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‘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, Alexe...

‘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 Marsal...

‘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 Pab...

Your Guide to the Virtual 2022 Tribeca Film Festival

10Jun

By Matt Shiverdecker1 Comment

Features, Film

Your Guide to the Virtual 2022 Tribeca Film Festival

The 21st annual Tribeca Film Festival kicked off this week in New York City and they've opted to continue an "at home" component. That's good news for those of us who don't live in the area or couldn't travel in to see some great independent films. There are more screenings for 2022 than last year that are only happening in-person, but Tribeca At Home will still allow you to watch over 100 movies and short films from anywhere in the United States. How to Attend Online There are four ways to buy passes for online screenings and the prices are the same as they were last for last year's Tribeca Film Festival. Tribeca At Home Shorts Pass: watch all of the festival's short films for $25. Tribeca At Home Awards Pass: watch any of the films that win awards at the end of the fe...

YA Novel Adaptation ‘The Sky is Everywhere’ Premieres Today on Apple TV+ (Review)

11Feb

By Matt ShiverdeckerNo Comments

Features, Film, Reviews

YA Novel Adaptation ‘The Sky is Everywhere’ Premieres Today on Apple TV+ (Review)

It's been a long road to release for 'The Sky is Everywhere,' a charming and occasionally heartbreaking adaptation of Jandy Nelson's 2010 debut young adult novel. Warner Bros. first optioned the book back in 2015. By 2019, the project ended up at Apple, where they used their partnership with indie studio A24 to hand it over to critically acclaimed director Josephine Decker ('Madeline's Madeline,' 'Shirley'). Grace Kaufman in “The Sky Is Everywhere,” premiering February 11, 2022 in select theaters and globally on Apple TV+. In this teenage melodrama, Lennie (Grace Kaufman) and her older sister Bailey (Havana Rose Liu) have grown up in the pacific northwest, raised by their grandmother (Cherry Jones) and uncle (Jason Segel). When Bailey tragically and unexpectedly dies, it sends L...

3Dec

By Matt ShiverdeckerNo Comments

Features, Film

How To Stream 2021’s Best Movies

December is here which means that we're rapidly approaching my favorite time of the year: awards season! This week alone has already seen the Gotham Awards, the National Board of Review, and the New York Film Critics Circle give away their top honors. There are plenty more kudos to follow, heading towards the 94th Academy Awards in March 2022. While there are buzzed-about titles that will be getting theatrical-only releases over the next month or two, many of the year's best films are already streaming or available to rent on VOD. This post will help point you in the right direction so you can get caught up over the holidays and be ready for your office or friend Oscar pools! The list below includes titles available now and some that will be dropping in the weeks ahead. When...

3Nov

By Matt ShiverdeckerNo Comments

Film, Reviews

‘Finch’: A Man, His Dog & His Robots

Tom Hanks is no stranger to being the only human character on screen in a film. All through his latest effort, "Finch," I couldn't help but think of him passing his days on the beach and having conversations with a volleyball in "Cast Away." He gets a little more to work with in this post-apocalyptic tale of a robotic engineer named Finch who just may be one of the last people alive on Earth. Or at least in the United States. We don't get a lot of details, but it appears as though the ozone layer of the planet has deteriorated to the point that being exposed to the sun can kill you. With temperatures at deadly levels and radiation in the air, he has survived in an underground bunker. It's just Finch, his loyal dog Goodyear and a small scavenging robot assistant that he takes on...

“The Velvet Underground” Hits Apple TV and Select Theaters This Friday (Review)

12Oct

By Matt ShiverdeckerNo Comments

Film, Music, Reviews

“The Velvet Underground” Hits Apple TV and Select Theaters This Friday (Review)

Fresh off its successful screenings at the New York Film Festival, the first ever documentary from cinematic provocateur Todd Haynes is about to hit theaters and streaming this weekend. The director of "Velvet Goldmine" and "Carol" takes us on a deep dive into the history of one of rock and roll's greatest art rock bands, The Velvet Underground. If you're hoping for a straightforward approach, you won't get it here. Haynes returns to the more experimental techniques of his earliest work and features lots of split screens and rare archival footage presented in a collage method that would make Peter Greenaway proud. There are beautiful close-up establishing shots of each band member (Lou Reed, John Cale, Moe Tucker, and Sterling Morrison) that linger, capturing the intimate natur...

Velvet Underground Doc Coming to Apple TV+ from Todd Haynes

3Sep

By Matt ShiverdeckerNo Comments

Film, Music

Velvet Underground Doc Coming to Apple TV+ from Todd Haynes

This week, Apple TV+ debuted the trailer for Todd Haynes' new film "The Velvet Underground." The visionary director of "Poison," "I'm Not There," and "Carol," takes on the original art rockers in his first ever documentary. https://youtu.be/hWq7a8Tin8g Utilizing in-depth interviews and gorgeously restored archival footage from the Warhol Museum, Haynes' film also features never-before-seen performances. A companion soundtrack will be released in October that features some rare live recordings alongside favorite cuts like "Pale Blue Eyes" and "Sweet Jane." "The Velvet Underground" premiered at this year's Cannes Film Festival where the Hollywood Reporter called it "one of the standout music docs of the year." Look for it in select theaters and also streaming on Apple TV+...

17Aug

By Matt ShiverdeckerNo Comments

Film, Reviews

Sundance Hit “CODA” Comes Home (Review)

Loosely based on a 2014 French Film called "La Famille Bélier," the second feature film from director Sian Heder introduces us to a family in Gloucester, Massachusetts where a teenage girl named Ruby (Emilia Jones) is the only member of her family who isn't deaf. In classical music, a coda is the part of the composition that ends the piece or movement. Here, it stands as an acronym for "child of deaf adults" although it does double duty musically in the story as well. Ruby has grown up in her family's fishing company, working alongside her father and brother on the boat and helping her mother with the administrative side of things. She is not only well versed in the business, but also acts as a de facto interpreter for them in situations where they have to deal with others who don...