Director Peter Bogdanovich is someone who showed a lot of promise in the ’70s only to have his talent/relevancy disappear in the ’80s (with the notable exception of Mask). He must have a lot of time on his hands now that he’s no longer guest-starring on The Sopranos, as he’s released director’s cuts of two of his films. One is a stone cold classic (The Last Picture Show) and the other (Nickelodeon) is maybe best left forgotten. More
It may be a little too soon to be making a biopic on the life and death of The Notorious B.I.G.—aka Biggie Smalls, aka Christopher Wallace—but Notorious provides an oddly sympathetic take on an individual who, as displayed, seems to have been a bit of a selfish (and not-too-bright) prick. Biggie was talented, though, with a gift for words and rhymes. Soul Food director George Tillman, Jr. has a passion for the subject and fills the story with capable actors who disappear into their roles.More
Day two of Coachella 2009 failed to top day one, in part because of a weak headliner. But the second day did feature strong sets from M.I.A., Jenny Lewis, and Fleet Foxes. More
Coachella 2009 kicked off with strong sets from living legends Leonard Cohen and Paul McCartney, as the crowd adjusted to a desert heat that was forecasted to get even hotter as the weekend went on. More
Studio: First Run Features
Directed by Bertrand Normand; Starring: Diana Vishneva, Ulyana Lopatkina, Evgenia Obraztsova, Alina Somova and Svetlana Zakharova
In this 2006 video documentary, which has been making the rounds in art houses this year, director Bertrand Normand spotlights five Russian ballerinas at various stages in their careers at the Kirov Ballet. More
Some properties shouldn’t be adapted period, and some properties shouldn’t be adapted by Frank Miller. I’ve always thought of comic book writer Miller (Sin City, The Dark Knight Returns) as a mostly one-trick pony who relishes extreme violence, the objectification of women, and more violence; I would place his screenplay for Robocop 2 very high (or low) in the pantheon of worst sequels ever, killing one of the best postmodern takes on Frankenstein to date. But I digress. The Spirit is complete garbage. More
Friendly Fires, of St. Albans, U.K., is still riding high on their self-titled debut. The album, released in the fall of 2008, showcases confident, kinetic songwriting that matches their growing reputation for high-octane performances. Frontman Ed Macfarlane’s winking histrionic delivery plays nearly perfectly against the tight, road-honed sounds of Jack Savidge (drums), Edd Gibson (guitar), and Rob Lee (bass) making for a kind of smart, indie-rock response to Duran Duran. More
Los Angeles is a great place to see many of your favorite bands. However, Los Angeles is also the worst place to see many of your favorite bands. Local duo The Bird and the Bee played a barter show for the Echoplex last week after they used the venue to shoot the video for their new single, the David Lee Roth tribute “Diamond Dave” there. Unfortunately, the venue’s charm was marred by a bunch of L.A. scenesters who couldn’t shut their loud mouths or look up from texting long enough to listen to a single note of the mellow band’s performance, even during a cappella moments. More
Two Suns finds Natasha Khan sharing the conceptual zeitgeist with Beyoncé by exploring her own Sasha Fierce, an alter ego named Pearl-a "destructive, self-absorbed, blond femme fatale" to contrast her everyday "mystical, desert-born spiritual self." More
Patrick Creadon’s I.O.U.S.A. couldn’t have come at a better time. As President Obama and his administration have a great deal of work to do, perhaps the biggest problem they are facing is the United States economy—including our staggering national debt. More
