Reviews

The Life and Tragic Death of Adrienne Shelly Examined in New HBO Documentary (Review)
1Dec By Matt ShiverdeckerNo Comments
Film, Reviews

The Life and Tragic Death of Adrienne Shelly Examined in New HBO Documentary (Review)

There was a moment in the early 90s when it looked like actress Adrienne Shelly would become one of the biggest stars in Hollywood. She burst onto the scene with extraordinary leading roles in two independent films by Hal Hartley. 1989's "The Unbelievable Truth" and 1990's "Trust" were wildly unique and quirky comedies that became minor hits on the arthouse circuit and ended up finding larger audiences thanks to home video. As an actor, she was struggling by the late 90s to be cast in the kinds of movies she was really passionate, so she started to make her own. A 1997 feature called "Sudden Manhattan" is nearly impossible to track down these days, but she made a much bigger splash with what turned out to be her final film. Shelly wrote and directed the 2007 feature "Waitres...
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The Life and Career of Julia Child is Chronicled in Tasty New Documentary (Review)
26Nov By Matt ShiverdeckerNo Comments
Film, Reviews

The Life and Career of Julia Child is Chronicled in Tasty New Documentary (Review)

It's surprising that it has taken so long for a documentary about legendary chef Julia Child to surface. I live in a household where the 2009 film "Julie & Julia" is pure and frequent comfort viewing, so checking this out was a requirement. Filmmakers Betsy West and Julie Cohen earned an Oscar nomination for their film "RBG" and their latest look at a pioneering woman was snapped up quickly by CNN Films and Sony Pictures Classics. Unlike it's subject, this film certainly doesn't break any new ground, but it's a loving and enthusiastic chronicle of a woman who changed the conversation around home cooking in America for decades. Her husband Paul worked for the State Department and was assigned to live in Paris. After having a meal at La Couronne, Child's life was forever chang...
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Jane Campion Triumphantly Returns With ‘The Power of the Dog’
6Jan By Matt ShiverdeckerNo Comments
Film, Reviews

Jane Campion Triumphantly Returns With ‘The Power of the Dog’

It's been twelve long years since Jane Campion's last feature film, the sumptuously romantic period drama "Bright Star." She's certainly made up for lost time with her latest, a powerhouse adaptation of Thomas Savage's 1967 novel. In Montana during the mid-1920s, Phil Burbank (Benedict Cumberbatch) and his brother George (Jesse Plemons) are running their family ranch. Phil has a mean streak and establishes his dominance by frequently mocking George's weight and generally being a rotten human being. When George takes a liking to a young widow named Rose (Kirsten Dunst, hopefully headed towards a much-deserved Best Actress Oscar nomination) and quickly marries her, it sets off something in Phil that only exacerbates his already unpleasant demeanor. He exhibits this in many ways, ...
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Avril Lavigne Teams Up With Travis Barker On Catchy New Single “Bite Me”
21May By SimonNo Comments
Music, Reviews

Avril Lavigne Teams Up With Travis Barker On Catchy New Single “Bite Me”

Travis Barker has been everywhere lately so of course, it makes sense he's collaborating with Avril Lavigne on a catchy new single. "Bite Me" stars the multiplatinum-selling Lavigne in her first release since signing to Barker's DTA Records. Lavigne's career began in the early 2000s after growing up signing in churches where she grew up in Canada. She signed a major label deal with Arista Records and two years later she was a household name with hit songs all over the radio. Her debut album Let Go featuring "Complicated", "Sk8er Boi" and others have achieved Diamond Certification with sales of over 15 million copies. A string of highly successful albums and high-profile relationships followed. What many people didn't realize, along the way she dealt with health issues including...
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Coheed & Cambria Unveil New Single “Rise, Naianasha (Cut The Cord)”
1Jan By SimonNo Comments
Music, Reviews

Coheed & Cambria Unveil New Single “Rise, Naianasha (Cut The Cord)”

On the heels of their highest-charting single to date, innovative rockers Coheed & Cambria have just released the uplifting new single "Rise, Naianasha (Cut The Cord)". The bands' most recent effort Vaxis I: The Unheavenly Creatures was released in 2018 and was a return to the Amory Wars concept album series. Speculation grows that we could see an announcement on Vaxis II sometime soon. In the meantime, we have the high-energy "Shoulders" which has gone top 15 on the active rock charts along with "Rise, Naianasha". The accompanying lyric video features the stunning visual imagery we've come to expect from Coheed's music videos. According to frontman Claudio Sanchez the track, "explores the reach of love and loyalty and the reality that sometimes you need to be more than...
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Jessica Chastain Dazzles in Otherwise Average “The Eyes of Tammy Faye” (Review)
12Nov By Matt ShiverdeckerNo Comments
Film, Reviews

Jessica Chastain Dazzles in Otherwise Average “The Eyes of Tammy Faye” (Review)

For nearly two decades, Tammy Faye Bakker and her husband Jim were televangelists, preaching to the faithful on TV screens all around the world. Director Michael Showalter ("The Big Sick") and screenwriter Abe Sylvia have taken the documentary of the same name that was released in 2000 (streaming now on WOW Presents Plus) and used it as a springboard for this biopic on the controversial couple. The end result is overlong and a little tedious if you've seen the documentary before, but it's worth watching simply because of how marvelous that Jessica Chastain is portraying Tammy Faye. She is simply unrecognizable under all that makeup and the outrageously fake eyelashes, often clinging to a can of Diet Coke and becoming one with the character. Chandler Head portrays Tammy Faye as ...
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Judah & The Lion Announce Line-up Evolution and New Single
1Jan By SimonNo Comments
Music, Reviews

Judah & The Lion Announce Line-up Evolution and New Single

Judah & The Lion is back with new material to help celebrate 10 years as a band. The announcement of the new single "Find Another Reason Why" comes on the heels of a bittersweet announcement that a founding member is leaving the band. In a message posted to the bands' social media pages, it was announced that founding member Nate Zuercher is stepping down to spend more time off the road. The split comes on good terms as all parties are supportive of his decision. Zuercher stated that like many, he's experienced a challenging 18 months. That forced rest helped him appreciate the fact that things in his life needed to change. His departure comes as frontman Judah Akers and mandolinist/vocalist Brian Mcdonald will continue on with work on their new album. https://twitter.com/...
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