Archive for the 'Aaron Neuwirth' Category
December 28th, 2014 by Aaron Neuwirth
Never a post of joy, but every year does see the release of films that are not very good. I never seek out films with the purpose of hating them and a majority of these are not without redeemable elements, but if I have at least 10 films on a list that I consider better than the rest I saw this year, then this is a list that features at least 10 films I would say are worse than everything else I saw. I have also included the films I was most disappointed in, which are not necessarily bad movies, but not ones I would say lived up to their potential. Final note: this is my list, meaning I only saw so much of what was generally considered ‘terrible,’ basically meaning that I was not racing out to see Blended or I, Frankenstein, while I was also fine with certain ‘alleged’ atrocities, such as The Amazing Spider-Man 2 and Trans4mers, so they won’t be anywhere near this list. And with all that said, let’s dig into the bottom of barrel.
Continue reading ‘Top Ten: Aaron’s Most Disappointing Films & The Worst Of 2014’
December 26th, 2014 by Aaron Neuwirth
I enjoy putting together different year end lists, as they tend to function as a way for me to put emphasis on a lot of film that I would hope people check out at some point (or avoid, in the case of the ‘Worst of’ list). This year, given how I have ranked a large number of films in an effort to put together an ultimate Top 10+ list, I wanted to spend time creating a list focused on a solid selection of films that I may not go all the way in pronouncing as my end-of-year favorites, but certainly want to bring as much notice to them as possible. With that in mind, here is a list of 20 films in alphabetical order, consisting of comedies, horror films, genre fun, documentaries and more, which I have a high level of admiration for.
Continue reading ‘Top 20: Aaron’s Odds & Ends of 2014′
December 18th, 2014 by Aaron Neuwirth
This year I decided to go big with my list for the best Blu-rays. Kicking off my Top 10 year-end lists for 2014 is an article devoted to what I consider to be the best the Blu-ray format has had to offer for this year. These are films that I have been able to really dig into and see them as easy recommendations for anyone with the greatest home media format currently available. Much like the previous years, I stayed true to some rules; I have to have actually watched the movie on Blu-Ray, recognize it for the quality of their video and audio transfers, delved into the special features, and attempt to keep off any film on this list that may also be on my “Top 10 Films of the Year” list,” which basically means no LEGO Movie. I followed these rules for the sake of keeping my list interesting, along with creating some extra sections to provide even more highlights of the year, so here we go:
Continue reading ‘Super-Sized Top Ten: Aaron’s Astonishing Blu-ray Picks For 2014’
July 28th, 2014 by Aaron Neuwirth
So there are plenty of ways I could go over the various panels I saw throughout my time at Comic Con. I have done so in a number of articles already, but all of this work certainly takes a lot of work. So, with that said, rather than recap the same panels in written form, which have been covered on the day and read by thousands already, I figured I would publish a couple podcast episodes featuring myself and friend/fellow movie lover/Comic Con veteran Alan Aguilera. The two of us took the time, during Comic Con, to go over our experiences from Wednesday through Saturday. These were recorded on Friday and Sunday mornings, with part 2 being a good example of how exhausted we were, after seeing so much. Continue on to listen to a couple bonus episodes from Out Now with Aaron and Abe (the podcast I co-host), which features discussions of Marvel, Warner Brothers, Paramount Pictures, Legendary Pictures, Sony Pictures, Sin City, Batman the TV Show, 24, Sleepy Hollow, Comedy Central, Adult Swim, and many other panel presentations, along with various stories, showroom floor experiences, and the craziness that was the Hall H line this year.
Continue reading ‘SDCC 2014: Out Now Presents A Comic Con 2014 Recap’
July 28th, 2014 by Aaron Neuwirth
I wish I had time to check out a lot of other panels, but it is nice to be able to see some highlights, such as this. I may not currently be watching The Simpsons, but I am sure a panel featuring the creators is a lot of fun. Even better is having Homer Simpson make his Comic Con debut, which is what you can see in this post. Continue on to see Matt Groening and Homer Simpson converse on stage at Comic Con and learn more about the upcoming season.
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Continue reading ‘SDCC 2014: A SPECIAL HOMER SIMPSON APPEARANCE AND A SNEAK PEEK AT “THE SIMPSONS” SEASON 26 PREMIERE’
July 26th, 2014 by Aaron Neuwirth
I am very much looking forward to Gotham, when it debuts in the fall, but in the meantime, Fox is providing Comic Con guests and anyone who is in San Diego the chance to zip line through the city, which is pretty cool. Check out this post to see what its like and learn how you can participate, if you are in the area!
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Continue reading ‘SDCC 2014: “GOTHAM” HELPS KICK OFF SAN DIEGO COMIC-CON!’
July 26th, 2014 by Aaron Neuwirth
I have next to nothing to post, in regards to what happened in Hall H with Paramount, as I was not there. That said, we do have a very basic recap of what happened, provided by Paramount, including a trailer and some images. I wish this could be more all encompassing, but here we are: Thursday in San Diego Comic Con’s Hall H, Paramount shared exciting news about its upcoming films SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS, TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES, PROJECT ALMANAC, HOT TUB TIME MACHINE 2, HERCULES, and INTERSTELLAR. Continue on to learn more.
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Continue reading ‘SDCC 2014: Paramount Pictures – Hall H Recap’
July 25th, 2014 by Aaron Neuwirth
Either Sony Pictures just could not get enough films together for panels this year or they are still recouping from the expenditures from Spider-Man’s appearance at last year’s Comic Con, but regardless, this was a pretty stripped down affair for a studio that currently has a couple square blocks devoted to a number of their upcoming features (Fury, The Equalizer, The Interview). That said, while one of the two films presented had little to offer audiences, the other managed to have me more excited than I thought I would be. So let’s dive in to this limited panel from one of the major studios appearing at this year’s Comic Con.
Continue reading ‘Comic Con 2014: Sony Pictures Panel: Pixels and Goosebumps’
July 25th, 2014 by Aaron Neuwirth
I was happy to sit in on the Comedy Central panel at Comic Con and following a hilarious panel for the hit sketch show Key & Peele (I reviewed the Blu-ray for the first two seasons HERE), a special look at a new animated series took place. Here’s the official word: Today at San Diego Comic-Con Comedy Central unveiled the first look at “Moonbeam City,” the brand’s newest animated series debuting in 2015. “Moonbeam City” is an absurdist take on the gritty, sex-drenched crime dramas from the 1980s and follows undercover detective Dazzle Novak (voiced by Rob Lowe), a handsome idiot who commits more crimes than most criminals. The show also stars his tyrannical chief, Pizzaz Miller (Elizabeth Banks), who won’t get off his back and hotshot rookie Rad Cunningham (Will Forte) who is dying to see him fail. With the world against him, Dazzle is thrust into a living nightmare: having to do actual police work. “Moonbeam City” is executive produced by Will Gluck’s Olive Bridge Entertainment in association with Titmouse Studios. Comedy Central’s panel at Comic-Con today featured the series’ Executive Producers Scott Gairdner and Tommy Blancha. Continue on to see a clip and some pictures from the show.
Continue reading ‘Comic Con 2014: Comedy Central First Look: Moonbeam City’
July 25th, 2014 by Aaron Neuwirth
There are a lot of things to see at San Diego Comic Con every year and while I am certainly excited to see a number of the high profile panels taking place this year, I am not overstating it when I say that a Hall H panel focused on the 60s Batman television series definitely had my attention. After years of waiting, the entire series is finally going to be released onto Blu-ray and DVD this November and apparently Comic Con was the place to reveal the details of the upcoming set. Not at all hurting was the presence of Adam West, Burt Ward, and Julie Newmar, who were game to share some stories, while audiences were also treated to clips from the newly remastered episodes.
Continue reading ‘Comic Con 2014: Batman ’66 Panel’
July 7th, 2014 by Aaron Neuwirth
A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to not only see the new Richard Linklater film, Boyhood, but attend a press conference for it, featuring writer/director Linklater, along with stars Patricia Arquette, Ethan Hawke, Ellar Coltrane, and Lorelei Linklater. Boyhood was shot intermittently over the course of 12 years, as the story follows a boy, Mason (Coltrane), from 6 to 18-years old, and depicts his life with his family along the way. I will have a review of the film posted later in the week, but this post contains the highlights from the press conference, along with the audio from it. Continue on to learn more about the film, the stars, Linklater’s filming process, and more!
Continue reading ‘‘BOYHOOD’ Press Conference Highlights And More!’
June 2nd, 2014 by Aaron Neuwirth
While seeing How to Train Your Dragon 2 was a neat departure for the Los Angeles Times Hero Complex Film Festival, it seemed fairly in line with the fest to watch a film like Gremlins on the big screen. The holiday-horror-comedy classic celebrates its 30th Anniversary this year and fans were treated to both a screening of the film, as well as a Q&A with its director and horror-comedy fan-favorite Joe Dante. Dante talked about the surprise hit that Gremlins became, the making of the film, a possible reboot, and other things that don’t come anywhere close to nitpicking the rules of the Mogwai.
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Continue reading ‘LA Times Hero Complex Film Festival: Gremlins’ Director Joe Dante Q&A’
June 1st, 2014 by Aaron Neuwirth
Hero Complex is essentially a genre media-themed offshoot of the Los Angeles Times newspaper and they have been holding a film festival in Hollywood for the past few years. While the films screened are always classics from the past, this year featured a screening of How to Train Your Dragon 2. I will post a review of this film soon, but following the screening, a Q&A was held with writer/director Dean DeBlois and stars Jay Baruchel (Hiccup) and America Ferrera (Astrid). The trio had plenty of admiration for a series they have heavily involved themselves with for the past seven years and were happy to share their thoughts.
Continue reading ‘LA Times Hero Complex Film Festival: How To Train Your Dragon 2 Q&A’
May 2nd, 2014 by Aaron Neuwirth
The final film I was able to see for the Newport Beach Film Festival was this fun little indie called Arlo & Julie. I really enjoyed it. With a neat story, very likable characters, and a soundtrack consisting mostly of old jazz to better evoke some specific films and filmmakers that I see as likely influences, Arlo & Julie has a lot of what I like to see in smaller films that I can only hope to see reach a larger audience at some point. It does just enough to set it apart from other films, but also has plenty in common with the quaint little indies that I tend to like a lot.
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May 1st, 2014 by Aaron Neuwirth
So what is all this Twitter business? Wednesday at the Newport Beach Film Fest afforded me the opportunity to check out a documentary that would have made more sense to see on a Friday. At least I now know what I can recommend via #ff on Friday, as Follow Friday the Film is an enjoyable documentary about Twitter. While not an instructional guide and more of an interesting look at how society is evolving, with a specific focus on popular social media, the film is not attempting to force Twitter on its audience, but instead invite folks to see the deeper value in typing a certain amount of characters into a program at any time. It helps that the film is structured together through a road trip, with plenty of interviews to really provide a broad perspective on the subject. As a person that uses Twitter plenty, I was happy to find a group that put out a film explaining this microblogging service so simply, yet in a charming manner.
Continue reading ‘NBFF 2014 Review: ‘Follow Friday The Film’’
April 29th, 2014 by Aaron Neuwirth
Monday night at the Newport Beach Film Festival saw a film that I have been anticipating for some time be represented as the Japanese Spotlight feature of the night. I was quite happy to have seen it. The Japanese remake of Unforgiven makes a good case for why I am never against the idea of a remake, before I actually see it or have enough information to pass judgment. Clint Eastwood’s 1992 Best Picture winner is the film I consider to be his best work as a filmmaker (and as an actor, for that matter), so the concept of remaking his film should presumably strike ire in the hearts of those that claim remakes are always terrible. Of course, hypocrisy is a funny thing, as the reaction to Ken Watanabe starring in a samurai version of the same story seems to have made most skeptics excited about this particular idea. Still, this is not about the public at large, it is about what I thought of the film, which basically amounts to being an interesting remix.
Continue reading ‘NBFF 2014 Review: ‘Unforgiven’’
April 29th, 2014 by Aaron Neuwirth
Here’s another Newport Beach Film Fest review focused on just one feature that I caught on Monday morning. Cas & Dylan is a Canadian-produced road trip comedy, focused on an odd couple that needs to be enjoyed, if one wants to enjoy this film as a whole. It is a bit cutesy in the way it presents a scenario that can be summed up by saying, “She’s a [blank] and he’s a [blank], but together, they’ll become best friends ready to do whatever.” Fortunately, Richard Dreyfuss and Tatiana Maslany make for a good pairing and the film gets enough mileage out of its comedy and drama to make this good-looking film a good watch as well.
Continue reading ‘NBFF 2014 Review: ‘Cas & Dylan’’
April 28th, 2014 by Aaron Neuwirth
I only checked out one film on Sunday, for the Newport Beach Film Festival, but it was an interesting Australian crime drama serving as a morality tale and a showcase for the three lead characters. Felony features some strong performances, with Tom Wilkinson, in particular, making a good case for why he is almost always enjoyable in whatever role is given to him. The idea of seeing not just two, but three sides of the law makes for an interesting story to be told and Felony works that angle about as far as it can go, before settling in a way that left me satisfied.
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Continue reading ‘NBFF 2014 Review: ‘Felony’’
Never a post of joy, but every year does see the release of films that are not very good. I never seek out films with the purpose of hating them and a majority of these are not without redeemable elements, but if I have at least 10 films on a list that I consider better than the rest I saw this year, then this is a list that features at least 10 films I would say are worse than everything else I saw. I have also included the films I was most disappointed in, which are not necessarily bad movies, but not ones I would say lived up to their potential. Final note: this is my list, meaning I only saw so much of what was generally considered ‘terrible,’ basically meaning that I was not racing out to see Blended or I, Frankenstein, while I was also fine with certain ‘alleged’ atrocities, such as The Amazing Spider-Man 2 and Trans4mers, so they won’t be anywhere near this list. And with all that said, let’s dig into the bottom of barrel.
