Podcast: Play in new window | Download On this episode of the Almost Locals Only podcast John, Shannon and Nat discuss bits of Comic Con. But first we give you some reviews. First up John and Shannon discus Friends With Benefits. That is followed by John’s views on Captain America: The First Avenger. We close out movie reviews with Shannon’s thoughts on the small indie comedy/drama A little Help. In Cinema News and Views we discuss boot legged trailers. This leads to discussion of Comic Con which then...

In light of the news from Comic Con that Jurassic Park 4 will finally see the light of day I was able to visit the park and talk with one of the best bands in the world, Foxy Shazam. Risking life and limb outside of one of the dinosaur’s cages we discuss the band’s new album, the future of Foxy Shazam, and their recent run in with the President. In all seriousness though if Foxy isn’t in your current iPod playlist I suggest you seek them out and if you know of the band and love the album you must see them live....

There are just way too many things coming out of the San Diego Comic Con right now.  A film project that I am curious about had its first reveal this afternoon.  Snow White and the Huntsman is a version of the classic fairy tale.  Until today, no one knew what kind of direction this film was taking.  Based on the information and pictures released today, I think we can all agree that it will be a dark version.  It has also previously been mentioned that this project might turn into a trilogy.  The main actors are Kristen...

Everyone knows that sometimes the planets align and provide us with a perfect night of enjoyment. This just happened to me on Thursday night at the Record Bar in Kansas City. I had arrived to review an indie band called Empires and really knew nothing about them or the other acts they were playing with. They were the starting act for a line up that would also include My Gold Mask and a very interesting act that goes by the name Mark Mallman. The bar was, unfortunately for the bands, not at capacity for the show, but it was a...

Fact: When asked the question “which five people would you invite to dinner, living or dead, if you were allowed to invite anyone” my answer would undoubtedly be Kevin Smith, Nick Hornby, Hunter S. Thompson, Dr. Drew Pinsky and Stan Lee. That said, it tends to be hard for me to keep an open mind as I walk into a theater featuring a film involving the last name on my list. I’ve watched as awful casting choices and pseudo directors make a mockery of Lee’s life works. Most of these films were nothing more...

Yesterday was the panel at the San Diego Comic Con for The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1 in Hall H.  Loads of people camped out in line to get into this panel with all of the major actors and director of Breaking Dawn.  Below are a couple of videos from pandemonium yesterday.  One is mostly about those in line and a special surprise they got in the morning.  The second is footage from the panel in Hall H.  Two clips from the film were shown at the panel.  The clips involved a honeymoon scene and Jacob confronting...

Drive is a drama/thriller based on a novel by James Sallis.  The trailer was debuted at Comic Con, and now it is online.  This is a red-band trailer, so it is NSFW.  Director Nicolas Winding Refn won the Cannes award for Best Director this year for Drive.  The main character is played by Ryan Gosling and has an extensive supporting cast that includes Carey Mulligan, Albert Brooks, Bryan Cranston, Ron Perlman, Christina Hendricks, and Oscar Isaac. It looks to be a violent movie with some killer car maneuvers.  And having...

**I did not see No Strings Attached, the movie that was released earlier this year with Ashton Kutcher and Natalie Portman.  There will be no reference or comparisons to it in this review. Who would have thought that Justin Timberlake would be an actor in legit Hollywood films, especially when he was a boy band heartthrob?  Well, apparently he can act well enough to get to play the male lead in Friends with Benefits with Mila Kunis.  The film is about just what you think from the title.  Mila Kunis and Justin Timberlake...

Were back with what is the second and final installment of FIRST AVENGER Friday. In this installment were going to discuss the Howling Commandos.  The Howling Commandos in relation to the Captain America mythos aren’t that heavy. In the Marvel comic universe the books were known as Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos. If Fury rings a bell to Marvel Cinematic Universe fans that is because Fury would be one Nick Fury played by Samuel L. Jackson in the Marvel films. So how do the Howling Commandos fit into Captain America:...

07.21.2011– Kansas City, Kan.– Kanrocksas Music Festival presented by Samsung with Sprint officially announces the following set times for the first major music event in Kansas City that is transforming Kansas Speedway® as host of the inaugural large two-day festival. The schedule includes the only remaining North American opportunity to see Eminem in 2011 on day one, Friday, August 5, with recent news that the only other two venues the artist is playing are sold out. Day two brings MUSE as the headliner on Saturday, August...

The ten year anniversary of 9/11 is upon us.  Can you believe it has been ten years?  It was one of those horrific events that you will remember where you were and what you were doing when it happened.  There have been countless films and documentaries on 9/11.  Rebirth is a bit different.  It is a documentary that looks at the lives of five people affected by 9/11 through close to ten years after it happened.  It also gives us a glimpse of what has happened to the site of the Twin Towers since 9/11 through time-lapse...

Here is a creepy thriller that hopefully turns out to be a good film.  Daniel Craig, Naomi Watts, Rachel Weisz, Marton Csokas, Elias Koteas, and Jane Alexander star in Dream House.  And that title is the opposite of what this film is about.  I am all about thrillers as long as they are not too scary.  This film seems to reminiscent of Shutter Island, but they gave away the twist.  I am sure there is another one or it would have been a stupid trailer to make.  I like the graphics they used in the trailer, like the words...

The odds of someone using words like “low-energy,” “boring” or “unenthusiastic” when describing a Reel Big Fish concert seem about as likely Meryl Streep never getting an Oscar nomination again. After years of performing it would make sense for their routine to feel a bit lackluster or stale, but Monday night at the Beaumont Club in Kansas City was anything but. Celebrating their 20th anniversary on this current tour, they were as kinetic, entertaining, and upbeat as ever. A Reel Big Fish show is genuinely a group...

 Usually when I go to a show I find myself avidly observing. I’m always watching for the tiny moments. Moments like when two members of a band glance at one another before they do something tricky with a song. Or bashful winces as tiny errors are made that no one else notices but the musician himself. Even a brief dance that could only happen if the “dancer” is genuinely lost in the song make each concert-going experience a little bit richer for me. I like the inside jokes and smiles. I like catching the non-singing band...

Primary Charitable Partners Announced with Opportunities for Participation with Requests Due by Friday, July 22 07.19.2011– Kansas City, Kan.– Kanrocksas Music Festival announces four charitable partnerships and reaches out to local charities to create “Charity Village” for the two-day event August 5 – 6, with a focus on four core initiatives that strive to improve communities across the Metropolitan area. “Charity Village” will focus on four pillars of need including education, urban core youth, health and...