Reviews of albums, films, concerts, and more from the Bay Area Music and Movie Nerds
Holy lofi!!!! The new Automatic single rips! Just bass guitar, drums, and vocals with the occasional synth flourish, and they lock into a perfect groove. I was wondering how they would fit in on the usually funk-oriented Stones Throw Records, but they are clearly here to outfunk everyone.
“Is It Now?” is the first single off their upcoming album of the same name. Tour Dates are up here, and hopefully, a Bay Area date is in the cards.
Why, oh why, does Pixar/Disney feel the need to kill off parents? Don’t worry, this fact is spoiled within the first few lines of the new Pixar film, Elio, a quick and colorful space adventure with an underlying message about self-worth. Killing off one or both of a protagonist’s parents is a common plot device in Disney films, dating back to Bambi, and including Finding Nemo, The Lion King, Frozen, Dumbo, Onward, Lilo & Stitch, and the list goes shockingly on and on. Some stories benefit from the emotional gravity of a deceased (or otherwise missing) parent(s), but in the case of Elio, plot points feel like forced emotional manipulation. Let’s ignore the parent debacle for now, because Elio remains a sci-fi adventure filled with fun alien characters and creative visual worlds, even when the story feels underbaked. Continue reading “Film Review: “Elio””
Dear God, what an awful, awful newsweek. I’m not going to rehash all the many, many ways the current administration is, well, trying to destroy everything good about being an American. Instead, why don’t we celebrate Trump’s birthday by blasting our single of the week (timed just for him), “Jesus and John Wayne,” coming to you from googly eyes, featuring Joy Oladokun and Allison Ponthier. It’s a beautiful, poignant cut that’s not subtle in its dissection of the Christian Right, revealing it to be neither Christian nor right.
“Jesus and John Wayne” can be streamed NOW in all the usual places. A portion of this single’s proceeds will be donated to The Ally Coalition. This Fall, the good people at All Things Go will be releasing a compilation that will include this track.
On the surface, a summer romance starring Dakota Johnson, Chris Evans, and Pedro Pascal sounds like a big budget studio comedy. However, adding in an independent distributor, A24, and an award-winning writer/director, Celine Song (Past Lives), makes one ponder if there’s something weightier behind the cast and genre. Materialists is Song’s second feature film, following her 2023 Best Picture nominated drama, Past Lives. Song’s indisputable knack for crafting intimate, complex connections between characters (she’s an accomplished playwright…and was a matchmaker, briefly…more on that later) is on full display in Materialists. Her skill as a writer, and how she directs her actors, distinguish her films from other romantic dramas with comparable emotional narratives. Materialists has much to say about modern-day dating, and through Song’s observant lens, her viewpoint makes for a rewarding viewing experience. Continue reading “Film Review: “Materialists””
It would be hard to fault writer/director Dean DeBlois (2002’s Lilo & Stitch), who directed the original How to Train Your Dragon animated trilogy, for choosing to return to direct the live-action remake. After all, the original HTTYD is a near-perfect film, with a gigantic brand and fan-base. DeBlois and his team decided that the best way to capture the magic of the original was to “transfer” it to live-action– nearly shot-for-shot, and line for line. Well, Mr. DeBlois, not all the dialogue and shot-for-shot sequences are as effective with a new cast and without the colorful emotive freedom of animation. Dragon-riding is still exhilarating in the live-action version, but the rest of the film lacks the script re-tuning necessary for a new narrative tone and visual palette. The new How to Train Your Dragon will be a grand scale adventure for those unfamiliar with the original film, and certainly a blast for young kids, but for the previously Dragon-trained audiences, the new live-action version will fail to match the original’s transportive wonder and wit. Continue reading “Film Review: “How to Train Your Dragon””
The Life of Chuck is based on a Stephen King short story from his collection, If It Bleeds, published in 2020. “The Life of Chuck” is similar to King’s other less scary, more dramatic works, such as “Stand by Me,” “The Green Mile,” and “The Shawshank Redemption.” But unlike those, “The Life of Chuck” is filled with colorful wonder and likeable characters, even as it explores the sad and mathematical truth of our finite existence. Writer/director Mike Flanagan (Midnight Mass; The Fall of the House of Usher) is no stranger to adapting King’s work, having already directed two: Gerald’s Game and Doctor Sleep. Fans of Flanagan’s horror series and films know that in addition to the intricately-crafted scares and permeating sense of dread his team is so effective at creating, Flanagan knows how to deliver moments of authentic sentimentality. Focusing on that latter ability, Flanagan is the perfect director for The Life of Chuck. Combining visual flair with a whimsical yet brutally honest script, The Life of Chuck is, ultimately, a precious piece of existential storytelling. Continue reading “Film Review: “The Life of Chuck””
The industrial ‘90s buzz was still humming through my nervous system as I stepped into The Warfield on June 3rd. I was still lit from the Lords of Acid show at DNA Lounge just days prior, neon sweat, latex steam, and raunchy beats still echoing somewhere deep in my spine. Continue reading “Show Review: Ministry + My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult at The Warfield, 6/3/25”
On May 27, the DNA Lounge in San Francisco hosted a delightfully depraved evening where industrial sleaze met burlesque grit in all the best ways. Lords of Acid, those long-reigning Belgian electro-provocateurs, headlined with a full-throttle set of old-school rave filth, and Little Miss Nasty opened the night with a stage show that doubled as a flesh-forward fever dream.
Continue reading “Show Review: Lords of Acid + Little Miss Nasty at DNA Lounge, 5/27/25”
This song… It’s honey-soaked, mildly rockabilly, and so hot that I want to jump in the pool that’s in the background of this video. “After The Fact” is one of those perfect Summer jams. Syd’s voice is timeless, and that guitar is perfection. Aside from the F-bombs in the chorus, this could’ve come out any time in the last 80 years and fit in perfectly.
“After The Fact” comes from Syd’s upcoming record, ALSO called After The Fact, available June 25th!
Sunflower Bean’s sound has been steadily evolving since the release of their debut album, Human Ceremony. Their latest record, Mortal Primetime, is their heaviest and most fully realized record yet! We had the chance to talk to singer/bassist Julia Cumming from their tour van about the record, the tour, and, of course, it wouldn’t be a Spinning Platters interview if I didn’t ask about an early cult project from when they were a teenager. There are only two weeks left of their North American tour, and tickets are available here! Continue reading “Spinning Platters Interview: Julia Cumming of Sunflower Bean”
