The Brown Note Movie Review

Jamie Foxx is good value in a colorful but only intermittently entertaining or funny vampire romp, that feels more like a zombie flick and is very surface level, but just about gets over the line.

One of musics most indefatigable voices has had a dream run since he punctuated his long recording career by releasing music under his own name. Even against that 'Reality" is a high water mark. Focused, upright, compelling, consistent, well curated and with several of the best things he's every done. Add a fully developed sweet of songs, with a dynamic sound stage (often veering into the avant-garde and atonal) and great lyrics throughout, one of his very finest.

One of the most acclaimed low-budget cross-over horror successes of the year, but having watched it near back to back with, Smile, I kinda feel the reviews for both films should be reversed. Admittedly this film is much more original and has much stronger themes, but where as Smile is relentless, scary and dread-fueled, Barbarian has a LOT of down time and a lot of dead ends. Much of the story and characters seem in service to the themes, there wasn't much dread and few scares. I appreciated its gonzo final third and imaginative, jarring shifts but felt it was way less than the sum of its parts.

The ninth album from Pennsylvania's Alex G contains compelling and immediate melodies and emotional, personal lyircs SOME of the time. It can also drift a bit.

The latest in the long line of low budget horrors, that cross over to major box office, is a far classier affair than expected, with a superb lead performance by Sosie Bacon. Like the movie, she is at her best credibility descending in psychosis in this supernatural chiller. A brilliant sound-stage and music and an expert hand at the overused trope of jump scares rounds out a near excellent film.

Last review for a bit, and slightly less than the universal acclaim - though still very strong and often thrilling for the long awaited UK duo's debut.

I'm not sure why the stunning new album from veteran, Beth Orton isn't being called post rock, as it fits firmly into the heritage of Talk Talk's, Spirit of Eden and Laughing Stock.

My favorite rapper eschews his famed one-producer projects with few guests to go for the multi-guest, multi-producer angle most others can only do. It's never going to be bad, though I wished he'd pushed even further and sadly it's only the old head guest spots that are on par with the MVP himself.

Well, well, well. It's been a couple of years since we last found ourselves at the zero out of ten saloon. Thank me for watching the Idris Elba lion film, so you never have to. Less Jaws, than Jaws 4 - only without the laughter and entertainment. A whopping big fat zero for no merit in any direction of film-making. The Megan Fox lion film was MUCH better.

Brad Pitt brings a fair bit of comedic charm to a rote action film that aims at a very low hill and struggles likes a guinea pig to get over it.