Archive for the 'Movie Reviews' Category
May 10th, 2016 by Aaron Neuwirth
Imagine a rich comic universe with plenty of potential to be found in simply taking a piece of it, rather than cramming so much into one feature film. That has been the struggle of X-Men films over the years and while some have managed to balance this assemblage of characters better than others, there is also the matter of having these films mixing up super-powered action with interesting themes. Sadly, X-Men: Apocalypse comes up lacking in both character and substance, making its grand-scale action somewhat worthless in a very muddled film.
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May 5th, 2016 by Aaron Neuwirth
For this last post concerning my coverage of the 2016 Newport Beach Film Festival, I wanted to take the time to dig into some of the short films presented. Thanks to a lovely programmer, I was able to attend a couple shorts programs. A few in particular really stood out and while it is great to see short films in general, I want to specifically get into the two shorts that functioned as westerns; each of a different sort.
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May 5th, 2016 by Brian White
I guess you could say with the exception of Rogue One and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Captain America: Civil War is amongst my most anticipated films of the year. Many of my peers tell me that’s pretty sad being a critic and a screenwriter by night trying to be taken seriously, but I don’t care. I love me some superhero flicks! And with an all-star cast like this one, who needs to wait for another Avengers outing? This one’s like The Avengers 2.5, is it not? Of course it is! Have you seen the trailers? If so, you know what kind of bad a$$ moments that are in store for you here, but that’s just the frosting on the cake. Believe me folks. You haven’t seen anything yet! Continue reading ‘‘Captain America: Civil War’ Thrills Divisionally (Movie Review)’
May 4th, 2016 by Aaron Neuwirth
It can be fun to learn a neat fact from a film. Call of the Void is a solid neo-noir whose title is translated from the French psychoanalytical term l’appel du vide, which refers a person having a self-destructive impulse. Armed with a camera and a desire to make a film hearkening back to an older time and genre, writer/director Dustin Kahia has made an interesting, stylish effort.
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May 3rd, 2016 by Aaron Neuwirth
For closing night at the Newport Beach Film Festival, right after winning a Best Actor prize at the Tribeca Film Festival, The Fixer was screened. The film is a fish out of water mystery tale set in a small town, with a colorful cast of characters. Some interesting thematic angles are at play and while the film may not be quite as impactful as it could have been, there is enough strength from the actors and in other various elements that make it a story with plenty of intrigue.
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April 29th, 2016 by Aaron Neuwirth
If you have been wondering why more action movies don’t center on rescuing adorable animals, Keanu has you covered. Fresh off of their hit sketch-comedy show Key & Peele, Jordan Peele and Keegan–Michael Key have re-teamed with their frequent collaborator, director Peter Atencio, for an action comedy about how far two men will go to save a little kitty cat. The results are a bit broader than I was hoping, but for a one or two-joke premise, the film does manage to hit more than miss.
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April 29th, 2016 by Aaron Neuwirth
Imagine the worst possible cab ride of your life and then take it to the next level by going weird with it. That’s what Fare is. This nifty 75-minute thriller from writer/director/star Thomas Torrey takes a single-location concept and allows for unexpected turns that build into a radical third act that pushes the nature of relationships to a true zenith of filmmaking imagination.
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April 28th, 2016 by Aaron Neuwirth
In a year where four video game adaptations will be coming our way, Ratchet & Clank does not exactly win the gold medal for being the best, but it does do enough to be one of the more sufficient ones. The popular Insomniac Games series has made its way to the big screen and has done plenty to preserve many of the elements that make those games fun. The approach ends up lacking much bite for non-fans who will mainly be getting a standard kid’s space adventure, but familiar or not, there is still some enjoyment to be had.
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April 27th, 2016 by Aaron Neuwirth
Here’s an innocent enough romantic comedy that plays up a culture clash angle and mostly comes out on top. UNindian follows many of the tropes you’d expect, but brings in a Bollywood element that certainly helps to establish an identity for it. Familiar or not, the film is effective enough given the cast chemistry and features a display of Indian culture in Australia that I was unfamiliar with.
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April 26th, 2016 by Shohan Cagle
From IFC Midnight comes Sacrifice starring Radha Mitchell as Tora Hamilton a Consultant Surgeon who, along with her husband Duncan Guthrie (Rupert Graves), has moved to the remote Shetland Islands. There they plan to adopt their first child as they have been unable to naturally conceive. Since her husband grew up on these Scottish islands they’re hoping that, along with the help of Duncan’s father and his significant local influence, that they’ll have more success in being approved for adoption. Everything seems to be going as planned until Tora makes a shocking discovery about the town and it’s locals. Continue reading ‘Sacrifice (Movie Review)’
April 25th, 2016 by Aaron Neuwirth
It is fun to see a connection that ties together actors from all over the world. For the case of Being George Clooney, the connection is international voice dubbing. The process may be understood at surface level, but there are a lot of interesting things that go into being the voice of another actor. This documentary has fun checking in on the actors who have established themselves as the voice of the movie star, among other things, as well as taking a look at this little-talked about profession in Hollywood.
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April 25th, 2016 by Aaron Neuwirth
A film like Remember Me makes me wonder why EGOT-winner Rita Moreno is not appearing more frequently in feature films. The veteran actor may be in the role of wise-cracking grandmother, but she plays it quite well and many should know she is capable of more. For now though, here’s an enjoyable film that gets a little too caught up in some raunchier humor at times, despite working well enough as a fun road trip movie with some emotional pull.
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April 25th, 2016 by Aaron Neuwirth
If you are going to pay homage to Woody Allen, you better be sure everyone is on board to do the same thing. Writer/director/composer/star Alexander Tovar wears many hats for his film Show Business, but it felt as if he had a little bit of a tough time managing all of them to completely nail what he was going for in this Hollywood farce about a writer getting his shot. That does not mean the film was unenjoyable, but the light-heartedness of the film did seem to extend a bit far with some of the cast.
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April 22nd, 2016 by Aaron Neuwirth
This year After the Reality opened the 17th Annual Newport Beach Film Festival. Since Jewtopia served as the opening night feature a few years back, I have been doing my best to manage my excitement level for these premieres, but the film was certainly no dud. While a bit familiar, the comedy-drama took on some subject matter in an interestingly enough way to hold onto my attention and make good use of its key performers.
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April 20th, 2016 by Aaron Neuwirth
Well that was better than expected. Not that marketing should be a factor in a review, but the trailer for A Hologram for the King presented a random comedy-drama starring Tom Hanks, arriving outside of awards season with little to suggest something worthwhile. Sure, the film tells a seemingly trite story of a white man traveling to an exotic location and reevaluating his life, but it does it pretty well.
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Continue reading ‘‘A Hologram For The King’ Aptly Ambles Through The Desert (Movie Review)’
April 19th, 2016 by Aaron Neuwirth
The worst fears have been realized, as The Huntsman: Winter’s War is The Return of Jafar of big studio fairy tale movies. Armed with a $115 million budget, this attempt at a spin-off/prequel/sequel fails miserably in its attempt to have any more worth than a direct-to-video sequel that no one expects much from. It would be one thing to announce this film as some kind of soon-to-be camp classic, but the dreariness keeps things far more in check than one would like. The result is a dire and unnecessary film that offers next to nothing.
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April 18th, 2016 by Aaron Neuwirth
Casting really is everything sometimes. Whether playing an original creation or a fictional character, getting the right actor in the role will lead to an ultimate response from the audiences watching. I’m not sure Michael Shannon would have ever crossed my mind when it comes to casting Elvis Presley, but along with a game Kevin Spacey as President Nixon, a film depicting the meeting of these characters probably could not have gone better.
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Continue reading ‘‘Elvis & Nixon’ And The Delightful Badge Quest (Movie Review)’
April 15th, 2016 by Brian White
The Green Room is one of those films that you’ll hear your colleagues in the business say you have to see, especially if you loved the raw, natural brutality that was the revenge flick Blue Ruin (see our Blu-ray review of it here) a few years back. That’s because the Blue Ruin director, Jeremy Saulnier (listen to our interview with him over here), is back with an all new thriller starring Anton Yelchin, Imogen Poots, Alia Shawkat (Arrested Development) and Patrick Stewart. Yes, that last name may sound odd seeing it outside of a Star Trek film, but it’s indeed Patrick Stewart in a role like you’ve never seen him before. The film is scheduled to be released by the magnificent A24 Films (Ex Machina, Under The Skin) in a limited release on April 15, 2016 before opening wide on April 29, 2016. I was lucky enough to check this film out an early screening at the Alamo Drafthouse this past week. Here’s what I have to say about it all. Continue reading ‘Fight Evil With Feedback In The ‘Green Room’ (Movie Review)’
Imagine a rich comic universe with plenty of potential to be found in simply taking a piece of it, rather than cramming so much into one feature film. That has been the struggle of X-Men films over the years and while some have managed to balance this assemblage of characters better than others, there is also the matter of having these films mixing up super-powered action with interesting themes. Sadly, X-Men: Apocalypse comes up lacking in both character and substance, making its grand-scale action somewhat worthless in a very muddled film.
