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Go Behind The Scenes With ‘The Return of Tanya Tucker’ (Review)

13Jan

By Matt ShiverdeckerNo Comments

Features, Film, Reviews

Go Behind The Scenes With ‘The Return of Tanya Tucker’ (Review)

Tanya Tucker is a legendary country singer who became a star when she was still a teenager, being named Most Promising Female Vocalist by the Academy of Country Music Awards in 1972. Her career has had its share of ups and downs over the years, with the end of the 1970s into the early 1980s being especially difficult. She had her first big comeback in the late 80s where she ended up not only selling strongly again, but by winning multiple awards again, including CMT's Female Video Artist of the Year in 1990. After multiple attempts at reinvention followed, Tucker was fairly off the radar again until her 2019 album While I'm Livin was released. Working with Brandi Carlile and Shooter Jennings, Tucker won the Grammy Award for Best Country Album in 2000 as well as Best Country Song for...

30Dec

By Matt ShiverdeckerNo Comments

Features, Film, Reviews

The 10 Best Films of 2022

Despite going to the theater less than ever, I saw over 120 new release films in 2022. When it comes to the modern theatrical experience, I'm reminded of 'A Tale of Two Cities' when Dickens wrote “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times." There are more opportunities than ever for premium moviegoing experiences with multiplexes adding IMAX and Dolby Cinemas across the country, but for the most part, the chain theaters are abysmal at technical presentation. Hell, many theaters aren't even screening movies on the proper sized screens. 'Nope' is one of the Best Films of 2022 (Universal Pictures) But with more and more 4K HDR offerings at home and many new releases being offered for viewing on my couch within 17 days of release, it makes it easy to watch exactly what ...

Rian Johnson Delivers With ‘Glass Onion’ (Review)

23Dec

By Matt ShiverdeckerNo Comments

Features, Film, Reviews

Rian Johnson Delivers With ‘Glass Onion’ (Review)

'Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery' hits Netflix with rarified air. It is a sequel to a hit movie that just may be better than the original. When the first film was released in 2019, it was a surprise box office juggernaut, earning over $300 million in theaters around the world. But Johnson had only signed a deal for one film with Lionsgate and then more suitors came to call. Edward Norton and the cast of 'Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery' (Netflix) In the end, Netflix offered over $450 million to make two additional 'Knives Out' movies with Daniel Craig as detective Benoit Blanc. The rest was up to Johnson's infinite imagination. This time around, an eccentric billionaire named Miles Bron (Edward Norton) invites his best friends to his private island in Greece for a "murder...

Friendship Goes Awry in ‘The Banshees of Inisherin’ (Review)

9Dec

By Matt ShiverdeckerNo Comments

Features, Film, Reviews

Friendship Goes Awry in ‘The Banshees of Inisherin’ (Review)

Martin McDonagh's 'The Banshees of Inisherin' takes place on a fictional island off the coast of Ireland in 1923, with the Irish Civil War exploding off in the distance. The residents of Inisherin lead simple lives. There isn't much to do aside from tend to the land and go to church or the pub. Things turn sour when Colm (Brendan Gleeson) decides that he no longer wishes to associate with longtime friend, Pádraic (Colin Farrell). Simply put, Colm wants to focus his time on composing music and enjoying a little peace and quiet. Being dismissed so quickly and resolutely does not sit well with Pádraic, who can not seem to leave well enough alone. He continues to pester Colm and fight the decision to terminate their friendship Pádraic until Colm gives him a disturbing ultimatum. ...

ICYMI: Alt Rock Band Autopilot Dropped a New Video For Their Energetic Single, “Feverish Dreams”.

21Nov

By Ambur MasenNo Comments

Music, Reviews

ICYMI: Alt Rock Band Autopilot Dropped a New Video For Their Energetic Single, “Feverish Dreams”.

Today, Canadian alt-rockers Autopilot surprised us with a cool new video for their latest single, "Feverish Dreams". The band is currently on tour in North America, but their busy schedule certainly isn't getting in the way of their creativity! Check the video out on YouTube, below. Autopilot's "Feverish Dreams" official music video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8K3tHkPCnNU While the single was originally released back in October, it's always a treat to see continued support and media coming out for a song after it drops. I especially loved all the creative camera angles and close-ups the band chose to play with throughout the video. It really let us get up close and personal with their performance and think on all the little details they chose to incl...

‘Louis Armstrong’s Black & Blues’ is Remarkable Portrait of Jazz Legend (Review)

18Nov

By Matt ShiverdeckerNo Comments

Features, Film, Reviews

‘Louis Armstrong’s Black & Blues’ is Remarkable Portrait of Jazz Legend (Review)

Louis Armstrong was one of the founding fathers of jazz, rising to great prominence despite the obstacles of early fame during segregation. Wayne Shorter narrates this revealing new documentary from Sacha Jenkins ('Bitchin': The Sound and Fury of Rick James'). Nas also adds his voice to narrate sequences as Armstrong. Louis Armstrong in 'Louis Armstrong’s Black & Blues,' now streaming on Apple TV+. Louis Armstrong's life and career is traced back to his early days in New Orleans and follows him to Chicago and, ultimately, New York. The film illustrates how fame did not protect Armstrong from prevalent racism. Armstrong discusses playing sold out shows for white audiences but not being allowed to come in through the main entrance. Fellow New Orleans musician Wynton Marsali...

Hold Off On That ‘Ticket to Paradise’ (Review)

11Nov

By Matt ShiverdeckerNo Comments

Features, Film, Reviews

Hold Off On That ‘Ticket to Paradise’ (Review)

'Ticket to Paradise' was exactly what I thought I was looking for this week: a mindless counterpoint to the terminal frustration of the midterm elections. British director Ol Parker ('Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again') brings together two of the world's most beautiful people (Julia Roberts & George Clooney) in one of the world's most beautiful places (Bali) to be beautiful together. What more could you want? A better script for starters. George Clooney and Julia Roberts star in 'Ticket to Paradise' (Universal Pictures) Georgia (Roberts) and David (Clooney) are bitterly divorced and don't even like to be in the same room together. Imagine the comedy that ensues when their daughter Lily (Kaitlyn Dever) neglects to tell them they'll be seated next to each other at her law school ...

‘Wendell & Wild’ Delivers Black Girl Magic (Review)

21Oct

By Matt ShiverdeckerNo Comments

Features, Film, Reviews

‘Wendell & Wild’ Delivers Black Girl Magic (Review)

'Wendell & Wild' is an inspired collaboration between Henry Selick ('The Nightmare Before Christmas') and Jordan Peele ('Nope') Based on an unpublished short story that Selick wrote about two demon brothers, Wendell (Keegan-Michael Key) and Wild (Peele) recruit a troubled teenage girl named Kat (Lyric Ross) to help them rise to the Land of the Living. When she was younger, Kat's parents died in car accident that she blames herself for causing. Unceremoniously dumped in the Rust Bank Catholic School for Girls after years in foster homes and juvenile detention, Kat resists making new friends. WENDELL & WILD - Cr. Netflix © 2022 Eventually she discovers that it is going to take literal Black girl magic to survive her stay at the school. Chosen as a "hellmaiden" by Wendel...

Maika Monroe Shines in ‘Watcher’ (Review)

14Oct

By Matt ShiverdeckerNo Comments

Features, Film, Reviews

Maika Monroe Shines in ‘Watcher’ (Review)

Maika Monroe first caught my attention with a double shot of incredible performances in 2014's 'The Guest' and 'It Follows.' She's had a little less success with finding the right roles since then, but a recent binge of scary movies for October leads me to recommend this thriller that she stars in that was written and directed by Chloe Okuno. Maika Monroe stars in 'Watcher' (IFC Midnight) In 'Watcher,' Monroe plays Julia, a woman who has relocated to Bucharest with her husband Francis (Karl Glusman) for his new job. Mostly left to her own devices, Julia is excited for her new surroundings, but stuck in a manner of being unable to communicate and feeling isolated. A slate of murders in the area start to permeate daily life and before long Julia becomes convinced that a man wh...

‘The Greatest Beer Run Ever’ Falls Short (Review)

30Sep

By Matt ShiverdeckerNo Comments

Features, Film, Reviews

‘The Greatest Beer Run Ever’ Falls Short (Review)

Peter Farrelly's follow-up to his mawkish Best Picture winner 'Green Book' is a more interesting film, but I'm not sure 'The Greatest Beer Run Ever' is a good movie. Actually, I'm quite positive that it isn't, but it is an inherently watchable one. That has everything to do with Zac Efron, who makes a rather unlikeable character surprisingly sympathetic. He plays John "Chickie" Donohue, a merchant Marine in 1967 New York City who concocts a rather ridiculous plan while out shittalking at the bar with his buddies. Zac Efron brings his buddy a PBR in 'The Greatest Beer Run Ever' (Apple TV+) From the Five Boroughs to Da Nang If this wasn't based on a true story, you'd be forgiven for thinking the plot was absurd. Chickie makes a plan to go to Vietnam and deliver cans of Pabs...