Now that you’re finally done blowing up your grandma’s outhouse courtesy of the good folks at Butterball, how about you blow out your ear-drums? Can you believe it’s been 40 years since Rocket to Russia hit record shelves? 40! That’s a whole Maggie Gyllenhaal. But gabba, gabba hey, have the years been good—as they have also been to Ms. Gyllenhaal—and Rocket to Russia is as explosive as ever.
Every once in a while – usually once or twice a year in my estimation – there comes a film so effortlessly charming that it renders film criticism essentially useless. Last year, I’d say this film was probably Moonlight, though La La Land felt like the easy-to-love critical hit of the year before its mild backlash and bizarre Oscar upset. Suffice it to say, Lady Bird is a film that as far as I know has been embraced by pretty much everyone who’s seen it. So I don’t know how useful or coherent this review will be, since I also am a victim of Lady Bird‘s abundant charms. Continue reading
Thanksgiving is only a two days away, or as most Americans would correct you in saying, Black Friday is only three days away. But whatever your priorities this week, whether you’re noshin’ on some turkey legs or elbowing a portly dad in order to grab a VR fidget spinner, maybe you should take a break from the holiday madness and listen to your friends Colin and John on Rokk Talk. On this episode, the guys talk about the music they were thankful for in 2017, whether it was new discoveries, returning to old favorites, or moments in music that have us looking optimistically towards a future.
Why would anyone like Thor? Marvel super heroes are known for being more grounded than their DC counterparts; oftentimes they are people with tragic origins or who find their powers become more of a burden than a blessing. Spider-Man can’t balance crime fighting with his real life, Iron Man is a deeply flawed person under his armor, Bruce Banner has little control over the Hulk. But Thor (at least the contemporary incarnation of the character) is different. He is a supremely powerful, immortal, god(-like alien). Where do you go with that? What’s the appeal?
As we go about our modest lives, in this bizarre economy, just trying to get by, it’s easy to feel like the idea of “getting ahead” is unattainable. The fact that we bust our butts with multiple jobs, pay off every useless student loan, and still have just the bare minimum to get by, makes it feel like a comfortable sustainable lifestyle will never sustain itself. And in this uncertainty, it’s hard not to feel a mild, if nonetheless constant, amount of despair. Continue reading
I’ve already come to the conclusion that Masseduction, St. Vincent’s latest, is a very good album. But that kind of goes without saying, since St. Vincent at this point has entered the small pantheon of modern artists who can be depended on to do something interesting with each new album, but while also being undeniably themselves. But is this the best St. Vincent album yet? That I’m not sure of, though it’s probably the most accessible St. Vincent album yet. Which I’m not trying to use as a backhanded compliment, since it still manages to be accessible in surprising and unconventional ways. Continue reading
