Why So Blu?

NBFF Review: Lucky

The 12^th Annual Newport Beach Film Festival (NBFF) has begun, and with that I have now been to my first screening.  Friday, April 29, 2011, saw the west coast premiere of the film Lucky, starring Colin Hanks, Ari Graynor, Ann-Margaret, and Jeffrey Tambor.  Lucky is a comedy that relies on two very quirky performances from its leads, Hanks and Graynor.  The story involves a shy man (with a secret) who wins the lottery and the results it has once a girl he’s had a crush on factors more heavily into his life.  While I certainly found there to be humorous things about this film and its concept, I had a lot of issues with the tone and handling of these characters.  I did not want to end up with negative feelings about this film for my first screening review, but unfortunately that has to be the case here. Continue reading ‘NBFF Review: Lucky’

5 Fast 5 Furious 5 Stars (Minus 1)

Vroom!  So this isn’t supposed to happen.  The fifth installment of a movie series is not supposed to be the best one yet, with actual anticipation building up for another.  That is not what should happen, but dammit, Fast Five delivers just that.  Somehow, this film series decided to go all out and deliver a fantastic ride, built for speed, action, and some slick style.  Regardless of previous opinions about this franchise, Fast Five hits its marks very well, evolving the story of the franchise, while bringing in many familiar faces from the previous films. Continue reading ‘5 Fast 5 Furious 5 Stars (Minus 1)’

Take A Very Strange Bounce With ‘Rubber’

Would anyone suspect something serious to come out of a film in which a rubber tire comes to life and kills people, using telepathic powers?  I would not think so.  Why would this happen?  As the movie’s mantra suggests, “No reason.”  It is fitting that I saw Rubber around the same time that I watched Scream 4.  Both films are designed to satirize horror and film culture and subvert audience expectation.  While I think Scream 4 only managed to point out these themes without being clever enough to pull off something more meaningful, Rubber is more of an experiment, made to address the tropes and status of horror films and the audiences that watch them. Continue reading ‘Take A Very Strange Bounce With ‘Rubber’’

Who’s Thirsty For ‘Water For Elephants’?

A few months ago, in another review, I confessed to never having seen a Twilight movie.  I must now also confess that I have never seen a movie based on a Nicholas Sparks novel.  However, I have read the book by Sara Gruen, which Water for Elephants is based on.  While the first two facts distance me from what I guess were concerns to other people – namely the abilities of Robert Pattinson in non-tween vampire roles and the constrictions of melodramatic romance films, the third fact kept an element of expectation hovering over me, as I anticipated this feature.  Fortunately, I think this is a decent film. Continue reading ‘Who’s Thirsty For ‘Water For Elephants’?’

Be Prepared To Run and Play With ‘African Cats’

I think the aspect I enjoyed most about Disneynature’s third major Earth Day release, African Cats, is how they tried to create a narrative through line for it.  A lot of nature documentaries simply present the facts, while showing you some shots of creatures and environments, but this film (even if it cheats a bit) has a lot of fun with actually presenting a storyline to keep you specifically involved with the ‘cats’ that are presented in this film.  It also helps that you have the cat’s pajamas of acting talents (Samuel L. Jackson) narrating the film.  ‘Nuff said. Continue reading ‘Be Prepared To Run and Play With ‘African Cats’’

Think Twice Before Drinking The ‘Water For Elephants’

I have to say I was totally psyched to see this movie after reading the book.  Why you ask?  Because it involves some of my favorite things in life, and if only for 2 hours, I was finally able to run away with the circus!  First of all, who doesn’t love the circus?  Do you remember being at the circus begging your parents for cotton candy, candy apples, peanuts to feed the elephants, and watching all those clowns climb out of that car?  How did they all fit in there?  Secondly, who doesn’t love a romantic and dangerous adventure?  A knight in shining armor rescuing a girl from an evil villain.  Who doesn’t hope for that fairy tale happy ending?  And we all know a good cry can cleanse the soul.  Finally, Robert Pattinson’s transition from Vamp to Vet was something I did not want to miss.  And I wasn’t going to. Continue reading ‘Think Twice Before Drinking The ‘Water For Elephants’’

‘The Conspirator’ Has Been Found Accurate, But Average

The Conspirator means well, despite only measuring up to being decent.  I majored in History, I am a fan of the subject matter being presented, and I am a fan of director Robert Redford and his cast of very talented individuals.  It is unfortunate that this film could not bring all of these elements together into a more interesting historical drama.  As it stands, the film is anchored by its leading performances and its eye for small, but important details, but the story has a problem of feeling very by the numbers, going through the motions of this period in history, without making the material more engaging or letting us see through the eyes of a more interesting character. Continue reading ‘‘The Conspirator’ Has Been Found Accurate, But Average’

‘Scream 4’ Stabs Its Meta Soul In The Face

I had a chance to watch the opening of Scream once I got home, after watching this third sequel.  I think those 10 minutes may be the best thing that director Wes Craven has ever done.  The sequence has a lot of fun playing with convention, ratcheting up the tension, and then paying off in an effectively gruesome manner.  Craven has made other very good films in the past and has created a couple horror icons, but I honestly don’t think he’s made a good film since maybe Scream 2 in 1997.  Despite having made the worst film of 2010, I was holding out a small shred of hope that Craven could revisit his groundbreaking franchise, along with its screenwriting creator, Kevin Williamson, and successfully reestablish it into a new decade of horror satire. Continue reading ‘‘Scream 4’ Stabs Its Meta Soul In The Face’

Say Your Prayers And Enter ‘Red State’, Kevin Smith’s Decent Into Indie Horror

I enjoyed Red State quite a bit.  That’s the way to start something like this.  Red State is an offbeat, dark thriller that centers on some unfortunate souls who get wrapped up in the world of sinister religious fundamentalists, before taking other twists and turns.  While many feel the need to bring up all of the muck that surrounds Kevin Smith and his supposed “antics” when it came time to unleashing his latest film to audiences, I will be trying my hardest to leave all of that out and focus on the film, which matters most.  So again, I really enjoyed Red State, which is a significant departure for Smith, who has made a career out of foul-mouthed comedies, this time delivering a no-holds barred (and occasionally foul-mouthed) thriller. Continue reading ‘Say Your Prayers And Enter ‘Red State’, Kevin Smith’s Decent Into Indie Horror’

‘Super’ Sticks A Wrench Into Its Twisted, Darkly Comic Tale

So I don’t tend to write about my own process and circumstances when writing very often, but I am going to point out something about James Gunn’s film Super, which relates to me.  I was at a loss for a few days after seeing this film, before finally sitting down to write this review.  It could be related to how busy I have been, but really it has to do with what I thought about this film.  On one hand, it has a darkly comedic take on the story of an ordinary man who becomes a vigilante in an effort to fight crime, which is fairly entertaining, if a bit familiar for a premise these days.  On the other side of things, the film presents a wavering tone that balances these more comedic moments with some very uncomfortable and disturbing violence. Continue reading ‘‘Super’ Sticks A Wrench Into Its Twisted, Darkly Comic Tale’

‘Hobo With A Shotgun’ Is Like Finding A Rose In The Dumpster

Back in 2007, in anticipation of the horror/exploitation double feature that was directors’ Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez’s Grindhouse, there was a contest held for others around the world to create their own exploitation film-themed movie trailer, which would be played at the Grindhouse premiere.  Canadian filmmaker Jason Eisner won the contest with his trailer for Hobo with a Shotgun.  Now, as Robert Rodriguez’s own fake trailer – Machete, has gone on to become a film of its own, Eisner also managed to make a full length feature film version of ‘Hobo’. As a result, Eisner has created a film that is, in some ways, more enjoyable than the other attempts at rejuvenating exploitation flicks.  Style, performances, and overall tone have all come together in the best ways possible that are suitable for a film about a bum going gun crazy. Continue reading ‘‘Hobo With A Shotgun’ Is Like Finding A Rose In The Dumpster’

Deadly Little ‘Hanna’ Delivers Style and Thrills

There is a lengthy, one-take sequence in the middle of Hanna that is a showcase for clever camera work, a solid central performance, intrigue, and a climactic action sequence that delivers on stylish, visceral impact.  All of the descriptors for this scene can be used to describe Hanna as a whole, with another huge shout out going to the fantastic and nontraditional score composed by The Chemical Brothers. Continue reading ‘Deadly Little ‘Hanna’ Delivers Style and Thrills’

Have A Drunken Laugh Or Two With ‘Arthur’

Arthur puts itself in a difficult place when it comes to evaluating it.  One of the best things I can say about Arthur is that a lot of people laughed really hard in my theater, and that does not make them wrong.  However, the percentage of those people who had seen the original 1981 Arthur was probably very low.  That film is superior, but this update has some genuinely funny moments. Continue reading ‘Have A Drunken Laugh Or Two With ‘Arthur’’

‘Born To Be Wild’ Heartwarming to the End

Morgan Freeman has a way with words. Not only is the guy an incredible actor, but his skills in the narrative department also excel. I would be hard-pressed to name an actor or narrator who does a better job at guiding a documentary than he. Putting his vocal talents to use once more, this time in the educational IMAX film, Born To Be Wild.  Bring the whole family for this wonderful documentary that kids and adults will equally enjoy.

Continue reading ‘‘Born To Be Wild’ Heartwarming to the End’

Go With ‘Your Highness’ On A Raunchy, Fantasy Ride For The Ridiculous

The idea and powers at work behind Your Highness give the impression of a juicy premise.  The film is a different take on fantasy/adventure films, incorporating comedic actors, heavy improvisation, and modern language.  It has the right kind of scope and old school style handling of the action and creatures, yet it is also ridiculous, filthy, and very R-rated throughout. Continue reading ‘Go With ‘Your Highness’ On A Raunchy, Fantasy Ride For The Ridiculous’

‘Born To Be Wild’ Is Both Beautiful and Brief

I feel that there may be too little to talk about here, as the film is both fairly self explanatory and only lasts for 40 minutes, but I will try my best.  Born to Be Wild 3D is an IMAX nature documentary from Warner Bros. Pictures, which has been shot in 3D, using IMAX and 4K digital cameras.  The film is incredibly simplistic, but effective in what it tries to show in such a short span of time. Continue reading ‘‘Born To Be Wild’ Is Both Beautiful and Brief’

Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair (A Special Screening Retrospective)

For a couple weeks in Los Angeles, a particular screening has been taking place, which has been feeding the desires of all film geeks who have attended.  I am speaking of the original, full cut of Quentin Tarantino’s fourth feature film – Kill Bill.  Billed on the marquee as Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair, this is the original print of the film, which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival back in 2003 (complete with French subtitles). Continue reading ‘Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair (A Special Screening Retrospective)’

Forgive The Logic And Enter The Thrills Of ‘Source Code’

If Hitchcock, Agatha Christie, and Philip K. Dick walked into a bar, they could come up with the plot for Source Code, a cracking new thriller, starring Jake Gyllenhaal as a time constricted helicopter pilot and directed by Duncan Jones, who previously made the great, sci-fi sleeper – Moon.  The film works as a high concept sci-fi film, with some mysterious elements involved in its proceedings. Continue reading ‘Forgive The Logic And Enter The Thrills Of ‘Source Code’’