By Jack Silbert on March 26, 2024
EPISODE #583: 55
The Who — “Happy Jack” [THEME]
Sensational Happy Travelers — “March Theme”
Freezing Hands — between-song banter, Live at the Tap ’n Bottle, Tucson, AZ, 2/22/24
Sammy Hagar — “I Can’t Drive 55”
The Ladybug Transistor — “95 Miles Per Hour”
The Sadies — “120 Miles Per Hour”
Stef Chura — “Speeding Ticket”
Devo — “Speed Racer”
Liz Phair — “Speed Racer”
Vic Chesnutt — ”Speed Racer”
theme from Speed Racer
Jug & the Bugs — “Pick My Speed”
Straitjacket Fits — “She Speeds”
The Go-Go’s — “Speeding”
Darren Hayman & the Secondary Modern — “Drive Too Fast”
Tom Waits — “Ol’ 55”
Jack Silbert proudly records the Aquarium podcast in Hoboken, NJ.
Posted in internet radio playlists | Tagged Darren Hayman, Devo, Freezing Hands, Go-Go's, Jug & the Bugs, Ladybug Transistor, Liz Phair, Sammy Hagar, Sensational Happy Travelers, Stef Chura, Straitjacket Fits, The Sadies, Tom Waits, Vic Chesnutt
By Jack Silbert on March 24, 2024
4 stars out of 5
As stated in my previous review on here, I had skipped a chance to see Dune: Part Two because it seemed like too much work. Though I mostly liked the first installment, it was long, dusty, and complicated. Was I ready to sign up for more? Well, this past Thursday, I had a very efficient day into which a screening of the also quite long Dune sequel fit perfectly. (If only I had ever completed my AMC Stubs membership registration and thus received a free birthday large popcorn at the concession stand, it would’ve been the perfect day.)
Well, I liked Dune: Part Two, even more than part one! Timothée Chalamet steps up his game as his character Paul’s life gets more complex. Should he lean into the Fremen people’s belief that he is a messiah? Should he believe it himself? Javier Bardem is again terrific as a Fremen leader who takes Paul under his wing. Rebecca Ferguson is Paul’s mom, torn between good and not-good (literally growling when she’s a baddie.) And Zendaya imbues Fremen warrior Chani with a strong, independent, “I’ll love you but do not f with me” streak. New addition Austin “Elvis, thank you very much” Butler is very good as a somewhat psychotic rising star on the Dark Side.
As it did with an environmental message in part one, Dune betrays it’s mid-1960s origins in this installment with hippie-dippie drug culture (“Inhale the spice, man, and drink the blue fluid. You’ll expand your mind!”) and — pretty ridiculously — nuclear warheads.
Also on the negative side of my scoresheet: Christopher Walken seems out of his depth as the baddie Emperor. Maybe he could’ve played this part 10 or 15 years ago, but now seems sadly out of place. Josh Brolin is quite likable as always but here is basically a too-old Han Solo. I love Léa Seydoux and Florence Pugh, but casting-wise, they look too much like each other and like Rebecca Ferguson (who is only 12 years older than “son” Timothée in the first place) and it was hard for me to keep straight who was who.
Was a bit confused as to why, while the Fremen had not yet accepted outsider Paul, his hot-white-girl-summer mom was immediately made their Den Mother. (Thankfully, the new Post Malone face tattoos she receives help distinguish her a bit from Pugh and Seydoux.) Also, Seydoux sey-duces Austin Butler, they doux it, and make a baby who is a back-up messiah. Sexy time! Yet I had no idea who Seydoux’s character was and then the whole baby thing isn’t mentioned again. Harrumph! While I could generally follow the plot, there were a few points where it threatened to again become overcomplicated.
Director/co-writer Denis Villeneuve does a solid job holding together the many moving parts here. I did feel a little cheated during Paul’s Jedi training; we’re promised many dangerous desert creatures but only get to see sandworms and a baby mouse. And for a celebratory gladiator match involving Austin Butler, Villeneuve makes the odd choice to film it in stark black-and-white as if it were an Arakis by Calvin Klein commercial.
Also, I had to down a shot when the screenplay finally used the word “Dune.”
As the story doesn’t quite wrap up, my thought was, “Damn, I forgot there were going to be THREE parts!” In 2026, somebody remind me that I’m pretty invested in the story at this point and will want to see how it ends.
Posted in movie reviews | Tagged 20s movies, Austin Butler, Denis Villeneuve, Florence Pugh, Javier Bardem, Léa Seydoux, Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya
By Jack Silbert on March 19, 2024
EPISODE #582: WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH 2024
Frances Gall — “Bloody Jack” [ALTERNATE THEME]
Stone Poneys — “Different Drum”
Pizzicato Five — “I”
Keeley — “The Glitter and the Glue”
Deanie Parker — “I’ve Got No Time To Lose”
Sally Timms — “Sweetheart Waltz”
The Gentle Waves — “Solace for Pain”
Eszter Balint — “Motherbear”
Finishing School — “Destination Girl”
Donna Summer — ”I Feel Love”
Snail Mail — “Ben Franklin”
Kitty Craft — “Find Out”
Mirah — “Murphy Bed”
Bachelor — “Stay in the Car”
Who Is She? — “Top 8”
Big Lake — “I Never Left”
Bully — “Ms. America”
Jack Silbert proudly records the Aquarium podcast in Hoboken, NJ.
Posted in internet radio playlists | Tagged Bachelor, Big Lake, Bully, Deanie Parker, Donna Summer, Eszter Balint, Finishing School, Frances Gall, Isobel Campbell, Keeley, Linda Ronstadt, Mirah, Pizzicato Five, Sasha Bell, Snail Mail, Stone Poneys, The Gentle Waves, Who Is She?, Women's History Month
By Jack Silbert on March 19, 2024
1 star out of 5
I wanted to see a movie to clear my head, and I probably should’ve chosen the Dune sequel, as I’d been waiting for it, and it had been well reviewed, but… it just seemed like too much work. So I rolled the dice with Imaginary. And I crapped out.
The trailer hadn’t looked good. It is from the producers of M3GAN but is totally different because it’s about a stuffed bear instead of a talking doll. Also we learn in the trailer that the little kid has an imaginary friend except they keep showing the stuffed bear and aren’t imaginary friends, like, imaginary?
DeWanda Wise is the star; she was the pilot in Jurassic World: Dominion which I liked a lot yet didn’t mention her in my review. Still, she’s the main attraction here, showing some spunk, trying to liven up a movie that has precious little else going for it. DeWanda plays Jessica, stepmom to an eye-rolling teen and an extremely annoying young sister, the type that exists in bad movies but not real life. Jessica is having bad dreams so they do the most logical thing: They move into her childhood home. There, younger daughter finds a stuffed bear and I wish it was Ted because I’d been seeing commercials for the Ted TV series and though I haven’t seen either Ted movie and had no interest in the TV show, that bear seemed a lot more interesting than this one.
Bad things start happening but not the sort of scary bad things that would make the movie compelling/watchable. Poor Betty Buckley shows up and she’s absolutely slumming, must’ve needed to pay off an in-ground pool or make a parking-lot fender bender “go away” — anyway, here she’s an old-lady neighbor who used to babysit Jessica and she’s an expert in imaginary friends I think. I don’t know, I saw this a couple of weeks ago and it’s all a blur.
The movie is rated PG-13; I wish I’d noticed that before deciding to see Imaginary because there’s no real horror here. In fact, the film seems to aim even younger, with a whole stupid “world of imagination, but a child’s imagination is the most powerful gift of all” extended scene.
I gave the movie a half star more than it really deserved (a full star on IMDb!) because there’s a decent little bit very late in the film.
Is Dune 2 still playing?
Posted in movie reviews | Tagged 20s movies
By Jack Silbert on March 12, 2024
EPISODE #581: ST. PATRICK’S DAY 2024
tribute to Joe Hurley’s All-Star Irish Rock Revue
Rogue’s March — “I’m in Love — But Not With You” [ALTERNATE THEME]
Carlton Smith — “We’re All We Got”
Lianne Smith — “The Gift”
King Missile (Dog Fly Religion) — “When She Closed Her Eyes”
Faith NYC — “Shadowman”
Bruce Springsteen — “My Oklahoma Home”
Cracker — “Something You Ain’t Got”
The Cure — “Let’s Go to Bed”
Mary Lee’s Corvette — “The Sound of the Sea”
Ivan Julian — ”Can’t Help Myself”
Deni Bonet — “Light This Candle”
Slyboots — “Blindsided”
World Party — “Way Down Now” r.i.p. Karl Wallinger
Jack Silbert proudly records the Aquarium podcast in Hoboken, NJ.
Posted in internet radio playlists | Tagged Bruce Springsteen, Carlton Jumel Smith, Cracker, Deni Bonet, Faith, Ivan Julian, Joe Hurley's All-Star Irish Rock Revue, King Missile, Lianne Smith, Mary Lee's Corvette, Rogue's March, Slyboots, The Cure, World Party
By Jack Silbert on March 5, 2024
EPISODE #580: RIGHT AND WRONG
Joe Jackson — “Right and Wrong” [ALTERNATE THEME]
James Mastro — “Right Words, Wrong Song”
Travis Ramin — “Right Hot Dog, Wrong Bun”
Dr. John — “Right Place, Wrong Time”
Dum Dum Girls — “Wrong Feels Right”
Dolly Parton — “It’s All Wrong, But It’s All Right”
Percy Sledge — “It’s All Wrong, But It’s Alright”
The Rubs — “Wrong/Right Girl”
Mary Wells — “Two Wrongs Don’t Make a Right”
Homer Banks — ”(If Loving You Is Wrong) I Don’t Want To Be Right”
Long Ryders — “You Don’t Know What’s Right, You Don’t Know What’s Wrong”
Sarah Shook & the Disarmers — “Nothin’ Feels Right But Doin’ Wrong”
Peter Holsapple & Chris Stamey — “Haven’t Got the Right (To Treat Me Wrong)”
Sloan — “Right or Wrong”
The Sweet — “Done Me Wrong All Right”
Son House — “Am I Right or Wrong”
Jack Silbert proudly records the Aquarium podcast in Hoboken, NJ.
Posted in internet radio playlists | Tagged Chris Stamey, Dolly Parton, Dr. John, Dum Dum Girls, Homer Banks, James Mastro, Joe Jackson, Long Ryders, Mary Wells, Percy Sledge, Peter Holsapple, Sarah Shook, Sloan, Son House, Sweet, The Rubs, Travis Ramin
By Jack Silbert on March 1, 2024
3.5 stars out of 5
“Does anybody remember laughter?” as Mr. Plant once asked. The comedy film, once a reliable staple of the multiplex, has become nearly extinct. Sure, there are humorous elements in the increasingly crummy Marvel movies, and there are rom-coms but they more rom than com. For those of us who truly crave the funny, it’s become slim pickings.
So sure, one Coen brother is better than none.
And that’s what we get in Drive-Away Dolls, written by Ethan Coen and his spouse Tricia Cooke, and directed by Ethan. While brother Joel and his wife Frances McDormand went the high-brow route with the superb Tragedy of MacBeth, Ethan sets his sights on goofy fun… and succeeds.
The plot is (blood) simple: Jamie (the ever delightful Margaret Qualley) and her uptight pal Marian (a very good Geraldine Viswanathan) take a drive-away car (one-way free rental) from Philly to Tallahassee, just for a head-clearing road trip. Trouble is, two goons were supposed to take that same car to Tallahassee, due to an initially-MacGuffin suitcase in the trunk. So the goons set off in hot pursuit, meanwhile Jamie and Marian discover the shocking contents of their trunk, and zany hijinks ensue.
There is not much more to this movie and that is OK — because it’s a comedy! And there are some very big laughs along the way. It’s a lesbian story (title was intended to be Drive-Away Dykes) but not for any heavy political reasons; it just helps along the liberals-in-a-conservative-setting scenario. Joey Slotnick is especially funny as the more sensitive of the two goons. Beanie Feldstein gets some solid scenes as Jamie’s resentful ex. Bill Camp, owner of the drive-away business, is a classic Coen character. And you can’t go wrong with a Matt Damon cameo.
Word on the street is that the Coen brothers are working together again soon, and of course I look forward to that. In the meantime, Drive-Away Dolls is a fun, funny, sexy road movie that will keep you smiling for an hour and a half.
Posted in movie reviews | Tagged 20s movies, Coen Bros., Ethan Coen, Margaret Qualley, Matt Damon, Tricia Cooke
By Jack Silbert on February 27, 2024
EPISODE #579: LEAP YEAR 2024
The Who — “Happy Jack” [THEME]
Cecil Gant — “Jump Jack Jump”
Sebadoh — “Leap Year”
Torres — “Big Leap”
Clive Gregson — “February 29th”
Johnny Paycheck — “11 Months and 29 Days”
Chuck Willis — “Let’s Jump Tonight”
Good Grief — “Dimension Jump”
Grass Jaw — “Jump”
David Bowie — ”Jump They Say”
Ben Vaughn Combo — “Grasshopper”
Collins Kids — “Hop, Skip, and Jump”
Logan Ledger — “Skip a Rope”
Bruce Springsteen — “Highway 29”
The Magnificent Seven — “The Leap Frog”
Jack Silbert proudly records the Aquarium podcast in Hoboken, NJ.
Posted in internet radio playlists | Tagged Ben Vaughn, Bruce Springsteen, Cecil Gant, Chuck Willis, Clive Gregson, Collins Kids, David Bowie, Good Grief, Grass Jaw, Johnny Paycheck, Logan Ledger, Sebadoh, Torres
By Jack Silbert on February 20, 2024
EPISODE #578: RETURN TO ARIZONA
The Who — “Happy Jack” [THEME]
Ennio Morricone — “Once Upon a Time in the West”
Cub — “Vacation”
Howe Gelb — “Vex (Tucson)”
Sarah Dougher — “Everywhere West”
Peter Perrett — “How the West Was Won”
No Man — “How the West Was Won”
R.E.M. — “How the West Was Won and Where It Got Us”
Vehicle Flips — “Trouble on the Western Survey”
Bruce Springsteen — ”Tucson Train”
Screaming Females — “Desert Train”
Paper Bee — “Tucson”
Dear Nora — “I Was Born in Arizona”
Freezing Hands — “Wax Cups”
Melted Wires — “Ballad of the Tucson 2”
Jack Silbert proudly records the Aquarium podcast in Hoboken, NJ.
Posted in internet radio playlists | Tagged Bruce Springsteen, Cub, Dear Nora, Ennio Morricone, Freezing Hands, Howe Gelb, Melted Wires, No Man, Paper Bee, Peter Perrett, R.E.M., Sarah Dougher, Screaming Females, Vehicle Flips
By Jack Silbert on February 16, 2024
3.5 stars out of 5
In late December, I saw a confusing trailer for Madame Web starring Dakota Johnson. No interest whatsoever. In late January, however, when Ms. Johnson hosted Saturday Night Live, I learned that her Madame Web character mentors Sydney Sweeney’s character. Total interest; saw the film on opening day.
This is one of those not-quite Marvel movies put out by Sony where I think they’re not allowed to say “Spider-Man”? Except the bad guy’s costume looks like a moldy Spidey suit, later they have some fun basically saying “with great responsibility comes great power,” and reading the character list at the end, I went “ohhhhhhhh.”
Being outside the MCU actually benefits this movie quite a bit. They don’t have to shoehorn in 18 cameos by other heroes, nor do you have needed to watch 15 streaming series to have any ideas what’s going on. Also, the script is bereft of groan-inducing wisecracks.
Early on, we meet paramedics Dakota Johnson and Adam Scott. It would be hard to cast two more likable actors. Johnson begins seeing snippets of the future, and doesn’t know if she has a concussion or is going nuts, etc. But soon enough she crosses path with three teenage girls, one of whom is “nerdy” Sydney Sweeney. Johnson figures out that she’s somehow connected with these young women, and also that she needs to protect them from the aforementioned Spider-Guy.
Now, this is not a great movie. Far from it. Many parts are flat-out stupid. Zosia Mamet, as the bad guy’s IT assistant, turns in one of the all-time laziest check-cashing performances; I don’t think she ever gets out of a chair. Tone-wise and production-value-wise, I was reminded of the late-90s USA Network series NightMan, which was done on the cheap likely on a Toronto soundstage. But compared to the high gloss of the true Marvel films, this was refreshing and there is decidedly less pandering to the audience. (OK, there is a little Pepsi product placement.) Compared with the somewhat similarly structured The Marvels, this is a much superior movie with a good, basic message: girls can get it done, especially when they look after each other.
Posted in movie reviews | Tagged 20s movies, Adam Scott, Dakota Johnson, NightMan, Sydney Sweeney
Jack Silbert, curator