TOMMY SHAW UNDER THE INFLUENCE by Jay S. Jacobs Tommy Shaw was the lead guitarist and rock-and-roll voice of STYX – one of the most popular rock bands of the 70s and 80s. Joining the band right before it exploded, Shaw contributed the songwriting and vocal chops to some of the band’s classic tunes such as “Too Much Time … Continue reading
SING NOW OR FOREVER HOLD YOUR PEACE (2007) Starring David Alan Basche, Chris Bowers, Samrat Chakrabarti, Alexander Chaplin, Rosemarie Dewitt, Mark Feuerstein, David Harbour, Elizabeth Reaser, Reg Rogers, Molly Shannon, Liz Stauber and Camilla Thorsson. Screenplay by Bruce Leddy. Directed by Bruce Leddy. Distributed by Strand Releasing. 94 minutes. Not Rated. Mid-life crisis hits hard … Continue reading
JET SHINING STARS by Jay S. Jacobs Aussie rockers Jet exploded onto the music scene with the hit single “Are You Gonna Be My Girl?” The song reminded us of some great old-school sleazy garage rock highs when it was first appeared in an iPod commercial in 2004 and then crossed over onto radio. The band wasn’t just some … Continue reading
OPERATION HOMECOMING – WRITING THE WARTIME EXPERIENCE (2007) Featuring Tim O’Brien, James Salter, Tobias Wolff, Anthony Swofford and the voices of Robert Duvall, Josh Lucas, Beau Bridges, Blair Underwood, Justin Kirk, Aaron Eckhart, Chris Gorham and John Krasinski. Directed by Richard E. Robbins. Distributed by The Documentary Group. 84 minutes. Not Rated. War is such … Continue reading
THE GOOD SHEPHERD (2006) Starring Matt Damon, Angelina Jolie, Alec Baldwin, Tammy Blanchard, Billy Crudup, Michael Gambon, William Hurt, Eddie Redmayne, John Turturro, Oleg Stefan, Martina Gedeck, Keir Dullea, Timothy Hutton, Joe Pesci and Robert De Niro. Screenplay by Eric Roth. Directed by Robert De Niro. Distributed by Universal Pictures. 167 minutes. Rated R. Unfortunately, … Continue reading
HARSH TIMES (2007) Starring Christian Bale, Freddy Rodríguez, Eva Longoria, Chaka Forman, J.K. Simmons, Tammy Trull, Michael Monks, Samantha Esteban and Tania Verafield. Screenplay by David Ayer. Directed by David Ayer. Distributed by Crave Films. 120 minutes. Rated R. As the screenwriter of Training Day, Dark Blue, SWAT and now his directorial debut Harsh Times, David Ayer has become … Continue reading
LOVEWRECKED (2005) Starring Amanda Bynes, Chris Carmack, Jamie-Lynn Sigler, Jonathan Bennett, Joey Kern, Alfonso Ribeiro, Kathy Griffin, Lance Bass, Susan Duerdan and Fred Willard. Screenplay by Stephen Langford. Directed by Randal Kleiser. Distributed by Media 8 Entertainment. 83 minutes. Rated PG. It’s sort of surprising that Lovewrecked is just now slipping into video stores without a wide … Continue reading
BEYOND THE GATES (2007) Starring John Hurt, Hugh Dancy, Dominique Horwitz, Claire-Hope Ashitey, David Gyasi, Steve Toussaint, Nicola Walker, Louis Mahoney, Susan Nalwoga, Victor Power, Jack Pierce and Musa Kasonka Jr. Screenplay by David Wolstencraft. Directed by Michael Caton-Jones. Distributed by IFC Films. 111 minutes. Not Rated. The genocide that occurred in Rwanda in 1994 – … Continue reading
ZODIAC (2007) Starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Mark Ruffalo, Robert Downey Jr., Anthony Edwards, Brian Cox, John Carroll Lynch, Chloe Sevigny, Candy Clark, Elias Koteas, Donal Logue, Dermot Mulroney, James LeGros, Pell James, Philip Baker Hall, John Mahoney, Adam Goldberg and Tom Verica. Screenplay by James Vanderbilt. Directed by David Fincher. Distributed by Paramount Pictures. 157 minutes. … Continue reading
HOT FUZZ (2007) Starring Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Jim Broadbent, Paddy Considine, Steve Coogan, Timothy Dalton, Paul Freeman, Anne Reid, Billie Whitelaw, Stuart Wilson and Edward Woodward. Screenplay by Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright. Directed by Edgar Wright. Distributed by Rogue Pictures. 121 minutes. Rated R. Just the idea of Hot Fuzz is so wonderfully whimsical that … Continue reading
