I had an opportunity to see a reunited Sleepytime Gorilla Museum this winter. In order to do so, I would have had to rent or borrow a car, or convince a friend to drive me, and get a hotel room. This, apparently, was too much for me (and very close to a trip) so I …
Category: 2024
Kronos Quartet Live at Koerner Hall Thursday May 9, 2024
I am somewhat familiar with the Kronos Quartet but more by reputation than actually knowing their music. I have heard a few of their recordings – particularly Tan Dun: Ghost Opera – but hardly very many, with many on my list that I’ve never been to. But when I saw they would be here, on …
Kamasi Washington at HISTORY Tuesday May 7, 2024
If I knew who saxophonist Kamasi Washington was before last night, I didn’t have a very good idea. I might have heard his name here and there but I absolutely did not know much at all about him and had to ask someone who he was. The show changed that. I will absolutely be seeking …
Dark Matter (2024) by Pearl Jam
I love the first 15 years of Pearl Jam’s career pretty damn unconditionally. Even albums I didn’t love on first listen (Yield, Riot Act), I now quite like. But I definitely do not feel the same way about the last 15 years. I have liked none of their last four albums remotely as much as …
Rosencrantz & Guildenstern are Dead Live at the CAA Theatre Toronto March 27, 2024
Something like 20 years ago, I watched the film version of this with Gary Oldman and Tim Roth. I enjoyed at the time but was told by a friend, and many movie critics, that the play was better. I guess I sort of always wished to see it. Jenn saw that it was playing downtown …
Riley Goes to Los Angeles Day 5
We had to set the alarm, due to concerns over traffic. We got up, got dressed, packed, and then realized that the app that LAX’s website had recommended for us to use to book a cab to the airport had never booked the actual cab. It had registered the trip, but had not actually assigned …
Riley Goes to Los Angeles Day 4
We woke up and walked down to Sunset to find breakfast. We walked up the remainder of the hill and then walked down a long hill. We didn’t know the LA Marathon was on so we were very confused by the traffic patterns and the randomly blocked streets.
Riley Goes to San Diego and Los Angeles Day 3
We discovered there was a café like two blocks away that had featured on The Best Thing I Ever Ate so we headed over there for breakfast. We did not order that dish, given that it was absolutely a dessert and not a breakfast, but we did make good choices nonetheless. Jenn got biscuits and …
Riley Goes to San Diego and LA Day 2
In the morning, we went out for breakfast and found a great place only a few blocks away, Breakfast Company. Their menu looked amazing and I had trouble picking what to eat. Jenn had the chilaquiles and I had the shrimp enmoladas. (Both with poached eggs, because: breakfast.) They were both great. It’s the kind …
Riley Goes to San Diego and LA Day 1
In the first 40 years of my life, I went to California once, specifically to Anaheim, Los Angeles and Palm Springs. I went with my family and it wasn’t my favourite trip we ever took. Well, in the last year, I’ve now been to California twice. Last year we drove from Portland to San Francisco. …
Is Streaming Better for Watching Great/Classic/Cult Movies?
I have a list of of 5,532 feature movies, TV shows and short films to watch. I have been adding to this list of movies for something like two decades. The list might seem like an impossible number of films and shows to watch, but I’ve already watched approximately 5,000 TV shows and films in …
Fargo (2014)
SPOILERS!!! I was really, really skeptical of this idea, not only because I was once a gigantic Coen brothers fan and Fargo remains among their very best films. Making a film into a show is a dangerous proposition. Making a film into a show nearly two decades after that film was released seems insane, to …