The Armchair Critic

American Café Orchestra, Nightmare Polka (ACO, 2011)

2012-01-23T15:36:00.004-05:00

American fiddler Ruthie Dornfeld, Danish guitarist Morten Høirup, and Finnish bassist Tapani Varis, collectively known as American Café Orchestra, have a planet full of musical influences between them. Their new CD Nightmare Polka takes full advantage of these influences, mixing the musical traditions of their respective homelands with an awareness of modern and post-modern compositional styles

UNDERWORLD AWAKENING

2012-01-22T23:25:00.010-05:00

The Underworld movies have always revolved around the war between the vampires and werewolves, er, Lycans, but in Underworld: Awakening a new enemy enters the mix: humans. Also, Kate Beckinsale returns as Selena, the ultra-lethal vampire Death Dealer (still wearing her fetish-inspired outfit, of course).Set shortly after the second movie (and largely ignoring the prequel Underworld: Rise of the

WE DIDN'T PLAYTEST THIS AT ALL

2012-01-22T00:25:00.007-05:00

When developing a game, playtesting is a rigorous and vital process where rules, gameplay, and other aspects of the game are tested to see if they work, need changing, or need removing. So when I saw that there was a game called We Didn't Playtest This at All (from Asmadi Games), I suspected it would be pretty silly. And I called that one right!Gameplay is amazingly simple. Everyone starts with

WRITER OF O dvd

2012-01-21T22:09:00.008-05:00

The novel Story of O by Pauline Reage was controversial when released in 1954 and still retains its (in)famous reputation -- but what of its history? Who was the woman behind the pseudonym Pauline Reage? What happened when the book was released? And was Story of O more fantasy or reality? Director Pola Rapaport explores the fact behind the fiction in the documentary Writer of O.Dominique Aury

Andrew Roachford, Addictive (M3 Records, 2011)

2012-01-18T12:51:00.003-05:00

He's still an extremely well-kept secret in the United States, but UK soul singer Andrew Roachford has been making records for over twenty years now. He was originally the leader of the group Roachford, with whom he created a unique blend of old-school soul and brazen hard rock which, to the group's commercial detriment, defied easy categorization. Songs like "Cuddly Toy (Feel for Me)" and "How

I SAW THE DEVIL

2012-01-15T11:44:00.007-05:00

The revenge flick is such a staple of action movies it's almost a cliche: someone close to the hero is attacked or killed or kidnapped, and the hero seeks violent revenge when the authorities can't do anything. But Nietzsche warned, "Battle not with monsters, lest you become a monster" -- so what happens when the hero's tactics bring him closer and closer to the behavior of the villain? This is

Kylie Minogue, APHRODITE LES FOLIES [LIVE IN LONDON]

2012-01-11T22:59:00.012-05:00

What is the concert experience? It should provide impressive music, either familiar songs that go beyond the studio version or new songs you won't hear elsewhere. It should also provide some spectacle, the "show" in "showmanship," often with dancing, costuming, or both. So what happens when Kylie Minogue -- the pop princess who makes the closest we have to disco today -- goes on tour? Aphrodite

Kate Bush, 50 Words for Snow (Anti-, 2011)

2012-01-11T11:48:00.003-05:00

Unique, always challenging, and often perplexing, Kate Bush has had a remarkable career that now spans close to thirty-five years. She has a reputation for working very slowly and deliberately -- her 2005 CD Aerial came twelve years after her previous release The Red Shoes -- but lately she has actually been quite busy. May 2011 saw the release of Director's Cut, a collection of reworked

Sam Phillips, Solid State (Littlebox Recordings, 2011)

2012-01-10T21:14:00.003-05:00

From her Christian rock beginnings, to her albums produced by ex-husband T Bone Burnett, and through to her present work, Sam Phillips has made a career out of doing things her own peculiar way. Over the past two years, she has worked on an extended project called The Long Play, for which she has written and recorded a steady stream of EPs plus one full-length album available via subscription

THE WHISPERER IN DARKNESS dvd

2012-01-09T22:23:00.004-05:00

The good folks at the H.P. Lovecraft Historical Society have once again endeavored -- successfully -- to present a work of H.P. Lovecraft as a movie from the 1920s. Their version of The Call of Cthulhu was a black and white silent film. Their latest venture is a version of The Whisperer in Darkness that maintains the atmosphere and horror of the original tale, while exanding it well past the

ELDER SIGN

2012-01-07T20:42:00.006-05:00

The problem with the boardgame Arkham Horror is that while it does a fine job of creating the 1920s world of H.P. Lovecraft, it is also far too complex. Elder Sign, also from Fantasy Flight Games, simplifies the Lovecraftian world -- and in this case, less is definitely not better. Like Arkham Horror, Elder Sign is a cooperative game where players work to either prevent a monstrous Ancient One

John Nornan, DANCER OF GOR

2012-01-07T20:02:00.003-05:00

John Norman has written over 20 books in the Gor series, creating the alien world of Gor where humans are brought to live adventures that combine sword and sorcery wth periods from ancient human history. Well, that's what happens to men: Dancer of Gor shows Norman fantasizing about the absolute captivity, submission, and degredation of women -- and contempt for women who resist this.The

Vieux Farka Touré, The Secret (Six Degrees, 2011)

2012-01-05T22:19:00.002-05:00

Vieux Farka Touré's new album may be called The Secret, but it's no secret that the guy can play guitar. The son of Malian musical legend Ali Farka Touré has made a career out of combining the rhythms and styles of his homeland with some fierce electric guitar, but while some of his work is really good, a lot of it is uneven as well. His new album brings more of the same, which is both good and

MUNCHKIN ZOMBIES 2: ARMED AND DANGEROUS

2012-01-01T20:02:00.005-05:00

Sure, Munchkin Zombies gave players the opportunity to feast on human brains while fighting to be the first person, er, zombie to level 10 -- but what if you want more? You'll get more (cards, not rules) with the game's first expansion: Munchkin Zombies 2: Armed and Dangerous.This 112-card expansion provides players with new opportunities to arm themselves with treasures (like bowling attire, a

THE DARKEST HOUR

2011-12-29T23:04:00.010-05:00

A change in locale is no substitute for an original plot, creative creatures, or exciting action. This lesson was lost on the makers of The Darkest Hour, an alien invasion/monster attack movie that feels like a SyFy Channel movie with a bigger budget.The characters in The Darkest Hour are as paper-thin as they come, but here's the background. Young adult buddies and business partners Sean (Emile

Tinariwen, Tassili (Anti-, 2011)

2011-12-28T15:41:00.005-05:00

The African nation of Mali has produced an abundance of quality performers in recent years, most of whom come from the country's green, southern portion. A small part of the population, though, eke out a living in the quite inhospitable northern half of the country that is part of the vast Sahara desert. These desert people are called the Tuareg, and they have often found themselves at odds with

Randall Garrett, TAKEOFF!

2011-12-28T12:52:00.005-05:00

There's plenty of silliness in the world of science fiction that makes it a ripe target for parody. Randall Garrett took a more subtle -- but quite humorous -- approach to his beloved genre in Takeoff! This collection of stories, and a few poems, lovingly mimics and spoofs some of the sci-fi classics.The stories here range from the subtle to the extreme. His "The Horror out of Time" adopts the

THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO (2011 movie)

2011-12-22T19:57:00.011-05:00

Stieg Larsson's novel The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is a brilliant, brutal, and popular mystery. It makes sense that the American film adaption would be directed by David Fincher, whose work includes Seven, Fight Club and The Social Network. This film of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo loses none of the tough hits of the original book -- though some of the changes lessen the final impact. The

THE GUILD season 5 dvd

2011-12-22T19:21:00.006-05:00

What happens when a comedy series that began on the Internet becomes incredibly popular? For The Guild season 5, the MMORPG denizens go beyond their computers and local town to a gaming convention -- jamp-packed with celebrities! Fortunately, the series manages to stay true to its nerdy roots. The Guild season 5 has the Knights of Good travelling together to MegaGame-O-RamaCon, a convention that

Ljova, Lost in Kino (Kapustnik Records, 2011)

2011-12-19T13:28:00.004-05:00

As an in-demand classical violist, member of the New York gypsy band Romashka, and leader of his own group the Kontraband, Lev "Ljova" Zhurbin keeps himself busy. Perhaps the most interesting facet of his work, though, is his scoring of the soundtracks to numerous films, from low-budget art house movies to more ambitious projects directed by people like Francis Ford Coppola. On Lost in Kino,

THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO by Stieg Larsson

2011-12-16T23:27:00.004-05:00

How do you solve a murder that happened 36 years ago -- if it happened at all? What distinguishes retribution from revenge -- or is there a difference? And just how dysfunctional can one family be? These are the ingredients of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, the insanely popular mystery novel from late authir Stieg Larsson.At the book's opening in December 2002, things are very rough for

Lindsay Lohan Does PLAYBOY

2011-12-16T22:44:00.005-05:00

The book Ebert's Bigger Little Book Glossary includes this entry: "Centerfold Folly. With the exception of Marilyn Monroe, no actress who has appeared nude in Playboy to advance her acting career has ever actually advanced her acting career." But does this apply to an actress hoping to re-start her career? And what if she channels Marilyn Monroe while appearing nude in Playboy? Time will tell if

The Derek Trucks Band, Already Free (Sony, 2009)

2011-12-16T06:27:00.003-05:00

Guitarist Derek Trucks has built a strong reputation over the past decade and a half both as a member of The Allman Brothers Band (his uncle, drummer Butch Trucks, is one of the remaining original members) and as the leader of his own band. Already Free, the 2009 release of The Derek Trucks Band, showcases his mastery of the slide guitar and boasts a number of good songs.While Trucks is the

Rodrigo y Gabriela, Live in France (ATO Records, 2011)

2011-12-15T13:09:00.003-05:00

The Mexican guitar duo Rodrigo y Gabriela have had a busy couple of years, between the release of their album 11:11 in 2009, their contribution to the soundtrack of Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, and the run of shows that culminated in the recording of their newest album, Live in France. The live album has a considerable amount of overlap with 11:11, but the context of a concert

Rufus Wainwright, Want One (Dreamworks, 2003)

2011-12-14T16:57:00.003-05:00

As the son of Loudon Wainwright III and the late Kate McGarrigle and the brother of Martha Wainwright, Rufus Wainwright certainly has pedigree. He makes a point of following the beat of his own drum, though, eschewing the more straightforward folk of his parents in favor of an alternation between lush, often operatic rock arrangements and distinctively eccentric pop. His third album Want One,