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A new documentary, It’s Never Over: Jeff Buckley, which examines the life of the late singer-songwriter, will open in movie theaters on Aug. 8. An HBO premiere will follow this winter.

The film, by director Amy Berg (Phoenix Rising, West of Memphis), features never-before-seen footage from Buckley’s archives. His mother, Mary Culbert, and former partners Rebecca Moore and Joan Wasser gave new interviews for the picture. It also includes commentary from Buckley’s former bandmates, Michael Tighe and Parker Kindred, as well as singer-songwriters Ben Harper and Aimee Mann.

Magnolia Pictures has announced its acquisition of the US rights to the upcoming documentary, It’s Never Over, Jeff Buckley. After premiering at the Sundance Film Festival to widespread acclaim, the film will open in theaters on August 8th, followed by its release on HBO and HBO Max this winter.

Directed by Amy Berg, the documentary looks back at the life of the beloved and influential rock musician through never-before-seen footage from Buckley’s personal archives. It also features intimate interviews with his mother, Mary Guibert; former partners Rebecca Moore and Joan Wasser; former bandmates Michael Tighe and Parker Kindred; and contemporaries including Ben Harper and Aimee Mann.

“I’ve spent practically my entire career trying to make this film, which takes a very intimate look at one of the greatest singers and songwriters of all time,” Berg said in a press statement. “I’m so excited Magnolia and HBO...

Magnolia Pictures has announced its acquisition of the US rights to the upcoming documentary, It’s Never Over, Jeff Buckley. After premiering at the Sundance Film Festival to widespread acclaim, the film will open in theaters on August 8th, followed by its release on HBO and HBO Max this winter.

Directed by Amy Berg, the documentary looks back at the life of the beloved and influential rock musician through never-before-seen footage from Buckley’s personal archives. It also features intimate interviews with his mother, Mary Guibert; former partners Rebecca Moore and Joan Wasser; former bandmates Michael Tighe and Parker Kindred; and contemporaries including Ben Harper and Aimee Mann.

“I’ve spent practically my entire career trying to make this film, which takes a very intimate look at one of the greatest singers and songwriters of all time,” Berg said in a press statement. “I’m so excited Magnolia and HBO...

Exclusive: Magnolia Pictures has landed U.S. rights to It’s Never Over, Jeff Buckley, Oscar-nominated filmmaker Amy Berg’s portrait of the late musician who developed an adoring fan base before his untimely death at the age of 30.

Magnolia plans to release the film theatrically (available in Dolby Atmos) on August 8. The documentary, which enjoys a 100 percent critics approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, will premiere on HBO and stream on HBO Max this winter, as part of the Music Box series created by Bill Simmons.

“Told through never-before-seen footage from Buckley’s archives and intimate accounts from his mother Mary Guibert, former partners Rebecca Moore and Joan Wasser, Jeff’s former bandmates, including Michael Tighe and Parker Kindred, and luminaries like Ben Harper and Aimee Mann, It’s Never Over, Jeff Buckley illuminates one of modern music’s most influential and enigmatic figures,” notes a release. “His only studio album,...

Sometimes the scariest performances aren’t the loudest explosions or the tallest buildings leapt in a single bound; they’re the ones whispered through clenched teeth, trembling hands, and eyes brimming with grief. And we stand by it. Because no mission, impossible or otherwise, comes close to what Tom Cruise gave us in Magnolia.

Forget gadgets, helicopters, or dangling from ceilings. Forget Ethan Hunt. The real enigma was Frank T.J. Mackey: a swaggering misogynist whose armor cracked on screen, exposing a pulse-quickening truth. It was so unvarnished that it reportedly brought the late Oscar-winning actor Philip Seymour Hoffman to tears.

Tom Cruise’s finest hour isn’t in a helicopter cockpit Tom Cruise as Frank Mackey in Magnolia | New Line Cinema

Let us be perfectly candid: Tom Cruise is good at running and doing any kind of action. Nobody sprints on screen like this actor. But running from emotion?...

‘Til Tuesday, the ’80s new wave band led by Aimee Mann, reunited for their first live performance in 35 years at the Cruel World Festival in Pasadena, California, on Saturday.

Also featuring original members Robert Holmes (guitar), Joey Pesce (keyboards) and Michael Hausman (drums), ‘Til Tuesday ran through an 11-song set that included their signature hit “Voices Carry,” plus other fan favorites “What About Love,” “Coming Up Close,” and “Love in a Vacuum” and a cover of The Cars’ “Drive.” Watch fan-captured footage below.

Though nothing else is on the books at the moment, Mann didn’t rule out the possibility of further ‘Til Tuesday concerts depending on how their gig at at Cruel World came off. “If I feel like I can do a really good job singing, then I would consider others,” she told Variety. “Because you want to feel like you’re doing a good job. So, some...

Aimee Mann has announced a special new tour celebrating the “22nd 1/2 anniversary” of her 2002 album Lost in Space. Fittingly, the songwriter will perform tunes from the album at each performance, bringing along frequent collaborator Jonathan Coulton for good measure.

The run kicks off on June 5th in Canton, Road Island. From there, she’ll hit cities like Boston, Brooklyn, Nashville, and others before wrapping up at the Riviera Theatre in Chicago on June 27th. Coulton will appear as a special guest at each of the dates. See the full list of Aimee Mann’s upcoming concerts below.

Get Aimee Mann Tickets Here

Tickets are available now via various pre-sales, including an artist pre-sale and VIP package pre-sales. The general on-sale will then follow on Friday, March 7th at 10:00 a.m. local time via Ticketmaster.

In addition to the tour, there is also a new vinyl reissue of Lost in Space...

When a grieving neuroscientist uses AI technology that allows her to reconnect with her dead father, she finds herself surfing waves of emotion and questioning life itself. That’s the winning premise in O Horizon, writer/director Madeleine Rotzler’s adult fairy tale starring Maria Bakalova, David Strathairn (Nomadland), and — big surprise — Grammy Award-winning singer/songwriter Aimee Mann, whose music fueled the Magnolia soundtrack and was also featured in Jerry McGuire. “Obviously this is a dream cast,” Rotzler told MovieWeb in a recent interview, adding:

“Great actors make writing great. They're everything. With Aimee, we just got so lucky. I love her music. For her to guide Maria's character and sing music live was a dream. I really wanted the film to cross genres as much as possible, and I’ve always wanted to do live music in a movie. So, having her there, to physically be there singing for us in the film,...

It was challenging for Maria Bakalova to morph into Ivana Trump in The Apprentice, but the Creature Commandos and Borat: Subsequent Moviefilm star is suddenly jazzed about her costars in the film. Sebastian Stan and Jeremy Strong both nabbed Academy Award nominations for playing Donald Trump and Roy Cohn, respectively, in The Apprentice, the hot topic film that tracks Trump’s rise to power. Speaking with MovieWeb in a recent interview to promote her new film, O Horizon, Bakalova stated:

“I couldn't be more excited that the movie is going to be released again, because we had only a very small theatrical run [...] At the end of the day, I feel it's a very important film. It’s a dive into the individuality of the system, and that's something we need to explore. It's educational in a lot of ways.”

She went on to say that she’s “extremely happy and excited” for Stan.

Maria Bakalova was one of only two survivors in the groovy 2022 Gen Z slasher film, Bodies Bodies Bodies. That horror thrillerhas a curious link to Bakalova’s very different new movie, O Horizon. In a recent MovieWeb interview, the actress revealed that she received the script for the heartwarming indie film on the same day of Bodies Bodies Bodies’ red carpet premiere and the beginning of her New York press tour.

“I was in New York for five days, and it was our press day, the same night we're supposed to be having our premiere,” Bakalova said. “And in between interviews and organizing for the premiere, I was reading the script, and I was like, ‘Oh my God, I love this so much.’” She added:

“Everybody was like, well, [today] is basically the only chance to meet the director. And I remember I left immediately from my hotel to meet Madeleine Rotzler,...

O Horizon is bound to be one of the season's sweetest charmers. The heartwarming indie film stars Maria Bakalova as a neuroscientist grieving the loss of her father (David Strathairn of Nomadland and Good Night and Good Luck). There's a nice sci-fi element, too, placing the film in the realm of magical realism and making it an overall celebration of indie cinema. Written and directed by Emmy winner Madeleine Rotzler (Dangerous Acts Starring the Unstable Elements of Belarus), O Horizon is the kind of movie we need more of.

Bakalova evokes great compassion for her character, Abby, who grabs hold of an opportunity to speak and engage with her deceased father, Warren, again — through the use of new AI technology. Trippy. But perhaps not so much, considering the technological advancement these days. The challenge for Abby, however, is that the ripple effects of her actions spread much farther than she ever realized,...

At one point in singer-songwriter Jeff Buckely’s promising career, the musician exclaimed on MTV that he sees himself as a parasite in an industry he’s long admired. Not quite a household name in the United States, the Southern California native found an immense following in Europe and other countries that seemed to gravitate towards his unique sound developed while playing in New York nightclubs in his early 20s. At a time in the 1990s when grunge music became popular, Jeff Buckley’s eclectic brand and distinctive voice was cut short when he drowned in Memphis at the tender age of 30.

Much has been written about the musician who only gave the world one studio album, “Grace.” Often regarded for his covers of previously well-known songs, Buckley is best remembered for his take on the Leonard Cohen hit, “Hallelujah,” notable for Buckley’s interpretation of the song as more sexually based than gospel hymn.

It’s extremely hard not to gush over Jeff Buckley. An Adonis with an four-octave range, the singer-songwriter had the sensitivity of an early-Seventies folkie, the melody-meets-muscle rock chops of an early-Nineties grunge practitioner, and a frontman sex appeal that was timeless. He counted Nina Simone, Judy Garland, Led Zeppelin, and Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan as his musical influences, and could replicate their vocal stylings to an uncanny degree. Having moved from Orange County, California, to New York City, Buckley began playing guitar and singing cover songs at the Lower East Side cafe Sin-é.

Jeff Buckley’s life started with both an act of embrace and a decisive abandonment. His mother was only 17 when she conceived him and, while it was suggested she might give the baby up for adoption, she knew she had to nurture the human growing inside her and let him nurture her in return. Jeff’s father, on the other hand, could not let his dreams of being a famous singer/songwriter be replaced by the difficulties of raising a child and chose not to be a part of his life.

Tim Buckley would eventually gain the notoriety he sought, producing nine studio albums and serving as a well-known figure in the folk rock community for his unique voice and experimentation with multiple genres of music. Though Jeff did finally meet his father following a concert near where he grew up in Southern California, Tim would die of a heroin overdose shortly thereafter.

Jeff Buckley’s mother, Mary Guibert, has opened up about being pitched a biopic about her late son starring Brad Pitt.

In an interview with Variety, Guibert remembered Pitt’s efforts to get a green light for the biopic in 2000. After the actor invited Guibert to lunch at his home and put her on the guest list for his wedding to Jennifer Aniston, she initially said yes.

However, Guibert soon became skeptical about Pitt being the right fit for the role. “We’re going to dye your hair, put brown contact lenses on those baby blues, and you’re going to open your mouth and Jeff’s voice is going to come out?” she told him.

The project eventually pivoted to an upcoming documentary titled It’s Never Over, Jeff Buckley after director Amy Berg came aboard and had an epiphany while combing through Buckley’s archives.

“Once I started...

For more than two decades, filmmakers chased the lightning-in-a-bottle story of Jeff Buckley, one of the most gifted and promising musicians of his generation, who drowned in a Memphis river in May 1997 at the age of 30.

Back in 2000, Brad Pitt courted Buckley’s mother, Mary Guibert, inviting her to lunch at his Los Feliz home and adding her to the VIP guest list for his wedding to Jennifer Aniston. It didn’t require much arm-twisting before she granted the actor permission to make a biopic about her son, the tortured singer-songwriter who is best known for performing the greatest version ever of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah.”

“If there’s 20 people calling you, and Brad Pitt is one of them, who are you gonna pick to go see?” Guibert says with a laugh.

But Guibert was skeptical about the idea of Pitt, or any actor for that matter, tackling the role of her only child.

Sky Ferreira has been waiting for a call from A24 for years. “I’ve always wanted to do something like this for a long time because I felt like so many of my peers have worked with A24 musically,” she tells Rolling Stone over the phone. “I was like, ‘Why am I the only one who never gets to do anything ever? I don’t get to have an album or write for films …’”

The call finally came early this summer, when she was contacted by the team behind A24’s upcoming erotic thriller Babygirl,...

Ted Danson goes into spy mode and infiltrates a retirement home in Netflix’s “A Man on the Inside” — and he does it to a standout soundtrack. The touching new comedy comes from “The Good Place” creator Michael Schur, who was inspired by the charming, Academy Award-nominated Chilean documentary “The Mole Agent,” which followed an elderly man into a retirement community, where he proved a terrible spy but a lovely friend to the residents.

Comedy TV great Danson takes on the role of the mole for the Netflix series, which comes with a Netflix-budget soundtrack full of needle drops from throwback rock and folk greats like Cat Stevens, Cream and Jackson Browne, among many others. Check out a full list of all the songs in “A Man on the Inside” below.

‘A Man on the Inside’ Soundtrack “The Wind” by Cat Stevens “Rip Rip” by David Holmes “The Opera House...

It’s been wild to watch the rise of William Apostol, a.k.a. Billy Strings, a bluegrass prodigy turned crossover star like fellow genre travelers Alison Krauss and Chris Stapleton — but one who’s found a home in Jambandlandia, where his super-sick flatpicking guitar virtuosity has met with big fat dancing bear-hugs. Leaning into long instrumental journeys onstage (see last year’s 38-minute single, an epic live sequence of “Meet Me at the Creek” > “Pyramid Country” > “Must Be Seven” > “Meet Me at the Creek”), Strings’ original songs have proved solid jam vehicles.

Gil Thorp, the veteran funnies-page high-school coach, is getting new help on the sidelines.

Rachel Merrill takes over the drawing duties on the long-running comic strip, set on the playing fields of the fictional Milford High School starting September 30 — the first time “Gil Thorp” will have been drawn by a new artist in more than 16 years. Rod Whigham, who has sketched the adventures of Thorp since 2008, will step down from the role.

“I couldn’t have asked for a better collaborator than Rod Whigham. He’s an incredible draftsman and storyteller. It’s the end of an era on the funnies page,” says Henry Barajas, who has been writing “Gil Thorp” since July of 2022. “Rachel is the perfect artist to step in and take over the daunting task of following Rod after his historic run. She’s striking a perfect balance between honoring the art that preceded her and simultaneously...

Nada Surf are always the indie-rock grown-ups in the room—the band who know exactly who they are and what they’re doing. Their excellent new Moon Mirror has all the tropes that go into a Nada Surf album: exquisite guitar chimes polished until they gleam, melodies that kick in and stick, songcraft in the finest Big Star/Kinks/Spoon tradition. Matthew Caws sings his impeccably witty tunes about being in love (with a person, with a song, with a feeling) and how it changes over time, without ever settling...

Guitar hero Billy Strings is back to announce that Highway Prayers, his fourth solo album, will be out everywhere on September 27th. He’s also shared “Leadfoot,” the first offering from Highway Prayers.

Highway Prayers was recorded in Nashville and Los Angeles and features production from Strings and Jon Brion. It follows Billy Strings’ collaborative album with his father, Me/And/Dad. His prior solo album Renewal arrived in 2021, and just this year, he released his first live album titled Billy Strings Live Vol. 1.

Get Billy Strings Tickets Here

“Leadfoot,” the first single from Highway Prayers, finds Billy Strings railing against a speedy, reckless driver. “I said hey now, hey now, slow that old thing down/ This city ain’t your highway and you’re tearing up my town,” Strings howls. The quick tempo matches the kind of rip-roaring highway debauchery that Strings sings about — meanwhile, Strings is credited on the vocals,...

There are stories of coincidence and chance, of intersections and strange things told, and which is which and who only knows? And we generally say, ‘Well, if that was in a movie, I wouldn’t believe it.’ Well, believe it, because all of what follows actually happened during the making of Paul Thomas Anderson’s 1999 film Magnolia.

A film and production of gambles, absurdities, forgiveness, and reckonings, Magnolia evolved from what would be the final shot of the film – a smile, a symbol of hope in a world of misery, lost drive and…frogs – into one of the most divisive, memorable and best films of the century.

So, let’s get our buzzers ready and wise up as we find out: What happened to this movie?!

Magnolia has its origins in the post-production of Boogie Nights, with Paul Thomas Anderson looking into going down to the “intimate and small scale” of his 1996 debut,...

Jason Isbell pulled double duty on The Daily Show on Thursday (February 22nd), performing “Cast Iron Skillet” and sitting down with host Desi Lydic. Watch it all below.

The country artist first joined Lydic at the desk for an interview about his role in Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon, as well as his Grammy-winning album Weathervanes. Speaking about the film, Isbell joked about not needing a dialect coach because of his native accent. He also recalled the time someone on set farted while he was doing an intense seen opposite Leonardo DiCaprio.

Get Jason Isbell Tickets Here

“I started laughing, and DiCaprio started laughing, and I thought, ‘Oh great! We’re doing one of those blooper reels!’ ‘Cause I’d never been in a movie before,” Isbell said. “I thought, ‘This guy farted; this is gonna be great.’ And then [DiCaprio] wove the laugh into his character, and...

Jon Hamm has a new role: He plays an emotionally unavailable boyfriend in singer Leslie Stevens’ new music video for “Blue Roses.”

The clip, released Friday, features Hamm in a cowboy hat and denim shirt, as he hands Stevens blue roses and she sings the lyrics, “Go ahead and take another little piece of my heart/I’ll give it to you as a fall apart.” The bluesy rock-pop track features the hook, “All I get from you are blue roses.”

The Emmy-winning actor even hijacks Stevens’ microphone during her live performance and replaces it with blue roses in the video, directed by Paige Stark of the rock band Tashaki Miyaki.

“I love a music video, and when it’s for a good song it’s even better” says Hamm, whose other music video credits include Eeels’ “Are We Alright Again,” Aimee Mann’s “Labrador,” The Lonely Island and Rihanna...

Apple TV animated show Central Park has come to an end after three series, Josh Gad has confirmed.

Josh Gad may be better known as the voice of Olaf in Disney’s blockbuster Frozen franchise, but in the last few years he created, co-wrote and starred in animated musical sitcom Central Park for Apple TV.

The show followed the Tillerman-Hunter family, as seen from the viewpoint of the narrator Birdie. When Bitsy Brandenham, an elderly heiress, plots to buy up all the land in Central Park and develop it, the Tillermans must deal with their issues and save the park.

The voice cast included Emmy Raver-Lampman, Tituss Burgess, Daveed Diggs, Josh Gad, Kathryn Hahn, Leslie Odom Jr, Stanley Tucci and Kristen Bell.

Josh Gad created the show with Nora Smith and Bob’s Burgers founder Loren Bouchard, with the two shows sharing the same animation and art style. But Central Park...

There aren’t a lot of precedents in pop music for the pairing of Billie Eilish and Finneas, when it comes to brother-and-sister performing or songwriting duos. But in the world of music for films, it might not be too soon to start considering a comparison with a very famous married duo: Alan and Marilyn Bergman, the long-reigning king and queen of movie theme songs. The Bergmans weren’t a fully self-contained songwriting unit; they primarily worked as lyricists, joining up with outside composers like Michel Legrand or Marvin Hamlisch on Oscar-winning material like “The Windmills of Your Mind,” “The Way We Were” and the song score of “Yentl.” But it’s their names that are synonymous with film songs like few others’. Could it be that the O’Connells are following in their footsteps?

It’s much too soon to tell, with only a handful of movie songs to...

Director Sam Jones won plaudits earlier this year for his HBO documentary “Jason Isbell: Running With Our Eyes Closed,” one of the best-regarded music docs since his own “I Am Trying to Break Your Heart: A Film About Wilco” back in 2001. He also got attention this year for his HBO documentary series “Smartless: On the Road,” with Jason Bateman, Will Arnett and Sean Hayes. But he doesn’t go on-camera himself with those particular doc projects, the way he did in his long-running talk show “Off Camera With Sam Jones,” which ran for 220 episodes on DirecTV from 2013 through 2020.

Now Jones putting himself back in the formal host role with a new series he’s begun shooting intermittently at the Hotel Café club in Hollywood, titled “The Talent Show.” The types of guests he has and the strength of his interviewing chops will seem recognizable to anyone familiar with “Off Camera,...

In the article series Sound and Vision we take a look at music videos from notable directors. This week we take a look at Fiona Apple's Across the Universe, directed by Paul Thomas Anderson. Paul Thomas Anderson, PTA for those in the know, has made a plethora of music videos. He started off with music videos for his then-girlfriend Fiona Apple, who later had some choice words about the director. At the time he also made a tie-in music video for Save Me, from Aimee Mann's soundtrack for his own Magnolia, and for her husband Micheal Penn he made the music video for Try. Later in his career he made a...

[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...

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Slather on your sunblock and strap on your fanny pack: Festival season is upon us. Though Coachella and Stagecoach have come and gone, there are plenty more summer music bonanzas to add to your calendar.

Frequent festgoers can make their event-hopping experience easier with services such as FestivalPass, which allows members to save up to 30 percent on up to 80,000 festivals, concerts, sporting events and more. memberships are $19 to $99 per month (or $210 to $1,080 per year) and include early access, no ticketing fees, bonus tickets and more perks. Resale sites such as SeatGeek, StubHub and VividSeats also offer tickets to sold-out events.

Related: The Best Music Festival Essentials, from Face Mists to Phone Chargers

Following suit from last year’s festivals, mask mandates are no longer in place as...

Listen via: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Pandora | Stitcher | Google | Pocket Casts | Radio Public | RSS

May is Mental Health Awareness Month, which makes it the perfect time to bring back Going There with Dr. Mike for a fresh season! Consequence Podcast Network and Sound Mind Live are proud to announce the return of the podcast that bridges the gap between music and mental health by inviting your favorite artists to have open, insightful conversations about their own mental health journeys.

Going There finds licensed clinical psychologist Dr. Mike Friedman breaking through the biases surrounding mental health by speaking with artists like Jason Isbell, My Chemical Romance’s Gerard Way, Jewel, Julien Baker, Muna, Alessia Cara, Shamir, Aimee Mann, and more. Over three seasons, these musicians have been “going there” so that others might find a connection that helps them on their own wellness path.

For Season 4, we’re shifting to a bi-weekly release schedule,...

John Oliver was back at it on Last Week Tonight making fun of slogans. This time, the late-night talk show host gave his “business daddy” Warner Bros. Discovery a break and instead took a swipe at Fast X.

While discussing immigration to the U.S., Oliver showcased an interview with Joe Biden on Telemundo talking about asylum seekers. At one point in the clip, Biden says he can only imagine having a family member deported and adds, “To me, it’s all about family, beginning, middle and end.”

Oliver then joked, “Yeah, it’s all about family, beginning, middle and end… whatever the f**k that means. A pretty empty phrase from a presidential candidate but, to be honest, a pretty good tagline for Fast X.”

“It’s only mildly less comprehensible than, ‘The end of the road begins,'” Oliver continued.

Last week, Oliver suggested a new slogan for...

Regina Spektor has announced a new string of Summer 2023 tour dates in support of her latest album, Home, before and after.

Kicking off on July 28th in Milwaukee, the trek includes shows at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles and Wolf Trap in Vienna, Virginia — both of which will feature support from Aimee Mann. The jaunt also includes stops in Cincinnati, Philadelphia, and New York City. See Spektor’s complete touring schedule below.

Tickets go on sale Friday, April 7th at 10:00 a.m. local time via Ticketmaster, with a Live Nation pre-sale beginning Wednesday, April 5th (use access code Vinyl).

Once tickets are on sale, you can also find them at StubHub, where orders are 100% guaranteed through StubHub’s FanProtect program. StubHub is a secondary market ticketing platform, and prices may be higher or lower than face value, depending on demand.

In February, Spektor stopped by Late Night with...

Words + Music, the musical narrative series from Audible, has announced its upcoming slate of contributors, which will include exclusive and personal releases from Jazmine Sullivan, Jeff Tweedy, and D’Angelo. Each artist will share a piece of their own story through a unique format, ranging from the recital of intimate diary entries to deep reflections of career influences and reimagined live performances of classic releases.

The Art of Confessing will be performed by Sullivan, who created the installment alongside writer Clover Hope. The snapshot of the R&b musician’s world...

This review originally ran May 26, 2022, in conjunction with the film’s world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival.

The Palme d’Or can be a blessing and curse, a gold-plated sword of Damocles hanging over the heads of filmmakers lucky enough to claim it. After the first waves of shock and joy recede, and their subsequent year-long victory lap reaches the finish line, those same filmmakers are left alone with one troubling thought: What’s next?

Director Hirokazu Kore-eda offers a fine case study in how that question might trip someone up. In so many ways, his win for 2018’s “Shoplifters” showed the system working as intended. Kore-eda had been to Cannes many times before; he directed a mature work that built on and streamlined earlier themes; he led viewers on a twisty road that led to a strong emotional payoff. He earned it.

If the coronation opened new doors for the Japanese director,...

So, you’ve spent all your money on gifts, been kicked out of your bed due to visiting relatives and have already heard “I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day” around 94 times.

Love them or hate them, Christmas songs are a big part of the festive period – and so they should bel hearing these tunes while unwrapping gifts or peeling parsnips the night before must fill with you with some yuletide cheer.

But it’s time to spread your Christmas music wings.

Fortunately for you, we’ve compiled the alternative tracks that may be less popular than the old familiars, but will work just as effectively – if not better – on the big morning.

Featured are the likes of Aimee Mann, Bob Dylan and Marvin Gaye, whose lesser-known Christmas efforts will have your hearts warming like chestnuts on an open fire.

Band-wise, it’s time to be introduced to gems...

So, you’ve spent all your money on gifts, been kicked out of your bed due to visiting relatives and have already heard “I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day” around 94 times.

Love them or hate them, Christmas songs are a big part of the festive period – and so they should bel hearing these tunes while unwrapping gifts or peeling parsnips the night before must fill with you with some yuletide cheer.

But it’s time to spread your Christmas music wings.

Fortunately for you, we’ve compiled the alternative tracks that may be less popular than the old familiars, but will work just as effectively – if not better – on the big morning.

Featured are the likes of Aimee Mann, Bob Dylan and Marvin Gaye, whose lesser-known Christmas efforts will have your hearts warming like chestnuts on an open fire.

Band-wise, it’s time to be introduced to gems...

“Fairytale of New York” is a drunken hymn for people with broken dreams and abandoned hopes. It is, therefore, a perfect contrast to some of the perkier perennial favourites we wheel out each Christmas.

The song begins with its narrator, an Irish immigrant, being thrown into a drunk tank to sleep off his Christmas Eve binge.

Hearing an old man sing the Irish ballad “The Rare Old Mountain Dew”, he begins to dream about his memories of the female character in the song, and so begins the story of two people who fell in love in America, only to see their plans of a bright future dashed.

Some of the best songs combine uplifting instrumentation with lyrics that are downright miserable, and such is the case for “Fairytale of New York”. It has none of the gooeyness of Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas Is You” or Wham!

“Fairytale of New York” is a drunken hymn for people with broken dreams and abandoned hopes. It is, therefore, a perfect contrast to some of the perkier perennial favourites we wheel out each Christmas.

The song begins with its narrator, an Irish immigrant, being thrown into a drunk tank to sleep off his Christmas Eve binge.

Hearing an old man sing the Irish ballad “The Rare Old Mountain Dew”, he begins to dream about his memories of the female character in the song, and so begins the story of two people who fell in love in America, only to see their plans of a bright future dashed.

Some of the best songs combine uplifting instrumentation with lyrics that are downright miserable, and such is the case for “Fairytale of New York”. It has none of the gooeyness of Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas Is You” or Wham!

A shot of Brion at Largo in Los Angeles, where he performed live for many years. Photo: Jon Brion’s personal archives Few composers, musicians, or producers have had more impact over the past three decades on music in films and on the radio than Jon Brion. As a songwriter and session player,...

The bell just rang, school is out for summer. Maybe it’s out forever—leaving school behind as our heroes and antiheroes spend long, hot days laying about in the city or countryside, anticipating college dreams or fearing a return to the classroom. Or, more likely, not thinking of studies at all, just anticipating the next summer day and how to score more thrills.As the season winds down, here is a mix that is an ode to the teenage summer—so wonderfully captured in many films—a choice selection that evokes endless possibilities: sweat, love, passion, booze, drugs, and questions of the great unknown just around the corner. The characters of these summertime stories are either breaking hearts, heartbroken, running from hell or somewhere lost in between.Some favorite moments include the confusion, chaos and otherworldly essence of Gheorghe Zamfir’s flute from the unforgettable score for Peter Weir...

In Paul Thomas Anderson’s 1999 masterpiece “Magnolia,” there is a scene in which his network of lonely souls gently, then suddenly, burst into song. Julianne Moore, William H. Macy, Tom Cruise, John C. Reilly and all the others stare out into the night and try and make sense of their desperate lives as they mouth the lyrics to Aimee Mann’s aching “Wise Up.” The scene comes out of nowhere, but, like so many of the best parts about that film, and about all the best films, it is simply a thing that happens. You go with it.

“Wise Up” plays through a car radio on a rainy evening in policewoman Su-jin’s (Doona Bae) car in Hirokazu Kore-eda’s bittersweet and complex family drama “Broker.” Mann’s timbre is unmistakable, and the “Magnolia” reference is acknowledged by this lonely cop trying to reach out to her own disconnected loved...

Mandy Moore appeared on The Tonight Show to perform her reflective single, “In Real Life.” The song, which she played with her band, finds Moore reflecting upon the excitement and trepidation of parenthood.

“In Real Life” appears on Moore’s new LP of the same name, out May 13 via Verve Forecast. The album, produced by Mike Viola, followed 2020’s Silver Landings — which marked the singer’s first new album in more than a decade. Moore unveiled a music video for “In Real Life” in March featuring her son Gus, along...

Donald Fagen has denied Aimee Mann’s claim that she was dropped as the opening act for Steely Dan’s new tour because, as she speculated, “they thought their audience wouldn’t like a female singer-songwriter.”

In a statement to Rolling Stone, Fagen explained, “Well, first of all, the idea that I would make any decision based on the gender of a performer is ridiculous. That’s something that would never even occur to me.”

Fagen also noted that female singer-songwriters like Phoebe Snow and Rickie Lee Jones had served...

Mandy Moore has announced a new studio album, In Real Life, which arrives May 13 via Verve Forecast, and it’s available for preorder. Her upcoming LP is the follow-up to 2020’s Silver Landings, which was her first new album in more than a decade.

The title track serves as the first single, which she shared on Tuesday.

“So much of this record came from future-tripping on the next chapter of my life and what it might look like: What parenthood would feel like, how it would change everything, and all...

Tom Cruise has quite an impressive body of work and while it's difficult for some to pick a career-best performance from the actor, I would choose one without hesitation: Frank T.J. Mackey in "Magnolia." Paul Thomas Anderson's magnum opus released in 1999 and follows a tapestry of interwoven characters as they struggle through their lives in the San Fernando Valley. At over three hours long, the film certainly isn't for everyone, but I think it's a masterpiece. Parts of it were written around the incredible music of Aimee Mann, who soundtracked much of the film, along with composer extraordinaire Jon Brion.

In "Magnolia," Cruise plays a motivational...

The post The Real-Life Inspiration Behind Tom Cruise's Character In Magnolia appeared first on /Film.

Epix announced that its upcoming adventure series “Billy the Kid” will premiere on April 24.

The series follows famous outlaw William H. Bonney, a.k.a. Billy the Kid (Tom Blyth), from his Irish roots to his cowboy days on the American frontier, including his role in the Lincoln County War.

The news came via Epix’s presentation at the Television Critics Association’s 2022 winter press tour, during which they also released a new trailer.

Epix also announced three newly greenlit docuseries: “Women Who Rock,” Season 2 of “NFL Icons” and “The Making of a Haunting: The Amityville Murders.” “Women Who Rock” is a tribute to female pioneers in the music industry and features artists including Nancy Wilson, Chaka Khan, Pat Benatar, Mavis Staples, Sheila E, Macy Gray, Rickie Lee Jones, Norah Jones, Aimee Mann, Tori Amos, Kate Pierson, Tina Weymouth and Nona Hendrix. The four-part series is from Network Entertainment. John Varvatos,...

Epix is continuing to rock with new music documentaries and is throwing some scares into the equation.

The MGM-owned cable network has ordered the four-part series Women Who Rock, exec produced by John Varvatos, who was behind its Punk series.

It is the latest music-focused series for the network, which recently aired Mr. A & Mr. M: The Story of A&m Records and has put a slew of titles into development (see the list below).

It has also ordered docuseries The Making of a Haunting: The Amityville Murders and renewed NFL Icons for a second season.

Women Who Rock will feature interviews with the likes of Nancy Wilson, Chaka Khan, Pat Benatar, Mavis Staples, Sheila E, Macy Gray, Rickie Lee Jones, Norah Jones, Aimee Mann, Tori Amos, Kate Pierson, Tina Weymouth and Nona Hendrix. It will pay homage to the legion of female pioneers in music who have stormed...

Multi-faceted filmmaker Mark Duplass discusses the movies he wishes more people knew about with hosts Josh Olson and Joe Dante.

Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode

Duck Butter (2018)

The Puffy Chair (2005)

Prince Of Broadway (2008)

Tangerine (2015)

The Florida Project (2017) – Dennis Cozzalio’s review

Red Rocket (2021)

Starlet (2012)

Take Out (2004)

Mack & Rita (Tbd)

Old Joy (2006)

First Cow (2020)

Wendy And Lucy (2008) – Dennis Cozzalio’s favorite movie of 2020

Henry Fool (1997)

Trust (1990)

Amateur (1994)

Medicine For Melancholy (2008)

Shang-Chi (2021)

Your Sister’s Sister (2011)

My Effortless Brilliance (2008)

What the Funny (2008)

Humpday (2009)

True Adolescents (2009)

Man Push Cart (2005)

The White Tiger (2021)

Baghead (2008)

The Do-Deca-Pentathlon (2012)

Language Lessons (2021)

Stevie (2002)

Hoop Dreams (1994)

American Movie (1999)

What Happened Was… (1994) – Ti West’s trailer commentary

Manhunter (1986) – Josh Olson’s trailer commentary

My Dinner With Andre (1981)

Creep (2014)

Grown-Ups (1980)

Abigail’s Party (1977)

Nuts In May (1976)

Secrets And Lies (1996) – Glenn Erickson’s Criterion Blu-ray review

Naked (1993)

Parallel Mothers (2021)

The Freebie (2010)

East Of Eden (1955) – Larry Cohen’s trailer commentary

Strange...

Amid an Omicron variant surge in New York, City Winery has announced that, starting Sunday, people attending shows at the venue will be required to have both proof of full vaccination as well as a negative Covid-19 test.

City Winery says they are the first venue to require both measures, as the transmission of the Omicron variant has made it so that full vaccination isn’t enough of a defense against the highly contagious strain.

“This is the safest measure we can do to balance the challenging protections against the Omicron surge in NYC,...