Funny Games (1997)

Back in 1997, before the torture-porn movies like the Saw and Hostel franchises, writer-director Michael Haneke made the film Funny Games, combining twisted and deadly games with a reflexive look at the audience of such fare. Haneke's movie was just remade for American audiences, but the German original --reviewed here -- remains quite chilling.

During the opening credits of Funny Games the music abruptly switches from soothing classical to speed metal, and this summarizes the tone of the film. Georg (Ulrich Mühe) and Anna (Susanne Lothar) are heading to their lake house for a vacation with their young son Georgie, and things could not be more ideal. The family is getting along perfectly, their house is beautiful, they have a boat for sailing, and while the home is gated Georg and Anna know and like all their neighbors.

The serpents in paradise are two young adults: talkative Paul (Arno Frisch) and quiet, slightly heavy Peter (Frank Giering). Dressed in matching white shorts, sweaters, sneakers and gloves, Paul and Peter could be vacationers, or prep school students, and they innocently appear on Anna's doorstep seeking some eggs for a neighbor. Tension quickly begins to build, and in no time the two have smashed Georg's leg with his own golf club and taken the family hostage. The two bet that the family will be dead by 9:00 the next morning and then subject them to some twisted, juvenile, and quite lethal games.

Funny Games is brutal in its simplicity. There are no grand schemes or elabnorate deathtraps; Paul and Peter use household items -- a golf club, a kitchen knife, a rifle off the wall - and their "games" are juvenile and one-sided. The cast does a fine job, from the polite and deadly psychopaths to the family growing more haggard and desperate as their ordeal drags on. Haneke also knows that sometimes less is more, and he creates some of the greatest suspense and horror offscreen, as when there's a gunshot elsewhere while a character calmly makes a sandwich.

But what about the commentary on the violence? Several times Haneke has Paul break the fourth wall, talking directly to the camera and the audience about the goings-on in the movie (and, at one point, changing the action of the movie). This is meant to be a commentary on the audience's complicity in the violence -- do we think these games are funny? Why are we watching? -- but it serves to sever some of the tension by reminding us that this is artificial.

Still, it is refreshing to have a movie that challenges us about its violence instead of simply wallowing in sadism. Even with its forced cleverness, Funny Games is a deliberately disturbing ride.

Overall Grade: A-

Reviewed by James Lynch

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End is the third part of this wildly successful franchise. Based very loosely on the Disney franchise ride, Johnny Depp plays Captain Jack Sparrow as he leads his band of marauding pirates.

I didn't really like the first two parts, so I'm not quite sure why I even wanted to see the third. Oh yeah, it was that they worked overtime on the special effects department including some new mathematical formula for water modeling in the CGI scenes with the ships circling a whirlpool. For the record, that part was pretty good, but hardly revolutionary from what I saw.

This third installment of Pirates follows the pattern of the other two. We begin with a bang, we have a quite s-l-o-w middle that goes on interminably, and we end with a great shootout and special effects. Unfortunately, at least for me, a veteran of the ride in both Disneyland (California), and Walt Disney World (Florida (I remember when it was an E ticket ride)), who has sailed with the pirates more times than I can remember, I just can't see what all the excitement is with these films. Along the way, Captain Sparrow has to reclaim his ship, scenes with Davy Jones get interjected but really make no sense, and the whole thing becomes one big drag- I'm not sure how the kids can sit through this! Just when I can't take it any more, the cannons fire a broadside volley, the boarding party jumps into action, and we finish strongly in the last few minutes.

I simply feel that it's just not worth it to me to sit through over two hours of movie to see a half an hour of content worth watching. Clearly, from the film's gross earnings, I'm on the minority here. At any rate, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End has first rate special effects, but I wish the story made more sense and was more developed in keeping with the length of this film.

Overall Grade: C+

Reviewed by Jonas

The Ice Harvest (2005)

While I'm usually more than willing to "take the hit for the team," and sit through a lousy movie, when I started to watch The Ice Harvest, I just couldn't get into it. The premise is that John Cusack, a lawyer to the mob, has committed the perfect crime assisted by Billy Bob Thornton. However, this is no adventure into the land of "The Sopranos." Rather this story just couldn't get off the ground, and the beginning got a serious case of what the obstetricians call "failure to progress," as we went to the third club to redo the same scene yet again. I responded with a DVDectomy, and moved on to another film.

Feel free to weigh in with a comment if I jumped too soon, or not.

Overall Grade: Incomplete

Reviewed by Jonas

Sleuth (2007)

There's no doubt that Michael Caine and Jude Law both have award winning acting abilities, however in the film Sleuth it simply doesn't matter. The premise is that Caine is Andrew Wyke, a mystery novel writer (kind of like a James Patterson). Jude Law is Milo Tindle, an out of work actor who makes a living hairdressing. The two have crossed paths in that Law is having an affair with Caine's wife, and they both know this.

What follows is a drama where the two are both trying to at first intimidate each other. This turns into each trying to kill each other. This is all set in an English country mansion, that looks like the crew of "Sound & Vision" magazine just left as the entire home is automated with security cameras on every inch of the acreage, and LCD screens deploying from nooks and crannies.

However, for too much of Sleuth, I felt like I was watching one of those "Mad Magazine" Spy vs. Spy cartoons. Whenever one got the upper hand, the other one would inevitably snatch it back. This goes on and on in a more monotonous than intriguing fashion. Even though the film lasts a mere 89 minutes, it felt like it was over three hours. While I like both of these veteran actors, I can't recommend Sleuth as anything enjoyable.

Overall Grade: C

Reviewed by Jonas

Keren Ann (Blue Note Records, 2007)

To call singer/songwriter Keren Ann Zeidel a globetrotter would be an understatement. Born in Israel to a Russian-Jewish father and a Javanese-Dutch mother, she has lived in Israel, the Netherlands, Paris, and New York, and maintains both Israeli and Dutch citizenship. Most of her early recordings were largely in French, but her self-titled album from last year is the first of her albums to be sung entirely in English.

The album starts out well enough, with the first two song "It's All a Lie" and "Lay Your Head Down" having a cool vibe reminiscent of The Velvet Underground. "Lay Your Head Down," in particular, qualifies as a strong single. But the album loses its momentum from that point. Most of the songs on the album are just too soft. Only near the end, with the song "Between the Flatland and the Caspian Sea," do things pick up again. By that point, unfortunately, I had more or less lost interest.

Keren Ann is not without talent, and her album does have a couple of songs to recommend it. But the songs in the middle of the album suffer from a crippling lack of energy, without anything really distinctive or noteworthy about them to maintain my interest level. Now granted, I just gave a glowing review to Anna Ternheim, whose songs are not exactly happy and bouncy, but Ternheim has the songwriting ability to make a soft, acoustic ballad hit you with an emotional impact equivalent to the force of a bomb. Keren Ann's music by contrast, just tends to float unobtrusively in the corner.

overall grade: C+

reviewed by Scott

Robert Plant and Alison Krauss, Raising Sand (Rounder, 2007)

Alison Krauss, both solo and backed by her band Union Station, has been a dominant figure in the bluegrass and alternative country scenes for two decades. Robert Plant, among other things, was the lead singer of Led Zeppelin. Neither needs much of an introduction, but the two performers hardly come across at first glance as likely people to collaborate on an album. However, their careers are both deeply rooted in the musical traditions of America, particularly country and blues. After hearing them together on the unapologetically rootsy Raising Sand, the pairing now seems perfectly natural.

The third collaborator on the project is guitarist/producer T-Bone Burnett. In addition to his own solo career, Burnett's very extensive resume includes production credits for Bob Dylan, Elvis Costello, and his ex-wife Sam Phillips. He is probably best known, though, for co-ordinating and producing the soundtrack for the movie O Brother, Where Art Thou?

From start to finish, Raising Sand is straightforward, old school country and rock. Indeed, the album largely sounds like it could have been made over forty years ago. The arrangements are mostly sparse, with not much besides one guitar, bass, drums, and occasionally Krauss' fiddle accompanying the vocalists. Both the singers are in fine form. Plant has had the tendency in some of his solo work to try a little to hard to hit notes that are no longer in his range, but he sings within himself here and sounds really good.

Most of the songs date back to the fifties and early sixties, including covers of country and rock standards like Mel Tillis' "Stick With Me, Baby," The Everly Brothers' "Gone, Gone, Gone" and Benny Spellman's "Fortune Teller." The one new song, "Sister Rosetta Goes Before Us," was written by Sam Phillips. My favorite song on the album is "Please Read the Letter," a song Plant had written and initially recorded with Jimmy Page on their Walking into Clarksdale album.

If you're looking for some basic no-frills rock and roll, then Raising Sand will do nicely. It's not groundbreaking or overwhelming, but it's a fun little record that proves that the music of the early rock era can still sound fresh and vital today in the right hands.

Overall grade: B

reviewed by Scott

The Jane Austen Book Club (2007)

If ever there was a film that could be designated as a "chick flick" it has gotta be The Jane Austen Book Club. I've never read a Jane Austen novel, but what the heck?

Kathy Baker plays Bernadette, the senior woman of the group. She decides to start a book club devoted to the six novels of Jane Austen. The plan is to meet once a month, and each member will lead a discussion of the next Jane Austen book, whose novels focus on "the dependence of women on marriage to secure social standing and economic security."

Anyway, the other members are all female, save one. Before the first meeting, a chance encounter with Jocelyn (Maria Bello) ends up with Grigg (Hugh Dancy) being the lone member possessing a Y chromosome. While at first he is like a fifth wheel on a four wheel drive car, he integrates in before too long. It's interesting to see how the group becomes a surrogate family as the film progresses, and their relationships deepen. There are also plenty of references to the Jane Austen novels, and I would had an even deeper understanding for the film had I read this author's works.

Still, I shouldn't have to read six novels just to watch a film. Even for the Jane Austen naivetè, there was much to enjoy. This was hardly a simple and zany romantic comedy, and could also fit into the drama comedy at many points. While The Jane Austen Book Club is stuck in the "chick flick" mode for much of the film, it is still a flick worth watching.

Overall Grade: B+

Reviewed by Jonas

A Mighty Heart (2007)

In the aftermath of 9/11, the compelling story of reporter Daniel Pearl, and his wife, Mariane Pearl, also a journalist, caught the nation's attention as he was kidnapped in Karachi, Pakistan as a victim in the "war on terror." He was investigating the "shoe bomber," Richard Reid. It is a most unfortunate, and unthinkable tragedy, when a journalist, who is a bystander trying to report the news, becomes the news itself. This is the story that became the basis of the film, A Mighty Heart.

For those of us that lived through 9/11, especially close to NYC, and were personally affected by 9/11, and knew individuals who were so violently killed, up until now, I really had no interest in Hollywood's attempt to capture it on film. I have not watched United 93, or World Trade Center. I'm not sure if it is that enough time has passed that I wanted to watch this film, or I generally like Angelina Jolie's work, but I decided to watch A Mighty Heart.

In this film, Jolie plays Mariane Pearl. Her husband Daniel is played by Dan Futterman. They both turned in strong performances Needless to say, it's always a challenge to script a film that everyone knows the ending before we even start.

In the end, I really didn't enjoy this film. I didn't expect to, as I expected it to be hard to watch. However, 9/11 and the story aside, it's just not that compelling a story as it's told. Sure, the strength of Mariane comes through, but the film is just a drag and a downer. It doesn't help that too much of it is in Pakistani. Also, while we needed a few shots of the Karachi area to set the place, it seemed that every five minutes we were getting more images of the daily Karachi rush hour, and hardly compelling film making. Also, I'm not sure if there ever was a conclusion other than that the American diplomats didn't do nearly enough to find Daniel, and secure his release.

For all of the above, I'm recommending that A Mighty Heart is a Mighty Skip.

Overall Grade: C-

Reviewed by Jonas

2 Days In Paris (2007)

King of California (2007)

Ever hear that saying about the fine line between insanity and genius? Well, King of California is themed around that old statement. It stars Michael Douglas and Evan Rachel Wood.

Douglas plays Charlie, a bipolar patient that after a two year stay at an inpatient psychiatric facility is discharged back into the world. Sufferers of bipolar disease often exhibit grandiose ideas, and poor impulse control (at least in the manic phase). While he may not be a danger to self or others, and hence not need to be in the hospital, let's say that his disease is hardly cured. Shouldering much of the burden is his daughter, Miranda ( played by Wood). With the absence of her father, she had a lot of growing up to do quickly, and supported herself by working double shifts at the local Mickey D's despite being a minor. With her father back on her doorstep, her burden only increases, and the theme of who is really the adult here runs throughout this film.

The plot of King of California focuses on Charlie's latest "big idea" that he came up with while he was in the hospital from their library and the internet. He is hot on the trail to buried Spanish treasure left by a missionary Monk back in the 1600's, a Father Torres. While he has no money, there's no stopping Charlie as he buys a GPS unit, a metal detector, and even rents a backhoe for the big dig. Hot on the trail, the landscape of California has changed a little bit in the last three centuries, and he thinks that the buried treasure is smack dab in the middle of the neighborhood's Costco of all places. With a singularity of purpose, he plunges ahead towards the truth, as pictured in the image below.

The King of California has much going for it. For starters, the acting performances were well done. I don't know if Douglas spent time observing mental patients, but I believed that he was manic for most of the film. The flashbacks, unlike in many films, were also well done, appropriately inserted (with cues to make it obvious it was a flashback), and adds to the depth of the characters, and their unusual father-daughter relationship. The overall plot of chasing down a treasure is also engaging, and kept my attention throughout.

The part where this film stumbles is the end. It kind of feels like a song on the radio turned off midway, rather than ending on a strong major chord. While we do get answers on the treasure, and the veracity of Charlie's delusion, somehow it felt less than satisfying. Even given the lackluster ending, I can still recommend King of California to those looking for something a few magnitudes away from the mundane, and a good character study on bipolar disease.

Overall Grade: B+

Reviewed by Jonas

Fragile Things - Neil Gaiman (2006)

Neil Gaiman is an eclectic writer, and this collection of short works illustrates his range. There are over thirty pieces in Fragile Things, fairly evenly split between poetry and short stories with a novella tossed in at the end. As is the case with large and eccentric collections, not everything will be to everyone's taste, but there will probably be something in the book for everyone.

Overall, the poetry is a little weak. Gaiman is a very evocative writer and while the poetry certainly has mood, it rarely seems to do much beyond setting a mood. Gaiman's great strength lies in plotting and in bringing mythology (or Ur-mythology) into a contemporary setting. Poetry is not a form which is conducive to elaborate, tight plotting; the poems, therefore, do not play to Gaiman's strengths.

The short stories are, on the whole, better than the poems. They run the gamut from pretty good to quite exceptional with side trips into funny on one side and disturbing on the other. The two best short stories in the book exemplify this. Harlequin Valentine is disturbing and excellent, while Sunbird is funny and excellent. Both have those elements of modernizing fantasy and myth that Gaiman does so well. A Study in Emerald is also quite good; it is a mishmash of Lovecraftian Cthulhu mythos and a Sherlock Holmes story and works well.

The final entry in the book is The Monarch of the Glen, a novella which revisits the world of American Gods. It is one of the best, if not the best, things in the book, showcasing everything Gaiman does well. Interesting characters, tight plotting, wonderful slightly odd settings and resonant images from old stories (in this case bits of Beowulf among others) transplanted into the 21st century with such skill that they do not seem out of place at all.

As I mentioned, such a diverse book is almost guaranteed to have some hits and some misses. There are more hits than misses in Fragile Things and several of the hits are bullseyes. For completists, it's a must have, for those unfamiliar with Gaiman's work, it would be a good way to get a sample of his various styles and some pointers toward further reading.

Overall Grade: B+ (with a few B-'s and a couple of A+'s)

Corvus Corax, Venus Vina Musica (Noir Records, 2006)

The eccentric German Medieval band Corvus Corax first got my attention a couple of years ago when a compilation of their first decade of music, called Best of Corvus Corax, became their debut American release. The songs the band performs may be meticulously researched from or inspired by ancient (mostly Latin) texts, but their arrangements, mostly featuring an army of bagpipes backed by a barrage of drums, are designed to maximize the energy and mayhem. Their latest album, called Venus Vina Musica, was released in the fall of 2006.

The album begins rather somberly, with a short Latin dirge titled "Anti Dolores Capitis," featuring some deep, infernal chanting at the end. Then the frenzy kicks in with the title track, which I'm guessing is a celebration of wine, women, and song. Most of the songs and instrumentals follow in a similar vein, but the band does break from its basic formula a bit as the album proceeds. The twelve tracks include a rhythmically complex Balkan-flavored instrumental, a French song in a 6/8 rhythm that reminded me a lot of African music, a tune suitable for belly dancing, a dark ominous waltz, and an increasingly frenetic jig. The highlight of the album is the extended jam "Sanyogita," which clocks in at nearly seven minutes. On this track the band demonstrates an ability to gradually build up the tension, instead of simply letting it rip from the start.

Corvus Corax are probably not for everybody -- their presentation is rather bizarre, they don't use the typical assortment of instruments, and subtlety is not one of their strong points -- but I find them to be both interesting and entertaining. When most people think about primal energy or intensity in music, they invariably think about rock and roll, not anything older than that, and certainly not anything a lot older than that. Corvus Corax takes a different approach, and shows that the energy that rock and roll taps into has been a part of music for as long as there's been music.

Overall grade: B

reviewed by Scott

MAG BLAST, Third Edition

Zzzzt! Fweeeeee! P'ting, P'ting!

Well, what sounds would you make to simulate spaceships blasting each other? Self-made sound effects are just part of the fun of Mag Blast, a goofy card game of blowing up your opponent's ships.

Each player gets a command ship, which has 8 hull points, a colored zone on each side, and a special ability that's either ongoing or usable three times per game. Players then get six fleet ship cards and get to place four of them around their command ship, Ships have a speed (how many zones they can move), hull strength (how much damage they can take before blowing up) and turrets (that dictate what color(s) blasts that ship can fire); a few can sweep mines or launch squadrons. Then the game begins.

Each turn a player can discard as many cards as they want. Next they draw up to five cards, reinforce (turn in cards with three of the same symbol or one of each symbol to get a new fleet ship), and maneuver (move ships to protect exposed zones or target an opponent's zone). Then it's time to blast!

Each ship can fire a blast card, worth 1, 3, or 5 points, at another ship in its zone. You defeat an opponent by doing eight points of damage to their commnad ship; if a fleet ship is in that zone, though, you have to target the fleet ship before going after the command ship. Players may also play action cards (that do anything from give free fleet ships to dodge blasts), launch squadrons or fighters that temporarily inflict damage (if they don't destroy their target that turn the damage goes away) and return to the player's hand, or combine a successful blast with a Direct Hit and Direct Effect card that do anything from steal a ship to destroy the target immediately.

Mag Blast is a simple slugfest -- and a very fun one. While there's some strategy in terms of keeping or discarding cards (do you keep the Direct Hit and Direct Effect cards and wait for a clear shot, or do you discard to get more cards to use), most play consists of moving ships to your exposed zones and then shooting away at your opponents. The powers of each command ship are useful, but none are powerful enough to guarantee a win. The right action card can make the difference between victory and defeat. And goofy art from John Kovalic adds to the humorous element of this game. Mag Blast is quick, simple, and extremely enjoyable.

Oh yes, there is a rule that states you have to make a sound effect when firing a blast, or the blast misses and gets discarded. So get ready to make some pretty silly sounds!

Overall grade: B+

Reviewed by James Lynch

Gary Gygax, 1938-2008

The world of role-playing and strategy gaming lost its most cherished icon when Gary Gygax passed away yesterday at the age of 69. A life-long resident of Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, Gygax discovered strategy games in 1953, and quickly developed a passion for not only playing complicated games, but modifying and adapting them as well. Among other innovations, he came up with the idea of using dice beyond the traditional six-sided variety. In 1967 he organized a gathering of twenty gamers in his basement, which developed into an annual event known as Gen Con. This event quickly evolved into the biggest gaming convention in the country.

But that's not what Gygax is best known for. Always a fan of Medieval fantasy and miniatures, Gygax and his friends started to develop a series of rules for creating settings in which humans, dwarves, and elves freely interacted and heroically fought against all sorts of mythical creatures. He and his friend Don Kaye founded Tactical Studies Rules, or TSR, in 1973 to publish their work, and then released the first version of Dungeons & Dragons in 1974. Gygax continued to watch over the game's evolution, and the first major alteration of the game came in the form of a series of hardcover books, all written by Gygax, under the name Advanced Dungeons & Dragons. These books, in particular, gave the game the massive cult following it continues to have today, and were the primary influence on all role-playing games that have followed.

Gygax and TSR split acrimoniously in the mid-1980's. It's a long story whose details most D&D fans are familiar with, so I'll spare you the exposition. Gygax did some other work in the gaming field after this, but relative to the heyday of D&D in the late seventies and early eighties, he kept a fairly low profile the rest of his life.

Dungeons & Dragons has always been the kind of game that's enormously popular with a small group of people. Gary Gygax was hardly a household name, but to those who did know of him, he was much revered. As somebody who's played role-playing games, especially D&D, for over twenty-five years, I kind of feel as though I've lost a childhood friend. Gygax might not have created Middle Earth, but he made possible the creation of all sorts of other similar worlds. Each of these worlds was shaped by a particular group of players, who through their own tastes and personalities, produced something that was unique and, at least to the participants, special.

The Hooters, Time Stand Still (Hooters Music, 2008)

Rob Hyman and Eric Bazilian first met in the seventies, while taking a class on the synthesizer at the University of Pennsylvania. Together they played in a couple of different bands in the Philadelphia rock scene, before starting The Hooters in 1980. Consisting of Hyman (vocals, keyboards, melodica), Bazilian (vocals, guitar, mandolin, saxophone), Andy King (bass and vocals), John Lilley (rhythm guitar), and David Uosikkinen (drums), The Hooters recorded an independent album in 1983 before a huge opportunity came their way courtesy of Rick Chertoff, a classmate of Hyman and Bazilian who had gone on to be a producer. Chertoff was working on an album with an unknown singer named Cyndi Lauper, and he needed a backing band for a number of songs. The resulting album She's So Unusual produced several major hit singles, including "Time After Time," co-written by Lauper and Hyman. This quickly led to The Hooters getting a major label signing.

Aided by MTV, 1985's Nervous Night quickly gained The Hooters a national following. "All You Zombies" may have been a reggae song about the Old Testament, and the power pop songs "And We Danced" and "Day By Day" may have both featured prominent use of the mandolin, but the band's quirkiness went over well at least initially. On One Way Home from 1987, the band aimed for more depth and generally succeeded. "Satellite" poked fun at televangelism and "Johnny B" dealt with addiction, while "Karla With A K" is a folk-rock classic. The album was a major hit in Europe, especially in Germany, but their following at home started to quickly vanish. Andy King left after this, and was replaced by Fran Smith. Zig Zag, released in 1989, is one of the great lost albums of the eighties. Mixing all kinds of styles and lyrical themes, the album addressed many of the issues facing a rapidly changing world. Their adaptation of "500 Miles" captured the essence of the demonstration in China's Tianamen Square, an event that was horribly and tragically unsuccessful on its own terms but set the stage for the collapse of the rest of the Communist world. "Give The Music Back" turned out to be a very prophetic lament of the hostile corporate takeover of the music industry. Zig Zag got basically no attention at all in the United States, though, while selling strongly in Europe. The band made one more album in 1993, called Out of Body. They band tried a little too hard to get back on American radio with it, and the album not only seemed mostly forced, but failed to get anybody's attention here.

The Hooters more or less fizzled out at that point, although Hyman and Bazilian showed they were still capable of boosting other people's careers. Rick Chertoff again recruited their help to work on an album he was producing by a new singer named Joan Osborne. Osborne's debut album Relish was also a major hit, with Bazilian penning the album's biggest single "One of Us." Hyman, Bazilian, and Chertoff also collaborated on Largo, an intriguing 1998 album featuring many guest performers that basically celebrated the many facets of the immigrant experience in America. The Hooters played as a group on one track, but that appeared to be the end of their story. Then, in 2001, Hyman, Bazilian, Lilley, Uosikkinen, and Smith reunited for a concert in honor of a Philadelphia disc jockey. Originally a one-off performance, the band soon discovered that there was still a considerable demand for their music in Germany -- "Johnny B" has apparently become something of a barroom anthem over there -- and the band have crossed the Atlantic for a tour every summer since 2003. Other than warm-up shows in Philadelphia, though, The Hooters still haven't had much luck generating interest here.

Now, however, at least they have a new album to promote. Time Stand Still was recorded piecemeal over the past couple of years, and released last fall in Europe and this month in the United States. It marks the first new Hooters album in fifteen years. In addition to co-producing the album, Hyman and Bazilian co-wrote almost all of the tracks, except for a cover of Don Henley's "The Boys of Summer" and a song they wrote with Lilley called "Ordinary Lives." The mullets and bright-colored suits are mercifully long gone, but otherwise The Hooters remarkably pick up right where they left off. The most refreshing thing I discovered when listening to the new record is that the band have held on to the boyish enthusiasm that characterized all their best music. Most of the album consists of bright, energetic rockers featuring The Hooters' trademark blend of mandolins and accordions with rock instruments. Bazilian and especially Hyman both show a bit of wear in their voices, but the band's energy and spirit make up for it. The tone for the album is set by the positive, upbeat opening song "I'm Alive," a celebration of simply being here. The album's title tune is another catchy song, with Hyman and Bazilian singing about all the things they'd do if time was never an issue. The album does include a few good softer songs as well. "Until You Dare" is a solid ballad about taking chances, and "Ordinary Lives" reflects the band's healthy perspective on getting older. My favorite song on the new record is "Where The Wind May Blow," a minor-key rocker about navigating your way through troubled times. The Hooters finish the album with a bonus track called "White Jeans," a really fun, comical song about the ups and downs of the first band they played in when they were younger.

Time Stand Still is the work of a veteran band back after a long layoff who, instead of aiming to make a masterpiece or trying to mass-market themselves to an audience that probably won't notice, sound content to just be themselves and have fun making music together. I don't harbor any illusions of The Hooters winning over a whole generation of new fans, but old fans who've stuck around will be very pleased with this effort.

Overall grade: B+

reviewed by Scott