Metro Times: Covers

Issue of 12/31/2008

Cover Story:

2008's Most Dubious
by Metro Times news staff
The now ex-mayor, Ted Nugent and the runners-up, from dumb crooks to dumb auto execs

Features:

Cash flow by Kelli B. Kavanaugh
The Kresge Foundation fends off artist starvation and fuels the creative class
Fist jackers by Metro Times music staff
Our critics pick the best in music, 2008
In a word by Kelli B. Kavanaugh
Award-winning Charles McGee talks art, life and Detroit
My favorite year by Metro Times film writers
Film '08: The good, the bad and the preposterous
New Year Blues by Vic Doucette
The 15th annual Anti-Freeze Blues Festival shakes off the cold

Columns:

Comics (Comics)
Boxing gifts by Jim McFarlin (Idiot Boxing)
Our red-eyed TV mad man gazes back on a deceptively 'good' year
Cheeky worlds by Metro Times arts staff (Lit Up)
Women writers and poets talk sex and a wry wink at the uninhabitable planet that’s coming
Jeffrey Morgan’s Media Blackout by Jeffrey Morgan (Media Blackout)
Spinning tracks and digging books
Motor City Rides by Doug Coombe (Motor City Cribs and Rides)
Al McWilliams' magic bus
Night and Day by Megan O'Neil (Night and Day)
A defining year by Jack Lessenberry (Politics and Prejudices)
In 2009, auto crises, mayoral elections and struggling schools
Doms and danger by Dan Savage (Savage Love)
Frank talk about domination and love
A new leaf by Metro Times food staff (Short Order)
Starting the year with lighter fare
Naked truth by Larry Gabriel (Stir It Up)
People don't disrobe for the right reasons anymore

Reviews:

Music/Books:
No Reviews

Movies:
Valkyrie Reviewed by Jeff Meyers (Movie)
In the waning days of World War II, a group of German officers (Tom Cruise, Bill Nighy, Terence Stamp, Eddie Izzard and a weirdly wasted Kenneth Branagh) come together to assassinate Adolf Hitler and assume control of the government. The chief architect of the plot is Claus von Stauffenberg, a one-eyed, one-handed colonel who daringly uses Der Führer’s own paranoid bureaucracy against itself. Though history spoils the punchline, it’s to Singer’s credit that we’re engaged by the machinations of the men’s scheme. With Hitchcock-like precision, he stages the assassination attempt like a caper, building up a decent amount of suspense — regardless that we know the ending. Still, it’s not terribly clever, and the inevitability of its failure limits our investment.
The Spirit Reviewed by Corey Hall (Movie)
This brawny, swaggering and often incomprehensible CGI-covered mess of a movie is either an achievement of mad genius or a colossal flop, but it’s never boring — it’s charged with the excitement of not knowing what’s coming. Frank Miller’s a comic-book legend. On the basis of his comics that have been turned into successful films, he was given the director's chair. But it may be too much for Miller. He casts fresh-faced newcomer Gabriel Macht in the lead as Denny Colt. He’s a cop gunned down and then bizarrely resurrected as a mysterious avenging angel who wears a mask, hat and a flaming red tie; and he’s handsomely flavorless, rasping his way through the clunky script. In fairness, few could make something of brain-dead tough-guy patter such as, “I’m gonna kill you all kinds of dead,” which Macht gruffly spits out like a dude choking on a lozenge. Samuel L. Jackson is his sworn enemy the Octopus, a crime lord with “eight of everything.” He gets to play dress-up as a bandito, a samurai, a mad scientist, a pimp and even a full-on Nazi officer. Jackson’s beyond giving a shit, and he bellows and cackles his way through the flick like a hillbilly who just won the lotto. And Jackson’s not the worst performance here. Also, there’s a bevy of stunning, sexed-up femme fatales vying for the Spirit’s affection. Scarlett Johansson bats her six-inch eyelashes as the evil Silken Floss, Eva Mendes Xeroxes her ample butt as lost-love Sand Saref, and more.

Restaurants/Places:
Roast Reviewed by Todd Abrams (Restaurant)
This is no ordinary steakhouse or barbecue joint. It’s true that they offer several cuts of beef, all naturally raised and dry-aged for a minimum of 21 days. The same amount of gastronomic attention is paid to the poultry and seafood dishes. Even the optional sides have their own unique signature. Restrained lighting, white linens and floor-to-ceiling windows pervade the two rooms. Oozing from the sound system are chill-out lounge beats at just the right volume. Many of the most interesting dishes appear on the appetizer menu, including a charcuterie and smoked seafood plate for two or more. Both the thick rib-eye and strip steaks are ideally prepared to order and full of flavor with only a simple rub of sea salt and oregano. Optional sauces and toppings are priced separately and include crab Béarnaise, blue cheese onions, salsa verde and roasted wild mushrooms among others. Open 5-10 p.m. Sunday-Thursday, 5-11 p.m. Friday and Saturday. No smoking. For more information, see roastdetroit.com.