Frailty

                 
Saddened by his passing, I recently watched Bill Paxton's Frailty, a reasonably well constructed slice of horror that failed to resonate with me. Paxton the director lets Paxton the actor do a full-on Jack Torrance, even running around with a bloody axe. He does get a focused and spookily restrained performance by Matthew McConaughey; one of his best. The role of a suspicious cop fits Powers Boothe like an old show. Frailty doesn't add up to much, but there are loads worse 90 minute horror films. (4/5/17)

Arrival

               

Nothing prepared me for what a sack of shit Denis Villeneuve's Arrival, a freaking Best Picture nominee, is. Boring, mopey, wan, a Close Encounters for the MDD generation. Amy Adams is a linguist who has lost a daughter to cancer and is, apparently, the only one in the US qualified to communicate with the aliens when their pod lands in Montana. Similar pods land elsewhere on earth and unconvincing chaos results.

Adams does her best to convey credulity and torment, but Villeneuve has left her stranded in a hackneyed scenario that resorts to time travel to save the day. Talents like Jeremy Renner and Forest Whitaker are similarly adrift in this very sub-Spielberg sci-fi outing. I thought Villeneuve's Sicario was overrated, but it seems like Greed compared to this nothing muffin. (3/29/17)

Biff's Favorite Pop Music Releases of 2021

                            

1) Jeffrey Lewis & Peter Stampfel      Both Ways

2) Billie Eilish                                     Happier Than Ever

3) Spillage Village                              Spilligion  

4) Mdou Moctar                                 Afrique Victime 

5) Dry Cleaning                                  New Long Leg

6) illuminati hotties                            Let Me Do One More

7) Loretta Lynn                                  Still Woman Enough

8) Olivia Rodrigo                               Sour

9) Toumani Diabate                           Korolen    

10) Lucy Daucus                               Home Video

I also enjoyed releases by Low Cut Connie, Anansi Cisse, Liz Phair, Turnstile, Sons of Kemet, Girl in Red, Ashnikko, Modest Mouse, Young Thug, Courtney Barnett, Chuck Berry, Carly Pearce. Lindsey Buckingham, and Jason Isbell. Plus two releases each by perpetual overachievers Lana Del Rel and Neil Young with Crazy Horse.