Chasing Trane: The John Coltrane Documentary
Trane’s career was short, but the influence is still felt today. Scheinfeld worked overtime to put together a documentary that has the blessings of the Coltrane family, but does not soft-pedal the mercurial saxophonist.
Doomsday Films: A Compendium
The end of the world may or may not come. That Mayan calendar thing turned out to be nothing, Y2K did not cause planes to fall from the sky. Television and tent revival preachers have been predicting the end of days for generations. It may be the second coming, a rogue comet hurtling toward Earth, nuclear annihilation,
or any of many other options.
Nick Lowe: Jesus of Cool
Yep Roc’s expanded 30th anniversary edition is a worthy thing to own. It’s not as hard to find as the old records, but there are plenty of extras, and the release captures Lowe’s lo-fi “bash out the tracks and meet up round the pub” philosophy.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
In creating an auditory landscape, director James Gunn turns up the volume in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2: Expect explosions and cheesy pop tunes from the ’70s and ’80s.
Krull & the Creation of a Critic
Movies are meant to do a lot of things: Shine light into a dark world, educate, enlighten and bring truth to the screen. They’re meant to tell a story that you’ve never been told before, or put a new spin on a tale you’ve heard before.
Drink Up with the Popravinas
Formed in Los Angeles in 1983, the Mutts built up a legend for raucous live shows, ragged pop gems about blondes with bangs, John Hughes movies and the burning desire to live in San Diego.
Bacchanal to Basics: Low Ceilings & Loud Music in ’80s San Diego
Back before the earth cooled and life crawled from the primordial ooze, nightclubs dotted San Diego’s map. The Spirit (off of Morena Boulevard) always had great bands running through and if they knew my I.D. was fake, they never made a big deal out of it.
Life
There is no escaping the comparison to Alien (full disclosure, Ridley Scott’s Alien is one of my all-time favorite films), but Life is not a cheap copy of the 1979 sci-fi opus.
The Rallies on the Pop-Prowess of ‘Serve’
The Rallies are the real deal when it comes to power pop — music that fills your heart and soul with joy, even if the basis of the song is not always a happy ending.
Kong: Skull Island
The 2005 version directed by Peter Jackson was three hours of boredom. The latest version of the Kong story has amazing special effects, a great cast that sells the premise and some amazing fight sequences.