By LANDON WILLIAMS @LandonETC The Human Experiment definitely has good parts to their performance, but it’s hard to focus on what went well when there were so many places at which the band could improve. In order for a group to play at a festival like So What?!, they have to have some sort...

By JAMES HARTLEY @JamesHartleyETC With a crowd of only about 25 people, Orenda had high energy and kept their small audience moving this weekend at So What?! Music Festival. Orenda, a metalcore band out of Tempe, Arizona, got to So What?! By winning a competition and were slated for one of the earliest...

By DAVID SILVA @DavidSilvaETC March 13 marks the 25th anniversary of a film that’s considered one of the most accurate interpretations of courtroom procedure, “My Cousin Vinny.” The movie is used as a tool to demonstrate voir dire and cross-examination to young lawyers and has been praised...

By KATRINA BOND @KatBondETC Ed Sheeran’s new album “Divide,” released March 3, features 16 diverse tracks that cover him finding his place in the music industry, revealing his family history and finally finding the right girl. While I didn’t enjoy every song, there’s no denying “Divide”...

By JON AGUIRRE @TheEtCetera I’ve heard nothing like it. It is strange, uncomfortable and puzzling. Mark Kozelek’s eighth album, “Common as Light and Love Are Red Valleys of Blood,” was released under the band Sun Kil Moon to little discussion Feb. 17. Kozelek got his start as the lead singer...

By MACKS PREWITT @TheEtCetera “Before I Fall” is the film equivalent of an adult trying too hard to relate to someone half his or her age. It is embarrassing, stereotypical and not in any way relatable. “Before I Fall” is the newest installment of young adult fiction movies, and it’s a good...

By JOSH TAYLOR @TheEtCetera With the Feb. 24 performance of “In the Next Room, or The Vibrator Play,” the Harvester Theatre Company proved that taboo content can be seen in a funny and pleasant light. “In the Next Room” by Sarah Ruhl is set in the late 1800s, around the time electricity was introduced...

By DAVID SILVA @DavidSilvaETC The cinematic disappointment that is “The Cure for Wellness” can be summed up by the expression that I kept uttering throughout the not-so-psychological, not-so-thriller: “What’s the point?” Director Gore Verbinski, whose most popular works include “Rango”...

By Larsen Ullrich @TheEtCetera Hugh Jackman’s final cinematic portrayal of the famed Wolverine is gritty, bleak, dirty and at times, bloody. “Logan,” also the last installment in the “X-Men” Wolverine saga, is the first Marvel-based film of actual quality, but it is not what most people...

By JONATHAN AGUIRRE @TheEtCetera It’s hard to put into words how bad “Fifty Shades Darker” is. But what makes it so bad? Everything, really. “Fifty Shades Darker” is the sequel to the not-so-acclaimed “Fifty Shades of Grey.” The movie stars Dakota Johnson as Ingénue Anastasia Steele...

By LANDON WILLIAMS @TheEtCetera If you are looking for entertainment that leaves you feeling happy and content, do not watch “A Series of Unfortunate Events.” If you are looking for a deep and meaningful mystery filled with secret organizations, answers that only lead to more questions and a broken-hearted...

By ANTHONY RESENDEZ @TheEtCetera “The Comedian,” starring Robert De Niro, Danny DeVito, Leslie Mann, Harvey Keitel and many other stars of television and film, takes a realistic approach to the classic boy meets girl archetype, shaking off clichés in the often-overdone romantic comedy genre. The...

By KATRINA BOND @KatBondETC When I walked into the Bath House Cultural Center auditorium, a performer with a powdered face and a dress like a nightgown greeted me like an old friend, shouting “You came!” as she shook me by the shoulders. She then dropped her voice. “Now you can never leave,”...

By JOSH TAYLOR @TheEtCetera If you’re looking for the backstory to McDonalds through the eyes of the man that made it all happen, I would highly recommend “The Founder.” Easy to follow writing and a great story make this movie one of my favorite releases of the year. John Lee Hancock’s...

By JAMES HARTLEY @JamesHartleyETC From the moment the film starts to the moment it ends, “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” is everything a Star Wars film should be. I wasn’t impressed by the copy-cat nostalgia trip that was “Star Wars VII: The Force Awakens,” so I went in to the theater...

By KATRINA BOND @KatBondETC The Harvester Theatre Company’s Dec. 2 performance of David Saar’s “The Yellow Boat” elicited a quasi-emotional response from the audience, but it did not carry the gravity one would expect from a play with such a heavy topic. “The Yellow Boat” is centered...

Stephenie Meyer’s “Twilight” teen vampire series and her standalone adult novel “The Host” both came packed with action and a supernatural romance. Nothing twisted or mysterious about the plot. But Meyer has shifted in a new direction since her last book release in 2008. “The Chemist,”...

Josh Taylor @TheEtCetera With raunchy humor, a clueless and somewhat mentally challenged sandwich maker and a bunch of alcoholic washed-up cons robbing a charity for children, “Bad Santa 2”is an outstanding comedy in an otherwise underwhelming year for comedic movies. While Billy Bob Thornton...

By DAVID SILVA @DavidSilvaETC Grouplove brought out a highly energetic setlist for their Dallas fans and accompanied it with a mesmerizing lightshow. The LA-based indie rock band kicked off the Texas leg of its 2016 tour at a sold out House of Blue on Nov 15. The tour followed the Sept 9 release...

Landon Williams @TheEtCetera You can hear the sounds of last minute preparations behind the giant curtain separating the stage from the audience. People push past each other to get as close as they can to the front. In a few minutes the curtains will open and the Oakland based SWMRS will begin their...

By CAITLIN PIPER Copy Editor @TheEtCetera There’s something inherently hypocritical about a developer trying to paint their game with a “war is hell” message while still setting aside room for a spirited multiplayer death match somewhere in the code. Civilians are being slaughtered, entire...

By DAVID SILVA Editor in Chief @DavidSilvaETC Just as “Iron Man” and Robert Downey Jr. broke open the gates for the “first generation” of Marvel Cinematic Universe glory, “Doctor Strange” and Benedict Cumberbatch look to keep the golden age of superhero movies alive and strong by bridging...

By CAT DYSON Reporter @TheEtCetera “Keeping Up With The Joneses” doesn’t start out like any other comedy involving spies, but a house exploding in the first scene might give that away. Director Greg Mottola fabricates an uplifting comedy with hilariously awkward moments and action scenes...

By JON AGUIRRE Staff Writer @TheEtCetera When you listen to the very first track of “Atrocity Exhibition,” you become aware that this isn’t your average hip-hop album. You realize you’re about to embark on a journey, a ride full of terror, pain and hilarity through the mind of Danny Brown. Brown...

By JON AGUIRRE @TheEtCetera When you think of experimental music, you may think it has to be weird, inaccessible or unpleasant. But experimental hip-hop trio clipping shows that innovation in music can be enjoyable and accessible. Clipping. has mostly been categorized as “noise rap,” a genre...

By DAVID SILVA @DavidSilvaETC Editor’s Note: Includes season one spoilers. How do you kill Pablo Escobar? Don’t ask anyone in season one of the critically acclaimed Netflix original series “Narcos.” They’ve all tried and failed. Local police officers, drug enforcement agents and other...

By KEVIN ORELLANA Reporter @TheEtCetera It’s been some time since I’ve watched, much less enjoyed, a Tim Burton film. Faced with the task of keeping my eyes in their respective sockets during a screening of Burton’s latest vision of spirals, white make up and sunken eyes in “Miss...