August 7, 2014 By Carlo Valladares News Editor ‘Riding the Lightning’ Metallica’s second album, “Ride the Lightning,” turned 30 years old last month, and is still regarded by many as one of the best thrash metal records of all time. Many of its songs have been staples of Metallica’s live…
Posts published in “Arts and Entertainment”
August 4, 2014 By Pete Barell Arts and Entertainment Editor Woody Allen met with members of the press, including the Pioneer, on July 17 at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York City. The week before the release of his new film, “Magic in the Moonlight,” he, along with actors…
August 7, 2014 By Pete Barell Arts and Entertainment Editor Michael Walker’s “The Maid’s Room” starts simply enough. Drina (Paula Garces) is a young, attractive Colombian woman who takes a job as a live-in maid to the Crawford family, who are? rich-and-powerful New Yorkers with a gated house in the…
June 19, 2014 By Pete Barell Arts and Entertainment Editor Director Colin Healey’s “Homemakers” is a (literally) smashing debut – a comedy that ultimately is about finding a home and identity amidst the entropy of life. The film won this year’s Audience Award at the Independent Film Festival of Boston,…
By Pete Barell Arts and Entertainment Editor Graphic novel adaptations have often dealt with serious, culturally relevant themes. In 2007’s “Persepolis,” we saw how Iranian society limits freedom of expression. “Watchmen” in 2009 posited questions regarding war, being a vigilante and utilitarianism. Originally adapted in Spain, Paco Roca’s award-winning “Wrinkles,”…
By Pete Barell Arts and Entertainment Editor Richard Linklater’s “Boyhood” might be the most literal coming-of-age tale ever brought to film. The writer/director is known for his strikingly original stories that are philosophically and dialogue heavy (“Before Midnight” was nominated at the Oscars last year for its screenplay) – but…
By Pete Barell Arts and Entertainment Editor Hiroyuki Okiura is a veteran in the animated film community. He and his team for his latest, “A Letter to Momo,” have a combined resume of work on hi-fidelity projects, from the ultra-violent “Akira,” to quirky “Cowboy Bebop: The Movie,” to Oscar-winning “Spirited…
June 16, 2014 By Pete Barell Arts and Entertainment Editor Jen (Jo Mei) and Kyle (Andrew Pang) are two predictably combative siblings, forced to be together after the death of their mother (Jodi Long, seen in flashbacks). They must clean out their old childhood home in rural Pennsylvania, essentially throwing…
June 6, 2014 By Pete Barell Arts and Entertainment Editor If a hypothetical Noah Baumbach joined Woody Allen on a train to Berlin, Germany, then met up with Jim Jarmusch to form a small gang, sip espresso and smoke cigarettes at the nearest cafe, the intellectual brainchild of the gathering…
By Pete Barell Arts and Entertainment Editor Livia De Paolis co-wrote, directed, produced and acted in her feature film debut “Emoticon,” which first premiered at the Gen Art Film Festival in 2013, and currently has a limited theatrical release at Cinema Village in New York City. The film tells the…