Sharon Van Etten: Singing With Belief
Tramp is a fitting title for this latest effort—“tramp” meaning “vagabond” here and not “loose woman”—as Van Etten recorded it while she was without a permanent residence, instead alternating between touring and crashing with friends. read more
Found in: Music, FeaturesLuck Review: "Episode 2" (Episode 1.02)
Bitch, and ye shall receive: Where Luck’s pilot lacked astoundingly in character development, the following episode compensated by cutting the horseshit—except for one (amazing) scene. The episode opens with Ace (Dustin Hoffman) bristling at his new reality in which he must micturate (take that, van Alden!) into a cup in the presence of a familiar-looking, jowly black gentleman. His “shy kidneys,” as Mr. Jowls puts it, remind us that Ace, despite his name and jail time, is only half a criminal. This split presents a conflict that could blossom into a compelling character arc (à la Nucky Thompson), or the... read more
Found in: TV, ReviewsDr. Dog: Be The Void
Philadelphia’s Dr. Dog has been churning out jangly, earnest pop with a less-than-subtle nod to classic influences such as Neil Young, The Band, The Beach Boys, etc. for six records. And on its seventh, it seems, they seem content to continue down that same path. read more
Found in: Music, ReviewsSeldom Disappointed by Tony Hillerman
If you ever have the bounty of standing on the rim and looking down into the astounding beauty of the sacred Navajo landscape of Canyon de Chelly, you might possibly have a sudden urge to stay longer than you’d originally planned. read more
Found in: Books, ReviewsAn Idiot Abroad: "Swim with Dolphins" (2.3)
One of the things that An Idiot Abroad has always struggled with is giving the show a storyline. It’s one of those problems of “reality” television that, while we wish for events to transpire onscreen in the same way that they actually happened, as humans we also want to watch a story rather than a series of largely unconnected events. Travelogues don’t really have a story, so An Idiot Abroad gives us one in two different ways. The more simple of these is by setting it up so that Karl has to cross through multiple hurdles every week before he... read more
Found in: TV, ReviewsOnce Upon a Time in Anatolia
Once Upon a Time in Anatolia, co-written and directed by Nuri Bilge Ceylan, is a Turkish police procedural based on the real-life experiences of one of the writers. The story follows a group of men as they travel around the Anatolian steppe at night in three cars in search of a buried body. The main homicide suspect, Kenan (Firat Tanis), is being escorted from one location to the next as part of a deal he’s made with police Commissar Naci (Yilmaz Erdogan) to identify the grave of the man he murdered. In exchange for the informaiton, he hopes to secure... read more
Found in: Movies, ReviewsFringe Review: "Making Angels" (Episode 4.11)
Two weeks ago I gave kudos to John Noble for his nuanced performances as the many versions of Walter Bishop and I stand by that appraisal. That said, tonight’s episode of Fringe raised an interesting question: Who is the more valuable player, the consistent frontman or the durable background actor who makes every moment of limited exposure count? I don’t know the answer to that question (and could argue both sides), but Jasika Nicole makes a very strong case for the value of quality supporting characters. Nicole has played Astrid Farnsworth since the pilot but has never been put in the spotlight until tonight. read more
Found in: TV, ReviewsPortlandia Review: "Cops Redesign" (Episode 2.05)
Portlandia, IFC’s sketch comedy show that stars Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein, continues to keep things fresh each week when tackling the same subject matter: the ups and downs of hipster living. The latest episode, “Cops Redesign,” threw in a few surprises—a music video and an animation segment, among them—keeping the audience on its toes. read more
Found in: TV, ReviewsArcher Review: "The Limited" (Episode 3.6)
With every season of Archer, the ISIS team leaves the confines of the office and go on a trip together, intentional or not, that ends up being one of the funniest episodes of the season. With season 1, the group went on an airship planned to blow up in “Skytanic” and in “Swiss Miss”, they went to a winter resort. This year’s outing in “The Limited” takes them on a high-speed train to return a Nova Scotian freedom fighter, Bilko, to Canada, and stands up against those other great episodes. read more
Found in: TV, ReviewsThe Firm Review: "Chapter Six" (Episode 1.06)
We’re six episodes in to NBC’s The Firm and new characters just keep getting thrown our way causing a messy web of plots. It doesn’t help that there’s always a trial of the week to distract viewers from the Sarah Holt case that is the backbone of the entire series. So, let’s focus on Sarah Holt and not the trial of the week that focuses on an immigrant getting framed for arson. Last week Mitch’s crew found a shredded piece of paper in Holt’s apartment with the names of the four former nurses that took care of the elderly lady who Holt supposedly met and killed all in one day. read more
Found in: TV, Reviews
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