Apparently, I am the expert on "humorous" books comprised of prank letters. Apparently, I am not amused by them.
I emerged from my opening night screening of "Kill Bill" in complete and utter shock. I was struggling to find the words to describe this blood-soaked mess of a revenge movie, and then they started coming to me in droves: "exhilarating," "stunning," "oddly beautiful" and, above all, "absolutely brilliant." Quentin Tarantino, the eccentric auteur that brought us the new-classic "Pulp Fiction" almost 10 years ago, finally has affirmed what many have thought but none could prove: That he is a tremendous directorial talent.
Point:Modern music sucks. Counterpoint:Fuel. At least, that's always been one of my arguments.They've always been right up there with Incubus and the Foo Fighters on the list of the top ten reasons to care about music from the post-Buggles era.
Friday night's concert at Starr Hill was like a Ben Folds Five show -- just without Ben Folds. And the five. Darren Jessee, former drummer for the esteemed piano-rock trio that broke up in 2000, headlined the night's show with his new band, Hotel Lights. Hotel Lights hit the stage with the crowd radiating anticipation, but if Ben Folds Five fans were expecting the same kind of music from their former drummer, they were mistaken.
David Bowie attempted to go with a more mellow sound on his last album "Heathen," but although it did exhibit glimmers of his incredible musical ability, overall it did not go as well as he had planned.
What do you get when you mix MTV and hip hop, with a twist of P. Diddy and a nationwide search? You get the newest addition to the Bad Boy Entertainment label, Da Band.
The Dave Matthews Band has broken up! Well, maybe they haven't done it yet, but it certainly looks as though it's about to happen.
Most romantic comedies aren't worth seeing on the big screen. They are nice to rent on a rainy day but not worth shelling out eight dollars to see in the theater; light-hearted romances are too formulaic to be interesting or true to life. "Under the Tuscan Sun," however, is an above-average romantic comedy.
Okay, who let Chris Conley listen to the "White Album"? Although it should be a crime to compare Saves the Day to the Beatles, I can't help but point out how drastically the band has changed their sound since their last album, ironically titled "Stay What You Are." Saves the Day (the cool kids call them STD... and then giggle) has gone the way of so many other trend-setters, turning their backs on the genre that they helped create to find solace in bizarre song-writing.
You'd think that the plot of the fake substitute teacher has been used one too many times and that nothing good can come out of a movie revitalizing this theme, but in the case of Jack Black's "School of Rock," you'd be wrong. Surprisingly enough, both the comedy and the music in this movie are -- in a word -- good.
If you are thinking about going to see "Cold Creek Manor," don't. If you, like I was, are fooled by the previews into thinking that this film looks exciting and frightening, or even just entertaining, please allow me to pull the wool off of your eyes.
Rufus Wainwright nervously stumbled onto the intimate stage of Cabell Hall Friday night looking like any of the gawky students in the crowd, but soon he comanded the stage with a surprisingly dynamic presence, wit and even sass.
It was worth the wait. It's even better than you thought it would be. Better than "Stankonia." Better than "Aquemini," even.
Once innovators in the fusion-rock genre they brought to the mainstream, Limp Bizkit's kinetic identity was devastated when guitarist-extraordinaire Wes Borland split from the band a few years back. After holding auditions nationwide for a new guitarist, Limp Bizkit finally decided on Mike Smith, who makes his band debut with "Results May Vary," its first collection of new material in three years. While prior albums were energetic and filled to the brim with aural treats, Limp Bizkit's new record slows the pace and tames the rage of years past.
Having lost angelic bassist Paz Lenchantin to the now-dismantled ranks of Zwan and ever-so-slightly less angelic guitarist Troy Van Leeuwen to the Queens of the Stone Age during what was probably one of the most turbulent eras of musical cross-pollination in the history of rock, the future of A Perfect Circle was thrown temporarily into disarray.
Erykah, Erykah, Erykah, you done lost your mind. It's been a long strange journey for Ms. Badu, having come out in 1996 at the forefront of a wave of music dubbed "neo-soul." Back then she was that somewhat strange, pseudo-spiritual siren who wore big head-wraps, and her debut album "Baduizm" garnered all kinds of critical accolades.
Four days into the fall semester, my hallmate disappeared. He was last sighted giddily prancing down the hallway, Funcoland bag in hand, scampering toward his room with a closely cradled videogame case. For days, his room was eerily stagnant, save for sporadic yelps of fury or exultation.
Woody Allen is back in theaters this week with his annual cinematic contribution, this year titled "Anything Else." Interestingly, this has been the problem with most of Allen's recent work: It has been just like anything else you would see at the theaters, not like his trademark quirky brilliance of the 1970s, 1980s and early-1990s.
Michael Kun's latest novel, "The Locklear Letters," offers an engaging, hilarious and vastly empathetic journey for its reader.
What do you get when you have a war between Lycans and Vampires that is several centuries old? One hell of a movie!
