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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 ...

If You Haven’t Been Paying Attention To Mammoth WVH, You Should

28May

By SimonNo Comments

Reviews

If You Haven’t Been Paying Attention To Mammoth WVH, You Should

More than five years in the making, the world is getting a chance to hear the music of Wolfgang Van Halen. We've had a chance to see him on the road previously on a number of tours alongside his father and uncle Eddie & Alex. The difference now is that we're getting a chance to hear the original material he's been cultivating in recent years. Keep in mind Van Halen wrote, sings, and plays all the instruments throughout the album. Mammoth WVH is set to release a self-titled debut album on June 11. A steady stream of material has seeped out since the announcement. Six of the album's 14 songs are now public so there's plenty of material to wrap your head around. Back in November, the first track to be released was 'Distance', a tribute to father Eddie Van Halen who tragically passed th...

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...

Greg Amici Drops New Single and Video for “Remedy”

13May

By Cammy KNo Comments

Features, Music, Reviews

Greg Amici Drops New Single and Video for “Remedy”

Greg Amici, the multi-talented musician, writer and actor from New Jersey, is back with a new single and video "Remedy", which is out now. It's the follow-up to his well-received single, "In Like a Lion" from his forthcoming LP Tragicomic.Amici says, ‘“Remedy” is about a guy with fairly impersonal needs and a partner whose sensual desires may have morphed into something stronger. Or else it’s about COVID… Musically, it’s sort of a sing-along shanty. And, in times like these, I suppose 'we all need a remedy.' "Right? Right.""Remedy" was produced by James Mastro (The Bongos, Mott the Hoople, Patti Smith, The Jayhawks) at Magic Door Recording (Montclair, NJ). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CCklxXprJtA