By Jack Silbert on March 24, 2026
3.5 stars out of 5
We’ve reached the ruffled Ruffalo era and I am all in. It’s easy to imagine that his character from Task moved from Pennsylvania to Los Angeles to get a fresh start as a police detective.
Kudos to the casting on this flick. Beyond Mark Ruffalo, we also have Chris Hemsworth, believable as a gentleman thief without a real background and without much to say. Interesting to see Halle Berry as a high-end insurance agent who’s aware of a new generation of eye candy to lure in potential clients. Much is made of the face that Berry’s character is 53. (“And I can KICK.”) Also interesting is that Berry is 59 in real life.
In smaller roles, you can’t go wrong with Nick Nolte as a gargling-with-glass-voiced crime boss and Barry Keoghan as a young ultraviolet motorcycle-riding creep willing to do tasks for Nolte that Hemsworth is too principled for. Ooh, parallels between insurance and crime! Blink and you miss her: Jennifer Jason Leigh as Ruffalo’s ex-wife.
Old-fashioned Ruffalo is hot on Hemsworth’s trail; all these multi-million thefts have been close to the 101! Hey that’s in the title of the movie! Ruffalo’s bosses just want him to close cases. Wait, are you telling me there are similarities among insurance, crime, and law enforcement??
Crime 101 kept my attention throughout. It’s stylish and takes advantage of its Los Angeles setting. Ooh I forgot about Monica Barbaro (Joan Baez in A Complete Unknown) as the regular girl who wants to see the human side of hard-to-read Hemsworth; bonus points when she tries to loosen him up by putting on Bruce’s live 1981 recording of “Jersey Girl.” The messaging doesn’t go much deeper than young vs. old and rich vs. poor, but writer/director Bart Layton has made a watchable flick with Crime 101; let’s see how he does in advanced classes.
Posted in movie reviews | Tagged 20s movies, Barry Keoghan, Bart Layton, Chris Hemsworth, Halle Berry, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Mark Ruffalo, Monica Barbaro, Nick Nolte
By Jack Silbert on March 17, 2026
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.
Posted in movie reviews | Tagged 20s movies, Christian Bale, Jake Gyllenhaal, Jessie Buckley, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Penélope Crus, Peter Sarsgaard
By Jack Silbert on March 17, 2026
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.
Posted in internet radio playlists | Tagged Bill Monroe, Boogie Down Productions, Chocolate Genius, dB's, Herman's Hermits, Imogene Coca, O-Town, Portishead, Rockpile, Russ Hodges, Sid Caesar, Staple Singers, Sting, The Intruders
By Jack Silbert on March 4, 2026
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.
Posted in internet radio playlists | Tagged Beastie Boys, Bern & the Brights, Bruce Springsteen, Chuck Prophet, dB's, Electric Light Orchestra, Frankie Cosmos, Jackson Browne, Neil Sedaka, Pains of Being Pure at Heart, Queen, They Might Be Giants, Tom Waits
By Jack Silbert on February 24, 2026
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.
Posted in movie reviews | Tagged 20s movies
By Jack Silbert on February 17, 2026
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.
Posted in internet radio playlists | Tagged Amos Milburn, Billy Preston, Carter Brothers, Dee Dee Warwick, Lee Dorsey, Little Willie John, Living Colour, McFadden & Whitehead, Sade, Skip James, The Clovers, The Five Stairsteps, The Sapphires, The Three Degrees
By Jack Silbert on February 10, 2026
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.
Posted in internet radio playlists | Tagged Booker T. & the MG's, Erika Sherger, European Sun, Hemmy Hemmerich, Kimya Dawson, Lightheaded, Maita, Morrissey, Rain Recordings, The Lil’ Hospital, The Sweet Teens, The Wrens, Torres
By Jack Silbert on February 6, 2026
3 stars out of 5
I’ve been an admirer (cough, cough) of Rachel McAdams for 20+ years. But it was the combined presence of her and director Sam Raimi that convinced me to see Send Help. They last worked together in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and I thought that effort came together very well.
Here, McAdams is Linda Liddle, nebbishy loner but a numbers whiz at her finance job, where she’s just been passed over for a promised promotion to VP. However, 24’s President David Palmer, just before cashing his paycheck for a glorified cameo, convinces dickhead young boss Brad (Dylan O’Brien) to bring Linda along on an important trip to Asia. And just like in 2005’s Red Eye, McAdams finds herself on a very troubled flight.
Linda and Brad realize they are the only survivors of the plane crash on some remote island. But here, Survivor superfan/wannabe contestant Linda thrives with her mad skills regarding food and shelter, and busted-leg Brad is the weak one. In the hands of an anonymous director, this could be a really crummy role-reversal-revenge movie. But good ol’ Sam Raimi knows how to make it fun and funny. A scene with McAdams hunting a wild boar is a particular highlight.
Alas, Raimi didn’t write this movie (and hasn’t written one since 2009’s Drag Me to Hell). And the screenwriting duo Damian Shannon and Mark Swift (who have only previously scripted movies about Freddy, Jason, and Baywatch) – if you’ll excuse the metaphor – don’t know how to land this plane once they have it up in the air. They want to add another twist but the plot gets away from them, and the second half of the movie meanders.
Overall, it’s still entertaining enough as an indictment of corporate bro culture and as a you-shouldn’t-assume-things-about-people survival horror comedy. But next time Shannon and Swift get a screenplay greenlit… send help.
Posted in movie reviews | Tagged Rachel McAdams, Sam Raimi
By Jack Silbert on February 3, 2026
EPISODE #679: FUCK ICE
Bruce Springsteen — “Streets of Minneapolis” [ALTERNATE THEME]
Mad Doctors — “Fuck Sean Hannity”
Jack White — “ICE Station Zebra”
Karl Hendricks Trio — “Fuck Shit Up”
Vehicle Flips — “ICE Jam”
Sarah Shook & the Disarmers — “Fuck Up”
Naughty Clouds — “ICE on Trees”
Joy Cleaner — “Fuck Up and Run”
Celibate Rifles — “ICE Blue”
The Replacements — “Fuck School” [live at Maxwell’s, 1986]
The Dismemberment Plan — “ICE of Boston”
Grandaddy — “Fuck the Valley Fudge”
Clem Snide — “ICE Cube”
Mitch & Mickey — “Kiss at the End of the Rainbow” r.i.p. Catherine O’Hara
Creedence Clearwater Revival — “Fortunate Son” r.i.p. James McMahon Sr.
Jack Silbert proudly records the Aquarium podcast in Hoboken, NJ.
Posted in internet radio playlists | Tagged Bruce Springsteen, Catherine O'Hara, Celibate Rifles, Clem Snide, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Eugene Levy, Grandaddy, Jack White, Joy Cleaner, Karl Hendricks Trio, Mad Doctors, Mitch & Mickey, Naughty Clouds, Sarah Shook, The Dismemberment Plan, The Replacements, Vehicle Flips
By Jack Silbert on January 30, 2026
4 stars out of 5
First of all, how come no one told me that a remake of Emmanuelle came out in 2024?!? Well, the co-writer of that, Rebecca Zlotowski, is also the co-writer – and the director — of A Private Life. I’m guessing these are very different films (and as soon as I post this review I will immediately research if Emmanuelle is streaming).
I was drawn in to A Private Life because it stars Jodie Foster in a French thriller, which are two of my favorite things. Or three. And I even recognized a couple of the French dudes in the trailer: Daniel Auteuil who I first saw onscreen in college in Jean de Florette and Manon of the Spring, and Mathieu Amalric from The Diving Bell and the Butterfly and a few Wes Anderson flicks.
Then the opening credits begin and we hear “Psycho Killer” – the Talking Heads song with French in it! Tres bon!
Foster is American psychiatrist in Paris Lilian Steiner, an old-school Freudian. Trouble is, she loses two patients in rapid succession. And one is due to death. Which she soon finds herself investigating, because this is a movie. Steiner enlists the assistance of a hypnotist (skeptical Steiner hypnotized? She must really be on edge) and Auteuil as Gaby, her ex-husband eye doctor. Foster and Auteuil are tres magnifique together, like a French Nick and Nora Charles. You can feel the love still between them after all these years, and the easy give-and-take. Plus what a warm, kind face the 75-year-old Auteuil has.
Was Steiner’s late patient murdered? And if so – by who? Perhaps daughter Valerie, intriguingly played by Luana Bajrami, who was in the superb 2022 film Happening. Or maybe it was the client’s hothead husband Simon, portrayed by Amalric. He was a Bond villain in Quantum of Solace, after all.
We end up with a smart modern noir with a strong dash of humor along with explorations of psychology and family dynamics. There’s also Judaism which you don’t find in a ton of thrillers, and kudos for casting a disabled person in a very small role that didn’t require a disability. (The Farrelly brothers always do this and I’m happy to see it in another movie.) I liked A Private Life it a lot but hell, I would’ve bought a ticket just to hear Jodie Foster speak French so expertly.
Posted in movie reviews | Tagged 20s movies, Daniel Auteuil, Jodie Foster, Mathieu Amalric, Rebecca Zlotowski
Jack Silbert, curator