Artsweek

January 29, 2009

Fresh Blood ****

By Robyn Li

The Allmusic Guide compares him to Marvin Gaye; the UK music zine Drowned in Sound calls it a "fine appendix to the ... story so far;" even Pitchfork gives it a lofty 7.9 out of 10. This might just be the album of the se...

January 8, 2009

What Was Great in ’08

By Artsweek Staff

This year, Artsweek staff, like the rest of the U.S., and indeed, most of the world (besides China, perhaps), was not immune to the superpowers of Batman.

January 8, 2009

Targeting a Net Audience

By Amy Silverstein

Independent and big-time producers alike have been pouring money into creating shows and films that are aired exclusively online. Some of these Web series have caught the attention of network television, such as "We Nee...

January 8, 2009

Domestic Dysfunction ****

By Sara Weitz

I felt a sense of inevitable déjà vu as I took in Sam Mendes' "Revolutionary Road." The film stars Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio as a young married couple attempting to rebuild their broken marriage; thoug...

January 8, 2009

The Neverending Story **

By Artsweek Editor

David Fincher and Brad Pitt have notably collaborated before, bringing Chuck Palahniuk's Fight Club to the big screen, creating an icon of modern cinema in the process. It would then stand to reason that an adaptation of...

January 8, 2009

The Sandman Cometh **

By Stephanie Leong

Adam Sandler seems an unlikely lead actor for a children's film, particularly one imbued with elements of magical realism and fairy tale-like fantasy. His crude humor, infantile antics and characteristically slapstick te...

December 4, 2008

Top Dog ****

By Amy Silverstein

Hollywood films about heavy-duty social issues tend to fall into one of two categories: condescending melodramas that appeal to sentimental pre-teen girls ("Crash" and "Blood Diamond") and truly gut-wrenching films like ...

December 4, 2008

The “Milk” Man ****

By Ben Bradley

When it comes to addressing tragedy and hot-button social issues, director Gus Van Sant has plenty of experience - his previous films have addressed topics of school shootings, suicide and inner-city education - so it's ...

December 4, 2008

Female Fantasy ***

By Stephanie Talavera

Twilight is the first of four best-selling young adult novels written by Stephanie Meyer, following the budding romance between the teenaged protagonist, Bella, and her 107-year-old vampire lover, Edward, who is forever ...

December 4, 2008

Robotic Engineering (0 stars)

By Artsweek Editor

Wherever T-Pain is, he needs to be dragged out in front of the public and put into the stockade for crimes committed against music. He has directly contributed to this increasingly distressing vocorder lunacy that has in...

December 4, 2008

Third Time’s The Charm ****

By Sara Weitz

The Killers can do no wrong and with its new album, Day & Age. The Las Vegas-based band's third record will make new fans, keep old fans and have everybody coming back for more.

December 4, 2008

The Sounds of the Season

By Steven Morris

That voice... Arkansas' Adam Faucett comes straight from the netherworld releasing his second album, Show Me Magic, Show Me Out, that somehow manages to upstage his brilliant debut. Here, Faucett again showcases what an ...

November 20, 2008

Another Night in the Neighborhood

By Staff

After only a few minutes at the Biko Co-op Garage Performance Space on Sueno Road, one gets the feeling that most weekend nights at the garage turn into wild, decadent dance parties - at least when there's good music pla...

November 20, 2008

MC Lyte Holds Court in I.V.

By Sara Weitz

MC Lyte is known as one of the greatest female rappers of all time. With a career spanning almost 20 years, which began when her first single dropped in 1986, MC Lyte is a woman who changed the game of hip hop with her i...

November 20, 2008

Meet the Smiths ****

By Aaron Harms

The Sound of the Smiths is an extensive collection of the Smiths' greatest hits, with 23 of its better-known tracks on the first disk and an impressive collection of 22 lesser-known (but equally good) B-sides and live ve...

November 20, 2008

Bond Is Back… ***

By Artsweek Editor

James Bond movies are supposed to be fun, escapist and entertaining fare that pass in one ear and out the other without a great deal of consequence and with a great deal of snappy one-liners, smoking hot women, cars that...