I’ve been listening to Relient K since the end of 2002, and since then they’ve evolved into one of the most interesting and thoughtful pop-rock bands in the business. They’re one of my all-time favorites: From the catchy throwaways to the moving reflections to the sweeping epics, Relient K has covered a lot of ground…
The Way Way Back (2013) – 3½ stars (out of 4) The Kings of Summer (2013) – 3 stars (out of 4) I watched two coming-of-age-themed movies this weekend that had enough interesting compare-and-contrast elements between them that I decided I wanted to write a quick article here reviewing them.
I’m going solo and weirdly specific for the third iteration of the Earn This Mixtape. Here are eighteen covers of the seminal holiday classic “All I Want For Christmas Is You” by Mariah Carey, separated into the good, the bad, and — since this is the internet — the ugly. –Dan
100 Film Favorites – #3: The Prestige (Christopher Nolan, 2006) “Are you watching closely?” At last, we’re coming to the end of the long drawn-out Film Favorites Countdown. My apologies to those of you who have been waiting patiently for the epic conclusion – hopefully the delay has at least served to create some suspense.…
100 Film Favorites – #4: Fight Club (David Fincher, 1999) Now that Halloween season has come and gone, we return to the much anticipated final posts in the 100 Film Favorites Countdown. Even though at least one astute reader among you has already deduced the remaining Top 3 posts still to come, I’ll try to…
A little while back, you might recall, Dan wrote a paean to Billy Joel’s 100 Greatest Songs. Naturally, as a male, my first reaction was: I have to equal or surpass his work–by providing a list of the top 100 songs from my favorite (probably) artist, U2. As someone whose number of U2 concerts is in…
100 Film Favorites – #5: Back to the Future (Robert Zemeckis, 1985) “Great Scott!” We’ve made it at long last to the TOP FIVE! I know we technically should have reached the end long before now (if I’d kept my daily pace we would have ended on the 3rd). Regardless, we’re finally into the home…
Pop is the most widely beloved, enduring, and profitable form of music in the age of recording studios. Probably because of this, it doesn’t get a lot of respect from hipsters, which makes it easy to find online music hubs filled with nothing but loathing and pity for the millions blasting Top 40 on the…
100 Film Favorites – #6: Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (Steven Spielberg, 1989) “I suddenly remembered my Charlemagne… ‘Let my armies be the rocks, and the trees, and the birds in the sky.’” The third Indiana Jones film opens with the titular adventurer as a boy (played by rising teen heartthrob River Phoenix, who…
This is the first in a hopefully-recurring feature where the writers of Earn This will choose some genre or theme, collectively pick twenty or so of their favorite songs under that umbrella, and write a few words about each song. If we’re motivated, we’ll even embed a Spotify playlist. For our first entry, Dan and…