Arts & Culture

Ray Davies of the Kinks might've paraphrased himself after seeing the Queens of the Stone Age last Sunday night and asked: Where have all the good riffs gone?

     Or as George Thorogood once answered my question as to why he didn't write his own blues and rock'n'roll songs, "All the good ones have already been written."

     So as much as they are considered a riff-heavy band and leader Josh Homme a songwriter in his own league, I'm somewhat verklempt and confused about the alleged greatness of the Queens. Yes, they pack a five-fingered death punch rhythmically--sometimes. Yes, they have a fabulously enthusiastic bassist in Michael Shuman who, when his Fender bass playing locks in with drummer Jon Theodore's bass drum pedal (and together they were locked in tighter than a stripper's belly button piercings all night), it's a bit Jones/Bonham. And with a few of the guitar riffs the effect WILL grab you by your privates and make you shake, rattle and roll--a little bit.

Last week, the comic industry celebrated the release of the opening chapters of Forever Evil, DC's newest event, and Battle of the Atom, the latest X-Men crossover, as well as the second chapter of Infinity, Marvel's other big event. Luckily, we’re here to help sort out which comics are great, which are okay and which are worth passing.

Forever Evil

You'll like this book if: You like Geoff Johns events.

You'll dislike this book if: You want resolution from DC's last big event, Trinity War.

Tell me if you've read this Geoff Johns event before. We start off with a protagonist being affected by a cataclysmic, worldwide threat, before panning out to show how the rest of the world reacts. By the end, a hero is sacrificed in the opening issue to show how bad the villains are. It's how Johns opened Infinite Crisis, it's how he opened Blackest Night and it’s how he’s opened Forever Evil.

Twice a year Veterans Memorial here in Columbus becomes Memory Lane, a place where you can find every toy you ever owned, every beloved action figure you ever destroyed or your mom ever threw out because you were “too old” or, worst of all, the wrong gender. Now, thanks to the Columbus Toy Show (CTS), you can own them all over again.

It took two trips for me to find Slate Run Vineyard. Based on my chat with owner Keith Pritchard, that is a common occurrence. It seems his land is located where three counties and several different mail system merge together. GPS systems are frequently stymied when trying to find Slate Run. So to help you, here is the key to not driving up and down Winchester Southern Road for hours on end. Find Slate Run Metro Park and drive 1/2 mile north looking for the sign for Slate Run Vineyard.

It’s September, which means it’s time for Nightmare on Front Street, the latest version of Shadowbox Live’s annual Halloween show.

What’s that you say? You’re not ready for Halloween yet? Well, don’t feel bad, as it seems to have crept up on Shadowbox, too. The show has funny moments here and there, along with some smokin’ rock tunes, but this is not one of the troupe’s better efforts overall.

For starters—or rather, finishers—Shadowbox ends the show by interrupting a typical Dr. Mystery episode with an attempt at political commentary. As longtime patrons know, Dr. Mystery is a silly combination of narration, puppets and live action that is usually good for a laugh, a chuckle or at least an eye roll. It’s probably possible to add politics to the mix if it’s done on the sly, but the current skit does it in a heavy-handed way that only succeeds in bringing the whole thing to an awkward halt.

Actually, most of the show’s second half is much better.

Watching a movie about sex, like engaging in the act itself, is more fun if you can avoid distractions. Unfortunately, it’s hard to watch a new movie about sexual addiction without being distracted by memories of two earlier films.

The newcomer is Thanks for Sharing, directed and co-written by Stuart Blumberg. The first earlier film was The Kids Are All Right (2010), an unconventional family drama that also was co-scripted by Blumberg. The other was Shame (2011), a dark work about a man whose sexual addiction controlled his life.

Though Thanks for Sharing isn’t bad, it pales in comparison to these earlier films. It lacks the naturalness and unpredictability of the first, and it lacks the sheer power of the second.

Think of it as Shame Lite.

Set in Manhattan, the comedy-drama centers on three men who attend 12-step meetings in an attempt to control their dictatorial desires.