Archive for the 'Movie Reviews' Category
October 5th, 2012 by Aaron Neuwirth
There is a reason why Taken 2 already stood a challenge of being a good movie. In 2008, the first taken arrived in theaters and became a smash hit for a very simple reason: Liam Neeson turned his genteel persona on its head. He became a determined father who would take down anyone in his way, when it came to getting his kidnapped daughter back. The film was not exactly original, but the confidence and tenacity seen in a respected man like Neeson made for an action film that could be taken a bit more seriously. Cut to 2012, Neeson has since become an action star at this point in his career and while revisiting Taken may seem like an obvious idea, it also does not lead down many more roads that haven’t been traveled already. It doesn’t help that the film’s choppy direction robs the action sequences or more delight, but the confidence of Neeson is not enough to give this film a pass either. Continue reading ‘Look Who’s ‘Taken’ Too’
October 5th, 2012 by Aaron Neuwirth
It seems like The Paperboy should have enough to make it an entertaining, trashy thriller. It has all of the right ingredients, with several actors giving strong performances just for the sake of adding on to a film that does not even really need it. Yet, the plot is shapeless and lacks anything that resembles a sense of urgency. There is plenty of material present to make a story that is much more engaging, but the film instead putters out fairly inconsistently, not quite knowing what to stick with or know what works best. The Paperboy is a swamp noir that gets caught in the muck. Continue reading ‘‘The Paperboy’ Misses The Delivery’
October 4th, 2012 by Brian White
So Taken 2, huh? You think they could have came up with a “better” name like Taken Again, Retook, Taken Aback, Retake or whatever else you’re clever enough to come up with. But regardless, I’m just overjoyed to have Liam Neeson back in the 2008 bada$$ action role that redefined his career after Jedi Master Qui Gon Jin nearly did him in. I remember 2008’s Taken very fondly. I remember vacationing down in Mexico and seeing Taken’s name plastered around every theater down there. I had no idea what it was. It wasn’t until I came back to the States that one of my friends said I just watched the most amazing action movie that had me on the edge of my seat. When I asked him what movie he was referring to I nearly fell off my own rocker (literally speaking). Continue reading ‘It’s ‘Taken 2’ Long To Impress Me (Movie Review)’
October 3rd, 2012 by Aaron Neuwirth
This may be one of the more ironic results of the old saying, “If at first you don’t succeed, try try again,” when it comes to filmmaking. Back in 1984, director Tim Burton was fired from Disney for making a live-action short called Frankenweenie, which was deemed ‘too scary’ for children. Now, for whatever reason, whether it’s the change in regime at Disney since the 80s or because of Tim Burton’s higher standing in Hollywood, he has been able to revisit the story he developed and co-wrote and turn it into a feature-length, stop-animated feature for mass audiences to enjoy. The results are decent enough, as the film is entertaining and light, in a Burton-y sort of way, but confining the original idea to a shorter length may have been the best call in retrospect. Still, the film is certainly enjoyable and one of the better features from Burton in a while. Continue reading ‘‘Frankenweenie’ Is Brought To Life! (Via Stop-Animation)’
October 2nd, 2012 by Sean Ferguson
Academy Award-winning film Finding Nemo returns to the big screen in thrilling Disney Digital 3D for the first time ever. Teeming with memorable comedic characters and heartfelt emotion, this stunning underwater adventure follows the momentous journey of an overprotective clown-fish named Marlin (voiced by Albert Brooks) and his young son Nemo (voiced by Alexander Gould)––who become separated in the Great Barrier Reef when Nemo is unexpectedly taken far from his ocean home to a fish tank in a dentist’s office. Buoyed by the companionship of Dory (voiced by Ellen DeGeneres), a friendly-but-forgetful blue tang fish, Marlin embarks on a dangerous trek and finds himself the unlikely hero of an epic effort to rescue his son––who hatches a few daring plans of his own to return safely home. Continue reading ‘Finding Nemo 3D (Movie Review)’
September 29th, 2012 by Aaron Neuwirth
I may be a guy, in his 20s, who writes about movies and Blu-rays, and plays video games, and would have seemingly no reason to want to see a film about competitive a capella groups, but I found the trailer to be slight, but enjoyable, and who can say no to a smile from Anna Kendrick? Pitch Perfect is pretty much what I expected; sometimes charming, sometimes incredibly formulaic, with a soundtrack that will be dated by the time the film leaves theaters, but it’s harmless. It has some fun performances and a neat a cappella battle scene that I wanted to see more of, but the standard plot bogs it down. Essentially, if you are a big fan of Bring it On, you will probably have plenty of fun with Pitch Perfect, so take that as you will. Continue reading ‘‘Pitch Perfect’ Is Aca-Okay’
September 29th, 2012 by Brian White
Although I’m a big Joseph Gordon-Levitt fan and who can deny the charisma of Bruce Willis, I gotta say…I wasn’t really looking forward to this one. The trailers looked intriguing, but they never completely sold it and hooked me in. But I thought…hey….why not? If the movie’s terrible, there’s always Emily Blunt to look at for 118 minutes. See…you gotta look for the good in EVERYTHING. At least in these economically deprived days. Times are tough. And without further ado or any more words from our commercial sponsors I am free to begin deconstructing the time travel plot of September 2012’s science fiction action film…Looper. Here goes nothing. Continue reading ‘Don’t Get Caught With Your Pants Down: Looper (Movie Review)’
September 28th, 2012 by David Freedman
Salim, Rachel and Liz get into the Halloween spirit with a review of this new animated comedy starring Adam Sandler. Starring Salim Lemelle, Rachel Appelbaum and Liz Manashil. Directed by Cullen Metcalf-Kelly.
Synopsis: Count Dracula runs a hotel for monsters with no humans allowed. But by accident, a human boy stumbles into their haven. As his daughter falls for the boy, the Count has more than he can handle.
WATCH US ON PBS SOCAL Saturdays at 6PM or pbssocal.org/justseenit
Continue reading ‘Hotel Transylvania Movie Review – Just Seen It’
September 28th, 2012 by Aaron Neuwirth
Time travel movies can often be tricky. I am a big fan of films that attempt to utilize the subject, as I like to spend plenty of time thinking about the logic involved. In many cases, regardless of how much fun or how good the film is, the logic is not really sound. Some time travel flicks work because of how much time they spend detailing their own logistics (Primer is the ultimate example of this). Others work because of how little they seem to care about the logic (think Bill & Ted). But then there are time travel films that just fail on all fronts (think Timecop). Writer/director Rian Johnson’s Looper excels at making its time travel premise work, because it smartly sidesteps a lot of its own issues by almost using its setup as a clever misdirect. As characters bend time, the film bends its own meaning, with a smart and original script and solid performances to hold it all together. Continue reading ‘‘Looper’ Bends Time And Breaks Convention’
September 27th, 2012 by Brian White
This is going to be a very easy review for me to blow through simply because both the monster horror fan AND the kid in me had an absolute ghoulishly good time with this one. Of course I’m referring to the 3-D computer animated comedy from Sony Pictures Animation, Hotel Transylvania, hitting theaters this Friday, September 28th. The feature, helmed by Samurai Jack’s creator, Genndy Tartakovsky, features the voices of Adam Sandler, Selena Gomez, Andy Samberg, Kevin James, Fran Drescher, Jon Lovitz, Cee Lo Green, Steve Buscemi, Molly Shannon and David Spade. I wonder how many more movies the “Dream Team” of Adam, Kevin and David will do together? But nonetheless, like 2010’s Grown Ups, the chemistry mixed monstrously well here. So let’s take a closer look under the microscope and find out why I feel the way I do. Continue reading ‘For a Ghoulishly Good Time: Hotel Transylvania (Movie Review)’
September 24th, 2012 by Aaron Neuwirth
Talk about surprises! End of Watch is maybe the best cop drama I have seen since The Departed, let alone the best cop film I have seen in quite some time that does not involve corrupt or undercover officers who get in too deep. This seems like a film that could have been incredibly generic, serving as just another entry in a line of crime dramas and buddy cop movies, while only bringing the notion of found footage to the table as a new take on the genre. Instead, End of Watch turned out to be an incredibly engaging film, depicting too good cops who get in over their heads, after working too effectively. The film works due to the strength of these two lead performances and the sense of urgency that is utilized given the filming style. It is intense when it needs to be, but also quite enjoyable because of how well we come to know the relationship between these two cops who are partners that work hard to stop crime. Continue reading ‘Two Good Cops Work Until The ‘End Of Watch’’
September 21st, 2012 by Aaron Neuwirth
For a movie that is about brutal violence and maintaining a dark and nihilistic tone throughout, Dredd sure was a pretty film. This second attempt on a theatrical feature about the futuristic cop who serves as judge, jury, and executioner is an exercise in grit and violence, with just a hint of self-satire to keep the whole thing quite entertaining throughout, but its best asset is the visual aesthetic, which makes the ugly world that we find these characters in look quite striking. This seems especially notable, given that the film utilizes simplicity in its structure to keep from feeling to empty overall, but as a fairly non-complex action picture, it has plenty of time to look and feel like a well-made, stripped down genre flick, with plenty of thrills and gunplay to keep up the excitement. For what Dredd has attempted to do, it does it well enough to satisfy the law that Dredd swears by. Continue reading ‘Dredd Is The Law, And He Brings Proper Judgment’
September 20th, 2012 by David Freedman
Rachel, Aaron and Salim review this independent ‘dramedy’ about the cut-throat world of butter-carving competitions. Really – we’re not kidding. Starring Rachel Appelbaum, Aaron Fink and Salim Lemelle. Directed by Sean Wright.
Synopsis: After years as butter-carving champion, Bob is forced to retire. So Bob’s wife Laura decides it is her time to enter the contest. But when three formidable opponents enter the fray, Laura vows to win at any cost.
WATCH US ON PBS SOCAL Saturdays at 6PM or pbssocal.org/justseenit Continue reading ‘Butter Movie Review – Just Seen It’
September 20th, 2012 by David Freedman
Teresa, Leah and Sean have some differing opinions on their review of this inner city drama about school reform. Starring Teresa Lo, Sean Wright and Leah Aldridge. Directed by Amy Taylor.
Synopsis: Jamie is a single mother who works two jobs. Nona is a teacher who has lost her drive to inspire students. Fed up with the neglect of their students, they decide to take over their school.
WATCH US ON PBS SOCAL Saturdays at 6PM or pbssocal.org/justseenit Continue reading ‘Won’t Back Down Movie Review – Just Seen It’
September 20th, 2012 by Aaron Neuwirth
So a WWII Vet and the leader of a cult walk into a bar…One has no idea where to go and the other appears to have all the answers. A main character finding comfort and solace from a new and enigmatic person in their life has been a theme in other films from writer/director Paul Thomas Anderson. Hard Eight (Sydney) has John C. Reilly learning from a much classier Phillip Baker Hall. Boogie Nights features Mark Wahlberg being taken in as a new, bright shining star by the patriarch of a porn-associated family, played by Burt Reynolds. Punch-Drunk Love has Adam Sandler’s introverted Barry completely changing his life around, as he decides to pursue Emily Watson’s character, as the two seem to be kindred spirits. Anderson’s latest film, The Master, finds Joaquin Phoenix’s character being absorbed into the world of a charismatic intellectual played by Philip Seymour Hoffman. The result is a film that is ambitious, greatly acted, expertly filmed, but also challenging to fully embrace. Continue reading ‘‘The Master’ And His Cause Requires Some Processing’
September 20th, 2012 by Aaron Neuwirth
So Clint Eastwood has returned to the big screen for a movie that does not require a whole lot of effort from him. Trouble with the Curve is a fairly slight film about a number of old American chestnuts, such as baseball, getting older, trusting your instincts, and the father-daughter relationship. It is not necessarily bad, it is just nothing that is all that special, as everything about the film is predictable, lacking in subtlety, and tied up in a nice little package at the end. The reason to show up is for Clint of course, but how much you appreciate him depends on how much you want to put up with his grumpy old man shtick. The likability of Amy Adams and Justin Timberlake add a bit to the film, but overall, it is a fairly slow walk through the ballpark. Continue reading ‘Grumpy Old Clint Finds ‘Trouble With The Curve’’
September 19th, 2012 by David Freedman
Leah, Rachel and Teresa hit a high note on this musical comedy. Starring Leah Aldridge, Rachel Appelbaum and Teresa Lo. Directed by Sean Wright.
Synopsis: Freshman Beca is cajoled into joining a woman’s acapella group. But she discovers that the groups song and dance routines are sorely out of date. Finding the competition fierce, Beca inspires the group to new heights.
WATCH US ON PBS SOCAL Saturdays at 6PM or pbssocal.org/justseenit Continue reading ‘Pitch Perfect Movie Review – Just Seen It’
September 19th, 2012 by David Freedman
Rachel, Liz and Sean comment on this found-footage horror anthology. Starring Rachel Appelbaum, Liz Manashil and Sean Wright. Directed by Amy Taylor.
Synopsis: A group of misfits are hired to burglarize a desolate house. Their mission is to retrieve a rare video tape. But when they break in, they find a dead body and more than they imagined.
WATCH US ON PBS SOCAL Saturdays at 6PM or pbssocal.org/justseenit
Continue reading ‘V/H/S Movie Review – Just Seen It’
There is a reason why Taken 2 already stood a challenge of being a good movie. In 2008, the first taken arrived in theaters and became a smash hit for a very simple reason: Liam Neeson turned his genteel persona on its head. He became a determined father who would take down anyone in his way, when it came to getting his kidnapped daughter back. The film was not exactly original, but the confidence and tenacity seen in a respected man like Neeson made for an action film that could be taken a bit more seriously. Cut to 2012, Neeson has since become an action star at this point in his career and while revisiting Taken may seem like an obvious idea, it also does not lead down many more roads that haven’t been traveled already. It doesn’t help that the film’s choppy direction robs the action sequences or more delight, but the confidence of Neeson is not enough to give this film a pass either. Continue reading ‘Look Who’s ‘Taken’ Too’
