Excerpt from Newsvine:
Two of the most complex emotions that we face in this life might just belong to matters of the heart: love and sex. Without the obviousness and a dictionary definition, what are they? Singer and songwriter, Michael Johns has it figured out in his own style. His new EP, Love and Sex, a three track release arrived in digital music stores this past Tuesday and showcases a mutual vulnerability and angst regarding the subject.
Johns, who released his debut album Hold Back My Heart nearly four years ago has undergone a fascinating transformation, emerging as an artist who truly understands and feels for his music. With everything he has done since his debut, listeners can hear a vocal and lyrical maturity showing an impressive artistic growth in Love and Sex that delivers and encompasses raw passion, desire and that burning love within the three track EP.
I caught up with the ever congenial and charming, Michael Johns to talk Love and Sex and as always, he’s an absolute delight to talk to. He shares that he was strictly in the mood to write this specific collection of music so he did it, without any intention. That’s a notable characteristic within Johns and shows how versatile he is as a singer and songwriter.
Continue reading article…
Excerpt from Newsvine:
If there’s one thing I’ve noticed with songwriters and I admire most, it’s the courage they have to strip themselves down; exposing their thoughts and feelings to a capricious world while diving into a deep unknown abyss just to know that someone along the way understands that very meaning they’re trying to articulate. Deep, well-thought songs don’t come from the surface. They come from deep down with an open heart and mind that allows for poetry, melody and passion to permeate through.
An artist who never fails to wear his heart on his sleeve is David Cook, the past winner of the FOX reality show, American Idol but don’t peg him into the Idol cliché. Cook is one of the rare winners along with Carrie Underwood and Kelly Clarkson who’s able to stand on his own two feet and found success over the years by laying his heart on the line. Lyrically and vocally, Cook is impressive and by far one of the finest musicians emerging today. It’s been about two and a half years since his platinum-selling self-titled album debuted and the wait has been worth it.
Continue reading article…
Excerpt from Newsvine:
It is said that each man is the architect of his own fate as he dreams of his destiny, without fear and yearns to make it a reality for when the time is right. However, we are guided through life with the notion that we have our own decisions to make, tinkering with the thought of choices and freewill. But is freewill a misconception? Is our fate already predetermined?
George Nolfi’s directorial debut The Adjustment Bureau dabbles with the concept that there is only an appearance of freewill and that all of life’s major choices are predetermined by a higher authority and the path they’ve chosen for us. Nolfi, who also wrote the screenplay loosely based on Phillip K. Dick’s short story, “The Adjustment Team”, dives deep into the age old debate of freewill vs. fate with a fresh spin on the philosophies of life and theology, with regards to fate, destiny, chance and the greater picture of our very being.
Continue reading article…
Excerpt from Newsvine:
In recent years, America has faced a great recession that has left the jobless with not only profound psychological and emotional scars but with slim hope of finding themselves out of the ditch they were put in. The economic catastrophe has affected more than 15 million people and they feel disheartened and quite weak as their financial reserves grow exhausted, their job hunt becomes strenuous and their place with their family, community and society befalls strain with the battle for their shifting identity becoming a newfound challenge.
A film that is showcasing the current economic forecast and the realities of it all is The Company Men directed by long-time television producer, John Wells (ER, The West Wing). In his directorial debut, Wells who also wrote the screenplay for the topical film illustrates an unyielding, clever and poignant piece of work for the audience, bringing the bleak realities to life.
Continue reading article…
Excerpt from Newsvine:
It seems like the film industry today isn’t too keen on producing westerns as they aren’t made too often but when they are, they are made with much interest and an eager eye. A duo that you wouldn’t expect to be involved in the creation of a western is this generation’s leading writing and directing team, Ethan and Joel Coen. Their latest, True Grit is a beautiful, literary piece that is nothing like its 1969 predecessor starring the Duke, John Wayne.
This film proves that the Coen brothers are clearly experienced enough to exercise their genre palette and create such a film of grandeur while never losing sight of the storyline, its genuinely constructed characters and indulging into their usual quirks found in their filmography. True Grit has all the elements of a western but at the same time, still has that signature touch the Coen brothers are well known for as seen in their past films. The film does not take away from the novel’s direction and the Coen style. It still has that elusive flavour the two visionaries bring forth in every film, in terms of the sarcastic banter between characters and the quick “shock and awe” approach to the storyline, rising conflict and violence. With a Coen feature, one never knows where the story will take them.
Continue reading article…
Excerpt from Newsvine:
Perfection is in the eye of the beholder and Darren Aronofsky for his latest film, Black Swan decides to toy around with the common ambition we all strive for. However, the way Aronofsky messes with his protagonists and their singular pursuits in each film is somewhat of a mind muddle.
In Black Swan, Aronofsky has directed a clever script that is more of a character study into the deep dark abyss of self-esteem and a subdued sexuality from within, aiming for the notion of perfection. The actors portray their characters to their absolute best through physical expression and an honest emotion that leaves the watcher feeling somewhat of an empathy and interest into the depths of the protagonist.
Continue reading article…
