Handheld Premieres ‘Leaving Candyland’ Video

Courtesy: Thousand Islands Records

Skatepunk band Handheld premiered the video for its latest single this week.

The band debuted the video for its single, ‘Leaving Candyland‘ Thursday. The band premiered the single by itself last month. The video pays tribute to the late great actor John Candy. It does this by presenting the band in famous scenes from beloved John Candy movies, such as Uncle Buck, Spaceballs, and Planes, Trains, & Automobiles as the song plays over the visualization.

The band talked about the video in a prepared statement.

“We wanted to pay tribute to the great human that was John Candy and honour his life in a unique way, the statement reads. “We picked 6 of our all-time favourite John Candy roles which included: Barf from Spaceballs, Gus from Home Alone, Chet from The Great Outdoors, Del from Planes, Trains & Automobiles, Yosh of The Schmengie Brothers (SCTV) and Uncle Buck from you guessed it… Uncle Buck. Then for each character we shot an homage to our favourite scenes, sprinkled in some punk rock flavorings and what you get is one hell of a good time. This video is definitely big in Sheboygan.”

‘Leaving Candyland’ is the second single from the band’s new album, Canadian Tragedy, which is scheduled for release June 14 through Thousand Islands Records. When released, the album will be the band’s first new music in 14 years. The band released the album’s lead single, ‘Bend The Iron‘ in March.

The song’s musical arrangement is an immediately infectious pop punk style composition that lends itself easily to comparison to works from the likes of Blink-182, Sum 41, and others of that ilk. That is evidenced through its upbeat, positive energy and overall instrumentation.

The positive vibes generated through the song’s arrangement do well to illustrate the positivity in the song’s lyrical theme, which the band talked about in a prepared statement.

“Certain people can leave a lasting impression on you and make you laugh,” the statement reads. “‘Leaving Candyland’ is about Thanksgiving, travel, sales, coaching, polka, family, a radio dj, being your own friend, Christmas, and more polka, oh… and eating a giant steak.”

More information on Handheld’s new single and album is available along with all of the band’s latest news at https://www.facebook.com/handheldpunk.

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.

MTV Networks Premiere Pierce The Veil’s New Video

L-R: Jaime Preciado, Tony Perry, Vic Fuentes, Mike Fuentes
Photo credit: Jonathan Weiner

Pierce The Veil has officially unveiled (no pun intended) its new video.

The video for ‘Circles,’ the band’s new single started running nationwide this morning on AMTV, AMTV2, MTV Hits, MTV Live and mtvU.  The video began running this morning at 6:00 ET.  It is also running live on MTV’s Snapchat Discovery channel and via Vevo.  It was directed by Drew Russ, who also directed the video for the band’s 2012 video for ‘King For A Day.’ That video has accumulated more than 70 million views since its premiere roughly four years ago.  The concept behind the band’s new video is loosely based on the 1991 feature film Nothing But Trouble.  The movie was written by Dan Akroyd (Ghostbusters, Ghostbusters 2, The Blues Brothers) and starred Chevy Chase (National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, Funny Farm, Fletch), John Candy (Uncle Buck, Who’s Harry Crumb?, Spaceballs), and Akroyd.  The song is currently a Top 40 Alternative radio stations across America.  The band’s new album Misdaventures premiered at #4 on the Billboard Top 200 Chart.  And the band itself was nominated for Bandom of the Year by MTV in its annual “MTV Fandom Awards.”  Later this summer the band will embark on the “Made To Destroy Tour” alongside supporting acts Neck Deep and I Prevail.  A Winter UK tour is already set to follow from October 29^th to November 17^th.  The band’s complete tour schedule is noted below.

 

SEPTEMBER

 3   The Warfield, San Francisco, CA*

 4   Roseland Theatre, Portland, OR*

 6   Showbox Sodo, Seattle, WA*

 7   Revolution Concert House, Boise, ID*

 9   In The Venue, Salt Lake City, UT*

10  High Elevation Festival, Fiddler’s Green Amphitheater., Denver, CO**

12  The Cotillion, Wichita, KS*

13  Myth Live, Minneapolis, MN*

14  7 Flags Event Center, Des Moines, IA*

16  Riot Fest, Chicago, IL**

17  Rochester Main Street Armory, Rochester, NY*

18  Rock Allegiance Festival, PPL Park, Chester, PA**

20  Newport Music Hall, Columbus, OH*

21  The Pageant, St. Louis, MO*

23  House of Blues, New Orleans, LA*

24  Texas Mutiny, Texas Motor Speedway, Dallas, TX**

25  Houston Open Air Festival, NRG Park, Houston, TX**

27   Arvest Bank Theatre at The Midland, Kansas City, KS*

28  War Memorial Auditorium, Nashville, TN*

30  Chill on the Hill Festival, Detroit, MI**

OCTOBER

 1   Louder Than Life Festival, Champions Park, Louisville, KY**

 2   Sonic Boom Festival, Madison, WI**

 4   Hammerstein Ballroom, New York, NY*

 5   The Fillmore Charlotte, Charlotte, NC*

 7   The Tabernacle, Atlanta, GA*

 8   House of Blues, Orlando, FL*

 9   Jannus Live, Tampa, FL*

11  Alamo City Music Hall, San Antonio, TX*

12  Lonestar Pavilion, Lubbock, TX*

14  Marquee Theatre, Phoenix, AZ*

15  Rainbow Room, Fresno, CA*

16  Hollywood Palladium, Los Angeles, CA*

European tour:

OCTOBER

29  Trabendo, Paris, France

31  Sala Cats, Madrid, Spain

NOVEMBER

 1   Sala Noise,Valencia, Spain

 2   Sala Razzmatazz 2, Barcelona, Spain

 4   Kofmehl, Solothurn, Switzerland

 5   Magazzini Generali, Milano, Italy

 7   Theatrefabrik, Munich, Germany

 8   Arena, Vienna, AT

 9   Durer Kert, Budapest, Hungary

11  Huxleys, Berlin, Germany

13  Gruenspan, Hamburg, Germany

14  Amagler Bio, Copenhagen, Denmark

15  Fryhuset, Stockholm, Sweden

17  Melkweg, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

* – headline dates

** – major music festivals

 

More information on Pierce The Veil’s new video is available online now along with all of the latest updates on the band’s tour schedule, news, and more at:

 

 

 

Website: http://piercetheveil.net

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

Twitter: http://twitter.com/piercetheveil

 

 

 

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

My Uncle Rafael Is Loaded With Laughs And Heart

Courtesy: TNP Films

My Uncle Rafael is the best new independent movie of 2014.  And it is arguably one of the best new movies of the year, too.  Originally released in 2012, its release this week on DVD marks the first time that it has seen the light of day in home release format.  And while it obviously owes a certain amount of its success to Robin Williams’ 1993 hit movie Mrs. Doubtfire, it still manages to stand strong on its own merits as a movie that is at least somewhat original in its presentation.  That is the central point of the movie’s success.  It has all the heart and wit of Mrs. Doubtfire without Robin Williams’ cross-dressing and manic character portrayal.  And while it does maintain at least some similarity in its approach to the family-fixing plotline, it approaches the issue through a multi-cultural avenue rather than that of a desperate father. Sign of the times, it would seem.  Just as important to the movie’s enjoyment is the acting on the part of the movie’s cast.  It would have been so simple for the cast, which is relatively well-known and experienced to treat the movie like the independent movie that it is.  But each member of the cast approached this work with the same seriousness used in its other performances.  The professional approach taken by the cast of My Uncle Rafael adds so much enjoyment to the movie.  It adds so much especially considering the quality of the movie’s production values.  While released via an independent studio—TNP Films—the movie’s production values are just as quality as anything released by any of Hollywood’s “Power 5” studios.  That actor, along with the work of the cast and of the movie’s writers, makes My Uncle Rafael a complete joy for audiences of almost any age.  Again, it isn’t the first time that the story presented here has been utilized for a movie.  But its execution makes it a move well worth the watch.

The story that is presented in My Uncle Rafael is not the first of its kind.  It is the story of an outsider coming into a family’s home and fixing said family.  It has been used numerous times in the past.  In 1993, it was presented in the hit movie Mrs. Doubtfire. Two years prior, it was used in pro-wrestling legend Terry “Hulk” Hogan’s family comedy Suburban Commando.  And to a lesser extent it was also used in Vin Diesel’s 2005 flash-in-the-pan flick The Pacifier.  It could even be argued that a similar formula was used way back in the 1989 John Candy dramedy Uncle Buck.  Considering all of this, it leaves one wondering how many other ways in which the “family fix” formula could be used without it being stale and unoriginal.  Enter My Uncle Rafael.  My Uncle Rafael (not to be confused with Joe Pesci’s 1992 dramedy My Cousin Vinny—yes that bad pun was intended) takes the classic “family fix” formula and updates it by incorporating a multi-cultural theme into the story.  Most interesting here is the fact that the duo used an elderly Middle Eastern man as the movie’s central figure.  This was really interesting especially considering the tensions between Americans and those of Middle Eastern descent currently living in the United States.  It’s an angle that few if any writers would even begin to attempt.  For that alone, Pirhamzei and Yagemann are deserving of a certain amount of credit.  That the duo didn’t try to make a direct light of Rafael’s nationality as a soap box makes the script even more worthy of applause.  Omitting that from the script makes the rest of the story far more enjoyable and in turn more memorable.

The script behind My Uncle Rafael is not the first of its kind.  That goes without saying.  But there are aspects of the script that make it surprisingly enjoyable.  As enjoyable as the movie’s script proves to be in the long run, it would be nothing without the abilities of the movie’s cast.  John Michael Higgins (Yes Man, Happily Divorced, Bad Teacher) brings plenty of experience to the movie as do Missi Pyle (The Artist, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Gone Girl), Anthony Clark (Yes, Dear, Boston Common, Soul Man), Joe Lo Truglio (Role Models, Wreck-It-Ralph, Pineapple Express), Carly Chaikin (Suburgatory, The Last Song, In A World…), and Rachel Blanchard (Clueless—TV Series, 7^th Heaven, Are You Afraid of the Dark).  The competition between Higgins’ Damon and Clark’s Jack makes for plenty of laughs.  It is a competition much like that seen in Mrs. Doubtfire.  Missi Pyle is just as entertaining as she becomes caught up in the movie’s central love triangle all while trying to maintain her place as mother to her children.  But it is really Vahik Pirhamzei’s portrayal of the loveable Uncle Rafael that really shines.  Pirhamzei’s portrayal gives Uncle Rafael so much heart and warmth.  He makes Rafael loveable not only to his fellow characters but to audiences, too.  One can’t help but agree in watching Rafael that maybe the uncle really is at the center of everything.  Only audiences that watch the movie or have watched it will get that reference.  In hindsight, Rafael’s portrayal makes that line make perfect sense.  That isn’t to take away from Pirhamzei’s cast mates by any means.  Both the more well-known actors and the lesser known cast members add their own enjoyment to the story in whole, too.  But it is his portrayal that holds everything together and makes each of his cast mates’ portrayals all the more entertaining with the end result of the cast in general doing its own part to show once again why My Uncle Rafael  is this year’s best new independent movie and one of the year’s best movies overall.

The writing that went into My Uncle Rafael and the acting on the part of the movie’s cast both play their own important part in the overall success of this surprisingly entertaining story.  Rounding out the presentation is its production values.  Being that this movie is independent, one would think that it would not have the production values of its bigger name family friendly counterparts that have come before.  But the reality is that its production values are quite high.  That includes the movie’s cinematography, its backdrops, costumes, and all other elements that went into bringing the movie to life.  Having such quality production values, it makes sense that the largely veteran cast would want its portrayals to be just as high quality.  The combination of that high quality acting and equally high quality production values adds to the ability of audiences to suspend their disbelief and in turn allow themselves to be immersed into the story and thus offer it the chance that it quite well deserves.  In giving it the chance that it deserves, audiences will agree that this movie is just as enjoyable as its more well-known predecessors and that it is one of this year’s best new movies as well as the year’s best new independent movie.

My Uncle Rafael is available now on DVD in stores and online.  It can be ordered direct via Amazon at http://www.amazon.com/My-Uncle-Rafael-Anthony-Clark/dp/B00O1D3AN6/ref=sr_1_2?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1418861938&sr=1-2&keywords=my+uncle+rafael.  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 in the Phil’s Picks blog at https://philspicks.wordpress.com.

Disney Earns Its Own Wings With Cars Spinoff

Courtesy: Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment

Courtesy: Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment

 

 

 

 

 

Disney’s Planes is not as terrible as many critics (this critic admittedly included) had previously considered it to be.  However, it is also not one of the year’s best.  One has to take into account the comments made by co-writers Klay Hall and John Lasseter in the movie’s bonus material to fully appreciate what Planes actually offers audiences.  Their comments play directly into the movie’s overall plot.  The resultant effect is that Planes’ story comes across more as its own story and less of a rip-off of Pixar’s Cars.  The end result is a movie with just enough heart to make it worth at least one watch.

Walt Disney Studios was lambasted by audiences and critics alike (this critic included) when the studio announced that it would be releasing a spinoff of Pixar’s hugely successful Cars franchise.  The very fact that Disney would simply title the new spinoff Planes was to thank for that reaming of the studio. The instant reaction was to say that this movie was just Cars in the air.  While it largely is that, the movie is also worthy of at least some defense.  In its defense, the bonus features included in the movie’s new home release help it to earn at least a slight respect.  Pixar head and Planes co-writer John Lasssetter discusses the movie in a sit-down interview.  He explains in his interview that there had been a proposal to spin off Cars with a movie about trains.  Yes, a movie about trains.  All they would have needed were Steve Martin and someone to take the place of the late John Candy.  Anyone that gets this reference should stand up and take a bow right now.  Getting back on the subject, Lasseter explains wisely that a movie centered on planes instead of trains made more sense.  He explains in his own wording that a movie on planes obviously gave more story options, which makes sense.  That sentiment alone makes the movie more bearable.

Lasseter’s Planes co-writer Klay Hall is also interviewed in the movie’s bonus features.  He explains in his bonus interview that the idea for a story centered on planes was largely thanks to his own late father being a Navy pilot.  The result was a lifelong love for all things aerial.  He explains in depth how his love for all things aerial led to the precise details used throughout the movie, too.  He explains that he wanted to make the movie as factual as possible.  And he did just that.  Anyone that has ever watched the likes of the Red Bull Air Race World Series will appreciate the shots down the long axis of the planes during the qualifying sessions for the big round-the-world air race.  They will also appreciate the technical jargon tossed about throughout the movie’s run time, which barely tops the ninety-minute mark.

The interviews with both Lasseter and Hall earn Planes a new respect that without which, it might not have earned.  Also worthy of note is the plot behind this continuation of Pixar’s Cars franchise.  The writing team of Lassetter, Hall, and Jeffery M. Howard have crafted in Planes, a standard underdog story complete with underlying romance subplot.  This is not the first time that such a story has been done, just as Pixar’s Monsters University was hardly the first college based comedy ever crafted.  In Planes’ defense though, it didn’t directly rip off either of the Cars movies.  It actually does have its own story.  To that extent, it develops even more its own identity.  Add in the fact that comedian Dane Cook has proven that he can actually handle more mature—anyone that has seen Cook’s standup act understand how immature and boring he comes across as being—material, and Planes actually proves that it has not only its own identity, but also has heart.  All of this being noted, Planes proves to be a movie that while hardly one of Disney’s best or even one of 2013’s best, is worth at least one watch with the family.

Planes is available now on DVD and Blu-ray/DVD combo pack.  It can be ordered online direct from the Disney online store at http://www.disneystore.com/planes-3d-blu-ray-2-disc-combo-pack/mp/1346514/1000316/?cmp=OTL-Dcom&att=Dcom_FS_Planes3DBluRay_Home_BuyMovie and http://www.disneystore.com/planes-dvd-digital-copy/mp/1346520/1000316/.  More information on this and other releases from Walt Disney Studios is available online at http://www.facebook.com/WaltDisneyStudios and http://www.waltdisneystudios.com.  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.