- Columbia
Daft Punk crafts one of the year's best with sleek, disco-inspired 'Random Access Memories'
BY ELLIOT ALPERN
As an entire work of art, Random Access Memories deviates from the usual house filler, and Daft Punk provides even more evidence that the duo is one of the coolest, sleekest acts in the galaxy.
Abrams boldly goes 'Into Darkness' with a warp-speed sequel
- Paramount
BY KAYLA UPADHYAYA
Even with a simple story and more action than emotion, “Star Trek: Into Darkness” boldly goes and does so at warp speed, leaving you gasping for breath.
Luhrmann's ‘The Great Gatsby’ provides faithful adaptation of Fitzgerald classic
- Warner Bros.
BY BRIAN BURLAGE
Baz Luhrmann’s “The Great Gatsby” — based on the novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald — mirrors the triumphant, if not over-the-top, grace of America in the roaring ’20s.
Notebook: Satisfying my ‘Mad Men’ addiction
- AMC
BY AKSHAY SETH
This notebook is an ode to that alcohol-drenched atmosphere, the wonderfully flawed characters that navigate it and my first-ever television bingeing experience. And (obviously) Jon Hamm.
James Blake delivers with synth sound at Detroit's Majestic Theatre
- Marlene Lacasse/Daily
BY JOHN LYNCH
Though his genre of music is not inherently thrilling live, and though he and his band missed the mark on a few tracks in Detroit, James Blake has incredible talent, and his live performance is certainly one worth seeing.
Phoenix soars to new heights with latest 'Bankrupt!'
- Glassnote
BY ERIKA HARWOOD
Thanks to this impossible-to-predict performance, the hype for Phoenix’s fifth album, Bankrupt!, had reached its peak.
'Reincarnation' ruins Rastafarianism with Snoop reinvention
- RCA
BY SHAMIK GANGULY
Researching or thinking too hard about Reincarnated will only disappoint, so reserve this album for your “Summer Jams” playlist and give it no further attention.
Notebook: Real musicals can't be found at the movie theater
- Miramax
BY REBECCA GODWIN
Movie producers are trying to hype up the entertainment value and cash in on the magic of editing, but there’s a reason a musical can stay on Broadway for years.
Psychological thriller 'Trance' hypnotizes with tale of obsession
- Fox Searchlight
BY ANDREW MCCLURE
With his latest psychological thriller, “Trance,” Danny Boyle enters an increasingly pertinent realm in these digital days: obsession.
Notebook: You are what you watch
BY RADHIKA MENON
A person’s television choices reflect their personality. I know that no one is right or wrong, but that doesn’t mean I’m not judging you.
- ABC
'Scandal' concludes its convention-breaking second season
BY KAYLA UPADHYAYA
As “Scandal” closes out its second season, it’s all the more clear that Pope (Kerry Washington, “Peeples”) and her universe are glimmering signs that smart, risk-taking drama can still be found on network TV.
- XL
Mature, darker sound pervades in Vampire Weekend's ‘Modern Vampires of the City’
BY KENDALL RUSS
Modern Vampires of the City It excels precisely because of Vampire Weekend’s ability to apply its weightless touch to a bleak theme and come across not as pretentious or ironic, but as authentic and deeply moving.
- Gkids
Stirring 'Poppy Hill' offers glimpse into Japan's past and culture
BY SEAN CZARNECKI
Though impaired by ignorance, “Poppy Hill” aroused a curiosity in me for a culture I know best by Pokémon.
- Walt Disney Pictures
Memorable 'Iron Man' sequel entertains with laughs, twists
BY JAMIE BIRCOLL
“Iron Man 3” is the fourth outing for Robert Downey Jr. (“Sherlock Holmes”) as the genius-billionaire-playboy-philanthropist Tony Stark. But this time, there’s something different about Tony: He seems damaged.
- Interscope
Not much '#willpower' in will.i.am's new release
BY GREGORY HICKS
While “Scream & Shout” is proportionately fun, bizarre and contemporary, each track on this fourth studio album falls short of the entertaining lead single.
New, vulnerable portrayal of MLK to receive spotlight in Hall's 'The Mountaintop'
BY GRACE PROSNIEWSKI
Making its Michigan debut, Katori Hall’s play, “The Mountaintop,” hopes to show the man behind the icon.
