Matt Shiverdecker, Author at MendoWerks

Spike Lee Tackles 9/11 Anniversary and Much More in HBO Doc Series (Review)

10Sep

By Matt ShiverdeckerNo Comments

Film, Reviews

Spike Lee Tackles 9/11 Anniversary and Much More in HBO Doc Series (Review)

Spike Lee has been directing for over 35 years. In addition to his many feature films, he has released multiple documentaries for HBO over the years including the Oscar-nominated "4 Little Girls" and last year's stage recording of "David Byrne's American Utopia." After Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans, he won three Emmys for "When the Levees Broke," a 4-part HBO documentary series that examined the impact and fallout from the storm. As we approach the 20th Anniversary of the terrorist attacks of 9/11, Lee has again turned to the cable network for another 4-part documentary that is as powerful as it is difficult to watch. "NYC Epicenters 9/11→2021½" may have began as a way to pay tribute to those who lost their lives twenty years ago, but it became so much more along the ...

Velvet Underground Doc Coming to Apple TV+ from Todd Haynes

3Sep

By Matt ShiverdeckerNo Comments

Film, Music

Velvet Underground Doc Coming to Apple TV+ from Todd Haynes

This week, Apple TV+ debuted the trailer for Todd Haynes' new film "The Velvet Underground." The visionary director of "Poison," "I'm Not There," and "Carol," takes on the original art rockers in his first ever documentary. https://youtu.be/hWq7a8Tin8g Utilizing in-depth interviews and gorgeously restored archival footage from the Warhol Museum, Haynes' film also features never-before-seen performances. A companion soundtrack will be released in October that features some rare live recordings alongside favorite cuts like "Pale Blue Eyes" and "Sweet Jane." "The Velvet Underground" premiered at this year's Cannes Film Festival where the Hollywood Reporter called it "one of the standout music docs of the year." Look for it in select theaters and also streaming on Apple TV+ ...

“Boulevard! A Hollywood Story” (Festival Review)

31Aug

By Matt ShiverdeckerNo Comments

Events, Film, Reviews

“Boulevard! A Hollywood Story” (Festival Review)

When Gloria Swanson took on the role of Norma Desmond in Billy Wilder's 1950 film "Sunset Boulevard," it was the epitome of perfect casting. The iconic character, much like the woman who was playing her, had been a superstar in the world of silent film. The advent of "talkies" really ruined both of their careers, but Swanson would have the last laugh. https://youtu.be/_dY0SVxnHjQ The performance found her, yet again, in the good graces of Hollywood (at least temporarily) when she was nominated for Best Actress at the Academy Awards. The film was such a lifesaver for Swanson that she wanted to find a way to extend its power. She turned to Dickson Hughes and Richard Stapley, two young songwriters who just so happened to be lovers at a time when that had to be kept tightly un...

Hulu Premieres Outrageous New Comedy “Vacation Friends” (Review)

27Aug

By Matt ShiverdeckerNo Comments

Film, Reviews

Hulu Premieres Outrageous New Comedy “Vacation Friends” (Review)

As distribution models continue to shift thanks to COVID, we are continuing to see major studio releases get shifted over to premiere online. That has been the case with Clay Tarver's outrageously raucous new film "Vacation Friends" as it shifted to Hulu where it premieres today. It's safe to assume that most people have met others while they were traveling who made the trip more enjoyable, but just because you connect away from home doesn't mean that they would become your close friends in the "real world." Lil Rel Howery ("Get Out") and Yvonne Orji ("Insecure") star as Marcus and Emily, a straightlaced couple from Chicago who head to Mexico for a five star getaway. Things go awry from the moment they arrive when a planned wedding proposal from Marcus is ruined by their guest s...

“MR. SOUL!” Now Streaming on HBO Max (Review)

24Aug

By Matt ShiverdeckerNo Comments

Film, Music, Reviews

“MR. SOUL!” Now Streaming on HBO Max (Review)

I hope that, by now, you have taken some time to sit down and watch Questlove's magnificent documentary "Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)" on Hulu. If you enjoyed that film as much as I did, you're also going to want to add Melissa Haizlip's monumental "MR. SOUL!" to your watchlist. It's great to see that the film is continuing to find an audience. It premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2018 and made the festival circuit throughout 2019. And, as happened to so many other films, it got derailed a bit by COVID and ended up having a proper release delayed until late last year. Haizlip turns a spotlight on a slice of American music and cultural history that many may be unaware of - a revolutionary public television series hosted by her uncle. ...

Udo Kier Gives An Unforgettable Performance in “Swan Song” (Review)

20Aug

By Matt ShiverdeckerNo Comments

Film, Reviews

Udo Kier Gives An Unforgettable Performance in “Swan Song” (Review)

Todd Stephens wrote, produced, and directed this new drama starring legendary German actor Udo Kier that had its world premiere earlier this year at the virtual edition of the SXSW festival. Older members of the LGBTQ+ community are not often given a chance to tell their stories or see themselves represented in popular culture, so it's a real treat to see Kier absolutely eat up every inch of the screen as Pat Pitsenbarger, an aging gay man who is miserably spending his final days trapped in a nursing home facility in Sandusky, Ohio. In a tale that is thankfully not as common now, we learn that Pat's long term partner David had passed away in the 90s due to complications from AIDS. At that time, before queer people could get married, many couples did not have legal protections. He l...

17Aug

By Matt ShiverdeckerNo Comments

Film, Reviews

Sundance Hit “CODA” Comes Home (Review)

Loosely based on a 2014 French Film called "La Famille Bélier," the second feature film from director Sian Heder introduces us to a family in Gloucester, Massachusetts where a teenage girl named Ruby (Emilia Jones) is the only member of her family who isn't deaf. In classical music, a coda is the part of the composition that ends the piece or movement. Here, it stands as an acronym for "child of deaf adults" although it does double duty musically in the story as well. Ruby has grown up in her family's fishing company, working alongside her father and brother on the boat and helping her mother with the administrative side of things. She is not only well versed in the business, but also acts as a de facto interpreter for them in situations where they have to deal with others who don'...

Nicolas Cage Returns To Form in ‘Pig’ (Review)

10Aug

By Matt ShiverdeckerNo Comments

Film, Reviews

Nicolas Cage Returns To Form in ‘Pig’ (Review)

The last few decades have been a whirlwind of ups and downs for Nicolas Cage's career. He's gone from headlining blockbuster movies to frequently taking on mostly straight to video titles. Every few years he still manages to come along with a performance that is so outstanding that it defies some of the other work he seems to be taking more for the paycheck. I'm thinking of his brilliant turn in David Gordon Green's 2013 film "Joe" or Panos Cosmatos' insane horror film "Mandy" from 2018. You can safely add "Pig" to this list. In Michael Sarnoski's directorial debut, Cage plays Robin Feld. At one time, he was at the top of the culinary world in Portland, Oregon. After a massive personal loss, the renowned chef walked away from society and became a recluse. As the film begins, Ro...

6Aug

By Matt ShiverdeckerNo Comments

Film, Reviews

Be Reborn With ‘Nine Days’ (Review)

In a house planted seemingly in the middle of nowhere, Will (Winston Duke, "Black Panther") leads a mostly solitary existence. For the majority of each day, he faces a wall of televisions and VCRs watching life through the eyes of others. He takes extensive notes, recording key moments and tucking memories into filing cabinets. Will's job, as it were, is to interview unborn souls to determine if they're worthy of life on Earth. Presumably he is one of many tasked with this work, although we only meet a few others like him. He is quick to point out that he once was a human and so he knows what to look for. Unexpectedly, the point of view on one of his sets goes dark. He tragically loses a soul in an accident who was very meaningful to him. Replacing her won't be an easy task. Th...

‘Whirlybird’ Offers Intensely Personal Look at L.A. History (Review)

3Aug

By Matt ShiverdeckerNo Comments

Film, Reviews

‘Whirlybird’ Offers Intensely Personal Look at L.A. History (Review)

It's difficult now to imagine a time before the 24-hour news cycle. Breaking news and remote coverage are part of our everyday lives, whether we like it or not. There was a married couple in Los Angeles who were at the forefront of the shift in news coverage starting in the mid-80s. Robert Tur and his then-wife Marika Gerrard launched Los Angeles News Service as stringers. They would literally chase police scanners and drive around the city looking to be the first video crew on the scene to film footage to sell to local news stations. Frustrated with how hard it was to cover the city by automobile, they bought a helicopter and really upped their game. By flying over the city, they were able to more quickly capture news as it happened and proved to be so indispensable that they ...