Continue reading “Show Review: The The, Agnes Obel at The Masonic, 9/27/18”
Show Review: The The, Agnes Obel at The Masonic, 9/27/18
Show Review: Johnny Marr, the Belle Game at the Fillmore, 9/26/18
A night of nostalgia for all, Johnny Marr and the Belle Game gave a 4-apple performance at the Fillmore.
First up was the perfect support for Johnny Marr—and the perfect complement to my Parallels T-shirt—the Vancouver-based Belle Game, who have been synthing it up for nearly 10 years. And, they’ve never sounded better. Even their banter was on point, asking “How many people have already seen a show this week?” Many of us raised our hands, of course. Continue reading “Show Review: Johnny Marr, the Belle Game at the Fillmore, 9/26/18”
Show Review: Liz Phair, Speedy Ortiz at The Fillmore, 9/20/18
The year is 1995. I’m a 15 year-old that was just starting to figure out my musical tastes. I learned that MTV had a two hour-long program at midnight early Monday mornings, that aired “underground” music videos. (Underground is in quotes because, as a grown up, I’m aware that you couldn’t be that far underground to be shown on corporate television). Due to school getting in the way, I would set the VCR to record these videos to watch later. The music from these programs became the primary thing that encoded my tastes for the rest of my life. Two videos that I would rewind and re-watch incessantly, were Liz Phair’s “Never Said” and “Supernova.” 23 years later, I am finally fulfilling that dream of getting to experience this musician, who’s had such an intense effect on my development, perform a full-length concert. Continue reading “Show Review: Liz Phair, Speedy Ortiz at The Fillmore, 9/20/18”
Show Review: The National, Cat Power at The Greek Theater – UC Berkeley, 9/25/18
With two sets of talented brothers rocking the band, the soulful vocals of charismatic Matt Beninger, and a dynamic visual display, The National brought an evening of sensual delights to Berkeley’s Hearst Greek Theater last night. Continue reading “Show Review: The National, Cat Power at The Greek Theater — UC Berkeley, 9/25/18”
Film Review: Love, Gilda
A life, in comedic terms
In a mid ’70s comedy and TV landscape forever changed by Saturday Night Live, the Not Ready for Prime Time players seemed to effortlessly grow from goofy kids to global celebrities. The names read now like a Founding Fathers of Comedy: John Belushi, Dan Aykroyd, Chevy Chase, Bill Murray, Jane Curtin. Lost in that heady group was Gilda Radner, who initially struggled to be one of the boys, then found her footing with a number of memorable recurring characters.
The new film Love, Gilda clumsily attempts to make a number of points about comedy, stardom, women in show business, and the corrosive effect of being compared to her castmates. It misses a chance to help us understand Radner not as a pioneer, but as a flawed woman who for some years found comfort in her comedic talents. Continue reading “Film Review: Love, Gilda“
Film Review: Life Itself
Your life itself deserves better than this trite, facile disaster
I’m trying to come up with one kind thing to say about Life Itself, the new movie from writer/director Dan Fogelman, creator of television’s weep-inducing phenom This is Us, and all I can come up with is, boy, Oscar Isaac sure is nice to look at. When one of the film’s characters proclaims outright, “This is some deep philosophical shit,” you know you’re in trouble. Fogelman commits the cardinal screenwriting sin of telling (and over and over and over, mind you) rather than showing, and the result is a cringe-inducing, treacly, overwrought mess of a picture that even This is Us fans will do well to avoid.
Show Review: Future Islands, Ed Schrader’s Music Beat at Gundlach Bundschu Winery, 9/14/18
If you haven’t had the opportunity to acquaint yourself with the picturesque Gundlach Bundschu
The venue’s main stage is a cozy, dark, and ambient-lit renovated
Gundlach’s second stage features exquisite views of sprawling vineyard property. It is intimate but comfortably open and spacious for moving about during the show.
The opener, Ed Schrader’s Music Beat (ESMB), sauntered out anxiously, compensating with awkward stand up and 90s references. But the folks on the hill stood to attention when ESMB drilled forward at a fast pace into their avant garde post-punk set. Continue reading “Show Review: Future Islands, Ed Schrader’s Music Beat at Gundlach Bundschu Winery, 9/14/18”
Show Review: Korn: Follow the Leader 20 Years! at The Masonic, 9/12/18
Photos and review by: Alan Ralph @ARPhotoSF
For the whole month of October in 2015, KoRn embarked on their 20th Anniversary tour and performed their debut album in its entirety. The local show at Fox Theater in Oakland was the final show of that tour, on the night before Halloween, and for which the band dressed appropriately for the occasion. It doesn’t get much better than that, and this show was one of their best.
Continue reading “Show Review: Korn: Follow the Leader 20 Years! at The Masonic, 9/12/18”
Film Review: A Simple Favor
Feig’s Favor to you: A twisty, stylish picture with a sly sense of humor
“Secrets are like margarine: easy to spread; bad for the heart,” muses perky mommy vlogger Stephanie (Anna Kendrick) in director Paul Feig’s new film A Simple Favor, and does that ever prove to be a prophetic understatement. Feig, best known for helming the comedies Bridesmaids and The Heat, brings a breezy, stylized light touch to the film adaptation of Darcey Bell’s 2017 debut mystery thriller of the same name. The result is a mostly successful mash up of black comedy and icy noir that, despite similarities to better films, still manages to be a wickedly fun good time.
Theater Review: Ubuntu Theater Project Gets Ambitious with the Premiere of Philip Kan Gotanda’s New Play Pool of Unknown Wonders
Ubuntu Theater Project starts off it’s season collaborating with acclaimed Bay Area playwright Philip Kan Gotanda in the premiere of Pool of Unknown Wonders: Undertow of the Soul. It’s a conceptual piece: abstract and non-linear. Multiple characters play different roles in each other’s lives, so it can be a test of focus. As they overlap, the stories seem to intersect; it’s clear there’s one destination, but how they got on that bus is the mystery about to unfold. Continue reading “Theater Review: Ubuntu Theater Project Gets Ambitious with the Premiere of Philip Kan Gotanda’s New Play Pool of Unknown Wonders“