Thursday , March 28 2024
The best of the week past, summer's-almost-over edition!

Blogcritics Editors’ Picks: August 16 through August 22

There's not much left to the summer. Before you head out for that last weekend getaway, or before you head back to school, take some time to check out what Blogcritics were writing about this week. The music writers pulled out all the stops, and in between all those snakes on that plane, the film writers discovered a few actual gems. Baseball dominates the Sports section because it's that time of year, and if that's not your thing, there's always reading.

As always, those of you who are chosen this week are invited to submit a pick of your own next week (the week for picks runs from Wednesday through Tuesday). Just email me your pick, along with the URL

 

MUSIC

From Music Editor Connie Phillips:

Snarkattack puts this Australian band's release under a microscope in Music Review: BeOmega – Outer Edge of MusiVerse. He also looks at their past as well as their future in this all-encompassing and entertaining read.

Anna Creech
explains the difference between a cover tune and a tribute band, and lets everyone know why this particular band is worth checking out in Music Review: Girls Got Rhythm.

Laura Misjak of Modern Pea Pod gives the readers a colorful look at the many bands performing on this year's Vans Warped Tour with her review of the Detroit, Michigan stop. Get a first row seat for the great sets by reading Concert Review: The 2006 Warped Tour, Detroit.

From Asst. Editor A.L. Harper:

The Big Geez gives us big bands in Glen Gray: An Elected Bandleader Becomes A Star.

DJRadiohead
teaches us to appreciate a waning star in Music Review:  Otis Rush – Troubles, Troubles (The Sonet Blues Story).
 

From Film Editor Erin McMaster:

I don't listen to trance. I don't know anything about trance. David R. Perry's interview
with DJ Armin Van Buuren makes me want to learn more about trance.

From Editor Gordon Hauptfleisch:

"So many things can effect our consumption of an artwork, and then our own critique of that work, that a review – something set in stone for the ages – is an odd thing." In this regard, Mat Brewster's music review of the Dirty Dozen Brass Band's reimagining of What's Going On is more than just a cogent review of a distinct work. His reassessment of the CD from a dismissive stance to an ultimately embracing mindset and commentary brings into broader question the reviewer's role and the consideration of how perceptions change over time.

From Editor DJRadiohead:

Mat Brewster shakes his posterior region to a a re-imagining of Marvin Gaye's classic What's Going On.

 

BOOKS

From Books Editor Natalie Bennett:

Never let it be said that Blogcritics doesn't deal with the really big issues in life. This week in books we've good two excellent discussions of such.

First, Mayank Austen Soofi tackles the Jane Austen question: Was Elizabeth Bennett, the Most Celebrated Heroine of Literature, Really Beautiful? Mayank examines the evidence from witnesses both partial and impartial. And the answer? Well you'll have to read the article to find out — not just see the movie.

Second, Scott Butki interviewed Toby Young to find out how "to make a success out of failing". The author's answer? "They'll always take a certain amount of pleasure in
reading about my suffering. This is particularly true of my best friends. It's human nature."

From Film Editor Erin McMaster:

David Barker's review of The Good Works of Ayela Linde is so beautifully written that I can only hope the book is even a fraction of the pleasure to read.

From Executive Producer Eric Berlin:

I have to add my vote for Modern Pea Pod's Book Review: Paul's Boutique (33 1/3 Series) by Dan LeRoy, which made me long to urinate on the D train's third rail, as though I had very few cares upon this mortal plane.

TV/FILM

From Film Editor Erin McMaster:

Little Miss Sunshine was apparently the movie to see this past week, as many
Blogcritics waxed poetic on what it meant to them. I just happen to not ruin the plot while doing so.

Masked Movie Snob Caballero Oscura wrote a simple yet descriptive review of Manderlay. Sometimes you forget what a good review is like, then you read something
like this and remember why you read reviews to begin with.

From Film Editor Lisa McKay:

BC newcomer JS Breukelaar uncovers the origins of the musty odor that clings to Michael Mann's latest cinematic endeavor in this review of Miami Vice.

From Executive Producer Eric Berlin:

I've become dependent on Chris Beaumont's seasonal TV previews, so I launched into Fall TV Preview: Fox Network with relish (hold the pickles). And it helped me to remember to catch the season premiere of Prison Break, so thanks Chris!

CULTURE

From Culture Editor Diana Hartman:

If the success of Stephen King and Stephen Hawking had depended heavily on their good looks, the world might have been deprived of some great stuff. The world of music did also enjoy this relative disconnect between the made and its maker — that is until the dawn of music television. In Talent Optional: Bye Bye Ms. American Pie, Brad Schader illustrates how those who view music rather than listen to it have allowed themselves to be taken in and taken aback by what they see, to the point of altering what they hear.

From Blogcritic Jared Wright:

I found Mary K Williams' From Yu-gi-Oh? to Yu-gi-Ah! not only entertaining but an excellent illustration of how some of the most frustrating time spent with someone you love is, in a paradoxical way, some of the most fulfilling.

From Editor DJRadiohead:

Dawn Olsen looks at The Curse of MTV.

From Editor Gordon Hauptfleisch:

"Your temperament really does travel through that leash," notes Jared Wright in The End of the Beginning, the current Seeing Eye installment in which he recounts his training with his new dog guide, Kerry. Indeed, Jared's seamlessly compelling narrative is so intrepidly adventurous that the reader is virtuously and vicariously put at the end of that leash, feeling it tighten and slacken with each obstacle and accomplishment.

POLITICS

No picks this week.

SPORTS

From Sports Editor Matthew T. Sussman:

Blogcritics' newb writer B.C. Lorio, who is from New York, isn't afraid to admit that every single Yankees/Red Sox series doesn't need to be hyped. And we're not the least bit afraid to agree with him.

Our Southwest Ohio sports bureau (which is basically M.D. Sandwasher) went to a minor league baseball game in Louisville and endured a face-to-face encounter
with the infamous Devil Rays prospect Delmon Young, as well as an internal nervous breakdown and self-reflection of why he's even writing about sports at all. As far as we know he hasn't quit.
 

GAMING

No picks this week.

SCI/TECH

From Sci/Tech Editor Lisa McKay:

Eric Berlin ponders the future of municipal WiFi (and some of its ramifications) and tells us a sad tale of his own lack of connectivity in The World Gets Flatter, My Internet Gets Broker, And Google Gets More Big Brotherer

About Lisa McKay

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