Reviews
The Offer Spins a Fable Out of the Making of The Godfather: Review
The Pitch: In the early 1970s, a plucky little movie studio called Paramount Pictures, overseen by a firebrand named Bob Evans (Matthew Goode), had the rights to make a movie based on a very popular novel called The Godfather. Making this movie, of course, would be no small task, and the hero of the project became an unlikely one: Alfred S. Ruddy (Miles Teller), who prior to taking on the project was a relatively inexperienced film producer best known for co-creating the classic ’60s sitcom Hogan’s Heroes (prior to which he worked for the Rand Corporation as a programmer). Ruddy’s problems aren’t just limited to negotiating the wild personalities involved with the film — Evans himself, neurotic director Francis Ford Coppola (Dan Fogler), a fresh-faced theater actor named Al Pacino (Anthony...
Better Call Saul Recap: A Season Premiere That Revs the Story Into Gear
[Editor’s note: The following contains spoilers for Better Call Saul Season 6 Episode 1, “Wine and Roses.”] Case Summary When last we left our heroes (as far as heroes exist on Better Call Saul), Nacho was fleeing the scene of Lalo’s attempted assassination in Mexico — which Lalo had the bad manners and quick wit to avoid, meaning that as the season begins he’s still alive, on his own, and determined to bring those who tried to have him killed to his own sort of justice. Nacho, meanwhile, has only a tenuous lifeline to help in escaping Mexico himself, making his way on foot from Lalo’s compound to hide out in a seemingly deserted motel to wait for instructions; his fate is just one of many that Gus seems to hold in his hand at the moment, showing no inclination to rush into a move. Adverti...
Better Call Saul Recap: Nacho’s on the Move, and Kim’s Got Plans
[Editor’s note: The following contains spoilers for Better Call Saul Season 6 Episode 2, “Carrot and Stick.” For our recap of Episode 1, click here.] Case Summary The title of Better Call Saul Season 6, Episode 2, refers to how Jimmy and Kim continue to develop their plan to sabotage Harold Hamlin’s career, this time bringing in the once-familiar faces of Betsy and Craig Kellerman. You might remember this vindictive pair from Season 1, when Jimmy McGill represented them as Craig faced charges over his illicit bookkeeping for Bernalillo County — since then, Craig’s done some time, and he and Betsy are attempting to rebuild with a new business preparing tax returns for people who don’t spend enough time looking over the fine print to make sure that they’re not being ripped off (something we’...
Barry Season 3 Review: Bill Hader’s Hollywood Hit-Man Gets Even Darker and More Complex
The Pitch: Coming back after one of the longer pandemic-era delays on record, the third season of Barry is all about consequences. The HBO dramedy has never strayed far from depicting the brutal repercussions of hit-man Barry’s (Bill Hader) decision to attempt transitioning out of the assassination-for-hire game for a new life as an actor. But the stakes feel even higher now, with reason for serious concern not just for the lives of every character in Barry’s circle, but their souls. That means yet more of the brilliantly nuanced character work nurtured by creators Hader and Alex Berg, but also yet more of the show’s unconventional action and fascinating directing choices. With the cast all returning at the top of their game, the only potential concern one might have about the new season o...
Russian Doll Season 2 Review: Natasha Lyonne’s Metaphysical Comedy Continues to Screw With Time
The Pitch: Nearly four years after the Birthday That Just Kept Killing Them, Nadia Vulvokov (Natasha Lyonne) and Alan Zaveri (Charlie Barnett) are still free of the cosmic death wishes that tied their fates together in the first place. Well, mostly. While neither seems in imminent danger of falling down a flight of stairs or getting walloped by an errant taxi, neither do they seem to have particularly warmed to the idea of being alive in a world that deals people such uneven hands. This means that as yet another of Nadia’s birthdays is approaching — and not just any birthday, but her milestone 40th — they are neither of them surprised when the universe decides to step in and screw with their experience of time once more. In Nadia’s case, this screwery takes the form of a No. 6 train that i...
Conversations With a Killer: The John Wayne Gacy Tapes Shows the Banality of Evil: Review
The Pitch: Years on, the American public is still obsessed with serial killers — who they are, what makes them tick, the lurid details of their murderous escapades. No one knows this more than the folks at Netflix, who toss out a new true-crime documentary every other week, and whose biggest hits include shows like Mindhunter. One of the platform’s biggest hits was 2019’s Conversations with a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes, which assembled a four-part chronicle of his crimes, his history, and the trial that ignited the public’s imagination. Now director Joe Berlinger is back with a follow-up, The John Wayne Gacy Tapes, drawing from nearly 60 hours of recorded interviews with another infamous mass murderer to tell another tale of lost innocence, the nature of madness, and the various...
Outer Range Is Yellowstone Meets Ozark Meets Stranger Things: Review
The Pitch: Stretched out over the sprawling plains and towering mountains of Wyoming, a kind of Hatfields and McCoys situation plays out between two neighboring ranch families — the Abbotts, led by firm but fair patriarch Royal (Josh Brolin), and the Tillersons, an out-there clan led by Wayne (Will Patton), an ailing land-grabber with his eyes on the Abbotts’ western pasture. But things turn ever more complicated when a mysterious drifter named Autumn (Imogen Poots) shows up at the Abbotts’ doorstep and asks to camp on their land (and can pay for the privilege), her motivations unknown. That same day, a tractor-sized hole opens up in the ground along — you guessed it — the Abbotts’ western pasture, a bottomless black pit covered in smoke, seemingly leading to nowhere. Where did it com...
The Flight Attendant Season 2 Keeps the Story Going — and Soars: Review
The Pitch: When the first season of The Flight Attendant hit HBO in late November of 2020, it signaled a bit of a shift for star Kaley Cuoco (who also acts as an executive producer on the series). Known best for her longtime role on The Big Bang Theory, Cuoco entered new territory for many viewers with the twisty, darkly comedic mystery, and stuck the landing as an alcoholic flight attendant, imbuing the title character with something so human the audience couldn’t help but be sympathetic to her antics. Season 1 caught on quickly through word of mouth as the puzzle unfolded. Season 2, premiering on HBO with the first two episodes on Thursday, April 21st, picks back up with Cassie (Cuoco) living her very best life. Things are a bit different for our chaotic heroine — she’s relocated to Los ...
BTS Take Their “PERMISSION TO DANCE ON STAGE” Concert to Las Vegas: Recap, Photos + Setlist
Las Vegas may be a good time gal, but she isn’t easy. The self-proclaimed “Entertainment Capital of the World” is accustomed to hosting countless entertainers. And perhaps because there’s always another visiting celeb, the city rolls out her red carpet for no one… that is, until BTS arrived in Sin City. In this case, it was a purple carpet, and it blanketed the city in excitement. In honor of a sold-out, four-night run at Allegiant Stadium (April 8th-9th and 15th-16th) titled PERMISSION TO DANCE ON STAGE IN LAS VEGAS, the iconic Bellagio Fountain Show has been playing BTS hits, while Strip marquees display the word “Borahaegas” in a purple-hued nod to the group. But that’s just the beginning of a city-wide immersive event, or “urban concert playpark,” called BTS PERMISSION TO DANCE THE CIT...
Father John Misty’s Chloë and the Next 20th Century: Doomed Love Songs For the Pseudo-Nostalgic
“What’s ‘deeply funny’ mean anyhow?” Father John Misty asks on “Q4,” a single from Chloë and the Next 20th Century. The song is the album’s clearest, most cutting satire, but this question feels earnest, the stakes intimate to the singer — as a performer and person seeking connection in a modern wasteland. Over five albums, singer-songwriter Josh Tillman has been a craftsman of story-songs delivered via absurdist personae, scaffolding ironic provocation with heartfelt croons and soaring folk-inspired instrumentation. On Chloë, singer-songwriter Josh Tillman returns with his first new material since 2018’s taciturn God’s Favorite Customer. Written and recorded in fall/winter 2020, the album sees Tillman continuing to collaborate with multi-instrumentatlist/producer Jonathan Wilson and engin...
Wet Leg’s Riotous Debut Stands up to the Hype
It’s so easy to be cynical about a band like Wet Leg, who in a matter of months last year signed a management deal, a record contract with tastemaker Domino (Arctic Monkeys, Cat Power) and sold out their first headlining tour, despite having released only two singles — six minutes of music to secure all the success many artists spend a lifetime trying to achieve. So followed the exhaustive Twitter and Reddit discourse over whether the Isle of Wight duo of Rhian Teasdale and Hester Chambers were actually industry plants, backed by resources far greater than the scuzzy indie-punk satire of their debut hit “Chaise Longue” might suggest. How else could they have so quickly landed airplay on Elton John’s Apple Music radio show or notched a public co-sign from Dave Grohl? To all this over-hype...
Olivia Rodrigo Kicks Off Her “Sour Tour” in Portland, Oregon: Photos + Setlist
Olivia Rodrigo was already a two-time Grammy winner before she’d even had her own tour. Not the typical order of operations for artists, but Rodrigo is a new kind of pop star. With her Best New Artist gramophone in tow, the “drivers license” singer finally launched her first-ever headlining tour on Tuesday, April 5th at Portland, Oregon’s Theater of the Clouds — and our photographer Dan Garcia was there to capture it all. The “Sour Tour” kick-off concert featured an entire (if out of order) run-through of the album of the same name — not surprising as Sour is Rodrigo’s only LP. The setlist was padded with a pair of covers: Avril Lavigne’s “Complicated” (in honor of “the pop-punk princess herself,” as Rodrigo put it) and Veruca Salt’s “Seether.” Below, find a photo gallery of Olivia Ro...
