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Film Miv Evans New Releases

A COMPASSIONATE SPY

 By Miv Evans

This documentary isn’t the gripping spy thriller the filmmakers claim. Reenactments replace history and the narrator is the giggly 90-year-old widow of the film’s subject. It all seems pretty mundane until, unexpectedly, the little old lady’s facade is stripped away. Then it gets fascinating.

Ted Hall was an 18-year-old Harvard graduate when he was recruited to work on what was to become the world’s first atomic bomb. A year later, the fruits of US science were dropped onto Japan’s homeland and Hall did not approve. He claimed he secretly believed that a U.S. post-war monopoly of such a powerful weapon could lead to nuclear catastrophe. Two months later, he started passing key information about the bomb to the Soviet Union. In other words, a rich kid decided to save the world.

At the time, the president of the Soviet Union was Stalin. Hall had a world of rulers to choose from but decided to get into bed with a dictator who had famously executed a million of his own people. Why didn’t he head for a democratic country, such as the UK? They had just led the charge to eradicate that other well-known psychopath and their total execution of nationals was zero.

Not satisfied with having established himself as a traitor, Hall then went on to claim, in an old video recording, that Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were innocent of the crime they were executed for. He and a friend acted alone. His excuse for not coming forward was that his wife talked him out of it. She told him that it wouldn’t help the Rosenbergs and would make their own lives ‘difficult.’ Perhaps that’s something she’d like to repeat to the Rosenberg’s sons who were orphaned when those switches got flicked. Having established herself and her husband as reprehensible, she then goes on to voice her disgust at the American people for celebrating the executions. She thought it was in very poor taste.

Joan Hall assassinates what’s left of her character by admitting she didn’t ever take her membership of the Communist Party seriously. The only thing she enjoyed was the social side. Apparently, the happy couple drove past the Rosenberg’s prison on their way to one of their parties on the night of the execution. That might seem bizarre but, as the self-proclaimed ‘compassionate spy’ said, it would have been tricky to explain their absence. Spoken like a true hero.

A Compassionate Spy – Official Trailer (2023) – YouTube

Directed by Steve James
Produced by Steve James, David Lindorff, Mark Mitten

Categories
Film Miv Evans New Releases

DEATH OF A WHISTLEBLOWER – Getting on the Short List

By Miv Evans

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In this thriller, subterfuge is played out against an ancient backdrop of political struggle.  Every aspect is compelling but, at times, the narrative gets bogged down and lacks clarity.  But even at its foggiest, the story whispers, ‘It’s the truth.’  The writing may not be the best but Death of a Whistleblower isn’t just a film.  It’s a whistleblower in and of itself. 

Luyanda Masinda’s (Noxolo Dlamini’s) is a South African investigative journalist.  One night she ends up in a Johannesberg bar with a fellow wordsmith, Stanley Galloway (Rob van Vuuren). Galloway is the editor of a high-profile political outlet and attractive enough for Luyanda to accept his invitation to go home with him.  The following morning, just after they leave Galloway’s apartment, their car is rammed, The two are surrounded and Galloway is  assassinated.  Luyanda escapes relatively unscathed but becomes consumed with her quest to track down the people who orchestrated her lover’s death.

The deeper Luyanda digs, the more dangerous her quest becomes.  Within days, she discovers that South Africa may be a victim of state capture.  Evidence points to a corrupt group of politicians who are covertly hiring out government troops, military equipment and chemical weapons to rogue African countries.  There is a moment of story clarity when the intrepid Luyanda confronts a military elite about what she has discovered.  It’s a long journey to get to this point, but perhaps the filmmaker wanted to make sure no one gets left out when the lid is finally blown open.

There is more than one person to whom the title of this film could be referring.  The obvious choice is Stanley Galloway who was planning to whistleblow on a global scale.  Then there is Albert Loots (Irshaad Allywho), a military employee who dices with death by smuggling  top secret data on a daily basis.  The third contender is Luyanda herself, who pokes the bear with no thought for personal safety.  Sadly, these three are not alone.  The remaining contenders are listed at the end of the film.  They’re amongst the many who, like Galloway, paid the ultimate price for loving their country.

Perhaps this film explains South African’s perpetual absence on the global stage.  Israel, with a population of nine million, is never out of the news.  South Africa, with a population of 60 million, is never in it.  It could be that that’s how the government has engineered it, or it  could be that the the world isn’t yet ready to let go of the Mandela Fairy Tale.  Surely Apartheid didn’t get replaced by something that can’t even pass the smell test?

Death Of A Whistleblower TRAILER – YouTube

RELEASE DETAILS 

Toronto International Film Festival

World Premiere:
*Saturday, September 9th at 2:45pm EST
TIFF Bell Lightbox (Cinema 1)

Additional Public Screenings:
*Sunday, September 10th at 9:40pm EST
ScotiaBank (Cinema 7)

*Sunday, September 17th at 10pm EST
ScotiaBank (Cinema 10)

Categories
Film Miv Evans

North Circular

By Miv Evans

The subject of most musical documentaries is usually a musician, but North Circular is different, and not in a good way.  This time we meet a random group of Dubliners who wax lyrical about the past but the inter cutting music, as beautiful as it is, has no bearing on their tales.  This takes the genre into no-man’s-land and ends up playing like a series of local TV broadcasts that could have been set anywhere.  If it’s not about the music and it’s not uniquely Irish, what’s the point?   

This film begins in a pub where a young maiden sits alone and delivers a lament in a hauntingly beautiful voice.  It’s compelling.  But then she is gone and we never learn how someone so young could sing with such soul.   The next disappointment is that it’s not just the intro that’s in black and white; it’s the whole film.  Life is never in black and white, so why present it as such?  But no sooner has this question been asked than endless stunning but irrelevant shots drift across the screen.  By the end of the first 10 minutes, it’s clear that this film is a masterpiece in self indulgence. 

Along the way we meet many people but they never stay long enough for us to get to know them.  One of them is a middle-aged woman who grieves the loss of the community where she was brought up.  As nostalgic as she is, her personal story is never shared so empathy is limited.  There’s another story about a soon-to-be-demolished pub, which motivates an entire neighborhood to stage a protest.  These two accounts have a similar theme, but that’s where connectivity ends.  

We meet a street musician who tells a sorry tale of past hardships but who now seems content with his lot.  A much younger man relates a tragedy that paints a picture of an uncaring community, which is at odds with what has gone before.  To add to the confusion, a young girl suddenly appears and dives headlong into a narration about her Celtic roots.  The transition jars but what this Colleen has to say is fascinating.  In fact, she probably  had enough material to fill the entire film.  

There can be no country richer in music and folk lore and tragedy and conflict than Ireland.  So perhaps the filmmakers decided that, with such a powerful backdrop, they didn’t have to try that hard.  So they threw in a few hornpipes, got their interviewees to kiss the Blarney Stone and hoped for the best.  Unfortunately for them, however, the luck of the Irish didn’t stretch that far.             

RELEASE DETAILS 

Lightbox

+44 (0) 20 3750 0922 phone

[email protected]

www.lightboxent.com

Categories
Film Miv Evans

IMAGINING THE INDIAN   –  Promoting the ‘R’ Word

By Miv Evans

This emotionally charged documentary tells a tale that started 800 years ago.  At this time, the citizens of 500 Indian nations were the only ones who called the US home.  When their sovereignty was stolen, so their fight began.  And they have been fighting ever since.     

One of the many organizations doing battle is The Fight Against American Mascoting Their goal is to stop sports clubs using the names and mascots of tribes to which they have no affiliation.  Not only is this exploitation, but their derisory presentations cast a slur on indigenous culture.  But when wealthy organizations were informed that they were insulting their countrymen, they made it clear they didn’t care.  

An appalling example of this is when, in 2000, the Cleveland baseball team was asked to cease use of their cartoonish ‘chief’ logo.  Despite widespread racial justice protests, they kept it until 2018.  An even more contentious battle was fought with the Washington ‘Redskins.’  They would undoubtedly still be using the ‘R’ word had Fedex not threatened to remove their sponsorship if they didn’t comply.     

There are a lot more confounding stories like this, many with less successful endings.  And as disappointing as these disclosures are, is it really a surprise?  With America so unashamedly entrenched in capitalism, an extra kick at morality’s soul is par for the course.  But what is truly shocking is that thousands of schools swim in the same pool as Big Sport.  Like the clubs, they’re fully aware they’re causing offense, but they carry on regardless.  Are these really the kind of people who should be guiding  young Americans  into adulthood?     

Fortunately, however, not all hope is lost.  There’s a heartwarming interview with a young schoolgirl who didn’t find out until she was a teenager that the name of her school was ‘politically incorrect.’   And when she discovered it was causing distress to millions, she was horrified.  She lobbied her school board and succeeded where some very expensive lawyers failed.  She got the name of her school changed.  Perhaps this budding activist should spend less time in the classroom and more time on the road, explaining to unenlightened educators that all lives matter.    

The fact that so many people have been fighting their cause for so long opens the door to a very big question.  Why hasn’t the ‘greatest nation in the world’ made the abuse of Indigenous Culture a form of hate crime?   It’s a dramatic step but if millions of Americans really think the name of their sports team is more important than the dignity of an entire race, the law has to explain that it’s not. 

WATCH THE TRAILER HERE  

RELEASE INFORMATION AND MEDIA:
Adam J. Segal • The 2050 Group – Publicity
212-642-4317 (Office) • 202-422-4673 (Cell)
[email protected] • www.the2050group.com

Categories
Film Miv Evans New Releases

THE JEWEL THIEF – The unfathomable Mastermind

By Miv Evans

Our fascination with the criminal world has prompted filmmakers to keep churning out anything that shines a spotlight on the bottomless underworld. So there is plenty of room for a tale about a Canadian criminal who claims new lands as his own, and preferably those that are laced with landmines.  The Canadian is called Gerald Blanchard and he narrates a most fascinating tale.

Gerald was adopted as a baby.  His parents divorced when he was young and his mother uprooted him from a city he loved and took him to Omaha, Nebraska.   He was skinny and wore spectacles and his ‘nerdiness’ got him the wrong kind of attention.  Bullied and friendlesa, he buried himself in the art of electronics but, after a while, he became restless.  His life was boring and meaningless and he started thinking of ways to make it more interesting.  And just like that, his pre-teen criminal career was launched. 

Instead of following in the footsteps of everyday shoplifters, Gerald creates something a lot more sophisticated.  He becomes a thief, of course, but around the thieving he builds a sophisticated system that enables him to achieve full retail price for everything he steals  And he steals a lot.  But when he gets stopped by the police with a car full of stolen goods, he gets clean away with it. Emboldened by his success, he progresses from car loads to trucks.   Within weeks of launching his new career, he is, without doubt, the highest earning schoolboy in the entire Americas.

There is much in this documentary that seems far-fetched, but facts are backed by the many witnesses who share first-hand accounts of Gerald’s daring.  These include the two boys he enlists to accompany him on his shoplifting sprees.  Their young lives are forever changed by the skinny kid who is fearless, ingenious and who treats his interactions with the police as some kind of game.  He just doesn’t take the law seriously.  And when he eventually gets arrested and deported to Canada, instead of regretting the folly of his ways, his activities escalate.  But this renewed boldness attracts the attention of two Winnipeg detectives who spend the rest of their working lives in pursuit of the unfathomable criminal who’s causing global mayhem.

There are many intriguing aspects to this story, but the most fascinating of all is Gerald’s pervasive desire to dance with fate.  There are times when, even though he can easily escape, he puts himself in harm’s way.  And instead of enjoying his new jet-set life, he goads the very people who want to take away his freedom.  Gerald has a lot to say about his escapades, but makes no comment on his compulsion to stare down the barrel of a gun.  Perhaps that’s because it’s a flaw he doesn’t celebrate, or perhaps even the mastermind himself doesn’t know what keeps dragging him to the edge of the precipice.      

RELEASE

BrazilO ladrão de joiasJul 13, 2023(internet)
United StatesThe Jewel ThiefJul 13, 2023(Hulu and Disney+)Jul 13, 2023(internet)
SpainThe Jewel ThiefJul 13, 2023(internet)
Categories
Music New Releases

BILLIE EILISH RELEASES ‘WHAT WAS I MADE FOR?’

ORIGINAL SONG WRITTEN AND PERFORMED FOR GRETA GERWIG’S HIGHLY ANTICIPATED MOTION PICTURE, BARBIE

OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO DIRECTED BY BILLIE EILISH
“WHAT WAS I MADE FOR?” 

WATCH | LISTEN


[From The Motion Picture “Barbie”]

“What Was I Made For?” [From The Motion Picture “Barbie”] 

Oscar, Golden Globe and multiple GRAMMY® Award winning Billie Eilish released What Was I Made For?” [From The Motion Picture “Barbie”] (Darkroom/Interscope Records), taken from the highly anticipated feature-length film, Barbie, written and directed by Greta Gerwig, starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling as Barbie and Ken, and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures

“Think I forgot / How to be happy / Something I’m not / But something I can be / Something I wait for / Something I’m made for / Something I’m made for.” 

“What Was I Made For?” [From The Motion Picture “Barbie”] was composed especially for Barbie by Billie Eilish alongside her brother FINNEAS who produced the track at his home-studio in Los Angeles. The intimate and heart-rending track exists as the sonic background for pivotal scenes through-out the film, while beautifully and poignantly highlighting the film’s important message and sentiment. The track also comes with an official music video, directed by Eilish. The video made its broadcast premiere on MTV Live, MTVU, MTV Biggest Pop and on the Paramount Times Square billboards. On making the song and music video, Eilish shared to her fans “to be real with you this all seemed to happen in a time when i really needed it. i’m so so thankful for that.” Read the full statement HERE.

Watch the official music video for “What Was I Made For?” [From The Motion Picture “Barbie”] HERE.

What Was I Made For?” [From The Motion Picture “Barbie”] will also be released as part of BARBIE THE ALBUM, the groundbreaking and star-studded musical companion to Barbie. The soundtrack was executive produced by Academy, Golden Globe and 7X Grammy® Award winning artist and producer Mark Ronson and Barbie writer/director/executive producer Greta GerwigBARBIE THE ALBUM is now available for pre-order HERE and arrives in stores and at all online retailers on Friday, July 21 in conjunction with the theatrical release of the feature film. For more information, visit barbiethealbum.com

What Was I Made For?” [From The Motion Picture “Barbie”]is out everywhere now.

ABOUT BILLIE EILISH
With the release of her sophomore album Happier Than Ever’ debuting at #1 in the Billboard 200 in the U.S. and in 19 countries across the globe, the 21-year-old Los Angeles native remains one of the biggest stars to emerge in the 21st century.

Since the release of her debut single “ocean eyes” in 2015, Eilish continues to shatter the ceiling of music with her genre-defying sound. Fast forward from her humble breakout, her album WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO? also debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 in the U.S as well as 17 additional countries around the world upon release in 2019 and was the most streamed album of that year.

Both albums were critically acclaimed worldwide and were written, produced and recorded entirely by Billie Eilish and brother FINNEAS. Billie Eilish has made history as the youngest artist to receive nominations and win in all the major categories at the 62nd GRAMMY® Awards, receiving an award for Best New Artist, Album of the Year, Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best Pop Vocal Album, and is also the youngest artist to write and record an official James Bond theme song, ‘No Time To Die,’ which won an Academy Award for Best Song this year. 
 
ABOUT BARBIE
To live in Barbie Land is to be a perfect being in a perfect place. Unless you have a full-on existential crisis. Or you’re a Ken. Warner Bros. Pictures Presents a Heyday Films Production, a LuckyChap Entertainment Production, an NB/GG Pictures Production, a Mattel Production, Barbie. The film will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures and released in theaters only nationwide on July 21, 2023 and internationally beginning July 19, 2023.

Directed by Greta Gerwig, Barbie stars Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling, America Ferrera, Kate McKinnon, Issa Rae, Rhea Perlman, and Will Ferrell. The film is written by Greta Gerwig & Noah Baumbach, based on “Barbie” by Mattel, and produced by David Heyman, Margot Robbie, Tom Ackerley and Robbie Brenner. The executive producers are Gerwig, Baumbach, Ynon Kreiz, Richard Dickson, Michael Sharp, Josey McNamara, Courtenay Valenti, Toby Emmerich and Cate Adams. The film’s music supervisor is George Drakoulias, with music by Mark Ronson and Andrew Wyatt.

OFFICIAL WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM TIK TOK | YOUTUBE | FACEBOOK TWITTER

Posted by The Entertainment Magazine

Categories
Music New Releases

NYC Punk Rock Veterans The Underbites Release Good Girl Single and Video From Their Forthcoming Four Songs About Girls EP


credit: Kirsten Blackburn

Classic-sounding New York City Punk Rock quartet The Underbites explode back on the scene with “Good Girl”, now available on Spotify and all major music services, with a killer companion video on YouTube

“Good Girl” is a feel good, hyped up, can’t miss track for fans of acts like The Muffs, U.S. Bombs, The Ramones, Social Distortion and other pioneers of punk, with added homage paid to the proliferation of melodies and hooks in the pop-punk ‘90s and early 2000s. The Underbites can vibe with any of the classic CBGB, SoCal, NYHC or Warped Tour scenes that were all highly distinct from one another, but were delivered with a distinctively punk rock ethos.

“‘Good Girl’ isn’t intended to be smarmy,” explains frontman/guitarist Jon Fox. “I saw the soul singer Simi Stone live and when I saw her play her song ‘Good Girl,’ I thought ‘How interesting would it be to write a song from the point of view of the character — from someone who turned good… but not that good.'” Delivered with the band’s trademark combination of humor and punch, the titular character gives up “everything except weed and sex.”

credit: Kirsten Blackburn

Lyrically, Fox draws as much from The Beach Boys, Squeeze and Robyn Hitchcock as he does from the Sex Pistols. Whether tackling activist posturing, consumer culture, economic decline, racial division, the sleazy machinations of politics, or polarizing figures like Donald Trump and Michael Moore, Fox is masterful at jolting listeners with an initial shock that, on closer inspection, reveals layers of thought.

Underbites songs, in fact, don’t spoon-feed you what they’re trying to say, which leaves fertile ground for listeners to walk away with some much-needed new perspective. In a world that’s constantly shouting at us, Fox knows all too well that shouting by itself doesn’t do the trick. Sure, he shouts a good deal too, but his songs are spiked with nuggets of wit and intelligence that belie their surface presentation. 

“There’s also,” Fox points out, “a lot of humor, which is such an important part of the palette. You never wanna beat people over the head, so I try to couch my opinions in storytelling—and vice-versa. When we do politics, it’s political with a small-p.”

Visit The Underbites online:

Spotify

Bandcamp

YouTube

Instagram

Posted by The Entertainment Magazine

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Uncategorized

Cave Creek Museum seeks assistance in roof repair of historic bandstand/gazebo

The Cave Creek Museum is home to many one-of-a-kind pieces of history including a historic bandstand/gazebo outside of the main building. Now, the museum seeks public and private help to restore a bandstand/gazebo that is in desperate need of a new roof after many years of providing significant memories for Cave Creek citizens and guests.  


“This spring our dream team provided a great amount of work to the floor, paint, railings and steps of the historic bandstand/gazebo,” says Evelyn Johnson, executive director for the museum. “The only part that needs serious restoration is the roof which currently has wood shake tiles. We would like something that is not such a fire danger and still has the look of wood for preservation of its famous look. We also are concerned about the weight, so tile is not an option.”

Johnson says the goal is to complete the project for Cave Creek’s only museum by the end of August.


“The Cave Creek Museum is a 501c3 non-profit organization that has been in operation for 52 years,” says Johnson. “While we may be considered a small museum, we are mighty in the history that we share. We are unique in that we have archaeological and history collections on exhibit in addition to the mining campus as well as the Arizona Gold Mining Experience. We want to help preserve our community’s rich history.”


Johnson says the museum seeks a partner for the important project. Partners will have their company listed on the museum’s website as a business partner and company signage will be placed near the bandstand/gazebo in recognition of the tax-deductible donation of service and materials. 


Along with its extensive exhibits, Cave Creek Museum has the first Church of Cave Creek and the last remaining tubercular cabin in Arizona, which is on the National Register of Historic Places. 

Johnson can be reached at 480-488-2764 or email [email protected].  

The 52-year-old Cave Creek Museum’s mission is to preserve the artifacts of the prehistory, history, culture and legacy of the Cave Creek Mining District and the Cave Creek/Carefree foothills area through education, research and interpretive exhibits. The Cave Creek Museum is located at 6140 E. Skyline Drive in Cave Creek, Ariz. Open October through May.

The museum can be reached at 480.488.2764 or cavecreekmuseum.org. Where History Comes Alive.

posted by The Entertainment Magazine EMOL.org
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Uncategorized

American Legion Post 34 New Commander Leo Witkowski

American Legion Post 34 has elected Leo Witkowski as commander for 2023-24.

“I am excited to serve as the new commander and to accomplish the many initiatives and goals that lie ahead for Post 34,” says Witkowski. “Looking ahead, the new leadership wants to involve more members as volunteers for our various committees and social activities. And, we’re anxious to recruit and welcome younger veterans while keeping our fellow members’ retention rate high. In addition, the team plans to create ambassadors to greet our members and guests every time they visit Post 34. A friendly, welcoming atmosphere is the goal for all.”

American Legion Post 34 is located at 6272 E. Cave Creek Road, Cave Creek, Ariz.

The American Legion, formed in 1919, supports and advocates on behalf of veterans, active military and their families. The 501 (c)(19) also supports the initiatives and programs of the American Legion while fostering patriotism and responsible citizenship. The American Legion is a non-secular, non-political organization.

Posted by Entertainment Magazine
Categories
Arizona Cave Creek

Filiberto’s Lone Mountain Summer Menu

Filiberto’s Lone Mountain introduces new summer menu, local discounts


Filiberto’s Lone Mountain has developed a summer menu featuring discounts on a number of specialty Mexican entrees.
The Cave Creek location created the dishes especially for Filiberto’s lovers in the northern desert communities. The summer deals include: bowls of alegre fries and nachos, chilaquiles, pozole, tortas (sandwiches), sopes, cabeza tacos and burritos, and Luis’ homemade cheese dip. All of the meals are on sale through summer.


Filiberto’s Lone Mountain is located at 31414 N. Cave Creek Road, Cave Creek, Ariz., 85331. Filiberto’s Cave Creek is open Monday-Thursday and Sunday from 6 AM to 11 PM. Fridays and Saturdays, it is open from 6 AM-12 PM.

For more information, contact Filiberto’s at 480.488.3624.

Posted by Entertainment Magazine