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Groomed for success

Brooklyn-by-way-of-Oklahoma indie outfit Grooms is just over a month removed from releasing Infinity Caller, its best album to date. It’s a record that almost didn’t happen at all, though. “We weren’t sure if we were going to finish it, really. Once we did finish it, we weren’t really sure whether to try and put it out at […]

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Grooms — Infinity Caller

Through these changes, Johnson remained steadfast in his approach, hammering away at a sound that pays homage to his roots and influences while, at the same time, retaining a distinct individualism. Now, with two albums released on two separate labels behind them, Grooms sound rejuvenated on their third proper full-length, Infinity Caller, their most intricately […]

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Detective in underpants

Many of us were concerned when Andy Samberg retired from Saturday Night Live last spring. Would the comic genius get trapped in more forgettable movies like Hot Rod, then disappear? We needn’t have worried. Samberg stars in Brooklyn Nine- Nine, a single-camera sitcom that perfectly showcases his talent (Tuesday, 7:30 p.m., Fox). He plays hotshot detective Jake Peralta, who […]

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42

And that’s fine with me. 42 — the number Robinson wore on his uniform — tells an important story that, almost inconceivably, has eluded big-screen treatment since Robinson himself starred in 1950’s The Jackie Robinson Story. Relative unknown Chadwick Boseman (TV’s Persons Unknown) gives a stirring, if uncomplicated, performance as the supremely gifted ballplayer who […]

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Brooklyn Castle

The feature debut of director Katie Dellamaggiore, the documentary is now available on demand from FilmBuff. While this institution holds more championship chess titles than any other middle school in the nation (26), the film opens with them experiencing loss — well, second place, at least, among 862 teams. They win so often that not […]

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Grand Ambassadors

<span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family:” times=”” new=”” roman”;color:#222222″=””>Violin sighs give way to a harmonious chorus on “(O Death),” the funniest, shortest song on Ambassadors’ debut album, Litost. The ironically titled tune is so purposely not serious as to toss a lyrical red herring into the middle of a meditation on the afterlife: “O death, show me your teeth / For I’m trained in the art of dentistry!” […]

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