L. KENT WOLGAMOTT / Lincoln Journal Star | Posted: Thursday, January 5, 2006 6:00 pm
It’s just the first full weekend of 2006 and it’s safe to predict there won’t be another better movie week the rest of the year. That’s because two of the top films of 2005 open in Lincoln today.
“Brokeback Mountain,” the critical consensus as the the best film of 2005, comes to the Douglas Grand Theatre as it expands outside major cities. Steven Spielberg’s “Munich,” in my view his best movie since “Schindler’s List” and a critical Top 5 film of last year, opens at the SouthPointe Cinema today.
That leaves only a couple of highly praised 2005 movies yet to play local theaters: Woody Allen’s “Match Point,” which hasn’t yet been in wide release, and the independent “The Squid and the Whale,” which has been slowly making its way into smaller markets and should be here soon.
There are actually three more 2005 pictures hitting Lincoln screens today: “Casanova,” an entertaining romp starring Heath Ledger as the legendary Venetian lover, which is at the Grand, and two films at the Ross Media Arts Center, “Breakfast on Pluto,” the latest from director Neil Jordan, and the dance documentary “Ballets Russes.”
They’re all worth seeing.
The 2006 releases — horror film “Hostel” and sophomoric comedy “Grandma’s Boy” — are a bit more problematic. They weren’t screened for critics in time for Ground Zero’s deadline. That’s never a good sign.
MoPix movie
The MoPix movie again this week is “King Kong,” director Peter Jackson’s reworking of the classic adventure story that features some of the best special effects ever on film. MoPix is a system that provides access to film to blind and deaf people and is available in one of the auditoriums at the Grand.
Clubland
This might be the slowest week of the year on the local club scene. As far as I can tell, there are no national/regional touring bands coming to town and only a smattering of shows set for local acts. Things pick up next week. But if you’re looking to go out this weekend, you’re on your own.
Fearless football forecast
It’s playoff time in the National Football League. So it’s time for some highly uneducated predictions on the outcomes of this weekend’s wild-card matchups.
Saturday, Washington goes to Tampa Bay and Jacksonville visits New England. It’s always a risk taking a road team. But I look for Washington’s defense to rattle Chris Simms, who hasn’t yet shown he’s a big game quarterback, and for Clinton Portis to get the run game going on offense. Washington is the pick.
The battered defending champs appear to be rounding into form enough that they’ll get one more win before their run ends, so I’ll go with the Patriots.
Sunday, it’s Carolina at the New York Giants and Pittsburgh at Cincinnati. Both of these matchups look like pick ’em games to me. I’ll go with Eli Manning, Tiki Barber and the Giants defense to take a squeaker over the Panthers. My heart wants the Bengals’ feel-good season to continue. But Carson Palmer’s never been in a game like this and Pittsburgh is likely to ride the Bus for 60 minutes. I’ll pick the Steelers to grind out an ugly win.
Reach L. Kent Wolgamott at 473-7244 or kwolgamott@journalstar.com.