misery - the movie..

stephen king works best when he's working with a simple, terrifying premise. On paper misery is just that.. a writer in a car accident is cared for by his number 1 fan, who just happens to be psychotic. he can't leave and she goes more and more insane when she learns he has killed off her favorite character. horrifying? absolutely. in the film adaption, rob reiner stays true to the movie and manages to bring the horror of the book to life in an undiluted way. but it is really kathy bates who plays annie wilkes to complete madness personified. her performance earned her an academy award and scared everyone who saw the movie. Well done.

tori amos - night of hunters by special guest reviewer jenny joy white.

over the course of her career, tori amos has heard her calling. every experience that tori takes you on is there on its own right, a wonderful and creative adventure. Night of hunters has this creativity plus lyrics that take you back to "core" tori.

As for the contributions on this album by her daughter Tash, as a huge fan amos it is crazy in in a good and exciting way to say that "job's coffin" has been the track that i can't seem to get enough of. Her vocals hit with same power as her mother's. Over the years tori, trough her music, has talked of her struggles and challenges of parenthood, now her daughter shares center stage to become part of her mother's creation. Tori has become ethereal and it takes the album to a whole new level.

Also of note is the contributions of Kelsey Dobyns, tori's niece, which are very complimentary to tori's melody. in the end this album is a family affair.

whether you are listening to tori singing alone or with the others, from start to finish it is a fantastic work of art.

witkin

it is true that joel peter witkin's work is grotesque and at times horrifying, but what many overlook is the detail and care and, dare i say it, beauty, of his photos. you don't have to have a taste for the morbid to see how much preparation his work takes. he sees beauty in the dark side of life and in doing so takes a power away from the things that go bump in the night and plague the psyche.

harmacy

sebadoh' harmacy has always been my favorite of lou barlow's albums. it's not as noisy or inventive as some of his other work, but it's catchy and raw enough to stand with landmarks of 90s indie rock. even though these songs are hummable they still have edge. i'm just waiting for the rest of you hipsters to notice how good it is.

Genesis - the videos

i put this dvd on expecting to make fun of it.. and i did, but i also came a way with an understanding of what genesis was trying to do. they were trying to mix pop sensibilites with prog rock. the results are laughable at moments, but they do prove just how adaptable pop music can be. any genre can be reinvented adn inturpreted thtough the lens of pop music. the videos are silly but the spirit of pop shine through no matter how much of a jackass phil collins tries to be.

whitechocolatespaceegg

i love this album. i know that exile in guyville is a better record. i could give you a long list of reasons why it is a better album, but i have listened to wcse 100 times more. it is the mix of melody, lyrics and vision. liz had a child and was in general dealing with getting older. i may not not have a child or be a woman, but i could relate. i was 24 at the time and starting my first job in a new city.. i could relate, at least a little, to what she was saying. i hope history is kinder to this album then the critics were. it deserves a second chance.

Hair High (the graphic novel)

Bill Plympton is known as known for his surreal illustrations and textured style and this adaption of his feature film Hair High is no exception. what could be a cliche ghost story is turned into a mindbending look at high school. one we all can relate to... plympton's exaggerated drawings take simple high school issues and makes them look how they all felt when we were that young, huge and distorted and horrible. Once again graphic literature hits us in the heart by being direct and honest. - becky hunt