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Another year, another cinematic corpse laid to rest! The lights have dimmed on the 2022 version of the Screamfest Horror Film Festival and it was one bloody good time. We are closing down our coverage with our traditional ending piece with our own awards highlighting favorites in every category. It’s time for the….
Continue reading ‘Screamfest 2022 – Best Of Fest “Wrap Up”’
Can’t get enough of that red stuff! The blood is still flowing from Screamfest Horror Film Festival 2022, and while our continued coverage here at WhySoBlu.com is winding down, we have a few more treats in our review bag. So for this second-to-last article (the last one on Monday will finish out the reviews with a big bang!), we’re checking out three more features and some shorts to keep the pumpkin candle lit! Check out the encapsulated reviews of features Mean Spirited, 8 Found Dead, and Give Me An A, plus a few short reviewed shorts to follow. It’s time for…”Even More Film Reviews!”
Continue reading ‘Screamfest 2022 – Even More Film Reviews’
The scares never stop at this year’s Screamfest Horror Film Festival (go to www.screamfestla.com for more details!), taking place October 11th – 20th at the infamous TCL Chinese 6 Theatres in LA at the Hollywood and Highland Center as it continues its reign of ruckus on the big screen. Of course, WhySoBlu.com is keeping its own carnal coverage going by checking out as much unspooling evil as possible. Today we’re slashing a massive amount of wicked wares in the form of a whopping four feature films and twenty-seven short film reviews for your encapsulated pernicious pleasure. (And to keep in sync with their title, ALL short film reviews are…short!) So from drug-addled honeymoons to emotion in the apocalypse, check out the skinny via…‘More Feature/Short Film Reviews!’
Continue reading ‘Screamfest 2022 – More Feature/Short Film Reviews’
Thank goodness horror has its own holiday! Just in time for some pre-Halloween fun, the undying Los Angeles-based SCREAMFEST HORROR FILM FESTIVAL 2022 (go to www.screamfestla.com for more details!) taking place October 11th – 20th at the TCL Chinese 6 Theatres at the Hollywood and Highland Center is in full axe swing, and the flicks are flying like blood spatter from blunt force impact. (Gross, but you get the drift!) We’re continuing our coverage of all things scary on the big screen with four new feature film reviews for those seeking a little something extra in their critical treat bag. (No razors, promise!) Check out the encapsulated movie reviews of The Loneliest Boy In the World, Deer Camp ’86, Shaky Shivers, and Matriarch below – it’s “Four Feature Reviews.” Continue reading ‘Screamfest 2022 – Four Feature Reviews’
It’s October, and all genre film fans know what that means. Mere thrills and chills? We think not. Halloween time is all about the screams, and there’s always one fest in Los Angeles that has all horror hounds covered – it’s SCREAMFEST HORROR FILM FESTIVAL! So get your tricks and treats ready because Screamfest 2022 (go to www.screamfestla.com for more details!) is once again taking place October 11th – 20th at the infamous TCL Chinese 6 Theatres in LA at the Hollywood and Highland Center, and this year’s show promises to push the boundaries of both good taste and gore. Seeking a little terror insight and horror retribution in the controversial areas of hunting and abortion? Screamfest has got you covered! Interested in examinations of killer dolls and kick-ass feisty females? It’s all under one roof! Sporting twenty-six features, ninety shorts, and even six student shorts (who will be the next pint size Tobe Hooper or Mary Lambert?) Screamfest 2022 is once again proving it is the premier place for all things bloodcurdling, and WhySoBlu.com will be covering all its wicked wares. So let’s get things started with a brief look at what pops out this year with an initial look we like to call…‘What To See’!
Continue reading ‘Screamfest 2022 – “What To See”’
Talented actor Fred Ward recently passed, and for a massive fan like myself, the news is indeed sad. Having grown up watching a gaggle of highly memorable flicks featuring Ward right alongside my movie-going father, I can safely say that his work greatly influenced my love and nostalgia for great cinema. Fortunately for fans, he left behind a plethora of damn fine film performances that can be watched and enjoyed over and over again. From early turns in iconic flicks like Escape From Alcatraz and The Right Stuff to his later collaborations with Robert Altman (The Player and Short Cuts!), Ward’s choices were much like the actor himself – highly original. (Plus love that he wasn’t afraid to explore his wacky side with the likes of Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult and Joe Dirt!) But for the sake of this tribute article, I’m looking at what I consider to be THE best of the best in terms of characters that Ward ever brought to the screen. Turns that stuck in my movie mind and burrowed in like a Tremor worm on a mission. (And narrowing them down to five was a truly difficult – shout out to MIA flick Timerider: The Adventures of Lyle Swan!) And so what follows are, for better or worse, my definitive picks of Fred Ward’s….Top Five Film Performances!
Continue reading ‘A Fred Ward Tribute – Top Five Film Performances’
It’s January…Sundance time! The Sundance Film Festival 2022 is currently underway virtually and thus once again more than just the lucky few get the chance to get a gander at possible cinematic wonders in store. Sadly, a large portion of the fictitious features either have a name attached (Karen “Nebula” Gillan is not exactly an unknown!) or have distribution and are going to hit the TV screen soon after. (You can catch Fresh on Hulu in March…for free!) So to lesson the distinctive Hollywood vibe of Sundance I decided to strictly hit the documentaries for a change and was certainly glad I did. (Though truth be told I saw a LOT of HBO Documentary headers going in!) From personal tales of abuse both at work and home to tales of powerful men falling and strong women rising, check out my four Sundance Film Festival 2022 Encapsulated Movie Reviews documentary-style below! Continue reading ‘Sundance Film Festival 2022 – Four Encapsulated Doc Reviews’
So the curtain may be closed for this year’s Los Angeles based SCREAMFEST HORROR FILM FESTIVAL 2021, but here at WhySoBlu.com we’re still going like a Texas chainsaw with unlimited gas! Below is our final review article, which provides five more features for critical skinny pleasure. Check out the encapsulated movies reviews for When I Consume You, What Josiah Saw, The Changed, Alone With You and Let the Wrong One In below!
Continue reading ‘Screamfest 2021 – Final Film Reviews’
It ain’t over till the skeletons scream! The ever-amazing Los Angeles based SCREAMFEST HORROR FILM FESTIVAL 2021 (go to www.screamfestla.com for more details!) taking place October 12th – 21st at the TCL Chinese 6 Theatres at the Hollywood and Highland Center is still hanging on by bloody fingernails and we are enjoying every carnal kernel from its cinematic trick or treat bag. Continuing our comprehensive coverage today, we’re checking out five frightful features by providing some critical skinny. See the encapsulated movie reviews of #Blue_Whale, NOCTURNA: SIDE A – THE GREAT OLD MAN’S NIGHT, Bring Out The Fear, Wicked Games, and Night at the Eagle Inn below – it’s “Five Feature Reviews.”
Continue reading ‘Screamfest 2021 – Five Feature Reviews’
We’re keeping the blood flowing and the gore going as we continue to check out the wicked wares of the Los Angeles based SCREAMFEST HORROR FILM FESTIVAL 2021 (go to www.screamfestla.com for more details!) taking place October 12th – 21st at the TCL Chinese 6 Theatres at the Hollywood and Highland Center. We have many more flicks to see but for now, it’s time for a little critic skinny. Below are encapsulated reviews for two features and a whopping fifteen shorts so let’s get started with…”More Film Reviews.”
Continue reading ‘Screamfest 2021 – More Film Reviews’
For those unaware, another episode of the Out Now With Aaron and Abe podcast featuring horror for the month of October is dropping again today. This particular one is of note as it’s a discussion of the Final Destination films and features Aaron Neuwirth, of course, but also Brandon Peters, James “Jimmy O” Oster, and myself. Plus – the original film creator Jeffrey Reddick joins us – a hell of a bonus! So, it felt apt to revisit said franchise with a new article highlighting cool killer wares right here on WhySoBlu.com. Thus today we’re going back into the world of trying to escape death (damn you Tony Todd!) by highlighting what Final Destination has become known for – the elaborate kills.
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Continue reading ‘Top Ten ‘Final Destination’ Film Franchise Deaths’
Well genre fans, the amazing and fright film rich Los Angeles based SCREAMFEST HORROR FILM FESTIVAL 2021 (go to www.screamfestla.com for more details!) taking place October 12th – 21st at the TCL Chinese 6 Theatres at the Hollywood and Highland Center is well underway and much cinematic blood has been spilled. We’re taking time out today to give critical skinny of some flicks both big and small that have already shown their ghostface and let you know if they are destined to be final girls or DOA. Complex revenge flicks, crockpots and gals who see dead people – check out the encapsulated reviews of features and shorts below via our…First Film Reviews!
Continue reading ‘Screamfest 2021 – First Film Reviews’
You can’t keep a killer film fest down! Proud to announce that not only is the legendary Los Angeles-based SCREAMFEST HORROR FILM FESTIVAL back with a chainsaw roaring vengeance but will also be screening at a theater near you! That’s correct fright fans, Screamfest 2021 (go to www.screamfestla.com for more details!) taking place October 12th – 21st will once again be unspooling at the TCL Chinese 6 Theatres in LA at the Hollywood and Highland Center and they have got one bloody good show in store. Fistfuls of features, sizzling slews of insidious shorts and cool retro screenings to boot make Screamfest 2021 a must-attend event. Of course, WhySoBlu.com will keep the bloody carnage coverage flowing for this Halloween season complete with reviews and best-of lists to keep all fans both alive and undead fully informed. (Zombies need to know this stuff too!) But we start off our haunted journey as always with a gander at the most salacious surface stuff that catches the eye upon arrival. From cool castings to movies with messed-up descriptions, here is an initial glance at all things Screamfest 2021 – it’s…‘What To See’!
Continue reading ‘Screamfest 2021 – “What to See”’
The iconic director Richard Donner has passed on, and for any fan of movies, his distinctive body of work is a stellar reminder of what the best of Hollywood can create. From franchises to important dramatic works, Richard Donner was an old school filmmaker with a serious knack for not only putting together casts that kill but creating a cinematic story that sells. A master craftsman, well-deserving of a tribute, I have fittingly highlighted here five of my favorite films – the best of Donner. And while there are films not featured here that are still highly memorable (The Omen is one creepy decapitating outing!), fun as hell (Maverick was just a joyride!) and worth watching (Radio Flyer is a hard watch but a worthy one!), what’s selected below are flicks that showcase a filmmaker who will be sorely missed. In loving memory of the late great Richard Donner, here are his …Top Five Films.
Continue reading ‘A Richard Donner Tribute – Top Five Films’
What a difference 24hrs. makes! The cinematic curtain has closed on a recent online fest that focused on a genre that has gotten a bit of a bad rap over the years – found footage. The Unnamed Footage Festival, which started on March 26th, 2021 and ran a full 24hrs. long, highlighted not only found footage but also faux-documentaries, screenlife film and POV cinema all in an attempt to entertain and fundraise helping local movie theaters. And for those who came, saw and witnessed UFF 2021 it was exactly as promised – a chaotic mix of everything first person including features, shorts, some Q&A material and block intros with goofball host Vernon Herman Salinger. (Think William Castle meets SCTV!)
Continue reading ‘Unnamed Footage Festival 2021 – Encapsulated Movie Reviews’
Having recently witnessed the glorious opening slow-motion spectacle of Zack Snyder’s Justice League, complete with full man of steel angst and long-reaching death howl, it inspired me and reminded me just how powerful an effective opening scene can be. Sometimes as the only saving grace of a flawed flick and sometimes an appetizer of tasty things to come, a good first scene impression is always welcome in the world of movie magic. So I’m taking some time out to pay a little tribute to some of MY favorite first scenes that have long lingered with me even after the flick finished unspooling. Take heed – these may not be the best film openings of all time (hence no Jaws, The Dark Knight, or 2001: A Space Odyssey here!), but these are the ones that personally made me excited both then and now. So run hot, choose life, drive fast, feel melancholy, check the calendar, get arrested, prepare for 100% Alabama ass-kicking, get into a knockdown brawl, grab some hot jewels, and gain some serious deep reflection – here are my own…TOP TEN MEMORABLE MOVIE OPENINGS!
Continue reading ‘Jason Coleman’s Top Ten Memorable Movie Openings’
The 2021 Sundance Film Festival has officially closed its virtual curtains and it was an interesting one to say the least. On the positive side one could not only check out various film fare from home but also skip past the way too revealing programmer intro so going into the movie cold was a blissful reality. Downside is even though it was impossible to see everything (wasn’t able to see Coda and I missed the screening time for Knocking!) what I did see was a mixed bag. While there were a couple of serious standouts, there were also some dismal outings that warranted a zero dog rating from yours truly. It’s a strange thing to see such subpar stuff coming out of the iconic Sundance and maybe marks a need for a shift in those who program the fest. (Weird doesn’t necessarily mean it’s better people!) In any case taking on the good, so-so and very ugly I was able to check out a whopping fourteen titles over a week and the opinions are now live. Docs about getting to the truth, tales of female empowerment, love during quarantine, the effects of trauma and so much more – check out our Sundance Film Festival 2021 Encapsulated Movie Reviews below!
Continue reading ‘Sundance Film Festival 2021 – Fourteen Encapsulated Movie Reviews’
While some may not instantly know the name John Badham (shame on you!), chances are you have definitely seen one of his many hit films. The prolific director has helmed so many memorable movies (Saturday Night Fever, y’all!), worked with a gaggle of notable actors early in their careers (how about a young Matthew Broderick and Ally Sheedy in the 1983 classic War Games!) and has created so many magical movie moments and lines that linger (“Number 5 is alive!”) that his vast body of work undoubtedly stands the test of time. Currently the filmmaker has the second edition of his book “John Badham on Directing” (available now in both Kindle and Paperback) out for fans and film students alike who are interested in knowing the ins and outs of working as a director in the business, plus last October saw a Kino Lorber special Blu-ray release of his 1991 flick The Hard Way featuring a very entertaining (yes, I listened to the entire thing!) full-length audio commentary track with Badham. (Both are available through Amazon!)
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