NBFF 2017 Review: Animated, Irish & Horror Shorts
May 5th, 2017 by Aaron Neuwirth
Wrapping up my coverage of this year’s Newport Beach Film Festival, I wanted to shine the spotlight on some of the short film programs I was able to see. Thanks to some hype created by my lovely girlfriend, I was particularly excited to see the animated and Irish short programs but was also able to see a set of horror shorts as well. There is always plenty to admire in these films, as they must tell a full story in a limited amount of time while also showing off a level of cinematic talent from newer and veteran filmmakers alike. Here are some thoughts on the short films in particular that stuck out to me in the programs I saw.
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Meet the squad when “CHIPS
So yeah I’m a guy. And yes I have not only reviewed Fifty Shades Darker here on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray, but this is admittedly the second time I saw the film. The first was in the theater! Okay, here’s my man card. The truth of the story is like the first film the studio strategically releases this title anchored on the Hallmark holiday of Valentine’s Day. So us guys have no choice but to take our women out to see this one. Just like paying taxes each year it’s our civic duty to the special ladies in our lives. Truth be told also that I actually read the first novel in this franchise. I did not like it enough to warrant reading the subsequent novels, but I’d be lying if I told you I wasn’t the least bit curious as to what happens to Anna and Mr. Grey. So that’s my lovely lead in to this 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray review. You guys wanna suffer some more paragraphs with me? Come on! Misery loves company. 
A handful of indie flicks counter the big budget Guardian weekend to varying results. (There’s yet another five-star flick this week – no great cinema!) Artists who push the creative line, bad guys gone good, fancy meals complete with a side of guilt, military men leading multiple lives and an ode to all things mom covers the crop of this weeks smaller film hopefuls. Check out the Encapsulated Movie Reviews of Burden, Black Site Delta, The Dinner, The Shadow Effect and Mom & Me all below.
The first 
This June, Shout! Factory is proud to present four additions to Shout Select, a line of movie releases shining a spotlight on the essentials in film. Trespass, Car Wash, Cheech and Chong’s Next Movie and Where the Buffalo Roam all come to Blu-ray for the first time, complete with bonus features including new interviews with cast and crew members, audio commentaries, theatrical trailers, vintage featurettes and more.
The action-packed, coming of age feature film Saban’s Power Rangers will morph onto Digital HD June 13 and on 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack (plus Blu-ray and Digital HD), Blu-ray Combo Pack (plus DVD and Digital HD), DVD and On Demand June 27 from Lionsgate. As part of the 24-year-old global phenomenon and based on the five Rangers from the original TV series, “Mighty Morphin Power Rangers,”, the reimagined movie features a modern generation of Rangers including Dacre Montgomery (TV’s “Stranger Things”) as Jason the Red Ranger, Naomi Scott (The 33
Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment brings Hugh Jackman’s celebrated seventeen-year run as Wolverine to a close when the box office phenomenon Logan arrives on Digital HD on May 16 and 4K Ultra HD™, Blu-ray™and DVD May 23. Sir Patrick Stewart (X-Men: Days of Future Past, Star Trek: The Next Generation), Stephen Merchant (Hello Ladies, The Office), Boyd Holbrook (Narcos) and newcomer Dafne Keen join Jackman in the iconic character’s final chapter, directed by James Mangold (The Wolverine, Walk the Line). 
Well, what do you know? Just like that, James Mangold’s 3:10 To Yuma is 10 years old this year. Doesn’t feel like its been that long. Mangold is seeing some of his greatest success (Critical & Box Office) this year, too with the Hugh Jackman-Wolverine sendoff Logan. 3:10 To Yuma is one of his strongest films and one of the best westerns (not the hotel chain) of the 2000s. When people whine and moan about remakes, here is a prime candidate and a more modern one to throw in their faces as to prove their whole false generality of “remakes/reboots/reimaginings suck” tiredness as false. Lionsgate is now bringing it over to the 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray format alongside the Expendables movies on May 2nd. Check out or revisit this terrific western with a great enhanced picture featuring HDR and an all new DTS:X audio track! 
The Ring was quite the phenomenon right as the century began. Naomi Watts headlined the US remake of the popular Japanese film and it changed the genre for a good half decade. It was something fresh and different for audiences (Though I’ve always argued part of this film’s ghost agenda and resolution was very much a Stir of Echoes retread), leading to remakes of other popular Japanese ghost films like The Grudge, Pulse and Shutter. Gore Verbinski’s film received a sequel that wasn’t well received and there the franchise died, not making it to the 4 films that its overseas sister-series had. But, things never truly die, as brand recognition is all the rage nowadays and the the spinner landed upon The Ring to be revisited. Rings came, went and confirmed nobody was interested anymore and apparently took Jason Voorhees along with it (You’re really dumb as hell to think these two thing correlate, Paramount execs!). You, too can have another chance to avoid it, confirm how bad it is, or be the first to be the person to find it underappreciated and write a piece to hopefully reevaluate it in a couple years. So many possibilities! Anyway, this one comes out May 2nd on Blu-ray and carries digital copies of the first film (As a thank you) and the sequel (To ask the questions “Were we at least better than this?”). Pre-order below if you choose! 
So many amazing film fests – so little time! The recent star-studded 
Disney’s Bambi, which celebrates its 75th anniversary this year, joins the Walt Disney Signature Collection. The Collection release includes a variety of new bonus material, including recordings of Walt Disney discussing the challenges and triumphs during the production of “Bambi;” deleted scenes and characters; stories and effects that “Bambi” had on the Studio, other films and artists; and much, much more. Additionally, the Digital HD release includes an exclusive, heartfelt feature on the incredible artist, Tyrus Wong, who inspired the film’s soft watercolor backgrounds and beautiful palette. Bambi arrives home on Digital HD, Disney Movies Anywhere, and on DVD & Blu-ray™ May 23rd.
Willard was a really solid success, playing in theaters for quite some time. Forgotten, kinda, to many, is that the film produced a sequel called Ben (After the lead rat in the original film). But, its not really forgotten, due to one factor. Had the film not had a theme song that was done by the Jackson Five’s and later King of Pop, Michael Jackson, it could have very well been forgotten to the annals of film history (Except nowadays, we remember everything nowadays). That song brought an undeserving prestige with it as it was a big hit for Jackson (one of his earliest solo works) and earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song. It didn’t win, but Scream Factory wins in bringing this ratty sequel to the Blu-ray format to pair with its release of Willard. Ben will be available on May 16th as well. 
Like most of my generation, I believe I first came into consciousness of Willard with the 2003 remake. What looked like an odd, cooky horror film starring Crispin Glover and Laura Harring about a guy who seemingly had some sort of weird psychic thing with his pet rat looked just right up the alley for that of Glover. When it released, I came to find it wasn’t an original film, but a remake of one from 30 years prior. Digging even further down that rabbit hole, I’d find that movie even got a sequel that had an Academy Award nominated song, made historically notable because it was performed by Michael Jackson. Willard and its sequel, Ben, will be making their way to Blu-ray courtesy of the Scream Factory label. You can go ahead and pre-order them to have them in their your mailbox on release day, which is May 16. 
Feeling strangely movie academic this week leads us to a past picture selection that helps both educate and entertain…welcome to Forgotten Friday Flick! Today we’re hitting the books and heading to class for a cinematic story about the ups, downs and student clowns that make up one ruckus high school. It’s a dramatic yet comically caustic look at one wild inner city institution from both the scholar and pupil perspective. Faculty fights over the copy machine (ink will fly!), student stab wounds, teachers getting bit by undergrads and hallway streaking all in the name of standing up for yourself – and the bell hasn’t even rung yet! We learn it all from those marvelous mentors known as…Teachers!
