Ghosts, aliens, sharks! Lions and tigers and bears, oh my! On their rockin’ new collaborative EP, MAUCH (Max Rauch) and Roe Knows Best (Rosanna O’Brien) are ready to tackle whatever challenges come their way.
Though the EP’s title, Weekend at Mauchie’s… Vol. 1, adds a corpse to the mix too (a play on the 80s comedy Weekend at Bernie’s), it really tells us more about what sounds to expect here. Max Rauch leads the veteran vowel-deficient rockers LKFFCT and also runs Domestic Bliss Recordings in West Orange, NJ. He’s become the go-to studio guru for the local in-the-know indie crowd. Case in point: engineering and producing the WFMU-favorite “Let Me Die in Essex County” by Chris Gethard and John Cozz, released on the renowned Don Giovanni label. Rauch’s own music, and that of the bands he’s produced, are noted for a raw, punk-infused sound that never sacrifices melody.
Meanwhile, Rosanna O’Brien is the quintessential songwriters’ songwriter, known for her sharp, clever, break-your-heart lyrics and a voice equally strong at delivering matter-of-fact truths or soaring into dreamland. She’s honed her skills on a series of Roe Knows Best singles and EPs over the past 14 years, while playing shows equally adeptly as a solo act or fronting a band.
The two artists blend their talents seamlessly on Weekend at Mauchie’s… Vol. 1.
Lead track “Ghost Town” is raw, catchy indie rock anchored by Rauch’s crisp drumming (he also plays rhythm guitar on this track). O’Brien’s lyrics take a surprising turn, revealed by guest vocalist John Cozz in as close as he’ll likely come to a rap.
“Friends With Aliens” is bouncy pop, given some intergalactic twists and turns courtesy of Rauch’s keyboard programming.
“Shark Attack!!!” feels like an ode to Liz Phair with Roe’s purposely lackadaisical vocals and Max’s unadorned guitar. Both contribute keyboard to add an 80s flavor to the overarching 90s sound.
EP closer “To Be Loved” is the heaviest song here lyrically, dealing with addiction victims and those left behind; O’Brien’s lyrics nod to the Velvet Underground’s “I’m Waiting for the Man.” Appropriately, the song receives the most straight-ahead musical backing of the batch: charging, melodic indie rock, with Roe’s piano softening the mood just a touch.
Ken DePoto of LKFFCT and Doug Gallo, who worked on a Roe Knows Best single, add musical assistance throughout. But make no mistake, this is the Max & Roe Show. Here’s hoping for a Volume 2.
The Who — “Happy Jack” [THEME] The Pixies — “Gigantic” Ed Seifert with Syd Straw and friends — “Great Big World” The Plimsouls — “Great Big World” Chris Isaak — “Big Wide Wonderful World” New York Dolls — “Give Her a Great Big Kiss” [demo] The Lemonheads — “The Great Big No” Derrell Felts — “It’s a Great Big Day” Brenton Wood — “Great Big Bundle of Love” Early Riser — “Big Life” Razor Braids — “Big Wave” Felice Brothers — “The Big Surprise” Dwight Yoakam — “Big Time” Elivs Costello & the Attractions — “Big Tears” Yo La Tengo — “Big Day Coming” [live + acoustic] Jill Sobule — “Big Shoes”
Jack Silbert proudly records the Aquarium podcast in Hoboken, NJ.
I don’t know who Andrew DeYoung is. Andrew Young, I know. Former mayor of Atlanta and U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. Still with us: 93 years old!
Andrew DeYoung, I don’t know. (Singer of Styx?) But he wrote and directed Friendship, it’s his first feature after a lot of TV directing, and this comedy was almost excellent. It’s certainly different, so credit for that. But DeYoung can’t quite put the pieces together.
The real draw — and one of the problems, I think — is Tim Robinson. If you love I Think You Should Leave and The Detroiters like I do, you will very much enjoy this movie. Robinson is Robinson — the sad sack, quick to anger, outcast at the office, dumb guy. He is extremely funny in this. But maybe if he was reined in a little more, and the world around him was played straight, this could have been a really special little film. As it stands, I don’t think it’s certain if it wants to be a zany comedy or a true-to-life one.
Paul Rudd is very good as well but also pulls things in the zany direction. (DeYoung may have watched Anchorman one too many times.) Kate Mara as Tim’s wife seems to be in the realistic comedy; her renewed “friendship” with her ex is a solid running bit.
Comedy aficionados will pick out Jon Glaser among Rudd’s pals (DeYoung worked on Glaser’s Gear show) and Robinson associate Conner O’Malley being silly. Also spotted: teacher Rick from English Teacher, and my buddy Daniel London (Old Joy, TV’s Minority Report, TV’s Manhattan) as one of Robinson’s coworkers.
If you haven’t seen the trailer: TV weatherman Rudd moves into Mr. Robinson’s neighborhood. They hang out and it opens up a whole new world for schlubby Tim. But just like that, Rudd withdraws the friendship, which sends Robinson spiraling.
And for some reason, Robinson and Mara’s house is for sale.
If you love Tim Robinson, go see this movie. If you’re unsure, wait for streaming. And what I’d really like is for Robinson to write his own movie. Sam Richardson can help. And DeYoung, whoever you are, I’ll give you another shot at directing.
Laura Jane Grace & the the Devouring Mothers — “The Airplane Song” [ALTERNATE THEME] Lake — “Airplane” Air Miami — “Airplane Rider” Laura Cantrell — “Silver Wings” Rolling Stones — “Who’s Driving Your Plane?” The French — “Gabriel in the Airport” The Cat’s Miaow — “L.A. International Airport” R.E.M. — “Airportman” Elva — “Airport Town” Tunabunny — “Airport” The Planes — “Runway” Veronica Bianqui — “Jet Plane” Superchunk — “Animated Airplanes Over Germany” The Flamin’ Groovies — “First Plane Home” John Hiatt — “Drive South”
Jack Silbert proudly records the Aquarium podcast in Hoboken, NJ.
Florence Pugh is the latest A-list actor to slum her way through a Marvel flick. I know what you’re saying: “But Jack, Pugh already slummed her way through Black Widow back in 2021.” I didn’t see that one, OK? Plus now she’s really putting herself out there as the star. And because she’s the great actress Florence Pugh (I am a longtime fan), she really lays on her character’s Russian accent, and lays it on thick. Then we meet her dad, B-lister David Harbour, and he’s doing the crazy accent too (not to mention another character, “Antonia Dreykov”), and I’m thinking, what is this, Marvel Studios’ Anna Karenina?
For me, the early going here was tough sledding. Back in the old days, if you didn’t see all the Marvel movies, it was OK: The Avengers installments would tell you all you needed to know to catch up. Now, as Thunderbolts re-introduced us to minor characters from endless feature releases and streaming shows, I had little idea what was going on.
Yet, thanks to strong performances, and a better than average screenplay by Eric Pearson and Joanna Calo, Thunderbolts begins to find its footing. Julia Louis-Dreyfus has some fun basically playing Selina Meyer; good to see Drive-Away Dolls’ Geraldine Viswanathan again as her Gary Walsh. My man Wyatt Russell is very amusing, as is Harbour. (I appreciated that the humor in this movie was frequent but not over-the-top.) And in a nice surprise for me, we get Bill Pullman’s son, Lewis Pullman, as a likable-enough character Bob. How cool to have another Bill Pullman!
The movie steps up one more level by presenting a relatable depiction of depression — possibly useful to much of the fanbase — and logically working it into the heroes-and-villain plot.
And then, because it has to fit ever-so-neatly into the always expanding Marvel Universe, Thunderbolts unfortunately stumbles at the finish line. Still, a solid, very watchable superhero effort from director Jake Schrier. Your serve, Superman.
The Smithereens — “House We Used To Live In” [ALTERNATE THEME] Nick Lowe — “House for Sale” Springhouse — “Moving Van” Wimp Factor 14 — “Change of Address Kit” Basic Bitches — “We All Moved to the City, Now We Can’t Afford to Live” Butthole Surfers — “Moving to Florida” Charley Patton — “Going to Move to Alabama” Martha — “Move to Durham and Never Leave” Spit-take — “(I Wanna Move to) Alaska” Art Brut — “Moving to L.A.” Times New Viking — “Move to California” Freedy Johnston — “Moving on a Holiday” Grant Hart — “Twenty-Five Forty-One” The Smiths — “Back to the Old House” John Hiatt — “Drive South”
Jack Silbert proudly records the Aquarium podcast in Hoboken, NJ.
In 2022, I gave a positive review to Crimes of the Future, written and directed by the then-79-year-old David Cronenberg. Showing that the apple doesn’t fall far from the fucked-up tree, I gave an equally positive review to 43-year-old son Brandon Cronenberg’s Infinity Pool. Ah, but the senior Croney wasn’t quite ready to pass the you-have-some-serious-serious-issues torch. For this year (ok, last year, you nitpicking Europeans), David C. returns with another really well done and really messed-up film.
Our lead is Vincent Cassel, who hasn’t worked with Cronenberg since 2011’s relatively tame (though importantly, not written by The Crone) A Dangerous Method. Here he plays grieving widower Karsh Relikh. To lose his blues, Karsh creates a high-tech cemetery complete with overlooking restaurant. Thanks to a patent-pending shroud that wraps the deceased, along with a handy app, the mourning can get a live, 360-degree look at their rotting loved one. Seems as if Karsh hasn’t totally “let go.”
A blind date — who he brings to his restaurant, of course — is rightfully put off by Karsh’s tour of the grounds, expecting the video feed to be the sort of this-is-your-life slideshow you might see at a funeral. And this was one of my only real problems with the movie: Cronenberg establishes here that a “normal” person is disgusted by this technology, yet soon we learn he plans to install these cemeteries worldwide with only some eco-warriors making any fuss about it. Eh, forget it Jack; it’s Cronentown.
I won’t reveal more of the plot except to say: trouble ensues.
One note of interest: Guy Pearce plays an IT guy called in by Karsh. Pearce’s character is Jewish (wouldn’t have been my first casting choice), and there seemed to be some low-grade antisemitism floating around. Asked what he wants to order for lunch — a pastrami sandwich of course! Twice the camera arrives on him sloppily eating on the job. His ex-wife (who is the twin of Karsh’s late wife, for those keeping score of the twistedness) refers to him as a nebbish and a schmuck. It made me vaguely uncomfortable so I Googled to see if Cronenberg had ever been accused of antisemitism before. Turns out he is a secular Jew! Oy vey.
Beyond the rooting in his beloved body horror, Cronenberg revisits several of the themes he tackled in Crimes of the Future, such as human/machine symbiosis, romantic jealousy, ethical questions, and the risks of technology if gone unchecked. And thankfully, the composer is once again Howard Shore, who he has worked with since 1979. Yet Cronenberg wraps it all in something new, this tale of grief and the difficulty of moving on. Wraps it as if he had some sort of traditional cloth covering….
The Who — “Happy Jack” [THEME] Fastbacks — “Really” New Pornographers — “Really Really Light” The Undertones — “Really Really” The Crows — “I Really Really Love You” Elvis Presley — “I Really Don’t Want to Know” Roseanne Cash — “What We Really Want” Rolling Stones — “Do You Think I Really Care?” The Byrds — “All I Really Want to Do” Disq — “I’m Really Trying” The Prissteens — “If You Really Loved Me” The Boys With the Perpetual Nervousness — “How I Really Feel” Seapony — “I Really Do” Bee Gees — “Really and Sincerely” Jimmy Hughes — “You Really Know How to Hurt a Guy (You Really Know How to Make Him Cry)” The Connells — “Really Great” The Smithereens feat. The Kinks — “You Really Got Me”
Jack Silbert proudly records the Aquarium podcast in Hoboken, NJ.
Jill Sobule — “A Good Life” [ALTERNATE THEME] Jill Sobule — “Underdog Victorious” Spoon — “The Underdog” Sly & the Family Stone — “Underdog” Manic Street Preachers — “Underdogs” Zowy — “Underdog” Kasabian — “Underdog” Mudhoney — “Beneath the Valley of the Underdog” Chris Stamey & the ModRec Orchestra feat. Marshall Crenshaw, Don Dixon, and Django Haskins — “Beneath the Underdog” Sutherland Brothers & Quiver — “Champion the Underdog” Alicia Keys — “Underdog” Boyracer — “Perennial Underdog” The Alarm — “The Stand” r.i.p. Mike Peters Jill Sobule — “I Kissed a Girl” Jill Sobule — “America Back”
Jack Silbert proudly records the Aquarium podcast in Hoboken, NJ.
I really don’t go to see many war movies. Platoon, Casualties of War, Heartbreak Ridge, Three Kings, maybe a few others, I don’t remember, all that dust and guns. But when I noticed that my boy Alex Garland (Civil War, Annihilation, Ex Machina) was the co-writer and co-director here, I enlisted immediately.
Warfare is no-nonsense filmmaking: 95 tight minutes, showing an incident that took place in 2006 during the Iraq War, in real time, based solely on the recollections of the Navy SEAL participants (one of whom, Ray Mendoza, is the other co-writer/co-director). The movie makes no value judgements — the platoon has forcibly taken over an occupied two-family building to observe and if necessary, stop, local hostile activity — though clearly we are rooting for the safety of the SEALs.
Also, because of the attention to reality, we don’t get the clichés of army-movie squadrons: the tough guy from Brooklyn, the hot-headed Latino, the bookish one, the soulful black dude, the midwest everyman, the coward, etc. When the (spoiler alert) shit goes down in this film, I will admit to even losing track of a few of the characters. The personnel here are simply portrayed as real, brave, loyal, highly competent individuals. I did at least have the “hook” of recognizing some of the actors; most prominent is D’Pharoah Woon-A-Tai (as communications officer Mendoza) who was so excellent as Bear in Reservation Dogs. A mustachioed Michael Gandolfini is likeable. I’m not familiar with Will Poulter but he gives off the confident energy of a young Michael Keaton. And Charles Melton from Riverdale (and terrific in May December) is superb in a situation requiring someone to tag in and take charge.
I think that’s what really impressed me: In an awful and violent SNAFU, the movie conveys how members of this platoon fall back on their training to follow orders and standard operating procedures, to look out for one another, to improvise when needed, and to be honest when they are simply unable to function at 100%. Warfare is a stellar piece of filmmaking.
Jack Silbert, curator