Next to Batman and Spider-Man, Captain America is my favorite comic book hero, so this review is written from a longtime, hardcore fan’s perspective. I’ve been greatly anticipating the latest, and biggest, adaptation of Captain America yet, following decades of hit and (mostly) miss attempts. Captain America is way overdue for some serious cinematic respect, and director Joe Johnston, who previously made one of the best comic adaptations ever, 1991’s The Rocketeer, finally does the character justice—for the most part.

Green Lantern may be the most “comic booky” comic book movie ever made, at least within the contemporary cinematic canon, which makes it one of the greatest comic books movie of all time. It is also the most unjustly maligned superhero movie since Ang Lee’s artistic action epic Hulk (2003), based on the baffling backlash from critics...

Hey Boy! Hey Girl! is Ray Gelato's love letter to the great duet performers that have inspired him—both musically, and as an entertainer.  From previous collaborations, Ray has found his duet performance soulmate in the voice of Kai Hoffman, and the interior booklet that comes with the CD contains Ray's enthusiasm for crafting such an album, and his gratitude to Kai Hoffman and all those involved with the culmination of this project.

Teshima Daisuke is that rare sort of genius that couples perfection and artistry in a way that is impressive beyond the expected high level of technical skill that often comes from Japanese musicians. In "Gypsy Swing Jazz," his earlier release as a soloist in the ensemble "Swing Amor," he raised the bar for gypsy jazz recordings of the Django-style to an all new level with complex arrangements and original material that exceeded the work of many (if not all) of his contemporaries. In Daisuke's recording "Trio," (Get Hip Records) he continues to explore the jazz landscape, touching on different aspects of guitar jazz, and showing his mastery of all.