Spinning Platters – Page 225 – Reviews of albums, films, concerts, and more from the Bay Area Music and Movie Nerds

Film Review: The To Do List

A raunchy two-joke movie that keeps the humor flowing.

Aubrey Plaza demonstrates her (acting) skills.

If you’re old enough to remember growing up in the 90’s, then The To Do List will supply you with a healthy dose of nostalgia. If you like sexual humor and gross-out comedies, then The To Do List will surely entertain you. If you find the combination of 90’s culture and sexual humor appealing, then this movie is basically a cinematic orgasm. It’s also a coming-out party for Aubrey Plaza, if Parks & Recreation hasn’t yet done the trick. The To Do List turns the stereotypical preachy message that you’d find in most romantic comedies (even the gross ones) over on its head, instead delivering the truth about teenage sexual curiosity and pressures…the unabashed, awkward, and honest truth.

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Film Review: The Hunt

Lasse Fogelstrom and Mads Mikkelsen in The Hunt

As you watch The Hunt, you no doubt will pull your sweater just a little tighter around you to try and ward off the cold of the stark Scandinavian winter depicted in Danish director Thomas Vinterberg’s gripping psychological drama, but you will fail. Nothing can protect you from the emotional chilliness of the close-knit rural community portrayed on screen. Continue reading “Film Review: The Hunt”

SFJFF Spotlights #1: Gideon’s Army / Red Flag

Spotlights from the 33^rd Annual San Francisco Jewish Film Festival (SFJFF), which opens today and continues until August 12th. Information and tickets at: http://sfjff.org

Gideon’s Army
(USA 2013, 96 min)

Public defender Travis Williams makes a point in Gideon’s Army

Director Dawn Porter has made an absolutely stunning documentary highlighting the unheralded heroes of the U.S. legal system, young, underpaid public defenders in the Deep South fighting tirelessly for their clients, who are typically poor, uneducated, and out of luck. A Grand Jury Prize nominee at Sundance this year, the film won the Editing Prize there, “for skillfully crafting an unforgettable narrative through personal stories that luminate the larger issues of race and class in America’s legal system.” Compelling and timely, the film is a definite must see, and you will find yourself alternatively weeping, cheering, and shaking your head with disbelief and awe at these exceptional officers of the court who have made it their life’s work to uphold justice for each and every one of this country’s citizens.

Screenings:
– Friday, July 25, 6:50pm, Castro Theater, SF
– Saturday, August 10, 3:55pm, Grand Lake Theater, Oakland

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Spinning Platters Weekly Guide to Bay Area Concerts, 7/25/13-7/31/13

Opening for Sebadoh at Cafe du Nord on the 31st

July is almost over?!?!?! How did that happen!?!?!? To cope with that news, go see some shows! Heck, if you enter our contest by 9 am on July 25th, we’ll put you on the guest list to Weekend at The Independent on July 26th!

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Album Review: Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros

edward sharpe

Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros is the self-titled third full-length album from the 10-person folk rock group. It’s fitting that the group’s third album is self-titled, since it emits a level of musical maturity that signals that they’ve finally found their authentic stride. Their super popular debut album, Up From Below, was filled with songs that were heard all over the radio and in commercials, movies, and just about everywhere one looked. Yet Up From Below felt forced, as if the group jumped onto the folk revival bandwagon late and inserted as many trending characteristics as they could. The same level of mass consumption didn’t occur with the second album, Here, but it nevertheless catered to a fan base eager to hear catchy choruses and jangling folk-rock melodies. With Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, the group has merged catchy hooks with natural sounding music composition. The songs don’t feel contrived. Sure, the album still carries a dose of pretentiousness that the group will never be able to shake. However, frontman Alex Ebert feels more at home here, embracing the rawness and eclectic range of influences and tones, and the band is able to follow suit, creating what may end up being one of the best albums of the year.

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Show Review: Counting Crows with the Wallflowers at America’s Cup Pavilion, 7/18/2013

Thanks to Daniel Gluskoter (dgpics.com) for the awesome Crows pics! — Thanks to Daniel Gluskoter (dgpics.com) for the great Crows pics!

Imagine a terrible day: you’re sick. You’ve been fighting with one of your best friends all day. You’re late to an important appointment because traffic is insane, and there’s absolutely nothing you can do about it. Said lateness makes you miss a fantastic opportunity, so you’re even more upset than you already were. Oh, and it’s chilly outside, with the wind picking up. Your saving grace: you’re seeing two awesome bands that night. Do Counting Crows and The Wallflowers have the superpowers necessary to turn your whole day around, and end it on a bright note? I showed up last Thursday evening at America’s Cup Pavilion to find out. Continue reading “Show Review: Counting Crows with the Wallflowers at America’s Cup Pavilion, 7/18/2013”

Top 10 Outside Lands 2013 Acts From the Bottom Half of the Poster

Whenever the line up for a big festival is released, everyone is always talking about the headliners. However, there are a lot more than just the headliners performing. You have nearly 100 bands performing over the course of three days, and there is a good chance that there is an amazing band in the bottom half of the bill that you will love, but you’re going to miss. Don’t do that. You paid your $250. You should get your money’s worth. Come out early. (Also, the food lines are so much shorter before 3 PM)

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Film Review: R.I.P.D.

R.I.P.D. is a good reminder of how similar movies used to be better.

Jeff Bridges and Ryan Reynolds are ready for all terrible CGI creatures coming their way. — Jeff Bridges and Ryan Reynolds are ready for all the terrible CG creatures coming their way.

– What do you call an undead police force?
– The R.I.P.D. The Rest In Peace Department.
– Ha!
– They would be like the Men in Black.
– Yeah. Except instead of aliens, they’d be fighting hell’s escapees.
(…to be continued)

Although R.I.P.D. is based on a comic book series of the same name, first published in 1999 (after Men in Black), I can easily imagine the concept for this movie arising in the above fashion. I haven’t read the source material, and therefore can’t speak to it, but it’s a bit too easy to find the parallels between R.I.P.D. and MIB; every character, plot turn, and joke from the former has a close equivalent in the latter. It’s surprising that we don’t see the MIB writers getting credited for the R.I.P.D. story or screenplay. Perhaps I’m being too harsh. But for the sake of argument, perhaps extra time should’ve been spent polishing what ends up being a cheap clone of a concept already executed to a much more satisfying degree. The characters in R.I.P.D. aren’t well developed, the special effects look gummy at best, and the plot doesn’t take any unexpected turns.

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Spinning Platters Weekly Guide to Bay Area Concerts, 7/18/13-7/24/13

Playing 924 Gilman on Sunday. Plus, you will get a penny back.

The middle of Summer means a surprisingly eclectic week with a bunch of bands you never thought you’d see live again!

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Film Review: Turbo

A cute, formulaic, one-joke movie…but at least it’s not sluggish!

He's going the distance! He's going for speed! — He’s going the distance! He’s going for speed!

Low expectations commonly yield better-than-expected results. In the case of Turbo, a charming result emerges from an incredibly lackluster premise. ‘A snail that goes fast!‘…Okay, not really piquing my interest. ‘And, he races in the Indy 500!’ Snails and racing? No thank you, I’d rather read a book. Turbo doesn’t break any new ground, nor is it distinctly memorable. Its straightforward story is respectable, its characters are pleasant, and the colorful visuals are good. Nearly every joke is about the ‘snails vs. speed’ theme at play, but luckily the movie never slows to a snail-like crawl. But despite the film’s drawbacks, audiences will still be rewarded by Turbo, if only because it’s just not as bad as it seems.

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