Film Feature: Carrie and Chad Pick the 2026 Oscars

Film critics Carrie and Chad on who will – and who should – win the 98th Academy Awards

The 98th Academy Awards air tomorrow, Sunday, March 15th, live on ABC and Hulu at 4:00 pm PST, with comedian Conan O’Brien returning to host for the second year in a row. As always, our Spinning Platters film critics Carrie Kahn and Chad Liffmann make their major category predictions in the hopes of Oscar pool glory. Try your own luck here, and may the best film fan win!

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Film Review: “Undertone”

Clever premise can’t save underwhelming Undertone

Evy (Nina Kiri) hears strange sounds as she records her podcast.

Undertone, the first feature film from Canadian filmmaker Ian Tuason, first made a splash after it won the top prize in the the Best Canadian Feature competition at the Fantasia International Film Festival last year. The indie film’s success at the horror/fantasy showcase earned it a spot in the always intriguing Midnight section at this year’s Sundance Film Festival. A24, the studio responsible for such acclaimed horror fare as Hereditary, Midsommar, and The Witch snapped up the picture, and it’s now in wide release. Unfortunately, A24 may have made a bad bet, as a few festival accolades do not always bestow instant prestige horror film status. While Undertone delivers a few legit creepy thrills, they’re not enough to make up for the picture’s overall inert tone.

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Single of the Week: “Undefeated Champion” by Melanie C

My favorite Spice Girl was always… Emma Bunton. Sorry. But the best voice in the Spice Girls? Hands down, it’s Melanie C, aka Sporty. Her voice is a monster, and the way it dances around this classic disco “you are your own legend” number that could’ve come out anytime in the last 50 years and may mean a lot more in 2026 than it has in a while, thanks to the ass backwards, anti-trans sentimenent that’s permeating through our country and makes me so very angry. So, yeah, this cishet male needs a solid, classic queer anthem to lift even myself through this hell. 

“Undefeated Champion” is the latest single from Sweat, Melanie C’s first solo record in 6 years. Preorders are happening. AND A WORLD TOUR WAS JUST ANNOUNCED! Tickets on sale next week! Sign up here to get your presale code. 

Outside Lands 2026 Daily Lineups

You’ve got a last chance at getting into Outside Lands 2026! They have already blessed us with the daily line-ups AND gifted us Pink Pantheress for Saturday night. I can’t wait for August!!!!! And I really hope we get a bonkers Charli XCX b2b Turnstile set. 

Single Day GA starts at $249, Single Day GA+ starts at $375, and Single Day VIP starts at $599. Single Day Golden Gate Club tickets start at $2,369. Purchase starting 3/12 at noon here and act before you are sold out! Continue reading “Outside Lands 2026 Daily Lineups”

Noise Pop 2026: A Reminiscing…

Let’s talk about Noise Pop 2026 in San Francisco, where a lively gaggle of badge-wearing music fans and industry folks zigzag across the city each night trying to see as many shows as humanly possible in a single week. Since its founding in 1993, Noise Pop has been one of the city’s most beloved independent music festivals, built around the small venues and a musically inclined spirit that define San Francisco’s culture. What started as a modest gathering of indie and underground bands has grown into a weeklong celebration that still feels intimate, with shows scattered across rooms like Bottom of the Hill, Swedish American Hall, and Great American Music Hall. This year’s lineup carried that tradition forward, featuring artists including Jeffrey Lewis, Stephen Malkmus, Rogue Wave, illuminati hotties, Black Marble, Sun Ra Arkestra, and many more. I had the pleasure of catching several of these sets as both a writer and photography guest, bouncing between venues and soaking in that unmistakable Noise Pop energy where the whole city briefly feels like one interconnected stage. Continue reading “Noise Pop 2026: A Reminiscing…”

Film Review: “The Bride!”

This monster mash is no cinematic smash

Frank (Christian Bale) and his bride Ida (Jessie Buckley) consider their next move.

The fact that Oscar voting closed on March 5th should work out well for actress Jessie Buckley, who is considered a Best Actress lock for her stellar turn in Hamnet. Her newest film, The Bride!, opened the next day. Had voters watched it before casting their ballots her way, they may have thought twice. Buckley is a terrific actress, but watching The Bride! you get the sense she needed to decompress from Hamnet’s emotionally taxing, heavy material. The Buckley we see in The Bride! is looser, ferocious, and over the top in a style more annoying than fun. 

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Single of the Week: “Barstow” by Jena Malone

The name Jena Malone is familiar. And, yes, she is “that” Jena Malone. But none of that matters, because “Barstow” is a dissonant piece of melancholia that calls to mind Meredith Monk or Imogen Heap- stunning layers of vocals, processed into despair, and it’s just plain chilling. A gorgeous piece of work, and an amazing way to reintroduce the world to Jena Malone. 

“Barstow” is the first song off the upcoming and brilliantly named Flowers For Men, May 8th. She’s also hitting the road, and tickets are available here. 

Album Review: The Mountain by Gorillaz

My now 23 year old son Oz got me interested in the Gorillaz when he was in 7th grade. I had been familiar with The Gorillaz before but at that time they were the “Clint Eastwood” and “Feel Good Inc” band, I knew they kept releasing albums and would tour from time to time but I would never have called myself a fan. When Oz was in middle school the Gorillaz comeback album Humanz was released and his fandom was enough to get me a little bit more into them. We saw them live in concert together in the nose bleeds of our local indoor sports stadium style venue known as The Key Arena at the time and after the show he said that he felt jealous of the people in the front who were all able to dance like crazy and I said I’d make sure he was down there the next time they came to town. Continue reading “Album Review: The Mountain by Gorillaz”

JESUS H CHRIST, LOOK AT THE OUTSIDE LANDS LINEUP!

Seriously. Look at it. 

Charli XCX is finally making good on her 2020 scheduled appearance, and she’s headlining. Fuck Yes. The Strokes are playing. Wet Leg is playing. Ethel Cain. Lucy Dacus. Fucking Turnstile is going to kick us all in the heads. But only if you survive Die Spitz.  What a genuinely great lineup!There is still time to sign up for the 12pm presale TODAY. Additional ticket info here!

 

Film Review: “Dreams”

SF-set melodrama is more snooze than sizzle

Fernando (Isaac Hernández) and Jennifer (Jessica Chastain) share an erotic bond.

Bay Area movie fans who enjoy seeing their hometown on screen will get a kick out of the new Jessica Chastain movie Dreams, but everyone else may want to skip it. A soapy psychosexual thriller with more soap than thrills, the picture misses the mark on a promising idea that ultimately goes nowhere.

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