Over the past 10 years or so, baroque-pop-influenced music has made a steady comeback. The likes of Arcade Fire, the National, St. Vincent, Regina Spektor and more have helped popularize the format characterized by emotional guitar builds, "wo-oh" choruses and strong, melodic piano and string sections. Continuing in this vein, Lanterns on the Lake attempt to establish their own stake in...
January has always been the month for the entertainment industry to dump movies that they have very little faith in. Their hope is to make a profit through bored teenagers who are not interested in the Oscar buzz. In “Devil’s Due,” directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett tried to remake Roman Polanski’s horror classic, “Rosemary’s Baby.” However, even with...
The transition from successful comedian to movie star is a difficult feat. What used to be a shoo-in for superstardom is now something that makes or breaks your career, as many comedians have tried to make the giant step to film, but ultimately failed. Coming off the success of his groundbreaking stand-up shows “Let Me Explain” (2013) and “Laugh...
With Wu-Tang backing as part of the Killa Bees, mentoring from the one and only RZA and production duties handled by the great guitarist John Frusciante (yes, from Red Hot Chili Peppers, and yes, this is still a hip-hop album), great music is expected from the Black Knights. Sure, the inclusion of Frusciante may seem a bit odd, but...
CIA analysis agent Jack Ryan is no new character to the world of film. In fact, “Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit” is the fifth in the action-packed series to be produced. Based on a series of novels by Tom Clancy, the newest rendition takes an inventive form as the first film that is not based on one of Clancy’s stories...
Highlighting the ups and downs of working-class life has always been the shtick for Bruce Springsteen’s career. Unfortunately for The Boss, the Vietnam-era listeners that gave him mainstream success are rapidly aging, and he seems thoughtfully aware of this in his newest album “High Hopes,” where he tries to add some youthful edginess to his trademark storytelling. The result...
Thankfully, “Cooperative Polygraphy” addressed a few of the concerns I’ve had with this season of “Community” so far, namely the splitting of the group and the lack of emotional connection. This episode was a group effort with all six of the study group members involved in the main plotline, and of course, since they were dealing with Pierce’s death,...
Ozark-native novelist Daniel Woodrell (“Winter’s Bone”) is noted for coining the term “country noir,” but there is a new noir on the map and it isn’t in any book. “True Detective” is a new cop series on HBO done in just six 60-minute episodes, starring Woody Harrelson and Matthew McConaughey. This is not the average pot-boiler, whodunit, murder-solved-in-one-episode buddy-cop...
Going to a party? If the DJ has a good ear for crowd-pleasers, be prepared to hear several tracks from Kid Ink’s newest album, “My Own Lane.” Los Angeles-born rapper Kid Ink welcomed us into the new year with a slew of songs designed for the exhilarating energy of the club.
Kid Ink released his first independent album “Up &...
High school — two words strong enough to send a shiver down any spine. The good times and the bad, the friendships and not-so-friendly, the dances, the awkward hairstyles and fashion choices — there’s a certain level of loss and hope captured by those four short years. “Sadie Hawkins,” the latest film by UCR’s theatre department, endeavors to capture...