Elsewhere/Wayback Review(s): John Denver’s Greatest Hits 1967 — 1973, Back Home Again and Rhymes & Reasons

Posted on May 24, 2017 by Denise
While this is a review I penned back in 2005, you can read the newly re-issued review RIGHT HERE at Green Man Review!

Admit it. John Denver soothes. You know it; I know it. Songs like “Calypso” and “Rocky Mountain High” don’t just draw you in, they paint a picture of brighter places and quieter times. And I’m not just saying that because I grew up listening to him sing with Muppets. For me, John Denver carved out a niche between Ziggy Stardust and The Ramones, and I was happy to have his calm, gentle voice brighten my summer vacations and guide me through the changing face of rock during the seventies and early eighties. Even when it was cool to dismiss soft rock, I just couldn’t bring myself to turn away from his music. Now, RCA/Legacy has reissued three of John’s earlier albums, stripping them down to their bare essence. And with a few brief exceptions, the CDs are all the better for it.
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Baltimore Screening Pass-palooza: “WONDER WOMAN”!

Posted on May 22, 2017 by Denise

Ready to channel your inner warrior?  Of course you are – you’re a freakin’ badass, darlin. Well pull up your boots and shine your bracers up, because I’ve got passes for the Baltimore screening of Wonder Woman! Synopsis!

Before she was Wonder Woman, she was Diana, princess of the Amazons, trained to be an unconquerable warrior.  Raised on a sheltered island paradise, when an American pilot crashes on their shores and tells of a massive conflict raging in the outside world, Diana leaves her home, convinced she can stop the threat.  Fighting alongside man in a war to end all wars, Diana will discover her full powers…and her true destiny.

Grab your magic lasso and let’s do this!

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TrailerWatch: “How to Talk to Girls at Parties” gives us aliens, punks, and of course – punk aliens!

Posted on May 21, 2017 by Denise

I’ve heard about this movie thanks to the seemingly nonstop schedule Nicole Kidman has at Cannes this year.  But now that I’ve seen these trailers, I’m dying to see more.  Synopsis!

A funny and unique love story, How to Talk to Girls at Parties focuses on Enn, a shy teenage punk rocker in 1970s suburban London, and his two closest friends, Vic and John.  One night they all sneak into a party where they meet a group of intensely attractive, otherworldly girls; at first they think they’re from a cult, but eventually come to realize the girls are literally from another world—outer space. Starring Elle Fanning, Alex Sharp, Nicole Kidman, Ruth Wilson, and Matt Lucas. Directed by John Cameron Mitchell

Oh, and did I mention that this film is based on the 2006 short story by Neil Gaiman?  The one that won the Locus Award for Best Short Story in 2007?  YEAH I’M IN.

Let’s hope How to Talk to Girls at Parties lands in our neighborhood multiplex very, VERY soon!

(Sorry for the linkdump below; apparently WordPress hates Facebook embeds…but clicky on ’em for the full-screen trailers.  Trust me, you’ll want to see ’em!)

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Elsewhere Review: Eleanor Wasserberg’s Foxlowe

Posted on May 21, 2017 by Denise
Read the original piece RIGHT HERE at The Green Man Review!

“Tomorrow I’ll show you a secret.”

I’m a sucker for a utopia-but-not-really story.  From The Dark Secret of Harvest Home to Red Rising, there’s just something about a tale that digs into the dark underbelly of what was once a beautiful set of ideals.  With echoes of We Have Always Lived in the Castle, Atonement, and a touch of M. Night Shyamalan’s The Village, Wasserberg’s debut novel takes a look at a Utopian communal “family”, and lets us see what happens when things unravel.

And unravel they do.  From the first page, where our young narrator Green takes us by the hand and leads us into the halls of Foxlowe, we sense that all isn’t daisy chains and kumbaya.  Wasserberg’s beautifully descriptive prose lulls readers into a false sense of security, one she yanks out from under them with ease. Her way with gently slipping in descriptions of abuse, mistreatment and not-so-benign neglect creep into Green’s narration, slowly but surely. Continue reading →

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Blu-ray Giveaway: “Get Out”!

Posted on May 18, 2017 by Denise

No, the title of this post isn’t me telling you to take a hike.  It’s in reference to that super-eerie horror film that is quite literally sweeping the nation right now.  I’ve seen it, and it’s fantastic.  You have too, and you want to see it again?  Or maybe you haven’t, but need to see what all the fuss is about?  Well never fear; I’ve got copies of Get Out on Blu-ray, and I’m dying to give ’em to you.  Synopsis!

In Universal Pictures’ Get Out, a speculative thriller from Blumhouse (producers of The Visit, Insidious series and The Gift) and the mind of Jordan Peele, when a young African-American man visits his white girlfriend’s family estate, he becomes ensnared in a more sinister real reason for the invitation. Now that Chris (Daniel Kaluuya, Sicario) and his girlfriend, Rose (Allison Williams, Girls), have reached the meet-the- parents milestone of dating, she invites him for a weekend getaway upstate with Missy (Catherine Keener, Captain Phillips) and Dean (Bradley Whitford, The Cabin in the Woods). At first, Chris reads the family’s overly accommodating behavior as nervous attempts to deal with their daughter’s interracial relationship, but as the weekend progresses, a series of increasingly disturbing discoveries lead him to a truth that he could have never imagined.

Keanu was hilarious, as well as a well-crafted comedy.  But what Jordan Peele does with horror? Well now.  You’ll have to see, won’t you?  C’mon then! Continue reading →

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Review-in-a-Flash: “Alien: Covenant”

Posted on May 18, 2017 by Denise
Sometimes I’m too lazy for a full-out piece. Sometimes everything I’ve got to say about a film can be summarized in a sentence or two. Sometimes it’s both. So herewith, a quick-n-dirty on Alien: Covenant!

Nutshell: While Covenant abuses the Stupid People Doing Stupid Things trope, meditations on life, humanity, and creation give the story just enough heft to keep things interesting. Covenant answers a few questions left hanging from Prometheus, while giving us more to wonder about for the inevitable next film.  Grade: B

“You hear that?  Nothing.  No birds.  No animals.  Nothing.” Continue reading →

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“The Wedding Plan” – an open-hearted story about finding Orthodox love in a non-Orthodox way

Posted on May 18, 2017 by Denise

Nutshell: With hints of Pride and Prejudice and Muriel’s Wedding, The Wedding Plan is a sweet, quirky, and heartfelt look at women, men, marriage, and faith. Faith in yourself, faith in your family and friends, and faith that everything will turn out okay.  That this has an Orthodox spin on things only adds depth and honesty to a lovely story. An honest, beautifully crafted look at life, love and longing.  Grade: A

“How long can I date?”

Story: Michal, an Orthodox Jewish woman living in Jerusalem, is getting married!  One small problem; her fiance ended things, and so there’s no groom.  But Michal has faith that a groom will appear by her wedding date.  Full steam ahead! Continue reading →

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TrailerWatch: “47 Meters Down” great whites makes it hard to catch your breath

Posted on May 18, 2017 by Denise

“I can’t even see what’s below me…”

Just the premise of this film has me gasping; what if you were trapped underwater in a shark cage, as great white sharks circled above you?  Yeah.  Feel it?  Uh huh.  That’s 47 Meters Down, and it sounds like a (great) white-knuckle of a time.  Synopsis!

On the rebound after a devastating break-up, Lisa (Mandy Moore) is ready for adventure while on vacation in Mexico. Even still, she needs a little extra persuasion when her daring sister Kate (Claire Holt) suggests they go shark diving with some locals. Once underwater in a protective cage, Lisa and Kate catch a once in a lifetime, face-to-face look at majestic Great Whites. But when their worst fears are realized and the cage breaks away from their boat, they find themselves plummeting to the bottom of the seabed, too deep to radio for help without making themselves vulnerable to the savage sharks, their oxygen supplies rapidly dwindling. 47 METERS DOWN is a terrifying tale of survival set in the domain of the ocean’s fiercest creatures.

All I can say is that they better not do anything to Rebecca Pearson, dammit! Hear me now!

47 Meters Down da-dummms into theaters June 16th, 2017.

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Baltimore Screening Pass-palooza: “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales”!

Posted on May 17, 2017 by Denise

Two can keep a secret if one of them is dead, amirite?  Well, that certainly sounds like the golden rule in the fifth film of the Pirates of the Caribbean series – and with Javier Bardem as the Big Bad in this one, he’s sure to give some good creep… Synopsis!

Johnny Depp returns to the big screen as the iconic, swashbuckling anti-hero Jack Sparrow in the all-new “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales.” The rip-roaring adventure finds down-on-his-luck Captain Jack feeling the winds of ill-fortune blowing strongly his way when deadly ghost sailors, led by the terrifying Captain Salazar (Javier Bardem), escape from the Devil’s Triangle bent on killing every pirate at sea—notably Jack. Jack’s only hope of survival lies in the legendary Trident of Poseidon, but to find it he must forge an uneasy alliance with Carina Smyth (Kaya Scodelario), a brilliant and beautiful astronomer, and Henry (Brenton Thwaites), a headstrong young sailor in the Royal Navy. At the helm of the Dying Gull, his pitifully small and shabby ship, Captain Jack seeks not only to reverse his recent spate of ill fortune, but to save his very life from the most formidable and malicious foe he has ever faced.

Ready to walk the plank, me hearties?

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TrailerWatch: “The Emoji Movie”, because the Hollywood Idea Factory is dead.

Posted on May 17, 2017 by Denise

I’m guessing the pitch meeting went a little something like this:

“Yeah, a film about emojis.  Yes, the things you use on your phone when you text.  It is completely stupid, but think of the merchandising!”  Aaaaand, sold.

Looks like the usual “become who you are” kids film trope, along with practically every cliche you’ve ever seen in a film aimed at the kid/tween set. But with Poo Emoji, because basic scatological humor is so 2016.

Why does this movie exist?  And Jesus Christ, they got quality talent like T.J. Miller, Anna Faris and SIR PATRICK STEWART to lend their voices. Where’s a headdesk emoji when I need one?

The Emoji Movie hits theaters July 28th, 2017*. And probably hits streaming services two weeks later, max.

*I know the poster says August 8th. Apparently this film isn’t top on the studio’s radar; I’m sure they’ll fix things with a new poster soon. Probably.

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