My week at Spectrum Culture started with me writing about one of those films that I know backwards and forwards. Usually, when I write about anything for Spectrum, I try to give it a fresh viewing (or listen), but that absolutely wasn’t required in this instance. There is one problem, though. I really should have asked to get pushed back a week so the review was closer to Opening Day, although Major League Baseball is sure working hard to make Opening Day (true Opening Day, not exhibition-games-that-count Opening Day) feel goofy and anticlimactic.

Continuing on the movie beat, I wrote the most scathing review I’ve turned in during my year-and-a-half tenure at the site. It’s the first time that I’ve been compelled to rate a film at a one out of five (I would reserve anything under one for those few films that are truly beneath contempt). I can’t properly describe how ludicrously bad the film is without spoiling the last few minutes, something I won’t stoop to, even with slop like this. At least I won’t stoop to it in a review. Catch me over a beer sometime, and I’ll spill all.

On the music side, I reviewed the very fine new album from the solo-ish side project from Kickball Katy Goodman of Vivian Girls. It seemed at least a somewhat appropriate choice given I’d also written, favorably, on the most recent effort from her primary gig.

I also threw in my opinion on our new Monthly Mixtape feature, selecting a recent song that has especially impressed me. While there were plenty of tracks from recent albums that I might have opted for, I instead choice an advance track from a forthcoming release that, it’s probably fair to say, is one of the most anticipated on the indie scene for the whole year.