Archive for the 'Movie Reviews' Category
September 19th, 2012 by David Freedman
Sean, Leah and Salim review this action thriller re-make based on the graphic novel. Starring Sean Wright, Leah Aldridge, and Salim Lemelle. Directed by Amy Taylor.
Synopsis: Dredd is one of the most feared cops in a post-apocalyptic metropolis. When a powerful new drug hit the streets, Dredd and his team try to stop its spread. But when a vicious drug lord discovers his plan, an all out urban war ignites.
WATCH US ON PBS SOCAL Saturdays at 6PM or pbssocal.org/justseenit Continue reading ‘Dredd Movie Review – Just Seen It’
September 19th, 2012 by David Freedman
Salim, Rachel and Greg review the newest period piece drama from Director Paul Thomas Anderson. Starring Salim Lemelle, Rachel Appelbaum and Greg Karber. Directed by Sean Wright.
Synopsis: Freddie is an alcoholic drifter dealing with the trauma of World War Two. By chance, he meets Lancaster, the charismatic leader of The Cause. As Freddie adheres to Lancaster’s religious teachings, the cult’s inner circle sees him as a threat.
WATCH US ON PBS SOCAL Saturdays at 6PM or pbssocal.org/justseenit
Continue reading ‘The Master Movie Review – Just Seen It’
September 17th, 2012 by David Freedman
Liz, Leah and Sean review this morality tale and drama with an all-star cast. Starring Liz Manashil, Leah Aldridge and Sean Wright. Directed by David Freedman.
Synopsis: Rory Jansen is a struggling novelist who is unable to get a book published. He accidentally finds an unclaimed manuscript that contains some of the best writing he’s ever seen. Rory must deal with the temptation of stealing work that is not his own.
WATCH US ON PBS SOCAL Saturdays at 6PM or pbssocal.org/justseenit Continue reading ‘The Words Movie Review – Just Seen It’
September 17th, 2012 by David Freedman
Rachel, Leah and Sean give us their take on this prohibition-era drama, based on a true events. Starring Rachel Appelbaum, Leah Aldridge, and Sean Wright. Directed by David Freedman.
Synopsis: Three brothers are prohibition bootleggers, living the American Dream. Life is good until authorities threaten to cut into their profits. With an unlikely ally, they wage an all out war against the police.
WATCH US ON PBS SOCAL Saturdays at 6PM or pbssocal.org/justseenit
Continue reading ‘Lawless Movie Review – Just Seen It’
September 17th, 2012 by David Freedman
Sean, Rachel and David have quite the heated argument about this new raunchy comedy about phone sex. Starring Sean Wright, Rachel Appelbaum and David Freedman. Directed by Cooper Griggs.
Synopsis: College enemies Lauren and Katie are forced to share an apartment. Lauren is soon horrified to discover that Katie is a phone sex operator. After losing her job, Lauren joins Katie doing phone sex and finds she is better at it than both could have imagined.
WATCH US ON PBS SOCAL Saturdays at 6PM or pbssocal.org/justseenit Continue reading ‘For a Good Time Call Movie Review – Just Seen It’
September 16th, 2012 by David Freedman
Leah, Liz and Sean review the new “JoGoLEv” action thriller. Come along for the ride and see whether it’s a rush or not. Starring Leah Aldridge, Liz Manashil, and Sean Wright. Directed by Amy Taylor.
Synopsis: Wilee is an expert bicycling courier in New York City. Given a mysterious package to deliver, he finds himself being chased by a crazed cop. With the help of his friends, Wilee must ride for his life.
WATCH US ON PBS SOCAL Saturdays at 6PM or pbssocal.org/justseenit Continue reading ‘Premium Rush Movie Review – Just Seen It’
September 16th, 2012 by David Freedman
Teresa, Salim and Rachel review this movie from Jewish folklore about the demonic possession of a young girl. Starring Teresa Lo (@TeresaLo_Tweets), Salim Lemelle and Rachel Appelbaum. Directed by Sean Wright.
Synopsis: A young girl buys an antique box at a yard sale. But the box is inhabited by a malicious ancient spirit that takes her over. So her father must team up with his ex-wife in order to end her curse.
WATCH US ON PBS SOCAL Saturdays at 6PM or pbssocal.org/justseenit Continue reading ‘The Possession Movie Review – Just Seen It’
September 16th, 2012 by David Freedman
Sean, Greg and Leah tell us if this remake of the 1976 original is worthy of its name. Starring Sean Wright, Greg Karber and Leah Aldridge(@leeleereads). Directed by Liz Manashil.
Synopsis: Musical prodigy Sparkle and her two sisters struggle for success. But everything changes when she meets a dynamic record producer. The three singers strive to keep sudden fame from tearing them and their family apart.
WATCH US ON PBS SOCAL Saturdays at 6PM or pbssocal.org/justseenit Continue reading ‘Sparkle Movie Review – Just Seen It’
September 14th, 2012 by Aaron Neuwirth
Sometimes it all just boils down to something as simple as a man and his robot. Robot & Frank is a very low key story that takes a simple sci-fi premise and manages to pull off something pretty affecting. It features a wonderful lead performance from Frank Langella, who is tasked with playing an elderly man who befriends a robot, which leads into a film that ends up being a drama, a buddy comedy, and a heist film all in one. The result is a charming feature that is both sly and heartfelt. There may not be much more to this film that adds further dimension to this world or social commentary in any way, beyond the basic themes and concepts, but is still an enjoyable and well-made film, nonetheless. Continue reading ‘‘Robot & Frank’: A Buddy Movie For The Near Future’
September 8th, 2012 by Aaron Neuwirth
So I have been told that I have sleepwalked before. This realization has dawned on me as well, as I have found myself in weird situations in the dead of night before, but it has never lead to anything that has put me into harm’s way. In saying this, I do not think it necessarily puts me right in tune with what writer/director/star of Sleepwalk with Me, Mike Birbiglia, has gone through, but it did seem like an honest and easy enough hook to draw people in, so there you go. For those still with me on this, along with being a story about a man who developed a sleepwalking disorder based on the stress in his life, this film delivers a relationship story and a story about a burgeoning comedian who found his way. It is a scrappy little film, based on a true story, but it is quite entertaining and endearing. Continue reading ‘Seeing ‘Sleepwalk With Me’ Is A Step In The Right Direction’
September 8th, 2012 by Aaron Neuwirth
Does anyone have a favorite musician, who made music they really appreciated, only to have no idea what happened to that person or group? On the contrary, what if you did something you enjoyed and released your work to the public, found little success and faded into oblivion, only to learn years later that you have become something of an icon for a particular crowd. Searching for Sugar Man is a documentary that basically explores the idea of a mythical figure on the small scale. It follows the journey of a few men seeking the truth behind what happened to a musician who never amounted to much in his own country, but become something of a phenomenon elsewhere. It is a tremendously appealing film, due to the nature of the people involved, what we come to learn about the man who is sought after, and of course the wonderful soundtrack of the film. Continue reading ‘Seek Out ‘Searching For Sugar Man’’
September 6th, 2012 by Aaron Neuwirth
I love the idea of anthology horror films and wish there was more of them. I love Creepshow, for example, and the most recent anthology horror flick that I really enjoyed, Trick r Treat, is another delightful entry as well. I think it has to do with seeing lots of ideas packed into one feature successfully, because the short story format allow for playing around with cool ideas that don’t necessarily wear out their welcome. V/H/S is a neat concept for a horror anthology, as it both presents multiple shorts from different directors and has a main story to tie them all together in a sense, while using the ‘found footage’ format as one of its big selling points. There are some stories that are much better than others and the film, as a whole, has issues with giving us likable characters to follow, but there is an inventiveness to each that does well for the film as a whole. Even if the film relies on presenting films as if they were shot in as low of a quality as possible, V/H/S has some high quality talent involved in its construction. Continue reading ‘‘V/H/S’ Brings On Grainy Anthology Horror’
September 4th, 2012 by David Freedman
Sean, Salim and Teresa review this new romantic action comedy and decide whether this late summer feature is a worth the price of a movie ticket and some good air conditioning! Starring Sean Wright, Salim Lemelle and Teresa Lo (@TeresaLo_Tweets). Directed by Amy Taylor.
Synopsis: Former getaway driver Charles and his girl friend Annie are in the witness protection program. But they both come out of hiding to get Annie to a job interview in LA. The two are discovered by the Feds AND the Crooks and must run for their lives.
WATCH US ON PBS SOCAL Saturdays at 6PM or pbssocal.org/justseenit
Continue reading ‘Hit and Run Movie Review – Just Seen It’
September 1st, 2012 by Aaron Neuwirth
Seriously, how bland is The Possession for a horror movie title? The Possession is everything one would expect from a late August or early January horror film release. This of course means it was filmed a while ago, sat around until things seemed clear enough, and was then dumped into theaters. There is something to be said for the marketing effort made to promote this film, complete with creepy images of bugs and hands coming out of mouths, but the film does nothing out of the ordinary and simply functions as another bland exorcism movie. Continue reading ‘‘The Possession’ Has A Generic Title Fitting Of A Generic Movie’
August 29th, 2012 by Aaron Neuwirth
Lawless is an enjoyable, Prohibition-era drama with plenty of really strong violent bits. It has a very good ensemble cast to work with, a director who knows how to make things look good, and plenty of other ingredients to make a solid picture. I think the film’s biggest problem is that it has the feel of an indie, but still conforms to a lot of generic plot elements. While getting the film that relishes in having Malick-like qualities, characters with sparse dialogue, and not much restraint regarding the violence, it also settles for having characters making poor choices only for the sake of the story, romantic subplots that bog things down, and a lack of subtlety at times. These aspects take away from Lawless being a great film, but it still has enough to it, especially due to Tom Hardy and the general look of the film, which makes it an entertaining one. Continue reading ‘‘Lawless’ Has Bootleggers, Bloodshed, And The Beef’
August 29th, 2012 by Aaron Neuwirth
It’s a buddy comedy, a chick flick, and a story of phone sex operators; all rolled into one! Obviously there have to be plenty of people that found this movie funny. For a Good Time, Call… was picked up out of Sundance and quickly turned around for a release this year. I guess the idea is to cash in on women talking dirty, following the success that was had with 2011’s Bridesmaids, except that film had more up its sleeve than just crude dialogue. For a Good Time, Call… feels like an incredibly lazy sitcom that is stretched out to feature length and attempting to repeatedly cash in on just one joke. Hearing so many explicit things in the span of a few minutes or as a running gag is fine, but as the only thing a film has going for it, it just becomes tiring and bland. Continue reading ‘‘For A Good Time’, Don’t Call…’
August 26th, 2012 by Aaron Neuwirth
The Killer Joe poster describes the film as a “Totally twisted, deep-fried, Texas redneck, trailer park murder story.” That is entirely correct. Director William Friedkin reteams with playwright Tracy Letts (they previously made Bug together) for a wild and darkly comedic thriller that resembles something akin to a Coen Brothers film, except Killer Joe is much more explicit. The film is quite lurid and deals with a very dysfunctional family, but it is also incredibly well acted and put together. Headed up by Matthew McConaughey, in a performance that sizzles, this is a film that fires on all cylinders, as it moves along without restraint and does not apologize for going to twisted places to become an absurdly entertaining film. Continue reading ‘‘Killer Joe’ Enjoys KFC And I Enjoyed This Dark And Twisted Movie’
August 25th, 2012 by Aaron Neuwirth
Action movies dropping into theaters at the end of summer do not generally inspire a lot of confidence, especially when they are flicks that were moved from the already dead time of year that is January and into the even worse doldrum-like area that is the weeks that hover around Labor Day weekend. Still, it is always nice to be relieved when a simple, high concept flick ends up delivering the kind of fun you were hoping for. Premium Rush does not aspire to be anything more than a fun, lighthearted chase thriller and it succeeds in doing just that. The added plus of properly utilizing its New York location and making me twitch every time a bike got close to crashing only helped the film out further. Continue reading ‘Gear Up For ‘Premium Rush’ (And Wear A Helmet)’
Sean, Leah and Salim review this action thriller re-make based on the graphic novel. Starring Sean Wright, Leah Aldridge, and Salim Lemelle. Directed by Amy Taylor.
