For the next hour and half, Tillman and his band would captivate Lawrence with a folk rock set filled with plenty of sass and quirky comebacks. Tillman, formerly known for his role as a drummer for bands such as the Fleet Foxes, made a wise choice in stepping out from behind the drum set and into the front and center spot as the leading man. This guy is a born showman. From his commanding greeting the guy was constantly in “on” mode — he didn’t slack off for a second of his set. He was shaking his hips, dancing with his mic stand and tossing sassy looks over his shoulder. At one point, he grabbed a fan’s cell phone that was recording video and sang directly at it before flipping it off, feigning throwing it across the venue before politely handing it back and shaking that fan’s hand. He plays tough and sarcastic during his act, but he shows glimpses that he’s really a softy, which let’s the fans know that all he is does is simply in good fun.

During “Funtimes in Babylon,” the members of Father John Misty’s band froze on stage and Tillman began whispering into his mic, “I promise not bore you for too long. We’ll start moving again soon. They hate when I do this. They hate me. I hate them,” Tillman teased while his band didn’t even flinch, but a member or two had to stifle a chuckle from almost escaping. Then with a shrug, they began playing again and finished out the final verse. As entertaining as Tillman’s banter was in between songs, it was just as amusing during a song. Trust me, Tillman. You could never “bore.”

What is really impressive about Father John Misty is how they’re able to infuse a bit of swarthy, R&B-like attitude into what is borderline country music. Stereotypically, plaid and cowboy boot-wearing folk artists don’t typically scream “sexy ladies’ man”! Yet, as Tillman slid down his mic stand and tossed his hair back as he looked over his shoulder at the audience during “Only Son of a Ladies’ Man,” he defied that folk music can’t be swarthy. The personality he exudes during his set is so effortless and natural to him, yet still surprising because it isn’t really done quite like this in this genre. He moves like Justin Timberlake, but could easily be simply stomping his foot and ho-heying like all the other folk bands out there.

At one point, Tillman quipped, “I might have to fire my writers,” but his “writers” are doing just fine. Tillman’s a comedic and musical force to be reckoned with.

Pure Bathing Culture opened for Father John Misty.

Andrew McMahon is currently on tour with O.A.R.

Since “Man of Steel” is an origin story, it begins in the expected place: the birth of Kal-El (the child that would grow up to be Superman) and the destruction of Krypton which causes his parents to send him to Earth. Now while this has frequently been shown in a two-minute expositions, “Man of Steel” instead takes a new approach of really exploring just how crucial this moment was in Superman’s development. “Man of Steel” takes the time to explain the actions of Kal-El’s parents, why they couldn’t go with him, why Zod escaped and why there really weren’t any more Kryptonians running amuck in the galaxy.

Often, you hear that Kal-El is “the last son of Krypton,” but what this film really does a fantastic job of highlighting is that really he is the first son of Krypton — he was born naturally and is the first in thousands and thousands of years to be born in an organic way rather than the Kryptonian process of genetically synthesized births. In science, you hear a lot about nature vs. nurture. All Kryptonians have a pre-determined destiny…or nature. Jor-El (Russell Crowe), Kal-El’s father, was meant to be a scientist as he was grown and selected to be that way. General Zod (Michael Shannon) — the film’s big bad, was designed to be a soldier. So even at Zod’s perceived worst, he’s still doing what he was destined to do. So while many think the big question with Superman is if his human nature or his Kryptonian nature is more important in deciding who he is, this film show’s that what makes Superman Superman has nothing to do with nature. He has no pre-determined nature. It isn’t alien vs. human for this Superman. It’s his life and his life experiences that will determine who he will become. What makes a man a superman has always been the heart of the Superman story. Jor-El says it best, “What if a child dreamed of becoming something other than what society had intended? What if a child aspired to something greater?” For the first time, I actually felt like Superman was a choice and not a requirement of destiny. Superman is missing from this film’s title and it was with good reason; the film wasn’t fating our protagonist to the “Superman” destiny. Even the use of flashbacks plays into this idea. Throughout the film, each flashback says, these moments weren’t fating him to this — he is already there, but these moments did help get him there.

The usual formula is to show a brief exposition of Krypton then cut to Kal-El getting found by a farm couple in Smallville, Kansas. This couple names him Clark, he struggles a little with isolation and then when the time comes it fast forwards to Clark figuring out that he wants to help the world as Superman and taking up a double life working as a reporter in the big city of Metropolis. Again, that stuff is still in “Man of Steel,” but it is presented in a fresh way that we haven’t seen before in Man of Steel and the presentation always keeps in mind that idea that Clark isn’t necessarily fated to become Superman. He has the potential, but ultimately, he has the choice. Instead of the linear approach, Snyder jumps to that in between time — the time post Smallville, but prior to Superman/Metropolis. Clark Kent (Henry Cavill) has already come into his powers, but now he is living in a self-imposed isolation where he wanders the world. He stays in one place as long as he can until his conscience gets the better of him and he has to use his powers. The film is great at showing Clark as vulnerable, yet he is already inadvertently sowing the seeds for his legend status. One of my favorite scenes in the entire film occurred during this sequence. Clark’s working at a bar and some drunk jerk pushes his buttons. Clark could easily smash this guy, but he turns the other cheek and walks away. Most Superman stories would stop with him walking away and move on, but here we get to see Clark cleverly retaliate. It’s a brief scene, but I love it because it shows that our hero isn’t just a goody two shoes. He has his layers of gray, just like the rest of us, and I think that made him seem more human than any other version of Superman that I’ve ever seen.

If you remember the flop “Superman Returns,” you might remember that the main complaint was that is was dull and boring. “Man of Steel” definitely heard this complaint and delivers plenty of fight scenes and action. However, while the film really does deliver some spectacular action sequences, these moments were also the film’s greatest weaknesses. “Man of Steel” delivers “more” action, but a lot of it is unnecessary. For example, while Zod and Superman are fighting over Metropolis, there’s some unnecessary drama with some Daily Plant characters that comes across as half-baked and shoe-horned in. And while I appreciate that the makers of “Man of Steel” googled “things in Kansas,” a tornado sequence to drive up some action during an emotionally pivotal moment in Clark’s life turns into a ridiculous moment. As a person that lives in Kansas, I had to stifle a laugh rather than a tear. I could almost write a separate article just about all the absurdities of the tornado scene. The only plausible thing in that scene was that Clark would wear a KU Jayhawks shirt.

Aside from a few issues of the film “over-trying” in places, “Man of Steel” is a poignant edition to the Superman legacy. It’s a promising start and I can’t wait to see what other fresh, new things Snyder will continue to introduce to this iconic story.

Bilbo finds himself in a sticky situation this time around when he gets up close with Smaug, the dragon, and a also a giant spider, Shelob. Also in this teaser, get a glimpse of the return of Legalos to the series and Lost’s Evangeline Lilly’s new character Tauriel kicks ass in some fight sequences. We know her storyline is somewhat tied to Legolas, but she’s a new creation for the film. And of course, there are plenty of glimpses of our now not-so-merry group of dwarves.

“The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug” is in theaters on December 13, 2013.

In true frat pack fashion, the drugs, sex and alcohol jokes are at an all time high, leaving very little room for a rich script and a warm heart. All of the actors are very candid and very descriptive on how they feel about each other, creating a humorous and naked sense of vulnerability that I wasn’t expecting. The movie is kicked off with Seth Rogen picking up Jay Baruchel at LAX. Seth wastes no time in taking an un-enthusiastic Baruchel to James Franco’s house party. After Seth guilts him into making an appearance, the influx of amazing and numerous cameos begins. James Franco’s party is being attended by actors such as Michael Cera, Mindy Kaling, Paul Rudd and Jason Segel. After a few minutes of fun party banter, complete and utter chaos ensues. Earthquakes, fires, blood, guts and gore plague L.A. while James Franco’s party remains completely oblivious. The rest of the movie’s plot is left in the hands of the actor’s interactions with each other, all of whom are trying to survive the inevitable end of the world.

Being a huge fan of “Knocked Up,” “Super Bad,” and “Pineapple Express,” I walked into the movie not only with high expectations, but also shear and utter excitement. I couldn’t even begin to imagine how funny this was going to be. All of the one liners a person could ask for and over exposed personality clashes with every single person I look up to in comedy. Here’s the role call setup: Seth Rogen, Jay Baruchel, James Franco, Jonah Hill, Craig Robinson, and Danny McBride all giving each other a run for their money in a comedy clash that rivals that of an Ali vs. Frasier or a Superman vs. Luther. When it clicked…it clicked, but a better script and a better plot would have made the balance between the humor and just plain ridiculousness nearly perfect. Instead the writers and actors fell back on extremely graphic humor and gratuitous and overindulgent drug use to carry the entire movie from cover to cover. To be honest, maybe I was just expecting too much. This movie has too many comedy power-houses to be able to keep some sort of leash or restriction on how it would turn out. Craig Robinson and Danny McBride were the stand-outs in this movie to me. Seth Rogen and Jay Baruchel had some good dialogue together and Jonah Hill provided right things to say in between. Not only that, but this was probably my favorite James Franco movie of all time because he wasn’t trying to act and he was just being himself, a social stoner who keeps very famous company. All of the actors are very candid and very descriptive on how they feel about each other, creating a humorous and naked sense of vulnerability that I wasn’t expecting. In true frat-pack fashion, the drugs, sex and alcohol jokes are at an all time high, leaving very little room for a rich script and a warm heart.

Overall this was a “renter” to me, a term my wife and I use to describe a movie we wouldn’t waste a $10 movie ticket on, but would maybe go to Redbox and pay $1.20. I would most likely watch it again, but probably solely to get drunk along with actors in the movie and to enjoy the cheap laughs and disgusting humor that only Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg could provide.

For those who showed up early, they were treated to the piano rock and roll of J. Roddy Walston and the Business. It was a good and energetic opening to a long evening. They were quickly followed by The Mowgli’s, a collective ensemble that Kansas City treated as if they were returning for a homecoming — and they sort of were with one member having lived in KC for awhile. The band encouraged singalongs, jumping and spreading of love. They talked about positive energy and feeling connected and how they wanted everyone to be more than just here for the music, but also for the life experience. As the band talked and sang about embracing love and life, the crowd embraced them in return.

Things cooled off a bit for the next act, The Neighbourhood, whose energy was a complete 360 from the Mowgli’s. Wearing leather jackets and rugged boots, they came out looking edgy in comparison to the barefoot act that preceded them, but their sound wasn’t overly rough. They looked and sounded like they were only trying to accomplish one thing: “being cool.” Though I wish they didn’t have to try so hard in doing this. If they relaxed a bit more, it would be easier to connect with their live show.

Cold War Kids treated their set like they were headlining — cranking out all the hits and even obliging a few requests. Like J. Roddy Walston, they feature piano on several of their rock songs, but these groups sound nothing alike. Cold War Kids have more of a throwback sound and embrace some eclectic tempos and rhythms that give them a slight jazzy, club tinge.

As for the Lumineers, it’s easy to see why these guys have exploded into popularity. Aside from creating catchy hooks that are easy for crowds to grab on to and sing along with, they also really seem to enjoy doing things out of love for their audience. Their stage was decorated with grand chandeliers, an old timey piano (and even a miniature toy piano). Kick drums were also scattered around for various members of the ensemble. However, the best part of their set isn’t what happened on this decked out stage, but when they left it. Midway through the set, the Lumineers came out into the middle of the venue and played a handful of songs with the crowd pressing in on them. It was an especially nice surprise for the audience restricted to the lawn that would not have had an up close look at the band without this treat.

Photographer Scott Spychalski shares these photos from the concert:

Joining the French rock band, Phoenix, are Atlas Genius, Courtney Love, Daughter, Cage the Elephant, Awolnation, Alt-J, Little Green Cars, Hanni El Khatib, Wavves, Kitten, Ms Mr and Coheed and Cambria. This year’s Beach Ball is Friday, September 27 at Berkley River Front Park. There will be two stages to accommodate the size of the lineup.

Tickets go on sale Friday at 10 a.m. for $45, but Freeloaders can access them a day early for just $35. More information is available here: http://beachballkc.com/

In “The Internship,” wristwatch salesmen Billy McMahon (Vince Vaughn) and Nick Campbell (Owen Wilson), find themselves jobless due to the increasing usage of technology such as smartphones and computers in place of old-fashioned watch device. The information technology era is a new world to them and despite their lack of expertise in tech, they apply for an internship with the King of this new world: Google. At the Google internship, they stick out like sore thumbs next to their young and brainy peers. The sheltered college kids at the internship may have the book smarts to get by, but Billy & Nick teach that there’s more to success than just that. They show that you can make it in this world with a little confidence, life experience and good people skills. Billy & Nick have a lot to learn at Google, but the kids they’re paired with learn just as much from them.

A lot of the humor in this comes from the ‘fish out of water’ type of jokes. Which means that the first thirty minutes of the film are painfully dull until we get to the part where the duo are in unfamiliar waters. It isn’t until we first see Billy & Nick try to do a video call that the first laughs of the film really start. Seeing the guys’ faces drop when they thought they were playing a traditional sport only to have it end up being Quidditch was priceless. And I loved the bit where fellow interns Neha (Tiya Sircar), Stuart (Dylan O’Brien) and Yo-Yo Santos (Tobit Raphael) tricked Nick & Billy into going on a search for Professor Xavier. Watching Nick & Billy relate to Neha, Stuart and Yo-Yo by revving them up with out-dated “Flashdance” references is not only funny, but sweet. And while much of the humor is at the expense of Billy & Nick being out of their element, we also get some of the reverse. Billy & Nick take Neha, Stuart, Yo-Yo and their team leader Lyle (Josh Brener) to a strip club and we get to laugh at seeing these guys out of their element.

However, while laughing at some of these jokes, there’s a nagging voice in my head. This film is full of predictable and sometimes offensive cliches. “Nerdy kids can’t get dates.” “Geeks can’t talk to people.” “Only nerdy kids like Harry Potter and X-men” (As funny as the bit was, I seriously have a hard time believing that Billy & Nick have never heard of Professor X, even if they haven’t seen the movies. They don’t live under rocks). It’s like watching an extended episode of “Big Bang Theory” and the reason it isn’t obnoxious at the time is because you’re not suffering through a laugh track. I liked the idea that Billy & Nick have just as much to teach the kids their teamed as the youth do them, but I wish that all of those lessons didn’t come out of some trite humor about a stereotype.

It’s a shame because the film really does have a clever and outstanding cast. Rob Riggle and Will Ferrell have brief roles that could have been way better utilized. Nick’s romance with Rose Byrne ended up surprisingly sweet in this film, but felt like an after thought — a last minute script addition to get some more female roles into this film. Then the young actors joining Vaughn & Wilson — Sircar, O’Brien, Raphael — were written far too one dimensional, which again, is a fault of the overuse of stereotypes. You have the sex-crazed cosplay girl, obsessed with phone boy & raised by Tiger mom. Any time it looked like one of these three was going to get to expand and break away from the stereotype, the writers had to do something to remind me you of it.

Lots of people will likely see “The Internship” and will laugh and walk out of the theater thinking simply, “that was ok.” When deciding what to see in theaters, it’s often like a job interview. There are a lot of candidates, but do you want to settle for the “ok” one when there are so many other great options out there? Sorry, “The Internship,” you have a few good things on your resume, but you’re just not qualified for the big leagues just yet.

And if you want to see what life is really like for real Google interns, Google made this video.

The plot centers around a very affluent family, The Sandins, who seem to have the perfect life. They live in a mansion, have great relationships with each other and with their neighbors, and most importantly, have a very state of the art security system to protect them from the night of The Purge. Unfortunately (as it is quickly realized), if you can not afford such a sophisticated blockade, you become part of the hunting ground. A homeless man becomes the target of a group of young, well dressed delinquents as they plan to have a night of fun using this innocent man as their game. As the Sandin son hears the homeless man shouting for help, he lowers the walls of their security system and lets the man in, preventing the group from having their fun. Well I can tell you that the group did not like that, to say the least. What happens next is an explosion of wince-enducing moments and chilling scenes, very reminiscent of another fantastic horror movie, “The Strangers” (They even wear the same type of creepy masks). The leader of the cult-like group is the perfect blend of charming and creepy, showing that some people just use the Purge night to live out their sick fantasies without even a hesitation and simply because it is allowed.

The previews may make it look like you already know the entire story, but there is a fantastic twist. And let me tell you, I love a good plot twist! The only complaint I have is that the acting was not exactly great. It wasn’t so bad that it was distracting, but I’ve admittedly never been a big fan of Ethan Hawke, who plays the patriarch of the Sandin family. His acting style always just seems so fake and forced. However, the plot and substance of the movie more than made up for that. All in all, I absolutely loved this movie. It was extremely suspenseful, fast paced, and mentally terrifying to imagine a world like that. It made the audience contemplate what is morally acceptable, regardless of what is deemed “lawful.” If murder and violence were legal one night a year, would you have the nerve to actually commit a serious crime? This is definitely a must-see in my opinion if you love a good thriller.

In “Kingdom Come” the guys fight off child-like aliens on the lawn of the Nelson Atkins Art Museum. It’s a little ambiguous if the band wins their fight to save the city or if they fall victim to alien experiments. You’ll have to watch the video and judge for yourself in the video below. Jodie Platz directed.

“Kingdom Come” can be found on the band’s aptly titled “The Few, The Proud, The Strange,” which is available at notaplanet.com.