Eat All: The Songs of Heated Rivalry: Episode 6 – SEASON FINALE

EPISODE 6: THE COTTAGE

SYNOPSIS: Ilya spends two weeks at Shane’s architecturally sublime summer cottage. They confess their love for one another. Shane’s dad swings by for his phone charger and catches the two of them making out. Things that could have turned out badly do not turn out badly at all, because this is Heated Rivalry, bitches.

All of the songs are played in the car! ALL OF THE SONGS ARE PLAYED IN THE CAR! Continue reading “Eat All: The Songs of Heated Rivalry: Episode 6 — SEASON FINALE”

Show Review: Lily Allen with The Dallas Minor Trio at The Masonic, 4/28/26

All Photos (except one very obvious one) by Christina Bryson (@averagecowgirl)

Lily Allen performed for 3,300 guests at the Masonic in San Francisco on May 30, 2026. She had just released one of the most impeccable albums of last year, West End Girl, an epic 44-minute tale of an unraveling psyche inside a high-functioning celebrity marriage marked by serial cheating and gaslighting. The record unveils the person underneath, rebuilding, stripping down, and rewiring. The sound is encased in spans of poised pop, reggaeton, vocoder-soaked torch moments, and EDM. The album’s trajectory feels as tender and surprising as it must have felt to write it, and somewhere in the middle, you find yourself piecing together the affair partners as the only clues to what really happened, until they begin to feel like your counselor. It moves through every stage of grief and lands, finally, in acceptance by the time you reach the last track, “Fruity Loop.” Continue reading “Show Review: Lily Allen with The Dallas Minor Trio at The Masonic, 4/28/26”

Show Review: Cass McCombs with Hand Habits at Great American Music Hall, 4/9/26

Is it possible to wash yourself up if you don’t take interviews? As far as being “washed up” as a musician, Cass McCombs has remained so private and low-profile, with almost no social media presence, rarely giving interviews, and offering very little spoken onstage. As a lyricist, he has quietly masterminded literature-worthy cadences in his songs over the years. The lyrics are extremely personal, yet vague enough to keep distance between listener and artist; sometimes it’s a wry smile, sometimes it’s a shocking question, and sometimes it feels like a local radio station drifting in and out. Continue reading “Show Review: Cass McCombs with Hand Habits at Great American Music Hall, 4/9/26”

Film Review: “The Devil Wears Prada 2”

The Devil falls flat in glossy but listless sequel

Andy (Anne Hathaway) receives some fashion help from Nigel (Stanley Tucci).

Did we need a sequel to the 2006 hit The Devil Wears Prada? The original movie was a box office success and garnered a slew of awards, including an Oscar nomination for Meryl Streep, but the cast reportedly was hesitant to star in a follow-up. That a second film, with the rather uninspired title The Devil Wears Prada 2, was green lit, and that its stars agreed to reprise their roles, means they thought the story was worth revisiting. Or maybe everyone involved saw the potential for a built-in audience and an easy cash grab. Unfortunately, with Hollywood’s penchant for recycling old IP, I think the situation here is the latter. 

Continue reading “Film Review: “The Devil Wears Prada 2””

Film Review: “Hokum”

Hokum invites us to embrace being scared

Ohm Bauman (Adam Scott) is in a tight spot in ‘Hokum.’

Though the word sounds like the name of an ancient demon stalking the Pacific Northwest woodlands, “hokum” is actually a noun that refers to any media or material (like a film, for example) that is insincere, exaggerated, or manipulative for the sole purpose of pleasing audiences. In the case of the new horror film, Hokum, by Damian McCarthy (Oddity), the idea of art as “hokum” is both explored within the context of the story and in a metatextual sense. Despite a minor reliance on cheap thrills (more on that later) and vague character motivations, Hokum is a terrifying good time due to Adam Scott’s performance and McCarthy’s impressive ability to keep ratcheting the intensity. Continue reading “Film Review: “Hokum””

Eat All: The Songs of Heated Rivalry: Episode 5

EPISODE 5: I’LL BELIEVE IN ANYTHING

SYNOPSIS: Rose knows that something is up with her new boyfriend, leading to Shane’s first real coming-out. This leads to a big shift in Shane. When he shows up for the All-Star Game in Tampa Bay — when he’ll be playing on a line with Ilya for the first time — he is made over and ready to come get what’s his. Great hockey playing and heavy conversations ensue. Ilya has to go home for his father’s funeral. Shane gets knocked out during a game. Scott and Kip kiss on national television.  

Dude, this fuckin’ episode.  Continue reading “Eat All: The Songs of Heated Rivalry: Episode 5”

Film Review: “Mother Mary”

Lowery’s pop-star exploration gets bogged down by metaphors and self-importance

Mother Mary (Anne Hathaway) is dressed up for the shot in ‘Mother Mary.’

Writer/director David Lowery (Pete’s Dragon, A Ghost Story, The Green Knight) is one the finest visual directors working today. Lowery’s deliberately paced stories pack surprisingly emotional gut punches, and he doesn’t let his distinct style get in the way of the story. Unfortunately, the same can’t be said for his latest film, Mother Mary, a musical surrealist drama. Inviting audiences to interpret the events of a film’s ending, or major moments, or striking visuals, is one thing, but requiring audiences to fill in the narrative gaps while interpreting the events of a story is a tall task, and a distracting one. Mother Mary has visual panache and vibing music, but lacks a complete story, instead relying on pretentious dialogue and dreamlike imagery to gloss over its shortcomings.  Continue reading “Film Review: “Mother Mary””

Film Feature: 69th SFFILM Festival Preview #3

It’s finally here! The 69th SFFILM Festival starts TOMORROW, Friday, April 24th! Running through Monday, May 4th, this year’s Fest features over 100 films from more than 40 countries. The SFFILM Festival FAQ website will quickly answer all your questions about programs, tickets, and venues. And be sure to review our two previous preview posts (#2 and #1) for more Spinning Platters-approved Festival highlights!

Below we highlight an additional two documentaries and two features that are worth a look. See you at the Fest!  

1.) WHO MOVES AMERICA
(USA, 2026. 87 min.)

A real-life drama about the power of unions in the vein of Norma Rae and Pride, this inspiring documentary will leave you cheering. Focusing on the 340,000 UPS Teamster members and their 2023 contract negotiations and potential strike, documentarian Yael Bridges crafts a portrait of union struggle and solidarity that is as thoughtful as it is rousing. Bridges turns her camera on local chapters in New York, southern California, Kentucky, and New Jersey, and the stories of the workers profiled are insightful and engrossing. UPS doesn’t come off well, and its executives can’t be happy about this film. But that just makes this truth-to-power story all the more affecting. Union yes!  .

Screenings (click here for tickets):
– Mon., Apr 27th, 6:15 pm PT @ Marina Theatre
– Mon., Apr 27th, 8:45 pm PT @ Marina Theatre
– Fri., May 1st, 3:45 pm PT @ Marina Theatre
 Continue reading “Film Feature: 69th SFFILM Festival Preview #3”

Film Feature: 69th SFFILM Festival Preview #2

The 69th SFFILM Festival is days away, April 24 – May 4, featuring over one hundred films from more than forty countries. Please visit the SFFILM Festival website for more information about the exciting program, how to purchase tickets, and a calendar of special events and presentations.

In the meantime, here’s a second preview of the Festival, highlighting three films and six shorts: Renoir, How to Clean a House in 10 Easy Steps, Filipiñana, and shorts Corpus Christi, The Veil, Vultures, A Year of Marriage, Cardboard and First Winter.

1.) RENOIR
(Japan/France/Singapore/Philippines/Indonesia/Qatar/USA, 2025. 118 min.)

In Renoir, director Chie Hiyakawa (Plan 75) takes us deep into the emotional hardships of a Japanese family in late-’80s suburban Tokyo. Yui Suzuki is incredible as 11-year old Fuki, whose perspective we follow as she navigates coming to terms with a terminally ill father, an overwhelmed mother, and her own imagination, which often blurs the line between fantasy and reality. At times beautiful, and other times haunting and tense, Renoir is a patient meditation on grief as seen through the eyes of an adolescent.

Screenings (click here for tickets):
– Sat., Apr 25th, 11:30 am PT @ BAMPFA
– Sun., May 3rd, 6:00 pm PT @ Marina Theatre

Continue reading “Film Feature: 69th SFFILM Festival Preview #2”