This film is a Hulk Smash! (There, I said it. Now put it on a poster.)
For a well-thought-out, articulate, reasoned, educated review, I strongly suggest you click over to Jason LeRoy’s official review of The Avengers. For the ramblings of someone who’s read too many comics, seen too many comic movies at midnight, and overanalyzes every darn thing past the point of usefulness, read on. [read the whole post]

- John Cusack as Edgar Allan Poe in THE RAVEN
starring: John Cusack, Luke Evans, Alice Eve, Brendan Gleeson, Kevin McNally
screenplay by: Ben Livingston and Hannah Shakespeare
directed by: James McTeigue
MPAA: Rated R for bloody violence and grisly images
[read the whole post]

Sometimes when a band has a giant hit song, they cancel their long-ago-booked club gig to move into a bigger venue at a higher price. This has happened recently with Gotye, and it’s kind of a bummer for early adopters who were excited about seeing a beloved band in a small club. And other times, the band keeps those dates and plays a fantastic show to a small, ecstatic group of their biggest fans. This week, San Francisco won because the band with the current number one single in America, the ubiquitous ”We Are Young,” played at both The Independent and Bottom of the Hill, and in doing so, proved that they are definitely not going to be one hit wonders. They’ll play the big rooms next time around. [read the whole post]
The guys who baked these rolls are at the Fillmore on Tuesday night.
Just because half of the music blog world, including many Spinning Platterers (Spinning Platypuses?), are off in Austin at SXSW doesn’t mean that the music stops up here in the Bay Area. We’ve even got a unique and fantastic event this coming weekend that will blow the lid off of anything being offered down South this weekend. And no, that’s not just me being envious of those partying in Austin, although I am. So those of us left behind, we so-called SXSF folks, where will we be? Read on! [read the whole post]
Opening for Guster at Palace of Fine Arts on Wednesday
This weekly show preview is a day late. This makes me very Twilight Sad because that was the show I would have told you to see. Because of this, I’m going to have make up for my mistake, and suggest even better shows than normal. So stick with me; this next week is going to be fun. [read the whole post]
Getting the last laugh. Where's your Taylor Hicks now?
It’s about time we popped the cherry on television reviewing on Spinning Platters. Any time there’s a new NBC show about the creation of a new Broadway musical about Marilyn Monroe starring an American Idol runner-up, we’ll be there! Even better if the hype machine is dialed up high, saying it’s going to be an “adult Glee.” I mean, I’m an adult, and I think Glee sucks, so this must be the show for me. And is it ever? It’s everything I’d hoped it would be, and also far, far less. It’s a fascinating, horrible mess, and I’m hooked after two episodes of diverse quality (one’s good; one sucks). Let me explain why. [read the whole post]