In early 1971, Leonard Cohen was still a relatively unknown singer-songwriter. Despite releasing two critically acclaimed records – 1967's Songs of Leonard Cohen and 1969's Songs From a Room – the Canadian artist, who previously plied his trade as a novelist and poet, had yet to tour the U.S. He was then living on a farm in the small town of Big East Fork, Tennessee while preparing the release of that March's Songs of Love and Hate. "I had a house, a jeep, a carbine, a pair of cowboy boots, a girlfriend … a typewriter,...
- 11/14/2016
- Rollingstone.com
Born in Canada and based in Los Angeles, where he enjoyed picking up coffee at the Starbucks at Highland and Wilshire, singer/songwriter/poet Leonard Cohen has died at age 82, per his Facebook page, after suffering various illnesses.
Many baby boomers grew up on Cohen, advertised as “the master of erotic despair,” whose 60s songs like “Suzanne” and “The Sisters of Mercy” and later entries “Calling All Angels” and especially, “Hallelujah,” were performed by many other top recording artists, from Judy Collins, U2 and Bob Dylan to Rufus Wainwright and K.D. Laing.
Over 45 years Cohen carefully produced about a dozen albums (his most recent, “You Want it Darker,” was released last month), but more than 2000 recordings were made of his songs. The incantatory sacred/profane “Hallelujah,” which took Cohen five years to write, appeared in many television shows and movies, from “Shrek” and “American Idol” to Aaron Sorkin’s “The West Wing.
Many baby boomers grew up on Cohen, advertised as “the master of erotic despair,” whose 60s songs like “Suzanne” and “The Sisters of Mercy” and later entries “Calling All Angels” and especially, “Hallelujah,” were performed by many other top recording artists, from Judy Collins, U2 and Bob Dylan to Rufus Wainwright and K.D. Laing.
Over 45 years Cohen carefully produced about a dozen albums (his most recent, “You Want it Darker,” was released last month), but more than 2000 recordings were made of his songs. The incantatory sacred/profane “Hallelujah,” which took Cohen five years to write, appeared in many television shows and movies, from “Shrek” and “American Idol” to Aaron Sorkin’s “The West Wing.
- 11/11/2016
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
Determinism or free will? I’m flummoxed. This is my second successive review of a film about nuns. The first was Zach Clark’s Little Sister, in which meek ex-goth Colleen Lunsford (Addison Timlin) is a novice in a New York City convent whose mother superior, like the newcomer herself, doubts the young woman’s faith and commitment to the order of the Sisters of Mercy. During a trip to the family home in North Carolina — half therapy, half reunion with a brother mutilated from combat — she appropriates the flamboyance and kitsch that had been a substantial part of their youth. […]...
- 6/30/2016
- by Howard Feinstein
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
“Day One” is a wartime drama the likes of which we have not seen before, with a marvelous Layla Alizada as an interpreter with U.S. forces in Afghanistan. I’m “biast” (pro): nothing
I’m “biast” (con): nothing
(what is this about? see my critic’s minifesto)
It’s really tough for me to pick a single best film among the excellent crop of Oscar nominees for Best Live Action Short. They are all very personal, even when the backdrops of some are huge conflicts. That’s probably necessary when telling a story in a small space, but it helps to make all of them feel very intimate; even the ones most remote from my own experience instantly felt recognizable. If these five films — the longest of which is only 30 minutes, and most are much shorter — can be said to have a unifying theme, it’s this: We’re not alone.
I’m “biast” (con): nothing
(what is this about? see my critic’s minifesto)
It’s really tough for me to pick a single best film among the excellent crop of Oscar nominees for Best Live Action Short. They are all very personal, even when the backdrops of some are huge conflicts. That’s probably necessary when telling a story in a small space, but it helps to make all of them feel very intimate; even the ones most remote from my own experience instantly felt recognizable. If these five films — the longest of which is only 30 minutes, and most are much shorter — can be said to have a unifying theme, it’s this: We’re not alone.
- 1/29/2016
- by MaryAnn Johanson
- www.flickfilosopher.com
facebook
twitter
google+
American Horror Story is finally living up to the horror in its title once again with the bloody and uber-stylish Hotel...
This review contains spoilers.
5.2 Chutes And Ladders
If you just looked at the name of this show, you'd expect something, well, horrifying. Murder House definitely had its moments, and Asylum might have been the most unsettling series of the show, but American Horror Story hasn't been particularly horrifying the last few seasons. Sure, they both had their moments—the Freaks recreation from last season, Twisty's whole everything, some of Dandy's moments, the rape Minotaur... but lately, the gore and grotesquerie has been as comical as it has been horrifying. The zombie chainsaw attack from Coven, anyone?
We're only two episodes into American Horror Story: Hotel, but it already seems like the show is going to aim more to be horrifying than horribly campy. Not that it's not campy,...
google+
American Horror Story is finally living up to the horror in its title once again with the bloody and uber-stylish Hotel...
This review contains spoilers.
5.2 Chutes And Ladders
If you just looked at the name of this show, you'd expect something, well, horrifying. Murder House definitely had its moments, and Asylum might have been the most unsettling series of the show, but American Horror Story hasn't been particularly horrifying the last few seasons. Sure, they both had their moments—the Freaks recreation from last season, Twisty's whole everything, some of Dandy's moments, the rape Minotaur... but lately, the gore and grotesquerie has been as comical as it has been horrifying. The zombie chainsaw attack from Coven, anyone?
We're only two episodes into American Horror Story: Hotel, but it already seems like the show is going to aim more to be horrifying than horribly campy. Not that it's not campy,...
- 10/16/2015
- by louisamellor
- Den of Geek
NBC is developing a television movie based on Dolly Parton's classic song "Jolene."
Announced Thursday at the Television Critics Association summer press tour, the film will be written by John Sacret Young, whose credits include China Beach and The West Wing.
In January, NBC revealed it had partnered with the country icon to work on a number of family-oriented pictures. The first, Dolly Parton's Coat of Many Colors, has yet to be shot and stars Jennifer Nettles, Ricky Schroder and Alyvia Lind.
"Jolene" was originally released in 1973; it is sung from the point of view of a woman...
Announced Thursday at the Television Critics Association summer press tour, the film will be written by John Sacret Young, whose credits include China Beach and The West Wing.
In January, NBC revealed it had partnered with the country icon to work on a number of family-oriented pictures. The first, Dolly Parton's Coat of Many Colors, has yet to be shot and stars Jennifer Nettles, Ricky Schroder and Alyvia Lind.
"Jolene" was originally released in 1973; it is sung from the point of view of a woman...
- 8/14/2015
- by Alex Heigl, @alex_heigl
- People.com - TV Watch
Growing up with my older brother, I was exposed to music that was, to my perception, a lot cooler than the swill my classmates were listening to. While others were fervently listening to Blink 182 or Christina Aguilera, as if it was they were programmed to, I was immersed into darkness with bands like Bauhaus, Joy Division and Sisters of Mercy. Showing up to school with a Kmfdm shirt (that I may or may not have taken from my brother) labeled me as a weirdo because my music taste was blatantly incongruous with my peers and their tragically lame, or […]...
- 3/28/2015
- by Kieran MacIntyre
- Monsters and Critics
Enjoying a healthy festival run after its premiere at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival, and a tour that brought it to SXSW and Toronto, Adam Wingard’s The Guest arrives on Blu-ray shortly after scoring a nod for Best Editing at the Independent Spirit Awards (though it’s unfortunate there wasn’t any room for some other awards love, such as for cinematography for Dan Stevens). Making their return to distribution, the Picturehouse folks grossed north of a quarter of a million at the box office, and the film had releases in multiple regions across the globe.
After contributing to several anthology films, including the V/H/S films and The ABCs of Death, director Wingard and screenwriter Simon Barrett return to their first feature since 2011’s You’re Next, (a film that finally hit theaters to warm reception in 2013) with The Guest. Adept talents for entertaining, tongue-in-cheek scenarios, Wingard and...
After contributing to several anthology films, including the V/H/S films and The ABCs of Death, director Wingard and screenwriter Simon Barrett return to their first feature since 2011’s You’re Next, (a film that finally hit theaters to warm reception in 2013) with The Guest. Adept talents for entertaining, tongue-in-cheek scenarios, Wingard and...
- 1/6/2015
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
Z Nation, Season 1, Episode 11, “Sisters of Mercy”
Written by Jennifer Derwingson
Directed by Rachel Goldenberg
Airs Fridays at 10pm Est on Syfy
Thus far, Z Nation has felt extraordinarily uneven. There has been a lack of cohesiveness between the episodes that makes it feel like viewers could jump in at any point given minimal knowledge on the series, because almost every dramatic arc that is presented ends before a given episode has concluded, making room for whatever is to come in subsequent weeks. Although this is a valid critique, by this point it is starting to feel like viewers are just going to have to accept Z Nation for what it is- an uncomplicated action-drama with more emphasis on the action than the drama. The survivors have repeatedly faced troublesome but ultimately surmountable situations in the span of each forty minute installment with no profound overall plot arc to the...
Written by Jennifer Derwingson
Directed by Rachel Goldenberg
Airs Fridays at 10pm Est on Syfy
Thus far, Z Nation has felt extraordinarily uneven. There has been a lack of cohesiveness between the episodes that makes it feel like viewers could jump in at any point given minimal knowledge on the series, because almost every dramatic arc that is presented ends before a given episode has concluded, making room for whatever is to come in subsequent weeks. Although this is a valid critique, by this point it is starting to feel like viewers are just going to have to accept Z Nation for what it is- an uncomplicated action-drama with more emphasis on the action than the drama. The survivors have repeatedly faced troublesome but ultimately surmountable situations in the span of each forty minute installment with no profound overall plot arc to the...
- 11/22/2014
- by Richelle Charkot
- SoundOnSight
A Zombie Bear Emerges from its Den in this Preview for "Z Nation" and the Episode "Sisters of Mercy"
The Asylum has released several photos for the upcoming episode "Sisters of Mercy." This episode, from the zombies television series "Z Nation," will bring Kelly McGillis (Stakeland) to the little screen. McGillis will play a cult leader, who is tasked with dispatching a zombie bear. Four photos have been released and one shows the zombie bear, in all his glory. Fans of the show can preview "Sisters of Mercy" here. In this episode, the setting is Salt Lake City, Ut. Here, a cult struggles to survive as Murphy and the other survivors search for shelter. They find a zombie bear is out of hibernation and looking to feed, on them! The four photos show several of the actors from "Sisters of Mercy." Actor Keith Allan is shown as Murphy, in a partial zombie state. As well, Mcgillis is armed and ready to fire in another. A low resolution photo shows the zombie bear,...
- 11/19/2014
- by noreply@blogger.com (Michael Allen)
- 28 Days Later Analysis
Lone Survivor: Wingard’s Latest a Near Perfect Mix of Subtext, Comedy and Satisfying Thrills
After contributing to several anthology films, including the V/H/S films and The ABCs of Death, director Adam Wingard and screenwriter Simon Barrett return to their first feature since 2011’s You’re Next, (a film that finally hit theaters to warm reception in 2013) with The Guest. Adept talents for entertaining, tongue-in-cheek scenarios, Wingard and Barrett exert equal levels of over-the-top bits with their latest endeavor, but with a sharper mix of subversive commentary and tightly plotted thrills that feels like an homage to the off-the-cuff glory days of John Carpenter. A penchant for comedic asides may cause fans of their previous works to favor something like You’re Next, but Wingard and Barrett deliver a fun, stylish, highly enjoyable throwback with their latest, the kind of film genre fans endlessly seek but so...
After contributing to several anthology films, including the V/H/S films and The ABCs of Death, director Adam Wingard and screenwriter Simon Barrett return to their first feature since 2011’s You’re Next, (a film that finally hit theaters to warm reception in 2013) with The Guest. Adept talents for entertaining, tongue-in-cheek scenarios, Wingard and Barrett exert equal levels of over-the-top bits with their latest endeavor, but with a sharper mix of subversive commentary and tightly plotted thrills that feels like an homage to the off-the-cuff glory days of John Carpenter. A penchant for comedic asides may cause fans of their previous works to favor something like You’re Next, but Wingard and Barrett deliver a fun, stylish, highly enjoyable throwback with their latest, the kind of film genre fans endlessly seek but so...
- 9/17/2014
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
Jim Gordon narrates the latest moody trailer for Gotham, starting on Fox in the Us on Monday the 22nd of September...
Trailer
"This town is at a tipping point. Crime and corruption ooze out of every corner..."
Taking a stand against oozing crime and corruption is Ben McKenzie as Detective Jim Gordon in Fox's forthcoming show, Gotham. This latest trailer is moodier than a teenage Sisters Of Mercy fan and shows Gordon receiving a welcome home message from one of Gotham's criminal elite, most of who are watching him from the sidelines.
Some extra news about the series comes courtesy of our chums at Bleeding Cool, who have a tip that several potential Jokers will be introduced in each episode of Gotham "each emphasising aspects of the character’s iconography, a card sharp, a flower seller, a clown, or just a guy with a very big grin. All relatively unknown actors.
Trailer
"This town is at a tipping point. Crime and corruption ooze out of every corner..."
Taking a stand against oozing crime and corruption is Ben McKenzie as Detective Jim Gordon in Fox's forthcoming show, Gotham. This latest trailer is moodier than a teenage Sisters Of Mercy fan and shows Gordon receiving a welcome home message from one of Gotham's criminal elite, most of who are watching him from the sidelines.
Some extra news about the series comes courtesy of our chums at Bleeding Cool, who have a tip that several potential Jokers will be introduced in each episode of Gotham "each emphasising aspects of the character’s iconography, a card sharp, a flower seller, a clown, or just a guy with a very big grin. All relatively unknown actors.
- 7/16/2014
- by louisamellor
- Den of Geek
Johnathan|Christian, the haunting new transatlantic project from American composer Johnathan Mooney (The New Creatures) and Swedish dark-rocker Christian Granquist (The Atom) have produced not one but two impressive debuts: the full-length album Beautiful Hideous arrived late last year, earning major props across the gothic, industrial, darkwave and other alternative music press; the band followed up that success this month with a remix of the single “I Walk This Earth Alone,” featuring the talents of Danish industrial music legend Leæther Strip (a.k.a. Clause Larsen), and the two records combined represent some the best of old and new gothic rock/darkwave styles, strongly reminiscent of early death-rock legends Christian Death and '80s goth icons Sisters of Mercy, but with a modern production sheen. The band's songwriting doesn't seem to be designed with the dance floor in mind, but rather as a kind of dream soundtrack to an extremely...
- 2/27/2014
- by Gregory Burkart
- FEARnet
Chicago – Actress Roma Downey and Producer Mark Burnett are on a mission. After producing the huge success of the miniseries “The Bible” last year, the husband-and-wife team now turn to the “greatest story ever told” – the life of Jesus Christ – in the new film “Son of God.”
Roma Downey is no stranger to the ethereal aspects of religious themed programming. For nine seasons, she was the star of “Touched by an Angel,” portraying a heavenly messenger who guided earthbound humans at their crossroads. Mark Burnett is a familiar name in the television universe, having produced several mega-successful reality shows including “Survivor,” “The Voice,” “Shark Tank” and “The Apprentice.” The couple were married in 2007, and last year produced the number one rated cable TV miniseries, “The Bible.” The 10 episodes followed the book from the beginning in the Old Testament (Genesis) to the Letters of Paul in the New Testament.
Diogo Morgado...
Roma Downey is no stranger to the ethereal aspects of religious themed programming. For nine seasons, she was the star of “Touched by an Angel,” portraying a heavenly messenger who guided earthbound humans at their crossroads. Mark Burnett is a familiar name in the television universe, having produced several mega-successful reality shows including “Survivor,” “The Voice,” “Shark Tank” and “The Apprentice.” The couple were married in 2007, and last year produced the number one rated cable TV miniseries, “The Bible.” The 10 episodes followed the book from the beginning in the Old Testament (Genesis) to the Letters of Paul in the New Testament.
Diogo Morgado...
- 2/25/2014
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Entertainment Geekly is a weekly column that examines pop culture through a geek lens and simultaneously examines contemporary geek culture through a pop lens. So many lenses!
Measuring time in specific decades is a fallacy, but it’s a fallacy that everyone believes in. There’s no legitimate reason that we should set aside the passage of time between January 1, 1980 and December 31, 1989 as a specific and clearly defined unit of time. 1979 wasn’t too different from 1980; most of the movies released in 1990 were probably shot in 1989. People used to refer to the ’80s as “the MTV Decade” before every decade...
Measuring time in specific decades is a fallacy, but it’s a fallacy that everyone believes in. There’s no legitimate reason that we should set aside the passage of time between January 1, 1980 and December 31, 1989 as a specific and clearly defined unit of time. 1979 wasn’t too different from 1980; most of the movies released in 1990 were probably shot in 1989. People used to refer to the ’80s as “the MTV Decade” before every decade...
- 1/23/2014
- by Darren Franich
- EW.com - PopWatch
Photo by Brian David Braun Hailing from four different countries (Austria, Germany, Scotland, and the Us ), electro-rock quintet Darkhaus was co-founded by multi-platinum artist Rupert Keplinger – also a member of industrial unit Eisbrecher – to unite a wide variety of electronic music styles on a musical journey they describe as “dark and emotional.” He's joined by Gary Meskil and Marshall Stephens of the legendary New York hardcore unit Pro-Pain, along with drummer Paul Keller and lead vocalist Kenny Hanlon, and the result is an intense but well-balanced fusion of '80s-style gothic rock and modern pop & metal. Their debut album My Only Shelter hits this week, and being a fan of both Eisbrecher and Pro-Pain (not to mention a bit curious as to how the band members' vastly different backgrounds might interact), I knew it would be worth a spin. At first pass, Darkhaus is not at all what I expected:...
- 11/22/2013
- by Gregory Burkart
- FEARnet
I’ve been very fortunate working in the horror film industry – I’ve been able to interview many of my favorite actors, directors and FX specialists. But every now and then, there is an interview that really stands out, an interview that is so much fun, I’m left grinning like the Cheshire cat, and I can’t wait to write all about it. One of those interviews took place this week over the phone with director Edgar Wright. And sure, he’s every geek-girl’s dream date, and the British director was not beyond chatting all things geek with me – even when the main focus is promoting his new film, The World’s End.
Struggling with growing up, forty-year-old Greg (Simon Pegg) gets his old buddies together to complete an epic pub-crawl – a crawl they had tried to complete twenty years ago. To complete the challenge, they simply have...
Struggling with growing up, forty-year-old Greg (Simon Pegg) gets his old buddies together to complete an epic pub-crawl – a crawl they had tried to complete twenty years ago. To complete the challenge, they simply have...
- 6/14/2013
- by Lianne Spiderbaby
- FEARnet
Yesterday you saw two new The World's End stills, straight from the pages of this month's Empire. Today another one has arrived online - via the folks over at IGN - and here it is for you below, boasting Simon Pegg's Gary King and a very intriguing map.As you may have guessed, the map has something to do with the pub crawl Gary and his long-lost friends are on, but don't take our word for it, take director / co-writer Edgar Wright's:"That’s his map of the pubs in Newton Haven, which he had as a teenager. You can see on the map that nine pubs are crossed out because when they were teenagers they only got through nine of the 12 pubs. And he’s kept that map."IGN has a more detailed interview with Wright where he talks more about the themes of the movie, how...
- 2/1/2013
- EmpireOnline
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.