Michael Cavacini

An award-winning arts and culture blog.

Archive for the category “Movies”

20 Aug 2019

Meeting Clive Barker

On August 18, I met one of my horror idols: Clive Barker. A multi-talented artist who has mastered numerous mediums, Clive is a playwright, an author, a director, and a painter. He created, wrote and directed Hellraiser, his most famous work, and he’s also known for Candyman and Nightbreed, as well as more than 20 novels, hundreds of incredible paintings, and so much more. Stephen King once said, “I’ve seen the future of horror, and his name is Clive Barker.” That’s the highest praise one can get in this genre, and Clive lived up to that prophecy and then some.

Posted in Horror, Movies and tagged Books of Blood, Candyman, Clive Barker, Hellraiser, Horror, Michael Cavacini, Monster-Mania, Nightbreed

20 Aug 2019

Meeting Joe Bob Briggs

In March, at NJ Horror Con and Film Festival, I met Joe Bob Briggs, who is an actor, writer, and the host of The Last Drive-In With Joe Bob Briggs on Shudder. For decades Joe Bob has been sharing his insightful film commentary and witticisms with millions of viewers. You might know him from TMC’s Joe Bob’s Drive-In Theater or MonsterVision on TNT, which were popular programming in the 1980s and 1990s, or The Last Drive-In on Shudder, where he literally broke the internet in 2018. You might even know Joe Bob for his reviews of movies in the Dallas Herald Times in the early 1980s. Regardless of where or when you first discovered Joe Bob, he’s not the kind of person that you forget.

Posted in Movies and tagged Horror, Joe Bob Briggs, Michael Cavacini, MonsterVision, NJ Horror Con, Shudder, The Last Drive-In, TMC, TNT | Leave a comment

05 Aug 2019

Shudder – What’s New In August

Shudder, a premium streaming video service from AMC focused on horror, thrillers and the supernatural, has some exciting new content this month. As I write this, I have a live Shudder movie marathon playing in the background of the first six films in the A Nightmare on Elm Street franchise, which were just added to the streaming service. For more details regarding Shudder’s Freddy Krueger offering and other great additions this month, keep reading.

30 May 2019

A Conversation With Kiefer Sutherland

Kiefer Sutherland is a man of many talents. He’s starred in iconic films and TV shows, for which he’s won numerous awards. And, Kiefer is an accomplished musician whose second album, Reckless & Me, was recently released to rave reviews from fans and critics alike. In addition to being in 100+ movies, Kiefer has performed more than 300 concerts over the past two-and-a-half years. His creativity and passions drive him to express himself in unique ways, and Kiefer was kind enough to let me interview him about his impressive career.

27 Mar 2019

The Last Drive-In With Joe Bob Briggs – March 29 On Shudder

This Saturday I’m meeting Joe Bob Briggs at the New Jersey Horror Con and Film Festival. A day prior, March 29, his new weekly series debuts on Shudder: The Last Drive-In With Joe Bob Briggs. For those that are unfamiliar with it, Shudder is a premium streaming video service owned and operated by AMC, serving fans of horror, thrillers, and supernatural movies and TV shows. I think it’s a wonderful service that is overflowing with excellent content that I’m constantly backlogged on. Having thoroughly enjoyed Joe Bob’s standalone Shudder specials over the past several months, I look forward to his weekly Friday night double-features. Below are more details on this show and a trailer. Enjoy!

Posted in Horror, Movies, News and tagged AMC, Double-Feature, Horror, Joe Bob Briggs, Michael Cavacini, Movies, Shudder, The Last Drive-In | Leave a comment

05 Mar 2019

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Movie Review: 350 Days

There have been numerous documentaries about professional wrestling over the years, including ones produced by WWE about its superstars, legends, factions, and historic moments. In addition to these highly enjoyable, polished pieces, there are gritty, reality-based pro wrestling documentaries that are more focused on providing the viewer with an intimate behind-the-scenes look at the legends they grew up watching on TV. The Resurrection of Jake the Snake, an excellent character study and inspirational story about how the power of believing in yourself can transcend addiction, was firmly created in this style. 350 Days, coming out April 2, is the newest addition to this style of storytelling, and it’s an intriguing, enlightening, educational, and, most importantly, satisfying, documentary that everyone should see.

18 May 2018

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Review: William Shatner Live On Stage

William Shatner, even at 87-years-old, seems to have boundless amounts of energy. He’s always working on something new and exciting. Right now he’s on a tour where he’s visiting cities and, following a screening of the classic film Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, Shatner is participating in a live-on-stage Q&A with audiences. My father and I attended the Philadelphia screening at The Academy of Music, and it was an excellent event.

Posted in Movies, Review and tagged Academy of Music, Kimmel Center, Michael Cavacini, Philadelphia, Star Trek, William Shatner, Wrath of Khan

06 Mar 2018

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A Conversation With “Big” John Harte

“Big” John Harte is the former head of security for KISS. He also worked for Prince, Iron Maiden, and Billy Idol, as well as numerous TV and movie stars. His autobiography comes out this summer, and he has a Pledge Music campaign going on right now that you should check out. John was kind enough to speak with me about his impressive and exciting career.

Posted in Interview, Movies, Music and tagged Big John Harte, Billy Idol, Gene Simmons, Interview, Iron Maiden, John Harte, KISS, Michael Cavacini, Movies, music, Paul Stanley, Prince, tv

24 Jan 2018

Movie Review: Love, Simon

Tonight I attended the first local screening of a movie coming out March 16: Love, Simon. This wonderful film is based on the novel Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli. Love, Simon far exceeded my expectations, as well as my wife’s. We both laughed, cried and left the movie immensely satisfied. The characters are well-developed, the acting is superb, and the smartly-written script kept us engaged and emotionally invested the whole way through. You might’ve noticed that the image above is for the soundtrack of the film. That was done on purpose, because the music in this movie is a character all its own. It’s so good that I rushed home to write this review and I’m playing a Spotify playlist of the music in the background because the official soundtrack isn’t available until March 16, which is when you should make it a point to see this amazing movie.

Posted in Movies, Review and tagged Becky Albertalli, Love Simon, Michael Cavacini, Movie, Review | Leave a comment

04 Jul 2017

Movie Review: Hired Gun

Yesterday I watched a fantastic film: Hired Gun. This feature-length documentary has been screened to both critic and audience acclaim at SXSW Festival, Glastonbury Festival, MIFF, Calgary International, and Noise Pop. There was also a special one-night screening of the movie in theaters across the country on June 29. It introduces music fans to some of the world’s unsung heroes of the music industry through exclusive interviews and performances. These artists have played with a variety of music legends, including KISS, Alice Cooper, Rob Zombie, Billy Joel, P!NK, Ozzy Osbourne, Michael Jackson, Metallica, Bon Jovi, and many more.