Snobbin: Beautiful Trash in the Pop Culture Gutter

This anthology film delivers a few cool twists on typical horror tropes and leaves you wanting more from each vignette. I asked myself what else this world had in store for its protagonists. The sense of the unknown is palpable in ways that few horror movies have conveyed after 2000. 

Chevalier is Greek writer/director Athina Rachel Tsangari's third fictional feature, filmed after her 2010's Attenberg won a number of international awards. Chevalier was selected  for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 89th Academy Awards but not nominated   She co-wrote this absurd, yet life-affirming film, with Efthymis Filippou, known for writing the absurdist The Lobster with Yorgos Lanthimos. This beautifully shot film captures the beauty of the voyage, but often shows the claustrophobic nature inside the ship through over the shoulder shots and extreme close-ups. Christos Karmanis' cinematography adds another dimension to the dark, humorous actions of the characters.  Chevalier tells the story of six men on a fishing trip in the Aegean Sea who decide to play a game to determine which is the best and win a coveted Chevalier signet ring. Each man comes up with a competition to challenge the others. The game leads to bizarre moments and even fighting at times as...

6. Baroness - Purple (Abraxan Hymns)   Savannah, Georgia's Baroness returns with another intricate record that relies less on experimentation and focuses more  on tuneful songwriting than most of their earlier catalog. Their two guitar attack is clean and tuneful, and John Baizley's vocals hit a sweet spot between hardcore growler and 90s indie singer. Equal parts metal, indie rock, prog, and (dare I say it) hard rock, are all present in an inventive mix. "Shock Me" stands out with its tight drumming, clean guitars, and tasty phasers. The brilliant guitar solos and innovative arrangements are proof that Baroness is getting more interesting and dynamic with each new release. While they are rooted in metal, they continually push the boundaries of the genre, bringing in disparate elements from all over the musical landscape.  Purple relies more heavily on melody and  power, and Baroness effortlessly mixes its influences to create the last heavy musical hom...

13. The Sonics - This is the Sonics (Revox) Who would expect a band that hasn't released a record for more than forty years to rock so hard? This is the Sonics undoubtedly shows that rock and roll is not necessarily a young person's game. The Sonics prove they still have what it takes in spades, delivering a record that has all the power of their early recordings with the levels turned up to eleven. The recording sounds crisp and clean, and the band has power to spare. The mono recording captures the power and passion of a group that sounds psyched to still be playing together and does not lessen the sheer visceral impact of their chosen material and performances. While it does not quite match the intensity of their 60s recordings, the album packs a wallop. Gerry Roslie still has the pipes to belt out frantic rock and roll numbers and Larry Parypa plays some riffs that could teach the youngsters a thing or two. Rob Lind blows his sax with the expected squall. Th...