AltWeeklies Wire
Looking Back Through the Glass at the 'TRL' Pop-Culture Revolutionnew
Coming in the midst of a tsunami of Woodstock nostalgia, the news that Viacom is not renewing its lease on the Times Square studio where MTV staged Total Request Live didn't attract much attention.
Las Vegas Weekly |
Greg Beato |
08-20-2009 |
TV
'Inglourious Basterds' Uses the Holocaust as a Pretext for Gore, Sadism and Fanboy Lorenew
"Back to Barbarism" is the theme of Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds. Its misspelled title and cheesy homage to a 1970s grindhouse flick (by Enzo Castellari) all mock the notion of sophistication. Yet it is truly unsophisticated.
New York Press |
Armond White |
08-20-2009 |
Reviews
New Documentary 'Art & Copy' Celebrates the Men Behind Ads by Skimming the Surfacenew
Advertising has long been perceived as a mirror reflecting reality back to consumers as a wish-fulfillment exercise. In that sense, Art & Copy is a worthy addition to a time-honored tradition.
New York Press |
Mark Peikert |
08-20-2009 |
Reviews
It Looks Like Big Pharma and the Health Insurers Will Win on Health Care ... Againnew
For the past 35 years, whenever Congress has ventured into health-care reform in response to public demand the big winners have almost always been the health insurance and pharmaceutical industries, and it will almost certainly be that way again. The massive spending against health reform legislation in every media market the past month, on top of the relentless tide of lobbying and campaign expenditures over the decade, guaranteed it.
Arkansas Times |
Ernest Dumas |
08-20-2009 |
Commentary
Kids Film 'Shorts' is Uneven but Enjoyablenew
Shorts isn't nearly as good as the first Spy Kids. Still, on a scale of Robert Rodriguez's kids' movies, it's much better than The Adventures of Shark Boy and Lava Girl.
Fort Worth Weekly |
Kristian Lin |
08-20-2009 |
Reviews
Todd Graff's 'Bandslam' is the Best American Movie This Summernew
If the late John Hughes had taught the generation who grew up on Sixteen Candles, The Breakfast Club, Ferris Bueller's Day Off and Home Alone anything beyond narcissism, then Bandslam would be getting sky-high praise.
New York Press |
Armond White |
08-20-2009 |
Reviews
Forget Bushwick: NYC's Next Big Band, The Beets, Hails From Queensnew
Just over a year old, the band plays so many shows that it barely has time to practice. That kind of effort, along with a recent stint in a TV ad for clothing designer Cynthia Rowley's Fall 2009 line, consistent buzz from all the right press and recent dates supporting Oxford Collapse has put The Beets at the top of several lists of bands to watch.
New York Press |
Andrea Bussell |
08-20-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
In California, Advocates Push for Reform of Parole Process to Ease Prison Strainnew
California's Board of Parole Hearings grants parole to less than one percent of eligible lifers. Now, as the state's prison system is packed to 200 percent capacity, some are arguing for reform to the parole system that's keeping lifers doing life.
Good Times Santa Cruz |
Curtis Cartier |
08-20-2009 |
Crime & Justice
It's Time for the LGBT Community to Shake Off its Addiction to Democratic Panderingnew
It's up to the LGBT community to seize this momentum and put a freeze on donations to the Democrats and show them that until real progress is made, it's the Democratic Party that is going to need the help.
New York Press |
Jamaal Young |
08-20-2009 |
Commentary
What Happened to the NYC Teenager?new
The recent Bravo reality show about elite prep schools espouses a glam lifestyle, but as I remember it, high school was way more boring.
New York Press |
Emma Allen |
08-20-2009 |
Culture
Thriller Writer (And Former CIA Recruit) Joseph Finder Shares Trade Secretsnew
Truth can be stranger than fiction. When Boston thriller writer Joseph Finder discovered how easy it would be for someone to sneak into this country with a fake passport, he didn't put that into his 1995 book Zero Hour. But the one-time CIA recruit hasn't held back on other trade secrets.
Boston Phoenix |
Clea Simon |
08-19-2009 |
Author Profiles & Interviews
New England Plays Catch-Up in the Green Energy Racenew
New England may be used to being the birthplace of revolutions, but in the case of wind power, that ship has sailed. States out West are far outproducing us, and will likely continue to. That said, we still could be a player in the nascent wind industry; we've just got some catching up to do.
Boston Phoenix |
Mike Miliard |
08-19-2009 |
Environment
Why Wind Power Blowsnew
Those who want to run straight for the first ridgetop and put up a turbine might want to slow down a second. In addition to its distinct advantages, wind power has real drawbacks that must be addressed before it is hailed as our global-warming savior.
Boston Phoenix |
Deirdre Fulton |
08-19-2009 |
Environment
Are Party Girls Starting to Catch Up With the Boys When it Comes to Meth Use?new
In the early 2000s, crystal meth abuse became so rampant in San Francisco that city officials formed the Crystal Methamphetamine Task Force in 2005, which focused on the gay men's party circuit. But while the boys got the attention, the drug appears to now be taking an increased toll on women. Has focusing on men meant that women users aren't getting enough information on reducing harm?
San Francisco Bay Guardian |
C. Nellie Nelson |
08-19-2009 |
Drugs
'Inglourious Basterds' is Stylish, Daring and Snappily Writtennew
There were moments of trepidation for me during the early goings of Tarantino's latest. I wasn't sure I wanted to see a sensationalized, Grindhouse take on the events of World War II. And yet, Basterds is quite a bit more than that. It is inventive, surehanded, aggressively original -- and destined to be a classic.
San Antonio Current |
Brian Villalobos |
08-19-2009 |
Reviews
