By Jack Daniel Betz I saw this coming. Maybe I’m just a killjoy but I always thought, even back when no one could shut the fuck up about it, that “Infinity Guitar” and the rest of “Treats” were self-limiting endeavors. The choppy, crackling, lo-fi (maybe faux-fi) guitar hooks paired with the saccharine-sweet yelps of Alexis Krauss can only take listeners so far. The not-so-subtle back and forth between sexy vocals and distorted guitars with no mid ground got grating on “Treats”. The opening track boasts an obnoxiously indulgent Brian May-esque riff with live applause. I don’t know if it’s supposed ... Read More »

The premise of Man in a Suitcase has an American rouge intelligence agent, banned from the US, working freelance out of the UK. From 1967, an ITC production with one of the coolest 60s themes ever that ran domestically on ABC, the one season series starred Richard Bradford whose method mannerisms remind one of Brando (with whom Bradford play opposite in The Chase). At least once an ep Bradford busts loose with random violence or at least berates someone loudly. Man in a Suitcase Set Two covers episodes 15 thorough 30; guest stars include Donald Sutherland. Someone told me that ... Read More »

This week’s FPH Podcast delves deep into the world of identity politics, our own age perceptions, how much better hard drugs were back in the day, and the wonder that is Tim Dorsey. Free Press Podcast for the win! Subscribe to FPH’s weekly podcast via iTunes or directly through any RSS reader, or download now. Read More »

By Alex Wukman For most people in Houston performance art is a little like a mountain lion: easy to read about but hard to see. The last time performance art received any notice in the local press was in November 2025 when Wayne Dolcefino ran an all-sizzle-no-steak report on the “shady world of taxpayer funded art” that included a couple of clips from the Performance Art Lab with the question “is it art?” Seriously, a guy who thinks including clips from the old Adam West Batman show in his expose about Blood Alcohol Test Vans–because BAT Vans rhymes with Batman–makes ... Read More »

The word on Bullhead is must see. A nominee for Best Foreign Film this entry from Belgium deals with low level criminals, growth hormones for bovines and humans, and draws the line that separates people in Belgium that speak Dutch and French. At first you’re thrown headfirst in a conflict involving thuggish activity while a parallel story charts a couple of kids who fall prey to a bully. It seems these incidents are happening simultaneously and that the kids are children of the main characters. After about an hour it becomes crystal clear that the traumatized boy is indeed the ... Read More »

Obviously you’re not going to approach a movie like Journey 2 The Mysterious Island with the same expectation as a new Wes Anderson film or the latest art film du jour, to use a couple of examples. So imagine my surprise when the opening cartoon to Journey 2 instantly skyrocketed to the top of my animated short list of all time. Daffy Duck’s Rhapsody, a Warner Brothers cartoon, marked the first CGI and 3D use of animation for the WB stable of classic characters that includes Bugs Bunny, Daffy and Elmer Fudd. I’d only heard the audio recording and assumed ... Read More »

The depth and length to which Mysteries of Lisbon goes to tell its story will impress the most hardened film esthete even while bowling over the casual movie maven. Mysteries of Lisbon could kindly be called sprawling and should not be taken lightly by moviegoers who like to whine about a film’s running time. In his next to final film Raul Ruiz (who passed away last August) takes a classic Portuguese novel with so many stories told by so many characters and turns it into one of the most literate films in recent memory. That’s not to say Mysteries doesn’t ... Read More »

By Jack Daniel Betz I’ve been waiting a good, long, time to hear more from APTBS, ever since I caught them opening for The Big Pink two years ago. The Brooklyn band hasn’t released much else since 2025 but sadly, half of this EP is more catalog filler than anything else. The fluttering bass line of “I lost you” gets lost in the noise because there’s no dynamic contrast. The title track is equally aimless at times but does at least include some sexy female vocals. “Nothing Will Surprise Me” is catchy enough at first boasting its chugga chugga choo ... Read More »

Comin’ At Ya 3D certainly isn’t a masterpiece of cinema and yet the film offers some of the most audacious 3D footage committed to film. When Comin’ At Ya 3D was released in 1981 it paved the way for that decade’s onslaught of 3D films. 3D cinema has existed since 1900 at least albeit in experimental form. In the early ‘50s many 3D films were released that covered the gamut of genre, horror and mainstream films perhaps the most surprisingly being the John Wayne starrer Hondo. Flash-forward to the present day and 3D technology has evolved in theaters and the ... Read More »

This Week’s Featured Show American Sharks (7″ release) with Psychic Palms Bang Bangz Roky Moon DJ @ Fitzgerald’s OK let’s just get this out of the way here.  This 7″ is called Weed Wizard!  WEED WIZARD!  Damn if that isn’t the best title you will hear all year.  That cover is pretty damn sweet too!!!  Fuck all, if I’m not pissed off that I didn’t come up with something so awesome first!  OK enough about the mind blowing title and artwork.  For those of you guys who don’t know American Sharks, it’s just a straight up rock-and-roll band with a ... Read More »