‘Smithereens’ Is a Coming-of-Age Tale of Aimless Desire
Susan Seidelman’s Smithereens depicts a time in NYC alternative culture when you could make a buck without having to make a killing
1980s
Bass is Loaded: Kid Sensation on His Bass Music Classic, ‘Rollin’ With Number One’
Electricity and simplicity are the two prime characteristics which drive Kid Sensation's debut.
New Wave Noir Meets Technicolor: An Interview with the Motels’ Martha Davis
On the eve of the Motels' first new album in ten years, The Last Few Beautiful Days, founder Martha Davis talks "Hollywood 101", the machine of celebrity, and why the Motels are like a thrift store treasure.
Mustaches Run Amok Throughout Mickey Spillane’s ‘The New Mike Hammer: The Series’
WARNING: This review may disturb, nay, trigger recollections for Gen X'ers that grew up watching TV with adults in the '80s.
Lady-Killer: Exploring Coming-of-Age Through Horror in ‘Lady in White’
Lady in White is a patiently-crafted example of how setting and atmosphere can supersede character and action in a story.
Phil Collins: Singles
The main question with Singles is this: does Phil Collins really deserve all the critical revilement he's gotten for decades?
‘Fright Night’ and the Dubious Pleasures of the Vampiric Remake
The original Fright Night is a cult classic of the 1980s horror genre; the remake features a classic Anton Yelchin performance.
Various Artists: Another Splash of Colour: New Psychedelia in Britain 1980-1985 (take 2)
This is a thorough, satisfying, and surprisingly scholarly cross-section of British New Psych in the early '80s.
Defining Spiritual Sequel in ‘Everybody Wants Some!!’
The powerful timing of Richard Linklater’s take on '80s competitiveness in Everybody Wants Some!!
Always Cry 4 Love, Never Cry 4 Pain: Prince’s 30-year ‘Parade’
On Parade, Prince allows an openness to ideas and collaboration to a degree he’d never experienced before, and it brings out the best in him.
Boston Underground Film Festival 2016: ‘The Lure’
There's no denying the worthiness of The Lure's experimental qualities, but its characters get drowned in the music and never really find their way out.