Author James Patterson’s name evokes a sense of nostalgia for me. As a middle school bookworm I’d stay up late at night, voraciously flipping through the first few releases of his “Maximum” series under the glow of my dollar-store book light. This is the only reason why I gave his novel “Private: #1 Suspect,” the fourth installment in a...
“Sometimes I wonder if the world’s so small / Can we ever get away from the sprawl?” So sings Regine Chassagne, multi-instrumentalist and occasional vocalist of Arcade Fire. The “sprawl” referred to in the lyrics can be defined as “the norm"; it’s suburbia as we know it. With that in mind, my goal is to expose readers to relatively...
This week’s episode of Showtime’s hit comedy “Shameless” began with the best of intentions. Unfortunately, the first 20 minutes or so of “The American Dream” were hit and miss compared to past gems. The premiere of season three ended with suspense, drama and laughs, and I was hoping that I would be pulled in again by the show’s usual...
Viewers are finally shown the Lana Winters we’ve longed for: sassy, determined and channeling Jackie O as she struts her stuff in “Spilt Milk.” Just before her release, she promises Jude that she will return and expose all the horrors at Briarcliff. In present day, the episode unveils some highly disturbing, Oedipal interaction between Johnny Morgan and a prostitute...
Just close your eyes and listen—actually, don’t close your eyes. You might fall asleep, albeit in the coolest way possible, to legendary indie band Yo La Tengo’s “Fade.” Their latest album—also, their first since “Popular Songs” (2009) and 13th overall—consists of a dreamy set of sometimes catchy, sometimes endearing tracks that leave the listener in a happily-induced daze.
The album...
A mother’s love is unconditional and precious—sometimes to the point of being frightening, and that’s when you feel the constriction in the relationship. This is definitely the case in “Mama,” a thrilling and more comprehensive recreation of director Andres Muschietti’s Spanish short film, “Mamá” (2008). He collaborates with fairy tale and horror genius, executive producer Guillermo del Toro (“The...
The troubadour was a figure of lyrical poetry that became very popular during the Middle Ages. Christopher Owens seems to embody this role in the 21st century. After the breakup of his debut band Girls just six short months ago, Owens takes listeners through the journey of his promising musical career with his first solo album “Lysandre,” titled after...
Space has long been regarded as the final frontier of human travel. But once we have found our place among the stars, what happens to human culture? “Free Enterprise: The Art of Citizen Space Exploration” seeks to answer this question through an exhibition of 25 international artists and organizations that closely examines civilian space exploration. Ranging from thought-provoking choreography...
Arnold Schwarzenegger makes a smashing comeback to the silver screen in the action-packed thriller, “The Last Stand.” Like many of his earlier roles—take the futuristic “Terminator” film series for example—this B-feature can be summed up by its title. Audiences can expect lots of gunfire, revved engines and clichéd one-liners that are dropped in at the end of violent scenes.
After...
When we last left Showtime’s wildly obscene series “Shameless,” the Gallaghers were entrapped within a vicious circle of insane antics. In the past, the show has pushed the boundaries of ordinary programming, but the birth of an infant afflicted with Down syndrome, a mother falling in love with her soon to be son-in-law, and a homosexual relationship between the...