Reviews of albums, films, concerts, and more from the Bay Area Music and Movie Nerds
Cherry Glazerr has been a Spinning Platters favorite for a while… For years, a photo I took of them from SXSW was our Facebook image. (Does anyone use Facebook anymore?) Anyways… We are stoked that they are back with their first record in four years! I Don’t Want You Anymore is the name, and it’s in stores and streaming on September 29th. Preorder/presave here! And enjoy the scorcher of a first single, “Soft Like A Flower”
The 43rd San Francisco Jewish Film Festival (the world’s longest running Jewish film festival) will take place July 20 – Aug 6, 2023, with screenings at theaters in San Francisco and Oakland. The festival will showcase 67 films from 18 countries, all touching upon the complexities of Jewish life, history, and culture.
For a full view of special awards and opening and closing night events, check out the complete festival film guide. Tickets can be purchased here.
Below is a preview of the festival, featuring brief looks at six films: Continue reading “Film Feature: Preview of the 43rd San Francisco Jewish Film Festival”
Sex comedies are officially back! Maybe they never completely left, but the sub-genre felt as if it were suffering, scarce, or diverted to streamers as limited series. Over the last decade, only a few exceptions like Girls Trip (2017) and Blockers (2018) broke through and made a splash. Now, hot on the heels of the R-rated sex comedy No Hard Feelings doing impressive business at the box office, Joy Ride hits theaters. Joy Ride is the feature directorial debut from Adele Lim (co-screenwriter of Crazy Rich Asians) and comedy producing super duo Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg (This is the End; Neighbors). It’s a raunchy road trip movie that doesn’t shy away from explicit content – so let’s be perfectly clear: it’s super dirty, and f*cking hilarious!
Remember the classic Rage Against The Machine lyric “Your Anger Is A Gift”? Locate S,1 have hit that nail so perfectly on the head. Especially since, if you aren’t paying attention, “Go Back To Disnee” is just a mellow, happy little groove of a tune. Except it once you start digging into exactly what frontwoman Christina Schneider was getting to: the struggle of celebrating this country in 2020 (the year this song was written), when COVID is running rampant with little regard for humanity and even lesser communication about what to do. George Floyd was just suffocated to death by a former co-worker turned police officer. Half the west coast was on fire. Who would’ve thought it could get even darker in the last three years? (JESUS!) This single is perfect catharsis for dark times. Bitter irony and a catchy, bossa nova beat.
“Go Back To Disnee” is the most recent single off Locate S,1’s latest record Wicked Jaw, in stores and streaming on July 28th. (PreSaOrderVe Here!) Locate S,1 is also traveling across this great land to perform for you! Tour Dates are here, and we are likely to be in the audience at the July 29th show at Thee Stork Club!
Photo by Grant Kerber
Did you attend Mosswood Meltdown this last weekend? Did you enjoy yourself? OF COURSE, YOU DID!!! Do you want to relive the fun/ live the fun for the first time? While, for another week or so, the whole thing is streaming on Twitch! Are you ready for next year already? Well, super-discounted early bird tickets are available NOW for Mosswood Meltdown 2024. The dates are July 6th & 7th. Do I know who’s playing? Absolutely not. But I like a bargain, and there is no way it won’t be stupid fun. Besides, both GA ($79+fees) and VIP ($159+fees) are $100 less than the door prices!
Death-defying stunt. Fight and chase. Team regroup. Death-defying stunt. Fight and chase. Team regroup. Death-defying stunt. Fight and chase. Team regroup. Although repetitive, this formula has been successfully carrying the Mission: Impossible franchise forward. It’s now on its seventh film, Dead Reckoning – Part One. The newest film showcases, once again, the finest action stunt work choreography in the film industry. Although the franchise continues to steer away from the intricate spy work that the original television series and first few films featured, there’s no denying that with Tom Cruise on screen and Christopher McQuarrie in the director’s chair, a thrilling cinematic experience is guaranteed.
Continue reading “Film Review: “Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One””
GUESS WHAT!?!?! Mosswood Meltdown is THIS WEEKEND! Possibly the best lineup I’ve ever seen for an event, and it’s finally here! There are only a few tickets left for sale, and those can be purchased here. Join us to see legendary, groundbreaking acts Le Tigre, ESG, JJ Fad, and Bratmobile, as well as so many of my favorite bands ever- Mika Miko, Avengers, Snooper, Teddy Bear Orchestra, The Rondelles. Set times are below, and here’s a quick introduction to everyone playing! Continue reading “MOSSWOOD MELTDOWN SET TIMES ARE HERE! JOIN US THIS WEEKEND!!!”
Actress and producer Jennifer Lawrence’s new film No Hard Feelings is being promoted as a sex comedy. The big problem, though, is that the picture features almost no sex and even less comedy. The film was directed by Gene Stupnitsky (Dirty Grandpa; Good Boys), who co-wrote the screenplay with fellow comedy writer John Phillips. They both were nominated for a Worst Screenplay Razzie in 2017 for their Dirty Grandpa script, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they receive similar honors for this lackluster comedic attempt.
Carly Rae Jepsen, according to several sources, made and scrapped a disco record called Disco Sweat. This record is on my long list of unreleased records that I would do ANYTHING to hear. Although it looks highly unlikely that Disco Sweat will ever see the light of day, this week, Ms Jepsen gifted us with the track “Shy Boy,” and I’m pretty sure this is close to the original vision of that record. It’s a bright, peppy disco number, complete with an actual “jam” at the end. It’s the Summer disco jam we always knew Carly had in her.
I can’t wait to hear what else Carly Rae Jepsen has in store for us this year. Until then, you can enjoy “Shy Boy” in all the usual places.
I’d like to kick off this review with a question: what makes a Wes Anderson film the “most” Wes Anderson? Perhaps, objectively speaking, any Wes Anderson film, upon its release, is the “most” Wes Anderson, since that’s the project he’s put his latest ideas, artistry, and effort into. The unfairly subjective angle of this ranking, however, would require prioritizing Wes Anderson’s trademarks: the color palette, the quirkiness, the unique characters, and the cast size. Asteroid City, Anderson’s eleventh feature film as director, is, without a doubt, the “most”…. nah, I’m just kidding. Asteroid City represents a maturation in many respects, utilizing a multi-layered framing device to tell an oddball story about artistry, but with an emotional underbelly.
