Reviews Archives | Page 21 of 22

16Apr

By Matt ShiverdeckerNo Comments

Art, Film, Reviews

SFFILM Review: “Lily Topples The World”

After its recent world premiere at Austin's SXSW Film Festival, Jeremy Workman's superb new documentary "Lily Topples The World" won the Grand Jury Prize for Documentary Feature. The film is being featured this week on the lineup of the 64th Annual San Francisco International Film Festival (SFFILM) and it's a must-see. 22-year-old Lily Hevesh started posting videos of her unique domino creations at the tender age of nine. Over time, her ideas became more elaborate and she has built a massive following on YouTube where her videos have reached over a billion views. Before watching the film, I never could have imagined that being a "domino artist" was something you could make a living from. Something tells me that your average person still could not, but a small handful (of otherwise ...

SFFILM Review: “Poly Styrene: I Am A Cliché”

13Apr

By Matt ShiverdeckerNo Comments

Film, Reviews

SFFILM Review: “Poly Styrene: I Am A Cliché”

The 64th Annual San Francisco International Film Festival (SFFILM) is going on now through April 18th. It is the longest-running film festival in the Americas and this year they are doing a hybrid event that includes drive-in screenings happening in San Francisco along with over 100 films available to watch online for viewers in the United States. Co-directed by filmmakers Paul Sng and Celeste Bell, "Poly Styrene: I Am A Cliché," is on the festival's documentary slate this year. It chronicles the life and career of Marion Elliot, better known professionally as Poly Styrene, frontwoman of legendary British punk band X-Ray Spex. She was a young biracial woman with braces and a flair for fashion when she saw the Sex Pistols play a raucous live show on her 19th birthday. Shortly after,...

Gloriously Goofy “Barb & Star Go To Vista Del Mar” Out Now on Blu-ray and VOD (Review)

9Apr

By Matt ShiverdeckerNo Comments

Film, Reviews

Gloriously Goofy “Barb & Star Go To Vista Del Mar” Out Now on Blu-ray and VOD (Review)

Comedians Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumolo became fast friends after meeting at The Groundlings, a Los Angeles-based improv comedy theater in the early 2000s. In 2011, the duo earned an Academy Award nomination for their uproarious "Bridesmaids" screenplay. A full decade later, Wiig and Mumolo have brought us two of the most gloriously goofy characters ever to be unleashed on audiences. They've now written, produced, and starred in "Barb & Star Go To Vista Del Mar," which is directed by Josh Greenbaum (better known as an award-winning documentarian behind "Becoming Bond" and "The Short Game"). Barb (Mumolo) and Star (Wiig) have best friends for their entire lives and pretty much spend every waking moment together. After the store they work in closes down, they decide to take ...

Twenty One Pilots Return With ‘Shy Away’, New Album Announcement

7Apr

By SimonNo Comments

Music, Reviews

Twenty One Pilots Return With ‘Shy Away’, New Album Announcement

Twenty One Pilots started teasing a new release earlier this year and we just got the payoff. 'Shy Away' is the first single from their new album Scaled and Icy. You can put May 21 on your calendar for the release and a live stream performance from the band. Tickets are on sale now and the experience starts at 8 PM EST. You can secure your passes now via their website and start at $20. Scaled and Icy is the band's first album release since 2017s Trench. The band did treat us to the pandemic-inspired single 'Level of Concern' last year. The video for 'Shy Away' was directed by Miles Cable and A.J. Favicchio and lays it on pretty heavy with the 80s vibes. And that's ok, we're feeling it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3sO-Y1Zbft4 LYRICS When I get home,You better not be ...

“Godzilla vs. Kong” is a Quickly Forgotten Battle (Review)

6Apr

By Matt ShiverdeckerNo Comments

Film, Reviews

“Godzilla vs. Kong” is a Quickly Forgotten Battle (Review)

There were a few reasons why I was looking forward to checking out "Godzilla vs. Kong." For starters, 2017's "Kong: Skull Island" was legitimately pretty damn fun to watch and gave a great cast the opportunity to ham it up against some beautiful locations and solid effects work. Full disclosure: I have not seen the 2014 "Godzilla" reboot nor its 2019 sequel, "Godzilla: King of the Monsters," but when I saw that Adam Wingard had been secured to direct this new battle-centric sequel, my interest level piqued. His 2011 home-invasion thriller "You're Next" is one of my favorite genre films in recent memory, so I was interested to see what he would do with two of the most legendary cinematic monsters of all time. It's unlikely that any filmmaker could have given this lackluster effor...

COVID-19 Documentary “The Last Cruise” Hits HBO Max (Review)

2Apr

By Matt ShiverdeckerNo Comments

Film, Reviews

COVID-19 Documentary “The Last Cruise” Hits HBO Max (Review)

Before most of us were even aware of the dangers presented by COVID-19, a group of cruise ship passengers and crew members were trapped in a living nightmare. The first cases of coronavirus were reported in late-December 2019. The Diamond Princess set sail from Yokohama, Japan to begin a trip across Southeast Asia on January 20, 2020. With over 3,700 on board from all over the world, it became one of the earliest lessons in how the virus could spread rapidly. Director Hannah Olson (“Baby God”) has constructed a fascinating documentary almost entirely of footage shot by people who were on board. Some of these clips captured on cell phones are shaky and difficult to watch, but also give us a historic glimpse into how things went from bad to worse. The cruis...

Oscar-Nominated “The Father” Debuts on VOD Today (Review)

26Mar

By Matt ShiverdeckerNo Comments

Film, Reviews

Oscar-Nominated “The Father” Debuts on VOD Today (Review)

Movie theaters around the country are operating at lower capacities and many have remained closed entirely due to COVID-19. This has helped prompt Sony Pictures Classics to experiment with Premium Video On Demand for the first time with their highly acclaimed new drama, "The Father." It's the debut feature from Florian Zeller and is adapted from his own 2012 play "Le Père." Anthony Hopkins stars as an elderly man with dementia who is struggling to make sense of his surroundings. His daughter Anne (Olivia Colman, "The Crown") is trying to figure out how to balance her personal life while making sure her father is properly cared for. As his memory ebbs and flows, he forgets faces, places, and experiences. After angrily accusing a caretaker of stealing his watch (when in actuality...

5Mar

By Cammy KNo Comments

Music, Reviews

HeIsTheArtist Drops New Single ‘Virgin’

HeIsTheArtist has a new powerful single, "Virgin" out now. The new song from the American Christian singer-songwriter from Central Islip, NY., expands the topic of temptation that was previously the center topic of his single, "The Snake Charmer" and his EP Adam & Eve. HeIsTheArtist says, 'Virgin' delves into the experience of a Catholic Nun taking a vow of abstinence and how difficult that is while living in a society where the temptation of sex is everywhere. The lyrics “It's you I like, it’s not me” references the promise that nuns make to rid themselves of all vanity in order to be able to focus fully on God’s work." HeIsTheArtist is influenced by the music of Kim Burrell, Carrie Underwood, Prince, and Michael Jackson. He considers himself an eclectic artist who merges differ...

Rockers Kings County Drop Intense Flock Of Seagulls Cover

23Feb

By mendowerksNo Comments

Music, Reviews

Rockers Kings County Drop Intense Flock Of Seagulls Cover

Florida based rock band Kings County have given new life to a song that helped define a generation by putting their own spin on A Flock of Seagulls 'I Ran (So Far Away)'. The original was released in 1982 at the height of the MTV era and was the second single off their self titled album. Kings County have redefined the track with an exceptional hard hitting music video and single release. The band is made up of Rob Dexter (Vocals, Bass), Steve Bell (Guitars, Vocals), Joe Lopez (Drums) and Bill Kania (Guitars, Vocals). They brought on producer Chuck Alkazian out of Pearl Sound Studios to helm the project. Alkazian is known for his work with Chris Cornell of Soundgarden, Pop Evil and on Tantric's 2018 release Mercury Retrograde. According to a recent press release, Dexter had this to...

Foo Fighters At The Top Of Their Game With ‘Medicine At Midnight’

20Feb

By SimonNo Comments

Reviews

Foo Fighters At The Top Of Their Game With ‘Medicine At Midnight’

The Foo Fighters were supposed to celebrate their 25th anniversary as a band in 2020 in grand fashion. A new studio album, tour and festival on 4th of July weekend were all planned but the onset of the pandemic forced a major change in plans. Fast forward to early 2021 and the long awaited 10th studio album from the band Medicine to Midnight has been released and it's been worth the wait. The nine track LP is their first since 2017's Concrete and Gold and is a return to form for the vaunted rockers. In an interview with Pitchfork, Grohl likens the new collection of tunes to a modern day dance record comparing it to Bowie's Let's Dance. They set out to make a fun record and it's mission accomplished on all fronts. Producer Greg Kurstin returned to helm the project after last workin...