Reviews | MendoWerks

‘Sisu’ is a Brilliantly Blood-soaked Tale of Revenge (Review)

19May

By Matt ShiverdeckerNo Comments

Features, Film, Reviews

‘Sisu’ is a Brilliantly Blood-soaked Tale of Revenge (Review)

With his bombastic Nazi-slaying action film 'Sisu,' Finnish director Jalmari Helander keeps things all in the family. After all, lead actor Jorma Tommila is his brother-in-law and his nephew Onni Tommila is also in the film. Both of them also starred in Helander's 2010 feature debut, 'Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale.' It hasn't been an extensive career. Since then, there was only one other film ('Big Game') that pretty much went straight to video here in America. How did 'Sisu' become a surprise hit at the box office this Spring? For starters, it was shot in English. Aside from a smattering of subtitled dialogue, the Finnish production was made with an international audience in mind. Following other hyperviolent films like 'John Wick' and prior World War II revenge tales lik...

THE HARA Challenge Mental Health Stigma with their Debut Album, ‘SURVIVAL MODE’

27May

By Ambur MasenNo Comments

Features, Music, Reviews

THE HARA Challenge Mental Health Stigma with their Debut Album, ‘SURVIVAL MODE’

"Nobody talks about what it feels like to slowly get out of survival mode.There’s emotional withdrawals, moments of intense confusion, and so much grief that comes with seeing life as it truly is."- Dr. Nicole LePera, PHD Chronic stress takes a toll on us—that’s no secret. Since it’s currently Mental Health Awareness Month here in the United States, and we’ve entered year three of what could be considered mass exposure to a collective, global traumatic stressor, this might be a good time to talk a bit about mental health. As you know, MendoWerks Magazine isn’t run by mental health professionals, so we’re going to do what we do best—we’re going to talk about music. Specifically, we’re going to be digging into SURVIVAL MODE, the highly-anticipated debut album by THE HARA, which was releas...

Eco-Thriller ‘How To Blow Up A Pipeline’ Explodes Onto VOD (Review)

12May

By Matt ShiverdeckerNo Comments

Features, Film, Reviews

Eco-Thriller ‘How To Blow Up A Pipeline’ Explodes Onto VOD (Review)

The anxiety-riddled eco-thriller, 'How To Blow Up A Pipeline,' feels frighteningly authentic. Daniel Goldhaber's second feature film tells the story of a group of young people who strongly believe that their titular mission will make the world a better place. Based on a 2021 book from Swedish activist Andreas Malm, it introduces us to eight main characters who have come together for different reasons in pursuit of environmental justice. You may be familiar with the term 'social justice warrior,' but have you ever contemplated its implications in reality? This film acquaints us with characters who believe that eco-terrorism represents the sole means to alter the system, immersing us in their methodologies. Ariela Barer stars in 'How To Blow Up A Pipeline' (NEON) The Verdic...

‘Little Richard: I Am Everything’ Traces the Roots of a Rock & Roll Innovator (Review)

28Apr

By Matt ShiverdeckerNo Comments

Features, Film, Reviews

‘Little Richard: I Am Everything’ Traces the Roots of a Rock & Roll Innovator (Review)

You can say a lot of things about Little Richard, but you can't ever say that he was shy. He spent decades telling anyone who would listen that he was the architect of rock and roll. And, of course, he truly was a pioneer but the extreme racism of the American South meant that his singles became even bigger hits when watered down by white artists like Pat Boone and Elvis. Little Richard (Photo courtesy of Magnolia Pictures) In her fantastic documentary, filmmaker Lisa Cortés attempts to correct the record. An opening night selection at this year's Sundance, 'Little Richard: I Am Everything' is an origin story with extreme admiration. It also illustrates just how far ahead of his time that Little Richard was. He broke stereotypes, gender norms, and the lines of segregation. ...

‘Cocaine Bear’ is Exactly As Advertised (Review)

21Apr

By Matt ShiverdeckerNo Comments

Features, Film, Reviews

‘Cocaine Bear’ is Exactly As Advertised (Review)

Let's get one thing clear: 'Cocaine Bear' is genuinely a fun concept and exactly the movie you think it is. Is it any good? Let's just say, your mileage may vary on that aspect. Director Elizabeth Banks is in on the joke. She takes a "what did they just say" concept and turns it into an inherently watchable movie. It's just an incredibly silly one. Hannah Hoekstra as Elsa in 'Cocaine Bear' (Universal Pictures) Pitched as an "inspired by a true story" tale, 'Cocaine Bear' is as loosely rooted in the truth as a certain bloated and very orange ex-President. Which is to say, virtually nothing that happens in this film actually occurred in real life except for the fact that a dead bear was found in Georgia in 1985. Officials believe it ate an entire duffel bag of cocaine that had been...

Mia Hansen-Løve Returns With Understated ‘One Fine Morning’ (Review)

14Apr

By Matt ShiverdeckerNo Comments

Features, Film, Reviews

Mia Hansen-Løve Returns With Understated ‘One Fine Morning’ (Review)

With an incredible run of films going back to her 2007 debut 'All is Forgiven,' Mia Hansen-Løve has become one of my favorite filmmakers. She's been met with acclaim and accolades from the start, with that first film earning nominations at the Cannes Film Festival and the César awards. As the years have rolled on, she has continued to consistently tell intensely personal stories with warmth. We covered her last film, 2021's 'Bergman Island,' here and it recently was released through the Criterion Collection. For her eighth feature film, she cast Léa Seydoux ('Blue is the Warmest Color') as Sandra. She is a young single mother who works as a translator. Her father Georg (Pascal Greggory) was a brilliant man who taught philosophy, but a neurodegenerative disease has wrecked havoc...

‘Tetris’ Delivers a Surprisingly Fun Origin Story (Review)

31Mar

By Matt ShiverdeckerNo Comments

Features, Film, Reviews

‘Tetris’ Delivers a Surprisingly Fun Origin Story (Review)

With 'Tetris,' Scottish director Jon S. Baird ('Filth') takes on the origin story of one of the most addictive video games ever created. Is it the whole truth and nothing but the truth? Of course not. But it is a surprisingly fun film with a standout performance from Taron Egerton who plays Henk Rogers, the man who helped spread a small Russian-created game around the world. The movie begins with a flat-footed batch of exposition to lay out the story, but it finds its way as we go along. The game Henk designed and is exhibiting at the Consumer Electronics Show is a dud, but after playing Tetris at another CES booth, he sees his ticket to success. His plan slowly begins to take hold from there. All he has to do is buy the global distribution rights from the game's creator, Alexey...