HowlerCafe

Things on my radar, the occasional rant, always positive reviews of various media You know, if you don't have something nice to say...

[howlercafe]

Hello World.

[howlercafe]

I Know what’s Happening

The Perfect Cover for Our Time

 “Superman” Noah Hawley & Jeff Russo

 Marvel Universe world

Malevolence

Pain

Denial vs Powers

Modulation

Threat – I’ll track you down

Baby, what did you expect?

 The Boys rippin’ and riffin the script

[howlercafe]

RIP Aretha Franklin

Of course we all saw the “Blues Brothers” when we were kids and of course we had no idea of the legends and talent on screen. It was some time later that I learned that Otis Redding wrote “Respect” which Aretha Franklin owned like Manfred Mann owned the Boss’s “Blinded by the Light”.

Otis was as gracious as Aretha was soul-full. I don’t care about the present day insanity we are gripped in, there is not a soul on Earth that isn’t saddened by the passing of Aretha Franklin.

[howlercafe]

RIP Harlan Ellison

Harlan Ellison informed my teen years, touched me with his writing on countless occasions, from Star Trek episodes, through Spider Kiss, Dangerous Visions, Demon with a Glass Hand, a Boy and His Dog and so many others.. Paingod and other Delusions, The Glass Teat, Repent Harlequin, Gentleman Junkie, Deathbird Stories, Approaching Oblivion, Love Ain’t Nothing But Sex Misspelled, Angry Candy, Shatterday, Jefty Was Five, All the Lies That Are My Life, Angry Candy, No Doors, No Windows...these books shaped me..the Beast That Shouted Love at the Heart of the World. Reflective on the death of a grandmaster.

[howlercafe]

RIP Glenn Branca

I only saw Glenn Branca’s Ensemble once, in a church. All those guitars on 11 tuned to the same key. When it stopped the building itself settled back on to its foundation. It was like seeing a Rothko in person for the first time. Genius.

[howlercafe]

Sit Down, Be Humble. -K Lamar

He hit that on the head. Hostiles is about ugly and grace and inhumanity and understanding and the times and mostly reflecting back to current states. All civilizations (I know, I used the word all) are conquerors and eventually conquered and the beat goes on. As a “Nation” we are proud of our triumphing freedom on land that was not ours built by people we owned and now serving corporations with more rights than the people.

And Hostiles rubs your face in it, with a hand on your neck instead of a boot. Sobering and thoughtful, this many months after watching it i still think about it. I am proud of what I’ve tried to become, and I am not so far gone as to have forgotten to work on my humility. 

Recommended

[howlercafe]

RIP Ursula K Le Guin

I backed in to Ursula’s writing through SRD’s complicated “Trouble on Triton an Ambiguous Heterotopia” which may have been a response?dialog with? Le Guin’s “The Dispossessed”.  This unplanned diptych lives in my mind as clearly as if it were written yesterday. In addition to “The Dispossessed” she is responsible for “The Lathe of Heaven” and “The Left Hand of Darkness,” all three shaping my fragile eggshell mind as a teenager in the ‘70′s. It is a shame she is gone from us before we get to a better place as a species to thank her.

[howlercafe]

The Partridge Family - Lookin' For A Good Time

Watched every episode. Haven’t thought about him in a long time. RIP

[howlercafe]

“Hammer of the Gods..we’ll drive our ship to new lands”

Thor Ragnarok - We Don’t need no stinking hammers! See it on the big screen or go home. Recommended

[howlercafe]

The Foreigner is better than we deserve. The story is an interesting twist on the father who happens to be ex something losing a loved one seeking justice. Nuanced in ways that seem to be important these days: “The Chinaman” - title of the source material and casual racial slur is played by a Chinese actor, Jackie Chan. One of the men in a position of power is Black, without comment, the rest of the cast diverse except the Irish, at the center but I guess that follows the new paradigm in casting logic. Recommended.

[howlercafe]

Hudson, Live. The Pixies were playing across town - Boomer Bait chumming the waters! No frenzy at the Carlsen Center, just a great set of tracks by masters of their craft clearly enjoying themselves. 

[howlercafe]

Cover album, quite delightful after the world shaking madness that is our now...

I’ll be using some of these in Christmas Mixes should that tradition ever rise from the ashes. Enjoy a record you know all the words to from a delightful singer in full control without the hunger of ambition revealing desperation. I’m taken back to Tim Curry’s “Simplicity” way back in the day. Recommended as well, of course.

[howlercafe]

Blade Runner 2049. I picked the most solipsistic image present in the film to represent. Science Fiction from a different angle. From the guy that brought you the foreign grown Interstellar, Arrival. Starring our Driver Ryan Gosling. Co-starring Wonder Woman’s trainer, Harrison Ford, Elvis and some AI rivaling Her. Leto and Bautista chewing scenery while the scenery chews itself. Out of the ballpark science fiction riffing off Bladerunner the movie, not the Dreams of Electric Sheep source material. Not liking this is like not liking either Solaris. Only the Author gets that privilege.

Recommended 

[howlercafe]

This is the new stuff.

Reviews after listening at appropriate volume.

[howlercafe]

Kingsmen Part 2

No church scene topper but a drift that made Baby Driver swoon...

Kingsmen requires the suspension of belief Crank did back in the day and a touch of Roger Moore era Bond to make any sense - but - If you can do those things and forget the current state of madness clouding every turn Kingsmen will do the movie requirement: spin your head around for 2 hours and let you marvel (;)) at the audacity and camera and soundtrack slyly wooing you to the darkside like a slice of Layer Cake.

Recommended.

[howlercafe]

Let it Be..   Mother!

At the Alamo, KCMO. Aronofsky continues to challenge. No struggle for what this was, I was at the movies. Spin my head around for an hour an half, make me feel, keep me glued to the screen instead of my watch or my life...

Mother looks great, sounds great, has star power and enigma. I’m not too jaded to get upset when I figure out what is going on...Maybe I shouldn’t forgive excess, but you know, it has been a minute since excess without CGI ruled and it will be longer before Imperator Furiosa hits the screen.

Bravo Mr Aronofsky, you made me glad to be uncomfortable and it did not feel cheap. Stay strong and make another.

Kudos to Lawrence, Bardiem, Harris and Pfeiffer and the camera guy..this could not have been an easy shoot. Recommended!

[howlercafe]

Boris - Absolutego (Official Video)

Record is great.(OK CD) They are playing in Kansas less than a week after Hudson (who will kill it, a little different [lee],) . Who can I convince to join me in a little Japanese (how did they get visas?) Metal noise? I’ll hit up Darren. He liked the SG after all.