Archive Page 472
April 30th, 2013 by Aaron Neuwirth
Monday night at the 2013 Newport Beach Film Festival put me right back on schedule for viewing two films a night for the remainder of the week, possibly seeking a bit of solace (and food) at the wonderful after parties, and then stationing myself back at home, where I can deliver my thoughts on the various films I had a chance to view amongst audiences. On this night, I was able to see two movies and a short film. The films were Wasteland, which was preceded by the short film Fruit of Labor, and Gus. Each film was decidedly different from the other, but I would say I ended up having a good time overall, with Wasteland serving as the standout of the night.
Continue reading ‘NBFF Reviews: Wasteland, Fruit Of Labor, And Gus’
April 28th, 2013 by Aaron Neuwirth
Saturday at the 2013 Newport Beach Film Festival was a busy day. I specifically planned it that way, as I wanted my Sunday to be more relaxed. So I ended up seeing 4 different films, none of which were similar in any way. It was a full schedule and I have thoughts on three of them. I say three, because the first film of the day was a retrospective screening of the John Wayne western, The Searchers. This classic film was preceded by an interview with author Glenn Frankel who recently released “The Searchers: The Making of an American Legend”, essentially making it unnecessary for me to write anything about the film. Unfortunately (and this really upset me), the recording of this conversation has been lost on my part. Still, while many have written about The Searchers already (and it is a great film), I would rather spend my time sharing my thoughts on three new films that have been largely unseen by general audiences: Greetings from Tim Buckley, Isolated, and Welcome to the Jungle.
Continue reading ‘NBFF Review: Greetings From Tim Buckley, Isolated, And Welcome To The Jungle’
April 27th, 2013 by Aaron Neuwirth
Friday night at the 2013 Newport Beach Film Festival allowed me the chance to see two films. One was a romance drama with a twist called Blood Type: Unknown. The other was a dramatic thriller called A Single Shot. I was very pleased with one of these films, but still enjoyed my time at the festival, as per usual. For my regular festival coverage this year, starting with this post, I am going to try something a bit different and write a little about all the films I see during one day at the festival, rather than exhaust myself and try to write full reviews for every film, as I have been doing in years past. Hopefully I will provide the same level of insight, albeit in a more abridged version.
Continue reading ‘NBFF Reviews: Blood Type Unknown and A Single Shot’
April 27th, 2013 by Aaron Neuwirth
Arthur Newman is the story of a man with a past that is slowly revealed and the quirky girl that follows along with him on a road trip. It has all the elements of a feel good drama that could be interesting to watch for its story and more engaging due to the actors involved. Unfortunately, that is not true in this case. Arthur Newman has its moments and features a few strong performances, but ultimately does not go anywhere, despite being a film that is mainly depicting characters driving around the country. What appears to be confidence in the filmmakers’ eyes, regarding what transpires in the film, felt more like a film that was literally and figuratively spinning its wheels, as it hit the required beats to fill out its story.
Continue reading ‘Arthur Newman Creates A New Identity, But Not Much Of A Story (Movie Review)’
April 26th, 2013 by Brian White
Universal’s Mama was a film I purposely missed when I had a chance to attend the press screening for it up in Cleveland. The movie’s trailer did not sell me and quite frankly, it looked God awful to me. I had already suffered through a Guillermo del Toro produced film before and I did not want to lose two hours of my life doing it again. But the weirdest thing happened. Instantly, this film garnered all sorts of positive reviews and attention from critics and fans alike. Even friends of mine raved about it. So like usual in life, I was kicking myself for missing out on the opportunity I had to see it and needless to say, I was very much anticipating this title’s arrival on the high definition format of choice…in this case iTunes HD Digital Download. So lets get down to the nitty gritty. What say you? Continue reading ‘Mama (iTunes HD Digital Download Review)’
April 26th, 2013 by Aaron Neuwirth
Opening Night at the 2013 Newport Beach Film Festival felt like quite a success, as I was happy to enjoy the film that kicked off this week-long event. Broadway Idiot is a documentary that covers the process of turning a hugely successful Green Day album into a Broadway musical. Unless one simply cannot stand Green Day for whatever reason, the film is highly enjoyable and a breezy look at what it is to show a rock band taking on a new direction in their career by way of theater, of all things. The best compliment I could give would be that the documentary made me want to see the actual show performed live. Given that I am more a fan of the earlier music by Green Day, I would say that is a strong enough statement. Regardless, the documentary was an enjoyable watch and really kicked things off for the film festival rather nicely.
Continue reading ‘NBFF Review: Broadway Idiot’
April 25th, 2013 by David Freedman
Leah, Sean and David pay tribute to Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert by reviewing some of their favorite movies.
Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert were two of America’s greatest film critics. In this special tribute to them, we honor their memory with review of their favorite movies.
April 25th, 2013 by Aaron Neuwirth
It is now time for me to get very busy again, as the Newport Beach Film Festival has returned. From April 25th to May 2nd, the 14th annual Newport Beach Film Festival will be in full swing and I will be there to provide whatever coverage I can. As always, the festival takes place in beautiful Newport Beach, right along the coast. Over 350 films from over 50 countries will be screened during the week with special nightly events, galas, seminars, and more. Additionally, the Newport Beach Film Festival offers film goers the opportunity to meet the filmmakers. Directors, screenwriters, actors, and more are all eager to share their work and will provide an exclusive inside look at the industry during post-screening Q&A’s. That is a lot going on in the world of film for Orange County this coming week.
Continue reading ‘The 2013 Newport Beach Film Festival Begins’
April 24th, 2013 by Sean Ferguson
One of the most meaningful films of our generation, Schindler’s List tells an extraordinary true story of courage and faith that continues to inspire. The film’s restoration from the 35mm film original negative was supervised by Steven Spielberg and includes bonus features that shed unprecedented light on the story of Oskar Schindler, a member of the Nazi party who risked his own life to save more than 1,100 Jews during the Holocaust. With its initial release in 1993, Schindler’s List rapidly became one of the most honored films of all time, garnering twelve Academy Award nominations and taking home seven Oscars, including Best Director and Best Picture for Spielberg. Liam Neeson (Taken, Gangs of New York) received a Best Actor Academy Award nomination for his portrayal of Oskar Schindler. Ralph Fiennes’ (The English Patient) star-making performance as the cruel Nazi commander, Amon Goeth, was nominated for Best Supporting Actor, as was Oscar-winner Ben Kingsley (Gandhi, Hugo) in the role of Schindler’s Jewish accountant, Itzhak Stern. The film also earned Oscars for composer John Williams (E.T., Star Wars), screenwriter Steven Zaillian (Gangs of New York, Mission: Impossible) and director of photography Janusz Kaminiski, as well as art directors Allan Starski and Ewa Braun, editor Michael Kahn and producers Gerald R. Molen and Branko Lustig. Continue reading ‘Schindler’s List: 20th Anniversary Edition (Blu-ray Review)’
April 24th, 2013 by David Freedman
In honor of the remake of The Great Gatsby, Leah, Kevin and Liz offer a retrospective on the movies of director Baz Luhrmann and a preview of his next film – The Great Gatsby.
WATCH US ON PBS SOCAL Saturdays at 6PM or pbssocal.org/justseenit
Continue reading ‘Baz Luhrmann Retrospective and The Great Gatsby Preview – Just Seen It’
April 24th, 2013 by David Freedman
Salim, Aaron and guest reviewer Jami Philbrick discuss this new drama about corporate farming.
Henry wants his son Dean to take over the family’s farming business. But Dean prefers the thrill of being a race car driver. As Henry comes under investigation, the two unite to save the farm.
WATCH US ON PBS SOCAL Saturdays at 6PM or pbssocal.org/justseenit
Continue reading ‘At Any Price Movie Review – Just Seen It’
April 23rd, 2013 by Aaron Neuwirth
Pain & Gain is what it looks like when Michael Bay decides he wants to make a little movie, as opposed to another action epic. The director known for making bombastic action blockbusters has taken a step back to make a smaller film based on a true story, but it does not mean he put his signature style in check. Pain & Gain is very glossy film, gorgeous at times, and certainly not subtle. It is also an incredibly dark comedy, with a story so ridiculous that it has to be true, and it is. Based on a true crime story, this film does its best to depict what happens when seemingly good-natured crooks get in way over their heads and resort to drastic measures to achieve their American dream. While Bay’s style can be grating for some, the mix of a strong cast and a messy, but compelling story makes this a film with a lot more going on than the standard Bay blockbuster.
Continue reading ‘‘Pain & Gain’ Is A True Story Of Bodybuilding Kidnappers Filmed Bay-Style (Movie Review)’
April 23rd, 2013 by Aaron Neuwirth
House of Cards is the Neflix Original series that held many people’s attention during it exciting new release period onto Netflix a couple months ago. Originally released in its entirety, complete with the involvement of a star-studded cast and crew, I was really happy to dive right away into this series and was even given the chance to talk about it with the crew from Just Seen It (found HERE). Here is a brief synopsis of the series: Ruthless and cunning, Congressman Francis Underwood (Spacey) and his wife Claire (Wright) stop at nothing to conquer everything. This wicked political drama penetrates modern Washington D.C.’s shadowy world of greed, sex, and corruption. Kate Mara and Corey Stoll costar in the first original series from David Fincher and Beau Willimon. Now everyone who does not use Netflix’s Instant service will have the chance to check out the series on Blu-ray, come June 11th. Read on to learn more about this upcoming Blu-ray release.
Continue reading ‘House Of Cards: The Complete First Season Arrives On Blu-Ray This June’
April 23rd, 2013 by Aaron Neuwirth
The mighty Thor returns to the big screen this November, but right now we have the first trailer. We at Why So Blu disagree about the merit of a lot of movies, but Thor seemed to be the film that we could all agree was good (some argue great). Now Thor 2: Still Thor is on its way, which has many excited. Here’s a brief plot synopsis: Marvel’s “Thor: The Dark World” continues the big-screen adventures of Thor, the Mighty Avenger, as he battles to save Earth and all the Nine Realms from a shadowy enemy that predates the universe itself. Continue on the view the all new teaser trailer for Thor: The Dark World, as well as the new poster and first official images. Updated with a couple more images and YouTube Trailer Link.
Continue reading ‘The Trailer Debut Of Thor: The Dark World’
April 22nd, 2013 by Brian White
I’m not sure where I’ve been since 1997, but I’ve never heard of the name Jack Reacher until I heard news of the film being developed some years back. Turns out Jack is quite the popular character from literary author Lee Child’s wildly “popular” series of novels. Heck, this August will see the released of the eighteenth novel in the series. Wow! Again…where have I been? So when I was asked if I wanted to see this film with a friend last December, I kindly turned down the many offers because I simply had no prior insight as to what the film was about nor did I have any interest really in spending hard earned money on something I felt unsure of. And I never really been the biggest fan of Tom Cruise (although I do respect and there’s no denying his legacy and his many body of works), but that all changed this this past week when I saw him in Oblivion and upon arriving home from a business trip I found this title on my desk ripe for reviewing on the Blu-ray format. So needless to say…hoorah…I jumped at the chance. I want to see what I have been missing out on all this time and more importantly…who is this Jack Reacher guy? My inquiring mind wanted to know. And now I’m here to tell you all about him. And while you are at it…check out the 1080p screenshots below too! Continue reading ‘Jack Reacher (Blu-ray Review)’
April 21st, 2013 by David Freedman
We review the new original Netflix series, Hemlock Grove.
WATCH US ON PBS SOCAL Saturdays at 6PM or pbssocal.org/justseenit
Continue reading ‘Hemlock Grove Review – Just Seen It’
April 21st, 2013 by Sean Ferguson
Who Framed Roger Rabbit is a dazzling blend of live action and animation that’s a four time Academy Award Winner (1988) for Best Film Editing, Best Visual Effects, Best Sound Effects Editing and a Special Achievement in Animation Direction. Bob Hoskins (Hook, Brazil) stars as Eddie Valiant, a toon hating detective is a cartoon rabbit’s only hope to prove his innocence when he is accused of murder. Christopher Lloyd (Back to the Future trilogy) is Judge Doom, Joanna Cassidy (Blade Runner, Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter is Dead) appears as Dolores, and Charles Fleischer (Back to the Future Part II, A Nightmare on Elm Street) plays several roles including Roger Rabbit, Benny the Cab, Greasy & Psycho .
Continue reading ‘Who Framed Roger Rabbit? 25th Anniversary Edition (Blu-ray Review)’
April 20th, 2013 by David Freedman
Kevin, Leah and Sean review this new sci-fi action thriller starring Tom Cruise.
Jack is a repairman on a war-ravaged Earth. When a spacecraft crashes, he rescues a mysterious woman from his past. They find themselves caught in a battle between humans and aliens.
WATCH US ON PBS SOCAL Saturdays at 6PM or pbssocal.org/justseenit
Continue reading ‘Oblivion Movie Review – Just Seen It’
