AltWeeklies Wire
The Timeless Showbiz of 'Frost/Nixon'new
Frost/Nixon displays bursts of some of Ron Howard's sharpest work in his fifty years in show business, but it functions best as a cartoon that chooses to think of itself as burnished bravura.
Chicago Newcity |
Ray Pride |
12-10-2008 |
Reviews
New York's Longwave Just Wants to Have Funnew
It's a surprise just to hear how much Longwave has changed since the days of its 2001 debut Endsongs, when the band was stylistically lumped into the New York scene with emerging garage-rock superstars The Strokes, but the bigger surprise might be that this record exists at all.
Chicago Newcity |
Andy Seifert |
12-10-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: Longwave, Secrets are Sinister
Bieres de France Hit the U.S.new
France is well known around the world for its champagne, fine wines and cheese, but somehow the beer produced there has never really gotten much publicity Stateside. That is poised to change, as many small producers in that country have come together to promote their own craft beers in the US with the support of The French Embassy's trade agency.
Chicago Newcity |
Ernest Barteldes |
12-03-2008 |
Food+Drink
Reverend Jeremiah Wright Gets Back to Preachingnew
Before Joe the Plumber and Bill Ayers, the buzz figure in the 2008 election was then-Senator Obama's crazy-talking Pastor from the Trinity United Church of Christ, the boisterous and ear-splitting Rev. Dr. Jeremiah Wright, Jr., who has kindly accepted an invitation to preach tonight for Lisle's DuPage AME Church Thanksgiving Eve service.
Chicago Newcity |
Andy Seifert |
12-03-2008 |
Religion
Kanye West Experiences '808s and Heartbreak'new
West's major achievement here is not in the moments of significant pop-song creativity, but rather the response he's able to get from his listener, the lasting effect that, if previously pondered, seemed a substantially distant possibility.
Chicago Newcity |
Tom Lynch |
12-03-2008 |
Reviews
Talking 'A Christmas Tale' with Arnaud Desplechinnew
A Christmas Tale is the "home for the holidays" primal scene as primal scream: from the first moments, as we're introduced to the characters, we realize they can be chilly and abrupt, capable of pettiness and outright cruelty. And that's just the set-up.
Chicago Newcity |
Ray Pride |
11-19-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Austin's The Sword Worships the 'Gods of the Earth'new
When a band titles its debut Age of Winters and follows it up with a record called Gods of the Earth, the road's pretty much been paved for the kind of meal you're to be served. The dueling guitars, meaty, brimming with confidence, attack from all sides.
Chicago Newcity |
Tom Lynch |
11-05-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: Gods of the Earth, The Sword
Ache 'til You Laugh in 'Synecdoche, New York'new
After Synecdoche's Chicago International screening, I moderated an hour-long Q&A with Kaufman, and it was one of the more rapt audiences in my experience. Everyone had questions.
Chicago Newcity |
Ray Pride |
11-05-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
What We Must Do to Elect Obamanew
Four years ago, we were confident. No way would America, in its right mind, perpetuate the unfolding national nightmare. Sure, we weren't giddy about his opponent, but we had no doubt that George W. Bush would never serve a second term.
Chicago Newcity |
Staff |
10-29-2008 |
Commentary
It's All in the Details in 'I've Loved You So Long'new
French novelist Philippe Claudel's first feature as director is a quiet, layered narrative with a remarkable central performance by Kristin Scott-Thomas.
Chicago Newcity |
Ray Pride |
10-29-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Back to Basics: Fashion in a Dire Economynew
Opinions abound on how dire economic trends are steering fashion trends this season, but one thing's for certain: prepare for a fashion season branded with the B-word—basics. Basic garments, basic colors, basic footwear, basic spending habits.
Chicago Newcity |
C.J. Arellano |
10-29-2008 |
Fashion
Sweden's Dungen Can Count to '4'new
Dungen's latest sees lead singer/songwriter/producer Gustav Ejstes continuing to blend genres while abandoning some of the reverb that allowed its previous releases to sound straight off some late-1960s Brit-rock vinyl.
Chicago Newcity |
Andy Seifert |
10-29-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
David Sedaris Has a Midlife Crisisnew
As we transition from talking about friends' houses where you could get high until four in the morning to the pitfalls of fatal elderly falls, it's evident that Sedaris' beloved sense of humor leaves him, and us, with many more years of good storytelling.
Chicago Newcity |
Selena Fragassi |
10-08-2008 |
Author Profiles & Interviews
Crooked Fingers' Eric Bachmann Talks 'Forfeit/Fortune'new
Bachmann decided to release Forfeit/Fortune himself, and while he is using internet outlets such as iTunes, the record's only available at specifically chosen indie retailers, not the big-box stores the masses might look to first. He insists he's just being practical.
Chicago Newcity |
Tom Lynch |
10-08-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: Crooked Fingers, Forfeit/Fortune
Portland's Talkdemonic Gets Darkernew
The easiest way to take the pressure of writing a catchy hook off of yourself is to not write any hooks at all. Talkdemonic has crafted three records of short, punchy songs, most of them under three minutes, that almost never feature repeating parts.
Chicago Newcity |
Tom Lynch |
10-01-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: Talkdemonic, Eyes at Half Mast
