Debuting in 2006, Disney Junior’s Mickey Mouse Clubhouse is a computer-animated series aimed squarely at the pre-school set. It’s a brightly colored, gently educational-themed series featuring simple plots and catchy songs. Problem-solving games pop up throughout the episodes, encouraging an interactive approach for young viewers. But the real hook, of course, are the beloved characters—namely Mickey and Minnie Mouse, Donald...
Judge of Character: Interview with Turn’s Kevin McNally
“Reach for the stars” is an expression that one can apply to a variety of pursuits, personal as well as professional. Born in Bristol, England and having grown up in Birmingham, veteran stage, feature film and television actor Kevin McNally looked to the heavens for inspiration when it came to what career he one day wanted to pursue. At one...
New Music for Old People: Third Anniversary Edition
A Note from the Editor: We here at TMR were pretty happy when, shortly after we opened our virtual doors, Al Kooper decided to write us a weekly column. The general idea was that Al would curate the new music releases every week and bring the best of them to the attention of “listeners of a certain age.” Well, one...
Bentley’s Bandstand: May 2014
Eden Brent, Jigsaw Heart. There are times in an artist’s life where they’re in exactly the right place at the right time. It doesn’t happen as often as it used to, but when it does the music they make takes flight. This Mississippi woman, who mixes blues, jazz and a lot of other styles into one soul-warming sound, traveled to...
Blu-ray Review: Knights of Badassdom
Knights of Badassdom is a genre-bender boasting a cast of highly recognizable television stars that all but guarantees a ready-made audience. A group of friend and dedicated LARPers (Live Action Role-Players) convene somewhere in Eastern Washington (the film was shot in and around Spokane) to enact a medieval fantasy. They wind up with far more than they bargained for when...
New Music for Old People: Browning Bryant, The Intruders, SOHN, Meg Myers 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 I have been following the...
Blu-ray Review: Norma Rae
Thirty-five years ago, Sally Field delivered her first Oscar-winning performance. The film was Norma Rae, directed by Martin Ritt and written by Harriet Frank, Jr. and Irving Ravetch. Now available on Blu-ray for the first time, the film is every bit as engrossing, entertaining, and inspiring as it was upon its first release. The plot concerns a textiles union organizer...
Album Review: Mary Fahl – Love And Gravity
Over the course of 13 years, Mary Fahl has released only three albums and one EP. While the length of time between releases may have been a long, long time to wait, especially for her fans, the songs from them are of the highest quality and beauty. Fahl was a part of October Project, a New York City-based band that...
Blu-ray Review: The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
With a worldwide box office haul of $950 million (about five percent less than 2012’s An Unexpected Journey), it’s hard to argue with the decision to turn The Hobbit into a series of three excessively lengthy movies. That said, it’s hard to imagine a lesser return—in terms of narrative complexity and character development—than what Peter Jackson has delivered with The...
Blu-ray Review: Grudge Match
Grudge Match coasts by, for a while at least, on its lighthearted atmosphere and the energy of a game cast. Aging boxing rivals Henry “Razor” Sharp (Sylvester Stallone) and Billy “The Kid” McDonnen (Robert De Niro) are called upon to provide motion capture and voiceover work for an upcoming video game. The 60-somethings each won a bout against the other,...