Following a screening of The Counselor, one critic said: “It’s nasty film. Very well made…if that’s what you’re into.” Judging just from The Counselor’s plot (going into business with Mexican cartels), who wrote it (Cormac McCarthy), and its location (the Texas/Mexico border), there should be no mystery as to what you’re in for. But there […]
Following a screening of The Counselor, one critic said: “It’s nasty film. Very well made…if that’s what you’re into.” Judging just from The Counselor’s plot (going into business with Mexican cartels), who wrote it (Cormac McCarthy), and its location (the Texas/Mexico border), there should be no mystery as to what you’re in for. But there […]
In the 1930s and 40s, Universal Studios produced a series of horror films which remain some of the best and most popular examples of the genre. Tod Browning’s Dracula and James Whale’s Frankenstein became the iconic depictions of those characters in the popular imagination, from Dracula’s Hungarian accent, widow’s peak haircut, and cape to the neck-bolts, […]
Amos Lee Mountains of Sorrow, Rivers of Song/Blue Note Records Amos Lee knows what an Americana record ought to sound like and Mountains of Sorrow, Rivers of Song is it. This exploration of the simultaneously universal and individual nature of life is put together in dazzling fashion. The track “Johnson Blvd” details the hard times […]
The early reviews for Machete Kills have largely been unkind, and the big gripe appears to be that Machete Kills is too long, too repetitive, and too super violent. How many of these critics have seen a Robert Rodriguez movie before? I think that if you choose to see a Rodriguez film—whether your editor directs […]
Over the last 17 years, Jon Foreman has cemented his status as one of his generation’s most insightful lyricists and dynamic rock singers. He has released four solo EPs, two albums with the rockgrass band Fiction Family—his side project with Nickel Creek’s Sean Watkins—and has achieved worldwide fame for fronting the Christian rock group Switchfoot. […]
Sometimes when watching a movie that’s emotionally distressing, one has to ask, “Just how much pain can we watch these characters endure? What’s the endgame here?” Director Paul Greengrass’ Captain Phillips is one of those movies. It stars Tom Hanks as the titular captain of the container ship Maersk Alabama that was laid siege by […]
Hip-hop documentaries can give the street genre a bad rap, too often overlooking its positive influence. The five-part Global Hip-Hop Film Series covers everything from hip-hop’s growing influence on Turkish kids to the history of one of its founding groups, The Sugar Hill Gang, and features discussions with filmmakers and producers. Learn about the influence […]
Lee Koch Whole Heart/Self-released Whole Heart is likable for a variety of reasons. Most of it has a calm folk vibe, and there is something refreshing about the way Koch gives equal weight to relationships with lovers, strangers, and God. The Americana track “Journey to Unfold” is noteworthy for its focus on living life intentionally […]
Sarah Jarosz Build Me Up from Bones/Universal While listening to the third album from singer-songwriter Sarah Jarosz, Build Me Up from Bones, it is hard to believe she is only 22 years old. The prodigious mandolin, banjo, and guitar player has a gorgeous voice, an uncommon way with words that is spellbinding, and she takes […]
Calling a movie Newton’s Laws of Motion would probably have the potential audience running for the hills. Imagine it: Director and co-writer Alfonso Cuarón undertakes such an ambitious project, a movie set in Earth’s orbit with characters under constant threat of danger, but no one goes to see it because they think it’s a documentary […]