Jade Blackmore

A Man Holding an Electric Guitar in Hands

Book Review: Tonechaser – Understanding Edward: My 26-Year Journey with Edward Van Halen by Steve Rosen

While there have been many books chronicling Eddie Van Halen’s life and music, Steve Rosen’s Tonechaser is by the far ...
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A poster of the movie The Mobster and The Lawyer

Book Review: Lennon, the Mobster & the Lawyer: The Untold Story by Jay Bergen

Lennon, the Mobster & the Lawyer: The Untold Story by Jay Bergen recounts one of John Lennon’s less publicized legal ...
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Cinema Sentries

Poly Styrene: I Am a Cliché Movie Review: Her Trailblazing Music Career Is Only Part of the Story

“I wasn’t ready to be the caretaker of Poly Styrene’s legacy. I just lost my Mum,” Celeste Bell says at ...
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Cinema Sentries

Bob Marley and The Wailers: The Capitol Session ’73 Review: A Glimpse at the Legend on the Cusp of Fame

Bob Marley and The Wailers’ The Capitol Session ’73 was lost to history until researcher Martin Disney unearthed a three-minute clip ...
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Cinema Sentries

The Amusement Park Movie Review: George A. Romero’s Lost Film on the Horrors of Old Age

In the late 20th Century, several religious organizations sponsored dramatic TV shows. These shows ran as religious or public service programming, ...
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Cinema Sentries

Tiny Tim: King for a Day Movie Review: A Poignant Look at the Quirky 1960s Star

Wacky and somewhat unhinged reality TV (or YouTube) stars are common today, so common that we’re way past asking, “Is ...
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Ronnie Wood: Somebody Up There Likes Me Movie Review

“I never got beyond 29 in my head,” Ronnie Wood says at the beginning of the documentary Somebody Up There Likes ...
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Suzi Q Movie Review: Looks at the Groundbreaking Career of Rocker Suzi Quatro

Australian director Liam Firmager spent four years working on Suzi Q, the definitive documentary of Detroit-born rock star Suzi Quatro, who rocketed ...
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I’ll Never Forget You: The Last 72 Hours of Lynyrd Skynyrd DVD Review

I'll Never Forget You: The Last 72 Hours Of Lynyrd Skynyrd is the second recent documentary about Southern rock band Lynyrd ...
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Polyester Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: John Waters’ First Big-Budget Film

Polyester, John Waters' first big budget, mainstream film, was released by in 1981 by New Line Cinema. Its $300,000 budget ...
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Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am Movie Review: A Quiet Passion for Life, for Knowledge, and for Words

The Pieces I Am, Timothy Greenfield-Sander's straightforward documentary about the late Nobel and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Toni Morrison, consists (mostly) of ...
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The Old Man and the Sea (1990) DVD Review: Anthony Quinn Gives an Excellent Performance

Anthony Quinn gives a riveting performance as the elderly fisherman Santiago, who has gone 84 days without catching a fish, ...
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The Quiet One Movie Review: Explores Ex-Rolling Stone Bill Wyman’s Life Through His Media Archives

It's been 26 years since Bill Wyman quit the Rolling Stones for civilian life in 1993, and the documentary The Quiet ...
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Charlie Says Movie Review: The Manson Family from the Girls’ Point of View

This take on the Manson family and the gruesome 1969 murders of Sharon Tate, Rosemary and Leo LaBianca, and others ...
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At the Drive-In DVD Review: A Compelling David vs. Goliath Story

Director Alexander Monelli originally intended the documentary At the Drive-In to focus on the near-extinct drive-in movie theatre industry in the U.S. ...
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Scotty and the Secret History of Hollywood DVD Review: Sheds a Light on Hollywood’s Golden Era

Movie studios kept a close watch on their actors' private lives in the 1940s to the 1970s. It was important ...
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The Public Image Is Rotten Movie Review: Traces the 40-year History of John Lydon and Public Image, Ltd.

Near the beginning of The Public Image is Rotten, a young John Lydon is asked how long he'll live. “I'm ...
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Boom for Real: The Late Teenage Years of Jean-Michel Basquiat Movie Review: A Look at the Creative Development of an Art Icon

An untitled painting of a skull by Jean-Michel Basquiat sold for $110 million in 2017, making it one of the ...
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Book Review: The Pride of the Yankees: Lou Gehrig, Gary Cooper, and the Making of a Classic by Richard Sandomir

Field of Dreams, The Natural, and Bull Durham may be the first movies that come to mind when you think ...
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Mansfield 66/67 Movie Review: Jayne’s Life Would Have Made a Great Reality Show

Directors Todd Hughes and P. David Ebersole take a quirky approach to the life of actress Jayne Mansfield with the ...
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The Bottom Line Archive Series: Lou Reed and Kris Kristofferson: In Their Own Words with Vin Scelsa Album Review 

The Bottom Line, a rock and folk club in Greenwich Village from 1974 to 2004, featured performances by Bruce Springsteen, ...
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New Orleans Music in Exile Blu-ray Review: After the Hurricane

Unless you live in New Orleans or know someone who does, you might not have paid much attention to its ...
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Carol + 2: The Original Queens of Comedy DVD Review: A Look into a Kinder, Gentler Era

The Carol Burnett Show, one of the most beloved variety shows of the late 20th century, debuted in 1967 and ...
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Book Review: The Rocky Horror Picture Show FAQ by Dave Thompson

Richard O' Brien's gender-bending musical The Rocky Horror Show premiered in London in 1973, at the height of the U.K.'s ...
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TV Review: American Masters: B.B. King: The Life of Riley

The latest installment of the PBS series, American Masters, documents the life and music of blues maestro Riley “B.B.” King. ...
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Jaco DVD Review: Tribute to a Jazz Legend

“It's not about bass playing, it's about being a storyteller.” The documentary Jaco traces the life of iconic jazz bassist ...
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Frank Zappa’s Roxy: The Movie DVD Review: A Necessary Purchase for Any Zappa Fan

The concert film Roxy: The Movie starring Frank Zappa and the Mothers, filmed in 1973 during a three-night engagement at ...
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Book Review: Underground: The Subterranean Culture of DIY Punk Shows by Daniel Makagon

Pure punk rock, regardless of a band's popularity or the decade in which they've performed, has pretty much been an ...
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Book Review: Punk USA: The Rise and Fall of Lookout Records by Kevin Prested

You hear a lot of praise about punk rock in the 1970s, but the ‘90s had a burgeoning punk scene, ...
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The Rolling Stones: From the Vault – Hampton Coliseum (Live in 1981) Review: A Welcome Trip Back

Recently released from the Rolling Stones archives, this show took place on Keith Richards' 38th birthday on Dec 18, 1981. ...
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The Blues Magoos: Psychedelic Resurrection Album Review

The psychedelic sound of the late 1960s produced many bands with colorful names and one mainstream hit. The Vanilla Fudge, ...
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No No: A Dockumentary Movie Review: Covers All the Bases

No No: A Dockumentary traces the colorful and complex career of MLB pitcher Dock Ellis, who pitched a no-hitter (or ...
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The Pink Floyd & Syd Barrett Story DVD Review: The Madcap’s Rise and Fall

Syd Barrett's tragic journey from being the creative force behind Pink Floyd to becoming a virtual recluse in a few ...
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DC Comics Superheroes: The Filmation Adventures, Vol. 1 DVD Review: A Peppy Blast from the Past

DC Comics Superheroes: The Filmation Adventures, Vol. 1 contains nine animated adventures from The Superman/Aquaman Hour of Adventure, which ran ...
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Birth of the Living Dead DVD Review: An Entertaining Documentary

The Walking Dead , zombie conventions, Shaun of the Dead, and innumerable zombie novels all owe their existence to the ...
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Here’s Edie: The Edie Adams Television Collection DVD Review

After Ernie Kovacs' untimely death in a car crash in 1962, his widow, actress/singer Edie Adams, devoted herself to preserving ...
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Book Review: Armageddon Films FAQ by Dale Sherman

Armageddon Films FAQ can be called a companion volume to Applause Books' Horror Films FAQ in that there is some ...
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Book Review: Horror Films FAQ by John Kenneth Muir

The FAQ series from Applause Books has devoted editions to pop culture staples like Kiss, the Beatles, Star Trek, and ...
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Dio: Finding the Sacred Heart: Live in Philly 1986 Blu-ray Review

First released in 1986 on VHS as an edited concert video, the full performance of late rock icon Ronnie James ...
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Queen: Live at Wembley Stadium 25th Anniversary Edition DVD Review: A Wonderful Keepsake

This two-disc DVD set from Eagle Rock Entertainment, commemorates the 25th anniversary of Queen's iconic concerts at London's Wembley Stadium ...
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Purple Noon Criterion Collection DVD Review: A Treat for the Eyes and a Test for the Nerves

Purple Noon (Plein Soleil), Rene Clement's 1960 film based on Patricia Highsmith's novel The Talented Mr. Ripley, is more brooding ...
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California Solo Movie Review: A Formerly Famous Musician Faces His Demons

California Solo, the latest film from director Marshall Lewy (Blue State), is about a musician's journey of self-discovery and redemption. ...
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Paul Williams Still Alive Movie Review: Tells the Story of the Man More than the Songwriter

Director Stephen Kessler didn't idolize the usual guitar-toting rock star when he was a kid in Queens, NY. He idolized ...
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The Lieutenant: The Complete Series Part One DVD Review: Gene Roddenberry’s First TV Series

The Lieutenant, the first TV series written and produced by Gene Roddenberry, aired on NBC during the 1963-64 TV season. ...
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Cinema Sentries

Goldfinger Movie Review: The Series Swings into Full Throttle

The third James Bond movie, Goldfinger, swung the franchise into full gear after Dr. No and From Russia with Love. ...
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LAFF 2012 Review: A Band Called Death Rises from Obscurity

While attending the Joey Ramone Birthday Bash in 2009, I noticed the headlining band was called Death. That doesn’t make ...
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John Lee Hooker: Cook with the Hook: Live in 1974 DVD Review: It’ll Serve You Right to Watch This

Cook with the Hook: Live in 1974, a restored film version of a John Lee Hooker concert in Gardner, Massachusetts, ...
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Desire DVD Review: A Realistic Look at Twenty-Something Sexual Mores

French director Laurent Bouhnik’s romantic drama, Desire examines the sexual mores of a group of loosely connected friends and acquaintances ...
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