Ocean’s Eight (Gary Ross, 2018). In concept, this stab at reviving the Ocean’s heist film franchise is clever, especially in the way it reshapes the fundamentals to reflect the gender-swapped crew. Maybe it relies on stereotypes, but I like the … Continue reading Playing Catch-Up — Ocean’s Eight; Only the Brave; Brigsby Bear
900. The Waterboys, A Pagan Place (1984) When Mike Scott got underway on A Pagan Place, the sophomore album by his band the Waterboys, the preceding material hadn’t yet seen release. Instead of responding to any feedback from the public, … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #900 to #897
There were some films I covered during my three year tenure as co-host and co-producer of a weekly movie news and reviews radio show in the early nineteen-nineties that I remember as actively making me angry. This was one of … Continue reading From the Archive — House Party 2
Thirty years ago, in the late spring of 1988, Melissa Etheridge released her self-titled debut album. By now, Etheridge has become such a mainstay on the rock scene (albeit one who has arguably shifted to legacy status rather than necessary … Continue reading One for Friday — Melissa Etheridge, “Bring Me Some Water”
For their third full-length release, Scottish band Chvrches are making a concerted charge for broader commercial success. Despite their occasional protests to the contrary, I don’t think there’s too many other realistic interpretations of the choice to bring in an … Continue reading The New Releases Shelf — Love is Dead
These posts are about the songs that just barely failed to cross the key line of chart success, entering the Billboard Top 40. Every song featured in this series peaked at number 41. In his notorious and freewheeling interview earlier … Continue reading Top 40 Smash Near Misses — “State of Independence”
Sometimes comedy illuminates hard truths with a pointed urgency that other means can’t quite achieve. Sometimes comedy is just funny. This series of posts is mostly about the former instances, but the latter is valuable, too. In the era of … Continue reading Laughing Matters — Parks and Recreation, “The Cones of Dunshire”
Courtney Barnett clattered into the public sphere — here in the U.S., anyway — with a fitting hesitancy. Her first two EPs were collected together on a release that got the most meager of pushes, as if her modest indie … Continue reading The New Releases Shelf — Tell Me How You Really Feel
904. The Cure, Japanese Whispers (1983) Somewhat unexpectedly, 1983 ushered in an era in which the Cure could accurately be described as hitmakers, at least on their side of the Atlantic. The transformation began with the 1982 single “Let’s Go … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #904 to #901
It appears director J.A. Bayona is on his way to a second straight week at the top of the box office. To a large degree, that’s attributable to being handed the keys to the right ongoing cinematic venture. I can’t … Continue reading From the Archive — The Orphanage
