Archive for the 'Movie Reviews' Category
October 25th, 2017 by Aaron Neuwirth
This year has provided ample opportunity for filmmakers to put together features tackling various social issues entertainingly or intriguingly, while also opening up further discussion. Suburbicon is not one of them. This George Clooney-directed misfire wastes ample opportunity to do more with its overt symbolism by embedding a predictable and mostly unfunny crime caper in the middle of a setting embroiled with racial tension. There’s evident desire to make a darkly humorous, suburban-set satire, but it ends up as yet another failed cinematic attempt at mimicking the Coen brothers.
a Continue reading ‘‘Suburbicon’ Is A Fascinating Disaster (Movie Review)’
October 21st, 2017 by Aaron Neuwirth
Much like The Perfect Storm, sometimes a cog in the Hollywood moviemaking machine comes up with a decision to have two reasonably entertaining ideas collide. In the case of Geostorm, to freshen up the idea of a massive storm destroying cities, a convoluted plot to assonate the president by controlling the weather was developed. This was apparently tricker to pull than intended, but after millions spent on reshoots and the hands of several other filmmakers coming in to help shape this thing, the results are a film that is somewhat watchable.
Continue reading ‘‘Geostorm’ Has Fallen (Movie Review)’
October 20th, 2017 by Jason Coleman
I’m keeping the mini-archiving reposting of past columns that I truly adore going and this being the month of all hallows eve horror is the genre of the day – welcome to Forgotten Friday Flick! Grave digging all the way back to Nov. 7, 2014 was the post of a frightful film that I lovingly refer to as the thinking man’s zombie film. It’s a Canadian import that’s such a terrific blend of horror and intelligence that one may feel the desire and need to watch it twice. But watch what you say – the wrong word may trigger an unwanted reaction. Welcome to….Pontypool!
Continue reading ‘Forgotten Friday Flick – “Pontypool”’
October 20th, 2017 by Jason Coleman
Short crop of indie features dissected below (covering those film festivals takes time folks!), but this week I’ve also included something extra. So alongside a trio of flicks given their review due, there’s also a short film too to give the ardent movie lover a little more. Docs on card jockeys, stories involving family turbulence and survival stories all alongside a short by notable female filmmakers Megan Brotherton (will her latest make the cut?) are all given the once over via my Encapsulated Movie Reviews. Check out critical opinions on Dealt, The Only Living Boy In New York (out on Digital HD!), Jungle and the short film Buttercup below!
Continue reading ‘Encapsulated Movie Reviews – Three New Indie Titles (And One Short!)’
October 19th, 2017 by Kori Kemerer
I know. Say no more. I already know what you’re thinking. The Snowman is a ridiculous title for a crime thriller movie. I concur with you. However, even if it should melt after the First Act there’s always Rebecca Ferguson in it. I have nothing but rave things to say about her. So why not. I’ll give her a chance in just about anything she’s in. There’s also some other star power in this one too, but I digress. We’ll get to all their names in just a bit. Before we move on let’s just be honest with ourselves here for a brief moment. Per the film’s trailer how can you not be moved by a film that uses cute looking snowmen as a killer’s calling card? I know, right! Continue reading ‘‘The Snowman’ Melts Quickly (Movie Review)’
October 19th, 2017 by Jason Coleman
The sting of scary cinema via the Screamfest Horror Film Festival 2017 (go to www.screamfestla.com for more details!) taking place October 10th-19th at the TCL Chinese 6 Theatres in LA is about to finish its bloodcurdling run for another year and so are we with our own creepy coverage here at www.whysoblu.com. But before we bid a frightful farewell I’m signing off with some sinister shorts reviews guaranteed to keep the horror happening. So below, in appropriately skinny form, are reviews of a whopping nineteen short films – from ass kicking last ladies on earth to tales of undead folks who just don’t want to go it’s all dissected below!
Continue reading ‘Screamfest 2017 – Nineteen Short Film Reviews’
October 18th, 2017 by Jason Coleman
The horror wares of the yearly Screamfest Horror Film Festival 2017 (go to www.screamfestla.com for more details!) taking place right now October 10th-19th at the TCL Chinese 6 Theatres in LA at the Hollywood and Highland Center are still creeping cinema goers out as we speak. (Thursday Oct. 19 is George A. Romero tribute night – free screening y’all!) So we’re keeping up with the hounds of hell with our own review coverage that checks out four features from this year’s cryptic crop. Underground German lab experiments gone awry, extreme horror themed outings taken too far, two girls with an affinity for murder and iconic character origin stories make up the films dissected below! Check out the review skinny on the Screamfest 2017 films Trench 11, Ruin Me, Tragedy Girls and Leatherface below.
Continue reading ‘Screamfest 2017 – Four Feature Film Reviews’
October 18th, 2017 by Aaron Neuwirth
I find it fascinating when a filmmaker uses their very deliberate style and applies it to all of their films. Yorgos Lanthimos has found great acclaim in a few of his previous films (The Lobster, Dogtooth), which relies on a sense of detachment on the part of the actors to make the premise work. The Killing of a Sacred Deer is no different. This is a film that functions as a psychological horror film, but due to the nature of the characters and how Lanthimos and co-writer Efthymis Filippou scripts their dialogue, a strange sense of humor is also layered over the film. The results are a finely crafted thriller with plenty of idiosyncratic qualities.
Continue reading ‘‘The Killing of a Sacred Deer’ Has Dark Delights (Movie Review)’
October 17th, 2017 by Jason Coleman
Nobody does movie revenge quite like the Irish! Hot off the Sundance circuit midnight series and out this week in select cinemas and On Demand from the great Well Go USA, it’s time for a little powerful picture payback in the form of the five-star film Bad Day For The Cut. Below is a reposting of my Sundance film review to remind folks why it’s not only a flick in full contention for my Top Ten Films of 2017 but also well worth seeking out. (Plus for those who require more insight check out an interview with Director Chris Baugh…HERE!) So don a bad attitude, grab a weapon of choice and get ready to kick some serious ass as we revisit the Irish import…Bad Day For The Cut!
Continue reading ‘The Irish Do Revenge Right With ‘Bad Day For The Cut’ (Movie Review)’
October 16th, 2017 by Aaron Neuwirth
There is always a joy in seeing narrative puzzle pieces lock into place. Wonderstruck is that sort of film. It presents such a specific depiction of its setting that a viewer can be instantly locked in with the characters we are following and only later realize the full story has evaded us. Relying on a dual narrative with some connection, this is a film that opens as a drama, only to reveal it’s an adventure. Many classical elements make it a visual joy, but there is an overriding sweetness that urges viewers of all ages to push back any cynical thoughts and give in to the mystery within.
Continue reading ‘‘Wonderstruck’ Presents A Wondrous Journey (Movie Review)’
October 15th, 2017 by Jason Coleman
Keeping up with indie film is hard indeed – but somebody’s gotta do it! Up for encapsulated dissection this week is crop of seven new indie outings that cover any and every genre the avid film fan might be seeking. Tales of child trauma revisited, the past enlightening dangers of sleepwalking, inspiring stories of survival, monster movies on a small scale, revenge seeking lethal ladies, the woes of finding money and old horror yarns revisited all make up the flicks covered in this weeks Encapsulated Movie Reviews. Check out the skinny on Una, Sleepwalker, 6 Below: Miracle on the Mountain, M.F.A., Blood Money and Dementia 13 below!
Continue reading ‘Encapsulated Movie Reviews – Seven New Indie Titles’
October 13th, 2017 by Jason Coleman
My previous stomping grounds Starpulse.com has streamlined and simplified their content and as a result years of my column Forgotten Friday Flick has been taken down. And while there is no shortage of films to cover in the future, there were a few movie notables really near and dear to me that I didn’t want to get lost in the shuffle. So over the next month or so I’m going to be resurrecting and reposting a few now deleted past picture gems in an effort to keep their lesser-known movie legacy alive. We’ll begin with a scary piece of cinema that ran on October 12, 2012 in an effort to keep the theme of Halloween front and center – welcome to Forgotten Friday Flick! Today’s film is so much more then a simple tale of horror, even though it carries the moniker of being from the writers of the Saw sequels. It’s an engaging mixture of the thriller and serial killer genres, but told with distinctively creative character flair. One house. A killer. A thief. Let the games begin. We’re jumping headfirst into the box of…The Collector!
Continue reading ‘Forgotten Friday Flick – “The Collector”’
October 12th, 2017 by Aaron Neuwirth
I suppose it was inevitable to see Jackie Chan enter the ‘old man action’ phase of his career. More specifically, The Foreigner finds Chan entering this part of career when it comes to his English-speaking roles in films given a wide release in America. Chan has maintained a steady level of popularity as an international action star in both dramas and comedies, but here’s a film that gives his American fans a chance to look at Chan in the kind of role that has given actors like Liam Neeson and Denzel Washington a career surge. Chan, of course, excels at the action, but his gravitas helps as well, along with a strong counter role offered up by Pierce Brosnan.
Continue reading ‘‘The Foreigner’ Finds Jackie Chan Taken To A Dark Place (Movie Review)’
October 10th, 2017 by Jason Coleman
It’s October fright fans and that can only mean one thing for LA residents – Screamfest time! That’s right kiddies, the blood and gore filled Screamfest Horror Film Festival 2017 (go to www.screamfestla.com for more details!) taking place October 10th-19th at the TCL Chinese 6 Theatres in LA at the Hollywood and Highland Center is officially underway and all carnage loving film freaks are about to have their wildest nightmares come true. Not only are there a ton of great feature films big and small, but also a gaggle of gruesome shorts and even a loving George A. Romero tribute with a free screening to boot. We’re starting our coverage off with a sneak peek into some of the more notable nasty nuggets from this year’s creep crop in our first look at…“What To See.”
Continue reading ‘Screamfest 2017 – ‘What To See’’
October 8th, 2017 by Jason Coleman
Sorry about the lateness of this weeks cinematic skinny dissections, but I wanted to fit in all the glorious flicks I possibly could for maximum movie watching wattage. So below are a whopping ten film reviews from good to bad to keep you up to movie date. Tough guys on a manly mission of mayhem, sci-fi stories, docs on dancers and haunted houses, strange estranged siblings, Christmas carnage, scientists gone psycho, surfing sabbaticals, wayward girls kidnapped for profit and malevolent lighthouses all make up the subjects of the films in this weeks Encapsulated Movie Reviews. Check out the reviews of the films Brawl In Cell Block 99, The Osiris Child: Science Fiction Volume One, Bobbi Jene, Haunters: The Art of the Scare, Barracuda, Better Watch Out, They Remain, Rip Tide, Trafficked and The Forlorned below!
Continue reading ‘Encapsulated Movie Reviews – Ten New Indie Titles’
October 6th, 2017 by Jason Coleman
With new house moving, movies and mountains of life it’s been a few weeks since the last past picture dissection. (Sorry folks!) But it’s also a few weeks since the passing of one of my favorite actors the late, great Harry Dean Stanton. A classic character actor who added so much to his roles, Stanton shined playing the wisecracking Brett in Alien, the headstrong Brain in Escape From New York, the cunning cop in Christine, the vengeful father in Red Dawn (“avenge me!”) and soothing dad in Pretty In Pink and of course excelled in the myriad of memorable collaborations between himself and auteur David Lynch. (Plus my movie Dad states that Paris, Texas is Stanton’s finest film!) So in tribute to the passing of one fantastic actor I’m pairing up my Forgotten Friday Flick this week with a smaller cinematic Harry Dean Stanton nugget that some of you might have missed. A quirky and clever outing that mixes the everyday business of taking from those who don’t pay their bills with the outlandish idea of aliens from another planet for maximum odd egg memorable movie results. It’s 4am, do you know where your car is? More than likely its been jacked by a…Repo Man!
Continue reading ‘Forgotten Friday Flick – “Repo Man” (Harry Dean Stanton Tribute)’
October 3rd, 2017 by Aaron Neuwirth
Today’s filmmakers are faced with tricky jobs, as they must create art that is designed to appeal to anyone. Those working on potential blockbusters, in particular, are being asked to make a film that everyone will not only want to see but continue to discuss and eventually see again. That makes the prospect of Blade Runner 2049 becoming a massively anticipated worldwide hit all the more interesting, as it is asking an audience to come and see the sequel to an existential sci-fi neo-noir that flopped in theaters 35 years ago. While it is not up to me to see this new film become the hit Warner Brothers and Sony wants, I can say they’ve allowed director Denis Villeneuve (Arrival, Sicario) to make a movie that falls right in line with the original and it’s all the better for it.
Continue reading ‘‘Blade Runner 2049’ Properly Extends A Cinematic World’s Lifespan (Movie Review)’
September 28th, 2017 by Jason Coleman
Smaller cinema waits for no movie man or woman as witnessed by the six indie features donning their creative wares for film fans this week. The perils of being identical conjoined twins, the latter days of an elder man with spirit, the consequences of being cryogenically preserved, obsessive lovers, POV zombie outbreaks and finding spirits via sound all make up the topics within the films dissected via the following Encapsulated Movie Reviews. Check out the critical skinny on Indivisible, Lucky, Realive, Thirst Street, I Am Alone and The Sound below!
Continue reading ‘Encapsulated Movie Reviews – Six New Indie Titles’
This year has provided ample opportunity for filmmakers to put together features tackling various social issues entertainingly or intriguingly, while also opening up further discussion. Suburbicon is not one of them. This George Clooney-directed misfire wastes ample opportunity to do more with its overt symbolism by embedding a predictable and mostly unfunny crime caper in the middle of a setting embroiled with racial tension. There’s evident desire to make a darkly humorous, suburban-set satire, but it ends up as yet another failed cinematic attempt at mimicking the Coen brothers.
