Archive for the 'Editorials' Category
May 1st, 2014 by Brandon Peters
I’m back! I took last week off, but to make up for it, I’m coming at you with 2 movies that aren’t on Blu-ray today! And for the month of May, to kick off summer movie season I’m going to be doing double features each week (I may have another off week as my second child is due at the end of the month). Summer movies are usually loaded with film franchises and with that comes plenty of sequels sequels sequels. So, my focus is going to be on film franchises that aren’t complete on Blu-ray. The ones missing some of their sequels and bugging us OCD collectors looking at our shelves and seeing numbers that just don’t count up right. If you’re a Why So Blu reader, you probably know exactly what I mean. Without further adieu, let’s get started with this Special Edition month of Brandon’s Blu-ray Wishlist! Continue reading ‘Brandon’s Blu-ray Wishlist – May 1, 2014′
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’’
April 27th, 2014 by Aaron Neuwirth
Saturday Night at the 15th Annual Newport Beach Film Fest was another challenging scenario, as a number of films were showing and I had to consider how to best spend my time. Fortunately, the two movies I was able to see were both quite good. Teacher of the Year is my favorite film of the festival so far (granted I have only seen a small percentage of what has been available), as it was funny and heartfelt in the right ways. Obvious Child was fine too, given that it fits in the realm of quirky indie comedy, but has a sort of truth to it that puts it slightly ahead of typical indie fare. There continue to be plenty of exciting options though and Saturday just fit as another strong night for the fest and what I have ended up choosing.
Continue reading ‘NBFF 2014 Reviews: ‘Teacher of the Year’ and ‘Obvious Child’’
April 26th, 2014 by Aaron Neuwirth
Friday at the Newport Beach Film Festival found me with a lot of options to choose from. While I had heard many good things about a number of the films featured and had considered attending at least four different films playing around the same time, I ultimately chose to go with Cheatin’ and The One I Love. One is an animated feature from famed cartoonist Bill Plympton, the other was a romantic comedy-drama with a unique twist that I do not plan to spoil here. I found both to be worth watching, especially those in the mood for something a bit off center from the norm.
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Continue reading ‘NBFF 2014 Reviews: ‘Cheatin’’ and ‘The One I Love’’
April 25th, 2014 by Aaron Neuwirth
Opening night at the 15th Annual Newport Beach Film Festival was a nice start to what should be an exciting festival to keep track of. Given the difficulty I have had at nailing down exactly which films to check out on what days, due to interest in so many, it seems like I am in for a lot of good, interesting, or at least entertaining features. With that in mind, I was happy to find the opening film, Lovesick, to be enjoyable enough, for what it is. I say this because the opening night film tends to be a more palatable feature, in an effort to please the general audience as a whole, given the crowded attendance in the Big Newport Theater on Opening Night. The film is simple enough, but the cast makes it a bit more appealing.
Continue reading ‘NBFF 2014 Review: Lovesick’
April 21st, 2014 by Brandon Peters
Legendary actor John Wayne demonstrates his comedic side in the uproarious Western classic MCLINTOCK! on Blu-ray May 20, 2014 from Paramount Home Media Distribution. Scanned in 4K for the first time, this official Batjac release presents “The Duke” at his two-fisted best with the beautiful, fiery Maureen O’Hara as the proverbial thorn in his side. The MCLINTOCK! Blu-ray also includes commentaries by Leonard Maltin, Frank Thompson, Maureen O’Hara, Stefanie Powers, Michael Pate, Michael Wayne and Andrew McLaglen, an introduction by Leonard Maltin, The Making of McLintock!, plus featurettes, a photo gallery and the theatrical trailer. Continue reading ‘MCLINTOCK! Comes To Blu-ray On May 20!’
April 17th, 2014 by Brandon Peters
My pick today is a movie that was one of those glorious films that get dumped in Januarys. Yep, I’m about to ask for a movie that got an 11% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes (68% audience score though). A film so bold, it scored a 14 on Metacritic.
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. Continue reading ‘Brandon’s Blu-ray Wishlist – April 17, 2014′
April 10th, 2014 by Brandon Peters
Today we’re off to see the Wizard…again…
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April 9th, 2014 by Brian White
You’re going to have to forgive me. I’m a little late to this party here. I had every intention of posting this video when it was released yesterday, but I never got around to it. It’s not that I didn’t want to or that I was procrastinating, but maybe like a lot of you, the death of Kurt Cobain had a very profound impact on my life. And quite honestly, that’s hard to admit sometimes. As soon as you utter the name Kurt Cobain to an elder and profess your mad affinity for the man you kind of instantly get mislabeled as a druggie or a degenerate, sort of the bad rap he received himself. So I would think it’s odd to hear praise of the man’s career coming from someone like me who has sworn off drugs his entire life, not even touching a cigarette once, to say my love for the man and his art knows no boundaries, even in his death. And that’s truly where our story begins. Continue reading ‘‘Soaked in Bleach’ Drenches You In The Mystery of Kurt Cobain’s Death’
April 3rd, 2014 by Brandon Peters
Today, Brandon’s Blu-ray Wishlist is taking to the lanes and going bowling! It’s the film that beat Lebowski to bowling by 2 whole years!
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Continue reading ‘Brandon’s Blu-ray Wishlist – April 3, 2014′
March 27th, 2014 by Brandon Peters
Another holiday, another holiday themed wishlist entry. Well, today isn’t April Fool’s Day, but it’ll have hit before my next wishlist piece, so I decided to pop it in now.
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. Continue reading ‘Brandon’s Blu-ray Wishlist – April Fool’s Day Edition’
March 20th, 2014 by Brandon Peters
So, St. Patrick’s Day was on Monday and its come and gone. But my wishlist posts on Thursday, so in belated St. Patty’s day fashion, my choice coincides with the holiday. Plus, my pick this week always goes down so much better with a pint by your side as you watch.
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. Continue reading ‘Brandon’s Blu-ray Wishlist – St. Patty’s Day Edition’
March 13th, 2014 by Brandon Peters
This week’s is our first pick that isn’t of the film medium, but comes from that of television. And if you pay attention to anything at all in the goings on of film and TV, this pick is going to be super duper obvious.
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. Continue reading ‘Brandon’s Blu-ray Wishlist – March 13, 2014′
March 8th, 2014 by Aaron Neuwirth
The Grand Budapest Hotel is the latest film from writer/director Wes Anderson. The film recounts the adventures of Gustave H (Ralph Fiennes), a legendary concierge at a famous European hotel; and Zero Mustafa (Tony Revolori), the lobby boy who becomes his most trusted friend. The story involves a caper, a prison break, battles over family fortunes, cross-country chases, and a love affair. It is a wild, yet delightful film (review HERE) and I had the pleasure of interviewing some of the cast and crew from the film. The following post contains a roundtable recap of our discussion with star Tony Revolori.
Continue reading ‘The Grand Budapest Hotel Cast & Crew Interviews: Tony Revolori’
March 7th, 2014 by Aaron Neuwirth
The Grand Budapest Hotel is the latest film from writer/director Wes Anderson. The film recounts the adventures of Gustave H (Ralph Fiennes), a legendary concierge at a famous European hotel; and Zero Mustafa (Tony Revolori), the lobby boy who becomes his most trusted friend. The story involves a caper, a prison break, battles over family fortunes, cross-country chases, and a love affair. It is a wild, yet delightful film (review HERE) and I had the pleasure of interviewing some of the cast and crew from the film. The following post contains a roundtable recap of our discussion with star Jeff Goldblum.
Continue reading ‘The Grand Budapest Hotel Cast & Crew Interviews: Jeff Goldblum’
March 6th, 2014 by Aaron Neuwirth
The Grand Budapest Hotel is the latest film from writer/director Wes Anderson. The film recounts the adventures of Gustave H (Ralph Fiennes), a legendary concierge at a famous European hotel; and Zero Mustafa (Tony Revolori), the lobby boy who becomes his most trusted friend. The story involves a caper, a prison break, battles over family fortunes, cross-country chases, and a love affair. It is a wild, yet delightful film (review HERE) and I had the pleasure of interviewing some of the cast and crew from the film. The following post contains a roundtable recap of our discussion with writer/director Wes Anderson and production designer Adam Stockhausen.
Continue reading ‘The Grand Budapest Hotel Cast & Crew Interviews: Wes Anderson And Adam Stockhausen’
