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Jet Set Arts
Movie: Thirst
“Thirst” becomes a bloody good and artsy vampire yarn in the hands of accomplished Korean director/co-writer Park Chan-wook. Regardless, more judicious editing might have turned his 133-minute seat squirmer into a shorter, sleeker thriller. Read More »
CD: The Beatles: The Stereo Remasters
I should have known better. I thought I could make it through a review of Capitol’s box set of Beatles’ CDs without punning on song titles like “Yesterday” or resorting to phrases like “fab.” But listening to one newly remastered album after another, all I could think was: here comes the sun. Read More »
Concert: Soulive Comes to LA's EL Rey Theater on Sept 17
The El Rey Theater (www.theelrey.com/) will be the place to be for a night of freewheeling soul, funk, jazz, and improvisation on Thursday, September 17. Soulive (www.soulive.com) will be in town to celebrate both the release of their tenth album, and their ten-year anniversary as a band. The New York-based group released “Up Here” on their brand new label, Royal Family Records, earlier this year. Read More »
Movie: Whiteout
Hold on to your hats, kids, here comes “Whiteout,” complete with requisite scares in the dark, extremely bitter temperatures, and accompanying gusty winds. Apparently, though, the heroine of the piece, whose gorgeous face somehow stays uncovered through all of the proceedings, is exempt from the elements. Read More »
Movies:The 34th Toronto International Film Festival Kicks Off
With the 34th annual Toronto International Film Festival opening today, early reports from Canadian sources say “Up in the Air,” the George Clooney starrer about the ultimate frequent flyer, is already generating big time buzz. Read More »
CD: Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeroes: Up From Below
Looking like refugees from the Manson Family and prone to riding around L. A. in a battered school bus, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes are one of those teeming, multi-member outfits that’s more riveting in theory than execution. Imagining how Ima Robot frontman Alex Ebert founded the 11-piece band as a means of celebrating the spirit of the psychedelic 1960’s is fascinating; listening to “Up From Below” not so much. Read More »
Movie: World's Greatest Dad
From the not-so-beautiful mind of writer-director Bobcat Goldthwait comes Robin Williams as the “World’s Greatest Dad,” an oddly competent story about family, friendship, and even a little love. Read More »
Concert: Nine Inch Nails "Wave Goodbye" Tour
It was the beginning of the end at the Hollywood Palladium on September 2, when Nine Inch Nails played the first of their final batch of tour dates on their “Wave Goodbye” tour. And probing that they should perhaps not be splitting up, the band put on one of the most dynamic, intense, and powerful shows that they’ve ever performed. Read More »
Movie of the Week: Extract
So on a list of one to one million of my favorite movies and television shows, “Beavis and Butt-Head” would probably be solidly at the very bottom. And considering that it’s the animated MTV show that made Mike Judge famous, I am always slightly afraid of anything that springs from his fertile mind. He’s the creator of the long-running Fox cartoon “King of the Hill,” too. Eh. But when it comes to live-action films, it seems Judge knows just how to tickle my funnybone. First with “Office Space” and now with “Extract,” his latest film comedy, the guy just cracks me up. Read More »
CD: Brendan Benson: My Old Familiar Friend
With Raconteur bandmate Jack White off making music with The Dead Winter, Brendan Benson is left to his own devices on “My Old Familiar Friend.” Lucky us. The 11-track album is a cornucopia of cascading keyboards, jangling guitars, and shiny pop hooks. Read More »
