Mountain Views News          Saturday, February 26, 2011

11

ARTS & ENTERTAIMENT

 Mountain Views News Saturday, February 26, 2011 

SEAN’S SHAMELESS 

REVIEWS


I Am Number Four

Based on the 
book by Jobie 
Hughes and 
James Frey, “I 
Am Number 
Four” is an 
engrossing sci-fi 
high school tale 
only for those 
who are loyal to 
this genre. John 
Smith (Alex Pettyfer) is the principle character, 
an alien from the 
planet Lorien. 
He was sent to Earth as a child alongside eight 
other toddlers to flee from an attack by another 
race, the Mogadorians, who inevitably destroy 
their home planet. The always-superlative 
Timothy Olyphant plays his guardian, Henri. The 
two of them find themselves on the run after the 
first three children are hunted and killed by the 
Mogadorians. John and Henri make their way to 
a small Ohio town where everything is about to 
change. With no ties to his past, John must once 
again start over. He’s the habitual outsider until 
he finds a friend with a similar destiny, falls for 
the prototypical rebellious girl and discovers 
the powers of his own entity. Ladies and gents, 
“I Am Number Four” plays out like the male 
counterpart to “Twilight”. In its defense, there are 
some notable highlights and it possesses far less 
sappy, melodramatic moments unlike its maudlin 
doppelganger. 

If I were in high school, I’d probably go 
gangbusters for this film. The flick caters to high 
school boys, since there is a kick-ass chick that 
comes into play mainly in the third act. The 
problem is Number Six (Teresa Palmer); screen 
time is minimal and that’s a real shame. Alex 
Pettyfer, the honorable protagonist, does a fairly 
adequate job given the material. He’s no superstar 
in the making, primarily coming off slightly 
one-dimensional in this particular performance. 
Dianna Agron is a real treat though. I can see 
why she smote John. It was utterly effortless for 
the audience to fall in love with her character. In 
addition, she is awfully easy on the eyes. Another 
cast member, Callan McAuliffe, performs 
explicitly as the kid perpetually picked on by the 
high school quarterback and his cronies. He has 
a secret of his own that plays into the film late in 
the second act. His character is the only one that 
seems to tackle real life problems. Lastly, Timothy 
Olyphant is undoubtedly the finest actor in this 
production. Seriously, how could you not dig 
watching his artistic work? 

“I Am Number Four” is fairly deliberately 
paced. We get a snippet of action in act two, but 
it isn’t until the grand finale where the movie 
comes alive. Given the nature of the film and 
its production costs, the special effects were 
satisfactory, but nothing mind-blowing. Director 
DJ Caruso (Distrubia, Eagle Eye) is an above-
average director that knows how to work the 
audience and give you just enough suspense to 
keep you on edge. I prefer his smaller, grittier 
and distinctly different movie “The Salton Sea” 
to the mainstream, glossy, almost-too-polished 
films he’s doing these days. The biggest problem 
with “I Am Number Four” is the script. It felt very 
cookie-cutter, especially the high-school scenes. 
The screenplay provides very basic dialogue 
sprinkled over the familiarity of sequences 
we’re all accustomed to. There were even some 
unintentional moments of laughter, which I never 
mind. However, it’s more like you’re not laughing 
with the movie, but sadly just at it. Perhaps 
this is my reasoning to elude the obvious fact 
that movies like “I Am Number Four” feel more 
like a glitzy, perfectly packaged over-pretentious 
product rather than something evoking honest 
and authentic visceral reactions. “I Am Number 
Four” is a fun escape on a boring, rainy day 
Sunday, but if you’re seeking originality and 
memorable moments, take heed, head another 
direction. 

Grade: 3 out of 5. 

SAT. 2/26 - SURFIN’ WITH ELVIS @ OCEAN VIEW BISTRO IN MONTROSE, 9pm. (sort of the 
pared-down version of Longboard Ranch) 3826 Ocean View Blvd. 818-248-2722. Full bar and kitchen. 
www.ovbistro.com 

PLANNING AHEAD DEPT:

THURS. 3/17 - ST. PADDY’S DAY PARTY @ CAFE 322 IN SIERRA MADRE with SNOTTY SCOTTY 
& THE HANKIES and more... details to come.

 

THURS. 3/17 - ST. PADDY’S DAY PARTY with GROOVY LEMON PIE @ T. BOYLE’S TAVERN 
IN PASADENA, 9pm. 37 N. Catalina Ave., just N. of Colorado Blvd. (formerly Toe’s Tavern and the 
Hanlebars) www.glpie.com

 

SUN. 3/20 - ANNUAL WISTARIA FESTIVAL IN DOWNTOWN SIERRA MADRE - tons of live 
music and purple blossoms!

 

*****NOW ACCEPTING ENTRIES FOR THE 2011 DOO DAH PARADE! Parade Day is Saturday, 
April 30th, 11:00am in East Pasadena. Be part of one of the most colorful and unique experiences 
around! Go to: pasadenadoodahparade.info -- and under “Entry Form” sign up now! Queen tryouts 
will be held on Sat. 4/2 at the American Legion.

 

Please remember to call and verify all info. before making plans. Everything is subject to change. 
This is show biz, after all... 

 

Hope to see you out & about, SierraMadreSue sierramadresue@yahoo.com 

I Am Number Four

Release Date: 02/18/2011

Directed by: D.J. Caruso

Screenplay by: Alfred Gough, Miles Millar, 
Marti Noxon

Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of 
violence and action, and for brief language.

Sean Kayden


Crown City Symphony

Crown City Symphony is presenting two 
free concerts, Saturday, March 12 at 2pm at the 
Altadena Senior Center, 560 E. Mariposa,and 
Sunday, March 13, at 2pm, at

The First Baptist Church of Pasadena, 75 N. 
Marengo. Marvin Neumann is the conductor 
and he has picked the theme of Four Centuries 
of Music.

The soloist for this concert is Charles Hummel, 
violinist, performing the Violin Concerto # 2 by 
Prokofiev. Mr. Hummel was born and raised in 
the Pasadena area. He began his violin studies at 
the age of six at the Colburn School of Performing 
Arts. He played with many local honor orchestras 
and was concert-master and soloist with the 
Pomona College Orchestra. He is currently a 
fifth Year MD/PhD student in the UCLA Medical 
Scientist Training Program.

Cynthia Nunes, horn player with the Crown 
City Symphony, will guest conduct the overture 
to “Cosi Fan Tutte” by Mozart. 

A featured work on the program, and the one 
representing the 21st century is the premiere of 
“Redux”, a piece for string orchestra composed by 
the conductor, Marvin Neumann.

The program will close with the full orchestra 
performing “Espana” by Chabrier.

Both concerts are free. 

Crown City Symphony, whose motto is Ability 
not Age, has received grants from The Pasadena 
Tournament of Roses Foundation and the City 
of Pasadena Cultural Affairs Division, and the 
Pasadena Showcase for the Arts. It is sponsored 
by The Tuesday Musicale of Pasadena.

The web site is crowncitysymphony.org. 
For more information email Roberta Wilcox, 
manager, at manager@crowncitysymphony.org, 
or call, (626) 797-1994.

Made possible in part with funds received 
through private donations and sponsored by the 
Tuesday Musicale of Pasadena

Call (626) 797-1994 for more information. 
Web site: crowncitysymphony.org


The Book Report

The Hundred-Foot Journey: 

A Novel by Richard C Morais 

“That skinny Indian teenager has that 
mysterious something that comes along once 
a generation. He is one of those rare chefs who 
is simply born. He is 
an artist.” So begins the 
rise of the unlikely 
gourmand who recounts 
his life’s journey in this 
charming novel. Lively 
and brimming with the 
colors, flavors, & scents 
of the kitchen, it is a 
succulent treat about 
family, nationality, and 
the mysteries of good 
taste. Born above his 
grandfather’s restaurant 
in Mumbai, Hassan first 
experienced life through 
intoxicating whiffs of 
spicy curry, trips to the markets, and gourmet 
outings with his mother. When tragedy pushes 
the family out of India, they console themselves 
by eating their way around the world, settling 
in Lumière, a village in the French Alps. They 
open an inexpensive Indian restaurant opposite 
an esteemed French relais and infuse the sleepy 
town with the spices of India, changing the lives 
of its eccentric villagers and infuriating their 
celebrated neighbor. Only after Madame Mallory 
wages culinary war with the family, does she 
finally agree to mentor Hassan, leading him to 
Paris, the launch of his own restaurant, and new 
adventures. The book is about how the 100 feet 
between a new Indian kitchen and a traditional 
French one can represent the gulf of different 
cultures and desires.

The Reversal, A Mickey Haller Series, 

by Michael Connelly

Longtime defense attorney Mickey Haller is 
recruited to change stripes and prosecute the high-
profile retrial of a brutal child murder. After 24 
years in prison, convicted 
killer Jason Jessup has 
been exonerated by new 
DNA evidence. Haller is 
convinced Jessup is guilty, 
and he takes the case on 
the condition that he gets 
to choose his investigator, 
LAPD Detective Harry 
Bosch. Together, Bosch 
and Haller set off on a 
case fraught with political 
and personal danger. 
Opposing them is Jessup, 
now out on bail, a defense 
attorney who excels at 
manipulating the media, 
and a runaway eyewitness reluctant to testify after 
so many years. With the odds and the evidence 
against them, Bosch and Haller must nail a 
sadistic killer once and for all. If Bosch is sure 
of anything, it is that Jason Jessup plans to kill 
again. Michael Connelly, a #1 New York Times 
bestselling novelist and a former journalist, has 
won numerous crime fiction prizes.

JAZZ FORECAST ON MARCH 6TH, 
“SUNNIE” IN SIERRA MADRE 
by La Quetta M. Shamblee


When the Lady Jazz™ Ensemble 
takes center stage at Sierra Madre 
Playhouse at 3 p.m. on March 6th, 
this all-female quintet will be in 
the hands of a music director who 
is second to none, jazz pianist and 
recording artist, Sunnie Paxson. 
She was born into a musical family 
in Philadelphia that recognized and 
cultivated her interests and talents 
as a child piano prodigy. Her formal 
training included studies with 
world-renowned French jazz pianist 
Bernard Peiffer, the Philadelphia 
College of Performing and the 
prestigious Berklee College of 
Music. She has travelled the world to 
the delight of audiences who’ve had 
the opportunity to enjoy the genius 
of this multi-faceted musician in 
onstage performances.

Her talents as a solo keyboardist, 
bandleader and all-around musician 
are second to none, having earned 
her the distinction as one of “Los 
Angeles’ Best Jazz Performers” in 
Los Angeles Magazine. She is also 
a prolific songwriter and producer, 
with an impressive catalog of 
original compositions that span the 
genres of jazz, funk and other styles. 
Her work has been featured in television 
and film, including Desperate Housewives, 
Book of Love, Love Kills and others. As an 
arranger, she always brings a creative twist to 
the interpretation of standards and popular 
tunes.

Paxson has performed or recorded with 
Justo Almario, Larry Carlton, Danny Gotlieb 
and many others. For three years, she toured 
and shared the stage with long-time friend 
and grammy-award winning bassist, Stanley 
Clarke. Her successful debut solo album, 
Groove Suite, introduced her to millions of 
music fans on the radio throughout the U.S. 
and abroad. It features a remake of “Do It 
(‘Til You’re Satisfied’),” a Top 40 single in 
the mid-70’s that provides a sampling of her 
funk-influenced jazz platform. Jazz Week 
listed Paxson among the Top 100 Artists 
(with the most spins on radio) due to the 
heavy rotation of this song.

She is the only female artist on the Roxboro 
Entertainment Group label launched by 
Stanley Clarke earlier this year. Sunnie 
revisits her traditional jazz roots with this 
straight-ahead trio project featuring Ronald 
Brunner, Jr. on drums and Clarke on bass, 
who also produced the project. Special guest 
percussionist, Mynyungo Jackson, is featured 
on a few songs, along with a string ensemble. 
This recording project is a mix of Sunnie’s 
compositions, some standards and includes 
one song written by Clarke.

No matter the weather projected for next 
week, “Sunnie in Sierra Madre” is the official 
jazz forecast for the premiere presentation 
of “Jazz Up!” with James Janisse. The 
Lady Jazz™ band for this performance is 
comprised of music director and keyboardist 
Sunnie Paxson, jazz harpist Lori Andrews, 
percussionist Estaire Godinez, flutist Dr. 
Dawn Norfleet and bassist Nedra Wheeler. 

 “Jazz Up!” is the second of six in The 
Instrumental Women Project’s (IWP) 2011 
Jazz Theatre Series, with all scheduled at 
The Sierra Madre Playhouse. For more on 
Sunnie’s background and music, visit her 
website at: www.sunniepaxson.com. Join us 
for this special celebration during Women’s 
History Month. “Jazz Up!” is Sunday, March 
6th at 3 p.m. at 87 W. Sierra Madre Boulevard, 
91024. Tickets are $30, with group discounts 
for six or more at $25. For information 
and online ticket purchases, logon to www.
instrumentalwomen.com. For group sales, 
call (626) 301-9852.

IWP is a community arts agency member 
of the Pasadena Art Council’s E.M.E.R.G.E. 
nonprofit fiscal sponsorship program.