W♥M

Neeson 2023

Read More Liam Neeson Liam Neeson plays a hitman with a heart of gold in Memory. The hitman, suffering from early stages of Alzheimer, decides to make things right after declining a contract to kill a young girl. The 2022 film is based the Belgian film The Alzheimer Case. ....

In the Land of Saints and Sinners
imdb.com

Where we last saw actor Liam Neeson, it was for the “hitman with a heart of gold” movie Memory in 2022 - a remake of The Alzheimer Case. I mentioned for an actor in his 70s he was still very believable as an action star.

Neeson is at it again, and this time, In the Land of Saints and Sinners, is one of the best films I’ve seen from Neeson in a while. This is the second film that teams Neeson up with director Robert Lorenz… and I think they have a winner formula, because I did actually enjoy their film The Marksman.

In the Land of Saints and Sinners is basically a revenge film. The film takes place in Ireland, in the mid-70s. Neeson is a retired hitman who does “one last job” and now finds himself in a cat-and-mouse game of the Irish terrorists, seeking revenge.

I think where the film really shine is with its supporting cast, including the dumb, but young hitman played by Jack Gleeson, the bartender Sinead (Sarah Greene), and the Star Trek star Colm Meaney as the handler.

Some critics might find the action/revenge film a tired cliché, but I like it and I like seeing Neeson in these roles.

Neeson’s next film is called Thug, about an aging gangster. Personally speaking, I wouldn’t mind it if Neeson revise his role as the detective in A Walk Among the Tombstones… but since that film didn’t do well in the theaters, they probably won’t revisit the character.

Retribution
imdb.com

Liam Neeson’s other 2023 film is the action thriller Retribution, which came out in August 2023 from Lionsgate with little fanfare. That’s probably because this film isn’t that great.

There is a twist in the story, but I already guessed the correct ending by this point… and I didn’t even see the original Spanish film El desconocido, which this film was based on.

The plot is about Neeson as a financier. His car is rigged with explosive that if he tries to get out of the car, that it will explode. It’s not a believable story, but you go with it, because it’s Neeson in the lead and he’s captivating to watch. Unfortunately, since he’s trapped in the car, there’s not much action that he can do.

Like I said, this is not a good film. The police are horrible at their job (equally bad acting). It is just a standard action film, the Guadian best summed it up, saying: “Liam Neeson is on autopilot in car-bomb movie.”

In the end, would I recommend this film? Probably not, but if you like Speed and looking for a new action film, check it out. You may want to also add Non-Stop and The Commuter to your watchlist, as they’re from the same people.

Read more DVD and Films.

vu ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

Spin-offs

Read More Bosch Out of nowhere, I got notification that the new Season 7 of Bosch just dropped on Amazon Prime! I was so excited that I launched the pilot and after viewing the “Last Season on Bosch” recap… I realized I had totally missed the entire .…

Bosch Legacy
amazon.com

You guys know I love Bosch, the Amazon original series based on Michael Connelly’s detective novels and crime books. They’re well-written, and the television show does a great job adapting Connelly’s books.

If you’re not familiar, Bosch is named after LAPD Detective Hieronymus “Harry” Bosch. After seven seasons, the show runners decided to end Bosch in 2021. Not to spoil anything, but Bosch decided to quit the LAPD. It’s a good ending… but that’s not the end of his story.

The show re-launched in a spin-off called Bosch Legacy in 2022, which still takes place in the Connelly’s detective universe - but its focus is on Harry’s daughter, Maddie Bosch, and Honey Chandler.

At first, I did not like the fact that Harry Bosch took a backseat to other characters, but since the plot is still very good, you can forgive the show’s spotlight on other characters. Bosch still overshadows everyone, as most of the stories somehow involves Bosch, so at least he’s not gone away. At the end of Season 1 of Bosch Legacy, I was still not convinced about the change.

Now in Season 2, which Amazon premiered on October 20, 2023, with four episodes (the remaining episodes will be released two at a time per week) … and I’m a believer again! The first two episode wraps up the story of Maddie’s kidnapping, and, wow it was gripping. I was on the edge of my seat as Harry raced against time to save his daughter. I felt like the first two episodes of Season 2 would have benefitted by being the season finale of Season 1, because it’s that good as a bookend.

Episode 3 and 4 seemed to be starting a brand-new storyline, which is, as of this writing, very intriguing. I’m very interested in seeing where all this setup is going. The focus seems to be on Honey’s case and the B-plot is on Maddie as rookie cop.

So, yeah, I’m on board, patiently waiting for Amazon to drop the next two episodes.

Bosch Legacy is available to watch for free (with advertisements) on Amazon’s Freevee. New episodes will land on Friday.

Read More Cheers Apparently Woody Harrelson, taking a break from filming Wilson, stopped in at Rock the Garden to check out Oberst's set. .…

Fraiser
paramountplus.com

It’s 2023, and there is a new Fraiser. This 2023 is the sequel to the acclaimed 90s sitcom, based on the character Fraiser Crane (who was a spin-off of the popular Cheers television show).

If you’re not familiar, Fraiser was introduced in Cheers Season 3, and became a main cast in Season 5. Kelsey Grammer, who plays Fraiser, stars in his own series when he returns to his hometown, Seattle, as a radio show host.

While I didn’t follow Fraiser religiously, whenever it was on television, I would watch it. It’s not an exciting show, and the show’s humor isn’t really for everyone.

Fraiser ran for 11 seasons, from 1993 to 2004… and for the 30th anniversary, Paramount launched the 2023 series… I believe only Kelsey Grammer is the only person from the original cast.

In this new series, Fraiser is back in Boston (where Cheers takes place), and he’s trying to re-connect with his son, Frederick, a Boston firefighter. It’s clear that his son wants nothing to do with his father. In an effort to build a better relationship, Fraiser decides to buy the apartment building where his son is living and had him become roommate. Who knew Fraiser was a millionaire?

Maybe it’s just me, but I just don’t like the new (younger) cast. The old guys, like Harvard professor Alan Cornwall, I like and I felt fits well in the Fraiser universe. The new generations, David Crane, Freddy Crane, and Eve (no last name given) are just annoying to me.

I guess, if you enjoyed the 90s Fraiser show, you might like this new 2023 series. I’m still on the fence about the show.

Read More Nintendo Switch Nintendo Switch doesn’t even compare to power and graphics (it will upgrade to 900p when docked, not even 1080p!), but what it does offer is the ability to take games with you on the go. Plus, only Mario, Zelda, Metroid, Pokemon, etc., are playable on their consoles. …

Castlevania: Nocturne
netflix.com

Based on the popular video game that inspired a whole genre (called Metrovania), Castlevania the animation series, written by Warren Ellis, first debut on Netflix in 2017. I liked the anime so much, that I did buy the Bluray.

The series for four seasons, ending in 2021, with an approval rating of 100% on Rotten Tomatoes. It was a bittersweet ending to the series.

Now, in 2023, we have a new spin-off series called Castlevania: Nocturne with a new Belmont. The star of this new series is a young Richter Belmont, the previous Castlevania series starred Trevor Belmont. In this series, Belmont is battling a vampire from ancient Egypt, and he could use all the help he could find.

Castlevania: Nocturne is loosely based on the video games Castlevania: Rondo of Blood (1993) and its sequel Symphony of the Night (1997). Many fans considered Symphony as the game series’ finest moment.

While I did enjoy Castlevania: Nocturne, it really felt unfinished. The story will wrap up in Season 2, which was renewed and pending a release in 2024. We have to wait a year to get some resolve.

Description:

As revolution sweeps France, Richter Belmont fights to uphold his family's legacy and prevent the rise of a ruthless, power-hungry vampire ruler.

Starring: Edward Bluemel, Pixie Davies, Thuso Mbedu
Creators: Clive Bradley

Read more Television.

vu ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

Shocktober

With Halloween just around the corner….

Read More Horror From the creator of The Haunting of Hill House and The Haunting of Bly Manor, Mike Flanagan’s Midnight Mass came out just in time for Halloween, on Netflix. Flanagan and his crew, .…

The Fall of the House of Usher
netflix.com

The new king of horror, Mike Flanagan, is back with his latest Netflix series, The Fall of the House of Usher. Loosely based on the works of Edgar Allan Poe, you can see elements of “The Raven”, “The Tell-Tale Heart”, “The Masque of the Red Death”, and so many of Poe’s stories throughout the series.

Obviously it’s been updated, but these horror stories are timeless, so fans will recognize and love this modern update.

This new Flanagan series The Fall of the House of Usher, is about the Usher family. The head of the family is Roberick Usher with his twin sibling Madeline Usher. Roberick has six bastard children, and he loves them all… but suddenly each of his children dies in horrific ways.

The story starts with Roberick confessing that he was responsible for all of his children’s deaths… and so the story unfolds and you find out what led to each Usher’s death.

After a few deaths, the family thinks they’re intentionally under attack… but little do they know, it’s from a supernatural entity that haunts the family.

While I love Poe’s work and I love Flanagan’s dialogue-driven storytelling, I find it hard to like the Usher family. They’re ruthless, they’re not likeable, so as they die, one by one, you don’t really have any sympathy for them.

I’ve loved Flanagan’s first debut horror film Oculus and have seen most of his horror television shows, starting with The Haunting of Hill House (2018), then The Haunting of Bly Manor (2020), and really loved Midnight Mass (2021). His 2022 project, The Midnight Club, was pretty good… except Netflix won’t renew it for Season 2 based on lack of viewers.

P.S. I love that Mark Hammill (Luke Skywalker) is almost unrecognizable in The Fall of the House of Usher. He plays the family fixer and enforcer.

Read More Rachael Sage NYC singer-songwriter, poet, actor, visual artist Rachael Sage recently announced the release of her new studio album, Blue Roses, set for November 4, 2014 on MPress Records. .…

Rachael Sage
rachaelsage.com

The “Jewish Norah Jones” Rachael Sage recently released her new video “No Regrets”, which was directed by Nick Clark and filmed by Mike Flanagan. The video shows Rachael and her Dad as they enjoy the small things that make a life – strolling through Central Park, journaling together, savoring a cold drink and simply reveling in a loved-one’s company.

Talking about the song, Sage said, “‘No Regrets’ is the first song I’ve ever written based on someone else’s poem, and that someone happened to be my wonderful Dad. He had written a few poetic lines on a little notepad while he was recovering from lymphoma, and they were so touching to me that I didn’t ask for permission – I just started immediately setting them to music. Thankfully his health returned fully within some months, and due in large part to music, which he enjoys so much and was absolutely a major part of his healing. Honestly, I’ve never met anyone who loves music more than my Dad – especially the ‘oldies’ and songs that bring him back to a more innocent time. I asked him what other things he’d like me to include in the song that inspired him the most, and the list was much longer than I could ever incorporate but ultimately he was very pleased I focused on his friendships, his affection for ping-pong and Loretta Lynn – and his strong penchant for rhyming!"

You can watch it on YouTube.

The song is taken from her album The Other Side and the song features Jack Petruzzelli on guitar (Rufus Wainwright) and Russ Johnson on trumpet (Elvis Costello).

Rachael Sage just played the Bowery Vault in Nashville today (October 20). Her next appearance is at the Beacon Bonfire Music + Art Festival, in New York.

BONUS:

Read More Linda Lindas I was actually excited to see that The Linda Lindas will open the show. If I were to guess, the band is named after the Japanese film, Linda, Linda, Linda, which I wrote about in May 2007. .…

The Linda Lindas
thelindalindas.com

California’s The Linda Lindas recently announced their cover of The Music Explosion’s “Little Bit O’Soul.” The song is in Amazon Prime’s comedy horror film Totally Killer.

The Linda Lindas (11 July 2022)

We saw the group in July 2022, and wrote, “For a young (literally teenagers), new band, they sure had plenty of songs under their belt, as they played a rock/punk fun 43-min set on the first night of the tour.”

Tour dates:

11/13 - The Showbox - Seattle, WA !
11/14 - Revolution Hall - Portland, OR !
11/16 - The Regency Ballroom - San Francisco, CA !
11/19 - The Observatory North Park - San Diego, CA !
11/20 - Observatory - Santa Ana, CA !

* w/ Thundercat, Smino, Zack Fox
! w/ illuminati hotties

Read more Television.

vu ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

Shaw Brothers Classics: Volume Two

Shaw Brothers Classics: Volume Two Product Description This spectacular box set comprises 12 classic martial arts films from the famous Shaw Brothers' library, featuring some of their greatest stars—Cheng Pei-pei (Come Drink with Me), Lo Lieh (King Boxer), Sammo Hung (Wheels on Meals), Ti Lung (A Better Tomorrow), and David Chiang (The Boxer from Shantung). Many of these films are debuting for the first time on Blu-ray. Get ready for some exciting thrills and chills as heroes meet villains in a duel to the death! Read More Shaw Brothers Now enter Shout Factory, who also has a Shaw Brothers boxset in the works, set for release on June 13, 2023. They are releasing 11 titles, with special features yet to be announced. …

As you know, I am a huge Shaw Brothers… particularly their martial arts/kung fu movies. While we have exhausted all of Arrow Videos and 88 Films (so far), Shout Factory has stepped in to release even more Shaw Brothers titles to the American market.

Although I purchased Shaw Brothers Classics Volume 1 on June 13, 2023 … I just haven’t had the time to watch them all. And looking at the aggressive schedule of Volume 2 to be released last month on August 15, 2023, and Volume 3 set for October 25, 2023… it’s become a really expensive hobby for me, at $160 a boxset.

Originally, I wasn’t going to buy Volume 2 until I fully watch enjoy all of Volume 1, but with the sudden free $260 money from the state of Minnesota… I thought why not order Volume 2 and be done with that.

So, the problem is that Amazon misdelivered my Volume 2 package! This is the second time that it happened for me in the past few months. It was so upsetting that going forward, I’m having everything deliver to an Amazon Locker.

Anyway, after getting a replacement shipped to a secured locker, I’m finally watching Volume 2.

Between Volume 1 and Volume 2, the first boxset focused on pre-1970 Shaw Brothers films, with the earliest titles from 1967 with The Assassin and The Thundering Sword.

Many of these late-1960s titles are of the wuxia / some fantasy and emphasis on martial weapons, such as darts in Killer Darts (1968), daggers in The Flying Dagger (1969), or swords in The Golden Sword (1969).

The majority of these films were never officially released in America, so it’s awesome to watch them for the first time (and in HD!), but unfortunately, many of these titles did not have the English dub… which is disappointing, but understandable, since these films were never marketed to America or the UK.

I do appreciate that we got audio commentary on many of these older films, and I think Shout Factory did a great job on the boxset… but, again, I did not really love many of these early Shaw Brothers titles. I’m sorry, the Shaw Brothers haven’t perfected their Kung Fu formula yet.

To me, the golden age of Kung Fu films didn’t happen until Five Fingers of Death in 1972, so I prefer films released after that time period.

The only film that I really enjoyed in Volume 1 is the revenge flick called The Bells of Death (1968). The film made the boxset worth it, as for the first time, we’re seeing this in Bluray format (at least in America).

I first saw the film on DVD when I visited the China town in Canada about 20 years ago. The plot is simple, it’s a story of a wood cutter who searches town to town for the killers of his family… wearing the bells bracelet of his family around his neck. I really like this one, mostly because, for the first time, to my ears, I’m hearing the English dub of the film.

Thankfully, Volume 2 collects early 1970s films, with The Dragon Missiles being the latest at 1976. This film is pretty delightful, with the Dragon Missiles clearly being inspired or ripped off from The Flying Guillotines (1975)… which is also included in this boxset.

I’m almost certain that the early Shaw films, collected in Vol 2, such as Lady of Steel (1970), The Crimson Charm (1971), The Devil’s Mirror (1972), The Bride From Hell (1971), were never released in America.

I haven’t watched those early films (in both Vol 1 and 2), so I can’t really say they’re good or not.

I’ve already own Brothers Five (1970), The Shadow Whip (1971), The Delightful Forest (1972), Man of Iron (1972), The Water Margin (1972), and Heroes Two (1974), but I would like to re-visit and check out the special features in this new release. Most of these titles have audio commentaries, so it should be interesting to see what critics have to say about these films.

As for Volume 3, it’s coming out in October… so I do have a little time to enjoy Vol 1 and 2 before Volume 3 comes out… based on the titles, such as The Shaolin Avengers, The Deadly Breaking Sword, Clan of the White Lotus, it’s going to be a mid-1970 to 1980 collection. This is my favorite era: 1972 to 1984, so I’m actually way more excited about Volume 3.

If you’re collecting Shaw Brothers films, as I am, I should also point out that there are two Shout Factory-exclusive releases: The Brave Archer Collection (2023-04-18), an Alexander Fu Sheng four-film set for $70, and The Ti Lung / David Chiang Collection (2023-09-26), a massive collection for $170.

If you didn’t know Ti Lung, David Chiang, and director Chang Cheh, became known as “The Iron Triangle”, due to their successful films, such as Have Sword, Will Travel (1969), Vengeance (1970), The Deadly Duo (1971)… and many others.

Read more Shaw Brothers, Bluray, Asian Invasion.

vu ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

Coming soon: Shaw Brothers Classics, Vol. 1 (Shout Factory)

Product Description This spectacular box set comprises 11 classic martial arts films from the famous Shaw Brothers' library, featuring some of their greatest stars – Jimmy Wang Yu (One-Armed Swordsman), Cheng Pei-pei (Come Drink With Me), Lo Lieh (King Boxer), Ku Feng (The Five Venoms), and David Chiang (The Boxer From Shantung). Many of these films are debuting for the first time on Blu-ray. Get ready for some exciting thrills and chills as heroes meet villains in a duel to the death! Read More Shaw Brothers As you know, I’m a big Shaw Brothers fan, and have personally own over 75 DVDs and Blurays. As I previously mentioned, unfortunately these movies don’t sell well in America, so many of these Shaw Brothers titles never made …

I know I’ve previously said that there just wasn’t enough fans in America to warrant more Shaw Brothers Bluray releases. This is just based on speculating on some companies were losing money on Shaw Brothers releases or no marketing or releases in America.

Then, exciting news, during the pandemic people were buying films again to watch at home. So in 2020 we got UK releases from 88 Films. It proved so popular with American audiences, that they started releasing domestic releases in 2022.

For the US market, Arrow Video announced they were releasing two boxsets (based on the company getting the rights to 26 films). So the company released the first boxset in Dec 2021 and the second boxset in Dec 2022.

Since I also own about 30 Shaw Brothers titles from 88 Films, I thought that truly that was the end of the Shaw Brother releases.

Now enter Shout Factory, who also has a Shaw Brothers boxset in the works, set for release on June 13, 2023. They are releasing 11 titles, with special features yet to be announced.

Titles:

THE ASSASSIN (1080p High-Definition Widescreen (2.35:1) / Mandarin & English Dub DTS-HD Master Audio Mono / 112 min.)

THE THUNDERING SWORD (1080p High-Definition Widescreen (2.35:1) / Mandarin DTS-HD Master Audio Mono / 90 min.)

THE GOLDEN SWALLOW (1080p High-Definition Widescreen (2.35:1) / Mandarin & English Dub DTS-HD Master Audio Mono / 104 min.)

THE JADE RAKSHA (1080p High-Definition Widescreen (2.35:1) / Mandarin DTS-HD Master Audio Mono / 91 min.)

THE BELLS OF DEATH (1080p High-Definition Widescreen (2.35:1) / Mandarin & English Dub DTS-HD Master Audio Mono / 85 min.)

THE SWORD OF SWORDS (1080p High-Definition Widescreen (2.35:1) / Mandarin & English Dub DTS-HD Master Audio Mono / 106 min.)

KILLER DART (1080p High-Definition Widescreen (2.35:1) / Mandarin DTS-HD Master Audio Mono / 84 min.)

THE INVINCIBLE FIST (1080p High-Definition Widescreen (2.35:1) / Mandarin DTS-HD Master Audio Mono / 94 min.)

DRAGON SWAMP (1080p High-Definition Widescreen (2.35:1) / Mandarin DTS-HD Master Audio Mono / 105 min.)

THE FLYING DAGGER (1080p High-Definition Widescreen (2.35:1) / Mandarin & English Dub DTS-HD Master Audio Mono / 93 min.)

THE GOLDEN SWORD (1080p High-Definition Widescreen (2.35:1) / Mandarin DTS-HD Master Audio Mono / 101 min.)

Being a massive fan, I will, of course buy this. I just wish all the titles were licensed to one company, as now I know that among these various Shaw Brothers boxsets - they won’t fit together in uniform. We’ll have these super long Shaw Scopes, we’ll have all these single releases, and now a giant block. I know I shouldn’t complain, I should just be happy at least we’re getting these titles in HD. There’s never been a better time to be a fan of martial arts films.

vu ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

Britpop: The Music That Changed Britain

Britpop: The Music That Changed Britain Charting the birth, boom and bust of one of the biggest movements in British music. Britpop revitalised pop music and saw artists emerge that would help rewrite the workings of the music industry. Episode 1 - Sunday, 12 March How the fortunes and rivalries of Blur, Oasis, Suede and Elastica created Britpop as we know it. Featuring fascinating anecdotes and rarely seen archive footage. Episode 2 - Sunday, 19 March 1995 was the year Britpop took over, with the Blur/Oasis rivalry making the national news, Pulp emerging from the sidelines along with a raft of female-fronted bands. Episode 3 - Sunday, 26 March A look at the movement's peak in '96, when Britpop's laddish swagger was inescapable. Episode 4 - Sunday, 2 April Exploring the movement's tumultuous last days, as non-stop hedonism, creative exhaustion, and a change in the national mood combined to change Britpop beyond recognition. Read More Britpop P.S., Other Britpopsters The Bluetones, Space, and Salad will be joining Sleeper. Tour dates: Birmingham, O2 Institute (July 29) London, O2 Forum (August 5) …

There is a four-part documentary on Britpop airing on Channel 5. Unfortunately, the television documentary is geo-locked, so those outside the UK cannot watch this show. Thanks to a friend of mine in London, I was able to watch the show.

Being a massive Britpop fan, all the bands presented in the documentary are familiar to me. I love all the bands… but I felt the documentary actually goes beyond what I considered Britpop, for example, they dedicated a whole segment to Ocean Colour Scene, which I never really group them in Britpop.

Watching the show, and hearing all the great music, it made me put on some old records from Pulp, Oasis, Blur, Elastica, etc.

Again, I knew all about the birth and story of Britpop, as I was a huge fan… but there were some nuances that I didn’t get, because I didn’t live in England. Things like “Lads culture”, spearheaded by the magazine Loaded, caused a backlash from audience. I didn’t think that was a thing, but I can see how these “bros” rocking to music that some indie kids are into… and that might turn off some original fans.

They also had a segment about Three Lions, the “band” led by Ian Broudie of The Lightning Seeds, English comedians David Baddiel and Frank Skinner. Again, I don’t even consider this a Britpop song, even though it was one of the most famous song for England football team’s participation in that year’s UEFA European Championship. It was the sequel to New Order’s “World in Motion”… but it was lost on anyone outside of England to know “Three Lions” as a Britpop song.

Some of my favorite things about the documentary was seeing behind the scenes of Blur’s music video for “Parklife”. I love seeing Space! I love that band. I love seeing footages of Jarvis Cocker invading Michael Jackson’s performance. I remember the Cocker thing, but I never knew what a controversy it was. So many great moments in Britpop’s history.

I love that we got basically a four-hour documentary on Britpop, and it covers a lot of bases… but I felt like it was also missing things that I would’ve at least mentioned briefly. For example, the music movement before Britpop, I would’ve touched on New Wave of New Wave (NWONW) or Madchester or Shoegazing. I might have briefly mentioned some semi-obscure bands like Me Me Me or Northern Uproar or The Longpigs or Theaudience.

I think this is still a great documentary, and I’m just sadden that the BBC decided that the rest of the world can’t see it. I’m hoping that the producers will put this out on Bluray and make it for sale for the rest of the world. I know I will be one of the first to buy it. Many of my non-UK Britpop friends would buy it too. We love this stuff, just make it available for us.

Read more Television.

vu ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

R.I.P. Lance Reddick

Read More Bosch Out of nowhere, I got notification that the new Season 7 of Bosch just dropped on Amazon Prime! I was so excited that I launched the pilot and after viewing the “Last Season on Bosch” recap… …

Actor and musician, Lance Reddick has died at the age of 60. According to Variety, “His rep at Portrait PR confirmed the news, saying he died of natural causes but not providing other details.”

Although Reddick is best known as an actor in roles such as Cedric Daniels in The Wire (2002–2008), Phillip Broyles in Fringe (2008–2013), and Chief Irvin Irving in Bosch (2014–2020), and as Charon in the John Wick films… not many people know that he started studying music as a teenager at the Peabody Preparatory Institute. He actually earned a Bachelor of Music degree at University of Rochester's Eastman School of Music.

Lance Reddick (02 May 2015)

We saw Reddick at Wizard World Minneapolis in May 2015 and wrote, “One of the hardest working Hollywood actor, Lance Reddick spent his time at his panel answering questions about Lost, The Wire, and, of course, Fringe. Recently, Reddick is most recognizable from American Horror Story, and per a fan's request, he re-created his Papa Legba character and did a line in the Cajun voodoo accent.”

Rest in peace, Lance Reddick.

Read more Musicians who died in 2023

[17 Mar 2023] Lance Reddick (American actor and musician), 60 Lance Reddick was best known for playing Cedric Daniels in The Wire (2002–2008), Phillip Broyles in Fringe (2008–2013), and Chief Irvin Irving in Bosch (2014–2020). As a teenager, he studied music at the Peabody Preparatory Institute and studied classical music composition at University of Rochester's Eastman School of Music, earning a Bachelor of Music degree. … via deadline

[17 Mar 2023] Fito Olivares ( Mexican cumbia musician), 75 The music ringing out at Fiesta next month will have a note of sadness as social media posts report that Mexican musician Fito Olivares has died. A Facebook post from San Antonio’s Tejano station KXTN on Friday, March 17 reported Olivares’ death … via mysanantonio

[16 Mar 2023] Tony Coe (English jazz musician), 88 Sad news. One of the understated greats of British jazz, saxophonist and clarinettist Tony Coe, passed away peacefully yesterday at the age of 88. … via londonjazznews

[15 Mar 2023] Théo de Barros (Brazilian composer), 80 Composer Theo de Barros, known for "Disparada", alongside Geraldo Vandré, and for his partnership with singer Elis Regina, died early this Wednesday (15th) in São Paulo. … via folha

[15 Mar 2023] Daniel Bourgue (French horn player), 86 The virtuoso horn player Daniel Bourgue, ‘surely be the last representative of the old school of French playing’ according to the IHS, has died at the age of 86. … via slippedisc

[14 Mar 2023] Bobby Caldwell (American singer and songwriter), 71 Singer Bobby Caldwell, known for his smooth blue-eyed soul voice, is dead after battling illness for several years ... TMZ has confirmed. Bobby, whose biggest hit is the classic "What You Won't Do for Love," died in his sleep Tuesday night at home in New Jersey, according to his rep. … via tmz

[14 Mar 2023] Dix Denney (American guitarist for The Weirdos, Thelonious Monster), 65 Dix Denney, guitarist and co-founder of pioneering LA punk band The Weirdos, has died. Along with his brother John, Dix Denney formed The Weirdos in Los Angeles in 1975. Although initially inspired by The Ramones, they soon became trailblazers … via louderthanwar

[13 Mar 2023] Canisso (Brazilian bassist for Raimundos), 57 Bassist José Henrique Campos Pereira, known as Canisso, died this Monday (13/3), aged 57. The information was confirmed by the band's manager, but the cause of death was not disclosed. The musician was part of the original formation of the Brasilian rock group Raimundos. … via metropoles

[13 Mar 2023] Jim Gordon (American convicted murderer and musician for Eric Clapton, Derek and the Dominos), 77 Jim Gordon, a top drummer for Eric Clapton, George Harrison and countless others who was diagnosed with schizophrenia after murdering his mother in 1983, has died. … via variety

Read more Musicians who died in 2023.

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Poker Face

Read More Lie to Me I got a chance to watch the premiere episode of Lie to Me, courtesy of Best Buy. The series will debut on Fox Television on January 21st. I was very impressed with the first episode… Chloe Sevigny So the first item on there is that The Slits to help Chloe Sevigny's new clothing line. If you like any Riot Grrls you know that many of these bands were hugely influenced by The Slits, an early 80s punk … The Mountain Goats It is well known that John Darnielle, the force behind the Mountain Goats, likes heavy metal music. It comes up in interviews often, and hearing him speak … John Hodgman Comedian/actor/author John Hodgman will be at the Cedar Cultural Center on September 29th (details at thecedar.org). I think the first time I heard of Hodgman, it was seeing him as the "PC" in the funny Apple …

I was hesitant to getting into NBC’s Poker Face television show because of its name. I thought it was some Lady Gaga thing or about some casino show. The title is deceiving, because it’s really a “crime of the week” television show about Charlie the human lie detector. The pilot was phenomenal, it managed to setup Charlie’s character and her situation.

I do have some gripes about the show: I don’t really love the lead actress, Natasha Lyonne. She basically plays the same character from Russian Doll, which I love Season 1… but that character got super annoying. In Poker Face she’s also trying to channel Columbo or something. Don’t get me wrong, that no-nonsense, I don’t give a flying F attitude is really fun at first… but after a while, it just gets old.

My other complaint is that the show doesn’t know if it wants to be a comedy or a crime drama. Some episodes are just way too silly, like “Exit Stage Death”, which is about Ellen Barkin and Tim Meadows plotting a murder while being live on stage…. Or “Time of the Monkey”, which is about a couple of retired ladies who murdered a resident in their retirement housing. I don’t mind a goofy time, but how can I take the casino mafia threat seriously if the show is a comedy?

So far, from what I’ve seen, my favorite is the pilot and “Rest in Metal”. This is about a has-been/one-hit wonder band DoxXxology. They had a massive hit single called “Staplehead” and the song became the band’s curse. You see, the song was written by their drummer (who shortly retired after making millions off the royalty), and DoxXxology has to play that song every night. It sounds like the band hates the song, but they must play it.

So the band hired a new drummer via Craiglist and he demoed a song he wrote to the band… and the band knew the song was a hit. They plot to murder the new drummer and steal his song. In the end, DoxXxology got their just deserts, and it’s an awesome ending.

This episode teeters funny and dread, especially when you spotted John Hodgman in the scene, looking for his wife “Molly” or finding his friend “Lucy”. The band itself, Ruby Ruin stars Chloë Sevigny, Chuck Cooper, and John Darnielle - who is actually the guy from The Mountain Goats. I’m pretty sure Darnielle wrote the song for the show, singing “Living on discount macaroni. Can't even get a job with my Uncle Tony. You sent your goons to repo my truck. What the actual f***. I can play guitar and I’m a decent singer, they’ll cut my wedding ring off my dead finger. You say you want a deal but you’re such a phony. You’re never going to get that alimony.”

I like the song, but the lead singer, Ruby Ruin, called it “a turd”.

Later, after the murder, Darnielle would write a song, confessing their wicked deed: “You must learn, you’re all gonna burn, because you can’t unmurdered someone.”

Anyway, the human lie-detector thing is pretty neat. It reminded me of another show called Lie To Me, starring Tim Roth. That show has a similar premise, in which Tim Roth can tell if someone is lying, based on “science”. His group, the Light group helps solves crime with law enforcement.

The season finale to Poker Face aired today, March 9th.

Read more Television.

vu ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

Two Years Later...

You: Season 4, part 1 Read More You The third season of You recently aired on Netflix and it got everyone talking about the series. So I decided to check out the first season (which originally aired on Lifetime). …

You
netflix.com

I love You. I know he’s terrible. I know he’s a serial killer. I know he’s a stalker… but I love rooting for Joe.

I started watching it in Oct 2021 and couldn’t stop watching it. I thought that was the end of it, with Season 3, as there’s only been three books.

A fourth season, would mean that that the story would be made up entirely for the television… and we all know how that turned out when they ran out of books for Game of Thrones or Dexter. Simply put, without the source material, the television show suffers without proper direction.

After two years in hiatus, due to the pandemic… You is back with a Season 4, courtesy of Netflix. With no books, is Season 4 good? I don’t know honestly, because we’re only given half the season to whet our appetite… The last five episodes will be available March 9, 2023.

In the new series, Joe gets obsessed over a new “You”, in the compelling Charlotte Ritchie. She suspects Joe is stalking her and doesn’t make it easy for Joe to get close to her. Of course, the two bonds over a few murders… in true You fashion.

I’m calling the new season, the “You in England.” I think it is because I don’t like any of the rich/royalty English characters. I’m assuming that’s what the show runner intended… but when you don’t like or care for anyone, why would I feel anything when one of the rich dies?

The Nevers: Season 1, Part 2 Read More The Nevers Joss Whedon created The Nevers, but due to the scandals, he removed his involvement with the HBO show. It’s still very Whedon-ly, like Victorian British girls fighting in corsets. …

The Nevers
hbo.com

After a long two-year gap, part two of The Nevers has finally aired in mid-February 2023. This show had trouble from the start, particularly with the original creator, Joss Whedon. Then the pandemic hit, and filming had to be put on hold.

It’s been so long, I’d forgotten everything. And the big problem with The Nevers is the large cast of characters. Who’s this person, who’s that? Why should I care about this club owner? Why am I watching this evil murdering little girl? What is going on?

Let’s step back. From what I can remember, there was an alien that landed in London, circa 1880-ish, and all these women developed superpowers… Then in the series, you find out that men also got powers.

Part one setup and orphanage for “touched” women. There were bad-touched women, and good-touched women.

In part two, it seems that all the touched have teamed up. Now the normal humans are at war with “the touched.” The whole story and concept is a big mess… and it’s probably due to the lack of guidance and direction from Whedon.

I like the two lead characters, Amalia (Laura Donnelly) and Penance (Ann Skelly). Amalia is like a soldier (who is a time traveler?) and Penance is an inventor. Everyone else, including the giant debutante, the doctor, and the fire-throwing woman, I wish they got rid of all these characters and just focus on Amalia and Penance. Keep it simple.

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My Movies 4 Pro

Read More DVD I usually put on one of my DVDs (see picture) and sleep mode on my television, the noise it makes gentle puts me to sleep. ...

As many of you guys know, I’m an avid collector of DVDs since 1997. I even bought my first DVD of Reservoir Dogs before I had a DVD player! I love this format, because coming from VHS and Laserdiscs, this new DVD format was smaller and more versatile and collectible.

I had a very large collection of DVD, so it made sense, at least for me, to keep track of them using an application on my computer. And since 2000, I was using DVD Profiler. When they released their software for iOS in 2010, I was one of the first people to buy it. It was great for a while… but unfortunately, the software has not been updated since 2018. There are some bugs in the iOS software that drove me nuts. For example, you couldn’t create a brand new DVD entry - it would only add DVD that exists in their catalog.

Then recently, when I bought my Lenovo Legion Gaming PC, I tried to sync my DVD Profiler on my phone to my computer and my DVD was destroyed through bad syncing. I didn’t have a DVD Profiler backup (my only backup was on my old Fallout Gaming PC). No problem, I guess I can start over. Unfortunately, scanning in the UPC of DVDs and Blurays was not great on DVD Profiler. It took forever for the camera to focus on the UPC, it would be impossible to scan in my entire collection.

The final straw happened on Friday, when nothing worked on DVD Profiler, because their servers was offline. It was time for me to move on.

Looking online for alternatives, I came across My Movies 4 Pro for $15. There is a ‘demo’ version for you try out, if you aren’t convinced. The demo only lets you add 50 entries.

So far, it’s a massive improvement over DVD Profiler. The UPC scanner is amazingly fast, and if you have a lot of films, like I do, this will save you a lot of time.

My Movies 4 is also available for the PC, but it actually works a little differently on the PC. It’s more of a movie streaming application that uses Windows Media Server… so I recommend just using the My Movies 4 app as a standalone app.

My only complaint is that My Movies 4 may take forever to “synchronize” with their servers. It takes a long time sometimes because the app takes a moment to download the high resolution front and back cover of the DVD or Bluray. Since I set my app to the highest resolution, it takes a moment for everything to sync. When it syncs, the app won’t allow you to add anything, so you’ll just have to wait until it is all downloaded.

The beautiful thing about the syncing process is that any DVD/Bluray that you add on your phone will magically appear on your iPad. This works much better than the old DVD Profiler, which requires you to manually sync to your PC (since the database is stored on your local computer).

For the most part, My Movies 4 catalog works well. Sometime I do run into a film that is not on their database. You can manually add in the UPC and photos of the cover artwork, so it works as you would expect (you couldn’t do that on DVD Profiler if you have a new iPhone).

Pro Tip: If you own a lot of discs, set the scanner to Multi-Scan and also set the Country to “All”. This is especially useful if you own a lot of movies from other countries. I wish I had known this when I started rescanning my collection!

vu ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com