Archive for the 'Aaron Neuwirth' Category
May 31st, 2011 by Aaron Neuwirth
This week’s episode of the web series adaptation of the Mortal Kombat video game, Mortal Kombat: Legacy, finishes what the previous week’s episode started. Having pitted two fan favorite characters, Scorpion and Sub Zero, against each other in last week’s episode, seeing the conclusion of that match must have certainly been anticipated by the fans of this series. Seeing as how only five minutes, not including the previous episode recap and the end credits, have been given to the actual episode, this was a quickly paced episode that brought out some of the goods in true Mortal Kombat fashion. Signature moves were used, techno music was utilized, and some other key characters made an appearance. Enjoy: Continue reading ‘Mortal Kombat: Legacy – Ep. 8: Scorpion and Sub Zero (Part 2)’
May 30th, 2011 by Aaron Neuwirth
Over the 2011 Memorial Day weekend, I had the chance to cover a very special event out in the Los Angeles area. On May 28th, at the K1 Speed Indoor Racing facility in Gardena, California, I was able to witness the Celebrity Go-Kart Tournament, which brought forth a number of stars helping to produce awareness and show their support for the American Diabetes Association. Many stars, both young and adult, along with their families, were willing to come out on a beautiful Saturday afternoon and race for awareness, while also have a fun time for the sake of a good, charitable cause. Continue reading ‘An All-Star Go-Kart Race To The Finish, Benefiting The American Diabetes Association’
May 13th, 2011 by Aaron Neuwirth
So this is an interesting situation to be in. I feel like I am both in the best position to review the concert film/documentary about pop sensation Justin Bieber, as well as one who does not have any business to be doing so. Similar to something like the ever-so-popular Twilight series, Justin Bieber is not someone I have any opinion about, before having seen this film. I could recognize maybe one of his songs and knew enough from the way he is brought up in pop culture, but I do not care to hate on something for no reason. Bieber is just not my scene. That being said, I jumped at the chance to review this disc for a number reasons. I am open-minded; I do have some curiosity about Bieber’s popularity, let alone how he emerged to superstar status; And I am a fan of the director of this film. Continue reading ‘Justin Bieber: Never Say Never (Blu-ray Review)’
May 6th, 2011 by Aaron Neuwirth
For the closing night of the 12th Annual Newport Beach Film Festival, the spotlight feature of the evening was the comedy, A Beginner’s Guide to Endings. The film essentially had the feel of what would happen if a director like Guy Ritchie were to make a family comedy. ‘Beginner’s Guide’ is just as much about its flashiness as it is its plot, which had me trying to factor how much of this film was style versus substance. Fortunately, despite some overkill and a somewhat predictable structure, the film does benefit from a high energy, some good laughs, and solid chemistry from within the cast. It’s been a long week since the festival started, so it was nice to at least go out with a film that had a main focus of being fun. Continue reading ‘NBFF Review: A Beginner’s Guide to Endings’
May 5th, 2011 by Aaron Neuwirth
I feel like I have done something wrong in picking out films to watch during the 12th Annual Newport Beach Film Festival. Besides my initial screening, every film that I have seen so far has been very good. Wednesday night, May 4, 2011, was no different, as I got to watch another highly entertaining feature. This time it was an offbeat thriller, The Perfect Host, in which a criminal cons his way into the house of a man planning to throw a dinner party, only to have the tables turned on him in the worst possible way. Continue reading ‘NBFF Review: The Perfect Host’
May 4th, 2011 by Aaron Neuwirth
So the time has come to prepare for the onslaught of summer blockbuster entertainment. I previously put together a list of films I anticipated for the spring, and with that now out of the way, it’s time for the next stage of this year – massively large budgeted entertainment. The number of films coming out this summer is so large that I had to add an extra five films to the list, because a top ten just wouldn’t cut it. Once again, I use the term “summer” loosely. I am not going by the actual start and end of the summer; I am going by the summer film season, which begins at the start of May and ends at the start of September. As far as these choices go, the dates are subject to change, but at this point, they should mostly be sticking to these release dates. So with all of that out of the way, let’s get to the flicks: Continue reading ‘Aaron’s Top 15 Most Anticipated Films of Summer 2011’
May 4th, 2011 by Aaron Neuwirth
Tuesday night for the Newport Beach Film Festival was an international showcase night, featuring films from countries including France, Sweden, Australia, and Switzerland, which is the country where the filmmakers responsible for Der Sandmann have come from. Once again, I have chosen wisely, as Der Sandmann is a wonderful film that managed to bring a fantastical element into the realm of a romantic comedy. It is a sweet and funny film, but also charming in the way this fantasy element adds to the film’s imagination and spirit. Settling into strange territory, this is the kind of romantic comedy that I can enjoy; one that is original, with interesting ideas that are well thought out, while still maintaining the right kind of emotional backing. Continue reading ‘NBFF Review: Der Sandmann (The Sandman)’
May 3rd, 2011 by Aaron Neuwirth
It was a Monday night Asian showcase on May 2, 2011, for the Newport Beach Film Festival. The films featured as spotlight screenings were all products of Asian filmmakers. To continue to mix up the types of movies I have seen so far, I chose Redline, the first anime film to be featured as a Spotlight Screening for the NBFF. I ended up making a fantastic choice, as Redline was a hugely entertaining film. The film is a sci-fi auto racing-themed work of art, featuring incredible animation, a knowingly over-the-top style & story, memorable & hilarious characters, and some slick animated racing action. I had a ton of fun watching this film, especially in my drive to appreciate anime more. Continue reading ‘NBFF Review: Redline’
May 2nd, 2011 by Aaron Neuwirth
For my screening on the fourth night of the 12th Annual Newport Beach Film Festival, I managed to be pleasantly surprised by A Bag of Hammers. Going into the film, I was expecting to maybe have a good laugh at a simple comedy; however, I was delighted to see that the film not only accomplished having a comedic touch, but found very solid footing in balancing what turned out to be a comedic drama. This was a very good film that I was happy to have enjoyed deeply and I attribute many of the film’s charming qualities, such as its strong writing and dialogue, solid performances, and great chemistry between all of the actors, to that conclusion. While the film may reach a few points of being a tad too dark, with a story that is not entirely unpredictable, these minor issues hardly effect a film that is very well crafted and highly entertaining. Continue reading ‘NBFF Review: A Bag of Hammers’
April 30th, 2011 by Aaron Neuwirth
The 12th Annual Newport Beach Film Festival (NBFF) has begun, and with that I have now been to my first screening. Friday, April 29, 2011, saw the west coast premiere of the film Lucky, starring Colin Hanks, Ari Graynor, Ann-Margaret, and Jeffrey Tambor. Lucky is a comedy that relies on two very quirky performances from its leads, Hanks and Graynor. The story involves a shy man (with a secret) who wins the lottery and the results it has once a girl he’s had a crush on factors more heavily into his life. While I certainly found there to be humorous things about this film and its concept, I had a lot of issues with the tone and handling of these characters. I did not want to end up with negative feelings about this film for my first screening review, but unfortunately that has to be the case here. Continue reading ‘NBFF Review: Lucky’
April 29th, 2011 by Aaron Neuwirth
This is more of a preview of things to come, but I just wanted to point out that from April 28th to May 5th, 2011, the 12th annual Newport Beach Film Festival will be in full swing. The festival takes place in Southern California, within the city of Newport Beach. About an hour away from Hollywood, this beautiful coastline city will be a wonderful place to find classic and contemporary cinema being shared by both accomplished and new filmmakers to the public. Over 350 films from over 40 countries will be screened during the week, in addition to 17 spotlight and special events, including discussions and Q&A’s with directors, screenwriters, cinematographers, and more. Continue reading ‘The 12th Annual Newport Beach Film Festival Has Begun’
