// Category Archive for: Reviews

Music Review: Tony Lucca, Tony Lucca

By Melissa Bratcher

I liked Tony Lucca’s self-titled album better when I wasn’t paying full attention to it. Full of chunky guitar and “whoo”-ing backup singers, it’s decent, if pedestrian. The songwriting reflects nights out in California and frisky women, and Lucca’s voice is pretty swell; husky in the right places, soulful where it needs to be. The problem is listening to it closely. His voice deserves better than these songs. He can sing, and sing well, but the material isn’t strong enough.

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Music Review: The Blancos, Heartless Romantic EP

By Tyler Hodg

A regrettable fact of music fandom is that it’s easy to come across inauthentic, materialistic garbage. Thankfully, the first offering from New York duo The Blancos—an EP titled Heartless Romantic—may be the most genuine collection of songs you will have the privilege of hearing. While their hip-hop/indie fusion sound includes familiar elements you may have heard before, Heartless Romantic is organically progressive and in a league of its own.

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Music Review: Various Artists, Popcorn Girls

By Melissa Bratcher

The songs on Croydon Municipal’s Popcorn Girls defy simple description. They range from R&B burners, to country tinged numbers, to Shangri-La’s-like teen tragedies. Their commonality? In the 1970s Belgian club scene, they were guaranteed floor fillers. There was a certain type of dance endemic of the time, a “slow swing” with a rather specific tempo. As a result, Popcorn Girls is a moody, stone-cold, slow groove from beginning to end.

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Music Review: Peregrine Falls, Two Fish EP

By Tyler Hodg

Gritty, hard hitting, in your face: these are all things that almost completely describe Peregrine Falls (formally PinkBrown). With the release of their EP Two Fish, the band showcases what they’ve got in a condensed, to the point package—and what they have released is a frustrating product that just barely under-delivers.

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Blu-Ray Review: Union Station

By Brad Henderson

I love all genres but I’m more partial to horror and that’s what I’m better versed in when it comes to film. There are some other genres that I’m quite knowledgeable about but I really lack when it comes to film from the ‘50s and ‘60s. There is just so much out there that it’s a little overwhelming and I don’t know where to start. Luckily, there are companies like Olive Films that are picking the great ones and bringing them to the table, sparking renewed interest in the films, and giving them new fans such as myself.

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DVD Review: The Device

By Brad Henderson

Watching filmmakers and writers grow is a beautiful thing. Through the past couple of years I’ve kept my eye on a few filmmakers like Adam Wingard, Ti West, Adrián Garcia Bogliano, Eric England, and many more. As far as more recent filmmakers, I’ve been following Jeremy Berg and John Portanova. A little while ago I reviewed their directorial feature debut, The Invoking. I was highly impressed with the direction they took with The Invoking and it falls into my category of “story horror” which I’ve described in detail in the past. So when I got word of them doing another horror film, and one involving aliens, I was down.

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Blu-Ray Review: The Damned

By Brad Henderson

Every once in a while I watch a film that I enjoy quite a bit but I wouldn’t consider great or essential to see. I call these films “rainy day” films: when something is just mediocre but you can’t stop thinking or talking about it. The film may not be that great but it’s one that won’t leave you. Films like Red Hill, Home Sweet Home, No One Lives, The Colony, and Citadel are a few that I feel fall into this category. Now, I legitimately like all those films but I know a lot of people consider them “forgettable.” People throw that word around to describe films but I honestly haven’t seen forgettable films nor do I think they exist.

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Blu-Ray Review: Skidoo

By Brad Henderson

Throughout the course of movie history we’ve seen films that should have been good but failed miserably. I’m not talking about films we thought were going to be good and they flopped. I’m talking about the ones where everything was set up with the right actors, script, director, producer, and any other suit in Hollywood. All these elements that can almost guarantee success are in place, but the movie turns out to be a disaster. Last night I watched Skidoo. I went in blind to this film other than knowing it had one hell of a cast and a legendary director. Otto Preminger was the man behind it so I thought this couldn’t go wrong, right?

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DVD Review: Day Of The Mummy

By Brad Henderson

Remember PC games in the ‘90s that were very story based with a ton of cinematics and limited gameplay? For the most part, the cut scenes were actual actors and not animation and they were poorly acted. I was always a big FPS fan and I disliked the type of games that included just a lot of walking around, pushing buttons, and someone who popped up in your HUD and told you what you were doing wrong or right. I’m guessing this is why I disliked Day Of The Mummy.

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Blu-Ray Review: At The Devil’s Door

By Brad Henderson

As a cinephile I’m often asked the question, “what is the scariest film you have ever seen”? I have a list of scary films but not too many actually scare me. I’ve been watching horror films since I was 4, so I’m a little desensitized at this point in my life. I get creeped out of course, but it takes a little bit more for me to look over my shoulder at the end of the film.

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