From the Archive: Graffiti Bridge
As can be gleaned from the introductory hook to the review, this was written for the radio show The Reel Thing. I think we traveled to Madison to screen it, which was a long way to go for such a terrible movie. (The other films included in the same episode were Rocky V and White Palace, both of which I know opened in our smaller town.) In the writing of it, I didn’t mention the most memorable moment in the film, in which Morris Day urinates on a plant in Prince’s club, then promptly sets the plant on fire, implying … Continue reading From the Archive: Graffiti Bridge
One for Friday: Mojo Nixon and Skid Roper, “Pirate Radio”
With the caveat that every college radio kid probably overinflates the greatness of the music released in their first year behind the board, I’ve long championed the spring of 1989 as a pinnacle mini-era of college rock. I’m quick to … Continue reading One for Friday: Mojo Nixon and Skid Roper, “Pirate Radio”
My Misspent Youth: Batman by Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli
I read a lot of comic books as a kid. This series of posts is about the comics I read, and, occasionally, the comics that I should have read. There are a few titles that are routinely cited as instrumental … Continue reading My Misspent Youth: Batman by Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli
Top Fifty Films of the 50s — Number Twenty-Two
#22 — On the Waterfront (Elia Kazan, 1954) It happens occasionally in this process: I come to one of those titles for which my enthusiasm for celebrating its merits without all that much concern for explicating the reasoning for its specific … Continue reading Top Fifty Films of the 50s — Number Twenty-Two
The New Releases Shelf: The Voyager
I have a feeling I would have really disliked The Voyager had it arrived ten years earlier. My basis for this is my dwindling appreciation of the music of Rilo Kiley as they got more polished and poppy on More … Continue reading The New Releases Shelf: The Voyager
You said, it’s time to get your clothes on, you said, it’s time to leave the planet
Guardians of the Galaxy is the first film that’s convinced me Marvel Studios might be able to make a go of this moviemaking thing longterm. That might seem ridiculous given the fact that the offshoot of Marvel Comics has had an enviable box office run ever since they decided to take their characters in the own hands, beginning with Iron Man, released in 2008. Though the projects are costly, their lowest worldwide gross with a film was still over $250 million, and the bulk of them have handily crossed the half-billion mark. Artistically, though, they’ve floundered just enough to cast … Continue reading You said, it’s time to get your clothes on, you said, it’s time to leave the planet
College Countdown, The First CMJ Album Chart, 1
1. The Who, Who Are You Let’s start with the bloke seated in the chair there, the one turned around backwards with the instructional message “NOT TO BE TAKEN AWAY” stenciled on it. Keith John Moon celebrated his thirty-second birthday … Continue reading College Countdown, The First CMJ Album Chart, 1
From the Archive: The Adventures of Huck Finn
When I decided I was going to share these old reviews, I committed to doing so with only the tiniest of alterations. No matter how strong the temptation to edit, I mentally pledged to refrain. Some Saturdays are harder than … Continue reading From the Archive: The Adventures of Huck Finn
One for Friday: Satellite Boyfriend, “Bam Bam Bah”
When I was in college, North Carolina seemed as distant as a foreign land. Hell, we were in central Wisconsin so at least one foreign land was significantly closer. But there was something else about the state that made it seem even further away somehow. Maybe it was simply that it was one of those areas that I’d never had much cause to think about before. When waves of records showed up from Georgia or Seattle, it didn’t strike me an exotic (and all the albums from nearby Minneapolis were like letters from home). A sudden influx of material from … Continue reading One for Friday: Satellite Boyfriend, “Bam Bam Bah”
Top 40 Smash Taps: “Lazy Elsie Molly” and “Let’s Do the Freddie”
These posts are about the songs that can accurately claim to crossed the key line of chart success, becoming Top 40 hits on Billboard, but just barely. Every song featured in this series peaked at number 40. Ernest Evans was overweight, but just a little. Just enough, in fact, that he was nicknamed “Chubby” by one the bosses at a low-level job he worked. As the story goes, Evans had just done a Fats Domino impression during an audition when he was asked his name. When he responded to a question about his name, he replied with the nickname related … Continue reading Top 40 Smash Taps: “Lazy Elsie Molly” and “Let’s Do the Freddie”
Coffee for Two 