Music Review: Indie Round-Up - Matt Morris, Lee "Scratch" Perry, Asylum Street Spankers
Matt Morris's high, fluty tenor wafts his words into your consciousness like a message carried on the wind. Matt Morris, Backstage at Bonnaroo and Other Acoustic PerformancesListening to Matt Morris, intimate is the word that comes most readily to mind. His high, fluty tenor, recorded closely into the mic, wafts his words into your consciousness like a message carried on the wind.The first three songs on this sparsely produced EP have little more than...
God's Thunderbolt: The Vigilantes of Montana won the 2009 Spur Award for Best First Novel from the Western Writers of America. Hold onto your Stetsons, though, because this is a self-published novel. Unlike many (most?) books in that category, God's Thunderbolt has already passed the author's break-even point and is well into the territory of financial success.
"I've waited three decades for someone to write a great novel about Montana's Vigilante era (1863-1864), and here it is," said noted Westerns author, Richard S. Wheeler, winner of the Owen Wister Award for lifetime achievement in the literature of the West.
With that sort of accolade, it is no surprise that Montana fans (not the Hannah Montana variety), lovers of Western lore, and readers who like the gold rush and Civil War era will enjoy this historic novel. Buchanan meticulously
With increasing frequency, summer blockbusters are being released in both traditional and IMAX format. Long known for its excellent sound quality, picture, and massive screen -- a traditional IMAX screen is approximately 52 feet by 72 feet -- IMAX has recently found its way into far more multiplexes. This has allowed for increased exposure and box office take, this past weekend, the Star Trek reboot helmed by J.J. Abrams managed to break opening weekend IMAX box office records . However, all is not well in IMAX-land. One of the reasons that the number of IMAX screens has expanded dramatically of late is because -- according to some -- they're not really IMAX screens. Again, sizes vary, but a typical IMAX in a multiplex is approximately 28 feet by 58 feet. Despite the substantial difference in size, IMAX screens at the local multiplex still garner
Aprilynne Pike's debut novel, Wings , is a paranormal fantasy featuring an entirely new twist on the mythological realm of faeries. I recently published a review of Wings , and I was delighted to have the opportunity conduct an author interview with Aprilynne Pike, a fresh new voice in the young adult fantasy genre.
Damian: Your debut novel, Wings , manages to weave an intricate alternate history into a realm of faerie tale fantasy set in a modern world. You indicated in your bio that you have been “spinning faerie stories” since you were “a child with a hyper-active imagination.” Where do you find inspiration for your characters and their stories?
Pike: My brain has always been a well of strange — and often very strange — ideas. I can’t really say that I know where they come from. But I think one thing that helps is
The blockbuster season has gotten off to a pretty good start money-wise behind the good opening weekend fortunes of X-Men Origins: Wolverine and Star Trek . I only see the latter as having any long term success, but I could be wrong. Anyway, week three sees us step away from the big effects, teen-targeted blockbusters to a potentially more thoughtful thriller aimed at an audience that skews older. I have to wonder if it has the strength to climb to the top, or if last week's champ, Star Trek , will stay at the top on the strength of its positive word of mouth. Aside from that, we also get a limited release romantic comedy that hopes to do well enough to garner a wider release.
Angels & Demons. (2009, 140 minutes, PG-13, thriller) A few years ago, director Ron Howard and star Tom Hanks teamed up for The DaVinci Code . That film arrived amid immense hype and a boatload of
The fifth season of House, M.D concludes with Dr. Gregory House (the always extraordinary Hugh Laurie in a heartbreaking performance) watching his world come crashing down around him -- his sense of reality shattered, unable to distinguish fantasy from reality. It was a somber way to end the season, the camera pulling back to reveal the lone figure of Wilson, watching sadly from afar as House enters the doors of Mayfield Psychiatric Hospital. House co-executive producer and the finale’s writer Doris Egan explained the significance of the final sequence during a one-on-one interview the day after the finale aired. We also discussed the episode’s themes and the series’ relationships. Egan has written for House for several seasons, penning some of the best and most beloved episodes of the entire series, including season three’s “Son of Coma
