Laughing Matters — Hannah Gadsby, “Nanette”
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. When the most generous … Continue reading Laughing Matters — Hannah Gadsby, “Nanette”
College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #896 to #893
896. Bananarama, Bananarama (1984) The compromises of “Robert De Niro’s Waiting” exemplify the dilemma Bananarama faced during the creative process. In initial conception, the track from the trio’s second album — when was self-titled at the insistence of their label … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #896 to #893
From the Archive — In the Valley of Elah
For many, Paul Haggis will forever be the person who directed the most egregious Best Picture Oscar-winner of the past twenty-five years. He’s not. That honor belongs to Ron Howard. I’ll over no further defense of Crash at this time … Continue reading From the Archive — In the Valley of Elah
One for Friday — Toni Childs, “Don’t Walk Away”
Thirty years ago, in the summer of 1988, Toni Childs released her debut album, Union. A native of California, Childs spent much of the nineteen-eighties on the fringes of the music scene in London. She cultivated several creative relationships there, … Continue reading One for Friday — Toni Childs, “Don’t Walk Away”
The Art of the Sell, XTC, “Making Plans for Nigel”
These posts celebrate the movie trailers, movie posters, commercials, print ads, and other promotional material that stand as their own works of art. I think of the various college rock bands from my youth as being hobbled by a lack … Continue reading The Art of the Sell, XTC, “Making Plans for Nigel”
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
