Ursula, a bony 14-year-old girl, crouches against the farthest corner of the zoo cage, crossing her hands in front of her chest. After suffering abuse at the hands of two Nazi soldiers, the Jewish girl cannot speak. Her doe eyes speak only fear. Antonina, the zookeeper’s wife, kneels near her, reassuring her and attending to…
Latin pop duo Mau y Ricky to heat up Festival Miami
The highest aspiration of Latin pop songs has always been to make listeners want to dance. Now, the chart-topping songwriting brothers Mau y Ricky prove that songs can provoke thought in addition to dance. After writing songs for Ricky Martin, including the dance-beat sensation “Vente Pa’ Ca,” Mau y Ricky emerge from the studio and…
Crown the Empire’s ‘Retrograde’ features space-themed enthusiasm
Album cover courtesy Rise Records Few bands can pull off bad-boy charm while pumping out intellectually complex songs. Yet, Texas-based metalcore band Crown the Empire rocks at both. The group exhilarates a fan’s deepest instincts while constructing a cohesive narrative with its songs. With each listen, the chanting, tom-heavy, bass-driven anthems dig deeper into your…
‘Ex Machina’ tackles questions of sexuality, sentient machines
Sci-fi thriller “Ex Machina“ asks incisive questions without relying on flashy action. With only three speaking roles, the script uses implied dialogue to escalate suspense. While the characters rarely say what they mean, every word in the film has a purpose. Eternally with vodka or wheatgrass in hand, Nathan (Oscar Isaac), a straight-talking genius millionaire, drunkenly…
‘Game of Thrones’ star tackles royal role in ‘Cinderella’
Known for his role as Robb Stark in the “Game of Thrones” series, Richard Madden is trading the battlefield for a ballroom and a sword for a glass slipper. The Scottish actor sat down with The Miami Hurricane to talk about his role as Prince Kit in Disney’s live-action movie “Cinderella.” “They’re both young men that…
Playlist: Single on Valentine’s Day
HEY LOVE, Single on Valetine’s day? Don’t worry. Sure, you admit that sometimes you LOVE HOW IT HURTS, but this year can be different. You might cringe when you see all those HELIUM HEARTS at Publix or ask yourself why EVERYBODY’S GOT SOMEBODY BUT ME. But the trick to enjoying the day of love is…
‘Project Almanac’ an instant time-travel classic
At first glance, “Project Almanac” seems to be the last of a long tradition of time travel-based movies. Following a brilliant high school student as he constructs a time machine in his garage, the sci-fi action adventure details every step of the journey with edge-of-the-seat realism. How could such a low-budget project compete with iconic…
Ben Howard shocks crowd by leaving stage without encore
Indie singer-songwriter Ben Howard brought his British tunes to the Jackie Gleason Theater in Miami Beach on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. The intimate venue afforded the cult followers an up-close glimpse at his surfer freckles and wispy hair. With the power usually reserved for electronic music, the snare of the drums reverberated in the…
‘The Theory of Everything’ hits emotional nerve
Time taunts everyone’s lives, yet few have so determinately set out to understand it like the revolutionary scientist Stephen Hawking. The film “The Theory of Everything” follows Stephen Hawking (Eddie Redmayne) and his intellectual ambitions as he delves into a romance with the cosmos as well as a woman he meets as a young Cambridge student….
‘Birdman’ breaks boundaries
The first Mexican director to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Director, Alejandro G. Inarritu once again challenges the boundaries of cinema with his latest project, “Birdman.” In the dark comedy, Inarritu mocks the superficiality of today’s films and what he calls “celebrity kind of disease” by crafting a post-modern masterpiece layered with parody and cinematic…
‘Cuban Fury’ encourages audience to chase after passions
We’ve all felt inadequate at some point, especially when compared to the majesty of our love interest. But “Cuban Fury,” the latest film by Nick Frost, advocates channeling this adoration into the realization of a passion. Frost, who was the writer of both “Hot Fuzz” and “Paul,” wrote and stars in “Cuban Fury” as Bruce, the…
‘Captain’ continues Marvel’s majesty
Picking up after “The Avengers,” Marvel’s latest film “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” has big boots to fill. Yet the sequel to the first Captain America flick doesn’t just fill them – it redesigns them. With Star Trek-like gadgets, James Bond espionage and “Mission: Impossible” sleekness, this blockbuster steps up from its 2011 beginnings, captivating…