Wednesday, May 15 2013
Youngblood Hawke: Wake Up
Youngblood Hawke's first full length shows promise -- uneven in parts, but a sign of [possibly] good things to come.
Tuesday, May 14 2013
‘Venus and Serena’: Sisters First and Always
Venus and Serena shows how a complex constellation of expectations and presumptions follows these tennis stars sisters throughout their lives and careers.
SFIFF Spotlight: Documentary Cinema
The best documentaries create empathy without leaving the audience to believe that the problems or issues presented have been 'fixed' by the cathartic act of viewing. PopMatters picks five documentaries that engendered empathy in the very best way at this year's San Francisco International Film Festival.
‘Gamer 3D’s Depth is Purely Visual
Touching on societal anxieties about technological advancement, especially in terms of of free will, isolationism, desensitization, and sensationalism, Gamer makes no attempt to interrogate the issues it raises.
‘See Now Then’: An Explication of Intimate Oppression
There's an anger towards women in many liberal, sophisticated, erudite men. It's important to be reminded that resentment is usually anchored in a feeling of similarity with the resented.
Going Nowhere Slowly: “Uncanny X-Force #4”
Believe me, I wanted to like this book. I loved the cast, I was excited about the creative team of Sam Humphries and Ron Garney, and it was being sold as an action adventure series with emphasis on the action…
‘World War II from Space’ Gives Us Breadth, but Not Depth
This History Channel documentary's reliance on CGI and bird's-eye-view visual effects end up making the whole conflict feel less like a battle for civilization and more like a video game
Vampire Weekend: Modern Vampires of the City
The New York-based indie juggernaut Vampire Weekend hits a masterful peak with its third LP, Modern Vampires of the City. It’s the kind of album that indie bands aim at but so often miss as it captures an old soul sporting new clothes.
MS MR: Secondhand Rapture
Sadly the 'Rapture' isn't the only thing that's 'Secondhand' on MS MR's début.
Dungeonesse: Dungeonesse
A pair of indie rockers set out to make a pop/R&B album. Jenn Wasner's vocals are strong, but a lack of hooks and a lack of bass hold Dungeonesse back.
The Airborne Toxic Event: Such Hot Blood
Airborne Toxic Event get lost in a search for love on a bloated third LP, Such Hot Blood.
Clutch: Earth Rocker
Clutch may well have been seeking to shed some of its veneer on Earth Rocker, but that leanness only emphasizes what we already knew: that Clutch craft addictive and contagious songs, no matter their density.
Kacey Musgraves: Same Trailer Different Park
Musgraves knows we live at the corner of Is that Right Avenue and Strange Days Boulevard. It’s funny until it ain’t.
Monday, May 13 2013
Frustration and Lack of Respect: ‘The Stone Roses: War and Peace’
The story of the biggest British band to never make it in America gets a thorough, honest, and fair recounting.
Dishonored: The Knife of Dunwall
Daud's change of heart is disingenuous and a tool used to force the moral system into the downloadable content. Daud is an assassin and an agent of extreme chaos in the world of Dunwall. Players shouldn't feel guilty or be punished for acting as such.
Better Off Dead: “Suicide Squad #20”
In just one issue, Ales Kot has turned Suicide Squad into one of my must-read titles each month.
‘Cloud Atlas’ Is an Ecstatic Exploration of Humanity
Adapted from David Mitchell's ambitious novel, Cloud Atlas is at once a visually rich Hollywood blockbuster and a philosophically driven experimental film.
The Diminishing Returns of ‘The Echo’
Hopefully the very last of an insipid glut of Asian-inspired horror remakes, The Echo strings multiple clichés together and is largely uninspired throughout.
Primal Scream: More Light
If the band wanted to shoot out the lights on XTRMNTR, More Light just turns them back on again.
Fiddling While Rome Burns: ‘The Perfect Meal’
John Baxter, an Australian writer living in France, is distressed at the death of haute cuisine, and thus sets out to discover France's remaining "real" foods. It's an onerous task.
