Metro - Entertainment

US – Saturday, March 20

The week's releases

Metro staff reviews the latest CDs, DVDs and books for your reading pleasure.

James admits to ‘poor judgment’

Sandra Bullock is having quite a week with her dogs. On Thursday, husband Jesse James released a statement to People magazine about the affair rumors swirling around the couple, stating that a “vast majority” of the allegations are “untrue and unfounded,” but says, “It’s because of my poor judgment that I deserve everything bad that is coming my way.

Not quite a ‘Runaway’ success

REVIEW. The story of Cherie Currie’s rise to fame as the teenage sex kitten singer with the Runaways is fascinating and ultimately sad, but there’s a reason you know Joan Jett’s name better.

We’re not in middle school anymore ...

Jeff Kinney is just one of those lucky guys. Sure, he failed to land syndication rights to a popular cartoon he drew while at the University of Maryland, but that didn’t stop him. Undaunted, he started writing what would become the book series, “Diary of a Wimpy Kid,” and published it online. He attracted a huge following, a book deal followed, and a whopping 33 million books later, he’s a superstar. Now the executive producer on the movie version of the book, he was happy to talk with us about his adventure.

Dreaming up life in a ‘Future City’

Gene Coleman has a recurring dream in which he finds himself in a strange city. “I don’t know where this place is, and I don’t think it’s any place that actually exists,” he says. “But it has these fantastic, almost surrealistic architectural qualities to it.”

SXSW Day Two
More awesomeness in Austin

Music

SXSW: Day three

I couldn't wait to share this photo. They are a band from Chicago called Banana and the Woman, which my friend so keenly observed might have just as easily been called Sleeping Bag and the Rainbow Wig if the costume section at their Five and Dime had different options.

My Entertainment

THE WEEK THAT WAS

This week, the news community ate up the story of world’s fattest mom Donna Simpson — who, reports claim, actually hopes to increase her already ample girth to claim a new record.

Music

Letting ‘Freedom’ ring

Frederic Chopin wrote a piano sonata in A minor; Alicia Keys’ debut album was called “Songs in A Minor.”

Movies

Taking on a blockbuster

If the name Stieg Larsson isn’t familiar, the cover of his globally best-selling book may provide instant recognition, considering the novel is reaching Harry Potter-level ubiquity. The film adaptation follows suit, blowing box office records all over Europe for its roundly praised, faithful rendition of the story of two detectives (of sorts) who uncover family scandals in search of a woman who has been missing for 40 years. We sat down with director Niels Arden Oplev to chat about his version of the tale.

Photo: COLUMBIA PICTURESA chase worth pursuing

REVIEW. On the one hand, there’s no one as sexy and ambitious as Jennifer Aniston slinking around your average small-town, New Jersey newsroom. On the other, it’s a lot more fun when there is — and that’s kind of the point of “The Bounty Hunter.”

Music

‘The age of the freak is almost here’

For the past few years the tourist shops near where the SXSW Music Conference takes place have been selling goods emblazoned with the axiom “Keep Austin Weird.” And if the first night of live music was any indication, visitors, revelers and performers are taking the sentiment to heart. Here are a few of the highlights from Wednesday

Movies

Stiller: You live and you learn

Ben Stiller had little trouble relating to his character in “Greenberg” — Noah Baumbach’s new film about a misanthropic failed musician adrift in Los Angeles after a nervous breakdown — but he insists that’s just because of a monumental birthday.

Movies

They love rock ’n’ roll

The first time she met with Joan Jett about portraying her in “The Runaways,” Kristen Stewart was petrified that the rock legend wouldn’t take her seriously because she still looked like her character in “Twilight.”

Movies

There’s just no salvaging Jude Law’s latest bomb

REVIEW. It seems like all director Miguel Sapochnik was interested in filming in his debut feature, “Repo Men,” was graphic close-ups of torsos being torn open to remove vital organs. Unfortunately, Sapochnik was too distracted by filling the screen with bloody entrails to pay attention to simple pleasures like clear storytelling and compelling characters.

Photo: COLUMBIA PICTURESBounty hunter meets fugitive

In “The Bounty Hunter,” it might seem that Jennifer Aniston is in familiar, cute-damsel-in-distress territory as she runs from her ex-husband (Gerard Butler), a former cop so down on his luck that he takes a gig tracking her for a $5,000 payday.

The March MMMpod features conversation and music from Surfer Blood and The Allman Brothers Band (There's a double-bill you're not too likely to see. However, Gregg Allman does mention Hannah Montana!). We also speak with Vampire Weekend and the Dropkick Murphys.