Much as the Sundance Film Festival is adored for showcasing uniquely daring independent films, the roster always has a few slots for the genially frivolous. That big-tent approach has sometimes led to truly baffling entries over the years. Just as … Continue reading Sundance 2022 — Part 3
Much as I appreciate film festivals’ general commitment to heavy dramas and effectively dispiriting documentaries, I am equally pleased that there is often special space carved out for the gloriously gory. You Won’t Be Alone, the feature debut from seasoned … Continue reading Sundance 2022 — Part 2
Before Sundance Film Festival organizers made the omicron-driven choice to cancel all in-person screenings in their longtime home of Park City, Utah, they were already one of the organizations that determined there was value in building a slightly different event … Continue reading Sundance 2022 — Part 1
245. The Boomtown Rats, The Fine Art of Surfacing (1979) The Fine Art of Surfacing was the third overall album from the Boomtown rats and their second released in the U.S. It was while touring radio stations in support of … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #245 to #243
As a Former ‘Buffy’ Obsessive, Watching Joss Whedon’s Downfall Feels Crushing — and Inevitable by Caroline Framke The protracted implosion of Joss Whedon’s reputation and career has been painful to watch for those who found their empowered voice in part … Continue reading Outside Reading — Now Leaving Sunnydale edition
Built on a groove that is at once loosely easygoing and tick-tock steady, “Keep That Same Energy,” the new track by Homebody Sandman, radiates cool. Sure, it’s a pleasure to hear someone rhyme “less tension” with “George Benson,” but the … Continue reading This Week’s Model — Homeboy Sandman, “Keep That Same Energy”
These posts celebrate the movie trailers, movie posters, commercials, print ads, and other promotional material that stand as their own works of art. This commercial, from 1973, is truly as good as it gets. I don’t know if it fulfills … Continue reading The Art of the Sell — Wilson Pickett for Schlitz Malt Liquor
Don’t Look Up (Adam McKay, 2021). Following the inspired The Big Short and the unwatchable Vice, director Adam McKay continues his run as a satiric auteur of lefty outrage with this onion skin–thin allegory of political indifference to the climate … Continue reading Then Playing — Don’t Look Up; Paper Moon; The Friends of Eddie Coyle
These posts are about the songs that fell just short of crossing the key line of chart success, entering the Billboard Top 40. Every song featured in this series peaked at number 41. In the music biz — like anywhere, … Continue reading Top 40 Smash Near Misses — “New Freezer”
Spencer (Pablo Larraín, 2021). Chilean director Pablo Larraín brings the airy, arty approach of his 2016 film Jackie to another iconic female figure on the world stage. As in the earlier drama, Larraín keeps the focus on a few days, … Continue reading Then Playing — Spencer; No Man of Her Own; The Southerner
Coffee for Two 