Matt Shiverdecker, Author at MendoWerks

Edgar Wright’s Fandom Pays Off in “The Sparks Brothers” (Review)

18Jun

By Matt ShiverdeckerNo Comments

Film, Music, Reviews

Edgar Wright’s Fandom Pays Off in “The Sparks Brothers” (Review)

First things first: you don't need to be familiar with the band Sparks to have a great time with Edgar Wright's fantastic new documentary. Before watching it, the extent of my musical knowledge about them came from enjoying their 1983 single "Cool Places," a duet with Jane Wiedlin of the Go-Go's. Hell, I didn't even know they were brothers or from America. https://youtu.be/WNKIba_yZJo Ron and Russell Mael have been making music together since the late 1960s and have bounced around to so many different record labels over the decades, but never found much chart success here in the U.S. They have been decidedly more successful in Europe, although still experienced a wide range of highs and lows when it has come to critical reception and sales. British filmmaker Edgar Wright (...

Tribeca 2021: “Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain” (Review)

15Jun

By Matt ShiverdeckerNo Comments

Film, Reviews

Tribeca 2021: “Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain” (Review)

Anthony Bourdain rose to fame after his bestselling book "Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly" was released in 2000. By that point, he had already spent over two decades working in restaurants all over New York City. As a celebrity chef he was reluctant, but it did open the door to opportunities he previously could have only dreamed of. News of his death by suicide in early June of 2018 was simply shocking and still hard to fathom. No matter how famous or how rich you become, addiction and depression can feel insurmountable. Director Morgan Neville ("20 Feet From Stardom," "Won't You Be My Neighbor?") never had a chance to meet Bourdain. When this project was conceived, the one thing that made it simultaneously easy and overwhelming to tackle was the fac...

Your Guide to the Virtual 2021 Tribeca Film Festival

11Jun

By Matt ShiverdeckerNo Comments

Events, Features, Film, Reviews

Your Guide to the Virtual 2021 Tribeca Film Festival

It's the 20th Anniversary of the Tribeca Film Festival and, in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, this year anybody in the United States can still sign up and enjoy streaming movies from the comfort of home. For New Yorkers, there are plenty of in-person screenings this year, but I am going to focus on recommending how can you attend virtually. There are four ways to buy passes for online screenings. Tribeca At Home Shorts Pass: watch all of the festival's short films for $25. Tribeca At Home Awards Pass: watch any of the films that win awards at the end of the festival for $50 on Saturday, June 19 and Sunday, June 20.Tribeca At Home Festival Pass: watch any of the films in the virtual program (features and shorts) from June 9 - June 23 for $150. Individual Tickets are avail...

The Metrograph Introduces Us To “Sisters With Transistors” (Review)

8Jun

By Matt ShiverdeckerNo Comments

Art, Film, Reviews

The Metrograph Introduces Us To “Sisters With Transistors” (Review)

The Metrograph is one of the country's finest art house theaters. Their physical NYC location is still closed through at least September, they have been delivering fascinating programming through their website. Last week, they launched an app that easily allows for television viewing and is available for Apple TV, FireTV, and Roku devices. Films are available within the United States for streaming, some are scheduled live events and others can be viewed on-demand for a specific period of time. Such the case with Lisa Rovner's "Sisters With Transitors." It premiered on the Metrograph website back in April and they brought it back for an encore booking this week. Narrated by Laurie Anderson, this documentary tells the story of the pioneering female artists who experimented with e...

Mythology Gets a Modern Twist in “Undine” (Review)

4Jun

By Matt ShiverdeckerNo Comments

Film, Reviews

Mythology Gets a Modern Twist in “Undine” (Review)

Born out of the Nereids who were attendants to Poseidon in Greek mythology, the mythological figures known as Undines were water nymphs who first turned up in the works of Swiss author Paracelsus. These spirits lived underwater but became human if they fell in love with a man. On the flip side, they were ultimately doomed to die if he was not faithful. German filmmaker Christian Petzold ("Phoenix," "Transit") has taken this lore as inspiration for an imaginative fable set in Berlin. Undine (Paula Beer) is a historian who specializes in the history of Berlin's development in the wake of reunification. She becomes distraught after her lover Johannes (Jacob Matschenz) leaves her for another woman, telling him that if he leaves her, she'll have to kill him. He assumes she is being over...

Disney’s “Cruella” is Darkly Wicked Fun (Review)

26May

By Matt ShiverdeckerNo Comments

Film, Reviews

Disney’s “Cruella” is Darkly Wicked Fun (Review)

Disney has always had a habit of raiding their past in order to fuel their present-day success. Before home video, they frequently reissued their classic films in theaters and that eventually turned into the cash-cow of the Disney Vault wherein their most classic films would get released on vhs/dvd/blu-ray for a limited time and then they would build up demand for those same titles by pulling them off the market for years at a time. In 2014, they turned their focus onto a famous Disney villain by releasing the live-action film "Maleficent," which had Angelina Jolie tackling the evil queen from the animated classic "Sleeping Beauty." It racked up over $750 million at the international box office and spawned a sequel, so it can't be a big surprise that they are back to flesh out another ...

Almodovar’s English-language “The Human Voice” Streaming Now on HBO Max (Review)

21May

By Matt ShiverdeckerNo Comments

Art, Film, Reviews

Almodovar’s English-language “The Human Voice” Streaming Now on HBO Max (Review)

I've been a huge fan of Pedro Almodovar's work since I saw his Academy Award-nominated 1988 film "Women On The Verge Of A Nervous Breakdown" as a teenager. Prolific and always provocative, the Spanish director has never made a feature film in English, but now he has delivered a rather experimental 30-minute film that is. During the COVID lockdown he teamed up with the brilliant Tilda Swinton to create the short based on a play by Jean Cocteau. Swinton is credited simply as "Woman." Her lover has left and she is in their shared apartment with his packed suitcases and dog, who has slowly begun to realize that his master isn't coming back. Distraught and unsure of how to manage an animal who wants nothing to do with her, we observe her grief, anger, sadness, and ultimately a phone c...

Apple TV+ Premieres “1971” Series on Friday (Review)

18May

By Matt ShiverdeckerNo Comments

Film, Music, Reviews

Apple TV+ Premieres “1971” Series on Friday (Review)

A phenomenal new docuseries entitled "1971: The Year That Music Changed Everything" is premiering on AppleTV+ this Friday, May 21. Using David Hepworth's book "Never A Dull Moment: 1971 The Year That Rock Exploded" as inspiration, an award-winning team of filmmakers has crafted a highly bingeable eight-part series that intertwines the music and politics of this volatile and highly creative moment in history. I've been able to preview the first five episodes of the series, which was executive produced by Asif Kapadia and James Gay-Rees ("Amy," "Senna") and really wanted to put this on people's radar because even as a music lover since childhood, this was absolutely packed with footage and stories I had never seen before. Each episode hovers between 45 and 50 minutes, but manages t...

Amy Adams Goes For Broke in “The Woman In The Window” (Review)

14May

By Matt ShiverdeckerNo Comments

Film, Reviews

Amy Adams Goes For Broke in “The Woman In The Window” (Review)

Based on the 2018 novel of the same name, "The Woman In The Window" has had a long and troubled road to release. It was originally scheduled to hit theaters in the fall of 2019, but hit two major snags along the way. Test audiences rated the film poorly enough that portions were reshot and re-edited. Originally a 20th Century Fox release, it also had the misfortune of being one of the last Fox projects sitting unreleased when Disney took over. The new regime kicked it to the curb and it ended up in the hands of Netflix. Now, I've not read the book and have absolutely no idea what the reshoots did to the change the final product, but what I can tell you is that if you have an affinity for throwback 90s thrillers like "Pacific Heights," "Unlawful Entry," "The Hand That Rocks The Cradl...

Sundance Gem “Together Together” Hits VOD (Review)

11May

By Matt ShiverdeckerNo Comments

Film, Reviews

Sundance Gem “Together Together” Hits VOD (Review)

"Together Together" was acquired for release by Bleecker Street who bought it before its Sundance Film Festival world premiere earlier this year, where it was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival in the Dramatic category. After a decent start at the box office a few weeks back that has already seen it sell over $1.2 million worth of tickets, Nikole Beckwith's second feature film is now available for home viewing. It stars Ed Helms ("The Office") as Matt, a single man in his 40s who has been unlucky in love and finds himself desperate to be a father. Patti Harrison, who is an absolute riot on Hulu's "Shrill," stars as Anna, a young woman who Matt hires to be his surrogate. We rarely get to see a movie about a platonic relationship between a man and a w...