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    Cheapskate's Guide to the Finer Things in Life

    See music's future for free in Houston: Janelle Monáe journeys from GAP toandroid to the Bayou

    Wilbert Chinchilla
    Jun 12, 2010 | 1:03 pm

    It's Christmas time and I'm watching TV when a GAP commercial comes on. Janelle Monáe is singing "Winter Wonderland" and her voice vibrato-style sounds like the musical stylings of the time the song was penned in 1934.

    Her look and voice intrigued me and then I saw the "Many Moons" video right after Monáe was signed by P. Diddy's label for distribution, Bad Boy Entertainment.

    After watching her in action in these videos and in Austin at South by Southwest, I knew that I would always be a fan.

    Now, you can see Monáe live for free 2 p.m. Sunday at Cactus Music. She will also be opening for Dallas native, Erykah Badu later that night at the Verizon Wireless Theater. (Rumor is Badu might also come by for a quick set during the free show at Cactus.) Not that you should need more starpower to go.

    Monáe was doing something different musically with the second album of her career Metropolis: Suite I (The Chase). These seven tracks that set up the concept for the canvas of Monae's critically acclaimed album, The ArchAndroid, are a must listen.

    Monáe's android character Cyndi Mayweather — who in the year 2719 is not allowed to fall in love with a human being but does — gets chased throughout the first album.

    This concept continues into The ArchAndroid and like a cleverly woven story, Monáe and her producers make the listener satisfied through a musical journey that seemingly tackles every possible genre. Her enjoyable music also carries heavy messages.

    I know of no other artist who shouts out "Jim Crow, my regards" and makes it sound like a great closing bridge. The same socially conscious message is seen Monáe's new album The ArchAndroid, where the track "Locked Inside" presents the life of a woman in the future. While playing the disco piano, Monáe sings, "She always fights, for her man but not her rights/Even though it's 3005."

    Under the support of Outkast's Big Boi, Monáe and her style has been defined as "a female Andre 3000" — which is quite unfair because she has made it to this point through her own merit. Instead of comparing her with any other artists, Monae should be place in a league of her own.

    Vocally, she has no limits. Monáe could sing the chorus of a funky R&B song in "Tightrope (ft. Big Boi)," belt out a screamo sound in "Come Alive (The War of Roses)", then go silky smooth cabaret in "Neon Valley Street" and "BaBopByeYa" to close. Throughout the entire time, mind you, she is certainly dancing to the honor of James Brown.

    Many of you may be asking, why haven't I heard any of this music?

    Well, Monáe's an artist that appears to only hit indie music lovers or hipsters. Another interesting aspect is while music critics love her, she still hasn't hit the mainstream after a couple of successful singles.

    It seems that Top 40 radio, race, and new sounds make for an interesting domino effect of her not breaking into the mainstream.

    Regardless, you would be doing yourself a disservice to not take the journey into the the future with Janelle Monáe and her world.

    Watch Janelle Monae in action:

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    Movie Review

    Heartfelt movie The Life of Chuck adapts optimistic Stephen King story

    Alex Bentley
    Jun 13, 2025 | 5:30 pm
    Tom Hiddleston in The Life of Chuck
    Photo courtesy of NEON
    Tom Hiddleston in The Life of Chuck.

    Just like actors, once a filmmaker becomes known for a certain genre, it can be difficult to escape that pigeonholing. Writer/director Mike Flanagan has worked for 20 years in both film and television, and literally every project he’s done has been related to horror. He’s finally breaking out with The Life of Chuck, which is ironically based on a short story of the same name by Stephen King.



    Told in three chapters in reverse order, the film is almost impossible to describe without giving away its magic. The first section centers on Marty (Chiwetel Ejiofor), a teacher grappling, like everyone around him, with what seems to be the world falling apart. He’s comforted to a degree by reuniting with his ex-wife, Felicia (Karen Gillan), but is also baffled by multiple ads touting the retirement of Charles “Chuck” Krantz (Tom Hiddleston) after “39 great years.”

    The second section consists of little more than a slightly younger Chuck happening upon Taylor (The Pocket Queen), a drummer busking on a street corner, giving Chuck and a younger woman, Janice (Annalise Basso), the inspiration to start dancing. The final section goes back to the childhood of Chuck (Benjamin Pajak), where he’s raised by his grandparents (Mark Hamill and Mia Sara), discovers dance as an outlet, and wonders about various small mysteries.

    Flanagan finds a way to deliver a lot of story with relatively little effort. Using a wry narrator (Nick Offerman), a limited number of locations, and a series of great small performances, he creates an intriguing premise with few straightforward answers. The structure of the film is designed to confuse the viewer until just the right moment, and the revelation forces you to reexamine everything that came before.

    The biggest accomplishment by Flanagan is making what are essentially three short films and having each of them resonate equally. The film contains elements of science fiction, although the first section may hit a bit too close to home for some of those watching. All three sections, though, have a heartwarming bent to them that sells their central idea without becoming overly saccharine.

    To do so, each of the characters have to connect in a short amount of time. The casting of the film is crucial, and not only does that department succeed with the main roles, but a series of small roles are filled expertly as well. Carl Lumbly as a funeral home owner, David Dastmalchian and Harvey Guillen as parents of students, Matthew Lillard as Marty’s neighbor, Q’orianka Kilcher as Chuck’s wife, and Jacob Tremblay as a teenage Chuck are just a few of the recognizable actors that do yeoman’s work in their brief time on screen.

    Hiddleston is only prominently featured in the second chapter, but his performance there and in small glimpses throughout makes a big impression. Ejiofor is given the star turn in the first chapter and he absolutely kills, both in moments by himself and in scenes with Gillan, with whom he has great chemistry. Hamill, making a rare non-voiceover appearance outside of the Star Wars universe, and Sara, in her first notable role in 11 years, are also very memorable in the final chapter.

    The Life of Chuck is a film that’s filled with emotion, but the full impact of the story is not felt until the final moments. It has a mysterious journey that is initially frustrating, but the performances keep the film going until it gets to its satisfying payoff.

    ---

    The Life of Chuck is now playing in theaters.

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