Music Hamilton Will Perform at the Grammy Awards Suddenly, I'm willing to actually watch the Grammy Awards again. I'm not against the Grammy Awards like some. I believe they are legitimate and relevant to how the music industry works. The combination of nominees in open categories, such as Best New Artist or Song of
Music "Genghis Khan" by Miike Snow You know, I never thought about how much I want a superspy musical. There have been a few musicals featuring crime capers--such as Ira Levin's Drat! The Cat! and Michel Legrand's gorgeous Amour--but none that I can think of that are a big spy story. Miike
Film Watch: Cabin Fever Trailer: Major Update UPDATE: One of the companies involved in distributing the film submitted a bogus copyright ID case against me on YouTube. It's bullying, plain and simple. They gave me the rights to post their trailer to my YouTube account and conveniently forget when they decided to steal my ad
Theater Theater Work: Once Upon a Mattress I have a few things going on with theater right now. I'm doing a trio of benefit concerts for the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America at the Hackensack Cultural Arts Center next Thursday through Saturday, February 11 through 13. Tickets are available online or at
Film Ranking the Best Documentary Nominees For the first time in years, I've actually been able to see all the Best Documentary nominees before the Oscar ceremony. While they're fresh on my mind, let me give you a run down of my rankings, plus a prediction of which title will win the
Film Presented Without Comment: The Keanu Trailer (NSFW) [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KjEusWO6VPg&w=560&h=315]
Film The Look of Silence Review (Film, 2015) The Look of Silence is a sequel to the critically acclaimed documentary The Act of Killing. Both films deal with the massacre of communists in Indonesia in the 1960s. Where The Act of Killing focuses on the actual executioners reenacting their murders, The Look of Silence zooms in on one
Film Watch: Of Oz the Wizard I'm busy prepping for my students' annual cabaret fundraiser tonight, so please to enjoy Matt Bucy's reedit of The Wizard of Oz. He cut the entire film to be presented in alphabetical order by dialogue. It's wild.[vimeo 150423718 w=500 h=375]
Film Horror Thursday: Fat Girl #52FilmsByWomen I've seen a few of Catherine Breillat's films before. I didn't even realize she was responsible for Fat Girl until I started to watch it. Of course it's a horror masterpiece; it's a Breillat film. That also means it'
Film Cartel Land Review (Film, 2015) Cartel Land is a documentary about the state of Michoacán, Mexico. The drug and human trafficking cartels hit here especially hard and, due to its remote location in the Mexican landscape, the government chose not to really do anything to stop them. A group of everyday people, led by a
Film Winter on Fire: Ukraine's Fight for Freedom Review (Film, 2015) Winter on Fire: Ukraine's Fight for Freedom is a documentary about the ongoing political and social crisis in the Ukraine. Two years ago, the government went against the will of the people and refused to join the European Union. Students protested in the public square and the President
Film What Happened, Miss Simone? Review (Film, 2015) #52FilmsByWomen What Happened, Miss Simone? is a biographical documentary about the life of Nina Simone. I really should say lives of Nina Simone. People talk about reinvention in the life of an artist, but I struggle to think of a career with as many as Nina Simone's. Director Liz
Film Best Elements of Films 2015 Yesterday, the nominations for the 2015 Academy Awards were announced. They feature some welcome surprises--congrats to Mad Max on all the nominations--and some unexpected snubs--Carol should be in the Best Picture pool. Still, I feel the need to once again make my voice heard and share my own nominations for
Film Horror Thursday: Rebound #52FilmsByWomen I'm going to try really hard to make every Horror Thursday entry for the rest of 2016 films directed by women. Up first is Megan Freels Johnston's twisted psychological/body horror Rebound. It definitely blazes its own path in the genre and that's a
Games Best Games of 2015 I have a profound love for console gaming. There's something hypnotic about sitting in front of the television, controller in hand, reacting to the world unfolding before me with mere twitches of my fingers. Yet for 2015, computer games ruled the roost. Not just computer games, either: indie
Film Advantageous Review (Film, 2015) #52FilmsByWomen In the near future, women are being pushed from the workforce again. Financial collapse raises the cost of everything and makes employment scarce. Men are hired for every position possible to keep them off the streets and prevent violent crimes. Gwen, one of the most accomplished people in the plastic
Film Join 52 Films by Women Challenge for 2016 #52FilmsByWomen Women in Film Los Angeles is encouraging a simple pledge for 2016. Their goal is to get as many people as possible to watch 52 films made by women in 2016. Sign up, then share the films you watch on social media. That's it. It's as
Film Best Films of 2015 2015 was a great year for film. A lot of the titles I placed here in my own Top 10 I never expected to like so much. It means that films that would typically appear on this dedicated genre fan's list wound up nowhere near the Top 10.
Reviews Assassination Classroom and The Power of the Right Teacher I will admit that Assassination Classroom has a very odd concept; it's part of what drew me to the anime sci-fi/comedy series. Basically, a giant yellow blob with tentacles will destroy the earth by the end of the semester if the students in the classroom he chose
Film Horror Thursday: Bone Tomahawk Today, you can read my review of Bone Tomahawk. I've been replaying scenes from this film in my mind for over a week now. It's an exceptional horror/western, a genre that is limited in scope and deficient in quality. I wrestle with some of the
Art 366 Sketch 2016: Monsters #6 #DrawMoreMonsters I had a long day of auditions and didn't have a lot of time for the monster today. I quickly sketched out this plant-inspired cutie and want to revisit him as soon as possible. Ink on cardstock, 2x3.
Games The Park Review (PC Game, 2015) My Best of 2015 lists are going to start next week, so I want to squeeze in a few reviews or posts about some less-known or less-recognized media before I get down to the nitty gritty. The Park is an immersive horror/adventure game in that "walking simulator"
Art 366 Sketch 2016: Monsters #5 #DrawMoreMonsters I started watching the anime series Yurikuma Arashi because The Mary Sue just named it their top anime of 2015. It's wild. Adorable bears are given sentience by space junk, so naturally they rise on their hind legs and start eating all the humans. A wall is erected,
Film A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence Review (Film, 2015) A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence is a comedy film from Sweden. It is a series of interconnected vignettes about the human condition, focusing mostly on loneliness, unrequited love, and death. The central figures are two depressed novelty salesman, trying to sell vampire fangs and laughing bag
Art 366 Sketch 2016: Monsters #4 #DrawMoreMonsters Another day, another monster down. This one's angry. Colored pencil, watercolor pencil, and graphite on 7x10 mixed media paper.
