New Album:

Caleb: I recently stumbled upon this new EP from this 20 year old kid from Edinburgh, Paulie Swan. He only has 4 songs out on DSPs, but it’s electric! The music critic in me is screaming that his music is a bit derivative, it’s like Cameron Winter singing over King Krule guitar lines, but it’s so fun and I keep revisiting it. The song writing is provocative and the instrumentation is lush. I’m very excited to see how this young Film Student comes into his own as an artist. There’s something here, so buy your stock early!

Ely: So. much. music.

Syd, Larry June, Nick Hakim and Steve Lacy(and so many more) all came out with incredible albums in July. If I had to seasonalize those albums I’m going Syd Spring, Steve Summer, Larry Fall and Nick Winter. I’m mostly saying this ‘cause I am a huge Nick Hakim fan but “I Can See” is an incredibly sleepy album that I think will hit in the dead of winter. Steve Lacy’s “Oh yeah?” is lyrically hilarious at moments but in a cool way that doesn’t take you out of the hands-swaying BOPS he’s created. Another Internet alumni, Syd comes out with her 4th solo album Beard fully formed. I’ve always loved her writing and vocals but in this album she hits her stride with a voice that puts her in a higher echelon of R&B artists. Okay, I’ve given time for 3 artists that probably need serious write ups cause they’re like serious n shit but all I want to talk about is Larry June’s Who Coppin. Larry puts out music like it’s a tweet. I think he’s on album 16+. Are the lyrics a bit repetitive? Sure. Do I care when it’s all a vibe that makes me feel like a millionaire driving a Porsche with the windows down into the sunset on the way to my private airport? No I do not. I’d like to feel like this more often actually. Good job Larry.

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If you’ve read any of the Burning Pockets posts, you know I’ve been doing a hell of a lot of window shopping. I have a big trip planned in October that I’m going to try all those things on in person and finally revamp my wardrobe so I have been saving, saving, saving.

So what do you do when you hate your closet and don’t have the immediate funds to change it? You make some shit! I had a ton of twill laying around and some old vintage fabrics that a friend gifted me, so I decided to, at the very least, start on my bottoms situation. A good, black pair of pants and shorts.

I start every project with a doodle on paper to see what sparks some interest and I knew I wanted to test some new pocket ideas. I have been seeing this mule pocket a lot lately, and I thought it would be a fun detail on an otherwise tried-and-true pattern like a cargo short. So I popped open photoshop and got the initial illustration drawn.

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There’s been an awful lot of chatter surrounding my footwear recently. And by recently, I mean like for the last 10 years when I’m pretty sure I was the first person in Oklahoma with the Balenciaga Triple S runner, a claim only substantiated by the fact I just so happened to be in Dallas at the Balenciaga store on the exact day they went on sale for the first time. An honest, total mistake. And who could forget, my time working at eBay. Or SneakerCon. Or Urban Necessities in Las Vegas. Or for ______ ____.

And yes, just to be clear, I understand that it’s lowkey embarrassing to be a sneakerhead these days. So I’m not here to advocate for anything like that. I’m not here to shill the highest ticket items at your local resell store. For years, I’ve been asked the question, “Caleb, what sneakers should I get?” And for years, I’ve always given my friends the answer. So I’m here, beloved subscribers, to tell you what you need this summer. We’re getting tasteful baby.

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Record:

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Seek out shit that you think is fun and interesting to you. Like the music you’re listening to or what your favorite painter wears or sports figure. Style guides and influencers are great if you’re looking to find a pair of pants that work for your physique (only if you have the same physique as the influencer of course) but they aren’t necessarily going to match your real swag: your interests.

TAMME - Not-Tie

Tamme’s third feature on Burning Pockets - can you tell I’m a super fan? They have done dozens of fabrics and color-ways of this cute little variation on a regular tie. The fold and the hardware are sleek and the “not” part of this tie makes for a casual take on formalwear that I think lends itself really well to warm weather.

Nullus - Reversible Pony Hair Calfskin Belt

Okay, I have been a well-known hater of the reversible belt for many, many years now, but Nullus might’ve just flipped me. The pony hair is hot and the alligator embossed leather is sleek. I am a sucker for a good convertible garment and this was done extremely well. Is the price tag reflective of the craftsmanship?

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It’s so over chat!!! My youth is dead, passed by. The endless summer days have become… just days. I’m washed dear readers. Chopped Unc. And I’m handling it super well! Everything is normal. I’m definitely not doomscrolling for hours of the day. And I don’t care what you heard, I’m NOT shutting down and avoiding my friends. And just to get ahead of the allegations of depression, I’m not guilty of that either!

Clearly, the end of my 20s is causing something of an identity crisis. Who am I if I’m no longer young and cool? I spent 10 years pursuing dreams and pursuing a career and I’m sitting here looking back at all of it and I don’t have anything to show for it. I mean I guess I do wear Chrome Hearts and I do have a vast record collection and a bunch of great clothes and good books and a lot of great sneakers and my Instagram looks sick as fuck, but what do I actually have?

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This week’s Burning Pockets is all about jeans. Idea courtesy of our OG reader, Caleb Marino from our first edition of Burning Pockets where we dive into an all black fit for the summer time (you can read that here.) This edition is more of a map of different approaches to denim. From classic to freaky, we’re going through the pantheon of different approaches to denim looks. I know a lot of denim heads that want to see that crispy selvedge line markers going through the outside seam and some that want to see bleaches and rivet works, neither are wrong, only in that both parties are wrong to think one is more right than the other. These too-cheeky enthusiasts need to shake hands and admit to themselves there is a time and place for both. So let’s all kiss and make up and go through 11 pairs of jeans ranging from $75 all the way to $795.

mfpen - Ceremony Jeans Stonewashed Grey

I bet you’re wondering “who decided to tuck that shirt in those freaky little fishnets?”mfpen riffs on office clothes with casual cuts and fun detailing. Sometimes the freak meter gets a little thrown off by the styling. I think these with or with out those fishnets is a fun play on a classic, with a sewn in front pleat and perfectly done stone wash. For those who frequented By.Everyone - mfpen was a brand we considered bringing in for several seasons and have a fantastic reputation. They sit in that middle-tier price point, but it’s hard to beat the Danes quality and cuts when you’re looking for this kind of look.

Freaky Meter: 6

Hanover - Drift Jeans Light wash

How Long Gone co-host, Chris Black started his brand 'Hanover’ and gave all of us Goners exactly what you would expect from GQ’s Pulling Weed’s writer: well done basics. Chris dresses basic and looks great doing it. In an era where every man in Brooklyn is doing the absolute most, I can see how it would be refreshing to throw on a pair of blue jeans, chucks and a white tee and call it a day. A fit that truly never fails. All of his denim is milled and manufactured in the USA for an approachable $155. Do we need another brand producing “basics?” Maybe not, but I’d argue why not? Especially when it’s coming from a person you enjoy seeing win.

Freaky Meter: 1

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RECORD:

Caleb: My record of the month was difficult this month, because I haven’t really been home the last 2 weeks to play anything, but I was playing the CCFX EP by CCFX pretty nonstop before I left. Don’t you hate when a band drops one single 4 song EP in 2017 and it’s perfect then they never release anything ever again? It’s one of my favorite things! And let me tell you, to me this is a perfect EP. It’s kind of goth and housey, but for some reason the lead singer sounds exactly like Robert Smith from The Cure. What a concept. Shame they never really fleshed it out. Oh well, at least we’ll always have their masterpiece “The One To Wait”…

Ely: I have a few niche jazz and r&b records that I get all juiced about. I get the needle ready to drop at Lofi and think I got a real head knocker coming for people, literally envisioning people on there way out coming up to me saying “nice one big bro, you really put me on big bro".” And that never happens. UNTIL I play this ultra scratched up Outkast record I found hidden in the middle of Aquimeni. “Yeah I’m afraid, Like I’m scared as a dog, but I’ve got a new song and I want y’all to sing alooooooong, sing alooooong” comes in over system and without fail the energy of the room wakes up. The Whole World is one of those anthems every forgets they know and can’t help but sing along to.

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It occurred to me the other day that I don’t need a store and excuse to sell these things to keep doing what I really love about buying: putting mf’ers on. Yeah big bro’s back. Maybe we’ll do a special feature with the real big bro soon, Jo (IYKYK). I’m not exactly sure what this will turn into. Maybe just a shopping list, a selection of pants, a mood board, a dive into niche styles and designers? I’d love some feedback from y’all on things you're looking for, what interests you and gets your gears going.

With instagram throwing a million ads at us daily it can be tough to sort through the bullshit and find things we really covet and appreciate. I want to introduce you all to people that don’t have ad space, that show care in their products and hopefully inspire us all to find new shit we like in our wardrobes. All that to say this week we’re going to explore an all black fit for the summer time. The idea isn’t necessarily for you to purchase any of these items but to take inspiration from the fit, the styling, the composition and all the above. But if you leave here with some new jawns, then all-be-damned we did a good job.

Item I: Kentucky Boy Tyler - Gum Chain Hat

First up: A silly little hat. If you aren’t familiar with Kentucky Boy Tyler then buckle up. His mixture of found objects reintroduced on vintage garments are like nothing else. Super detailed, a ton of hand done appliqués and great reimagined vintage statement tees. The Gum Chain hat used a 1950’ style gum chain roped around the brim, vintage leather strap and patchwork throughout.

Item II: Professor.E - Poplin Shirt

East meets West with Professor.E. I think this shirt is a perfect characterization of western styling and Japanese design. Made from a flowing lightweight semi-see-through cotton, finished with wonky stitch lines and spread collar that gives a ‘this guy doesn’t take himself too seriously’ kind of vibe. Hard sought after for an all black fit. The link above for this shirt directs to one of my favorite stores in New York Komune.Space - (them tariff’s are high as hell right now, support these guys and Professor.E all in one without paying for a war)

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RECORD:

Caleb: Since becoming a big time DJ (I hope you guys didn’t forget), I have been on a vinyl-copping spree. So allow me a moment to plug my good friend Calvin at Monad Records, because he keeps putting me on to cool shit. And the record selection he has curated at Monad has quickly made it my favorite place to shop in the city. There’s few greater joys than my Sunday trips to his shop. I mean where else can you possibly find Flawless Like Me by Lucki on vinyl?! But alas, there can only be one RECORD OF THE MONTH, and for me in April, I just could not stop playing I WANT YOU by Marvin Gaye. It’s smoky and horny and kind of sleazy and a lot yearny and I simply cannot get enough of it.

Ely: Two big Monad Heads here - I’ve been on a huge Flying Lotus kick lately, March might’ve also featured an album by him, but this month was an accidental extra-special record. I grabbed a 2006 release of one of his early releases of 1983 without knowing a repressing was coming up the following weekend. OOPS - I’d say I wish I held out for the repressing but she still spins and I got it for a bit of a steal!

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Record

Caleb: Well we can’t call it “shop record” anymore, because there is no shop. But we’re DJs now, if you didn’t know. So I’m going to tell you guys my favorite record I played at LoFi during my last set. What could it be? Surprise, it is MUSIC by Playboi Carti. Or maybe Die Lit by Playboi Carti. Or maybe Flawless Like Me by Lucki. Perhaps Flockaveli by Waka Flocka Flame… My last set was mildly unhinged. I liked it like that, so my record of the month is a 4 way tie between the four records that I’m almost certain have never been played at the Pizza Restaurant/Listening Lounge. If I may self-plug here, which I will be doing because it’s our Substack, I would like to take this moment to announce my April 4th set at LoFi (That’s tomorrow dear readers!). I have promised my friends to play everything from Young Dolph to The Cure. I’m going to keep doing Chaos Sets until they fire me.

Ely: I’ve been on a big Flying Lotus kick and just got his album, 1983. It’s funny, every time I’m about to buy a Fly Lo record I look over at Calvin (from Monad Records) and ask “is this the good FLy Lo or the scare the hoes Fly Lo?” to which his response regarding 1983 was “oh that’s that good Fly Lo” and I couldn’t agree more. It has a super atmospheric and galactic energy that he’s become known for with a more subdued instrumentation that doesn’t overload your senses like some of his other albums can do.

Beer

Caleb: St. Patrick’s Day is in March so I’ll give you three guesses. Yeah, it’s Guiness. Yeah, I feel bloated and awful! Beer of the month forecast for April? Water!

Ely: Beer of the month might have just got a hell of a lot more interesting for ol’ Ely. If you haven’t heard I am now working at Heirloom Rustic Ales as their Sales Director which has put me on to a ton of beers I have never tried and broadened my scope for beer styles I enjoy. SO, this month I’d like to shout out Heirloom and my favorite beer. We just released “Miles From Nowhere” - it’s a super juicy IPA, perfect for crushing in these spring months while you’re out watering the yard.

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Hoppers (PG - Comedy/Sci-fi/Animated - 105 mins) is the latest entry from Pixar, and their best effort in quite some time! It follows animal lover Mabel, a young adult who is too busy fighting for the local pond where the beavers hang out to focus on her actual life. When she stumbles upon technology used to “hop” between consciousness and essentially “become” a beaver, she takes it upon herself to organize the local animal community to fight back. It is a totally wild and quite bizarre premise but it works, and it works quite well. The characters are charming, charismatic and loveable. It’s funny, but serious when it needs to be. It will pull at your heart strings a bit, but also have you belly laughing. Hopefully this is an indicator of what’s to come from Pixar, because we could use another run like the 2010’s. Hoppers gets a 3.5/5 from me!

Project Hail Mary (PG-13 - Sci-fi/Adventure - 156 mins) is the obvious movie of the year so far. This is one that was on everyone’s radar over the last few months, and as the early reactions came out post-embargo on Twitter, it only cranked the hype up more. I can simply say, in my humble opinion, that it lives up to the excitement. The special thing about PHM is that it doesn’t take itself too seriously. A lot of gripes I’m seeing are about the overuse of humor, the little quirky jokes happening too often, etc. I think it actually plays into the movie’s favor. It keeps it light, but the heavy moments weigh hard. My head felt like it was gonna pop from crying after walking out of the theater. The Gos Boss is great, no surprise there, turning in one of his best performances in recent memory, Rocky is the PERFECT loveable alien guy, and Sandra Hüller is just as dialed in. The cinematography is gorgeous, as I’m sure you’ve all been seeing the IMAX 70mm shots blasted all over social media. Along with all of that is an absolutely killer score that I fully expect to be nominated for an Oscar come next January. PHM has everything, and is the perfect early year blockbuster to get everyone out To The Movies! It gets a 4.5/5 from me!

Streaming Pick of the Week

Ad Astra (PG-13 - Sci-fi/Adventure - 124 min) This felt like a fitting choice, as it’s right up the Project Hail Mary alley. Released in 2019, it follows an astronaut who is sent into space looking for his father with whom contact was lost. He was leading a mission called the Lima Project that may have been connected to the power surges in the solar system that are now threatening to destroy all life in the Solar System. This movie is the ultimate movie for people with a strained relationship with their father. It’s heavy, solemn and beautiful. It’s streaming on Tubi. Go watch it!

10. Hamnet - This one just didn’t do it for me. I caught it much later than everyone else did, so I was only more and more intrigued by the soul crushing subject material everyone was talking about. What I got instead was a hollow and empty story with mostly bland performances save for Jessie Buckley. Zhao’s direction is fine, and the cinematography is strong, but otherwise I was wholly unmoved by this and frankly feel gaslit by everyone saying it broke them.

9. The Secret Agent - A strong story with a powerhouse performance from Wagner Moura, but it drags in the first hour or so and takes a bit too long to show what exactly is happening. By then, I was kind of just along for the ride but not fully invested. That being said, strong performances and great directing still make this one worth seeing.

8. Sentimental Value - Renate Reinsve is such a dog! She is killing it every time she is on the screen, and she’s not the only one here. Grabbing 4 total acting nominations and 9 total, this one’s got a lot to love. That being said, again kind of the same situation with Hamnet, the emotional weight just wasn’t heavy enough to affect me. A good not great story that is carried heavily by its performances.

7. Frankenstein - Guillermo del Toro returns with another awesome gothic fantasy, as he does so well. Everyone has such polarizing opinions on Jacob Elordi, but personally I think he’s great as The Creature. A quiet and reserved, yet passionate performance from him along with a great outing from Oscar Isaac alone makes it worth seeing, but the cinematography and direction here is really its strong suit.

6. Bugonia - Justice for Jesse Plemons! What a performance. Yorgos knows how to get the most out of his actors. Bugonia rules dude. It’s hilarious, chaotic, thought provoking, fun, and unrelenting. Aidan Delbis, making his debut and absolutely knocking it out of the park, is a sight to behold. Definitely one of my favorite theater experiences of the year.

5. F1 - Yeah, I mean what do you want from me? I’m just a dude at the end of the day. If you put silver fox Brad Pitt looking hot as ever driving fast cars on my IMAX screen, I’m going to love it. It’s just Top Gun with F1 cars, and Kosinski knows exactly what audience this is for. The sound design is top notch, making you feel like you’re really at the race. The cars are fast and loud, and this is a dude movie through and through, which is always gonna hit for me.

4. Train Dreams - What a pleasant surprise this was. From everything I was reading beforehand comparing it to a Malick movie, I admittedly was not stoked for this. Boy was I wrong. This one truly blew me away. Edgerton is fantastic and brings a quiet, solemn and hard working Robert to the screen in a way that makes him feel relatable. He just wants to support his family and find purpose. This one did have the emotional weight I was expecting from the aforementioned titles. It hit me like a…train.

3. Marty Supreme - Timmy! Yeah I mean this shit is awesome. It’s nonstop action from the rip, the shortest two and a half hour movie there has ever been. It’s such a ride. The cast is truly special, everyone here playing a part that feels tailor made for them. Gwyneth Paltrow finally escaped the shackles of the MCU, and she rips. Mr. Wonderful Kevin O’Leary is a shithead billionaire but unfortunately, he also rips. Everyone rips, and this movie RIPS!

2. One Battle After Another - Boy oh boy are we lucky to be alive at the same time Paul Thomas Anderson is making movies. I don’t know how he does it, but he does. We can talk about the performances, we can talk about the cinematography, we can talk about the directing, but it’s nothing you haven’t already heard. This movie is the truth. Sean Penn gives my favorite performance of the year, Chase Infiniti absolutely explodes onto the scene and undoubtedly has a long career ahead of her. It’s hilarious, riveting, original, and so very PTA.

1. Sinners - Ryan Coogler you simply cooked. One of the most special and original films released this decade, Sinners is my top pick. MBJ is great, but I’m much more concerned with pretty much everyone else here. Delroy Lindo, Jack O’Connell, Miles Caton, Hailee Steinfeld, Wunmi Mosaku, Omar Benson Miller, I mean I could go on and on. What an ensemble! This movie has so much heart and soul, so much love and care put into it. Centered around music, there is a scene in here that is so beautiful and unique it brought me to tears. The action is awesome, it’s tense, spooky, funny and heartbreaking all at once. Throw in Buddy Guy at the end to boot and I just simply had no choice but to love this one.

Being a teenager in the 2010’s, the height of DATPIFF, Soundcloud and Youtube birthed the “just put it out” mentality, which is something I adored. Half-baked ideas unapologetically put out into the world. We saw a new wave of music that erupted in raw emotion through the often frivolous amounts of output resulting in an endless discography for the artist and discovery for the listener. This is not to say that there isn’t more music being put out than ever these days, but it’s by sheer volume of artists rather than singular artists putting out loads of music.

I want to stick this right up top to make it clear, I don’t want this to become a siphon for fast-fashion bullshit that pollutes the earth and our senses. I actually believe it will do the opposite. Take Story MFG’s new line ‘Wonky-wear’ into consideration. The idea behind it is straightforward: clothes made slowly, intentionally but not without flaw, giving it a natural vintage feel that is incredibly personal, but not perfect. It’s striving for 100% authenticity and representative of the artisans that work on the garments.

A screen shot from Story MFG’s ‘Wonky-wear’ line showing wobbly stitching, off-kilter pocket placement and unbalanced weaving making it all the more beautiful and unique.

Speaking of authenticity, my personal favorite project from Mac Miller is a mixtape he put out on Soundcloud and wouldn’t be released on a major streaming platform until its 10 year anniversary, Macadelic. This project is full of hiccups, pitch-y tones and unmixed instrumentals. Where it lacks in production quality, (it has since been re-mixed and mastered in its 2022 release on Spotify and Apple Music) it makes up for in soul and charisma. These flaws are naturally human.

Human qualities and characteristics will only become more pertinent as the inevitability of AI’s growth and expansion continues. It’s the pursuit of perfection that kills any signs of individuality. The small signatures and idiosyncrasies that belong to the human touch are paramount to the relevancies of working artists. Broad strokes of perfect pitch and mandated algorithmic keys and cadence won’t allow for the elasticity of our imaginations.

We need people willing to tell extremely personal stories in vulnerable ways. Songs that speak to generalities and clichés don’t speak to anyone anymore. I hear it all the time. “I just want to connect to the masses” or “this is too personal I don’t think anyone will relate.” I hate to break it to you, but the reality is you’re not that different or interesting. There is hope though. Tell that weird little story of the time you took adderall to pass a test and it accidentally made you constipated or when you were a kid and literally tried to find the end of the rainbow. Do you think Tyler, The Creator thought about how well it would relate to the masses when he said “Me and Slater just hit a curb, Bunnyhop, zoning out, listening to N.E.R.D, Made a couple turds spitting written verbs”? I think that’s just exactly what he was on at that moment. That song ran numbers around the weirdos at my high school who, even if they didn’t ride BMX bikes or listen to N.E.R.D, felt what he was saying.

Make it real to you and the people that do relate will hold on tighter. I’d rather have 5 best friends I can call on when I need them than 500 acquaintances I only recognize at the bar. That same logic applies to fans. Do you want 1 hit or albums that have real fans?

Perfection is in the eye of the beholder. I don’t believe that there exists a perfect song or painting; only ones that make me feel something intensely. For mathematicians, bankers, engineers and doctors, we may need them to strive for perfection. For our artists, we need them to strive for humanity.

Crime 101 (R - Crime/Thriller - 140 min), directed by Bart Layton (American Animals, The Imposter) is the latest Heat-esque entry into the crime drama. Bart Layton first made his way onto my radar back in 2018 with American Animals, which absolutely rips. He comes back 8 years later and serves us up another home run. He’s working with a juicy, interesting cast composed of Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Halle Berry, Barry Keoghan, and Nick Nolte. We start off getting pretty much right into the action with a Drive-adjacent opening scene. Our boy Mike (played by Chris) is driving the piss out of a murdered out Chrysler 300 in a pretty sick and well choreographed chase scene (1 of multiple) that really sets the tone going forward. Bart Layton is a really slick director who knows how to lock a cast in, and it shows here. We’ve got multiple intertwining stories from different characters POVs but it never feels muddied or hard to follow. Hemsworth is great here, which should come as no surprise to those who have seen his work outside of the MCU (shoutout Rush and Bad Times at the El Royale). Some folks are airing their grievances on this one, and some complaints are valid, but overall this is a fun and engaging picture. You don’t feel the run time at all, and save for a weak romantic plot line (it’s not a crime thriller about a guy doing heists without one) I think it’s pretty well written. I’m coming in higher than most on this one but it gets a 4.5/5 from your boy.

Wuthering Heights (R - Romance - 136 min), directed by Emerald Fennell (Saltburn, Promising Young Woman) sees Emerald bringing back her signature horny style to the silver screen. Now I’ll admit, I wasn’t particularly excited about seeing this one in the first place, so it was always gonna be an uphill battle. That being said, wifey wanted to check it out and I was happy to accompany her. I wasn’t familiar with the story at all but was interested to see how it unfolded after hearing so many mixed reviews. One of the most common complaints I had seen was that it was not very true to the book which doesn’t necessarily surprise me knowing Emerald’s style. Overall, it’s kind of a slog. The story is a little bit silly and overdramatized, and unfortunately Jacob Elordi is just kind of bad. Margot kills it and it was cool seeing Owen Cooper in his first role after taking the world by storm with his performance in Adolescence. Overall, this definitely can work if you’re here for hot people fucking and a mostly silly love story, but it wasn’t my speed. 2.5/5 for me.

Redux Redux (R - Science Fiction - 109 min), directed by the McManus brothers (Funeral Kings, The Block Island Sound) is an absolute cracker of a film. If you read my last piece about Whistle, this is another example of just browsing what’s showing at AMC and going to see whatever sounds interesting. The McManus brothers have been on my radar for a few years after The Block Island Sound came out. I never got around to seeing it, but I always heard interesting reviews. This one though, as soon as I read the synopsis I was all in. This is, without a doubt, the most inventive take on multiverse sci-fi that I’ve ever seen. The movie follows Irene, played wonderfully by Michaela McManus (the third sibling of the directing brothers), who has made it her mission to avenge her daughter’s death by traveling through parallel universes and killing her daughter’s murderer over and over again. And yes, it is as cool as it sounds. It’s a beautiful story of purpose, how much revenge can truly fix things, and motherhood. We get additional great performances from Stella Marcus making her feature film debut, and my beloved Jim Cummings, who I will love until the day I die. Seek this one out, and support the hell out of these inventive indies! Redux Redux gets a 3.5/5 from me.

Psycho Killer (R - Horror/Crime - 92 min), directed by Gavin Polone making his directorial debut, just quite simply stinks. Anyone who saw the marketing for this movie saw “from the writer of Se7en and producers of Longlegs and Barbarian” and honestly, that should’ve told me everything I needed to know. It’s never a good thing when a horror movie is throwing those names around like that. A bit of research showed this movie was in developmental hell for over a decade, with the script being finished all the way back in 2009 and originally having Fred Durst set to direct (yes, Limp Bizkit’s Fred Durst). So, a decade and a half later, we finally get the finished product, which is a stretch to even call it that, and it misses the mark everywhere. Georgina Campbell is good, not great, and that’s about all you can say about the cast. The titular character is played by former pro wrestler James Preston Rogers, and he doesn’t really even get to “act” that much. You never see his face once in the whole movie, and unfortunately in one of the worst creative choices I can remember in a while, he’s got the silliest villain voice that sounds like a voice changer off of the Tik Tok shop. The writing is silly, the kills are BORING, and action is like video gamey, with random slow motion kills and awful CGI blood, and the story is hilariously unrealistic and predictable. It is actually super similar to the wildly controversial video game Hatred which if you know, you know. Unfortunately, we are gonna have to wait for our next great crime thriller about a serial killer, because Psycho Killer is not it. It gets a ripe 2/5 from me.

Streaming Pick of the Week

Days of Thunder (PG-13 - Action/Sport - 107 min), directed by Tony Scott (Top Gun, True Romance, Man on Fire). Earlier this week I found myself wanting an easy watch. A laid back, stupid fun dude movie. Days of Thunder had been on my watchlist for god knows how long, and with the recent passing of Robert Duvall (RIP legend) I thought no better time than now to give it a spin. Boy oh boy, this thing hits the ground running. This shit is just peak dude movie, which is all Tony Scott knew. You wanna talk about a JUICED cast? Of course, 1990 Tom Cruise just totally steaming hot every time he’s on the screen, but along with that you get the aforementioned Robert Duvall who is great and obviously having a blast, you get young Nicole Kidman who is a total smokeshow, along with Randy Quaid, Michael Rooker, Cary Elwes, and John C. Reilly. I mean STACKED! If you like loud cars, silly Nascar drama, and stories that’ll tug on the heart strings a little bit, but are mostly just hot men racing and keeping us entertained, this is the one for you. Days of Thunder is streaming on Paramount Plus!

So why the FUCK can’t I write to save my life right now??

Creativity is an interesting thing. I’m realizing it’s very delicate. Maybe that’s just for me. I’ve always been an inconsistent artist, often to the point of being hesitant to even refer to myself as one. “We all speak every day, so in a way we’re all writers,” I tell myself in an effort to downplay the one thing I think I’m pretty good at. All of a sudden, months have gone by and I haven’t written a thing. The book I promised everyone last year, several half-baked screen plays and television show outlines? Haven’t touched them.

Elyjah has been eager to get this Substack we worked so hard to build back off the shelf. We’ve added another collaborator, our dear friend Job. This thing is moving again, but I’m dragging my feet.

Why is that?

To call it burnout would be a disservice to the people who work way harder than I do. I haven’t worked hard enough at anything to really burnout have I? Maybe I’m overwhelmed with my new job? That can’t be true either, because aside from the regular new-job growing pains, my last few months have been relatively stress free. Yet I find myself coming home from work every day and doom-scrolling.

How many hours have I already wasted this year scrolling instagram for that quick serotonin hit, when I could be writing, reading and strengthening my craft?

A long time ago, I had a conversation with a close friend where we discussed how much easier it is to make art out of a place of pain than a healthy, happy state of mind. We all glorify the struggle. I know I do. It’s more interesting and way more fun to write about the chaos. If only I could be poor and starving in Denver again. It would be way easier to write about all of that shit than describe the mundaneness of my life as it is right now. But that’s not how this shit works. We can’t just get stuck in the past. We have to move forward.

So how do we find the discipline to keep creating in the face of life?

If I can answer this question, the world will be a lot better for it. Or at least all 82 of our Substack subscribers might be a little bit better for it.

We’re back to the question of what is this substack now that we’re no longer tied to the physical storefront space. I’ve been lost trying to find my role in all of this. I think we know what we want the substack to be at this point, but the truth of it is, I’m not entirely sure where I fit.

Elyjah has that immense knowledge of fashion, which is what I know a lot of people are here for. He’s also become a sufficient enough writer, I won’t have to edit his punctuation much longer. Job is going to keep on with his movie reviews, which I think you guys are going to love. Reading his articles every week so far has been a blast, because he writes with an enthusiasm for the craft that is infectious and makes me want to quit reading the articles themselves and drive straight to AMC.

That still leaves me to deal with. So I guess the question is, what do you want to read? Does anyone even care? Unfortunately, I think I know those answers. Clearly, our dear 82 subscribers care at least a little bit, even if you’re here for Elyjah or Job. The streets are saying, I need to lock back in on the celebrity obituaries. The cultural moments. Shit that requires more research. I know what to do, but I haven’t had the discipline to do it.

I guess the reason I haven’t been writing has been a lack of intentionality. There’s always things happening. Elyjah suggested a deep dive on our remarkably well-dressed professional basketball team. Not such a bad idea. Keep an eye out for that. There’s also a new album out that I’m not really feeling. I could probably tell you guys what’s happening on that front. We went to Denver, which also got some gears rolling.

To summarize it all, dear readers, I don’t know quite what’s next, but you’ll find out when I do.

TLDR: Caleb had a mental crisis, but promises to quit feeling sorry for himself and pick the pen back up.

I know what you’re thinking, ‘but Job, what is Whistle? I’ve never even heard of this movie!’ Trust me, I know. In lulls where there aren’t many theatrical releases coming out, or at least movies with hype behind them, I will seek out some lesser known stuff. I think most people operate on a ‘look at what’s showing, watch the trailer to decide if it’s worth seeing, go see’ basis, which is totally normal and respectable. I will take this moment to shout out the best deal in the movie-going world and maybe just the world period; that being AMC A-List! I pay $26 a month to see up to 4 movies a WEEK in ANY FORMAT (IMAX, IMAX3D, Dolby, Big D, etc), with discounts on concessions as well. Just truly a steal of a deal, considering one Dolby ticket is like $17 itself. Anyway, AMC bootlicking aside, every week I log onto the AMC website and look at showtimes. Wednesday is always the day they will throw in an advanced screening for a movie that is usually coming the following Friday, with this week being an advanced screening of Whistle! The cover caught my eye, and I too have never heard of it, so I gave it a quick search on Letterboxd (@hawked) and I was sufficiently interested. That is basically how my process goes: no trailers, minimal research, just vibes and hope for a good time at the movie theaters. And boy let me tell you, a good time was had!

Whistle (R - Horror - 100 min), directed by Corin Hardy (The Hallow, The Nun) is the latest release from IFC and everyone’s favorite horror distributor, Shudder! The film starts with a sick opening that sets the tone immediately. We follow Chrys as she moves to a new city where she’s living with her cousin, who she hasn’t seen in several years. On her first day of school, she finds an Aztec Death Whistle in her locker, which happens to be cursed. From there, we meet a few other students who round out the main group the story follows. They attempt to figure out what the curse does, how to stop the curse, etc. You get a great amount of typical corny high school horror movie dialogue, but nothing too distracting or insufferable, and you get Nick Frost playing their teacher which is an automatic boost to on screen presence. While most of the cast in this, aside from Nick, is relatively unknown, I was pleasantly surprised with all performances across the board. It’s obviously inspired by Final Destination (complimentary) and boy let me tell you, this sucker has got some AMAZING deaths. There are two real home runs, but one of them is an early contender for death of the year. Trust me, you’ll know which one I’m talking about. I’ve said this before, and will say it again in the future, but this thing isn’t reinventing the wheel. It’s a pretty basic “cursed object” horror flick, but like I said in my Primate review, January is known as the horror dumping ground, and this is another awesome January surprise. This is why I take risks on movies without thinking too much about them or doing too much research! Whistle gets a respectable 3.5/5 from yours truly.

Send Help (R - Horror/Comedy - 114 min), directed by THE Sam Raimi (Evil Dead Trilogy, Spiderman Trilogy, Drag Me to Hell, I mean do I really need to tell you?) is our boy Sam’s return to the horror genre after 17 long years. Now I will be the first to tell you, I didn’t like Drag Me to Hell, and I’m not even the biggest fan of the Evil Dead trilogy, but I LOVE the way Sam Raimi makes a movie. He has such a fun, phrenetic style that is so chaotic and entertaining, and Send Help is certainly no exception to that. Rachel McAdams gives the performance of her career (yeah I said it) as quirky, socially awkward, Survivor-obsessed, disgruntled employee Linda, who gets skipped in line for a promotion. Her boss has unexpectedly passed, and the newly appointed president of the company is none other than his shithead, extremely underqualified, son Bradley, played by Dylan O’Brien, who gives the aforementioned promotion to his equally underqualified best friend instead. What follows for the subsequent 90 minutes is one hell of a ride. Queue a plane crash that leaves Linda and Bradley as the only survivors, and the dynamic totally shifts. Remember earlier how I mentioned Linda is obsessed with Survivor? Well, let’s just say she’s picked up a few tips and tricks on how to survive in the wild, while poor Bradley has been fed with a silver spoon his whole life. We get a real “I’m the captain now.” switch for our characters, and what unfolds after is some of the most entertaining, batshit crazy action with some great foreshadowing and a spectacular twist. Raimi turns it up to 10 for the third act and the final scene will be marinating in your mind for weeks to come. Big Sam and the crew cooked up a banger! Send Help gets a 4/5 from me!

Streaming Pick of the Week

Saved! (PG-13 - Comedy/Indie - 92 min), directed by Brian Dannelly. My wife and I watched this one a few months ago, and it was such a pleasant surprise. An early 2000’s hidden gem, it has a cast headlined by a great trio of Jena Malone, Mandy Moore and Macaulay Culkin! It takes place at the most comically Christian high school, where our main character Mary lives a good life, as a good Christian girl, with the perfect Christian boyfriend, until she finds out he may be gay. I cannot emphasize how 2000’s this movie feels, in all the best ways possible. After Mary does the deed with her boyfriend to try and convince him to be straight, a duty that she felt was sent directly from God to complete, he gets sent off to a conversion therapy camp, and she later on learns she’s pregnant. What follows is some of the most wholesome character development, with such a beautiful portrayal of people coming into their own in their most formative years. You get your classic muscle car driving, chain smoking bad guy, except it’s not a guy, and it’s (alleged) former stripper and Jew Cassandra, who is masterfully played by Eva Amurri. You get Macaulay Culkin playing a wheel chair bound Roland who is funny as shit, doesn’t really care about the whole religion thing but isn’t super outspoken about it. Then there is Mandy Moore, whose character Hilary’s sole goal is to save the most souls. She is such a classic high school mean girl, except she is trying to convert everyone (especially Cassandra) to Christianity, and she is going about it in the funniest way possible. I could go on and on about the characters in this and all the quirks and dynamics they have, but I’d ruin all the fun you’d have if you just watched it! Saved! is streaming again on none other than Tubi!

Dead Man’s Wire (R - Crime/Thriller - 105 min), directed by the legendary Gus Van Sant (Good Will Hunting, My Own Private Idaho, Elephant) is a total blast. Based on the true story of Tony Kiritsis, an Indiana resident who feels that his mortgage company is cheating him of potential profit on land he bought to develop into a shopping center. So, like any reasonable man would do, he goes to the bank with the intention of holding his mortgage broker hostage. In doing so, he learns his broker is on vacation, so he takes his son instead. Now look, I’m sorry, but this is objectively based. I mean talk about sticking it to the man yanno? He rigged a wire that connected to the trigger of the shotgun, and then the other end went around the neck of Richard. If he pulls the trigger, he blows Richard’s head off. If Richard tries to run, it also pulls the trigger with the wire. This is a tight, fast paced crime thriller that moves non stop from the beginning, an awesome true story of anti capitalism with a real little guy vs big guy feel to it. That alone should be enough to convince you to watch this, but let’s talk about the cast. Led by Bill Skarsgård and Dacre Montgomery both giving screen stealing performances, we also get treated to fat rich deadbeat dad Al Pacino, an unrecognizable Cary Elwes giving one of the best performances of his career, and an unbelievably suave and sexy Colman Domingo as the local radio host serenading Indianapolis with his crispy radio voice. Not to mention a Danny Elfman composed score on top of all of that. Absolutely star studded. It’s a wild ride depicting how far one man will take a delusion, and who he’s willing to hurt along the way. It gets a 3.5/5 from me!

No Other Choice (R - Comedy/Thriller - 139 min), directed by the (again) legendary Park Chan-wook (Oldboy, The Handmaiden, Decision to Leave) is another, albeit much more layered and complex (compared to Dead Man’s Wire) piece of anti-capitalist cinema. Our main character is Yoo Man-su, a paper mill manager who lives a comfortable life with his wife and 2 children. When he’s suddenly laid off, he is forced to face the fact that paper is all he knows, leading to his job search being far more difficult than he foresaw. After struggling to find an opportunity, he decides to take the candidate pool into his own hands. The movie is a chaotic depiction of identity under a capitalistic structure, and how you are only worth what technology can’t do. It speaks on the pressure of a man to provide in a patriarchal structure and the weight that brings when things get hard. Unfortunately for me it just did not quite stick the landing. I felt that the story drug, the characters were hard to get behind as there isn’t really anyone to root for, and the comedy just didn’t really move me. It is technically fantastic, and that should come as no surprise. The performances are great across the board, with Lee Byung-hun absolutely deep in his bag, the cinematography is beautiful, and the direction from PCW is sharp as ever. This is still absolutely one you should see if you get the chance, as we don’t have a lot of filmmakers putting big boys like this out these days, even if it wasn’t my favorite. It gets a 3/5 from me!

I wanted to also introduce a new segment I’ll be throwing in going forward, which is my Streaming Pick of the Week! I thought it would be fun to give you readers a look into my own taste, instead of being limited to just my opinions on new releases. With that I’d like to recommend a recent first watch, that being Chilly Scenes of Winter! A romantic comedy (I use that word lightly) from 1979, directed by Joan Micklin Silver and starring John Heard and Mary Beth Hurt, this one is a DOOZY! Fans of 500 Days of Summer will eat this one up, as it’s a story about a relationship destined for failure from the very beginning, but one that you want to succeed so badly anyway. Our protagonist is an obviously damaged man, blind to the reality of the situation. It’s a story about infatuation, and how much we’re willing to look past when we think we’re in love. It’s got a beautiful resolution and a final shot that’ll leave you sitting there staring at the TV wondering what to do with your life next. Chilly Scenes of Winter can be watched on everyone’s favorite streaming service: Tubi!

The opening act portrayed a love affair between the Chilean singer-songwriter, Mon Laferte, and Puerto Rican reggaeton artist, Lunay. Walking through an empty city-scape, Mon Laferte grazes the lowered Cadillac Coup DeVille on her way into a fully furnished apartment setting, where she makes a phone call to the brolic Lunay while he makes his way through a morning routine lifting weights and getting dressed. She calls, he doesn’t pick up. The two-person act ends as the church bells ring. Similar to the clothes, the catwalk is a medley of genres broadcasting through the latin music diaspora. It features artist like Mahmood who plays the partner in crime to Lunay, Foos Gone Wild riding in on tricked out bikes, Santos Bravos pop boy band sensation, Fied suavely enters wearing all black with a pink accented crewneck and the show finishes with an electric performance by Latin Mafia. This show broke down every tradition of runway shows and feels more like a short film/music video.

Since Willy first came on the scene, he has always unapologetically given voice to latin and queer people. Whether intentional or not, the timing of this show amidst the American ICE epidemic seems like a single rose in a blizzard. Given the sheer scale of this show, he was able to uplift Latin voices and tell a holistic story covering the wider beauty of Latin stories. Not just beauty and dance, not just pain and despair, it’s an honest look into the people his brand represents. Which, these days, when you look into many of the major fashion houses, I’m not sure who or what most of their brands represent anymore.

So what about the clothes? Can you really achieve 101 looks and them all be perfectly tailored and be on theme? This show was an extreme attempt in showing how the Willy Chavarria collection can fit into almost any part of your daily life. From leisure robes to sportswear and work clothes to finely tailored suiting, Willy has expanded his universe drastically.

In past season’s, a good chunk of his shows were dedicated to boxy shouldered blazers and oversized trousers. This season his range of tailoring expanded. Some of the stand outs for me were the chocolate trousers embellished with gold loops and matching key chains. The fit is refreshingly slimmer with a longer break on the shoe and comes in a couple colors and fabrics. The jackets this season were undoubtedly the statement pieces. Big Barbour-style jackets in the perfect hue of satin blue styled with oversized embroidered denim in cooked mustards. He managed to create looks evocative of pictures in your aunties hallway showing off her heyday decked out in furs and animal prints, which are two things I’ve always been on the fence about that I think I am now convinced I’m a fan of.

Willy has been soft launching his BIG WILLY line for months and finally unveils the entry level merch brand to his full-fledged collection decking out the Foos Gone Wild crew in chinos and mechanic jackets.

He also unveiled the Willy Chavarria x adidas collab in partnership with the Mexican Federation ahead of the World Cup: styling Santos Bravo pop group head to toe in track suits representing colors of the Mexican flag with loads of crest patch work.

The behind the scenes cast had to have been up for days. There was no detail left untucked or hair uncurled. The styling done by Carlos Nazario was perfect. Clothes were being worn how people would actually wear it. Shirts were unbuttoned and sleeves wrinkled at the elbow, a simple hand in the pocket with a glimmering watch poking out to show a bit of restraint and class. Hair stylist Paul Hanlon had his hands full with perfectly curled, cut, greased and pulled back looks that gave manners to sex appeal.

It’s a rare sight to see a brand of this scale put real people together creating a snapshot of the melting pot fashion is supposed to represent. Eterno is Willy Chivarria at the pinnacle of his super powers.

Performances in order of appearance:

Mon Laferte

Lunay Mahmood

Foos Gone Wild

Santos Bravos Boyband

Fied

Latin Mafia

Behind the Scenes

Marco Neves Music Director

Yadim Carranza Make up Artist

Damien Jalet Choreographer

Iconoclast.tv - production

Ryan Aguilar Music Supervision

Arnaud Bresson Film Director

Bureau Betak - Creation and Production

Paul Hanlon Hair Stylist

Carlos Nazario Stylist

Jess Cuevas Mixed media artist

This past week (1/12-1/18) I saw Primate and 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple.

Primate (R - Horror - 89min), directed by Johannes Roberts (The Strangers: Prey at Night, Resident Evil: Welcome to Racoon City, 47 Meters Down) is a claustrophobic, atmospheric nightmare centered around a rabid chimpanzee. As you may or may not know, January is typically the dumping ground for the worst horror movies you’ve ever seen. Over the years I’ve endured the Grudge remake, Night Swim, Megan (fan favorite), among many others. I’m happy to say Primate does not fall under this umbrella. Sure, it suffers from your typical horror cliches, and has unbelievably dumb characters, but it’s paced well and is far more gruesome than I can assume you’re expecting. I’m talking faces being ripped off, entire jaws being torn off the bone like some freshly smoked ribs, etc. They really go for it with the kills, and the practical effects for the gore are top notch. It feels like an homage to the old school creature features, and while they aren’t reinventing the wheel with this one, it’s a damn good time at the movie theater. It gets a 3/5 from me.

28 Years Later: The Bone Temple (R - Horror - 110 min), directed by Nia DaCosta (The Marvels, Candyman, Hedda) is the 4th installment in the 28 universe, and the sequel to last year’s 28 Years Later. This one is a pleasant surprise. After 28 Years Later debuted to mixed reviews, myself included not loving it, my hopes were not high for its follow up. What we ended up getting was a heartfelt story of humanity, supported by incredible performances across the board, strong directing from DaCosta, and a plethora of needle drops that are bound to put a smile on your face. You get a strong taste of a world that stopped progressing culturally almost 30 years ago, and its lasting effects of that. Similar to Primate, you get your fair share of downright brutal gore, but the real star of the show here is Ralph Fiennes. His arc with big-scary-zombie-with-a-huge-hog Samson is nothing short of beautiful, and we are served up a home run of a third act that wraps this thing up and gives you a magnificent set up for the finale of the trilogy. This one gets a 4/5 from me.