Magnolia Pictures At the end of 2017, Tim Heidecker’s On Cinema—a web series lampooning film criticism that the comedian co-hosts with Gregg Turkington—apexed with a five-hour long, fictitious murder trial. Despite overwhelming evidence that Tim Heidecker’s character was guilty of several counts of murder (several attendees at a fake music festival he funded overdosed on […]
Morgan Troper
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Rocketman Review: Sex, Drugs, and Very Little Rock ’n’ Roll
Rocketman opens with a shot of Elton John (Taron Egerton) dressed in full stage regalia bursting unannounced into an AA meeting. “My name is Elton Hercules John,” he says flatly, “and I am an alcoholic, a sex addict, and bulimic.” This conceit—that the entire film is narrated by Elton John from the context of a […]
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There’s A LOT Going On in Pokémon Detective Pikachu
Warner Bros. Pokémon Detective Pikachu wears multiple hats over the course of its 104-minute runtime. Sometimes the film is a wholesome, Spielbergian coming-of-age adventure. At other points, it’s a buddy comedy teeming with self-referential, mic drop-y in-jokes, many of which are bound to fly straight over the heads of its target demographic. Or maybe you […]
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Pokémon Detective Pikachu Review: It’s the Best Video Game Movie Ever! That Isn’t Saying Much.
Pokémon Detective Pikachu wears multiple hats over the course of its 104-minute runtime. Sometimes the film is a wholesome, Spielbergian coming-of-age adventure. At other points, it’s a buddy comedy teeming with self-referential, mic drop-y in-jokes, many of which are bound to fly straight over the heads of its target demographic. Or maybe you want your […]
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Kero Kero Bonito’s Time ’n’ Place Is a Near-Perfect Pop Record
POWERLINE AGENCY One of the more surprising (and glorious) musical reinventions of 2018 arrived in the form of Kero Kero Bonito’s sophomore album, Time ’n’ Place. The British indie-pop band’s earlier releases—2014’s Intro Bonito and 2016’s Bonito Generation—were characterized by chiptune instrumentation, manic song structures, and unabashedly tasteless production choices. Beginning with 2018’s TOTEP EP, […]
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Bohemian Rhapsody Review: Rami Malek Is Legendary as Freddie Mercury (Everyone Else Is Just Okay)
There’s a poignant and hilarious scene about a third of the way through Bohemian Rhapsody when pull-quotes from early reviews of Queen’s titular 1975 single flash across a black screen. Melody Maker called “Bohemian Rhapsody” a “superficially impressive pastiche of incongruous musical styles.” Other publications were much crueler. This scene is central to Bohemian Rhapsody’s […]
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Wild Ones Leaves Behind a Lasting Legacy
JEREMY HERNANDEZ After being together for nearly eight years, Portland synth-pop fixtures Wild Ones are calling it quits, and the band’s upcoming shows at Mississippi Studios will be their very last. It’s a shame. Since forming, Wild Ones have been among the Portland music scene’s best acts, and always seemed to be on the verge […]
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Wild Ones Calls It Quits
The Portland Synth-Pop Band Leaves Behind a Lasting Legacy
The Portland synth-pop band leaves behind a lasting legacy.
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Why Hasn’t the Portland Music Scene Embraced Its Original Hitmakers?
Quarterflash at Hollywood Bowl, Portland, 1982 PHOTO COURTESY OF MARV ROSS If one is to believe the “Music in Oregon” Wikipedia page, there was little to no music produced around here during the ’60s and ’70s. The introduction to the “Portland” section is 100 words long. There’s one very long sentence about the Kingsmen and […]
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So You Are a Star? Okay.
Why Hasn’t the Portland Music Scene Embraced Its Original Hitmakers?
Why hasn’t the Portland music scene embraced its original hitmakers?
Posted inMusic
The Pillows Are Touring America to Coincide with FLCL‘s New Season
AUGUST HALL In 2007, Julian Cope brought classic Japanese rock ’n’ roll to the indie literati’s attention with Japrocksampler—an astute, awkwardly named analysis of early Japanese rock music and the cultural revolution it helped precipitate. Groups like Flower Travellin’ Band and Speed, Glue & Shinki aren’t exactly household names in America, but they’re respected immensely […]
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The Pillows Aim to Please
Japan’s Pop-Rock Legends Tour America to Coincide with FLCL’s New Season
Japan’s pop-rock legends tour America to coincide with FLCL’s new season.