Soundtracking: Juliet, Naked

by Chris Feil

Musical standom sometimes has more to do with defining ourselves than it does the music itself. Instead, the music is just the key that unlocks something within us and lays a foundation for obsession over an artist’s life and legacy. That obsession is fueled online, between warring factions of “teams” and Reddit board investigations of creative minutiae in search of greater meaning, no musician safe from the scrutiny. It’s almost entirely separate from the music that inspires the standom. That divide between musical obsession and connection is at the core of Juliet, Naked, a film as delightfully revisitable as an underrated album.

Click to read more ...

Review: The Cloverfield Paradox

By Spencer Coile 

Like the first two Cloverfield films, The Cloverfield Paradox premiered with plenty of hype surrounding it. After several delays, it was rumored to be picked up by Netflix which proved true when during Super Bowl LII, Netflix announced the arrival of The Cloverfield Paradox immediately following the game. 

Fans of the series were in a tizzy, counting down the hours before they could enjoy the latest entry. The marketing push for Paradox was as ambiguous and mysterious as the first two films which is a good thing. Like Cloverfield (2008) and 10 Cloverfield Lane (2016), it is best to go into The Cloverfield Paradox knowing little about the plot...

Click to read more ...

Review: The Incredible Jessica James

By Spencer Coile 

 The Incredible Jessica James is a marvel to watch -- at a sharp 85 minutes, it breezes by as if on a cloud. It premiered on Netflix last week, and tells the story of its leading character named, you guessed it! Jessica James (Jessica Williams). Living flat broke in "deep, deep" Bushwick, she is harping over the recent break-up of her and her ex (Lakeith Stanfield), all the while struggling to get one of her plays produced on Broadway. 

When given the chance to go on a blind date with an app creator (Chris O'Dowd), Jessica soon finds herself questioning herself, her potential as a writer, and what it means to be a 20-something living in contemporary New York City. If that plot sounds generic, well, it is. But what makes the film truly soar is its star, Jessica Williams. 

Click to read more ...

BAFTA's Narrow "Rising Star" Field

I don't even know why I'm posting this. BAFTA seems determined to be the least respectable awards group this side of "People's Choice". They apparently use a partially celebrity juru to select their 5 wide Orange Rising Star category from a field of 8. Ouch! Then the public gets to vote. NoooOOoooo THE DREAD PEOPLE'S CHOICE.

Which means it's another one of those torture devices like Oscar finalist lists for celebrities or movie hopefuls where less than half of the field have to be jettisoned to get the nominee list. "Congratulations. You were the last kid picked for the team. i.e. you weren't picked. Loser!" This year's losers are all buzzy actresses: Jennifer Lawrence, Felicity Jones, and Jessica Chastain. 

The official sausage party nominees...
I've added what they'd done lately though the award is for the person and not a specific work.

• Adam Deacon (actor/rapper/director) ...Kidulthood, Adulthood, Anuvahood
• Chris Hemsworth (actor/Avenger) ... Thor
• Tom Hiddleston (actor/god) ... Thor, War Horse, Deep Blue Sea
• Chris O'Dowd (actor/comedian) ... Bridesmaids, "the It Crowd"
• Eddie Redmayne (actor/actor) ... My Week With Marilyn, "Red"

I was about to say "who would you vote for?" but it seems like more of a do, dump or marry? type field since it's such a tiny range of types -- all British or Australian guys born between 1979 and 1983! (I don't want to talk about how lame it is to not even consider the Weekend boys for this honor in honor of people who are already a lot more famous. "Rising star" is like "Breakthrough" in how much leeway it gives you to award people whose careers are already somewhat made. What is with the Brits and Weekend? They can't see its worth and it's right in front of them!) 

But back to the RISING STARS: Who do you think gets an Oscar nomination first and second and never?

Why do you think Jessica, Felicity, and Jennifer just weren't good enough for the jury of industry types which included the likes of Simon Pegg, Sienna Miller and Harry Potter director David Yates?