4.5 stars out of 5
Turns out I didn’t know much about Billy Preston. I knew he was referred to as “the fifth Beatle.” I knew that song, “Nothing From Nothing.” I recently learned, after a viewing that I enjoyed much more than you might expect, that he has a very cool scene in the Bee Gees’ Sgt. Pepper movie. Hell, his performance of “Get Back” was one of the reasons I bought the soundtrack! (I get a little obsessive about certain things.) And possibly I thought he was in a musical duo with Marilyn McCoo. (Wrong Billy.)
Now I know a lot more about Billy Preston! I’m not going to tell you most of it, because learning all these cool facts is a real benefit of watching this excellent documentary. Which I suggest you do, and the less you know about Mr. Preston, the more you’ll enjoy it.
I will say that he began at a very young age in the gospel world, as a Hammond B3 organ prodigy. And because the doc doesn’t mention it, I will say that one of the interviewees, Gloria Jones who young Billy was in a gospel group with, is the artist who sang the original version of “Tainted Love.” And was Marc Bolan’s girlfriend! (Hey, somebody should make a Gloria Jones documentary!) She’s just one of several great interviews in the doc, which also includes Ringo Starr, the since-passed Sam Moore, and wow you have to give credit to any filmmaker (here, director Paris Barclay) who makes Eric Clapton come off as super likable. (Oh, and slightly randomly, my college classmate Billy Porter is in there too. Another “wrong Billy” mixup?)
Preston’s life does follow the we’ve-seen-it-before arc of rise to greatness, excesses of fame, drop-off in popularity, and personal struggles. But the fact that he never liked talking about himself adds a very compelling angle to the story. Those close to him — bandmates, managers, friends — recall many memories, good and bad, and try to piece together the puzzle that was Billy Preston.
And yes, after watching the movie, I purchased a Billy Preston compilation. I get a little obsessive about certain things.
Movie Review: Project Hail Mary
4 stars out of 5
I feel like I’m about to write a negative review. Which is crazy, because I liked this movie. Look, I gave it 4 out of 5 stars. The thing is, I wanted it to be great. This movie was promoted for such a very long time. Months and months. I was so excited to see this movie. I love Ryan Gosling!
Project Hail Mary is not a great movie. As a general rule, films with two directors are not great. A great movie is one person’s vision. Not some other guy saying, “Whoa what if he says DUDE right here” or “You know what bro, I think I’m a woman” (Wachowskis only). Phil Lord and Christopher Miller previously directed The Lego Movie, and Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs, and the 21 Jump Street movies. That filmography does not really have a trajectory toward greatness. Family-friendly entertainment, sure. And I think that’s what Project Hail Mary is.
Also, can I please say there were one too many trailers? Trailer 1 was wacky: Gosling was all “hey I’m not qualified to be an astronaut” and they’re all “but you’re the only who can save the planet” and he’s all “D’ohhh!” Trailer 2 was, I think, Gosling encountering life in outer space. Ooh so there’s a twist. But then trailer 3 GIVES THE WHOLE FREAKING MOVIE AWAY. There’s an E.T.-like alien in this thing. There’s a goddamn New York Times article explaining how they make that puppet move and talk. And I get it: With all that cash and bitcoin they blew on advertising, the studio wants to MAXIMIZE ITS AUDIENCE. And revealing the cutesy creature makes you that much more likely to BRING THE KIDS. And buy branded merchandise.
It’s a good movie, despite having no surprises whatsoever. Gosling is terrific. Let’s have more movies starring Gosling. The science mumbo-jumbo is mostly understandable. The main thrust of the movie is not Astrophage-powered rockets but is in fact friendship and what we’re willing to do for true friends. I think I was supposed to get teary but i did not get teary, and I am a weepy motherf’er.
Marcus from The Bear is in this for a little bit.
If you haven’t seen Project Hail Mary yet and still want to, adjust your expectations and go. And let’s hope Lord and Miller have a falling out like the Safdies.
Aquarium Playlist, 3/24/26
EPISODE #685: DOUBLE SHOT TUESDAY
Mike Delevante — “When You’re Around”
The Delevantes — “Long About That Time”
Heavenly — “Portland Town”
Heavenly — “Lemonhead Boy”
The Lemonheads — “Deep End”
The Lemonheads — “If I Could Talk I’d Tell You”
Lucinda Williams — “Low Life”
Lucinda Williams — “I Just Wanted To See You So Bad”
Peter Holsapple — “That Kind of Guy”
The dB’s — “Big Brown Eyes”
The Cure — “Drone: Nodrone”
The Cure — “In Between Days”
X — “Sweet Til the Bitter End”
X — “The Once Over Twice”
Bob Mould — “When Your Heart Is Broken”
Hüsker Dü — “Makes No Sense at All”
Jack Silbert proudly records the Aquarium podcast in Hoboken, NJ.
Movie Review: The Bride!
3.5 stars out of 5
Jessie Buckley charmed the world accepting her Best Actress Oscar for Hamnet. And yet the fickle world has mostly turned a blind eye to Buckley’s lead turn in The Bride! (despite her playing more characters than Michael B. Jordan did in Sinners).
Maybe it didn’t help that The Bride! (a Bride of Frankenstein tale) came too quickly on the heels of Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein, a superior film in many regards.
One could even argue that this is a bad movie.
And yet…
There are flashes of brilliance. There were time when I was thinking, “Wait, is this actually a great movie?” I found it more compelling as it went along. I feel like writer/director Maggie Gyllenhaal may have a cult classic on her hands.
Let’s see if I can explain this story: Mary Shelley (Buckley), from beyond the grave, is itching to tell another story, and 1930s Chicago seems like the right time and place, where she possesses young boop-boop-bee-dooper Ida (also Buckley), who winds up dead. Enter Frank — wink wink — a.k.a. Christian Bale, he of the sewed-together forehead who shows up at the Windy City office of Dr. Annette Bening. He’s lonely and wants a girl, just like Jacob Elordi did in that other movie. After some convincing, the doc reanimates Ida, who is only worse for wear by the “hey you got a little… something on your lower cheek. No, you missed it. No, it’s still there.”
Then the film basically becomes undead Bonnie and Clyde on the run, with detectives Peter Sarsgaard (good to see him getting bigger roles again, oh wait he’s Mr. Maggie!) and Penélope Cruz hot on their trail, and Ida inspiring a proto-feminist revolt. (Somewhere even farther beyond the grave, Mary Shelley’s mom Mary Wollstonecraft is smiling.) In a nice touch, Frank is obsessed with musical film star Ronnie Reed a.k.a. Jake Gyllenhaal. Which is either corny or cool when it leads to a tip of the top hat to Young Frankenstein. It’s like Maggie is throwing everything against the wall and seeing what sticks.
Enough does stick, to at least catch this on streaming. It’s only a 2-hour, 6-minute commitment, not till death (or beyond) do you part.
Aquarium Playlist, 3/17/26
EPISODE #684: MY MOM
a memorial tribute to Judy Silbert
The Who — “Happy Jack” [THEME]
The dB’s — “Judy”
Herman’s Hermits — “Mrs. Brown, You’ve Got a Lovely Daughter”
Boogie Down Productions — “South Bronx”
Russ Hodges — Bobby Thomson’s Shot Heard ‘Round the World
Sid Caesar — “Real Live Girl”
Sid Caesar & Imogene Coca — “Saturday Night Couple”
Portishead — “Hunter”
Rockpile — “Teacher Teacher”
Sting — “Fields of Gold”
O-Town — “All or Nothing”
Chocolate Genius — “My Mom”
Bill Monroe & His Bluegrass Boys — “Mother’s Only Sleeping”
The Staple Singers — “If I Could Hear My Mother”
The Intruders — “I’ll Always Love My Mama”
Jack Silbert proudly records the Aquarium podcast in Hoboken, NJ.
Aquarium Playlist, 3/4/26
EPISODE #683: ALIVE
The Who — “Happy Jack” [THEME]
Frankie Cosmos — “Being Alive”
Electric Light Orchestra — “I’m Alive”
Jackson Browne — “I’m Alive”
Queen — “Keep Yourself Alive”
Tom Waits — “What Keeps Mankind Alive”
The Pains of Being Pure at Heart — “Stay Alive”
Bern & the Brights — “As Long As I’m Alive”
Bruce Springsteen — “We Are Alive”
They Might Be Giants — “Good To Be Alive”
The dB’s — “Walking the Ceiling (It’s Good To Be Alive)”
Beastie Boys — “Alive”
Chuck Prophet — “It’s a Good Day To Be Alive”
Neil Sedaka — “Ring a Rockin’” r.i.p.
Jack Silbert proudly records the Aquarium podcast in Hoboken, NJ.
Movie Review: A Poet
4.5 stars out of 5
Thank goodness lead actor Ubeimar Rios wears a beard throughout this film, or else my fellow moviegoers might’ve thought I was him sneaking in for a screening. And there’s not just a physical resemblance that connected me to this schlubby middle-aged character Oscar Restrepo; he’s a writer whose professional and personal lives used to show much more promise, yet he remains stubbornly idealistic.
Oscar lives with his elderly mother. The pressure is on from his sister and brother-in-law to start earning some money (which would also help pay for college for his estranged teen daughter). He reluctantly begins a high-school teaching job, but his beloved liquid courage doesn’t get him off to a good start in the classroom. However, one student grabs his attention: Yurlady, a fellow poet. He decides to become her mentor, which has both positive and very negative consequences for Oscar.
I so appreciated that this movie didn’t try to do too much except portray real life and real problems. We’re in Colombia but there are no drug lords or corrupt government officials, etc. etc. Instead, the film asks some very basic questions: Are people capable of change? Can we mend broken relationships? Is it possible to fulfill our dreams through another person? And a bigger query: What is the role of art in society? This is addressed through a wicked satire of socioeconomic patronization in the local poetry community.
Oh, and I should mention that A Poet is also very, very funny. We’re rooting for Oscar but can’t help but laugh as he stumbles through his existence. I would also be rooting for the movie for an Oscar, but although it was the Colombian entry as Best International Film, it was inexplicably not nominated. That is not poetic justice.
Aquarium Playlist, 2/17/26
EPISODE #681: BLACK HISTORY MONTH 2026
Amos Milburn — “My Baby’s Boogying” [ALTERNATE THEME]
Carter Brothers — “Southern Country Boy”
The Sapphires — “Where Is Johnny Now?”
Skip James — “Drunken Spree”
Little Willie John — “I’m Shakin’”
Dee Dee Warwick — “Girls Need Love”
Lee Dorsey — “Working in the Coalmine”
The Clovers — “Lovey”
McFadden & Whitehead — “Ain’t No Stoppin’ Us Now”
Billy Preston — “Get Back”
The Five Stairsteps — “O-o-h Child”
Living Colour — “Glamour Boys”
Sade — “No Ordinary Love”
The Three Degrees — “When Will I See You Again”
Jack Silbert proudly records the Aquarium podcast in Hoboken, NJ.
Aquarium Playlist, 2/10/26
EPISODE #680: VALENTINE’S DAY 2026 (HUGS)
The Who — “Happy Jack” [THEME]
The Sweet Teens — “My Valentine”
Hemmy Hemmerich — “Free Hugs”
Booker T. & the MG’s — “Hip Hug-Her”
Lightheaded — “Hugging Horizons”
European Sun — “Hugs”
Torres — “Hug From a Dinosaur”
Erika Sherger — “Hugging the Coastline”
Morrissey — “Darling, I Hug a Pillow”
Kimya Dawson & Antsy Pants — “Tree Hugger”
The Wrens — “Jane Fakes a Hug”
Rain Recordings — “Every Time I Hug You to Leave”
The Lil’ Hospital — “Hugless”
Maita — “Best Wishes, XO, Hugs and Kisses, Goodbye”
Jack Silbert proudly records the Aquarium podcast in Hoboken, NJ.
Jack Silbert, curator