Soul II Soul – Volume III: Just Right (1992)
Mar 31, 2009 by Mr. Nau Soul II Soul’s third album is a decent collection of laid-back funky jazz-influenced soul tracks. A few of these songs are instrumentals, but they’re all well-written, although this disk didn’t get much attention when it came out. Joy, Take Me Higher, and Move Me No Mountain shine. Grade: B-. […]
Soul II Soul – Vol II: 1990 – A New Decade (1990)
Mar 31, 2009 by Mr. Nau Soul II Soul’s sophomore album did not feature big anthems like their debut, but it still delivers forty minutes of funky, jazzy soul grooves. The songwriting is tight here and this laid-back disk delivers a great set of tracks. Get a Life, People, and Missing You steal the show. […]
Soul II Soul – Keep On Movin’ (1989)
Mar 31, 2009 by Mr. Nau London’s Soul II Soul defined a subgenre in the early 90s with this extraordinary blend of hip-hop, jazz, and soul. The title track, Keep On Movin’ and the lush Back to Life became instant dancefloor classics. The music is deliciously funky and provokes big smiles, even two decades later. […]
A Scanner Darkly (2006)
Mar 18, 2009 by Mr. Nau Keanu Reeves, Wynona Ryder, Robert Downey, Jr., and Woody Harrelson star in this Richard Linklater rotoscoped featured, based on the Philip K. Dick novel. While the animation is sometimes distracting, strong acting performances leave the audience feeling as crazy as the characters, thanks to a solid script and good […]
Sweet Dreams (1985)
Mar 16, 2009 by Mr. Nau Jessica Lange nails her role as country music superstar, Patsy Cline, in this extraordinary biopic about one of the most important artists of the twentieth century. Ed Harris costars as her husband, Charlie, a hard drinker trying to deal with her success. As musical biographies go, this gem is […]
John Adams (2008)
Mar 15, 2009 by Mr. Nau Paul Giamatti and Laura Linney lead a stellar cast in this miniseries about the life of John Adams, the second President of the United States. Based on the Pulitzer-winning biography by David McCullough, this masterpiece is the magnificent union of acting brilliance, obsessive attention to detail, and screenplay perfection. […]
1776 (1972)
Mar 08, 2009 by Mr. Nau This film adaptation of a Broadway musical about the events leading up to the signing of the Declaration of Independence is ambitiously written, lavishly costumed, and wincingly silly most of the time. There’s even a scene where John Adams and Benjamin Franklin dance while Thomas Jefferson beds his wife […]
10 (1979)
Mar 08, 2009 by Mr. Nau Dudley Moore plays George Webber, a dissatisfied songwriter, who crashes the wedding of a woman, played by Bo Derek, he saw in a passing car. Somehow, this creepy stalker comedy garnered two Oscar nominations, but it does feature a healthy amount of nudity — the only real reason to […]
1941 (1979)
Mar 04, 2009 by Mr. Nau In 1941, after Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, the entire West Coast mobilized defenses for the inevitable invasion. In this slapstick comedy, directed by Steven Spielberg, an inept group of soldiers, a drunken pilot, a feisty dancer, a lost Japanese submarine, and a crazed tree farmer collaborate to destroy Hollywood […]
The Dark Knight (2008)
Mar 02, 2009 by Mr. Nau In the greatest of the Batman pictures to date, Christian Bale’s Caped Crusader perfectly balances the surprisingly creepy and very believable Joker, portrayed by the late Heath Ledger. With a star-studded supporting cast, an amazing script, eye-popping visual effects, and thrilling fight sequences, this blockbuster is a masterpiece. Grade: […]