MUSIC

7 of the Best Anti-War Songs

The best protest music transcends time and is always relevant. Today, we need it more than ever.

Photo by Tong Su (Unsplash)

This morning, Donald Trump authorized a drone strike at Baghdad International Airport that killed Maj. Gen. Qassim Suleimani, Iran's top security and intelligence commander.

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Film Lists

Now in Theaters: 5 New Movies for the Weekend of February 1st

What's playing this weekend? Glad you asked.

Theater

Photo by Felix Mooneeram on Unsplash

Welcome back to "Now in Theaters: 5 New Movies for the Weekend."

Maximize your time by only seeing the movies recommended to you by some guy on the Internet.

WIDE RELEASE:

Miss Bala

Miss Bala Trailer #1 (2019) | Movieclips Trailerswww.youtube.com

Gina Rodriguez's parents died, but that won't stop her from vacationing in Mexico with her best friend. It's just two gals livin' it up south of the border, when oh no, here come the cartels to kidnap them. Now sweet Gina needs to help the cartel if she wants to save her friend, but what will she do when the bad guy turns out to be hot? It kind of looks like Twilight except the sexy guy is a drug dealer instead of ancient vampire. Makes sense, considering it's directed by Catherine Hardwicke who also directed―you guessed it!―Twilight. Wait for the reviews.

LIMITED RELEASE:

Arctic

ARCTIC | Official Trailerwww.youtube.com

The ultimate survival match, Man v Nature. Mads Mikkelson stars as a plane crash survivor stranded in the arctic with a young woman who can't move on her own. Now if he wants to survive, he needs to trek through the wilderness, dragging the woman on a sled, fighting snowstorms and polar bears. The cinematography looks nice, but the movie seems harrowing. If you're into survival fare, this is right up your alley.

The Wild Pear Tree

The Wild Pear Tree (official trailer)www.youtube.com

Nominated for a Palme d'Or at Cannes, this Turkish film is about a young man who returns home after college while trying to save money to publish his first novel. There, he clashes with his gambling-addicted father and the various people and culture that shaped his youth. Even in the trailer, the imagery seems immediately profound. Reviews are also glowing, so if you're out to see a movie that will make you think and potentially analyze your own ambitions, this seems like a great choice.

They Shall Not Grow Old

They Shall Not Grow Old – New Trailer – In Theaters February 1www.youtube.com

Peter Jackson has created one of the most impressive documentaries ever made. They Shall Not Grow Old offers an up-close look at WW1 through the lens of first-person accounts and footage gathered from the BBC and Imperial War Museum, all restored with unbelievable clarity. The resulting product looks like it was shot in a Hollywood studio, and makes you feel closer to the Great War and the young men who died there than you might have believed possible.

NETFLIX:

Velvet Buzzsaw

Velvet Buzzsaw | Official Trailer [HD] | Netflixwww.youtube.com

Velvet Buzzsaw is a horror movie about the high art world from the writer/director behind Nightcrawler. It also stars Jake Gyllenhaal. If that's not enough to get you excited then, much like high art, you probably just don't get it. But as an added bonus, it's on Netflix so you don't even need to leave your house to see what's sure to be the most talked about movie release of the weekend. It also looks like a lot of fun.


Dan Kahan is a writer & screenwriter from Brooklyn, usually rocking a man bun. Find more at dankahanwriter.com



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by Tattoo Money

03.19.18 | This playlist is a collection of songs that either inspired the production of my new single "Levels", set the bar in terms of mushiness, or just shared my weird take on romance. "Can we Hang On?" from Cold War Kids speaks on the hurdles in relationships between artists and their non-artist partners, it's real ya'll. "I wanna be yours" by Arctic Monkeys is a song I use to dedicate to my girl earlier on in the relationship... until I wrote my own song for her, of course."Ding-a-Ling" From Stefflon Don and "I'm in it" from Kanye are pillow talk at its finest!

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" I love being able to be entrepreneurial at my own pace."

Packed with unstoppable energy, big band sounds, and a whole lot of attitude. The Debut single, "War!" introduces Zach Callison with a sprawling, epic chapter of an intense Hollywood love affair. Produced by Chase Ryan, Anthony Mazza, and Callison himself, the single is a dynamic fusion of sounds that incorporates inspirations from blues rock, theatrical storytelling, and fast-paced rap verse. The unapologetic revenge track introduces Juanita as the feuding lover of the protagonist, who despite his vengeful promise to outshine her music career, is still the object of his obsession. A big band symphony of horns rages beneath Callison's alchemical control of rhyme and diction, spitting lines alongside wild piano (played by Callison) and fuzzy electric guitar.

The Los Angeles-based musician, voice actor, and actor is known for his work as the voice of "Steven" on Cartoon Network's hit show Steven Universe, his on camera acting as villain Chuck for Amazon Studios' Just Add Magic as well as guest appearances on ABC's The Goldbergs and CBS's NCIS: Los Angeles. Music has always been a huge influence— as a kid he watched his father play rock music in the blues bars of St. Louis— an experience that lives on in the sounds he creates today. He's been featured on a number of soundtracks including the Emmy-winning Sofia the First and Steven Universe Soundtrack: Volume One, the latter of which hit the number one spot on the iTunes charts. No stranger to the stage, he's performed in massive musical theater productions at the St. Louis Muny Theater and cover bands throughout venues in Los Angeles, eventually shifting his focus to songwriting.

The sound born from his unique background is a surprising mix of rock hooks, energetic theatrical instrumentation, and hip-hop rhyme schemes that already has his fans excited for the full record. On " War!," Callison presents a preview into the storytelling experience he's crafted throughout his debut EP, "A Picture Perfect Hollywood Heartbreak," due out later this year.

INTERVIEW

What did you listen to growing up?

Nothing but rock until I was ten or so, that was my dad's influence for sure. He showed me a lot of old and new...Beatles, Zeppelin, Styx as well as early 2000s Maroon 5, Linkin Park and Incubus. To this day all these acts remain favorites, and have made their mark on my music.

How did you start writing music?

I putzed around and wrote a couple little things around twelve or thirteen; one was a nice Christmas song for my grandmother, the other a political rock song about overthrowing dictatorships with my old band. Between those two set I was pretty much set for a while. I only started seriously writing music a few years ago when I broke ground on this EP. I didn't intend to do a record from the beginning...it was more of a personal side project that I took up after I finished a couple songs at home on my piano. Nowadays I'm constantly writing, almost daily.

How did you start voice over acting?

By accident, really. I came to LA for on-camera acting, as the market back in St. Louis was pretty small. At a certain point, my agents started submitting me for cartoon auditions...it had never really occurred to my and my parents that voice acting was something I could pursue. When I was eleven, I booked a radio show called Adventures in Odyssey that ended up being a five-year gig; I got to do a bunch of ensemble records with incredible veteran voice actors like Jim Cummings, Jess Harnell and Will Ryan. It was an invaluable learning experience, and it set me up for work in a field that I didn't even know I could be in.

How are the two different outlets unique for you?

I think the biggest difference is that in my acting, I'm constantly switching gears and playing different parts all the time because I'm a hired gun on all these different projects, and new auditions are coming in every week. On the flip side, my music is all self-made and entrepreneurial as that's the nature of the business. Both outlets have elements of the other, but I'm really enjoying being able to have both in my career at the moment; every month is wildly different and that keeps me engaged.

What inspired "War!"?

A girl I used to know, that isn't actually named "Juanita" like I scream in the song. We didn't part on good terms, and there was a lot of shade being thrown from her and her friends...I wrote "War!" to clap back where I knew it hurt. She's a singer, and has been working on the same album since long before we ever got together; this song is me dropping into the music scene with a loud message by asking her where she's been all this time. I wanted something very theatrical and soaked in flair to punctuate that question, and that's where the grandiose feel of the track comes from.

What has been the biggest challenge in your career?

So far, the biggest challenge has been growing up normally and figuring out who I am while working on building my career. I was homeschooled from fourth grade to the end of high school, and always had major work responsibilities from the time that I was ten. Everything awkward about growing up is magnified when it's under the lens of Hollywood; acne becomes much scarier when you have an audition the next day, and your voice dropping two octaves can be the worst thing that's ever happened when you're banking on playing eight year olds in cartoons. This was reality for me and all my friends that came up together. Nowadays, we're trying to find time to have our crazy college years and go see the world while also grinding out as much of a climb as we can here in LA. I'll never regret coming out west to do what I do, but it definitely gives as much as it takes away.

What has given you the most fulfillment from your experience in the business?

There's so many things...the industry has given me so much so early in my life, and I love being able to be entrepreneurial at my own pace. I love being able to make my own projects now, like this record. I think the biggest reward, though, has been the circle of people I came up with that are just now getting into adulthood after years of child acting and performing. We're a unique and quirky group of kids, and we all understand each other very well because few others can relate to our upbringing and circumstances. Most of us are born creatives and have stayed in the field somehow; once we were all just actors, and now I'm surrounded by writers, musicians, composers, cinematographers, and producers. They're all extraordinary somehow, and for that I'm very grateful.

What's next?

I'm taking off to Canada when I finish the record, just for fun this time. Then, I'm releasing the album, finishing some new video content, recording for some new cartoons, going on tour eventually, and getting the brakes in my car fixed. They're squeaky.

Follow Zach Callison on Twitter|Instagram | YouTube


Dan Victor is editor of Popdust and producer of Popdust Presents. He is also a music producer, bassist for Low Profile (live hip hop) & The Coldpress (indie rap) and front-man for Ductape Halo (indie rock). Follow on Youtube.


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Oscars 2018 Preview: Best Picture

Get Caught Up on This Year's Nominees

Call Me by Your Name Movie Clip - Dance Party (2017) | Movieclips Indie

Yesterday the Academy revealed their nominees for the 2018 Oscars. In case you're not caught up, here's Popdust's previews of the Best Picture candidates:


The Phantom Thread

It's been a decade since the Paul Thomas Anderson, Daniel Day-Lewis and Johnny Greenwood dream team got together to make a film, and while The Phantom Thread may not be quite as seismic as There Will Be Blood, it's made with just as much quality and finesse. Methodical, detailed, and imbued with significance in every smallest moment of run time, it's also the film that pushed Day-Lewis to retire from acting, which makes The Phantom Thread worth watching on two fronts. For a more in-depth look, check out my review.


Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

For my money, Martin McDonagh is one of Europe's most talented dramatists alive today. Three Billboards plays like a stage show—small scale, modest production value, dialogue-driven, etc—and possesses the qualities of McDonagh's best works: icky moral dilemmas, harsh characters, every variation on sh*t, piss and c*nt. Perhaps no other film this year is as tightly written.


The Shape of Water

Not since Beauty and the Beast itself has a film concerning bestiality (or whatever the monster version of that term would be) garnered so much critical acclaim as The Shape of Water. Like much of Guillermo del Toro's work, Water is beautifully colored and shot, but lacks depth in its writing. In spite of an emotional climax that amounts to the sort of "he loves me for who I really am" sentiment most common to teenage dramas and rom-coms, The Shape of Water has been reeling in praise and Critics' Choice Awards. Plus, the monster character looks a lot like an Oscar statue up close, so that bodes well.


Lady Bird

In tone and style, Greta Gerwig may be the closest equivalent to Woody Allen for the millennial generation. The character of Lady Bird, played by Saiorse Ronan, feels like a culmination of all the other pseudo-Gerwig protagonists of past films—Mistress America and Maggie's Plan come to mind—and the story a culmination of that character. It's also really funny.


Get Out

I remember listening to the October 29, 2013 episode of Pete Holmes' podcast, when Jordan Peele, his featured guest, mentioned a script he was working out: a sort of comedy-horror film called 'Get Out'. He played it off as being early-stage and, frankly, I wasn't too interested in a movie with such a bland title from the Key & Peele guy. Evidently, I did a misread. Get Out isn't perfect—the acting is fine, it's (intentionally) corny, and it plays the Easter eggs meta-game with little regard for subtlety (He drives a Lincoln? Just hammer it into my skull why don't you?). But its concept is, basically, perfect—unique, hilarious, social commentary turned on its head—which is particularly refreshing in our age of sequels, revivals and rehashes. There's also never been a movie more suited to its cultural moment.


Dunkirk

Dunkirk is another pique Christopher Nolan picture—heavy, shot in expensive film, meant for only the largest of IMAX theaters. Its subject—the battles at Dunkirk during the Second World War—is so significant in 20th century history that it's surprising how few films have gone there before. Most importantly, in addition to all the other young British actors you can think of, it non-ironically features Harry Styles in a dramatic role.


The Post

If every Hollywood movie ever made had a group baby together, it might look something like The Post. The product of three of the industry's most accomplished and least objectionable figures—Meryl Streep, Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg—with a current events tie-in and leftist political appeal, The Post may just be the most normal movie ever made, for better and for worse.


Darkest Hour

Faced with the fate of his nation—whether to fight or surrender to the seemingly unstoppable Nazi Blitzkreig—Winston Churchill steps out of his private car on the way to Parliament, and takes the Tube for the first time in his life. Of course, no single bit of this sequence occurred in real life, but even as you're sitting knowing that, the pure emotion of the scene compels you to just let it happen. Such is the tension of Darkest Hour: it's Hollywood-ization without remorse, though the product itself is a terribly compelling drama.


Call Me By Your Name

Starring the point guard of this author's middle school Safe Haven basketball team, Call Me By Your Name is beautifully deep and uncomplicated. Much more compelling than what the film is actually about—a teen summer romance, queerness, coming-of-age—is how it handles the minute-to-minute interactions and shifts in its characters. For more, read my review here.


For continuing Oscars coverage, stay tuned for Popdust's predictions and review of the show.