Note: This is the hundred-and-sixty-eighth in a series of historical/critical essays examining the best in film from each year. Essentially, I am watching films from the beginning of cinematic history that interest me and/or hold some critical or cultural impact. My personal, living list of favorites is being created at…

I got into left-wing/leftist/liberal/progressive punk band Anti-Flag in high school. Honestly, I don’t think the group’s politics and lyrics were what drew me in. I just heard in their sound an angry rawness, increasingly channeled into catchier hooks, that resonated with me. As time went on, I came to recognize…

Approaching the entire discography of Old Hollywood superstar Bing Crosby as a listener is a daunting task, let alone as someone attempting to write about the man. Crosby, by many accounts a more than difficult person and also one of the most popular and enduring musical artists of all time…

In tackling the best albums (as far as we know that unit of music measurement today) of the whole decade of the 1940s, I described the beginning of the 1950s as the time that the record industry turned to cohesive, comprehensive, and wholly original works in extended form. The 10-inch…

Note: This is the hundred-and-sixty-seventh in a series of historical/critical essays examining the best in film from each year. Essentially, I am watching films from the beginning of cinematic history that interest me and/or hold some critical or cultural impact. My personal, living list of favorites is being created at…

The Toriko manga series enjoyed a level of success in Japan that, for a time, rivaled the popularity of mainstays like Dragon Ball Z and One Piece. Running from 2008 to 2016 and produced by Mitsutoshi Shimabukuro, the shōnen story of the titular Gourmet Hunter and his chef sidekick never…

Note: This is the hundred-and-sixty-sixth in a series of historical/critical essays examining the best in film from each year. Essentially, I am watching films from the beginning of cinematic history that interest me and/or hold some critical or cultural impact. My personal, living list of favorites can be found on…

I’ve provided this disclaimer on a few pieces I’ve written about fighting games: I’m not very good at them. I mean, I’m better at some than others, but at the end of the day, I’m a casual player who finds a lot to enjoy in my own uncoordinated way. That…

“Electric Feel” is one of those all-time great dance songs. It never fails to enliven me and I’m certainly not alone in that feeling. The duo behind it, Andrew VanWyngarden and Benjamin Goldwasser of MGMT (formed in 2002 as The Management), became big hit-sellers with that track’s release from their…