AltWeeklies Wire
Sleuth Goof 'Mystery Team' is a Chuckler With the Occasional Full-Throated Laughnew
The twentysomething talents behind Mystery Team are still in the comedy minors, but this nerdy, nutty, perfectly pitched first swing suggests there are major things to come.
Austin Chronicle |
Kimberley Jones |
08-28-2009 |
Reviews
'Departures': Between Life and Deathnew
This Oscar-winner for Best Foreign Language Film is a gentle and comedically nuanced exercise in mourning from Japan.
Austin Chronicle |
Marc Savlov |
08-28-2009 |
Reviews
'District 9' is Absolutely Grippingnew
The fact that Neill Blomkamp pulled off a successful, effects-laden action film for $30 million is praiseworthy. But that he succeeds in simultaneously making a film that will stick with you for longer than it takes to digest your grease-covered popcorn is far more impressive.
Tucson Weekly |
James DiGiovanna |
08-28-2009 |
Reviews
Depression-Era North Carolina String Band is Generously Anthologized on New Two-CD Setnew
The subtitle of the anthology, The Complete Recordings of the Red Fox Chasers (1928-31), is truthful: The two discs contain the entire recorded output of Brooks, Miles, A.P. Thompson and Bob Cranford.
In 'The Big Rewind,' Nathan Rabin Uses His Pop-Saturated Memory as a Window into His Lifenew
Did I mention that most of this book is extremely funny? Rabin is aware that there are plenty of hard-luck stories out there, and he's just as hard on himself as he is on such targets as a video store boss, several girlfriends from hell and a Movie Club co-commentator married to the guy who wrote Soul Plane.
INDY Week |
Zack Smith |
08-28-2009 |
Nonfiction
Feminists vs. PETA: 'Sexist' Ads Draw Portland Protestnew
The loosely knit Portland Feminist Action League organized the "flash protest" via the internet, criticizing PETA for its "sexist and offensive" animal rights campaigns. PETA's protests have featured nude women in cages, and most recently, the organization produced a billboard that pictured a fat woman in a bikini that read, "Save the whales! Lose the blubber. Go vegetarian."
The Portland Mercury |
Sarah Mirk |
08-28-2009 |
The War on Women
The New GI Bill Lands Scores of Combat Vets on Vermont's College Campusesnew
The Veterans Administration estimates that by 2011 more than a quarter-million U.S. service members will have enrolled in college under the new GI Bill, the most generous educational assistance program for vets since FDR signed the first one in 1944.
Seven Days |
Ken Picard |
08-28-2009 |
Education
Digital Love: Checking in With St. Louis Digital Radio Station 3WKnew
A July settlement nails down a structure for small fries like 3WK to pay for the right to stream their music collection online. We figured it was a good time to check in with them and see how they were doing.
Riverfront Times |
Tom Finkel |
08-28-2009 |
Media
Tags: 3WK Internet Radio, internet radio
Matthew Sweet and Susanna Hoffs Chat About the Second Volume in Their Covers Seriesnew
In June, power-pop darlings Matthew Sweet and Susanna Hoffs released Under the Covers, Vol. 2, which focuses on the '70s. The album spans prog, sappy folk, power-pop and rock royalty.
Riverfront Times |
Annie Zaleski |
08-28-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
A Nashville Hijacking 38 Years Ago Set the Standard on How Not to Handle Hostage Negotiationsnew
The hijacking of 58 November forced police agencies across the country to train for nearly every scenario. It gave rise to organizations like the National Tactical Officers Association. The deaths of Brent Downs and Susan Giffe also caused the death of ad hoc approaches to crisis management. From October 1971 on, there would be an accounting.
Nashville Scene |
Brantley Hargrove |
08-28-2009 |
Crime & Justice
Even as Theater, Health Care Town Halls are Turning into a Major Painnew
Only a few days ago, Rep. Bart Gordon's town hall would have set off a frenzy of national chatter. Now, it's all too predictable -- merely yet another humiliation of a member of Congress by the far right.
Nashville Scene |
Jeff Woods |
08-28-2009 |
Politics
Legendary Brazilian Psychedelic Group Os Mutantes Return With a New Albumnew
Haih or Amortecedor, the band's first new album in 35 years, is willfully weird, and one wouldn't expect anything less from Os Mutantes. But the youthful, wide-eyed psychedelia of the group's classic work has given way to a wiser -- if not older -- outlook.
The Portland Mercury |
Ned Lannamann |
08-28-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: Haih or Amortecedor, Os Mutantes
I Have to Wonder: Who Exactly is 'Porn & Pong' Written For?new
Nothing Brown presents in Porn & Pong is going to be a huge revelation if you're already mired in gamer culture, and I just can't see the average person choosing the book over Stephenie Meyer's sparkly vampires.
The Portland Mercury |
Earnest "Nex" Cavalli |
08-28-2009 |
Nonfiction
Shoney's Takes Aim at a Comeback With New Look and Menunew
If Shoney's of days gone by was a trailblazer, setting a standard for casual family restaurants, Shoney's of 2009 is playing catch-up, modernizing its look, feel and food in a 21st century marketplace crowded with contempo-casual-stucco-coated establishments serving grilled salmon and strawberry lemonade.
Nashville Scene |
Carrington Fox |
08-28-2009 |
Food+Drink
Jonathan Gold's 99 Essential L.A. Restaurantsnew
Between a tweet and a truck: This year especially, an essential L.A. restaurant may not even be a restaurant at all -- it may be a tweet telling you which street corner to hang around at, or a cart parked in the same location from the hours of 11 to 2.
L.A. Weekly |
Jonathan Gold |
08-28-2009 |
Food+Drink
