Monday, June 17 2013
Human Rights Watch Film Festival New York 2013: ‘deepsouth’ & ‘The New Black’
deepsouth and The New Black both explore American social and political history, but they take different approaches to addressing GLBT rights in America.
‘30 Rock’ Lived (and Died) By Its Own Rules
Although its references to the 2012 political seasons will be as dated as Murphy Brown's Dan Quayle references, 30 Rock, against all odds, goes out on a perfect note.
Loud Guitars, Psychotic Singers, Demonic Drums: ‘Detroit Rock City’
Investigative reporter and Detroit native Steve Miller takes us from the glory days of Grande Ballroom to the time when Kid Rock rapped -- and beyond. Wayne Kramer, Jack White, Violent J, and others appear.
Now Hear This!: Spider Bags - ‘Singles’ (album premiere)
PopMatters is pleased to premiere Singles by North Carolina underground heroes Spider Bags.
Love Disinterest: “Savage Wolverine #6”
Writer Zeb Wells takes Wolverine down the road less taken as he develops the plot without relying on the gimmick of a love interest in Savage Wolverine…
Bonnaroo 2013: Day 2 - Friday Is Bonnaroo in Full Swing
The variety of music to absorb on Friday posed formidable challenges, and navigating from one stage to the next all day is a good way to lay waste to your body, which happens to be one of Bonnaroo’s most-popular pastimes.
Cognition—Episode 3—The Oracle
As Cognition hurtles towards its final episode, I cannot wait to see if the team can maintain its momentum.
The Fearless Trumpeter: An Interview with Terence Blanchard
Terence Blanchard is more than a brilliant jazz trumpeter. His long-standing quintet is one of the most flexible groups in jazz, and his work as a composer of film soundtracks is distinctive.
The Women of ‘20 Feet from Stardom’: Merry Clayton
As part of our 20 Feet from Stardom, today we explore the gospel of legendary chanteuse Merry Clayton. Our interview discusses friendship, faith, and fearlessness, principles by which this diva passionately abides.
‘Witness: A World in Conflict Through a Lens’ Raises as Many Questions as It Answers
HBO is to be commended for risking such an undertaking; it could have sailed along on another few seasons of Game of Thrones, etc. But it is programs like Witness that may prove the more enduring legacy.
Kanye West: Yeezus
Yep, it's here. It may not change the game like My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy did, but there's still plenty to keep your attention on album that, of course, has to be called Yeezus.
John Fogerty: Wrote a Song for Everyone
With a songwriter of Fogerty’s calibre, you want him to keep going. Wrote a Song for Everyone certainly convinced me that he has, but more than that, it made me eager to hear him continue to do so.
The Heart Is An Unknown Country: ‘Bobcat and Other Stories’ by Rebecca Lee
This collection of short stories is a sharp, seductive venture into the foibles of marriage, infidelity and friendship among today's 30- and 40-somethings, with echoes of Updike, Freudenberger and Noah Baumbach.
Beach Day: Trip Trap Attack
Beach Day will not win any awards for being the most original band in the universe with their '60s girl group, surf rock and garage sounds, but the group is competent enough to provide a somewhat winning formula.
Benga: Chapter II
While there's nothing wrong with an artist exploring new avenues and using diverse styles, it seems Benga is possibly being carried by the tide and not forging his own paths and directions.
Willy Moon: Here’s Willy Moon
Even if the Elvis by way of trip-hop premise of Here’s Willy Moon is a gimmick, who cares when it’s this fun?
The Bats: By Night
Flag-bearing Flying Nun group and New Zealand mainstays the Bats balance pop grace and idiosyncrasy on By Night, their debut EP from 1984.
Friday, June 14 2013
Bonnaroo 2013: Day 1 - Thursday’s Not Just a Warm-up Day Anymore
Typically a warm-up bonus day before the headliners kick in on Friday, this Thursday was full-bore Bonnaroo mayhem, with bigger-than-ever crowds doubling the capacity of the tents, where buzz acts like Django Django, Purity Ring, and Alt-J played hour-long sets.
Human Rights Watch Film Festival 2013: ‘An Unreal Dream’ and ‘99%’
Two stirring documentaries show the consequences of inhumane systems, namely, criminal justice and financial industry corruption.
‘Man of Steel’: A Super-Repetitive Superhero
The familiarity of this story cuts at least two ways in this decidedly not-new version. It means the film will rehearse and reinforce the grandly mythic saga of Superman, and provide rationales for his eyeglasses and his cape.
Governors Ball 2013: Mud, Music and Finding Yeezus (Photos)
Torrential rains on the first day caused Friday to end early and left the Governors Ball grounds very very muddy. But throughout the weekend, music from Kanye, Cut Copy and several other bands made trudging through the sloppy field worthwhile.
The ‘Mad Max Blu-ray Trilogy’ Makes Us Remember the Best of Mad Mel
The aughts are in desperate need of a new action hero. In his upcoming film, Mad Max: Fury Road, here's how director George Miller can make Tom Hardy be the new Mel Gibson (you know, in a good way).
How Does Superman Shave?: A Discussion with Mythbusters Adam and Jamie
Who are the Mythbusters? Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman take time off the set of Mythbusters to answer Gillette's challenge of "How Does He Shave?" And in a discussion with PopMatters, the Mythbusters get to the heart of why they make popular culture, and why it matters.
Resident Evil: Revelations
The story reaches new levels of dumb for the franchise and not the campy fun dumb that defined Resident Evil in the past. This is just dumb.
‘The Spectacle of Disintegration’ Reclaims the Truths of the Situationist International Movement
What does it mean to be a revolutionary leftist today?There is still that tapping at your shoulder, that whisper in your ear that you once knew, when you were young, idealistic, in college -- Marx was right and you know it.
Super Boys: The Amazing Adventures of Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster
In time for the 75th anniversary of the Man of Steel comes the first comprehensive literary biography of Joe Shuster and Jerry Siegel, creators of the DC Comics superhero Superman.
Warning! These Films Contain Madness
Attempts to update horror icons by recasting them as mere 'mistreated monsters' risk bringing them too far out of the paradoxical isolation that fuels their monstrosity.
‘Chronicle of a Summer’ Is a Dazzling, Shot-from-the-Hip Mini-Masterpiece
Rouch and Morin's engrossing and powerful French sociological documentary is a fine example of cinéma vérité, and it changed the course of non-fiction filmmaking forever.
Black Sabbath: 13
Thirty-five years after its last Ozzy Osbourne-fronted album, Black Sabbath return with 13. With career re-energising producer Rick Rubin on board, and Sabbath promising a return to its roots, expectations are understandably high. Best prepare to be disappointed.
The Dandy Warhols: Thirteen Tales from Urban Bohemia (Deluxe Edition)
Camped out in the Rock 'n' Roll Hotel at the corner of Sex Boulevard and Drugs Avenue, this is a record that wallows in its own filthy sweat and is an honest distillation of just about every excess known to mankind.
The Olms: The Olms
Catchy and light, Pete Yorn’s latest retro experiment finds him mining through the sounds of the mid-to-late ‘60’s accompanied by commercial artist/musician J.D. King. The result is easy-breezy fun, if ephemeral.
Various Artists: The Rough Guide to African Disco
Afro-pop dance sampler offers up many more hits than misses.
The Bunny The Bear: Stories
The most beautiful, soulful and operatic female voice you're likely to hear this year comes from a large, burly, bearded man in a bear mask.
Sally Shapiro: Somewhere Else
Even if we don't know the person behind Sally Shapiro, Somewhere Else proves there's still quite a musical identity to live up to and maintain.
Thursday, June 13 2013
‘Perfect Understanding’ Probes Timeless Questions About Relationships
Perfect Understanding presages romantic comedies like Four Weddings and a Funeral and Friends with Benefits.
The Privileged Knowers, the Ignorant Masses, ‘The Neoconservative Persuasion’
This substantial anthology memorializes the work of one the 20th century's greatest political thinkers, for better or worse (depending upon your politics).
What Becca Wants, Becca Gets, One Way or Another: ‘The Bling Ring’
In Sofia Coppola's weirdly fascinating, beautifully composed film, stolen stuff doesn't feel owned or stolen, exactly, but more endlessly transferred, from one briefly desirous individual to another.
Marvel’s Avengers Initiative, Part 1 of 4: Avengers and Avengers Arena
What hath Bendis wrought?! In unravelling the traditional structure of the Avengers nearly a decade ago, writer Brian Michael Bendis lay the groundwork for something truly unimaginable at the time. Something both Joss Whedon with the 2012 blockbuster, and current writer Jonathan Hickman are heirs to.
Once Upon a Time, a Brother and Sister Had Some Very Big Guns… ‘Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters’
The over-the-top gore might be the true surprise of Hansel & Gretel. Shoulders are little more than golf-tees for doomed skulls.
Primavera Sound 2013: Days 3 and 4, Barcelona
Primavera's certainly evolved from where it started out early last decade, but it hasn't lost its special vibe that's unmatched by most of its competition.
The Way We Watch Television: ‘Sherlock’ By the Numbers
A survey of Sherlock fans supports what broadcasters have long suspected: international viewers won't wait for new episodes on cable when the Internet is oh, so close to home.
Will Netflix Kill TV?
Netflix is such a beautiful service that it’s terrifying. It’s given us everything we ever wanted, and one day we’ll look back on what a tragedy that was.
Try a Mid-Life Crisis for Fun and Profit! ‘Top Gear: The Great African Adventure’
Top Gear is not really a show about cars. It's a show about masculinity.
The Lonely Island: The Wack Album
Through comedy, the members of the Lonely Island provide another direct criticism on American subcultures and flaunt their knowledge and reverence of rap and hip hop with The Wack Album.
Megadeth: Super Collider
Super Collider is a contender for the worst metal album of 2013, and worst Megadeth album of the band's near 30-year existence.
Palmieri Effortlessly Weaves Magic and Believably in ‘The Witch of Little Italy’
Words that float off the page and the magic of memory, cartwheels, and family make The Witch of Little Italy a wonderful summer read.
Case Studies: This Is Another Life
Jesse Lortz is at his best when he assesses the damage, rather than splitting it sideways.
Kermit Ruffins: We Partyin’ Traditional Style! (take 2)
After two decades, the New Orleans trumpeter finally figures out how to bring his live energy into a studio setting. The result is one of the best jazz releases of the year to date.
JJ Grey and Mofro: This River
This River was unlikely to be a radical departure from Grey's signature style, and longtime fans will be pleased that he is still ploughing the same fruitful furrow.
Benoît Pioulard: Hymnal
Benoît Pioulard frames his fourth record as a sort of meditation on faith vs. society, as though they are opposing forces, and how devotion provides succor in an uncertain and discomfiting world.
Wednesday, June 12 2013
It’s a Double-Act Schtick in ‘The Internship’
Like the '80s movies The Internship references, it's easy to imagine catching this one on cable in a few years, and giving in to its watchable, goodhearted charms.
‘This is the End’: Cruel Honesty
For fans of the stars, the fun of the opening scenes is watching them riff on the trappings of fame and particularly the personae that have been created for them in their movies and in the press.
God Tattoos Our Second Chances, Child: ‘The Wake #1’
What a savagely genius move, using an unconnected genre to examine the sociocultural impact of post-apocalyptic scifi.
Primavera Sound 2013: Days 1 and 2, Barcelona
Over the last few years, Primavera Sound has separated itself from other festivals that are similar on the surface by booking consistently interesting lineups highlighted by a handful of acts that don't just play anywhere.
‘Wilfred’: Bone-Dry Humor in a Warm and Wicked Cartoon Universe
The Aussie Wilfred fleshes out its sitcom universe with impressive worldbuilding and genuine heart amongst the weed smoke and scatological humor.
‘Life After Life’ Bears Witness to the Future
Kate Atkinson’s emphasis here lay not with romantic love but with war, and she uses this book as an opportunity to stay, if only in imagination, some of the hands that killed millions.
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow - Mirror of Fate
Interestingly, and likely due to the limitations of the system, the game flattens the presentation of Lords of Shadow back down to two dimensions. In other words, after many lackluster attempts to make a 3D Castlevania, the developers of arguably the first truly successful one chose to step back for the title directly following it.
Hip-Hop, Hashtags, & Hope: The Power of Rap & Social Media in Arab Protests
For the past three years, Arab world dictators have been confronted by a new generation of tech savvy youth armed with hip-hop and Twitter.
“Commiserating Is Underrated in Art”: An Interview with Jason Isbell
Following his time with the legendary Drive-By Truckers and garnering huge accolades for his last effort, Jason Isbell decided to strip things down on his dark, personal new album, and tells PopMatters about its creation and what it's like to have that "hit" everyone wants you to play.
Old Banjo-Eyes Is Back in ‘Whoopee!’ and ‘Kid Millions’
Eddie Cantor is a trickster who trades race, ethnicity and gender at the drop of a schtick.
Deafheaven: Sunbather
Unpretentious, rich, and emotionally devastating, Sunbather is a marvel of an album that sounds like the product of a band far beyond Deafheaven’s years.
Jon Hopkins: Immunity
While the tracks do expand, growing before your ears from what you first think they are about to much more, they also are small, in the best of ways.
Patricia Volk’s Shocked’ Is a Memoir, All Dressed Up
Three lives—a mother, a daughter, and a fashion designer—in exquisite miniature.
Emily Wells: Mama Acoustic Recordings
Not necessarily cute; more weird and mysterious like the person who wants to mature but cannot due to some grotesque condition.
Kermit Ruffins: We Partyin’ Traditional Style (take 1)
The New Orleans trumpeter and singer tackles traditional jazz with a loose, deriviative ebullience.
Lilacs & Champagne: Danish & Blue
Working in a genre of one poses all sorts of risks for musicians; for now, at least, Lilacs & Champagne continues to impress in a way few of its peers are able to. Their sophomore outing, Danish & Blue, modifies the mood-heavy psychedelic sonic of their debut, with the tasteful addition of piano samples throughout.
Tuesday, June 11 2013
‘Twisted’ Asks, How Can You Tell If Someone Is a Sociopath?
Twisted challenges typical representations of delinquent teens early, when Danny, Jo, and their classmates discuss what it means to be a "sociopath" in their psychology class.
In ‘Dead Man’s Burden’, Land Represents Death and Lost Dreams
A long-lost brother's return sets up the film's central conflict, as well as the premise that people are trying to get away from the land instead of claiming it.
Sam Raimi Puts His Twist on a Classic with ‘Oz the Great and Powerful’
The twister that removes Oz from Kansas, with its speediness and slapstick, is quite possibly the Raimi-est act of severe weather ever brought to screen.
Sex, Drugs and Bleakness In Tao Lin’s ‘Taipei’
A Taiwan McDonalds, an Ohio mansion, a Brooklyn bookstore, and a pit of existential despair: Lin's third novel will certainly take you places.
How the Spin-Off That Is ‘Major Crimes’ Holds Up in Its First Season
Spinning off from The Closer could not have been easy. It sure doesn't look that way in season one of Major Crimes.
On the Fringe with the Superior: “Superior Spider-Man #11”
After reading the last few months of Superior Spider-Man, and especially after last week's issue #11, one question must be asked: Has Dan Slott ever watched Fringe?
The Black Angels + Hanni El Khatib: 17 May 2013 - San Francisco
With a sound and light show tailor made for the historic venue, this might be the best place in the country to see the Black Angels.
In Defense Of ... Podcasting
Though the medium hasn't enjoyed the success some hoped it would, podcasting has become news radio for a new generation, taking the marriage between information and entertainment to a completely new level.
Why ‘Game of Thrones’ Matters
George R.R. Martin's series looks and feels like a historical drama, except the audience doesn't know how the story will turn out. Martin's 'fantasy' is preoccupied with power -- its relations, differentials and dynamics -- because he's interested in the way 'history' is really made.
Dwarf Or Giant: Scott Walker’s Impossible, Shifting Identity
The Collection 1967-1970 is a brilliant set that allows us to look at Scott Walker's early years as a solo artist. But none of this clarifies our understanding of him. Instead, it confirms the big questions of identity his music has always posed.
Variety Within Formula: “Perry Mason’s Final Season
The writers were able to keep the Perry Mason formula fresh by varying the settings in which it was applied, and coming up with new ways to deliver the twist that was a necessary feature of each episode.
Stealing a Glance at Food History with Raymond Sokolov’s ‘Steal the Menu’
Raymond Sokolov details the history of contemporary cuisine over the past 40 years. But while to him best dishes are the simplest ones, his simplistic approach to memoir writing could use more 'salt'.
Surfer Blood: Pythons
Pythons is a fine slice of punchy garage pop, the kind to be blared from car stereos on sun-fueled, summer road trips that would coincide with the album’s June release.
Davell Crawford: My Gift to You
My Gift to You serves as a sincere, brilliant ode to Crawford’s illustrious hometown.
Saturday Looks Good To Me: One Kiss Ends It All
This isn't an album that tops its predecessor, because it really has no true predecessor. One Kiss Ends It All succeeds on its own terms, and despite the finality of its title, feels open-ended, like it could lead to anything.
The Ocean: Pelagial
The Ocean journey to the depths of their namesake, and return with one of this year's best albums.
Implodes: Recurring Dream
Implodes have eschewed the "addition by subtraction" mantra opting instead to force a few crooked melody lines and some stale recurring guitar riffs.
Monday, June 10 2013
Arrows in Flight, Remain in Flight: “Green Arrow: The Kill Machine”
With the release of last week's Green Arrow #21, the concluding chapter to "The Kill Machine" storyarc, writer Jeff Lemire proves himself to be the Isaac Newton of comics storytelling.
‘Major Crimes’ Season 2 Is More of the Same Old Faces, Same Old Plots
Somehow, Los Angeles is so bereft of crime that one captain, two senior lieutenants, and three detectives can all work one murder case.
‘Beautiful Creatures’ Is Pretty ‘Twilight’ Redux, Emphasis on Pretty
Jeremy Irons seems to be in a constant audition to play Liberace here, his Macon a severe symbol of power who has no trouble prancing around in brightly colored gowns and jewelry
Hangout Fest 2013: Stevie Wonder Thanks You
On a beach in southern Alabama, Stevie Wonder delivered a historic performance that moved the crowd's feet and their hearts.
God Hates You, But Fred Phelps Doesn’t
The Pastor of Westboro Baptist Church is one of the most hated men in the US. That's OK with him, because he thinks that God hates you more than you hate Fred Phelps.
When the Music’s Over: Oliver Stone’s Tribute to Excess and the God of Rock
"There are things known. There are things unknown. And in between are the Doors."
Diving for Memories in Neil Gaiman’s ‘The Ocean at the End of the Lane’
The best-written book of Neil Gaiman’s career is focused, lyrical, and profoundly perceptive in its exploration of childhood and memory, and it’s also quite frightening—like one of Truman Capote’s holiday stories by way of Stephen King.
The 10 Progressive Rock Epics You Need to Hear Now
You'll kick yourself for not blasting these prog masterpieces sooner. These pieces represent their creators' highest level of artistic ambition and self-indulgence, and they're often declared the group's best composition.
Changing Identities and Traditional Family Ideals Are Explored in ‘Mosquita y Mari’
In her first feature film, Aurora Guerrero introduces us to a pair of Chicana teens who develop intense feelings for one another. By telling the story of Mosquita y Mari, Guerrero crosses a new frontier in Chicano cinema.
Boards of Canada: Tomorrow’s Harvest
Returning after almost an eight-year absence, Boards of Canada release an album that is an excellent springboard for new initiates as well as giving longtime fans an album worthy of their previous artistic peaks.
Sam Hopkins Keeps His Dark Shades on in ‘Mojo Hand’
Despite the good work Mojo Hand does putting his life and work in historical context, the picture we get of Sam Hopkins the man is fractured and hazy.
Future Bible Heroes: Partygoing
On the one hand, Partygoing is refreshingly in sync with the group’s first two albums. On the other, each feels like its own concept album of sorts.
Mick Harvey: Four (Acts of Love)
Four (Acts of Love) is a bit like a love affair that didn’t quite live up to its potential.
The Handsome Family: Wilderness
This New Mexico duo's latest is another strong collection of strange and hypnotic Americana music.
