Top Ten Television, 2017-2018 season
As per tradition, the eve of the annual Emmy nominations announcement brings me to my own opinionated assertion of which program represent the best that the expansively defined medium of television has to offer. As always, I must offer the … Continue reading Top Ten Television, 2017-2018 season
Now Playing — Ant-Man and the Wasp
As the superhero comic book publisher with the firmest commitment to continuity, Marvel occasionally felt obligated to start an issue with a clarifying caption that placed the story therein on the vast fictional timeline. Something on the page that’s not … Continue reading Now Playing — Ant-Man and the Wasp
Playing Catch-Up — Ocean’s Eight; Only the Brave; Brigsby Bear
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
College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #900 to #897
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
From the Archive — House Party 2
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
One for Friday — Melissa Etheridge, “Bring Me Some Water”
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”
The New Releases Shelf — Love is Dead
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
Top 40 Smash Near Misses — “State of Independence”
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”
Laughing Matters — Parks and Recreation, “The Cones of Dunshire”
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”
The New Releases Shelf — Tell Me How You Really Feel
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
Coffee for Two 