Jason Bitner (Ed.): Cassette From My Ex: Stories and Soundtracks of Lost Loves
Reminiscing the mix tape Blame it on Twitter, reality television, or the daily sprouting of self-chronicling blogs, but it’s undeniable that we’re living in a voyeuristic culture. Catching glimpses into other’s slice-of-life moments is what we crave; a need that Cassette From My Ex: Stories and Soundtracks of Lost Loves strives to fill.... read more
30 Rock Review: "Sun Tea" (episode 4.6)
The most tiresome thing about this season of 30 Rock has been the entire Dealbreakers plotline. There’s a lot of other gripes people have had, some well-founded, some not so much, but for my money the Dealbreakers thing has generally slowed things down and turned a somewhat funny joke into a running gag that lost its steam some time ago. It’s sadly a bit like what SNL will do by taking whatever success it accidentally stumbles upon and reusing it again and again until even hearing about it makes you cringe. Dealbreakers had become like that for me, and the... read more
Community Review: "Environmental Science" (Episode 1.10)
It seems like Community is becoming simultaneously less and more formulaic as the series goes on, which is an interesting phenomenon. If anything, it seems like episodes are ripping through sit-com clichés at a faster than believable pace, each episode more reliant than the last upon tired old stories that we’ve been watching on TV since we were born. The episode’s structures are impeccably fitted to a traditional three-act structure and it’s hard not to predict where the entire episode is headed after merely what appears in its cold open.... read more
Sugarland: Gold and Green
All I want for Christmas is a cohesive record As with Sugarland’s previous studio efforts, lead singer Jennifer Nettles suffers from a vocal identity crisis on the duo’s new holiday-themed Gold and Green. Does she want to be a saccharine adult-contemporary crooner (“Gold and Green”), a wailing gospel beacon (“Coming Home”) or the twangy country girl next door (“Nuttin’ For Christmas”)? Here, such shifts seem contrived, robbing Nettles of any relatable authenticity. What little sincerity the set has comes from Kristian Bush singing lead on “Maybe Baby (New Year’s Day)” and “Holly Jolly Christmas.” Unfortunately, the latter is all but... read more
Need For Speed: Shift (Xbox 360)
Developer: Slightly Mad Studios Publisher: Electronic Arts Platforms: Xbox 360, PS3, PC What happens when the world realizes it doesn't need so much speed after all? Though not struggling as spectacularly as the American auto industry, the long-running Need for Speed series has steadily lost ground to competitors. Recent installments feel tired and passé, especially when played alongside more inspired games like Burnout Paradise. Aimless circling is a vital part of any racing simulator, but that shouldn’t apply to a game’s own past.... read more
Broken Embraces (Los Abrazos Rotos)
Release Date: Nov. 20 (New York) Director/Writer: Pedro Almodóvar Starring: Penélope Cruz, Lluís Homar, Blanca Portillo Run Time: 128 mins. Celebrated director explores life through movies Pedro Almodóvar’s latest film is an anthology of his previous obsessions—its haunting score (courtesy of long-time collaborator Alberto Iglesias) and deep hues evoke the melodramatic aesthetic that has defined his work since 1997’s Live Flesh. This is a movie about seeing and being seen, a fact that is evident from the dazzling opening sequence that begins with a close-up of a woman’s eye, in which you can see the reflection of a newspaper. The... read more
Wale: Attention Deficit
On major label debut, mixtape star looks to the West Born of Nigerian parents in our nation’s capitol, Wale rose to prominence in 2008 with The Mixtape About Nothing, where he used his favorite program as a framing device for his technically adroit diatribes on race, rap, and authenticity. “The Kramer,” for instance, sampled Michael Richards’ infamous Laugh Factory tirade, and subsequent apology, to bookend a fearless dissection of racist language. Wale also adopted Seinfeld’s habit of knowing self-deprecation to send up stale rap conventions, titling a track with three guest stars (including mixtape staple Bun B) “The Feature Heavy... read more
Carrie Underwood: Play On
Underwood’s third album is overdeveloped and undercooked Carrie Underwood’s new album isn’t meant for iPods or headphones—or, for that matter, for individuals. It’s a more public record than a private or personal one, sometimes for better but usually for worse. Opener and first single “Cowboy Casanova” is a barnburner that will be the prelude to many girls’ nights out, while “Mama’s Song” will no doubt soundtrack innumerable weddings in the next few months. Other songs on Play On have less lofty goals: “Someday When I Stop loving You” and “What Can I Say” are soundtrack-ready montage rock; the latter deserves... read more
Jonathan Safran Foer: Eating Animals
Jonathan Safran Foer’s novels are dense, energetic, concerned with all things moral and Jewish, pleased with themselves, sentimental, and too wordy for a lot of us. They are like wild Russian dances that leave you breathless and wondering why you stayed on the dance floor. Without argument, he is enormously talented and passionate, but his writing and gimmicks can get in the way of the material.... read more
Fantastic Mr. Fox
Release Date: November 25, 2009 Director: Wes Anderson Writer: Roald Dahl (novel), Wes Anderson and Noah Baumbach (screenplay) Starring: George Clooney, Meryl Streep, Bill Murray, Adrien Brody, Owen Wilson, Willem Dafoe, Jason Schwartzman, Brian Cox, Michael Gambon, Anjelica Huston Studio/Run Time: Twentieth Century Fox, 87 min. Wes Anderson’s whimsical animated film features his familiar themes and undeniable fingerprints, but has broader-than-usual appeal.... read more
Fight Club (10th Anniversary Edition)
Release Date: Nov. 17 Director: David Fincher Writers: Jim Uhls, Chuck Palahniuk Cinematographer: Jeff Cronenweth Starring: Edward Norton, Brad Pitt, Helena Bonham Carter Studio/Run Time: Twentieth Century Fox, 139 mins. A beautiful and unique snowflake David Fincher’s film adaptation of Chuck Palahniuk’s Fight Club doesn’t tell us anything about consumerism that we don’t already know. That’s exactly why it’s a stunning piece of cinema, and a searing indictment of a society wandering a labyrinth of material comfort and spiritual discontent.... read more
Norah Jones: The Fall
Unexpected dance grooves from jazzy folk star As a jazz-adoring youngster, Norah Jones initially made her mark as a performer, her best-known songs written by others. Jones has since grown up as a songwriter on the biggest of stages, a challenge she’s tackled by turning inward, working with a set of regular bandmates and daring to whisper her increasingly pointed lines when others might over-emote.... read more
House Review: "Teamwork" (Episode 6.8)
The transitional period for House continues. Licking his wounds after Cuddy rejected him, revealing that she is dating his old frenemy Lucas (from season 5), House attempts to assemble, or reassemble, his team with mixed results.... read more
Annie: Don't Stop
Half formula, half adventure “Do you want more, baby, do you want more?” These are the first words Annie purrs on her sophomore album, a come-on that would fit snugly on a Britney Spears anthology. It may seem befuddling how this Norwegian singer gets the indie oligarchy’s sacred seal of approval while other remarkably similar pop acts don’t. But listening to the rest of Don’t Stop, it becomes clear that Annie is more adventurous than her peers.... read more
Red Cliff
Release Date: Oct. 16 Director: John Woo Writers: John Woo, Khan Chan, Cheng Kuo, Heyu Sheng Cinematographers: Yue Lü, Li Zhang Starring: Tony Leung, Takeshi Kaneshiro, Fengyi Zhang Studio/Run Time: Magnolia Pictures, 148 minutes Woo returns to China for an epic war movie... read more
The Office Review: "Murder" (Episode 6.09)
The Office’s eighth episode, “Murder,” was a great way to dust off last week’s disastrous double date lunch between Michael, Jim, Pam and Pam’s mother, who is tactlessly dumped on her own birthday. Michael swiftly jumps from that role as the temperamental child to this episode’s all-knowing father figure whose mysterious ways pan out in the end. It’s tough to say whether he’s really growing up these days. There’s no telling what he’ll do between now and the end of the season, or even next episode.... read more
30 Rock Review: "The Problem Solvers" (Episode 4.5)
Last night’s episode of 30 Rock was the best one so far in the season. Ok, who am I kidding, it was the best. I’m not going to pretend I’m not still a little disappointed in it, though, but it’s just because the show was so close to greatness and we all know it’s done it before and can do it again. 30 Rock is like a mistress I’m going through hard times with at the moment. She continues to give me enough to keep coming back, but I know she’s delivered better in the past and that she’s just... read more
Community Review: "Debate 109" (Episode 1.9)
Just a couple of episodes ago, I was pontificating about whether Community would up the self-reflexiveness that it’s started to show or stick with its more typical tone. “Debate 109” answers that question quite nicely, with a vehement yes that for once is a good thing. Self-reflexiveness is a tricky tool. On the one hand, it can lead to jokes otherwise inaccessible and on occasion create some awesome situations. Venture Bros. comes to mind here, given that the entire show is aware of its own ridiculousness but that’s in some ways part of its essential premise. On the other hand,... read more
Pirate Radio
Release Date: Nov. 13 Director/Writer: Richard Curtis Cinematographer: Danny Cohen Starring: Bill Nighy, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Tom Sturridge, Kenneth Branagh Studio/Run Time: Focus Features, 135 mins. Raucous ’60s retrospective adrift in simplistic plot Nobody can accuse Richard Curtis’ sophomore directorial effort of being less than a fun time. The writer/director of Love, Actually immerses his work in a sea of floral-lensed escapism, filled with lusty skirt-chasing and fraternal merry-making—and in Pirate Radio, a loose timepiece about a radio ship that broadcasts primitive rock ’n’ roll in international waters to avoid government regulation, the good vibes keep rolling. It’s worth seeing... read more
The Messenger
Release Date: Nov. 13 Director: Oren Moverman Writers: Moverman and Alessandro Camon Cinematographer: Bobby Bukowski Starring: Ben Foster, Woody Harrelson, Jena Malone, Samantha Morton Studio/Run Time: Oscilloscope Laboratories, 105 mins. War film well acted and fittingly bleak It’s unfortunate for this film that we’re experiencing a collective case of war-movie fatigue; when we’re still dealing with these wars on television and in our own communities, it’s hard to drag ourselves to the movies to be reminded of how awful it all is. The Messenger starts with an interesting premise: A war hero (Ben Foster) sent home to recuperate from injuries... read more
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