Film review: Godzilla steps out of the blockbuster gate

George Carlin used to a do a bit about his favorite movies: westerns in which a bunch of cowboys face off with a bunch of Native Americans. “You know what the big scene is going to be, right? It’s going to be the attack the Indians finally make on the cowboys. You wait for it […]

Album reviews: Needtobreathe, Nick Pollock, Lindsey Stirling

Needtobreathe Rivers in the Wasteland/Atlantic Records This Southern rock trio has made an album filled with hope and energy—seemingly with the intention of easing the weight of life’s challenges. Rock and soul numbers like “State I’m In” and “Feet Don’t Fail Me Now” corner the market on encouragement, while the swelling folk pop track “Rise […]

Live action dominates the summer blockbuster season

It’s mid-May: The crushing tide of summer movies is just around the corner. Gear up. Actually, we don’t really have a summer movie season anymore. Of all the traditions Star Wars ushered in—it was released on May 25, 1977, just in time for Memorial Day—summer release dates have largely gone kerblooey. To wit: Captain America: […]

Film review: Neighbors hits it hard with frat humor

By this point, we’ve all seen the ads for Neighbors. Family vs. frat. Thirtysomethings vs. drunk 20somethings. Seth Rogen and gross-out humor. Sounds like a recipe for disaster. Plus, the last movie Rogen starred in, This is the End, is so bad that any reasonable adult could be forgiven for thinking Rogen had jumped the […]

WNRN and Music Resource Center put teens in charge

For many people, the radio is a convenient distraction that adds some color to  daily routines. But for the students at Tandem Friends School, it’s their voice.  Teaming with WNRN and Music Resource Center in the Radio Resource Project, the teens write, produce, and host a complete radio show, titled “30 Minute Throwdown,” from beginning to […]

Album reviews: Sam Cregger, The Currys, Katie Herzig

Sam Cregger Tell Me Something Different/Self-released The sophomore full-length album from local artist Sam Cregger is a real treat. Tracks like “Still Love” pit unending love against a backdrop of ambling Americana music that features some languid accordion to set the mood, while the simple, brief folk track “Discovering Roads” casts a wide-eyed look at […]

No surprises in the lazy plot of The Other Woman

The Other Woman has approximately 1 million things working against it. First, we’re expected to believe Kate (Leslie Mann) is some sort of undesirable fuddy-duddy. Mann has played this role before, mostly in her husband Judd Apatow’s movies, but at least here she has a chance to use her goofy muscles instead of just reacting […]

Downtown church brings back short-lived artists’ forum

How cool can a church get before it starts to ruffle some feathers? Christ Episcopal Church, which operates The Garage, an outdoor concert venue/art gallery (a super-cool combo if ever there was one), is pushing the boundaries of non-secular hip yet again by bringing back its Makers Series. The quarterly event features an evening of […]

Transcendence descends into a tech quagmire

One of these days someone is going to have to write a movie that explores—purposely—the irony of making a film that uses cutting edge technology to tell an anti-technology story. Transcendence is not that movie. Its storyline, character arcs, and politics are so hopelessly muddled, it’s unclear what its makers were thinking. In fact, there’s […]