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Film Review - "The Odyssey"

by Eric Hillis, TheMovieWaffler.com
published 2026-07-25

Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey is a lot like Odyssey's 'I Got the Melody'. The equivalent of the Roots Suite here is the portion of the movie that follows Odysseus (Matt Damon) and his men as they try to make their way back home following the sacking of the city of Troy. You don't need to have read Homer to be familiar with its various episodes, as they're practically ingrained in the minds of anyone who grew up in the western world. We all learned about Odysseus and his crew sneaking into Troy by hiding in a wooden horse in school, and we've all seen Ray Harryhausen's classic stop motion takes on the mythical monsters of Greek lore. In these scenes Nolan takes us back to those days listening intently to teachers or staring wide-eyed at a TV screen on a Sunday afternoon. Largely eschewing digital effects, Nolan puts the fantastical back into the fantasy genre.



New Jersey Stage: Daily Edition 07-25-26

Here is the morning update from New Jersey's arts newswire. We regularly publish between 8-15 new articles and news reports each day. Nobody covers the Arts throughout the Garden State like New Jersey Stage!





The Strand presents Matt Stone as Elvis on August 29th

(LAKEWOOD, NJ) -- Most 22-year-olds are chasing the next trend, scrolling through TikTok, and binging Love Island. Matt Stone has spent the last decade looking in the opposite direction.



Broadway Theatre of Pitman presents There Are No Stupid Questions with comedian Chad Thornsberry

(PITMAN, NJ) -- The Broadway Theatre of Pitman presents There Are No Stupid Questions featuring  comedian Chad Thornsberry on Thursday, August 6, 2026 at 7:30pm. Come see Chad take the stage and enjoy an evening of smart, relatable comedy that will leave you laughing from start to finish.








Catsbury Park Cat Convention to Take Place October 10-11, 2026

(HOLMDEL, NJ) -- Catsbury Park announces the return of the Catsbury Park Cat Convention, taking place October 10–11, 2026 for two full days of feline fun at Bell Works in Holmdel. The beloved annual event brings together cat lovers from across the region for a weekend filled with adoptable cats, educational presentations, celebrity guests, interactive activities, shopping, and community. Attendees can browse a bustling Vendor Village featuring artists, makers, and pet-focused businesses, meet local rescue organizations, and learn more about cat welfare and adoption efforts.



Lily Vakili Announces Residency at the Woodland Stage at Marksboro Mills

(FRELINGHUYSEN, NJ) -- Building on the success of her 2026 Live Wire EP, 2025 album release Oceans Of Kansas, and two successful tours across the US, NJ singer / songwriter Lily Vakili will be doing a three-day residency at the beautiful Woodland Stage at Marksboro Mills in Frelinghuysen - August 22 (duo with Eric Burns), August 27 (Songwriting Workshop), and September 26 (full band show).



Major League returns with New Music for the first time in 12 years

Major League is a New Jersey-based rock band that rose to prominence in the early 2010s with a heartfelt mix of pop punk and emo. The band is back with new music for the first time in over 12 years. The band has released their new single "Heavenly Hell", an amalgamation of thrashy riffs and pounding drums topped with a dual vocal performance between two best friends leaving the past behind them and clearing a path for the future ahead.



The Machine performs Pink Floyd at The Newton Theatre on September 5th

(NEWTON, NJ) -- The Machine Performs Pink Floyd on Saturday, September 5, 2026 at the Newton Theatre. The band has forged a nearly 40 year reputation of extending the musical legacy of Pink Floyd. Showtime is 8:00pm.



NJPAC presents Salsa icon Tito Nieves on September 26th

(NEWARK, NJ) -- The internationally celebrated Salsa icon, Tito Nieves - affectionately known as "El Pavarotti de la Salsa" - is set to electrify the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) on Saturday, September 26, 2026 at 8:00pm with his tour, "50 Años La Historia... Continúa." The performance will take place at NJPAC's prestigious Prudential Hall, Betty Wold Johnson Stage.







 

EVENT PREVIEWS

MPAC

MPAC Announces Free Summer Concert Lineup for 2026

(MORRISTOWN, NJ) -- Mayo Performing Arts Center's Arts in the Community free summer concert schedule for 2026 has been announced. MPAC will present six free concerts between June and August. The lineup includes the return of three of their most popular events – Bollywood Dance Party, Country Line Dancing and Salsa at Sunset, as well as singer-songwriters, and more.



Classic

Classic American Tales' presents Tales at the Dormer House every Thursday

(CAPE MAY, NJ) -- From June 4 through October 15, 2026 (except for July 2), Classic American Tales (CAT) once more presents Tales at the Dormer House in which guests are treated to lemonade and tasty treats while listening to stories written by noteworthy authors, read by a variety of performers. The schedule is 4:00pm every Thursday at the historic Dormer House Bed and Breakfast (800 Columbia Avenue) in Cape May, NJ. Performances are on the front porch, weather permitting.



Princeton

Princeton Summer Theater presents "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown"

(PRINCETON, NJ) -- Princeton Summer Theater's 2026 Children's Show is You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown, which runs weekends from June 20 to August 1, 2026. A beloved musical since its premiere in 1967, Clark Gesner brings Charles M. Schulz's "PEANUTS" characters to the stage. The musical ventures through the highs and lows of young life, from baseball and homework to young love and friendship. With an empathetic and whimsical eye, You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown reminds us of the importance of connection and joy.



2026-27

2026-27 Season Preview: Split Level Concerts at Jersey Shore Arts Center

(OCEAN GROVE, NJ) -- Split Level Concerts at the Jersey Shore Arts Center (JSAC) in Ocean Grove has announced the full concert lineup for its third season. All shows will take place beginning at 8:00pm in JSAC's Palaia Theater. The season lineup includes Willie Nile, John Gorka, Dan Bern, Catie Curtis and Band, Stephen Kellogg, Abbie Gardner, Heather Maloney and Band, and Kim Richey. As they have done in prior years, artists from the Asbury Park music scene will open many of the shows.



MPAC's

MPAC's Summer 2026 Preview

(MORRISTOWN, NJ) -- From the versatility of Tony winner Darren Criss, the comedy of Abbott Elementary's Janelle James and the nostalgic hits of the Grateful Dead, ABBA and more, Mayo Performing Arts Center's summer lineup features a diverse set of performances and events.












LATEST COLUMNS


Makin Waves Song of the Week: "Spiral Will" by Solace

The Makin Waves Song of the Week is "Spiral Will," a single and video from "Fading Failing Ruin," the latest album from doomy Jersey Shore dirt metal greats Solace.




Rock On! This Week's Sound Bites... 07/23/2026

"Correct! I actually performed on The Totally Tubular Festival two years ago. I was playing solo that night and they asked me to come back, so I thought I'd do something a bit different and so I decided to reform my backing band from 1988, The Lost Toy People. The last show we played together was with Depeche Mode and OMD at the Rose Bowl for the legendary 101 Concert and the other night in Phoenix was our first show in 38 years; how about that?"




Wesley Pierre: "Catharsis"

Even those who don't know very much about visual art are familiar with the Cubist approach to the human body. Pablo Picasso liked to present a person from many angles at once, and compress three-dimensional form into a two-dimensional frame. No matter what step she's on, that nude descending a staircase comes at us all at once. We know we're looking at an individual person, even if it's never clear which of those fields of color represent the present moment and which are afterimages, projections, and vapor trails. Representing human beings like this guarantees that there’ll be distortions: facial features in strange places, unexpected angles, duplicates and odd subtractions, clashes between heads, necks, and torsos, the shuffling of expressions, and the surprise and disquiet that comes when an obviously human figure doesn't look much like a human at all.








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