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TONY BROWN - ELVIS, STRAIT, TO JESUS Book Review

Who is Tony Brown? Those outside the record industry might not immediately know the name, but they undoubtedly know his work. As a pianist, he toured with Elvis' TCB band,  Rosanne Cash, The Oakridge Boys, and Emmylou Harris. As a producer, he recorded albums with George Strait, Trisha Yearwood, Brooks & Dunn, Lyle Lovett, Vince Gill, and Reba McEntire, to name a few. Working as everything from a session musician to the president of MCA Nashville, Tony Brown has been involved in every facet of the recording industry and has left an indelible mark on popular music. ELVIS, STRAIT, TO JESUS , uses photography going back over 70 years and personal insights to gain an intimate look at this iconic artists career. The book is a unique blend of oral and photographic history that could be easily torn through in an hour, but readers should take this one in slowly. While the photography in the book is certainly noteworthy, Brown's insights that accompany the stills give th

BRAND NEW OLD LOVE out August 28

Charlie (Arturo Castro) and Hannah (Aya Cash) were best friends in high school, bonding over suburbia punk-rock pipe dreams and middle-class teenage angst. In love with each other but never bold enough to say it, the pair jokingly made a pact that if neither were married by the time they turned 30, they’d be together. It was a promise. And a promise is a promise. Now almost 15 years later, Charlie lives in LA and is failing at his backup plan turned career as a personal trainer. When he sees Hannah on a trip back home for his niece’s christening and more importantly his punk band’s reunion show, the two pick up right where they left off and drunkenly decide to go through with their old marriage pact. However, reality is harsher than a massive hangover! Not only are Charlie and Hannah, not in love, they don't even like each other. But Hannah, running from her past and Charlie, desperate to not fail again, decide to try and make it work! Gravitas Ventures will release BRAND

The Shield - Complete Series Collector's Edition on Blu-ray Nov 6th

Mill Creek Entertainment, the recognized leader in the independent home entertainment industry will release the groundbreaking, multi-award-winning series The Shield on Blu-ray, 10 years after the unforgettable finale aired on TV. This comprehensive Complete Series collection will include all 88 fully restored episodes in high-definition from the series’ seven season run and will also include a host of bonus features including an all-new cast reunion, writers panel featurette, and retrospective on the landmark series. Packaged in a premium, collectible Digi-book housing 18 Blu-ray discs – this Special Collector’s Edition of The Shield will be available for $229.98 SRP on November 6, 2018. Controversial, compelling and critically acclaimed, The Shield takes place in a tough, morally ambiguous world in which the line between right and wrong is crossed every day and the road to justice is twisted. Emmy® and Golden Globe®-winner Michael Chiklis portrays one of television’s greatest a

THE MAN WHO KILLED HITLER AND THEN THE BIGFOOT Fantasia 2018 Review

Directed by: Robert D. Krzykowski Starring: Sam Elliott, Adrian Turner, Caitlin FitzGerald, Ron Livingston, and Larry Miller The 22nd edition of Montreal's Fantasia International Film Festival was the site for the world premiere of Robert D. Krzykowski's THE MAN WHO KILLED HITLER AND THEN THE BIGFOOT on July 20th, 2018. The film has easily one of the best titles I've seen in years and somehow manages to subvert the expectations of a name like that and deliver something far more interesting and sober. Calvin Barr (Elliot) is a legendary World War II veteran who has the distinction of being the man who secretly assassinated Adolf Hitler. An act that has left him with remorse and regret. He quite possibly saved millions of lives but he killed a man, no matter how justified, at the end of the day he still carries the weight of that one moment. Killing Hitler forever changed the course of history and in turn destroyed his life. As we meet Calvin he is in the twilight

ESCAPE PLAN 2: HADES - Review

Somewhere in between THE A-TEAM and ESCAPE FROM ALCATRAZ lies the Sylvester Stallone prison break for hire franchise, ESCAPE PLAN . In the latest installment,  ESCAPE PLAN 2: HADES,  structural engineer Ray Breslin (Stallone) teams up with former rival Trent DeRosa (David Bautista) to rescue his team. When Ray discovers where his team is being held he reaches out to Trent, a mercenary working in hostage recovery and Bug (Pete Wentz) a notorious weapons dealer to rescue his comrades and save Yusheng. In order to complete the mission, Ray must break into Hades a prison known as the Land of the Dead. Director Steven C. Miller is easily one of the most prolific filmmakers working in the action genre today. With 15 credits to his name in 6 years, he is consistently turning out throwback spectacle that would have felt cozy on the shelf of any Blockbuster in the late 80's. With ESCAPE PLAN 2: HADES Miller has infused the action tropes of the 80's with stylish camera work a

Production Begins on SpectreVision & Ace Pictures' DANIEL ISN’T REAL

SpectreVision and ACE Pictures announced today that principal photography has begun in New York City on the film Daniel Isn’t Real. The film is the second feature from writer/director Adam Egypt Mortimer (Some Kind of Hate). Patrick Schwarzenegger (“The Long Road Home”, Midnight Sun) and Miles Robbins (Blockers, David Gordon Green’s Halloween) star alongisde Sasha Lane (American Honey, Hearts Beat Loud), and Hannah Marks (“Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency”). In Daniel Isn't Real, troubled college freshman Luke (Robbins) suffers a violent family trauma and resurrects his childhood imaginary friend Daniel (Schwarzenegger) to help him cope. Charismatic and full of manic energy, Daniel helps Luke to achieve his dreams, before pushing him to the very edge of sanity and into a desperate struggle for control of his mind -- and his soul. The film is based on the novel In This Way I Was Saved by Brian DeLeeuw who co-wrote the script with Mortimer. Elijah Wood, Co-Founder and Partne

New Clip from Fantasia 2018 Selection RONDO

FANTASIA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL SCREENING Friday, July 27th at 9:45pm at Theatre J.A. de SΓ¨ve (1400 Boulevard de Maisonneuve O, MontrΓ©al, QC H3G 1M8, Canada) **World Premiere** RONDO Directed/Written by : Drew Barnhardt Starring : Luke Sorge, Brenna Otts, Ketrick “Jazz” Copeland Synopsis: Paul, a troubled veteran, is given a special prescription that opens a door to a world of sex, murder, and revenge. Full of black comedy and violent twists, Rondo follows the young vet as he descends into bizarre criminal enterprises in the high-rises of Denver, Colorado. There’s only one rule in Rondo: “stay on the plastic” and Paul’s about to break it. In the tradition of Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho and Brian De Palma’s Body Double, Drew Barnhardt's Rondo is a sexy, funny, and distinctly modern update to the suspense thriller. Check out a clip from RONDO below

Trailer for 40 YEARS IN THE MAKING: THE MAGIC MUSIC MOVIE

Magic Music is one of the most fondly remembered bands of the Boulder Revolution of the late 60s and early 70s. Living in a makeshift camp up in the mountains, they would delight local residents and university students with their original songs, acoustic instruments, and light harmonies; their growing popularity brought them to the brink of success more than once. Unfortunately, they never signed a record deal and eventually broke up in 1975. 40 YEARS IN THE MAKING: THE MAGIC MUSIC MOVIE chronicles how one of their greatest fans, acclaimed director (and UC Boulder alumnus) Lee Aronsohn, tracked down the original band members four decades later to tell their story. More importantly, he makes a dream come true for himself, fellow fans, and the band, by bringing them all back to Boulder for a sold-out reunion concert that preserves their legacy for posterity. 40 YEARS IN THE MAKING: THE MAGIC MUSIC MOVIE opens in New York August 3, and in Los Angeles August 10, with a national

RELAXER Fantasia 2018 Review

2018 Directed by: Joel Potrykus Starring: Joshua Burge If you take Ven diagram of David Lynch and Kevin Smith, then divide the result by Castaway, you get an idea of what Joel Potrykus has done with his latest effort, RELAXER . Abbie (Joshua Burge) is an impossibly sedentary 90s slacker dedicated to concurring Pac Man without leaving the couch. Set in the days and months leading up to Y2K,  RELAXER presents a slightly augmented version of history through the eyes of its singularly motivated protagonist. For a film set in one room and primarily focused on a single character, RELAXER moves through an impressive number of tones and visual styles. One of the biggest challenges with limited storytelling is in the cinematography. Potrykus manages to keep the film interesting from that perspective by shifting through distinct techniques for each of the film's 3 acts. At times warm and inviting, at others disgusting and uninhabitable, the apartment at the center of the film go

Queer and Southern God - Director Melisse Tokic

The film is Queer and Southern God - its a thought-provoking short film that follows the story of a transgender sexual assault victim, Hank, set in rural Tennessee. Written and directed by filmmaker/therapist/activist, Melisse Tokic, the coming of age tale explores the importance of various spiritual paths, addiction, hope after violence, microaggressions and universal truths painted by a cast of colorful characters who show Hank another way of looking at the world and God. To hear my conversation with Melisse press play on the embedded player below