Dave reviews the movie "Civil War" followed by a performance of his song "The Scales".

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Welcome to Movie Reviews with Original Songs, aka MRwOS! I am your host, David Coile, and I’ll be reviewing a movie I’ve watched recently, then pair it with one of my backlog of original songs.

If you enjoy the program, I encourage you to like, follow, and share, or to support the program by subscribing to patreon.com/davidcoile or by making a contribution on Venmo to @DaveCoile. 

In this episode, I’ll be reviewing the film “Civil War” followed by a performance of my original song “The Scales” 

Movie: Civil War

“Civil War” is the new film by auteur writer-director Alex Garland, previously known for the excellent sci-fi movies “Ex Machina” and “Annihilation”. In this film, a small band of journalists (played by Kirsten Dunst, Wagner Moura, Cailee Spaeny, and Stephen McKinley Henderson) make their way through a war-torn America in hopes of interviewing the U.S. President (played by Nick Offerman) in a besieged Washington, D.C. 

Those looking for an insightful extrapolation of our country’s current political divisions will be disappointed. Instead, this movie critiques the role of journalism when covering conflict. What is the value of war reporting? What does it mean to be impartial? When, if ever, should a journalist intervene? Should the press be protected in a war zone? The fact that the film takes place in extremely familiar locations should be jarring to American audiences, with an overall message that once things go this far, the line between the good guys and bad guys is quite blurry. 

The acting is universally great, the cinematography excellent, and the story and themes will challenge you. Be sure to see it with friends so you can have a vibrant discussion afterwards. 

Song: The Scales

I wrote “The Scales” back in 2020, before the COVID pandemic really hit the U.S., but while President Trump was facing impeachment. The song was a bit inspired by that, and so I thought it would be appropriate to pair it with this film and its embattled Trump-like President. 

Dave reviews "Thelma" followed by his performance of an original song, "Walk on my Hands"

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Welcome to Movie Reviews with Original Songs, aka MRwOS! I am your host, David Coile, and I’ll be reviewing a movie I’ve watched recently, then playing one of my original songs that has similar themes.

If you enjoy the program, I encourage you to like, follow, and share it with your friends, or to support the program by subscribing to patreon.com/davidcoile or by making a contribution through Paypal or Venmo @DaveCoile. 

In this episode, I’ll be reviewing the film “Thelma” followed by a performance of my original song “Walk on my Hands”

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“Thelma” is a charming caper comedy about a nonagenarian who falls victim to an over the phone scam. When the police and her family won’t help, Thelma decides to track down the scammers on her own and demand her money back. 

Thelma is played by June Squibb, who I know from scene stealing supporting roles in the films of Alexander Payne, such as “Nebraska” and “About Schmidt”, and she does a bang up job in her first starring role. She’s joined by Richard Roundtree as her friend Ben, who reluctantly gets drawn into the whole affair. In many ways, this film could be a geriatric sendup of the type of films Roundtree used to star in, such as the blaxploitation classic “Shaft” from the 1970s. The two sneak around, search for clues and confront the bad guys in familiar ways while trying to overcome elderly obstacles.

At first I was concerned that it was being too hard on the older generation, but other generations get skewered just as much, including Thelma’s ineffectual grandson (played by Fred Heckinger) and his  overconfident parents (played by Parker Posey and Clark Gregg). 

Though the filmmaking isn’t especially innovative, the plotting is tight– pay attention to the details, because they pay off in the end. Writer-director Josh Margolin based Thelma on his own grandmother, who nearly fell victim to a similar scam. The love and affection he has for her is pervasive, and it makes for a very entertaining film. 

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I wrote my song “Walk on my Hands” back in the early 2000s, and it was written from the perspective of a young adult crying out for independence from his parents. But I think it shares some common sentiments with the elderly, who often get treated like children, even when they’re still fairly capable. 

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That’s it for this episode of MRwOS! If you enjoyed the program, I encourage you to like, follow and share it with your friends, or support the program by subscribing to patreon.com/davidcoile, or maybe just throw a tip my way via Paypal or Venmo @DaveCoile. I’ll see you next time with another movie review and original song. Until then, Fade Out, Everybody!

Dave reviews "Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga" the prequel to the Oscar winning "Mad Max: Fury Road". Then he performs a song he co-wrote with Cheyenne Dane, "If You Can See Me".

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Welcome to Movie Reviews with Original Songs, aka MRwOS! I am your host, David Coile, and I’ll be reviewing a movie I’ve watched recently, then pair it with one of my backlog of original songs.

If you enjoy the program, I encourage you to like, follow, and share it with your friends, or to support the program by subscribing to patreon.com/davidcoile or by making a contribution via Venmo @DaveCoile. 

In this episode, I’ll be reviewing the film “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga” followed by a performance of an original song, co-written with Cheyenne Dane,7i9oo “If You Can See Me”.

Film: Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga

“Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga” is a prequel to George Miller’s film “Mad Max: Fury Road”, which was nominated for 10 Oscars in 2016, including a nod for Best Picture. This film fleshes out the backstory of Furiosa (originally played by Charlize Theron, but now played by an excellent Anya Taylor-Joy). Early in the film, Furiosa gets kidnapped from an idyllic oasis, then spends her adolescence finding ways to survive amidst squabbling warlords (one of whom is played by a charismatic Chris Hemsworth in a not terribly convincing prosthetic nose). 

I’ll admit, I’m not a huge fan of the Mad Max films or its post-apocalyptic mythology, but “Fury Road” was my pick to win Best Picture the year it came out. It was a supremely well-crafted, well-choreographed and beautifully filmed action movie. There was enough flavor added to the characters to hint at a much more complex world beyond the immediate storyline. But at its heart, it was just a chase film, albeit a near perfect one. “Furiosa” returns with the same gorgeous cinematography and has many wonderful chase scenes (though with perhaps more noticeable CGI), but I think it loses some of the simple pleasures of “Fury Road” by delving into the cultural details and political rivalries as much as it does. 

If you’re a fan of the Mad Max series, that may be exactly what you’re looking for, in which case I highly recommend the film. But if you’re like me and enjoyed “Fury Road” in spite of its wasteland society, there’s still much to admire, but it’s not quite essential viewing. 

Song: If You Can See Me

I wrote the song “If You Can See Me” with my friend Cheyenne Dane back in 2018. It’s mostly written from a woman’s perspective and includes references to roads, dust, breaking free and finding yourself in a world of men, all of which echo the themes of “Furiosa”.

Dave reviews the biopic "Cabrini" about a literal saint, then plays his original take on the parable of the prodigal son, "After All, Only Love"

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Welcome to Movie Reviews with Original Songs, aka MRwOS! I am your host, David Coile, and I’ll be reviewing a movie I’ve watched recently, then pair it with one of my backlog of original songs.

If you enjoy the program, I encourage you to like, follow, and share, or to support the program by subscribing to patreon.com/davidcoile. 

In this episode, I’ll be reviewing the film “Cabrini” followed by a performance of my original song “After All, Only Love”

Movie: Cabrini

“Cabrini” is a beautiful love letter to its title character, played by Cristiana Dell’Anna. The movie is based on the real Mother Cabrini, who came to the U.S. in the late 19th Century and opened many missionary orphanages and hospitals across the county. This story focuses on her initial foray into the impoverished Italian sector of New York City. She faces off against an obstructionist ArchBishop (played by David Morse) and a corrupt Mayor (played by John Lithgow), who she overcomes with a savvy political instinct and an indomitable will. This movie is about a literal saint, and it’s exactly what you would expect: every frame is composed like a Renaissance painting, and Mother Cabrini is presented as an earnest and unstoppable force of nature. It’s a little too pristine for my cynical heart, but it’s a well paced, gorgeous looking film. If you like biopics about perfect heroes, this movie is for you.

Song: After All, Only Love

I’ve paired this film with my song “After All, Only Love”, which was written for the Raw Songwriting podcast, episode 21 of season 2. It was written to the prompt “A place to lay your head” and is basically about a child who returns home after a long time and is greeted with love by their family. It’s a song about unconditional love and it touches on the Biblical tale of the Prodigal Son, so I figured it would be an appropriate choice.

Dave reviews "Love Lies Bleeding" starring Kristen Stewart, then plays a crime story song of his own, "El Dorado" (co-written with John Bunzli)

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Welcome to Movie Reviews with Original Songs, aka MRwOS! I am your host, David Coile, and I’ll be reviewing a movie I’ve watched recently, then pair it with one of my backlog of original songs.

If you enjoy the program, I encourage you to like, follow, and share, or to support the program by subscribing to patreon.com/davidcoile. 

In this episode, I’ll be reviewing the film “Love Lies Bleeding” and performing an original song, “El Dorado”, that I wrote with John Bunzli.

Movie: Love Lies Bleeding

“Love Lies Bleeding” is a film, written and directed by Rose Glass, about a rural gym manager (played by Kristen Stewart) who has a fling with a female bodybuilder (played by Katy O’Brian) who is passing through town on her way to a competition in Las Vegas. As their relationship develops, they get entangled in the local family crime drama. As is usually the case with film noir, things start off pretty ugly. This is initially indicated by the terrible haircuts sported by Stewart and her on-screen gangster father (played by Ed Harris). Luckily, the drama intensifies enough to distract you from the questionable mullets. The story is a by-the-numbers noir, in that everybody is morally compromised and things go from bad to worse until you pretty much hit rock bottom– it does a competent job running through the genre formula. 

All the performances are great– I know that Kristen Stewart gets a lot of grief for her performances in the Twilight series, but what comes off as wooden acting in a blockbuster comes off as nuance in a smaller film– I’ve always enjoyed her performances in indie cinema. Otherwise, the most interesting thing about the film is how it depicts the effects of performance enhancing drugs on the bodybuilder. Also, the climax of the film is surprising in a way that isn’t quite a twist, but definitely flips our perspective. Viewers should beware that there is a very gruesome scene in the middle of the film. 

This is a well told crime story, and I would recommend it to anyone who appreciates film noir. It is slightly more cinematic than your average TV movie, so it’s probably worth seeing in theaters if you can. If you’re not a fan of gritty, violent tales about people with questionable morals, probably best to skip this one. 

Song: El Dorado

I wrote the song “El Dorado” with my friend John Bunzli back in 2018. I chose this song for this film because it depicts the aftermath of a crime gone wrong and the protagonist’s attempts to escape through a romantic relationship.

Dave reviews the low-budget horror film "Late Night with the Devil" and plays his original song about an encounter with the devil, "Be Remembered".

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Welcome to Movie Reviews with Original Songs, aka MRwOS! I am your host, David Coile, and I’ll be reviewing a movie I’ve watched recently, then pair it with one of my backlog of original songs.

If you enjoy the program, I encourage you to like, follow, and share, or to support the program by subscribing to patreon.com/davidcoile. 

In this episode, I’ll be reviewing the film “Late Night with the Devil” followed by a performance of my original song “Be Remembered”

Movie: Late Night with the Devil

“Late Night with the Devil” is about talk show host Jack Delroy, played by David Dastmalchian (who I know from the Ant-man films and Suicide Squad). In an effort to defeat Johnny Carson in the late night ratings game of the 70s, Delroy invites on a psychic medium, a girl purported to be possessed by a demon, and a skeptical debunker for a special Halloween episode. 

Directed by Australian duo Colin & Cameron Cairnes, and inspired by Australian television personality Don Lane, they do a wonderful job of capturing the feel of the 1970s. This is a low budget film, but it’s a great example of how to make an amazingly cinematic piece without a ton of money. It takes place mostly on a soundstage, but mixes in period detail, documentary footage, color palette changes and Halloween costumes to great effect. Most of the film takes place in real time, but they use the commercial breaks as an opportunity to give us behind the scenes footage that boosts the drama. 

I haven’t always been a fan of horror, having grown up in the slasher era of the 80s, but I’ve grown to appreciate more psychological horror, where what you don’t see on screen is just as important as what you do. This film slowly levels up the creepiness while leaving plenty of space for character development and world building. 

If you enjoyed HBO’s old Larry Sanders Show, but thought it could use some more terrifying twists, this film is for you! If you want to see masterclass, low budget filmmaking, go see this movie! If you enjoy period pieces and genre pastiches, there’s a lot to love here. Highly recommended!

“Be Remembered” is one of the first songs I wrote after the pandemic started. When you’re trying to make a career as a creative artist, one of the big questions is, what and how much are you willing to sacrifice? Sometimes it can feel like selling your soul. This one takes that concept pretty literally, and so it shares some of the themes of the film.

Dave reviews "Dune Part 2", directed by Denis Villeneuve, and plays his Dune-themed song, "In Your Blue Eyes" (co-written with Jay Allen).

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Welcome to Movie Reviews with Original Songs, aka MRwOS! I am your host, David Coile, and I’ll be reviewing a movie I’ve watched recently, then pair it with one of my backlog of original songs.

If you enjoy the program, I encourage you to like, follow, and share, or to support the program by subscribing to patreon.com/davidcoile. 

In this episode, I’ll be reviewing the film “Dune: Part 2” followed by a performance of my original song “In Your Blue Eyes” written with Jay Allen.

Movie: Dune, Part 2

“Dune, Part 1”, from back in 2021, ended in a cliffhanger, but Part 2 is well worth the wait. Director Denis Villeneuve is back with stars Timothee Chalemet, Zendaya and an all-star cast. Adapted from Frank Herbert’s classic sci-fi novel, this film does a great job condensing and balancing the complexities of the book on the silver screen– 5 hours stretched over 2 films still isn’t enough to capture everything, but everything flows and nothing feels forced. The cinematography and art design is beautiful, in contrast to David Lynch’s adaptation from 1984, which was equally inventive, but reveled in its ugliness. Villeneuve’s vision manages to convey the oppressive dystopia, but while still being appealing to the eye. The acting is superb throughout, and they handle the action and political intrigue with equal skill. It’s early in the year, but if voters remember it come the next round of Awards Ceremonies, don’t be surprised if this gets some nominations for Best Picture. This is an epic space opera, but it’s not as fun as Star Wars. This is speculative sci-fi, but it’s not as optimistic as Star Trek. Tonally, this film has more in common with Blade Runner, which, coincidentally, had its sequel directed by Villeneuve himself. Dune, Part 2 is a feast for the eyes, but it will also challenge your mind.

Song: In Your Blue Eyes

I wrote “In Your Blue Eyes” with my friend Jay Allen, who frequently plays bass with me. It was the first time we had written together, and he had been reading Dune at the time, so we decided to write a song about it. Whenever I write about something so specific, I try to make it so it can have double meaning. There’s some of that here, but once you get to singing about sand worms, all bets are off.

Dave reviews Wim Wenders directed "Perfect Days", then plays "So Afraid", a simple but anxious tune of his own...

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Welcome to Movie Reviews with Original Songs, aka MRwOS! I am your host, David Coile, and I’ll be reviewing a movie that I’ve watched recently, then pairing it with one of my original songs that I think has similar themes. 

If you enjoy the program, I encourage you to like, follow, and share it with your friends, or to support the program by subscribing to patreon.com/davidcoile. 

Outro: That’s it for this episode of MRwOS! If you enjoyed the program, I encourage you to like, follow, and share it with your friends, or to support the program by subscribing to patreon.com/davidcoile. I’ll be back next time with another movie review and original song. In the meantime, fade out, everybody! 

In this episode, I’ll be reviewing the film “Perfect Days” followed by a performance of my original song “So Afraid”

Movie: Perfect Days

“Perfect Days” is a film about Hirayama, a janitor in Japan trying to live a simple life, but complications inevitably set in. Directed and co-written by Wim Wenders (along with Takuma Takasaki), this film focuses on the beauty of the Mundane. Wenders takes time to establish Hirayama’s daily routine in exhaustive detail, and people new to Wender’s work might get a little bored. Hirayama is nearly silent throughout the film, but his quiet lifestyle makes the minor diversions he faces seem like major upheavals. Hirayama is played by Koji Yokusho, who won for Best Actor at the Cannes Film Festival; have no doubt, it’s a masterful performance. To be able to convey the emotional layers of his character in such a subtle film is jaw dropping. As with any Wim Wenders film, the cinematography is beautiful, and the music selections from the Velvet Underground, the Animals, Nina Simone and more are a nice touch. This is a wonderful film that’s not for everyone. If you’re looking for action or melodrama, stay away. But if you want the kind of deep, poetic, observational cinema that Wim Wenders specializes in, this is a must see.

Song: So Afraid

I wrote my song “So Afraid” as part of Timmy Riordan’s Fearless Songwriting challenge in 2019. The prompt was “too long”. I started by trying to write a song to impress the other songwriters who were part of the challenge, but then decided to take it easy and just get it done. The song relates to the film by being simple, but expresses anxiety about moving forward, backward or upside down, which I think are themes explored in the movie.