DEADPOOL 2 (Directed by David Leitch, 119 minutes, USA, 2018) BY DAN TABOR FILM CRITIC Ryan Reynolds returns as everyone’s favorite Merc with a mouth in Deadpool 2, one of the most anticipated blockbusters of the summer. The first installment of turned the superhero genre on its head with its hard-R, low budget take on the fan favorite character that was known for not only his miraculous regenerative abilities, but his penchant for breaking the fourth wall, providing a bizarre meta-commentary on the comic book world. With original director Tim Miller walking away from the sequel due to “creative differences,” […]
Win Tix To See Liam Gallagher @ The Festival Pier
Noel Gallgher always understood the importance of being obvious — fist-pumping guitar chords, stadium rattling bass lines, bobblehead-inducing drum beats, simple-Simon ‘moon in June’ rhymes that sound like Shakespeare to the besotted ears of soccer hooligans everywhere when bleated through the clenched teeth of his brother Liam’s gloriously feral Lennon-esque whine — which is why Oasis went champagne supernova in the mid-90s and ruled Britannia for the better part of the decade. Massive egos and sibling rivalry — aggravated by oceans of lager and mounds of cocaine the size of the Peruvian Andes — along with the inevitable bursting […]
NPR 4 THE DEAF: We Hear It Even When U Can’t
FRESH AIR: Author Michael Pollan had always been curious about psychoactive plants, but his interest skyrocketed when he heard about a research study in which people with terminal cancer were given a psychedelic called psilocybin — the active ingredient in “magic mushrooms” — to help them deal with their distress. “This seemed like such a crazy idea that I began looking into it,” Pollan says. “Why should a drug from a mushroom help people deal with their mortality?” Pollan, whose previous books include The Omnivore’s Dilemma and In Defense Of Food, started researching different experimental therapeutic uses of psychedelics, […]
AMERICAN DEMOCRACY: Just Do It!
Here we go, people. The 2018 midterm election, our only hope for rolling back the pumpkin-tinted horrors of Trumpism, continues tomorrow with Pennsyltucky’s primary for the following offices: Governor Lt. Governor U.S. Senate U.S. House of Representatives PA Senate (even-numbered districts) PA House of Representatives The polls are open from 7 AM to 8 PM. By law in Philadelphia, anyone in line at 8 pm has to be given the chance to vote not matter how long the line. Here is a list of your rights and responsibilities as a registered voter. Vote hard! RECCOMENDED: The Committee of Seventy’s Digital […]
BEING THERE: The Melvins @ Underground Arts
Photo by JOSH PELTA-HELLER Few bands have pulled off such a consistently strong, decades-long discography as sludge-metal legends The Melvins. Throwing down hard since their ’86 debut, Deep Six, their latest, the just-released Pinkus Abortion Technician, is no exception. Named after the Butthole Surfers’ infamous 1987 album, Locust Abortion Technician, Pinkus Abortion Technician delivers five original tracks and three covers, including The Beatles’ “I Want to Hold Your Hand.” The album’s title is not the only element borrowed from Butthole Surfers. As the title suggests, former Surfers bassist and songwriter, Jeff Pinkus, joined forces with The Melvins to write and record Pinkus Abortion […]
INCOMING: Bohemian Rhapsody
A Queen biopic with Mr. Robot‘s Rami Malek as Freddie Mercury? We are so there. Opens November 2nd. BILLBOARD: After a 10-second teaser trailer dropped on Monday (May 14), briefly revealing star Rami Malek in his Mercury get up, the full trailer proved that the Mr. Robot actor was the only choice that made sense. Malek has already earned praise for his uncanny resemblance to Mercury, and the blitz of scenes in which he inhabits the flamboyant rock star in a variety of colorful outfits and through multiple hair eras is evidence that the wait was worth it. The trailer […]
SPARKLE HARD: A Stephen Malkmus Documentary
PREVIOUSLY: I’m driving Stephen Malkmus’ car. In America, that’s tantamount to possessing someone’s soul. But wait, it gets better: I’m listening to Slanted And Enchanted—make that Malkmus’ copy of Slanted And Enchanted—and it sounds great as I tool down the sun-kissed streets of Portland, Ore., with the windows down and the stereo up. There’s a parking ticket flapping beneath the windshield wiper—and it bores me. I look around at all the people, and I just don’t care. Not a care, really, in the world. I am, for a moment, Stephen Malkmus, fortunate son. Listen to me, I’m on the […]
EXCERPT: ‘The Worst Person In Government’
Artwork by DANIEL ADEL GEORGE WILL: Donald Trump, with his feral cunning, knew. The oleaginous Mike Pence, with his talent for toadyism and appetite for obsequiousness, could, Trump knew, become America’s most repulsive public figure. And Pence, who has reached this pinnacle by dethroning his benefactor, is augmenting the public stock of useful knowledge. Because his is the authentic voice of today’s lickspittle Republican Party, he clarifies this year’s elections: Vote Republican to ratify groveling as governing. Last June, a Trump Cabinet meeting featured testimonials offered to Dear Leader by his forelock-tugging colleagues. His chief of staff, Reince Priebus, caught […]
INCOMING: Electoral Dysfunction
Comedy! Politics! Yelling! All this and more as NYC’s longest running political debate/sketch comedy show comes back to the City of Brotherly Love! New York Daily News columnist Robert George and Philly Weekly contributor Timaree Schmit lead a panel of comedians and experts to dissect the news of the week, Trump, politics, Trump, pop culture, Trump, Kanye and maybe some Trump if we have a free minute. Get tickets HERE.
CHILDISH GAMBINO: This Is America
This is America Don’t catch you slippin up Look at how I’m livin now Police be trippin now Yeah, This Is America Guns in my area I got the strap I gotta carry’ em #ChildishGambino #DonaldGlover RELATED: Five Things To Know About “This Is America” Video RELATED: Interview With Director Hiro Murai THE NEW YORKER: The Glovers were Jehovah’s Witnesses. They believed that Satan controls life on earth, that only a hundred and forty-four thousand anointed Christians will be saved to Heaven with Jesus, and that we are living out the last days before Armageddon. Stephen Glover said, “We were […]
INCOMING: Frankie Cosmos
Photo by LOROTO PRODUCTIONS Frankie Cosmos is the dreamy indie-pop conception of 24 year old Greta Kline. The band name is a nod to Frank O’Hara, whose poetry inspires Kline’s lyrics, and functioned as a stage persona to the limelight-shy singer. Kline fell into the New York DIY scene in high school, playing in a few indie bands, including the synth-pop group Porches, and uploading recordings on Bandcamp. Currently, Frankie Cosmos also includes bassist Alex Bailey, keyboardist Lauren Martin, and drummer Luke Pyenson. The band is preparing to tour the U.S. and Europe this summer after the release of their […]
BEING THERE: King Krule @ The Fillmore
Photo by JOSH PELTA-HELLER As the sun set on a Philly swooning with the first blush of spring, lazy fingers of sunlight skimmed bared necks in the evening glow. After downing tap beers at Interstate Drafthouse, me and my posse wandered the grungy back alleys of Fishtown, woozily making our way to the Fillmore to see the King of Krule, indie’s It Boy of the moment. Brooklyn-based jazz/hip-hop ensemble Standing on the Corner was midway through their opening set as we breezed into the twilit showroom. Despite the sultry clime, SOTC’s frontman wore a black parka with the hood up, […]
EXCERPT: How The Toxic Partisan Fabulism Of The Swift Boat Veterans For Truth Dragged Us Up A River Of Lies & Into The Heart Of Trump’s Darkness
Illustration by Ian Moore THE BAFFLER: As any consultant or press surrogate will tell you, presidential campaigns are in part referendums of character—or at least had been prior to Trump’s ascension. So even in spite of Kerry’s self-inflicted weaknesses as an antiwar candidate, the patrician senator was still well positioned to provoke a deadly contrast between two candidates. After all, without the Iraq war as a defining issue, the 2004 presidential election would likely have been just another battle between two members of America’s landed gentry. Kerry, given the inside track to be the representative of principled opposition to the […]