Flatiron Hot! Critic
Never Mind the Oscars, Here are the Top Five Movies of 2012
February 27, 2013 | Jonas PaslauskasWith the 2013 Oscars come and gone, here’s a look back at five intriguing 2012 films. Whether they have been nominated multiple times or utterly overlooked at the Academy Awards, here are – in no particular order – five movies that merit recognition for their boldness, conviction, and innovation: Kathryn Bigelow’s Zero Dark Thirty, Quentin Tarantino’s Django Unchained, Steve McQueen’s Shame, William Friedkin’s Killer Joe and the Wachowski siblings’ Cloud Atlas.
2013 Oscars: The Onion’s High-Tech Lynching of Beasts of the Southern Wild Star Quvenzhané Wallis
February 25, 2013 | Eric ShapiroDuring the 2013 Academy Awards ceremony (sorry, the Oscars), satirical publication The Onion set Twitter ablaze with an outrageous – and, many claim, racially-charged – tweet about 9-year-old Beasts of the Southern star Quvenzhané Wallis. And just what were those 17 inflammatory words that sparked such an uproar on the night of the Oscars?
American Idol Star Phillip Phillips Plays JFK Airport Terminal 5
February 18, 2013 | Eric ShapiroMost would not count waiting for plane flights as among life’s most pleasant activities. However, flyers lucky enough to be present at New York JFK Airport’s Terminal 5 (not to be confused with the concert venue) at 3:00 PM today … Read More
Music Monday: Grouper – The Man Who Died in His Boat – “Vital” Review
February 11, 2013 | Eric ShapiroOriginally Published on indie shuffle
Many artists, spurred by critical acclaim for an album, feel compelled to subvert listeners’ expectations with a radical departure from their sound, whether because they are emboldened by lavish praise or because they are determined to avoid being pigeonholed.
Music Monday: My Bloody Valentine – MBV – “Only Tomorrow” Review
February 11, 2013 | Eric ShapiroOriginally published on indie shuffle
Twenty-two years after the release of My Bloody Valentine’s Loveless, cited by critics as one of the finest albums of the 1990s, the band’s new LP, humbly titled MBV, has finally arrived. Those expecting the band’s songwriter, Kevin Shields, to single-handedly change the direction of music like he did in 1991 will be surprised to find that the album picks up pretty much where its predecessor left off. That’s not to say it’s by any means disappointing.
The Joy Formidable: Wolf’s Law “This Ladder is Ours” Review
January 31, 2013 | Eric Shapiro“This Ladder is Ours” Review Originally Published on indie shuffle
Alternative rock seems to be making a comeback. With releases like Cloud Nothings’ Wasted Days and the Menzingers’ On The Impossible Past (both released to much acclaim in 2012), a genre that discredited itself with endless sub-par Nirvana and Pearl Jam ripoffs is sailing onto the indie rock radar with the winds of 1990s nostalgia at its back. Read More
Superman at 75: Jerry Siegel, Joe Shuster and the Jewish Roots of the Man of Steel at the Center for Jewish History
January 27, 2013 | Eric ShapiroDid you know Superman was Jewish? Well, not quite, but his creators, comic book giants Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, certainly were, and they imbued the world’s first superhero with more than a little bit of Jewish identity.
Rap Retrospective: The Best Hip-Hop Tracks of 2012
January 23, 2013 | Flatironhot ContributorBy Brandon Sanders
10. No Lie (Feat. Drake) – 2 Chainz: Many thought 2 Chainz leadoff single would be a smash and once this hit the airwaves, they were proven right. With Drake on the … Read More
Flatiron Hot! Review: “Stoned and Starving” off Parquet Courts Light up Gold
January 17, 2013 | Eric ShapiroOriginally published on indie shuffle
Brooklynites by way of Texas (hence their self-proclaimed label of “Americana Punk”), Parquet Courts fit right in among their noise rock neighbors. Nowhere is this more apparent than on the track “Stoned & Starving.” The subject matter is exactly what it sounds like, but somehow the music is exhilarating where it should be mundane.
Justified Season 4 Premiere: Recap/Review
January 16, 2013 | Eric ShapiroSeason 4 of FX’s Justified starts out just as long-time viewers of the series should expect it to: with a bang (in both senses of the term) and a whole lot of style. At this point in the TV show’s lifespan, the writers and the actors have nailed every character down to the most minor vocal cadences. It’s a credit to the amazing talent behind Justified that its season premiere can hook us while offering no more than a few tantalizing hints about the overall narrative direction. Elmore Leonard couldn’t ask for a better adaptation of his novels.