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In Search of Darkness (2019)
In Search of Darkness (2019)
2019 | Documentary, Horror
In short, In Search of Darkness is a must watch for any horror fan.

It's 4+ hour runtime is a gushing love letter to 80s horror, covering the decade year by year, with interviews from an impressive cast of genre icons - John Carpenter, Larry Cohen, Joe Dante, Barbara Crampton, Doug Bradley, Tom Atkins, Lori Cardille, Nick Castle, Jeffrey Combs, Kane Hodder, Tom Holland, Heather Langenkamp, Don Mancini, Cassandra Peterson, Caroline Williams, Brian Yuzner, and many more!

The documentary doesn't break any new ground, truth be told, but it's hard to not to appreciate all of these films being covered in one place. The sheer amount of titles discussed is pretty vast.
It's put together nicely as well. Old grainy film trailers tend to set the tone of each entry, but all of the footage shown is crystal clear and HD. The graphics are eye catching, with classic one sheets on display throughout, and it's all set too a great synth soundtrack courtesy of Weary Pines.

Really worth checking out - I split my viewing over a few nights and was honestly gutted when I had none left to watch. Director David A. Weiner did a great job with this documentary, and has a second one coming next year entitled In Search of Tomorrow, focusing on the Sci-Fi films of the 80s, and I can't wait to see it!
  
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Matthew Krueger (10051 KP) Aug 12, 2020

One of the best, ifn't the greatest horror doctumentaries of all time.

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Heathere' (25 KP) rated Busted Jukebox Volume 2 by Shovels & Rope in Music

Mar 17, 2018 (Updated Mar 17, 2018)  
Busted Jukebox Volume 2 by Shovels & Rope
Busted Jukebox Volume 2 by Shovels & Rope
2017 | Alternative, Folk, Indie
9
7.5 (2 Ratings)
Album Rating
*Surprising choice of cover songs *They make each song unique *You might discover an artist or band you weren't aware of (0 more)
You might miss the vocals of husband and wife Michael Trent and Cary Ann Hearst but they do sing (0 more)
Shovels & Rope-Cover Songs
I don't usually like cover songs. I feel that if you are going to do a cover of someone's song, you should make it 'your own'. I love that Shovels & Rope made each track unique and had so many great singers help them out.

Tracks:
~Cleanup Hitter (feat. Brandi Carlile)
  -original artist: Bill Carson

~Joey (feat. Nicole Atkins)
  -original artist: Concrete Blonde

~Do You Love Me Now (feat. Rhett Miller)
  -original artist: The Breeders

~Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain (feat. John Moreland)
  -original artist: Willie Nelson

~Untitled 1 (feat. Matthew Logan Vasquez)
  -original artist: Sigur Rós

~The Air That I Breathe (feat. Indianola)
  -original artist: The Hollies

~I’m Your Man (feat. John Fullbright)
  -original artist: Leonard Cohen
~Death Or Glory (feat. Hayes Carll)
  -original artist: The Clash
~Epic (feat. Lera Lynn)
  -original artist: Faith No More
~You Never Can Tell
  -original artist: Chuck Berry

My favorite track is 'Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain'. I heard this song when I asked my Amazon Alexa to shuffle songs by Shovels & Rope. I put the song on repeat and purchased the album without hearing any of the other songs and I picked up Busted Jukebox Volume 1, as well. I'm a fan of Shovels & Rope and was surprised that I hadn't heard of these albums.


Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain, is a Willie Nelson song and this version, featuring John Moreland, is absolutely beautiful. My father, a Willie Nelson fan would have approved of this version. It's a song that makes it very hard to hold back the tears. If I'm being honest, I haven't been able to that, yet.


The most surprising track is Epic, a Faith No More song. It is so different from the original and I really like the different flow that Lera Lynn gave it. The song in it's cover form has given a slightly different meaning to the lyrics. The original was powerful and in your face while this version is powerful and haunting.


Other songs are originally by


I am so happy that I stumbled upon this and I can't wait to see what this amazing duo will bring us next!
  
Holmes and Watson (2018)
Holmes and Watson (2018)
2018 | Adventure, Comedy, Mystery
They can't all be winners
Well...they can't all be winners.

I know that Will Ferrell is an "acquired taste" - either you like the "all in" comedy of this man, or you don't. I happen to like Ferrell, his comedy has aged on me like a fine wine. I find that some of his most recent films like THE OTHER GUYS and THE HOUSE are very funny (maybe not as funny as ANCHORMAN...but what is). I think this comedian still has his fastball.

But, sometimes, wine doesn't age well, it turns into vinegar. And for Ferrell, this vinegar is the comedic dud that is HOLMES & WATSON.

Partnering with familiar on-screen partner John C. Reilly (who paired with Ferrell in films like STEP BROTHERS and TALLEDEGA NIGHTS) this film is a parody of the multitude of Sherlock Holmes films - this time showing that not only is Holmes and idiot but so is Watson. But, somehow, they manage to solve the crime and save the day anyway.

Ferrell is (typically) over-the-top and obtuse as Holmes. Usually, this combination works for him (see ANCHORMAN) but it just falls flat here. Same thing for John C. Reilly's Watson - he is just as over-the-top and obtuse and (I think) that's the beginning of the problem here. The two just bounce off each other without the joke landing on either of them - nor does it land of the audience.

Ralph Fiennes (Moriarty), Rebecca Hall (potential girlfriend), Rob Brydon (Inspector Lestrade) and Kelly Macdonald (Mrs. Hudson) all fair poorly with poor material to work with.

Writer/Director Etan (that's Etan, not Ethan) Cohen (IDIOCRACY) does nothing to help things here with either his writing or his direction. My only thought here is that he thought that Ferrell and Reilly could improvise themselves into a good film.

It didn't happen.

Letter Grade: C (because I guffawed out loud - despite myself - a couple of times)

4 stars (out of 10) and you can take that to the Bank(ofMarquis)