Film: Urgh! A Music War
The old maxim that one never grows out of the music of their youth floated around in my head while …
TV: Dave (Season 3)
Season two of Dave ended with such an exclamation point that it was difficult to imagine its next move. As …
TV: Dave (Seasons 1–2)
So, how does one explain the appeal of Dave? That’s a tough one, because even after twenty episodes, the dominating …
TV: Flight of the Conchords (Seasons 1–2)
Had I had watched Flight of the Conchords in real time, it might have reminded me of the original British …
Film: Encanto
While it doesn’t have particularly good control of its messaging, Disney’s Encanto (2021) is a gorgeously animated film with unexpectedly …
Surviving 2021
I wonder what a glowingly positive year-in-review post looks like? One not littered by “under the circumstances” caveats? I’m having …
Film – Roxy: The Movie
I admit it: I’m the guy who searches through a streaming services’ films in alphabetical order, to make sure I …
TV: Schmigadoon!
Apple+’s Schmigadoon! begins with an appealing, wry mission: to both execute and subvert the tropes of the musical genre. Unfortunately, …
Novel: Outside the Gates of Eden by Lewis Shiner
If you’re looking for an epic historical novel about music and the counterculture, look no further than Lewis Shiner’s Outside …
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Soundtrack for the New Novel
One of my coping mechanisms when stressed or depressed is to throw myself headlong into writing. This is hilarious, of …
Film: Zappa
I wasn’t expecting to learn much from Zappa (2020), Alex Winter’s deep-dive documentary into the life of iconoclastic composer and …
Film: Guava Island
Fans of Atlanta will enjoy Guava Island (2019), a short feature on Amazon Prime from the same creative team. Donald …
Album: Fashion and Warfare by Öz Ürügülü
Usually it takes me several months to figure out how to write coherently about a new album, but after a …
TV: Mozart in the Jungle (Season 4)
Amazon’s disappointing decision to cancel the wonderful Mozart in the Jungle definitely changes the shape of this review. A unique …
TV: Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (Season 3)
Oh, Rebecca Bunch, what have you gotten yourself—and everyone else—into this time? Crazy Ex-Girlfriend just broadcast the finale of its …
Album: X-Mas Death Jazz by Panzerballett
It’s no secret to people who know me that Panzerballett, a virtuosic German quintet that blends rhythmically complex metal, jazz, …