Raffi Remains As Engaging, Entertaining As Ever On His Latest Album

Courtesy: Concord Music Group

Famed family music entertainer Raffi released his latest full-length studio recording this month in the form of Penny Penguin.  His 24^th album, it was released April 19 and features guest appearances from fellow singing act, The Good Lovelies.  The 14-song record will appeal to Raffi’s established fan base in part because of its featured musical arrangements, which will be addressed shortly.  The lyrical themes that accompany the album’s musical content add to the record’s interest and will be examined a little later.  The sequencing of said collective content puts the finishing touch to the whole of this presentation.  Each item noted is important in its own way to the whole of the recording.  All things considered they make Penny Penguin another welcome addition to this year’s current field of new family music albums.

Penny Penguin, the latest new full-length record from Raffi, is a largely successful new offering from the veteran family music entertainer.  The album’s interest comes in no small part to the album’s featured musical arrangements.  For the most part, the album’s musical content is everything that audiences have come to expect from Raffi.  It is that folksy sound and style that he has used throughout his career. Though there are at least a couple of points at which he changes things up here.  The most notable of those moments comes just prior to the album’s midpoint in ‘Mama Loves It.’  Raffi (whose real name is Raffi Cavoukian) and The Good Lovelies take a more decidedly bluegrass approach here while still maintaining Raffi’s own trademark sound and style as part of the whole.  ‘Hum Hummingbird’ is another point at which Raffi changes things up.  In the case of this song, the acoustic guitar and vocals have a little bit of a John Mayer sense about it yet it actually works here.  Even later in the record’s run, Raffi goes Celtic in ‘Wild Mountain Thyme.’  He even goes the southern gospel route in the group’s take of the traditional ‘Peace Like a River.’ This rendition of the classic hymn is infectious to say the least. So while listeners get plenty of familiarity throughout this album, musically speaking, Raffi also presents something a little different at points throughout so as to ensure listeners’ maintained engagement and entertainment.

As much enjoyment as Penny Penguin’s musical arrangements are sure to offer listeners, they are just part of the record’s presentation.  The lyrical themes that accompany the noted content make for their own interest.  In regard to lyrical themes, Raffi and company throw out themes of nature (‘The Birdies Song,’ ‘My Forest Friend,’ ‘Penny Penguin,’ ‘Hum Hummingbird’), family (‘Much More Love,’ ‘Mama Loves It’), and points in-between (‘Peekaboo Song,’ ‘Arabella Miller,’ Wild Mountain Thyme’) throughout the album.  Simply put, the record’s lyrical content is even more diverse than its musical styles.  To that end, it builds on the engagement and entertainment ensured through the musical content, making for even more enjoyment for listeners. 

While the overall content featured in Penny Penguin goes a long way toward making the album worth hearing, they are only part of what makes the album appealing to Raffi’s established audiences.  The sequencing in question takes fully into account that much of the album’s musical content is similar in sound and style.  A close listen, however, will reveal that there are subtle changes from one arrangement to the next.  Catching those subtleties will keep listeners engaged and entertained.  What’s more, the more notable changes in sound and style mixed into the whole builds on that even more, giving audiences even more reason to take in the presentation.  The lyrical themes being more diverse, they change up even more noticeably from one to the next.  The constant changes in both sides makes the whole a solid presentation for Raffi from beginning to end that families will appreciate just as much as most of Raffi’s existing body of work.  It makes the album one more welcome addition to this year’s field of new family music albums.

Penny Penguin, the latest album from Raffi, is a largely successful new offering from the veteran singer-songwriter and family music entertainer.  Its appeal comes in part through its featured musical arrangements, which are for the most part familiar territory for Raffi but are also still entertaining and engaging in their own right.  That is due to the subtle changes in sound that each arrangement exhibits.  The lyrical themes featured in the album are a little more diverse than their musical counterpart and makes for even more interest.  The sequencing of the overall content puts the finishing touch to the whole as it shows the time and through that went into bringing the album to life.  Each item examined here is important in its own way to the whole of the album.  All things considered they make Penny Penguin a record that Raffi’s established fans will appreciate just as much as most families in general.

Penny Penguin is available now.  More information on Penny Penguin is available along with all of Raffi’s latest news at:

Website: https://raffinews.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Raffi.Cavoukian

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Raffi_RC

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Eureka Entertainment’s ‘Cat And The Canary’ Re-Issue Will Appeal To Every Classic Film Buff

Courtesy: Eureka Entertainment

There is an old adage out there that states “silence is golden.”  As most people know, that adage means to say that having silence instead of the noise all around us is a good thing.  It is, too.  At the same time though, it can apply in another way, believe it not.  It can also apply in regard to silent film.  That is because there are lots of great old silent films that are golden in their own right.  Case in point are the old Buster Keaton movies, those from the likes of Harold Lloyd, Douglas Fairbanks, and so many others.  This week, Eureka Entertainment re-issued another golden silent film for a whole new generation of audiences in the form of The Cat and the Canary.  Originally released in 1927 by Universal Pictures, this “old dark house” style film was not the first of its kind but is still a thoroughly entertaining work that every true film buff should watch.  The bonus content that accompanies the movie in its brand new Blu-ray re-issue adds to its appeal because of the history that it provides regarding the movie, its cast, and its place in the larger pantheon of cinematic history.  The overall production in this restoration puts the finishing touch to the movie’s presentation.  It will have audiences applauding just as much in is own way.  When it is considered along with the bonus content and the movie’s story, the whole therein makes this movie release another great addition to this year’s field of movie and TV re-issues.

Eureka Entertainment’s brand new re-issue of Universal Pictures’ 1927 silent film, The Car and the Canary, is a strong presentation from the independent distribution company that most true film buffs will appreciate.  The movie’s appeal comes in part through its featured story.  The story in question is a familiar tale.  A group of people come together in an old house to hear the reading of a departed family member’s will.  They all must stay the night and survive and only one person can end up with the money.  Meanwhile the specter of something paranormal or even more dangerous lurks in the shadows.  If this sounds familiar, it should.  It was also used in the play by John Willard as well as in the stage play presentation of The Bat years prior in 1920.  The play in question was the brainchild of Mary Roberts Rinehart and Avery Hopwood.  It would also go on to be used multiple times in later years in the likes of another Universal flick, The Shadow of the Cat (1961) and Deal Productions/Iselin-Tinney Productions’ The Curse of the Living Corpse (1967).  Even The Flintstones would use a very similar plot in its 1964 episode, “A Haunted House Is Not A Home.”  The Three Stooges would also go on to use a similar plot more than once in their shorts, one of which being 1945’s “If A Body Meets A Body.” 

The evil that lurks in the case of The Cat and The Canary is believed to be a maniac who escaped a nearby insane asylum, though the reality is disturbing in its own right as it is revealed who the maniac really is.  In the end, audiences get a satisfying finale.  At the same time though, there is one somewhat disturbing aspect.  That aspect is the reminder in viewers’ minds that Paul (Creighton Hale) and Annabelle (Laura LaPlante) are related albeit distantly.  That the story would put them together romantically (or what seems romantically) is a little unsettling.

Speaking of that seeming romance, it is one of a number of interesting topics addressed in the bonus feature-length audio commentary from the pairing of Kevin Lyons and Jonathan Rigby.  The duo’s commentary is one of a number of fully engaging and entertaining extras that come with the movie’s new re-issue.  The pair notes in passing, the romantic ending that is so commonplace among stories such as The Cat and the Canary.  The pair also raises an even more intriguing discussion, that of director Paul Leni’s focus on the characters’ hands throughout the movie.  It really is an interesting topic to which most audiences likely would not have thought about had they not taken in this audio track but once they do, becomes clearly important in the bigger picture of the story.  The duo also discusses Leni’s own take on the film as influenced by the European filming techniques of the age; those impressionist influences, such as extreme facial close-ups and other items.  They, like author Stephen Jones and critic Kim Newman (who provide their own separate commentary track), also discuss the “old dark house” movie plot, its use in the original stage play, and the history of the genre.  The pair makes mention of the tie to The Bat in regard to the genre, as do Newman and Jones.  Speaking of that pair, viewers learn from Newman and Jones, The Cat and the Canary is not the progenitor of the “old dark house” genre.  That honor belongs to Paramount Pictures’ 1921 movie, The Ghost Breaker.  The pair also takes on Leni’s impressionist influences in his directing style, just as Lyons and Rigby do on their audio track.

As if everything noted is not enough, Lyons and Rigby also take on differences between the original stage play of The Cat and The Canary and its cinematic adaptation.  The pair reveals during its discussion, for instance, that not included in the movie but included in the stage play, was a mention of Paul suffering somewhat from PTSD due to his time in military service.  It is understandable, considering how the movie script plays out, why that was not included here.  On yet another note, Newman and Jones make mention of Hale’s deliberate attempt to emulate Lloyd what with the use of his glasses.  He really does look similar to Lloyd thanks to that added touch.  It helps add to the story’s overall comedic touch even amid all of the story’s tension.  When one considers all of the items discussed noted here alongside everything else raised in the commentaries and other standalone extras, the whole therein adds a whole extra layer of engagement and entertainment for audiences.  When that extra layer is considered along with the story (and its pacing), that whole gives audiences more than enough to applaud.  It is still not all that audiences will appreciate.  The general production of the movie in its latest re-issue rounds out the reasons for audiences to take in this presentation.

The production that went into the movie’s restoration this time out is well-deserving of praise because of the clarity in the picture and sound.  All of the look of the original film is there in the rich sepia tone and even the grainy look of each scene.  It creates a wonderful, welcome sense of nostalgia.  The orchestration that accompanies the movie, serving as its soundtrack adds just as much to the whole.  The perfect timing adds so much emotion to each scene and the sound itself exhibits the amount of work that went into giving new life to the movie’s soundtrack through its new recording.  The positive aesthetic that it and the general look of the production brings to the movie makes for just as much enjoyment as the movie’s story and its bonus content.  When all things are considered, the result is a presentation that every film buff will appreciate and that is the best re-issue of the classic flick to date.  Overall, they make the movie among the best of this year’s new movie and television re-issues.

Eureka Entertainment’s brand new re-issue of Universal Pictures’ classic crime thriller The Cat and the Canary is a wonderful new entry in this year’s field of new movie and television re-issues.  It gives audiences so much to appreciate, from its relatively accessible story to its bonus content, which provides audiences so much background on the movie and the very genre that is the “old dark house” and more, to the expert production.  Each item examined adds so much to the whole of the movie’s new presentation.  All things considered they make The Cat and the Canary’s latest release a must have for any classic film buff that proves in fact silence is truly golden in more ways than one.

Eurkea Entertainment’s new re-issue of The Cat and the Canary is a successful new offering from the independent distributor.  It is available now.  More information on this and other titles from Eureka Entertainment is available at:

Website: https://eurekavideo.co.uk

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EurekaEntertainment

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Eurekavideo

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Bunn And Company Keep Readers Engaged, Entertained In Latest “Phase” Of ‘Ghostlore’

Courtesy: Boom! Studios

A storm is coming…but what is the storm?  That is the question at the center of the newly released second volume of stories in Boom! Studios’ new paranormal thriller story, Ghostlore.  Released Tuesday through Boom! Studios, Ghostlore: Volume Two picks up where the story left off in its inaugural collection of stories, which culled its first four issues.  Covering the story’s next four issues, Volume Two bears worth reading in part because of its story, which maintains the tension and intrigue of the first four issues.  The artwork incorporated into these four issues builds on the appeal of the collection, making for more entertainment.  The bonus content that accompanies Volume Two rounds out its most important elements, completing its “construction.”  Each item noted does its own key part to make this brand-new continuation of Ghostlore just as enthralling.  All things considered they make Ghostlore: Volume Two another powerful entry in what is sure to become even more moving as it moves into its next phase.

The newly released second volume of stories from Boom! Studios’ paranormal thriller franchise, Ghostlore is a strong continuation of the story that does quite well to keep readers engaged and entertained.  That is due in no small part to the story that spanks the four issues that make up its body.  The story in this volume opens with troubled minister Lucas continuing his search for his daughter Harmony, who left home at the end of the story’s first “phase.” She left because of the emotional and psychological impact of the revelation that she and her father were both able to see dead people; people who, only want to tell their stories so they could cross over.  At the same time, they can also see some rather evil entities who have nothing but bad intentions.  As it turns out, those negative entities are searching for Lucas and Harmony, so obviously word has gotten out about them and their intent there is anything but good.  Audiences find out just how bad their intentions are when confrontations take place between them and both Lucas and Harmony separately.

As the story reaches its peak in this volume, Lucas’ own tensions reach a dangerous point in his own confrontation.  It turns out that he has not been helping the spirits he meets cross over.  Rather he has been doing something even darker that leaves one wondering about his own future as he tries to come to terms with his gift.  This alone is certain to leave readers waiting and wondering what will happen in the third collection of Ghostlore’s bigger story.  Meanwhile, Harmony’s future is also left in question after she and her new friends’ confrontation with Cyril forces them from their home.  The whole herein makes for a fully immersive new phase in the overall story of Ghostlore.  It is reason enough in itself for audiences to check out this anthology.

Ghostlore: Volume Two’s story builds a strong foundation for the collection.  It is just part of what makes this new presentation so engaging and entertaining.  The artwork that is presented throughout builds on the foundation formed by the story.  As with the first four chapters of this chilling paranormal thriller, the trio of Illustrator Leomacs, Colorer Jason Wordie and Letterer Ed Dukeshire handles the artwork in these four issues.  The distinctive edge that Leomacs and Wordie give each scene is once again presented from frame to frame as are the rich colors.  At the same time, there are certain minute moments, such as when Harmony first meets her new friends, that have a subtle cartoonish look.  It is an interesting subtle contrast to the overall style once again featured here. 

On a similar note, the moments when the spirits share their stories with Harmony develop their own unique identity once again.  The darkness in color and the distinct look really helps to set the mood in each tale.  The duo’s work gives those stories so much emotional depth thanks to that attention to the impact of color and style.  The lettering work ensures the dialogue is easy to read in each frame, and the distinct font used when the spirits cross over and when the demons attack adds so much in its own right.  The trio’s overall work throughout each chapter in this collection makes the story once more as visually engaging and entertaining as series creator Cullen Bunn does make it engaging and entertaining through his writing.

The primary content featured throughout Ghostlore’s second collection (the writing and the artwork) is just part of what makes it so engaging and entertaining.  The bonus content  (the secondary content) that accompanies the volume’s primary content rounds out Volume Two’s most important elements.  As with Volume One, the bonus content consists primarily of the variant covers used in each issue that makes up Volume Two.  So not only do readers get the whole of the story’s next four chapters, but they get all those variants in one housing.  In other words they don’t have to spend money over and over for the same story just to get the different covers.  They are all here in one collection at a price that will not break anyone’s budget.  The price in question is $16.99, less than $20. 

That collection of variant covers is just part of the bonus content.  Readers also get a preview of another new title from Bunn.  This time, the preview is for the story, The Empty Man, which would seem to center on what looks to be the negative impact of a cult.  As with Basilisk, it comes across as another dark, gothic style thriller for fans of that genre.  When all of that secondary content is considered along with the whole of the collection’s primary content, the entirety thereof makes Ghostlore: Volume Two another presentation that fans of Ghostlore are sure to enjoy.

Ghostlore: Volume Two, the newly released collection of issues from Boom! Studios’ paranormal/horror thriller series, is another powerful entry to the ongoing franchise.  Its power comes in large part through its writing, which continues to see the development of father and daughter Lucas and Harmony as characters and their respective stories.  No doubt the pair will eventually reunite in the issues to come.  Seeing Lucas’ potentially dark turn developing is certain to grip readers in itself while audiences will be just as sure to be immersed in Harmony’s own journey.  The artwork and letting used in this collection will be found familiar among readers since it is all handled by the same team that handled the series’ first four issues.  The bonus content that comes with this collection puts the finishing touch to its whole, making for its own appeal, too, because of the pleasure readers will find financially.  Each item examined here is important in its own way to the whole of the collection.  All things considered they make Ghostlore: Volume Two a strong continuation of Boom! Studios’ developing series.

Ghostlore: Volume Two is available now.  More information on this and other titles from Boom! Studios is available at:

Website: https://boom-studios.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BOOMStudiosComics

Twitter: https://twitter.com/boomstudios

To keep up with the latest entertainment news and reviews, go online to https://www.facebook.com/philspicks and “Like” it. Fans can always keep up with the latest entertainment news and reviews in the Phil’s Picks blog at https://philspicks.wordpress.com.

DDMG’s New Rosetta Tharpe Live Recording Is A Wonderful Tribute To The Gospel/Blues Legend

Courtesy: Deep Digs Music Group/Elemental Music/ina

Record Store Day 2024 has officially come and gone, and with it came this year, many interesting new releases, including re-issues. From re-visitings of music from The Beatles to music from EDM duo Daft Punk to even a never-before-released live recording from blues-gospel legend Sister Rosetta Tharpe and more, Record Store Day this year offered audiences so much to appreciate.  Speaking of the new live recording from Tharpe – Live in France: The 1966 Concert in Limoges — that recording is a presentation that Tharpe’s fans will appreciate just as much as aficionados of blues and gospel in general.  Its appeal comes in part through the liner notes featured throughout the recording’s companion booklet.  They set the stage for the recording before audiences hear even the first song featured here.  Speaking of the songs, Tharpe’s performance of said songs builds on the foundation formed by the liner notes.  It is fully immersive, as audiences will discover for themselves.  The recording’s production, considering the age of the recording, puts the finishing touch to the presentation, completing its appeal.  That is because of the positive aesthetic that it creates for the recording.  Each item noted here is important in its own way to the whole of this recording.  All things considered they make Live in France: The 1966 Concert in Limoges a surprisingly welcome addition to this year’s field of new live CDs (and vinyls).

Live in France: The 1966 Concert in Limoges, the new live Sister Rosetta Tharpe concert recording from fledgling record label Deep Digs, is among the most notable presentations released during this year’s Record Store Day celebrations.  Its appeal begins with the liner notes presented throughout the recording’s booklet.  The notes literally and figuratively set the stage for the concert, beginning with discussion by Deep Digs founder Zev Feldman.  Feldman points out in his brief notes, the recording is previously unreleased and that its unearthing came as a result of research he was doing in 2017 and that the delay in getting it released was due to him trying to find a label that was truly devoted to giving the recording its proper attention.  As he points out, that search led him to found Deep Digs and release this recording as its first offering.

Professor Gayle Wald and author Jean Buzelin continue the story with their own insights.  Wald offers audiences the first portion of the story, outlining Tharpe’s roots in the Great Migration of African-Americans from the American south to Chicago in the early 20^th century and her musical roots in the Church of God in Christ.  Wald points out that it was Tharpe’s attempt to escape an abusive marriage in her early 20s that led her to leave the church and branch out, leading to the beginning of her fame nationally and internationally.  Her growing fame especially in Europe receives plenty of focus by Wald.

Buzelin continues the story, pointing out that at the time Tharpe started touring Europe, gospel was not necessarily a popular genre overseas, but thanks to her abilities as a musician and the appeal of her personality on stage, she and the genre really started gaining acclaim.  In addition, Buzelin makes sure to point out Tharpe’s moniker of “Sister” had nothing to do with religion, despite her background, but rather a nickname she received years prior when she was much younger.  That revelation will make for plenty of entertainment.  She goes on to point out the concert recording featured here was not Tharpe’s first performance in France; that in fact she had performed and recorded a concert two years prior in 1964.  That revelation, the other items raised by Buzelin and Wald, and so much more that the pair note, do so much to help illustrate what made Tharpe so beloved.

Speaking of being beloved, the testimonials from the likes of Susan Tedeschi and Henry Rollins (of all people) add even more to that understanding.  All things considered, those testimonials and all of the information provided in the liner notes does an impressive job of setting the stage for the recording.

Knowing the engagement that the liner notes create as a starting point, they ensure plenty of engagement and entertainment from the concert itself, and the concert lives up to expectations, too.  The way in which Tharpe blends blues and gospel in each performance makes it so easy to overlook that at their core, each composition is still gospel.  There is also something in the way in which she collectively sings and plays that creates such a unique air.  Her performances give thought at points, to Bessie Smith when she really gets powerful, and at others to Mavis Staples when she is a little softer.  To that end, her ability to balance her vocals and performance on guitar makes for such an immersive presentation.

As if her performance alone is not enough (and it isn’t), the subjects she tackles are just as interesting.  Case in point is her taking on the very divisive nature of the different religious denominations in Washington Phillips’ ‘Denomination Blues.’ To this day, America (and the world) continues to be separated by denominational differences, even within the Christian faith.  This despite the reality that in their roots, all protestant faiths preach essentially the same message.  It was a message then that was so ahead of its time and that today still rings sadly so true.

Tharpe also takes on the negative impacts of alcohol in the aptly titled ‘Moonshine’ in which she points out the impact that it has on loosening people’s tongues, causing them to show their true selves.  What’s really great here is that she brings the message about the dangers of alcohol in a way that is somewhat preachy but is still appealing despite this.  That is because of the soul that she puts into her performance as she highlights what alcohol can and does do to many people.  Like the message delivered in ‘Denomination Bles,’ it is one that resonates to this day.

Her performance of the traditional ‘Give Me That Old Time Religion’ is yet another standout note of what makes her performances so notable.  The soul is her voice as she sings here is just so powerful in its own right.  It really pulls listeners in.  When it is considered alongside the other performances noted here and with the rest of the record’s performances, the whole therein gives listeners just as much to appreciate as the liner notes that lay the groundwork for the recording.

The performances featured here are so immersive not just for themselves and their content but also because of the production that went into bringing the recording back to life.  Considering this first-time release was originally captured way back in 1966, the work put in to restore the audio is impressive.  It is a testament to those who took the time to restore the masters.  It is so clear that audiences will be left feeling like they are right there with Tharpe’s audience at that October 1966 concert in Limoges, France. The result is an impressive aesthetic impact that audiences will appreciate just as much as the concert itself.  All things considered they make the recording in whole such a surprisingly enjoyable offering whether one is a fan of Tharpe, of gospel or even of blues.  It is a presentation that, in other words, is among the best of this year’s new live CD offerings.

Dig Deep and Elemental Music’s brand-new presentation of the 1966 Rosetta Tharpe concert recording, Live in France: The 1966 Concert in Limoges, is a fully immersive presentation that transcends musical boundaries so to speak.  It will find appeal among so many audiences, in other words.  The liner notes that fill the recording’s booklet form its foundation, offering audiences plenty of appeal in their own right.  The performances presented by Tharpe throughout add even more to that appeal, building on that foundation and strengthening it even more.  The recording’s production puts the finishing touch to its presentation, ensuring a welcome aesthetic to the whole, completing the concert.  Each item examined does its own key part to make this recording enjoyable for so many audiences.  All things considered they make Live in France: The 1966 Concert in Limoges a work that is among the best of this year’s Record Store Day offerings and new live CD offerings.

Live in France; The 1966 Concert in Limoges is available now no CD and vinyl.  More information on this and other titles from Deep Digs Music Group is available at:

Website: https://deepdigsmusic.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thejazzdetective

Twitter: https://twitter.com/JazzDet

To keep up with the latest entertainment reviews and news, go online to https://www.facebook.com/philspicks and “Like” it.  Fans can always keep up with the latest entertainment reviews and news in the Phil’s Picks blog at https://philspicks.wordpress.com. 

Disney’s ‘Wish’ Will Leave Audiences Wishing It Was A Better Celebration Of Studio’s 100th Anniversary

Courtesy: Walt Disney Studios

Late last month, Walt Disney Studios released its latest animated feature, Wish, to 4K UHD, Blu-ray, and DVD.  The movie, meant to be a celebration of the studio’s 100^th anniversary, is, sadly anything but a proper celebration of the legacy made by what was once one of Hollywood’s powerhouse studios.  That is shown largely through its featured story, which at its heart is anything but what is discussed in the movie’s bonus content.  That bonus content is actually the saving grace to this otherwise lackluster attempt to celebrate the legacy of the studio’s namesake so many decades ago. It will be discussed shortly.  The movie’s animation style rounds out its saving graces and will also be addressed later.  Each item noted here plays its own important part in the whole of Wish.  All things considered, Wish proves itself to be anything but a wish granted for audiences hoping for a much more fitting birthday bang for what used to be one of Hollywood’s most respected names.

Wish, Walt Disney Studios’ latest animated cinematic offering was said to be by some in the bonus content that accompanies the movie in its home release , a celebration of the company’s 100^th anniversary.  If that really is the case then it was certainly not the best way for the studio to mark the occasion.  The movie is not a complete failure, though.  The bonus content that accompanies the movie in its recently released home presentation serves to help it survive at least to a point.  One of the most interesting of the bonus features is in fact the very discussion on how it was used to celebrate Disney reaching the century mark.  The discussion in question is titled “The Story of Wish.”  The movie’s creative heads talk about how the movie came to be as a result of various round tables.  One topic that came about was the discussion on how Disney movie heroes were ordinary figures facing great odds, and how that made them relatable.  That led to a further discussion on the topic of so many Disney characters wishing on a star.  That topic became the center of Wish.  On the surface, that comes across as a great topic, tying all of Disney’s movies to this story.  The thing is that the story is more than that.  It is also an allegory about authoritarianism.  This is never directly noted in the bonus content, but the group does discuss briefly how the main theme of wishing on a star plays into another theme, that of who has the right to control our wishes and our dreams.  The authoritarian allegory comes into play as the story’s main character, Magnifico (Christopher Pike – Star Trek, Star Trek: Into Darkness, Star Trek: Beyond) has his authority questioned by Asha (Ariana DeBose – West Side Story, Hamilton, Argylle).  Magnifico starts out as an already somewhat power hungry figure, but gets pushed over the edge by that questioning.  This approach is one of the few saving graces of the story, which is otherwise forgettable.

That the writing team behind Wish is to be commended for making Magnifico a figure who was sort of a villain to begin with but not the overt villain that so many Disney movies have come up with in its existing, expansive catalog.  Far too often audiences have been presented with the typical megalomaniacal villain in every Disney movie.  This time out, audiences get to see someone who was already conflicted become the total villain all because of one person.  It is that theme of absolute power corrupting absolutely because of its addictive nature.  At the same time, the preachy message of authoritarianism (which is typical of every Disney movie villain) becomes just too much because it is so commonplace.  The nonstop musical numbers, which are so prominent throughout the movie tend to offset that otherwise watchable presentation.  It seems like there is a musical number once every few minutes, with the number reaching something around eight to nine songs.  It just all seems so run of the mill save for that one aspect of the story surrounding Magnifico.  Other than that, the story really does not do much of anything to make itself a big, bombastic celebration of Disney’s 100^th anniversary.

While the story featured in this movie is otherwise forgettable, save for one aspect of the presentation, there is one other item that helps to save it.  That aspect is its animation.  As is mentioned in the separate bonus feature focused on the animation, this is thankfully not just another cookie cutter offering from Disney in regard to its animation.  Audiences will note that the animation incorporates vintage hand-drawn art as well as digital art.  The blending of that vintage and modern art style gives the movie an identity all its own.  It really is the core of what makes the movie bearable.  When the unique artistic approach taken to this movie is considered alongside its companion bonus discussion and the other bonuses, the movie becomes at least worth watching once despite not being the best anniversary celebration for Disney.

Wish, the latest animated feature from Walt Disney Studios, is far from being the best movie that the once legendary studio has ever produced in its now century-long history.  It is also not the studio’s worst offering.  If anything, it is worth watching at least once, but that is primarily due to the bonus content featured with the movie’s home release.  The background information that the bonus content provides audiences on the movie helps make it at least somewhat more bearable. The animation that is used in the movie helps make it bearable in its own right.  That is because it actually takes a different approach for once, avoiding the cookie cutter look of so many Disney (and even Pixar) movies that the studio has released.  When each element is considered along with the story, which is weighed down by the preachy allegory of authoritarianism (that likely will go over most younger viewers’ heads) and the unnecessary number of musical numbers, the whole proves a presentation that deserves to be seen at least once but sadly is anything but a proper celebration of a studio that has crafted far better fare in its heyday.

Wish is available now on DVD, Blu-ray and 4K UHD as well as through Disney+.  More information on this and other titles from Walt Disney Studios is available at:

Website: https://waltdisneystudios.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WaltDisneyStudios

Twitter: https://twitter.com/disneystudios

To keep up with the latest entertainment reviews and news, go online to https://www.facebook.com/philspicks and “Like” it.  Fans can always keep up with the latest entertainment reviews and news in the Phil’s Picks blog at https://philspicks.wordpress.com.  

CMG’s British WWII Movie Set Will Appeal To Many Movie Buffs, Historians

Courtesy: Cohen Media Group

Late this winter as the new year opened and the cold winds of winter blew so hard, Cohen Media Group gave audiences a new reason to stay indoors and warm while they counted the days until spring when the company released its new World War II double feature, The Sea Shall Not Have Them/Albert R.N.  The two British imports are interesting presentations in regard to their stories.  This will be addressed shortly.  While the stories give audiences reason enough to watch the movies, the lack of any bonus content addressing them (and other related matters) definitely detracts from the collection’s presentation.  This will be factored a little later.  Knowing that lack, while concerning, is not enough to doom the set, there is at least one more positive to note.  That positive is in how the stories were presented.  This will be discussed later, too.  Keeping all of this in mind, this recently released double feature proves itself a collection that true film buffs on either side of “the pond” will find worth watching at least once.

Cohen Media Group’s recently released double feature of British World War II period pieces, The Sea Shall Not Have Them/Albert R.N., is an offering that most true film buffs and historians will find worth watching.  That is due in part to the stories featured in each movie.  In the case of The Sea Shall Not Have Them, the story at the center of the movie, which made its theatrical debut in 1954, follows the crew of a downed British warplane as it struggles to survive against the elements in a tiny life raft in the North Atlantic Ocean.  What is interesting here is that while the story centers on the plane’s crew, the men are not the only focus.  The story, which is based on the novel penned by John Harris only a year prior, opens on the crew of a British patrol boat that plays a pivotal role in finding the crew of the downed plane.  As the story progresses, it goes back and forth between each crew, slowly building the tension over the course of the movie’s 92-minute run time.  How that tension is built plays into the way in which the story was constructed here.  This will be addressed later.  Suffice it to say the story has a happy ending.

In the case of Albert R.N., the story centers on a group of British prisoners of war that is being held in a German camp in the waning days of the war.  Originally released in 1953, the movie’s story finds the men designing a dummy that it uses to try and help its ranks escape the camp, naming the dummy Albert.  Unlike The Sea Shall Not Have Them, this movie is not based on a novel but rather on actual events.  Yes, it is one of those movies.  They even existed even that far back in the history of film, and over in Great Britain just as much as in the United States.  While there is no seeming connection between this story at that of The Great Escape, which American audiences received a decade later in 1963 and the CBS sitcom, Hogan’s Heroes, which first debuted on television the same year as The Great Escape, it is interesting to see the apparent popularity of such a story line at that time in cinema.  Maybe it was coincidence that all three productions debuted in such a short time, but that again goes back to that discussion.

Speaking of said discussion, while the stories at the center of the movies make for some interest, there is zero bonus content focusing on that noted close release of all three productions in such short time.  Was it coincidence or was it part of some larger trend?  Again, there is no bonus material to address this matter.  For that matter, there is no bonus content at all.  So viewers do not even get any insight into the continued popularity of WWII stories even 10-20 years after the war’s end (at that time).  What’s more there is not even discussion on what keeps WWII-era stories at least moderately popular even now in the 21^st century.

On yet another note, there is no discussion on the approach taken to the stories.  That aspect – the approach taken – plays directly with the stories themselves to make for even more interest.  As previously noted, the story at the center of The Sea Shall Not Have Them is unique in how it is constructed.  Its title hints at it focusing on the group of downed airmen yet focuses just as much on the group of British seamen who find the airmen as the airmen themselves.  The scene transitions used to go back and forth between the two groups is intriguing because they feel like something that one might see play out on stage, not necessarily on screen.  It is something that must be seen to be fully appreciated.  It is actually something unique in a good way.  This applies even as the story turns to focus on the men at the headquarters who are using maps to try to trace the signal being sent out by the airmen. 

What is even more interesting in all of this is the minimalist approach taken throughout the story.  In today’s moviemaking industry, such a movie would be so unnecessarily over the top.  There would be tense music, all kind of melodrama and other elements that are so commonplace in today’s dramas and blockbusters.  Those behind the lens of this movie did not do any of that.  They simply used story telling to play out the tale and it makes the story all the more gripping.  To that end, the approach taken here serves as a key example of how far the movie industry has strayed from its roots and how much better movies were so many ages ago.

The same applies in the approach taken to Albert R.N.  Just as The Sea Shall Not Have Them, the approach taken here is minimalist, too.  Most of the story takes place in the one primary prisoner barracks building.  There is a secondary scene – a bath house.  But other than that, the interior set and the camp exterior set are the main focus.  The plan and house it was executed makes for some light hearted moments among the otherwise tense tale.  The work of the cast (especially those playing the Nazi officers) succeeds because it makes it easy to hate especially Schulz and have so many mixed feelings about the camp’s lead officer (played by Frederick Valk – Dead of Night, Thunder Rock, Night Train to Munich).  That is because while he is a Nazi, he is far more human and humane than Schulz (Anton Diffring – Victory, The Blue Max, Where Eagles Dare).  Diffring’s col nature makes his wonderfully despicable, and in turn audiences will cheer when he receives his fate in the finale.  The thing is that even with that in mind, that finale leaves too much room for closure, but that is a discussion for another time (maybe even for bonus content that could have and should have been included with the collection).  The simple, straight forward approach to everything here makes for plenty of engagement and serves in its own right to show that simplicity works just as well as the over-the-top approach that far too many moviemakers take today if not better.  Keeping in mind the positive impact that the stories’ simple approaches take alongside the stories themselves, these two aspects combine with the work of the movies’ cast to make the movies worth watching at least once.  To that end, the set in whole proves itself worth watching at least once among true movie buffs and historians on either side of the Atlantic.

Cohen Media Group’s recently released WWII period movie collection, The Sea Shall Not Have Them/Albert R.N., the recently released WWII-era double feature collection from the well-known cinema studio.  It is a collection that offers some interest through its movies’ stories and through the approach taken to each story.  The lack of any bonus content to accompany the collection definitely detracts from the collection’s overall engagement and entertainment.  It is not enough to doom the set but certainly would have helped to really enhance the presentation.  Keeping all of this in mind, the collection is an interesting addition to this year’s field of movie re-issues.

The Sea Shall Not Have Them/Albert R.N. is available now from Cohen Media Group.  More information on this collection and other titles from Cohen Media Group is available at:

Website: http://www.cohenmedia.net

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/CohenMediaGroup

Twitter: http://twitter.com/cohenmediagroup

To keep up with the latest sports and entertainment reviews and news, go online to http://www.facebook.com/philspicks and “Like” it.  Fans can always keep up with the latest sports and entertainment reviews and news in the Phil’s Picks blog at https://philspicks.wordpress.com.

Cleopatra Entertainment’s Foghat Concert Re-Issue Will Appeal To Band’s Core Audience Base

Courtesy: Cleopatra Entertainment

Veteran rock band Foghat has been quite busy as of late, releasing its lates album, Sonic Mojo late last year (independently through is own label, Foghat Records) and now touring in support of that enjoyable offering.  Speaking of live, the band has partnered with independent film company, Cleopatra Entertainment, to release a new live recording, Slow Ride—Live in Concert.  Released today on separate CD/DVD and Blu-ray platforms, it was released roughly three years after the band’s then most recent live recording, 8 Days on the Road, and will find the majority of its appeal among the band’s core audience. Those people who have been fans since the band’s inception so many decades ago.  That is due in large part to its set list, which will be discussed shortly.  The bonus content that accompanies the recording adds to that targeted appeal and will be discussed a little later.  The general production rounds out the recording’s most important elements and will also be discussed later.  Each item noted is important in its own way to the whole of the recording.  All things considered Slow Ride – Live in Concert proves itself a presentation that the most devoted Foghat fans will enjoy.

Slow Ride—Live in Concert, the “new” live recording from Foghat, is an intriguing new offering from the veteran rock band.  Being essentially a re-issue of Rhino Records’ 2005 DVD presentation, Millennium Tour, it is a presentation that will find the majority of its appeal among the band’s core audience base.  That is due in large part to its featured set list.  Spanning 10 songs performed at two separate venues in Houston, Texas in 1999 – The Plaza and The Hangar – the set list pulls largely from the band’s earliest years, reaching all the way back to the band’s self-titled 1972 debut album and up to its 1979 album, Boogie Motel.    It also pulls two studio tracks from the band’s 1998 live recording, Road Cases.  Not every one of the albums in that span is represented here, either.  The band’s sophomore album, which was also self-titled, is not represented here, nor are its third album, Energized and its follow-up, Rock and Roll Outlaws (both of which were released in 1974).  In other words, the set list featured here is far from being career-spanning.  Considering that the two performances captured here were recorded in 1999 – just before the untimely death of the band’s original front man, Dave Peverett, who died in February 2000, it is surprising that the set list was not more extensive.  This especially as the recording is being marketed as being something iconic since the peformances came only months prior to Prevett’s passing.  Yes, Peverett and company (fellow founding members Tony Stevens (bass) and Roger Earl (drums) and then current guitarist Bryan Bassett) put on quite the engaging and enjoyable performance of that set list (even being so minimalist in its overall presentation), but it just would have been nice to have seen more of the band’s catalog represented here.  Again, it is not a failure, but clearly being so limited in its reach, it will appeal to that noted core audience base.

The set list featured in this recording is just part of what makes it appealing to the noted audience base.  The bonus content included with the recording adds to the appeal for that viewer group.  The bonus content in question is the bonus interview content that is incorporated into the concert between performances.  Held at the Hard Rock Café in Houston, Texas by Alan Ames (supposedly of Houston-based radio station KKRW Arrow Radio), the very brief interview segments reveal to audiences, information, such as how Foghat got its name, its link to The Rolling Stones and how that link led the band to create so much blues-based rock, and a few other interesting items.  The interview segments, which were also part of Rhino Records’ 2005 Foghat recording, Millennium Tour are few and far between but do help to break up the concert and keep things interesting. 

The “supposedly” used here in regard to whether Ames was employed by KKRW is used because there are no liner notes to accompany the recording and point out the full details of the interviews. To that end, one can only suppose Ames was a personality employed by the station at the time.  There is nothing to specify this information internally or externally, so apologies are due for any possible inaccuracies in information here.

That lack of any bonus liner notes to help set the stage and provide proper background on the recording is the recording’s one glaring negative.  It would have been nice to have at least something other than what is printed on the back of the recording’s box, which is minimal in itself, to say the least.  The lack of any liner notes is not enough to doom the recording considering what little the interviews add to the whole, but it certainly would have been nice to have had more than the little that is printed on the recording’s box.

Knowing that the little information audiences get from the interviews and very limited information printed on the recording’s case just does make up for the lack of any liner notes, there is one more positive to note here.  That positive is the recording’s production.  As previously noted, this concert is a minimalist presentation.  There is no pryo.  There are no big aspects to the band’s presentation.  It is just the band on stage, performing its biggest vintage hits.  Those responsible for capturing the two performances and those responsible for the post-production (finalizing the video and sound editing) are to be applauded for their efforts to resurrect this footage.  Of course, it likely was not too difficult considering that the performances (which were part of the band’s Millennium Tour”) were already released in 2005 via Rhino Records in its presentation of its DVD, Millennium Tour.  That recording also presented the band’s September 1999 performance in Houston, TX.  So, while it cannot be proven here, but odds are it would have been very easy for all involved to simply transfer that footage to this recording and call it “new.”  Keeping that in mind, it leaves little doubt as to why the production is as positive as it is in this case.  To that end, the production aligns with the recording’s featured set list and the bonus interview segments to make the whole an intriguing presentation that again, will appeal primarily to Foghat’s core audience base.

Cleopatra Entertainment’s brand-new Foghat live recording, Slow Ride—Live in Concert, is an intriguing offering from the company.  While apparently little more than a re-issue of Rhino Records’ 2005 recording, Millennium Tour, it proves itself worth watching at least once among those core fans who do not already own the aforementioned Rhino Records presentation.  That is because said presentation may or may not be available anymore.  Add in that the recording here is presented separately on CD/DVD combo pack and Blu-ray, it is a step up from that previous release since that recording was available only on DVD.  Slow Ride—Live in Concert is available now.  More information on the recording is available along with all of the latest Foghat news at:

Website: http://www.foghat.net

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/foghat

Twitter: http://twitter.com/foghat

More information on this and other titles from Cleopatra Entertainment is available at:

Website: https://cleopatra-entertainment.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CleopatraEntertainmentEnt

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Cleopatra_Ent

To keep up with the latest sports and entertainment reviews and news, go online to http://www.facebook.com/philspicks and “Like” it.  Fans can always keep up with the latest sports and entertainment reviews and news in the Phil’s Picks blog at https://philspicks.wordpress.com.