5 stars

You girls are my heroes, but wait Maggie, I’m sure you’d tell me “Be your own hero.” Trust me, I would if I could, but the last time I went roller skating, I think George H.W. Bush was president (yes, that long ago). While I’m sure that other people are probably referring to your performance as “a revelation,” “poignant,” and with the right amount of “hipster kitsch,” I can only call it what it actually is—*badass*. You girls are fearless in the arena, pivoting and swirling with the right amount of force, and punching noses and tripping skates when necessary. Though you didn’t win the league championship, number two is a great place to be.

Bliss (Ellen Page): It’s as if you’re a less precocious version of your alter ego in “Juno,” but instead of getting knocked up by a dweeb to find out what you’re made of, here you just need some Barbie roller skates. While you’re part of a femme-centric ensemble of players, you stand out. You began as a wallflower from some boondock town called Bodeen, Texas, slaving away as a waitress at the Oink Joint until you made a trip to the big city of Austin and discovered the world of roller derby. It must suck that your uptight mom Brooke (Marcia Gay Harden) is always dragging you to compete in these “Little Miss Sunshine”-esque pageants that would make me want to hurl.

As you transform into the petite yet tough “Babe Ruthless” on the track, you form a new family with Maggie Mayhem (Kristin Wiig) as your pseudo-mother figure, while leaving your BFF Pash (Alia Shawkat from “Arrested Development”) to rot at the Oink Joint alone. And what about that charmingly dirty beau of yours, Oliver (Landon Pigg)? Yeah, he was exciting for a while, till he left town for a month on his band’s tour, stealing your beloved Stryker T-shirt and leaving you high and dry. It was probably especially awkward when you told your mom that you gave him everything, but it did ensue in a heart-rending confrontation of repressed emotions.

Iron Maven (Juliette Lewis) of the Holy Rollers delivers a memorable performance as the defending queen of the derby. Her poor sportsmanship and propensity for food fights make her the competitor to beat. Razor (Andrew Wilson—Luke and Owen’s big bro) may seem like a tough coach on the outside, but underneath his rough exterior, he just wants you girls to have fun. Johnny the derby announcer (Jimmy Fallon—his wife is Drew Barrymore’s producing partner) captures the essence of awkwardness with that necessarily corny narrative.

Overall, I must commend Drew Barrymore, coach of her very own team while also skating as Smashley Simpson. Although I was initially skeptical about her foraying into the world of directing, she has made a solid directorial debut. Barrymore’s filming of the roller-derby action was both silly and aggressive, making it the visceral experience that it was. It was not a typical sports film, as Barrymore’s focus was on the relationships between the women on the team.

All in all, it was a pleasure to share two hours with you women. You reminded me of the importance of female friendships and how meaningful they can be. Maybe I will brush up on my roller-skating skills or at least find something else at which I, too, can be my own hero. Thank you, Hurl Scouts.

Your loyal fan,

Ashley Johnson
Cadenza Reporter

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Printmaking has long been regarded as a subversive art form. The history of printmaking includes a long list of radical artists who have used their medium as a way to disperse their own social commentary. In the new exhibit “The Rebellious Tradition of Printmaking,” on display until Nov. 15, these themes of social criticism are explored through a new large-scale triptych, “The Transformation of Brandy Baghead” by Tom Huck, as well as the prints that inspired Huck by classical printmakers, such as Albrecht Dürer, Max Beckmann and Pieter Bruegel.

The crown jewel of this exhibit is the triptych “The Transformation of Brandy Baghead,” which is the first installment from Huck’s “Booger Stew” cycle of prints. This series of woodcuts stands 82 by 24 inches, 82 by 45 inches and 82 by 24 inches. While anyone can marvel at Huck’s meticulous attention to detail, his intricate carvings and his thought-provoking compositions, the themes of this piece are quite ghastly.

This set of prints presents a perverse and warped scrutiny of American culture through its representations of reality television. In this piece, Huck considers the extreme lengths that some people undergo to transform themselves into what is deemed more acceptable and mainstream by society, as inspired by the television show “The Swan.”

In the first frame, “The Transformation of Brandy Baghead,” Brandy is seen as the wholesome fall festival queen at a vegetable-themed fair. The second frame, “Part II: America’s Next Top Omelette,” shows Brandy as she is savagely cut, poked, prodded and injected by a team of doctors. Brandy’s doctors, who resemble mad scientists, use cat entrails, nails, crowbars and tape to stitch their patient together, as they strive to make her a superior ice-skating chicken species. The last frame, “Part III: Skating with the Scars,” completes Brandy’s transformation as she skates beautifully on television as her new chicken-enhanced self. It also explores America’s peculiar fascination with figure skating, while poking fun at absurd TV shows, “Dancing with the Stars” and the short-lived “Skating with the Stars.”

Huck dissects American culture and the entertainment that fuels it through these outlandish scenes. In this exhibit, Huck sensationalizes the foolish ideals of the American mainstream with a fearless sense of humor. Some of the other prints in the exhibit include Albrecht Dürer’s “The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse,” Pieter Bruegel’s “Pride” from the series “The Seven Deadly Sins” and several of Max Beckmann’s circus-themed prints. On the subject of these landmark works being included in his exhibit, Huck said, “They represented to me a wonderful lineage of graphic satire that I wanted to be a part of.”

This intriguing and bizarre exhibit is worth seeing because it illuminates the media’s proclivity for unwarranted sensationalism. It’s not everyday that you can see a figure-skating chicken-woman; so when it’s in proximity, it’s a must.