For the past fifty years, the interview book Hitchcock by French critic-turned-filmmaker François Truffaut has consistently been one of the most famous and influential books published about film. It turned the … Read More
PCB’s Gift Guide for Geeks: Movie Box Set Edition
Buying gifts for movie geeks can be tough. If you go for an obvious cinematic classic, they’ll have probably already bought it for themselves. If you go for an eye-catching … Read More
Album review: Neil Young is weary but unbowed on the new “Peace Trail”
Only five short months have elapsed since Neil Young’s last album, a live collection called Earth, hit the marketplace, and already the classic rocker is back with a batch of … Read More
Movie Review: “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” is too elaborate, but good fun
The tendency toward serialization in current pop culture has proven a boon for television, with shows becoming more addictive and binge-able as the stories that are unpacked become more complex. Unfortunately, … Read More
Blu-ray Review: “On Guard” and “Five Day Lover” show two sides of a beloved French director
The late French filmmaker Philippe de Broca is probably best known in the U.S. for making the ’60s cult film King of Hearts, although he has a career that spanned more than … Read More
DVD Review: “City of Gold” offers a food critic’s vision of Los Angeles
At first glance, Jonathan Gold does not look like a remarkable figure. Instead, he just looks like a run-of-the-mill, fifty-something dad. He’s paunchy, his fashion sense is pretty ordinary, and … Read More
Review: Maria Bamford’s new comedy album, “20%,” is her best
Album Review: Maria Bamford 20% There’s an old saw about how comedians wish they could be rock stars and rock stars wish they could be comedians. The professions are two … Read More
Blu-ray review: “South Park” tackles PC culture in excellent 19th season
The premiere of South Park‘s twentieth season tonight on Comedy Central offers a nice opportunity to reflect on how both the show and we the viewers have changed since the wild and … Read More
Album Review: “An Evening with Todd Rundgren: Live at the Ridgefield”
An Evening with Todd Rundgren: Live at the Ridgefield is a document of Rundgren’s most recent concert tour, which Pat Francis praised on this very site a few months ago. Live at … Read More
Movie Review: Imperium
At this point, Daniel Radcliffe has appeared in enough different sorts of roles on screen (and on stage) to prove that he is a solid actor and not just a one-note … Read More
Movie Review: Train to Busan
The current South Korean box office champ (also playing in select US theaters), Train to Busan, is a zombie disaster movie in the World War Z mold, but with far … Read More
Comedy Album Review: The Pat Brown “Sex Tape”
“I’m black, I’m gay, I’m female. I’m just so thankful I wasn’t left-handed.” New York-via-Atlanta comedian Pat Brown isn’t shy about her identity on her debut album, Sex Tape, but her easygoing, … Read More
Album Review: Neil Young + Promise of the Real – “Earth”
Neil Young has released at least a half-dozen archival live albums in the past decade, but he hasn’t released a “new” live album, documenting a current tour, since 2000’s Road Rock: … Read More
Movie Review: The Neon Demon
“Beauty isn’t everything. It’s the only thing.” So says a fashion designer played by Alessandro Nivola in The Neon Demon, the new arty psychodrama from Drive director Nicolas Winding Refn. Set in the Los Angeles … Read More