Reviews of albums, films, concerts, and more from the Bay Area Music and Movie Nerds
starring: Daniel Craig, Rooney Mara, Stellan Skarsgard, Christopher Plummer, Robin Wright, Joely Richardson
written by: Steven Zaillian
directed by: David Fincher
MPAA: Rated R for brutal violent content including rape and torture, strong sexuality, graphic nudity, and language.
Continue reading “Film Review: “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo””
I’d like to say this review was brought to you by Spotify. It’s not. They are not a sponsor on SpinningPlatters. But I like it. What I really like about it is the fact that they post what you are listening to on Facebook. That’s how I found Caveman. One of my coworkers at my day job, a person whose taste in music is pretty combatible with my own, was listening to this band a lot. So, of course I had to listen. And, well, my Spotifstalking paid off, because it was quite good. Even better was that I had an opportunity to see them live shortly after learning about them. For more on that, well, JUMP!
Continue reading “Show Review: Caveman, Carletta Sue Kay at Brick and Mortar Music Hall, 12/11/11”
With the holidays fast approaching most of your favorite venues are getting rented out for holiday parties… But, live music is still happening, and there is plenty going around this week so you can get out of the cold. (Special thanks to Chris Rogers for helping out with some of these this week)
Continue reading “Spinning Platters Weekly Guide to Bay Area Concerts, 12/15/11-12/21/11”
There was a time in the not-so-distant past when it seemed like maybe we’d already seen the best of Gary Oldman. After establishing himself as a fearlessly intense and committed film actor with Alex Cox’s seminal British indie, Sid and Nancy (1986), he spent the next decade delivering unforgettable performances in roles ranging from Lee Harvey Oswald to Dracula to Beethoven, pivoting nimbly from blockbusters like Air Force One and The Fifth Element to cult favorites like The Professional and Romeo is Bleeding. But after the disastrous Lost in Space (1998), he seemed to vanish into an infrequent series of TV appearances and little-seen films.
Continue reading “Spinning Platters Interview: Gary Oldman on “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy””
You know what’s great about living on Oakland, CA? You never know when you are going to end up at a Green Day concert. This was the second time that I saw Green Day play without even knowing that they were going to be performing until early evening that day. I highly recommend keeping your ears open fellow bay area folks, because these are their best sets. And, anyone that made it out to Live 105’s Not So Silent Night were treated to the best.
Continue reading “Show Review: Live 105’s Not So Silent Night 2011 at Oracle Arena, Friday, 12/9/11”
On Wednesday we chatted with Patton Oswalt about his scene-stealing turn in Young Adult, the unnerving black comedy opening in San Francisco today. And now we’ll check in with its director, Jason Reitman. In the six years since his beloved feature debut, Thank You For Smoking, Reitman has become one of the most celebrated and in-demand directors in the film industry. In addition to earning back-to-back Best Director Oscar nominations for his second and third features, Juno and Up in the Air, he has established himself as one of the few filmmakers who can create acclaimed character-based films that also resonate with mainstream audiences at the box office. But with Young Adult, his second collaboration with Oscar-winning screenwriter Diablo Cody, he is taking a bold and risky step away from the accessibly charming and likable protagonists of his earlier films.
Continue reading “Spinning Platters Interview: Jason Reitman on “Young Adult””
starring: Halle Berry, Jessica Biel, Jon Bon Jovi, Abigail Breslin, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, Robert De Niro, Josh Duhamel, Zac Efron, Hector Elizondo, Katherine Heigl, Ashton Kutcher, Seth Meyers, Lea Michele, Sarah Jessica Parker, Michelle Pfeiffer, Til Schweiger, Hilary Swank, Sofia Vergara
written by: Katherine Fugate
directed by: Garry Marshall
MPAA: Rated PG-13 for language including some sexual references
Yes, we all know that Metallica are taking over The Fillmore this week, and only very special people will be getting into those shows. Remember that Metallica also totally blow, and everything on this list is better. Or, at least tell yourself that, because you aren’t getting in. Don’t worry, I’m not getting in, either.
Continue reading “Spinning Platters Weekly Guide to Bay Area Concerts, 12/8/11-12/14/11”
It has been proven many times over the years that comedians can bring an unexpected and singular potency to their performances when given the opportunity to play a dramatic role. Actors from Tom Hanks to Robin Williams to Jim Carrey have graduated from broad comedy to dramatic leading-man status when finally given the chance to play the right character. And now Patton Oswalt, best-known for voicing the mouse protagonist in Ratatouille and his 122 episodes as Spence on The King of Queens (in addition to his decades of stand-up and countless cameo appearances), is poised to make a similar breakthrough with his poignant performance in the new Jason Reitman-Diablo Cody collaboration, Young Adult.
Continue reading “Spinning Platters Interview: Patton Oswalt on “Young Adult””
When one dips into the dark nebula of the world of post-punk, they are likely to find a world that seems to live between a variety of different spaces that make up the more solidly-defined genres of classical music. Songs can shift in intensity unexpectedly, from a thrashing fury that encourages stomping and raised fists, to a slow, steady groove that tempts even the toughest of those aforementioned rockers out onto the dance floor, and often times the two are well intertwined. It is one of the only genres that can be accurately applied to a band and not immediately subject them to a small pigeonhole of a classification, for enough acts have graced the scene throughout the decades that the label “post-punk” is sure to conjure up a plethora of images in one’s mind at first thought. Therefore, as a nod to how wide the span and definition has shifted over the last 30 years, two acts were chosen to kick off December at the Fillmore with an evening of shadowy, danceable mayhem: the Los Angeles duo known as She Wants Revenge, and Peter Murphy, best known as the frontman of Northampton goth rock godfathers Bauhaus.