The Beatles A Hard Day’s Night: Retro Movie Review
Over five decades after its release, The Beatles A Hard Day’s Night has aged very well, and is not dated; it stands outside its time, its genre, and even rock music. It is one of the great life-affirming landmarks of musical movies. When it opened in September 1964, many critics attended the viewing, prepared to …
Fear as The New Religion: How confirmation bias became the new sacrament and YouTube the new church
We’ve all seen them – the often crazy conspiracy theory videos that seem to be the fastest growing section of the vast YouTube library. They are amusing and occasionally interesting, and I’ll admit that once in a very great while, on the surface, they appear to make compelling arguments. I say “on the surface” because …
Almost Famous: 20 Years Later
Almost Famous is a Cameron Crowe written and directed movie about rock and roll. But it’s far more than that – it’s a timeless coming-of-age story that appeals to viewers regardless of whether or not they were around during the 70s. It’s about bands, music, and life on the road, during the era of “sex, …
Xanadu: 40 Years Later
Forty years after its release, I consider Xanadu to be not only a cult classic, but a true guilty pleasure. “Cheesy” doesn’t even begin to describe it, yet that’s at the heart of its delightfully perverse charm. Now, that’s entertainment! Initially panned by critics, Xanadu cannot be watched with anything resembling a serious mindset, nor …
Roxette: Truly a Joyride
Roxette was formed in 1986 as a Swedish pop rock duo, consisting of Marie Fredriksson (vocals and keyboards) and Per Gessle (vocals and guitar). Both artists had very successful solo careers in Sweden but joining forces as a combined unit made them international stars. They first met in 1981, when Fredriksson performed as a background …
Empire Records: A Retro Review
“Empire Records” is one of those quirky 90s films where in a single day, in one music store, every conceivable thing happens to every conceivable character, and at the end of the day, they are all a lot wiser. Or supposedly so. The characters all work at Empire Records, located in a fictional small town …
This is Spinal Tap: A Retro Review
The “mockumentary,” This Is Spinal Tap, is considered to be one of the funniest movies ever made. While it’s about a lot of obscure, abstract things, the main thing is the way the real story is not in the questions or the answers, but what is continuously and hilariously occurring in the background. The movie …
Carole King: Still Making the Earth Move
Carole King is, undeniably, one of the most successful female songwriters of the latter half of the 20th century in the US, having written or co-written 118+ pop songs that have charted on the Billboard Hot 100. Additionally, she also wrote 61 hits that charted in the UK, making her the most successful female songwriter …
Fictional Band Movies: Retro Review of Velvet Goldmine and Still Crazy
What do the rock movies Velvet Goldmine and Still Crazy have in common, other than great music? Both are British in nature, both are heavily music oriented, and both are fictional… Or are they? Velvet Goldmine Velvet Goldmine is primarily about androgenous glam rock icon Brian Slade, who sets 1970s London on fire with his …
Julian Lennon: Truly His Own Man
John Charles Julian Lennon, also known as Jules, is so much more than just the eldest son of Beatle, John Lennon, and former first wife, Cynthia Powell. He is also a very accomplished singer, songwriter and musician, and an amazing photographer, among many other things. Named after John’s deceased mother Julia, Julian is also an …
