Reviews

Disney’s “Jungle Cruise” a Ride Worth Taking (Review)
27Jul By Matt ShiverdeckerNo Comments
Film, Reviews

Disney’s “Jungle Cruise” a Ride Worth Taking (Review)

After the wild success of five movies based on the "Pirates of the Caribbean" ride that collectively earned over $4.5 billion at the global box office, it shouldn't be surprising that Disney would adapt more of their famous theme park attractions for the big screen. When I first heard that they were going to make a movie out of the Jungle Cruise ride that began in Disneyland back in 1955, I was extraordinarily skeptical. It wasn't until I saw the first trailer that I started to get intrigued at what they had done. It all starts with director Jaume Collet-Serra, who has previously made several horror and suspense films like "House Of Wax" and "The Shallows." He's managed to take what could have been a rather boring idea and infused it with the kind of wild adventure spirit that hark...
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Sundance Hit ‘How It Ends’ Brings The Apocalypse Home (Review)
13Aug By Matt ShiverdeckerNo Comments
Film, Reviews

Sundance Hit ‘How It Ends’ Brings The Apocalypse Home (Review)

When the end credits began to roll on its brisk 82-minute running time, I said to my partner how much I enjoyed "How It Ends" and that it reminded me of the glory days of American independent film in the 90s. He laughed and noted that the whole time he was thinking about Richard Linklater's 1990 classic, "Slacker." There is a shared cinematic universe between the two - both features offer a meandering "day in the life" scenario giving the viewer a series of characters who float in and out of the film and give us a handful of perfect moments. While "Slacker" showed us a random day in late 1980s Austin, Texas, this literal doomsday comedy has us on the streets of Los Angeles in the 24 hours before a giant meteor makes contact with Earth and kills us all. Zoe Lister-Jones and her hu...
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“Fear Street” Trilogy Brings The Thrills (Review)
20Jul By Matt ShiverdeckerNo Comments
Film, Reviews

“Fear Street” Trilogy Brings The Thrills (Review)

R.L. Stine's original "Fear Street" book series was a step up from his "Goosebumps" books that offered age-appropriate scares for young readers. Director Leigh Janiak has taken things a lot further, accelerating the "Fear Street" series into full-blown R-rated territory with a captivating trilogy that recently launched on Netflix. Originally conceived as a theatrical play for Fox before Disney's acquisition, these would have certainly been fun to watch on the big screen with an audience, but play excellently at home as a fun summer escape. All three films are centered around the legend of Sarah Fier, a young woman in 1666 who was accused of being a witch and died after a man in her village named Solomon Goode (Ashley Zukerman) made a deal with the devil to provide his family wi...
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‘Gunpowder Milkshake’ is Filled With Candy-Colored Carnage (Review)
13Aug By Matt ShiverdeckerNo Comments
Film, Reviews

‘Gunpowder Milkshake’ is Filled With Candy-Colored Carnage (Review)

Director Navot Papushado made a splash at genre festivals worldwide when he co-directed his first movie "Rabies" in 2010, which was pushed as the "first feature-length Israeli horror film." His third feature also marks his English-language debut and he rounded up an incredible cast of kick-ass women for an ultraviolent tale of revenge. "Guardians of the Galaxy" and "Jumanji" star Karen Gillan takes the lead as Sam, a top-notch assassin who has followed in her mother's footsteps. She works for "The Firm" (led by a wonderfully grumpy Paul Giamatti) and is hired to kill a man who has stolen from them. Shortly after shooting him in the stomach, she discovers he has an 8-year-old daughter named Emily who has been kidnapped (hence, the stolen goods to get her back). This gives Sam a ...
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Caroline Sky Shares a Vulnerable and Compelling Story Through Her 2021 Release ‘Company’
12Aug By KaylaNo Comments
Music, Reviews

Caroline Sky Shares a Vulnerable and Compelling Story Through Her 2021 Release ‘Company’

Love can be blinding. It can make us all see through rose-colored glasses and put the person we are in love with on a pedestal. In reality, if the situation is toxic, it is much harder to leave than we expect it to be. Caroline Sky releases a beautiful single titled 'Company', where she was vulnerable about her experience walking away from a toxic situation. Caroline happens to be one of the youngest members to have performed in the prestigious San Francisco Girls Chorus. She has been drawn to more contemporary styles of music such as R&B, rock, and pop. Since then, Sky has performed in established music venues and festivals alongside Joan Baez, Carly Simon, Ben Taylor, and more. She studied at New York University's summer music program and continued to be mentored by incredibl...
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COOPER PHILLIP Captures the Struggles of Finding Self-love in Her Latest Single ‘Perfectly Original’
12Aug By KaylaNo Comments
Music, Reviews

COOPER PHILLIP Captures the Struggles of Finding Self-love in Her Latest Single ‘Perfectly Original’

Comparison, self-doubt, and fear are some of our worst habits. Living life by comparing ourselves to others creates such a toxic environment. However, it is a slow and different journey for everyone to find the courage to love themselves no matter what. COOPER PHILLIP releases 'Perfectly Original', a single reminding us all how important we are. COOPER was born in Russia to a family of classical pianists. Growing up, she was inspired by Ella Fitzgerald and eventually enrolled in Moscow State Classical Academy where she studied many instruments, and her vocals expanded into the powerful sound we hear today. COOPER has performed at well-known venues in Los Angeles such as Viper Room, Soho House, and Sayers Club. After her success with “Party by Myself” in 2016, reaching over 1.6 million ...
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Young Poets Shine in “Summertime” (Review)
9Jul By Matt ShiverdeckerNo Comments
Art, Film, Reviews

Young Poets Shine in “Summertime” (Review)

In the spring of 2019, Carlos López Estrada ("Blindspotting") attended a poetry showcase hosted by a Los Angeles-based non-profit organization called Get Lit: Words Ignite. He was so inspired by the young poets who performed that he rounded up all of them and worked with some of his closest filmmaking friends to put to a project together that would incorporate their words into a functional feature film to serve as a love letter to the city. The end result effortlessly manages to merge spoken word poetry with occasionally bombastic musical numbers featuring a host of intersecting characters into a cohesive timeline over the course of one summer day. I can't say enough good things about these performances, all from high school poets who were not professional actors. You would nev...
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