Author Archives: Sommer Mathis

A Sounds Eclectic Evening, KCRW’s third annual benefit concert, was held Saturday at the Universal Amphitheatre. The show was a shining example of how the Santa Monica-based National Public Radio affiliate, once undeniably at the forefront of cutting-edge music from around the world, has settled into a complacent role as a purveyor of conventional music […]

“Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World” 20th Century Fox Peter Weir’s excellent new film, “Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World,” seems on the surface to be geared to far too small an audience to merit the overwhelming advertising campaign behind it. But as with many things in life, looks […]

Complete silence. A tall ship is at sea on a windless night. Ever so slowly, the sounds of a gentle breeze and a creaking bow can be heard. Sometimes, life at sea can be a quiet, contemplative affair. Scenes like this one, which opens the new film “Master and Commander: The Far Side of the […]

Sometime around the age of 13, when a combination of societal expectation and hormonal fluctuation so decrees, trick-or-treating on Halloween ends. Disapproving neighbors accuse you of being “too old” to beg for candy. Your parents encourage you to have a few friends over instead of ringing doorbells. Dressing up as a witch or Superman, finally […]

In the mid-1980s, the BBC ran a clever, nuanced, six-part mini-series written by Dennis Potter called “The Singing Detective.” The landmark series followed the experiences of Dan Dark, a novelist stricken with a debilitating skin disorder, who hallucinates that he is a 1950’s noir-style private eye with a side gig as a singer in a […]

“The Graduate” The Wilshire Theatre Stepping into the role originated by Anne Bancroft in Mike Nichols’ groundbreaking 1967 film, which was brassily reimagined by Kathleen Turner on Broadway, Jerry Hall makes a sultry, sassy Los Angeles debut as Mrs. Robinson, the troubled alcoholic who finds solace in an affair with the son of longtime friends. […]

While the Recording Industry Association of America’s zealous enforcement of anti-Internet piracy laws over the last few months has made headlines, the film industry has been engaging in a similar, if less highly publicized, effort to prevent and deter individuals from illegally sharing copyrighted movies on the Internet. At the organizational forefront of this campaign […]