Blogcritics Author: Dusty Somers

Concert Review: The Submarines - Chop Suey, Seattle

Dusty Somers — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 15:31:41 EDT

The Submarines bring their sunny indie pop to Seattle and don't disappoint.
It can be a little disheartening to the concertgoing experience when the main act doesn’t take the stage until well after midnight, particularly when the setup and teardown for the opening bands seems to drag on longer than their underwhelming sets. It can be hard to grit your teeth and wait it out for the only reason you came to the show...

DVD Review: The Red Violin - The Meridian Collection Edition

Dusty Somers — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 15:29:19 EDT

Ten years later, The Red Violin unexpectedly disappoints.
Sometimes, when it comes to films you haven’t seen in some time, it’s best to keep it that way. We all have movies we fondly remember, despite the fact that the first viewing may have been years ago, and there’s a sneaking suspicion that film might not be as good as our pleasant memories want to tell us it is. But sometimes, you...

DVD Review: Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (Special Edition)

Dusty Somers — Sat, 7 Jun 2008 10:29:14 EDT

The Temple of Doom is not exactly the disappointment its reputation suggests.
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom gets a bad rap, and for the most part, it’s not that fair. Okay, sure, the film is certainly the weakest of the original three. It can’t match the humor of The Last Crusade or live up to the epic quality of Raiders, but it’s hardly a film to write off. It features Indy’s best sidekick,...

DVD Review: The Muppet Show - The Complete Third Season

Dusty Somers — Sat, 24 May 2008 20:35:26 EDT

It's time to play the music! It's time to light the lights!
The ‘70s were a different time in television programming. I can’t say for better or for worse – I wasn’t around to witness things quite yet – but certainly, there’s one show that hasn’t ever found its equivalent since. And that’s The Muppet Show. Virtually everyone has fond memories of the Muppets,...

Music Review: The Submarines - Honeysuckle Weeks

Dusty Somers — Thu, 15 May 2008 02:57:34 EDT

The Submarines have a sunny outlook on life on their latest, and it's a good look for them.
Marriage seems to have made Blake Hazard and John Dragonetti much, much happier. Not only has it likely done wonders for their personal life; we listeners are reaping the benefits of their sweet indie pop progeny. Think of Honeysuckle Weeks as the first Dragonetti child, and a prodigy at that. The husband and wife duo that comprise The Submarines...

Music Review: John Mayer - Continuum Reissue

Dusty Somers — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 08:07:29 EDT

A great album gets an entirely unnecessary re-release.
John Mayer’s Continuum is a remarkably listenable album of blues-tinged rock – a marked departure from Mayer’s previous soft rock styling with enough nods to his previous records so as not to feel like too radical a departure. I dig it. That being said, there’s not a lot more to say about the reissue of the record, save that...

DVD Review: The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

Dusty Somers — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 07:27:26 EDT

The best film of 2007 finally comes to DVD.
Francis Bacon said that a sick body is a prison. A healthy soul trapped inside an ailing shell of a body is the most personal kind of tragedy -- no one can relate to that feeling unless they have experienced it themselves. Watching The Diving Bell and the Butterfly might help one relate to it a bit more. The film tells the true story of...

DVD Review: Lars and the Real Girl

Dusty Somers — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 09:17:12 EDT

Ryan Gosling turns in a wonderfully sweet performance. The sex doll's not bad either.
Lars and the Real Girl, directed by Craig Gillespie, may be one of the most wholesome films to come out of Hollywood in some time. And one of its primary characters is a sex doll. Go figure.Ryan Gosling stars as Lars, who is good-natured, but a bit of a recluse. He lives in the garage next to the house where his brother Gus and sister-in-law Karin...

DVD Review: Jimmy Carter Man from Plains

Dusty Somers — Sat, 12 Apr 2008 15:57:20 EDT

An exceptionally unremarkable documentary about Jimmy Carter. Appropriate?
I don’t care if you’re a Democrat or a Republican, a pro-Israeli or a pro-Palestinian: Jimmy Carter Man from Plains is an exceptionally unremarkable documentary. Considering Carter’s generally middling rank in the scores of historical presidential rankings, perhaps that’s appropriate. Directed by talented filmmaker Jonathan...

Music DVD Review: Les Misérables: 10th Anniversary Concert at London's Royal Albert Hall

Dusty Somers — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 15:30:54 EDT

The Dream Cast performs a concert of one of the most beloved musicals of all time.
As one of the most successful and beloved musicals of all time, Les Misérables has stood the test of time with its deeply emotional tale, highly realized characters, and fantastic music. And it’s the music that takes center stage in Les Misérables: 10th Anniversary Concert at London’s Royal Albert Hall.The concert was...