City Paper grade: C Throughout the history of science fiction, time travel has altered history, destroyed worlds and saved lives. In writer-director Richard Curtis’ hands, it teaches homilies about appreciating the little things in life. That Curtis would turn a speculative fantasy into…

Mark Stehle Over the past few years, pianist Matt Mitchell seems to have become the iconoclasts’ iconoclast. Last week, he played his hometown with Tim Berne’s Snakeoil, navigating the sharp turns and quirky rhythms of the saxophonist’s weighty compositions at…

Larry McKenna From All Sides (self-released) An elder statesman of Philly jazz, Larry McKenna possesses an embracing, velvet tone that is the definition of timeless. The dozen tunes on the undersung tenor great’s new album — only his fourth release as…

The worst part about The Artist’s Oscar win is that the film’s broad, simplistic pastiche reinforces the caricature of silent film as hokey and romantic. Perhaps the best place to start to remedy that is with The Cabinet of Dr.…

Dirty pillow alert. City Paper grade: D If anyone had to be given the thankless task of making another adaptation of Stephen King’s Carrie, Kimberly Peirce at least seemed like an intriguing prospect. Though she’s made only one other film…

Francois Zayas The Painted Bride has always enjoyed its jazz with a hint of world-music flavor, and while the venue has shifted its focus to local artists this season, they’ve managed to find the same blend of jazz and multiculturalism within the…

MUSIC MAN: Fame Studios’ founder Rick Hall (L) is credited with cultivating Muscle Shoals’ landmark sound, recording country-infused soul records by musicians like Clarence Carter. City Paper grade: B+ In the last verse of “Sweet Home Alabama,” Ronnie Van Zant sings,…

City Paper grade: C+ With his rootless camera and manic editing style, Paul Greengrass turns the true story of a cargo ship hijacked by Somali pirates into a tense, claustrophobic thriller. What may be surprising is that the film is at…

Scott Friedlander Their mouthful of a name is equal parts mysterious, goofy, crass and mystical — which are as good as any set of random descriptors for this trio’s improvised clamor. Not that you could peg their number if blindfolded;…