Contrary to what contemporary hagiography like the Noonday Salute at the Upper Barrakka would have us believe, the times under the British were no easy times.   Coming out from the...

Willy Moon, "Here's Willy Moon" (Cherry Tree/Island)   Willy Moon will soon be gyrating his way into your music collection. Fact.   His distinct features, tall frame,...

Steve Tyrell, "It's Magic: The Songs of Sammy Cahn" (Concord)   Late blooming crooner Steve Tyrell burnishes his reputation as one of the finest interpreters of the Great...

A social-conscience espionage film that has actually thought about its "eco-terrorism" themes beyond figuring out how to mine them for suspense, "The East" sends a straight-laced...

"And the Mountains Echoed" (Riverhead Books), by Khaled Hosseini   My main goal in reading Khaled Hosseini's new book, "And the Mountains Echoed," was to avoid...

Tyler, the Creator, "Wolf" (Odd Future/Sony/RED)   Before you listen to Tyler, the Creator's third album, "Wolf," keep this in mind: The rapper lives to offend....

Come to think of it, Hollywood films and magic shows have something in common: You pay your money, and you want to believe. Even if it's exceedingly hard to do.   At the start of...

"Murder as a Fine Art" (Mulholland), by David Morrell   Murder is horrifying, but what if some psycho decided it could be an art and proceeded to create a masterpiece? In his...

John Fogerty, "Wrote a Song for Everyone" (Vanguard)   For certain Boomers, listening to the songs on John Fogerty's "Wrote a Song For Everyone" will be like...

If you want to see Greta Gerwig's new film, "Frances Ha," you're going to have to do it the old- fashioned way — by going to the movie theater.   Gerwig said she...