By Jack Silbert on May 20, 2025
EPISODE #642: MOVING
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.
Posted in internet radio playlists | Tagged Art Brut, Basic Bitches, Butthole Surfers, Charley Patton, Freedy Johnston, Grant Hart, John Hiatt, Martha, Nick Lowe, Spit-take, Springhouse, The Smithereens, The Smiths, Times New Viking, Wimp Factor 14
By Jack Silbert on May 13, 2025
4 stars out of 5
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….
Posted in movie reviews | Tagged 10s movies, 20s movies, David Cronenberg, horror films, Vincent Cassel
By Jack Silbert on May 13, 2025
EPISODE #641: REALLY?
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.
Posted in internet radio playlists | Tagged Boys With the Perpetual Neverousness, Disq, Elvis Presley, Fastbacks, Jimmy Hughes, Kinks, New Pornographers, Prissteens, Rolling Stones, Roseanne Cash, Seapony, The Byrds, The Connells, The Crows, The Smithereens, Undertones
By Jack Silbert on May 6, 2025
EPISODE #640: UNDERDOGS and JILL SOBULE TRIBUTE
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.
Posted in internet radio playlists | Tagged Alicia Keys, Boyracer, Chris Stamey, Django Haskins, Don Dixon, Jill Sobule, Kasabian, Manic Street Preachers, Marshall Crenshaw, Mudhoney, Quiver, Sly & the Family Stone, Spoon, Sutherland Brothers, Zowy
By Jack Silbert on May 2, 2025
4.5 stars out of 5
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.
Posted in movie reviews | Tagged 20s movies, Alex Garland
By Jack Silbert on April 29, 2025
4.5 stars out of 5
Coogler and Jordan are a dream team: Fruitville Station, Creed, and, my people are telling me that Michael B. Jordan was also in Black Panther. So when I saw they teamed up once again for Sinners, I knew I’d see the movie right away. And I did; it just took me a little while to write the review, sorry.
Ryan Coogler again does double duty as writer and director, and, not to be outdone, Jordan plays twin brothers. Jordan does a terrific job in this movie, yet I must still give the 2025 Playing Two Main Characters in the Same Movie award to Robert De Niro in Alto Knights. Though one twin here is wilder and flashy and the other more subdued, Coogler and Jordan often let different color clothes do the big work of telling the brothers apart.
Before going any further, I should ask if you like horror movies. If you don’t, you can skip this movie. But if you do, this is a good one, this is a fun one, this is a 4-stars-out-of-5 one. It does take a little while for the scares to get underway (albeit after a cool opening scene where you’re thinking “um hey what’s going on here”). But that is A-OK because it’s the “other stuff” in this film that raises it to another level.
It’s the early 1930s in the Mississippi Delta. Twins Smoke and Stack have returned from Chicago with an ill-gotten bankroll, their intention to open a juke joint for their old community. They recruit their young cousin Sammie to be the joint’s guitarist (Miles Caton in a breakthrough performance), against the protestations of his father the preacher. That type of music lures in evil! Spoiler alert: Oh boy does it! On piano they sign up wise older guy Delroy Lindo. Now, I don’t know if it’s normal for, every time he appears on-screen, me to say myself, “Delroy Lindo!” but that is what I surely did.
So, you have religion vs. sin, obviously. And city v. country. And don’t think for a second we weren’t going to cross paths with racism and discrimination. We do. And we go a little deeper into it: Areas of the south where it might be smarter for a black man to ply his trade. And how about Stack’s ex, Haillee Steinfeld, who can pass as white.
It all comes to a boil when a trio of white instrument-toting travelers (led by a very good Jack O’Connell) come by, hoping for an invite in. WATCH OUT, THEY ARE SUPERNATURAL BEINGS! Then things really get nuts.
Music plays a huge role in this story. There is a performance by Miles Caton that is absolutely hypnotic, placing the blues securely in its place in the history — past, present, and future — of black music. And those occult crackers nearly match him with a rousing Irish traditional number. Do not forget this score and these songs at Oscar time.
If all that wasn’t enough, Coogler — having pushed past the two-hour mark — goes full Tarantino, and then still has another trick up his sleeve. This is quality, highly entertaining moviemaking, my friends.
Posted in movie reviews | Tagged 20s movies, horror films, Michael B. Jordan, Ryan Coogler
By Jack Silbert on April 29, 2025
EPISODE #639: ANOTHER WORLD
The Who — “Happy Jack” [THEME]
The Only Ones — “Another Girl, Another Planet”
Buck — “(She’s in) Another World”
Magnetic Fields — “’71: I Think I’ll Make Another World”
Brian Eno — “Another Green World”
Dwight Yoakam — “In Another World”
Keeley — “A Doorway to Another World”
The Rentals — “Another World”
Soul Asylum — “Another World, Another Day”
Richard Hell — “(I Could Live Without You) (in) Another World”
Paul Collins — “In Another World”
Irma Thomas — “There Must Be a Better World Somewhere”
The Smiths — “Asleep”
Pere Ubu — “Final Solution” r.i.p. David Thomas
Jack Silbert proudly records the Aquarium podcast in Hoboken, NJ.
Posted in internet radio playlists | Tagged Brian Eno, Buck, David Thomas, Dwight Yoakam, Irma Thomas, Keeley, Magnetic Fields, Paul Collins, Pere Ubu, Richard Hell, Soul Asylum, The Only Ones, The Rentals, The Smiths
By Jack Silbert on April 22, 2025
EPISODE #638: POSTCARDS
The Who — “Happy Jack” [THEME]
Spiral Jetty — “Tourists Send Postcards”
Spit-take — “Postcard”
First Aid Kit — “Postcard”
The Coctails — “Postcard”
The Lucksmiths — “Postcard”
Gary Olson — “Postcard From Lisbon”
Ballboy — “Postcards From the Beach”
Half Japanese — “Postcards From Far Away”
Moustache of Insanity — “Postcards to Strangers”
Wimp Factor 14 — “I’ll Send You a Postcard”
Salem 66 — “Postcard”
Monster Bobby — “The Postcard”
The Lemonheads — “Postcard”
Iron & Wine — “Postcard”
Jack Silbert proudly records the Aquarium podcast in Hoboken, NJ.
Posted in internet radio playlists | Tagged Ballboy, First Aid Kit, Gary Olson, Half Japanese, Iron & Wine, Lemonheads, Monster Bobby, Moustache of Insanity, Salem 66, Spiral Jetty, Spit-take, The Coctails, The Lucksmiths, Wimp Factor 14
By Jack Silbert on April 15, 2025
EPISODE #637: MONEY V
The Beatles — “Taxman” [ALTERNATE THEME]
Cecil Gant — “Another Day Another Dollar”
John Paul Keith — “If I Had Money”
Calamity Jane — “Outta Money”
David Bowie — “Dollar Days”
The Mockingbirds — “Money”
Swansea Sound — “Click It and Pay”
Civic Mimic — “Bad With Money”
The Tea & Whiskey — “Paper Money”
Camera Obscura — “Making Money”
Lefty Frizzell — “If You Can Spare the Time (I Won’t Miss the Money)”
The Fabulettes — “Money (That’s What I Want)”
Billy Bates — “Money Makes the World”
Beach Patrol — “Money Honey”
Donna Summer — “She Works Hard for the Money”
The Patient — “Extension 9”
Jack Silbert proudly records the Aquarium podcast in Hoboken, NJ.
Posted in internet radio playlists | Tagged Beach Patrol, Beatles, Billy Bates, Calamity Jane, Camera Obscura, Cecil Gant, Civic Mimic, David Bowie, Donna Summer, Fabulettes, John Paul Keith, Lefty Frizzell, Mockingbirds, Robert Schneider, Swansea Sound, The Patient, The Tea & Whiskey
By Jack Silbert on April 12, 2025
3.5 stars out of 5
I’ll tell you what the ads won’t: Bill Murray is barely in this movie. His presence is in the movie, but the physical Bill — not so much. So if he’s your only reason for seeing it… don’t.
For everyone else, this is a solid, slow-paced, grown-up movie about grief, loneliness, self-motivation, love and its absence, and dogs. Specifically, the key role that pets can play in our lives.
Naomi Watts is superb as a single teacher/writer who reluctantly adopts her late friend Bill Murray’s Great Dane Apollo. Enter big dog in tiny New York apartment. And if Naomi wasn’t already dragging her feet co-editing (with Murray’s daughter, played by Sarah Pidgeon) his collected correspondence, caring for moody Apollo doesn’t help. Oh, and as the super keeps reminding us, dogs are not allowed in the building!
Pidgeon stands out as an emotions-on-the-surface, bouncing-through-life young person who might see a parental role model in Watts that she didn’t get from her own folks. Carla Gugino has a nice turn as one of Murray’s former wives (two divorces and a widow) who has held some hurt inside. Young Owen Teague is working up a nice acting résumé but is only in a couple of scenes here as one of Watts’ students. There is even less screen time for one of my fave filmmakers, Tom McCarthy (as a therapist).
The movie is emotionally complicated — perhaps even overcomplicated. I did not read the book by Sigrid Nunez, but based on this and the movie adaptation of her novel The Room Next Door, I’m guessing she’s had some experience with dying friends. I’m a fan of writing/directing team Scott McGehee and David Siegel from What Maisie Knew and Montana Story. And though I don’t feel that The Friend is quite as good as those films, they again keep things feeling true-to-life and humane (society).
Posted in movie reviews | Tagged 10s movies, 20s movies, Bill Murray, David Siegel, Naomi Watts, Scott McGehee, Tom McCarthy
Jack Silbert, curator