Josh Bell

Story Archive

Anything goes with Incubus: Friday, Jan. 26, 2018; The alt-rockers are taking the idea of the Vegas residency in its own unique direction.
Van Morrison keeps the hits and the tours rolling: Friday, Jan. 26, 2018; Icon brings his magical, musical touch back to the Colosseum.
Christian Bale mopes across the West in ‘Hostiles’: Thursday, Jan. 25, 2018; The film begins with a baby getting shot in the head, and things don’t get more pleasant from there.
The ‘Maze Runner’ movies limp to an end with ‘The Death Cure’: Thursday, Jan. 25, 2018; Practically two-thirds of the movie involves the mission to rescue a tertiary supporting character.
Richard Cheese offers serious laughs: Friday, Jan. 19, 2018; Think he's just a novelty act? Think again.
Calibash brings Latin superstars to Las Vegas: Friday, Jan. 19, 2018; Jennifer Lopez, Luis Fonsi and other pop stars are ready to spice up T-Mobile Arena.
‘12 Strong’ puts a one-dimensional spin on true-life heroism: Thursday, Jan. 18, 2018; The bravery of the real soldiers is buried under a mountain of hokey sentiment and rah-rah bluster.
‘Call Me by Your Name’ exudes a sensual romantic vibe: Thursday, Jan. 18, 2018; The story’s told from the nostalgic perspective of a teenager discovering his sexuality and experiencing his first love.
Pepper Keenan returns for Corrosion of Conformity’s ‘No Cross No Crown’: Thursday, Jan. 18, 2018; Anyone who discovered COC at the band’s popular height should be satisfied with this effective return to the familiar.
TNT series ‘The Alienist’ makes murder history: Thursday, Jan. 18, 2018; While some of the historical details are fascinating, the crime drama around them is tedious and tiresome in any era.
From superheroes to ‘Star Trek,’ local filmmakers express their love with slick, self-made movies: Thursday, Jan. 18, 2018; In 2015, Paramount and CBS sued the makers of a Star Trek fan film, leading to a set of guidelines for fan filmmakers.
For K. Flay, there are no limits: Friday, Jan. 12, 2018; She's defied genre labels her entire career, and she's not going to stop now.
The National keeps pushing boundaries: Friday, Jan. 12, 2018; Acclaimed indie rock band headlines its first-ever concert in Vegas.
‘The Post’ rousingly celebrates journalistic ethics: Thursday, Jan. 11, 2018; Tom Hanks plays Ben Bradlee, a born newspaperman whose only instinct is to publish the Pentagon Papers.
Liam Neeson thriller ‘The Commuter’ takes a familiar ride: Thursday, Jan. 11, 2018; It’s built around a far-fetched high concept that gets sillier and more convoluted as the movie progresses.
The latest ‘American Crime Story’ takes on ‘The Assassination of Gianni Versace’: Thursday, Jan. 11, 2018; Despite its title, it’s not really about Gianni Versace. It’s about his killer.
Marilyn Manson is beyond the pale: Friday, Jan. 5, 2018; The controversial artist is more thoughtful and versatile than ever.
‘I, Tonya’ gives figure skater Tonya Harding her due: Thursday, Jan. 4, 2018; Margot Robbie’s Tonya is a working-class girl with none of the financial or familial advantages of her figure-skating competitors.
Ten big movie releases coming in 2018: Thursday, Jan. 4, 2018; From Avengers to Solo and beyond.
Future residents? Foo Fighters hint at a Vegas return during an energetic NYE show: Tuesday, Jan. 2, 2018; The band played 17 songs in 135 minutes and covered AC/DC, Alice Cooper and Queen.
Run away with Lita Ford: Friday, Dec. 29, 2017; The guitar heroine gets ready to rock Golden Nugget.
‘LA to Vegas’ creator Lon Zimmet on putting together TV’s newest Sin City series: Thursday, Dec. 28, 2017; “Hopefully we’ll be a huge hit, and they’ll open up the purse and we can come to Vegas and do all of our things.”
Airline sitcom ‘LA to Vegas’ delivers a rough ride: Thursday, Dec. 28, 2017; With jokes about strippers, quickie weddings and niche conventions, the show doesn’t have an original take on Vegas.
Fox’s ‘9-1-1’ dials up a standard procedural: Thursday, Dec. 28, 2017; Ryan Murphy is known for pushing the envelope. Not here.
Dizzy Wright makes Vegas proud: Friday, Dec. 22, 2017; Local hip-hop star is on the rise.
Shrink your expectations for messy sci-fi satire ‘Downsizing’: Thursday, Dec. 21, 2017; The high concept is rendered more or less irrelevant for large stretches of the movie.
A woman falls in love with an aquatic creature in ‘The Shape of Water’: Thursday, Dec. 21, 2017; It sounds like the storyline for a B-movie, not a sensitive drama with a real shot at winning a bunch of Oscars.
Greed trumps family in ‘All the Money in the World’: Thursday, Dec. 21, 2017; The movie’s real villain is ruthless billionaire J. Paul Getty, who in 1973 flatly refused to pay any money for the return of his grandson.
‘Jumanji’ makes a surprisingly fun return in ‘Welcome to the Jungle’: Thursday, Dec. 21, 2017; The story plays out like an action-fantasy Breakfast Club.
Aaron Sorkin takes charge for the entertaining ‘Molly’s Game’: Thursday, Dec. 21, 2017; Jessica Chastain’s Molly Bloom is a prime Sorkin protagonist, a type-A overachiever in both academics and athletics.
Best of 2017: Television: Thursday, Dec. 21, 2017; What unstead The Americans on Josh Bell’s annual list?
Musical ‘The Greatest Showman’ delivers an overbearing circus of singing and dancing: Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2017; The slick songs might eventually win audiences over, but only because they’re too worn out to resist.
RadioJavan brings Persian pop to Vegas: Friday, Dec. 15, 2017; Iranian rappers and singers are right at home at House of Blues.
‘The Last Jedi’ finds ‘Star Wars’ searching for direction: Thursday, Dec. 14, 2017; The movie’s best set piece comes more than two hours in, during a climactic battle on a mining planet covered in red salt.
JCVD gets meta in ‘Jean-Claude Van Johnson’: Thursday, Dec. 14, 2017; The early episodes focus on warmed-over showbiz satire alongside the still limber Van Damme kicking ass.
Animated movie ‘Ferdinand’ clutters up a classic story: Thursday, Dec. 14, 2017; The title character is a kind-hearted, nature-loving, non-confrontational bull.
A guide to the new toy-friendly animals in ‘The Last Jedi’: Thursday, Dec. 14, 2017; Porgs, Vulptices, Fathiers and more.
Woody Allen brings melodrama to the midway in ‘Wonder Wheel’: Thursday, Dec. 14, 2017; Justin Timberlake is completely out of place as the brainy, analytical Mickey.
A new generation of outlaw country music: Friday, Dec. 8, 2017; Jamey Johnson helps lead the genre with his unique sound.
The Descendents continue to make smart moves: Friday, Dec. 8, 2017; The influential SoCal punk band just hit their highest position on Billboard.
James Franco celebrates a famous failure in ‘The Disaster Artist’: Thursday, Dec. 7, 2017; The Room is one of the worst movies ever made … or maybe one of the best bad movies.
Chris Stapleton’s ‘From a Room: Volume 2’ plays like a solid odds and sods: Thursday, Dec. 7, 2017; The nine tracks include a couple of covers and a reworked song from his old bluegrass band The SteelDrivers.
Country cavalcade: Delving into the many concert options during NFR: Thursday, Dec. 7, 2017; From Gary Allan to Jamey Johnson to Alabama and beyond.
A student discovers terrifying abilities in ‘Thelma’: Thursday, Dec. 7, 2017; Norwegian filmmaker Joachim Trier’s fourth feature is his best.
Five thoughts: Kelly Clarkson at the Joint (December 3): Monday, Dec. 4, 2017; The soul influence extended to older favorites, with the horn section augmenting “Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You)” and “Since U Been Gone."
Stars align during National Finals Rodeo: Friday, Dec. 1, 2017; This year's entertainment includes some of the biggest stars in country music and comedy.
The Breadwinner animates a story of hardship and hope: Thursday, Nov. 30, 2017; The movie confronts the harsh realities of life for Parvana and her family without flinching.
Three reasons to catch Kelly Clarkson at the Joint: Thursday, Nov. 30, 2017; It will be one of the first opportunities to hear playful lead single “Love So Soft” and brassy empowerment anthem “Whole Lotta Woman” live.
Carnage wears a unicorn horn in the half-baked ‘Happy!’: Thursday, Nov. 30, 2017; The more it strains to be edgy and shocking, the more laughable it becomes.
Hip-hop's next generation: Friday, Nov. 24, 2017; Odd Future's Syd is the next to break out on her own.