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Dog Days (2018)
Dog Days (2018)
2018 | Drama
Cheesy but Solid
Dog Days revolves around a number of moving parts stories that shows the strength of relationships between people and man’s best friend.

Acting: 10

Beginning: 5
Typically with stories like these that have a number of different characters sharing screen time, it really can be a challenge to get the film off to a hot start as you introduce everyone. Ten minutes in, I wasn’t completely sold on the film, but it was enough for me to say, “What the hell? I’ll give it a shot.” Not bad, but not great.

Characters: 8
Again, moving parts stories introduce a lot of characters and it’s hard to try and get people to care about everyone. While I wasn’t invested in everyone all of the time, there were plenty of moments where I cared about the character’s outcome. There were certain characters I cared about a lot more than others like the coffee shop girl and the shelter owner.

Cinematography/Visuals: 7

Conflict: 6
This is a family film, very much meant to be light-hearted. While Disney has somehow found a way of perfecting having conflict while keeping things light, Dog Days suffered a bit more in that respect. Maybe it’s the fact that you know everything is going to work itself out in the end. Then again, you kind of know that for most movies, but it’s that drive of conflict that really makes things seem dire and leave you wondering for a bit. Not the case with Dog Days.

Entertainment Value: 10
Not going to lie, this movie really had me invested from beginning to end. It’s funny, endearing, and you get to see a bunch of cute dogs. Not going to win any academy awards, but it’s a fun movie I would recommend for any family. I didn’t leave the theater thinking I had wasted my time. It was more of a, “Wow, that was surprisingly fun.”

Memorability: 9

Pace: 10
The 113-minute runtime definitely doesn’t feel like it. Sometimes having a number of storylines can confuse the audience, but I managed to follow along at an easy pace. There are no bumps, it’s pretty smooth sailing from beginning to end.

Plot: 5

Resolution: 9

Overall: 79
I can think of countless family movies that would be a better use of your two hours than Dog Days. However, for what it is, the movie does the trick. It’s undeniably cute and pretty darn entertaining. Even better if you’re a dog lover. For all of it’s cheesiness, it’s pretty solid overall.
  
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Guy Garvey recommended Glory Hope Mountain by The Acorn in Music (curated)

 
Glory Hope Mountain by The Acorn
Glory Hope Mountain by The Acorn
2007 | Alternative, Pop, Rock
(0 Ratings)
Album Favorite

"It's just a gorgeous record with, again, a big heart in the middle of it. If you were to choose a tune to listen to, I'd listen to 'Lullaby' at the end of the record. Rolf Klausener's mother escaped an abusive childhood in Honduras. Her mother died in childbirth, and as she was brought up, she was abused, and she made an escape which involved crossing a swollen river, where she was rescued from drowning by a complete stranger whose face she never saw. He only found this out because his father died unexpectedly young and he realised he wanted to know more about his dad. He thought he should interview his mother because he didn't remember much about him. Then all this stuff came pouring out. Glory Hope Mountain is kind of a westernisation of his mother's name, Gloria Esperanza Montoya, and on the front sleeve there's a very saucy picture of a young woman. That's his mother. It was sent to me from Bella Union as part of my radio programme for Radio 6 Music. I've read a million promo stickers, as I'm sure you have, and they nearly always say fucking ""eclectic"" right? But the first time I saw this album, I thought this is about something, you know, and I thought it was such a bold step. It transfixed me when I first listened. I loved it so much that I invited The Acorn to tour with us in Europe, and they did. I should have picked an older, uglier band. We got absolutely no attention from women [laughs]. We became really good pals. Just really beautiful people, and an absolutely wonderful record. Just to finish what I was saying about Lullaby, he wrote it from the point of view of his grandma to his infant mother, and the lyrics are astonishing. Casey Mecija provides vocals for it – just such a beautiful voice. But the lyrics are: ""'Cause the sun set down on me You turn your head and slowly start to breathe Like the common bonds on carbon, buried deep I'm the shadow of the long forgotten dream... And the promises I never got to keep Though your toes grow colder as you sleep The blood runs through your heart with every beat… But I, I will wash over you I know your heart is true Little mountain of mine"" It's unbelievable, it is so touching, just beautiful. I challenge anyone with a beating heart not to have it broken with it. The whole album is brilliant."

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Roy Buchanan by Roy Buchanan
Roy Buchanan by Roy Buchanan
1990 | Blues, Pop, Rock
(0 Ratings)
Album Favorite

"He was a kind of blues/country artist from America - obviously Scottish lineage - and I remember, the first time I heard a bit of his music was a long time ago when I was very young. It was a cover of 'Sweet Dreams' by Patsy Cline; it was an instrumental version and I thought it sounded amazing. I'd just bought an acoustic guitar, and I heard it on the radio and remember thinking… I'm gonna preface this by saying we live in an age where I'm sick of seeing so many people saying, "I'm glad the guitar solo is dead, anybody can play like that" No they fucking can't! I see so many idiots in indie bands try to play solos and they can't fucking do it, because they haven't got the bravery to do it. They haven't got the fucking blood and guts to do it. You have to spill your guts if you want people to believe a guitar solo. That's why I always go for people like this; you can tell, if a Roy Buchanan song comes on, in any obscure station on the world, as soon as the solo comes you know it's him. And that's a really special gift to have. Not many people have that; as soon as he plays one note of a solo, you know it's him. It's beautiful. He always starts off a solo in a beautiful manner, almost slightly depressed, and then it just goes apeshit and he really loses it. It's almost like the guitar's having a fit. He goes from beautiful to really disturbed in one solo. I remember I went to see The Departed in the cinema and this song, his version of 'Sweet Dreams', came on in the end, and I was like, "Fuck me I forgot to buy a Roy Buchanan record!" I meant to buy one 20 years ago and I never did. I went out the next day and bought Roy Buchanan's entire back catalogue. The best one is just called Roy Buchanan. There's some beautiful stuff on it. There's one song called 'The Messiah Will Come Again', with a spoken word intro, and you can tell it's him doing it, and it's just beautiful. There's an old Phil Lynott and Gary Moore song called 'Parisienne Walkways', and you can see it was inspired by this song. I challenge somebody to listen to this song and not actually rethink their prejudice against expression on the guitar."

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Collateral Beauty (2016)
Collateral Beauty (2016)
2016 | Drama
Loss is something that all of us must face at one time or another. It affects each person differently. While some seem unfazed, others cannot adjust to life after the death of a loved one.

In Collateral Beauty, Will Smith portrays Howard Arnett, a father and advertising executive who has shut off the world after the loss of his daughter to cancer.

He disconnects from work, friends, and family. He is a shell of himself, not knowing how to find his place in the world now that a major piece of him is missing.

In an attempt to bring normalcy back to his life and save their company, his friends and colleagues band together to devise a plan to hire actors to play the roles of abstract beings that Howard contacts in his distress, hoping that it forces him to confront his feelings about his loss.

Collateral Beauty is more than just your run of the mill Holiday films. The movie is touching, heart-wrenching, and layered. The film is not limited to the growth of Howard.

We witness how each of his friends has a challenge that they must face that they have been putting off, just as their friend has for the past two years. An ensemble cast of Dame Hellen Mirren, Edward Norton, Kate Winslet, Michael Pena, Kiera Knigthley, and Naomie Harris would normally have audiences or critics worried that the film itself may be light on content, plot, or depth. This is not the case.

The film’s cast is outshined by the story that develops as audiences watch and wait for Howard to become unbroken. The film does not overshoot with respect to their expectations or even offer up conflated ideas and developments. Collateral Beauty gives audiences a chance to watch a man deal with loss and reflect on how we all deal with loss in our own ways.

The film is tough to watch in some moments due to its approach to love and death in not simplifying the significance of one’s life. It demonstrates that each person matters and their lives have a lasting impact. Collateral Beauty will leave audiences reflecting on their own circumstances and those of people they know.

At times, the feelings are too real and a deep connection is made between the characters and the audience that will leave many wishing that they had brought boxes of tissue with them as they will find themselves being touched and heavily impacted.
  
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