Arts

Over the past year, small gnomes started springing up all around Oakland, Calif. The elfin creatures are hand-painted on wooden boards; each is about 6 inches tall, with red hat, brown boots and white beard. They're bits of urban folk art from an anonymous painter who surreptitiously screws them onto the base of utility poles.

Dave Grohl has always been a joy to watch onscreen, whether bashing away at a drum kit like the heavy-footed, wild-haired spawn of John Bonham and the Muppets' Animal in Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit" video, or flashing an endearingly goofy grin in the Mentos-spoof clip for the Foo Fighters' "Big Me." And a big part of that appeal is the sense that no matter how long he's been in the business, Grohl is still a guy who is acutely aware that he's living out a teenage daydream every day of his life.

Editor's Note: This review was edited and published before news of Koch's death broke. The headline has been updated to reflect that news, but the text of the review is unchanged.

Intended as a victory lap for three great stars of advancing age, Stand Up Guys is another entry in the "old folks doing stuff" subgenre, which offers comic affirmation that life is not strictly for the young.

Adapted from a French graphic novel and outfitted with an ethnically diverse cast, Bullet to the Head is an artifact of a newly internationalized Hollywood. But that doesn't mean it feels especially new.

Transcript

OPHIRA EISENBERG, HOST:

Let's bring up our next two fearless contestants. We have Diana Tenery and Samantha Boardman.

(APPLAUSE)

EISENBERG: Diana, you are a hard-core competitive bridge player.

DIANA TENERY: Sort of.

Transcript

OPHIRA EISENBERG, HOST:

Finally, it's what we've all been waiting for. Let's bring back our winners to play the quick fire round Ask Me One More. From Adult Young Fiction, we have Danny Errico.

(APPLAUSE)

EISENBERG: Celebrity Crossbreeds: Diana Tenery.

(APPLAUSE)

EISENBERG: Compound Interest, we have Dory Green.

(APPLAUSE)

EISENBERG: We Will Rock You: Eric Linn.

(APPLAUSE)

EISENBERG: And from A to Z, Mike Nothnagel.

(APPLAUSE)

EISENBERG: John, what kind of game do we have for our final round?

Transcript

OPHIRA EISENBERG, HOST:

All right, what do you say we get this puzzle started?

JOHN CHANESKI: That sounds like a good idea.

EISENBERG: Let me introduce our first two contestants. We have Alix Claps and Danny Errico.

(APPLAUSE)

ALIX CLAPS: Hi.

DANNY ERRICO: Hi.

EISENBERG: Thank you so much for joining us. Alix, I hear you're a big theater and music geek and a production manager at NYU.

CLAPS: That's true.

EISENBERG: Fantastic. What's your favorite musical?

CLAPS: "Kiss of the Spider-Woman."

Transcript

OPHIRA EISENBERG, HOST:

Let's bring up our next two contestants, shall we?

JONATHAN COULTON: Let's do.

EISENBERG: Here they are. We have Dory Green and David Steinberg.

(APPLAUSE)

DAVID STEINBERG: Hello.

DORY GREEN: Hi.

EISENBERG: Dory, I give you props, being a pediatric dentist.

(LAUGHTER)

EISENBERG: Big props. And you like to build stuff.

GREEN: I do like to build stuff.

EISENBERG: Recently you were in a costume contest of sorts. Did you win?

GREEN: No.