Chaz Bundick’s—the mastermind behind Toro Y Moi—musical output can be described as amorphic; he helped pioneer the chillwave genre in “Causers of This,” while channeling his inner dance music enthusiast through the side project Les Sins. In a recent interview with Pitchfork, at his album pre-release event, Bundick stated that he “wanted to make a pop album…because really...
Cellar Door Books is nestled in a quaint corner of Canyon Crest Towne Center. Its dense outer foliage and wooden walls evoke a Middle Earth vibe and aptly so; the store gets its name from J.R.R. Tolkien, author of the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy. Tolkien once identified “cellar door” as one of the most beautiful phrases in the...
I had very high expectations for director/screenwriter Andrew Dominik’s new film “Killing Them Softly” (based on the 1974 novel “Cogan’s Trade” by George V. Higgins). Brad Pitt, Ray Liotta, James Gandolfini and Richard Jenkins are but some of the few stars that shot my hopes for the picture to a skyscraping level. But in spite of Dominik’s résumé (“The...
Holiday parties overtaking your winter calendar? Don’t sweat it. Here are some tips on how to both appropriately and fashionably dress for differently holiday occasions.
Ugly Sweater Party
The best, most memorable Christmas parties are the infamous Ugly Sweater Parties; the dress code is quite simple: wear an ugly sweater. In fact, going posh for this occasion is considered a Scrooge...
The holidays are all about spending time with the family. Problem is, between late nights at the office, scrambling for last-minute gift shopping and the grade-schoolers wrapping up final exams, the family is tired. Here's a simple solution: family movie night. Parents can slump back on the couch and relax for a couple of hours, while the kids jump...
Potential. It’s what a lot of your favorite indie bands show glimpses of, but never quite realize. This is the gist of The Winter Sound’s third album “Runner.” It never quite puts you over the top, but it definitely gets you excited for what this band can do in the future. Their musical style might best be described as...
It’s no secret that the Wolverine battle cry was muffled seemingly indefinitely when MGM Studios took a financial blow, crippling the “Red Dawn” remake’s theatrical release. The relatively unknown actors (or at least they were at the time) moved on to better things, and thank heavens we got to see Chris Hemsworth in “Marvel’s The Avengers” and “The Cabin...
Alfred Hitchcock was an iconic film director who transcended his own era of cinema, so it seems only right to make a movie about his career in the industry. “Hitchcock,” directed by Saicha Gervasi, is a well-crafted biopic based on Stephen Rebello’s book, “Alfred Hitchcock and the Making of Psycho.” Academy-award winning actor Anthony Hopkins portrays Alfred Hitchcock, as...
It’s not often a historical film can make an old political figure seem vibrant and engaging in a modern sense. Though at times hindered by its pacing, director Steven Spielberg’s most recent film, “Lincoln,” captures the former president in a light that brings an urgent sense of immediacy to the issue of slavery in the 1800s.
The film begins in...
“Sweet Tooth” begins as any other ’70s era British spy novel with promises of intrigue, perilous love and ample suspense. But in the capable hands of author Ian McEwan (“Atonement,” “On Chesil Beach”), the story becomes something entirely unexpected. It can be categorized as meta-fiction, which sounds like trendy label but is completely fitting for this multifaceted work of...