Space opera makes a welcome return to Syfy in the US and Space in Canada this Friday with the debut of Dark Matter. Adapted by creators Joseph Mallozzi and Paul Mullie from their own Dark Horse Comics graphic novel, Dark Matter’s 13-episode first season is destined to be an action-packed mix of drama, humour and...
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June 9, 2015June 9, 2015Film
Blu-ray Review: The DUFF
“Duff” is an acronym for “designated ugly fat friend.” In the new teen comedy The DUFF, Mae Whitman holds that dubious title as Bianca Piper, always flanked by her conventionally hotter friends, Jess (Skyler Samuels) and Casey (Bianca Santos). Never mind that Bianca is neither “ugly” nor “fat,” that’s not the point. As very frankly...
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May 1, 2015May 1, 2015Music
Bentley’s Bandstand: May 2015
Alabama Shakes, Sound & Color. Bless whoever threw all the goofer dust into the fried grits, because on their sophomore album it sure sounds like the Alabama Shakes set their chickens free. There is such a wild freedom of expression that no way will anyone ever mistake this rootsy band again as more of the...
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April 18, 2015April 18, 2015Music
Album Reviews: Nine New Winners
I focus most of my reviews on the albums that will be of the widest interest, which generally means well-known artists. However, I also want to direct attention to some of the less-prominent performers who seem deserving of the spotlight. Here are capsule reviews of new albums from some of the ones who’ve impressed me...
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April 17, 2015April 17, 2015Music
New Music for Old People: The London Souls, Neil Young, Gov’t Mule, Delta Rae and More
This column is like the title says — its intention is to fill the gap for those of us who were satiated musically in the ’60s and then searched desperately as we aged for music we could relate to and get the same buzz from nowadaze. iTunes was the answer for me in 2003 and...
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March 22, 2015March 22, 2015Music
Album Review: John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers Live in 1967
If you’re a serious Fleetwood Mac fan, you’re undoubtedly familiar with the early 1970s version of the group—the one that gave us albums like Bare Trees and Heroes Are Hard to Find before Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham came aboard and helped turn them into superstars. You may also know of the even earlier version...
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March 8, 2015March 8, 2015Video
DVD Review: Aaliyah: The Princess of R&B
Singer and actress Aaliyah accomplished a great deal in her brief career before tragically perishing in a plane crash on August 25, 2001 at the age of 22. Several multi-platinum albums and chart-topping singles, plus co-starring roles in the feature films Romeo Must Die and Queen of the Damned, are obvious highpoints. The biopic Aaliyah:...
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March 3, 2015March 3, 2015Video
DVD Review: To Write Love on Her Arms
To Write Love on Her Arms is an extremely well-intentioned movie starring Kat Dennings as a young woman struggling with depression, addiction, and self-harming. It’s based on the true story of Renee Yohe (Dennings) and her support group of friends, including Jamie Tworkowski (Chad Michael Murray). The real Tworkowski not only penned the book upon...
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February 23, 2015February 23, 2015Film
Blu-ray Review: Life Itself
Steve James (Hoop Dreams) directed the documentary Life Itself, an adaptation of the late film critic Roger Ebert’s memoir of the same name. Ebert was involved in the production, bravely allowing the disfiguring results of his surgical procedures to be photographed up close by James’ unflinching camera. Ebert’s work as one of the most influential...
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February 6, 2015February 6, 2015Music
New Music for Old People: Fifty Years of the Balladry and Bad-Ass Brilliance of Tracy Nelson
I first heard/saw Tracy on a Prestige album — a label normally reserved for jazzers, hence my immediate interest in a gal who looked to be in her early 20s but sang like a woman from the early 1920s. Turns out she was a bluesy folker and her voice made an immediate dent in the...