// Category Archive for: Reviews

Music Review: Holly Golightly, Slowtown Now!

By Melissa Bratcher

The new Holly Golightly album, Slowtown Now! is a complete delight from start to finish. There’s a relaxed affability and a charming retro-ness to the songs, and Golightly’s voice is wonderful. She sings with an ease and grace, clearly enjoying the material, which ranges from girl group harmonies, to smart jazz, to throwback garage rock. It’s such a fun album and compulsively listenable.

(more…)

Music Review: Jason Heath and the Greedy Souls, A Season Undone

By Melissa Bratcher

Jason Heath and the Greedy Souls bear the trappings of the catch-all Americana label: banjos, mandolin, a gruff-voiced lead singer, excellent guitar with the occasional wildcard instrument (accordion, horns, kazoo—it’s been a very good year for the kazoo, musically). But the strain of Americana they play is filtered through the sometimes harsh light of L.A. There’s a grittiness to the music, a feeling of mid-1980s Sunset Strip crawling in the heavy guitar solos, and an anthemic quality that permeates many of the tracks on their second release, A Season Undone.

(more…)

Retro Review: Dario Argento’s Deep Red

By Tim Murr

In honor of Italian horror master Dario Argento’s 75th birthday this week, I wanted to take a look back at one my favorites of his films, Deep Red a.k.a. Profondo Rosso from 1975.

(more…)

Music Review: WSTR, SKRWD

By Tyler Hodg

Pop-punk is a genre of music that is probably past its glory days of popularity, yet to those who grew up with it, it remains a familiar and comforting sound. Newcomers WSTR (Waster) bravely fly pop-punk’s often forgotten flag with their debut EP, SKRWD, and give a unique reason to revisit the sounds of yesteryear. Although WSTR attempts nothing revolutionary with their first release, they have still created something that is sure to stir up nostalgic feelings and counteract the lack of edge in your playlist.

(more…)

DVD Review: The Hee Haw Collection

By Melissa Bratcher

It would be all too easy to be cynical about Hee Haw, if you were that sort of person. Corny jokes, country music, Buck Owens wearing his overalls backward (he said it was in silent protest of the cheesiness of the show, but he cashed the checks just the same), all the animated dancing pigs (so many animated dancing pigs, kicking in a chorus line through musical performances, sometimes wearing bikinis. The mind simply reels). But to be cynical about Hee Haw would cause you, the viewer, to miss out on a great TV show, indeed a capsule of a moment in time (or several moments, because Hee Haw aired for 21 years).

(more…)

Music Review: Buckcherry, Rock ‘n’ Roll

By Tyler Hodg

Seasoned veteran rock ’n’ roll band Buckcherry have returned once again to deliver their seventh album, simply titled Rock ’n’ Roll. The band’s music of late has been less than desirable for a lot of fans and could be described as generic at best, so is Rock ’n’ Roll a return to form or another disappointing outing? Aside from being riddled with cliches, the album actually brings some much-needed energy back into the fading band. Buckcherry is a hit-or-miss ensemble that has ended up on the
hit side of the equation this time around.

(more…)

Blu-Ray Review: Miracle Mile

By Brendan Ross

4:00 a.m. A payphone rings outside of an all-night diner in L.A. Our protagonist warily answers it, opening up the line to a frantic missile silo employee lamenting about imminent nuclear destruction set to hit in 70 minutes. Gunshot sounds are heard in the background. A man’s voice takes over the phone.

“Forget everything you’ve just heard and go back to sleep”

This ominously sets the scene for the remaining 70-minute run time of Miracle Mile. The previous 20 minutes, however, set a much different tone.

(more…)

Blu-Ray Review: Cherry 2000

By Brendan Ross

The year is 2017 (30 years in the future) and due to some economic turmoil, the United States has essentially turned into a sparsely populated wasteland. Businessman Sam Treadwell (David Andrews), who lives in one of the few remaining civilized communities, comes home after a hard day of businessman work to his “Cherry 2000” (Pamela Gidley), a female love robot. She already has dinner ready for him, and after a healthy dose of preprogrammed ego catering words they are ready to make love. On the kitchen floor. While the future dishwasher runs in overdrive covering the floors, counters, and both of them with soapsuds. Unfortunately, even in the distant future of 2017 electronic water damage still has not been eradicated and Cherry short circuits.

(more…)

Blu-Ray Review: Island of Death

By Jeffery X Martin

Most people have a movie they only show to certain people, a movie so strange or weird that you would rather everyone not know you like it. In some cases, that movie is a test. The thought process is: if I show you this movie, and you still like me, then we can be friends. If you like me and the movie, then we can get married.

(more…)

DVD Review: Glen Campbell… I’ll Be Me

By Melissa Bratcher

Though it is incredibly wrenching, the documentary I’ll Be Me is such an important film. By allowing filmmaker James Keach unbridled access to himself and his family, Glen Campbell’s battle with Alzheimer’s disease is starkly delineated, from diagnosis to decline. It’s intimate and human and so hard to watch.

(more…)