REVIEW: The Comedy [2012]

I need you. If a privileged white asshole acts racist and misogynist as a rule because of the emotional pain created by the slow death of a rich father he may not even really like, should we feel empathy for his plight? I think this is the question Rick Alverson is asking with his film The Comedy and yet I want to believe it isn’t because he should know the answer is unequivocally “No.” Maybe Swanson’s (Tim Heidecker) sister-in-law (Liza Kate) can forgive his actions towards her because she knows…

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REVIEW: Shut Up and Play the Hits [2012]

“If I can see all my friends tonight” The end of LCD Soundsystem was a seminal moment in rock and roll music history. I’m not even a fan of the band and I know this to be true. Frontman James Murphy created something that spoke to the college crowd with a mix of electronic dance beats and wittily poignant lyrics on his way to becoming a rock God/philosopher. And then he decided to call it quits after a decade. Stopping on his own terms to continue the life he led…

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