Admission 3 stars A movie starring Tina Fey is a movie America expects and wants to love. Unfortunately, “Admission” is neither reminiscent of “Mean Girls” nor “Baby Mama”—maybe Amy Poehler is necessary for a true success. Portia Nathan (Fey) is a clean-cut admissions counselor at Princeton who has made a career out of denying countless students the opportunity to be a Tiger.
Jessica Yu, frequent contributor to the Sundance Film Festival, presents her documentary “The Living Museum” to Full Frame Festival.
The Dear Hunter Migrant 3.5 stars Progressive rock Recently gracing our neck of the woods at the Cat’s Cradle last week, The Dear Hunter diversifies his sound on his recent release Migrant. Originally working with the post-hardcore band The Receiving End of Sirens, singer Casey Crescenzo’s latest project takes an alternative spin.
I’m sure most remember Shailene Woodley back in the days of “The Secret Life of the American Teenager.” You remember that show – it’s the one when sweet girl Amy gets pregnant at band camp and things go south from there.
G.I. Joe: Retaliation 2 stars It seems as though summer has arrived early with the latest The Rock action film “G.I.
The Full Frame Documentary Film Festival is an annual international event that highlights the importance and creativity of non-fiction films.
What is the word “Southern” to you? Is it a banjo-backed folk band, or a hip-hop artist drawling laid-back rhymes over a beat as smooth as Southern honey? Is it a grizzled bluesman, or an alt-rock band with a sound as thick as the humid Carolina air?
Mibbs, Like and BeYoung are Pacific Division, better known as Pac Div. The California crew promises a fun show at The Pinhook on Wednesday with Defacto Thezpian.
West Coast rockers Redd Kross are comfortably back in the saddle after 15 years of inactivity with a monumental new album, Researching the Blues, driving the group back into alt-rock stardom. Dive Verdict: ???1/2
A promise: Alternative, hip-hop-like Johnny Polygon is like nothing you’ve ever heard. His February project,The Nothing, boasts no labels, no samples and no features.
Unfortunately, when people see “The Host” flash across the screen, all they can seem to concentrate on are the words that come next: “From Stephenie Meyer, author of the ‘Twilight’ saga.” But as a viewer, try to shake off any memories of painfully awkward Kristen Stewart interviews and watch “The Host” in its own right — a new take on the current dystopian fad in film. Dive Verdict: ??1/2
I have spent the last couple weeks toiling in the mediocrity of The Walking Dead, the inconsistency of Girls, and the greatness of the long-gone The Wire, just waiting for something current, fresh, and captivating to break this rut.
Olympus Has Fallen 3.5 stars Are you proud to be an American? You should be after watching “Olympus Has Fallen.”
The Cyclist Bones in Motion 2.5 stars House Describing himself as a “disco music maker” on Twitter, the latest album from Northern Ireland producer, The Cyclist, provides listeners with 59 minutes of traditional house analog experiments mangled with futuristic distortions of trance. The sophomore album, Bones in Motion, comes from the Los Angeles based-label, Leaving Records, which is on a mission to bring cassette tapes back.
Friday, Mar. 29 Zack Mexico Slims, Raleigh 9 pm, $5 Zack Mexico will bring its freak-surf act to Slims Friday night all the way from Kill Devil Hills.
Generationals Heza 2.5 stars Pop rock New Orleans-based indie pop outfit Generationals’ latest album, Heza, serves as a clever take on sugar pop psychedelia with hook-filled records that draw liberally from rock’s ‘50s and ‘60s heydays.
How is it possible to have so many sequels to films, especially when they have a great impact on their predecessors? Some sequels are well made and are beneficial to a series or sequence of films.
Deep Chatham’s second release, Flood, is a slightly more modern take on foot-stomping bluegrass and stripped-down Delta blues that keeps all the romanticism of the old with the temptation of the new. Dive Verdict: ????1/2
Album artwork isn’t always an accurate gauge of how a record will sound, but based on the cover of funk rock band Honeychile’s album So Damn Good, listeners will know exactly what to expect. Dive Verdict: ??1/2
I knew “Spring Breakers” was special from the moment I saw it. Director Harmony Korine’s film is a finely crafted work of art which touches on intricate social issues while flaunting its bikini-clad stars. Dive Verdict: ???1/2
