Archive Page 481
February 14th, 2013 by Aaron Neuwirth
Not a huge development, but something as simple as a poster for a new Pixar animated short caught my eye and it was enough to make me want to post about it. Many people are quite fond of the animated shorts that always precede the latest Pixar film, as well as the new shorts that tend to be packaged with Pixar and Disney films that serve as a mini spin-off for certain characters. Why So Blu reviewer Sean Ferguson has actually reviewed the most recent Blu-ray collection of Pixar’s shorts, which can be found HERE. The Blue Umbrella will be the short that precedes Monsters University, which opens in theaters on June 21st. Continue on to take a look at the poster and catch up with some other recent shorts.
Continue reading ‘The Blue Umbrella – The Next Pixar Animated Short’
February 14th, 2013 by Aaron Neuwirth
If Twilight has paved the way for movies like Warm Bodies and Beautiful Creatures to be made, then I am all for it at this point. I am not actively seeking out paranormal teen romance movies, but the fallout from one self-serious franchise has led to a couple, more accessible and enjoyable features that I have quite liked. Beautiful Features is a mix of melodramatic narrative beats and campy, witch-related supernatural drama, all set in a Southern Gothic horror location, but the film is a lot of fun. The young leads are very likable and have great chemistry, therefore making the key romance work overall. The adult actors are all having a ball chewing up the scenery, making the movie practically aware of itself, short of winking at the camera. A good majority of this film is really effective, as the charisma of this cast, the strength of the dialogue, the moments of humor, and the great visuals do plenty to keep it entertaining. It is only when the film forces the exposition and attempts to link it to the rest of a presumed franchise that the story suffers overall. It comes with the territory, but the film better than just another Twilight clone.
Continue reading ‘Beautiful Creatures Is Campy, Melodramatic, And Fun (Movie Review)’
February 13th, 2013 by Aaron Neuwirth
Imagine you are watching a generically plotted action film, with a pretty bland hero, and all of the sudden that hero’s goofy dad, who has a knack for killing terrorists, shows up to tag along and do some bonding, while terrorizing Moscow. This is what A Good Day to Die Hard boils down to; as it removes itself even further from what the franchise once meant. Die Hard has certainly never been shy about going bigger with its sequels, but this time around the series really does feel like a shadow of its former self, with problems that people may have had with the last film, Live Free or Die Hard, feeling even more amplified this time around. As a result, there is some decent action and a lot of explosions, but I would be hard-pressed to call this a Die Hard film, rather than just an action film with Bruce Willis. Continue reading ‘‘A Good Day To Die Hard’, A Bad Day To Visit Russia (Movie Review)’
February 12th, 2013 by Aaron Neuwirth
It seems to be the most irritating to write about films like this. I do not have anything against the idea of a romantic drama that is timed to come out around Valentine’s Day, because it is of course the type of film certain people would want to see around then, let alone by those who enjoy this genre in general. My issue is the fact that the majority of these films, which as of late have been adaptations of Nicholas Sparks novels, barely rise above being the same level of quality as movies on the Lifetime channel. Safe Haven is a predictable romance story, which cuts away real drama and character investment in favor of various mushy and drama moments that would provide the same instant reaction as something in a horror movie popping up and saying boo. It is also a film that benefits from decent performances and nice visuals, making it a film that certainly doesn’t deserve hate, just one that leaves me having to only recommend it to a select group of people, rather than being able to directly say yay or nay. Continue reading ‘‘Safe Haven’ Is A Romantic Pit Stop From Better Films (Movie Review)’
February 12th, 2013 by Sean Ferguson
Cabaret, Bob Fosse’s ground-breaking Oscar-winning musical drama starring Liza Minnelli (Arthur, The Sterile Cuckoo), Michael York (the Austin Powers films), Joel Grey (TV’s “Oz”), Helmut Griem, and Marisa Berenson (I am Love), celebrated its 40th anniversary with its debut on Blu-ray on February 5, 2013. Remastered for the first time in over 20 years, Cabaret is presented in its original aspect ratio (16 x 9 format). Winner of eight Academy Awards, including Director (Fosse), Actress (Minnelli), and Supporting Actor (Grey), the film arrives in a premium Blu-ray Book format, which contains 40 pages of insightful photos and text. A new documentary, “Cabaret: The Musical That Changed Musicals” will be featured, along with vintage documentaries “Cabaret: A Legend in the Making,” “The Recreation of an Era,” a multi-part memory gallery and more. Continue reading ‘Cabaret: 40th Anniversary Blu-ray Book (Blu-ray Review)’
February 11th, 2013 by David Freedman
Kevin, Liz and Sean discuss their picks and predictions for Best Actor and Best Actress for the 2013 Academy Awards and pick who SHOULD win and predict who WILL win.
Continue reading ‘OSCARS 2013 Best Actor and Actress Predictions – Just Seen It’
February 11th, 2013 by David Freedman
Sean, Liz and Aaron discuss their picks and predictions for Best Picture for the 2013 Academy Awards and pick who SHOULD win and predict who WILL win.
Continue reading ‘OSCAR 2013 Best Picture Predictions – Just Seen It’
February 11th, 2013 by David Freedman
Leah, Kevin and Brenna discuss their picks and predictions for Best Director for the 2013 Academy Awards and pick who SHOULD win and predict who WILL win.
Continue reading ‘OSCARS 2013 Best Director Picks and Predictions – Just Seen It’
February 11th, 2013 by David Freedman
A hit man and a cop have their partners viciously murdered. So they team up to find out who ordered both hits. But seeking revenge is never easy.
WATCH US ON PBS SOCAL Saturdays at 6PM or pbssocal.org/justseenit
Continue reading ‘Bullet To The Head Movie Review – Just Seen It’
February 11th, 2013 by David Freedman
Liz, Sean and Aaron Neuwirth do a quick review on Arnold’s return to action. Starring Liz Manashil, Sean Wright and Aaron Nuewirth. Directed by Jude Perrin.
Synopsis: The leader of a drug cartel busts out of a courthouse and speeds to the Mexican border, where the only thing in his path is a sheriff and his inexperienced staff.
Continue reading ‘The Last Stand Movie Review – Just Seen It’
February 11th, 2013 by David Freedman
Leah, Liz and Sean review this new action movie starring with Jason Statham.
Continue reading ‘Parker Movie Review – Just Seen It’
February 8th, 2013 by David Freedman
Rachel, Salim and David review this new comedy starring Jason Bateman, and Melissa McCarthy.
Sandy’s life is ruined after Diana steal his identity. To save his job, Sandy must travels to Florida to apprehend her. But the journey back to justice is fraught with roadblocks. Continue reading ‘Identity Thief Movie Review – Just Seen It’
February 8th, 2013 by David Freedman
Aaron, Brenna and Guest Reviewer Aaron Neuwirth take on this highly unusual romantic comedy.
After a zombie epidemic, R recues Julie from a zombie attack. Seeing he is different, they become unlikely friends. But falling in love appears to transform R.
Continue reading ‘Warm Bodies Movie Review – Just Seen It’
February 6th, 2013 by Aaron Neuwirth
Some may have not seen this coming, but I really enjoyed Here Comes the Boom, starring Kevin James, who takes on the role of a teacher trying to save the school’s music program by becoming an MMA fighter. I will say this, I may not be a big fan of what has come out of Happy Madison productions lately, but I was strangely intrigued by this film. Maybe it’s because it looked like a more lighthearted version of the great film Warrior from 2011, but something about the trailer made me want to see it. Of course, no one wanted to go with me, so I didn’t get a chance to check it out theatrically. I am aware that the movie follows a very tried and true formula, but dammit, I wanted to see it anyway, and I was happy to have done so. Continue on to read more about my thoughts on the film and the Blu-ray presentation as a whole.
Continue reading ‘Here Comes The Boom (Blu-ray Review)’
February 6th, 2013 by Gerard Iribe
Academy Award® winner Denzel Washington stars in this “riveting and powerful nail-biting thriller” from Robert Zemeckis, the Academy Award®winning director of Forrest Gump and Cast Away. Airline pilot Whip Whitaker (Washington) miraculously lands his plane after a mid-air catastrophe. But even as he’s being hailed for his heroic efforts, questions arise as to who or what was really at fault. Action-packed, engrossing and powerful, Washington’s performance is being hailed as “a triumph” and one that “will be talked about for years.” Continue reading ‘Flight (Blu-ray Review)’
February 6th, 2013 by Aaron Neuwirth
The tricky thing about discussing Steven Soderbergh’s latest and reportedly last directorial feature, Side Effects, is that the film is most effective if the viewer goes in knowing nothing about it. The marketing campaign (or at least the initial trailers) can be commended for being fairly ambiguous in presenting what is actually going on in this film. Saying that the film is a neo-noir is the closest I can come in a very brief description, but that could still possible be looked at as a spoiler. Regardless, Side Effects is an effective adult drama/thriller, with a very deliberate first act that paves the way for the rest of the film to unfold. One it gets going though, there is a lot to consider and it is amplified by some of these lead performances and Soderbergh’s cold, yet precise and stylish visuals.
Continue reading ‘‘Side Effects’ May Include Twists, Turns, And Some Deliberate Pacing (Movie Review)’
February 5th, 2013 by Jami Ferguson
From the creative team behind “Pillars of the Earth,” “The Mentalist” and “Heroes”, “Being Human” is Syfy’s re-imagining of the acclaimed UK series created by Toby Whithouse (now in its fifth season overseas). Starring Sam Witwer (“Smallville”, “Battlestar Galactica”), Meaghan Rath (“The Assistants”) and Sam Huntington (Superman Returns), “Being Human” follows three paranormal, 20-something roommates living in a Boston brownstone – vampire “Aidan” (Witwer), werewolf “Josh” (Huntington) and ghost “Sally” (Rath) – as they struggle to resist the temptations of their true natures. Watching the characters hide their dark secrets from the world, while helping each other navigate the complexities of living double lives and trying to be human has made the series a supernatural smash. Continue reading ‘Being Human: The Complete Season Two (Blu-ray Review)’
February 4th, 2013 by Aaron Neuwirth
In anticipation for the upcoming release of Skyfall on February 12, I found this press release regarding an upcoming care package initiative to be quite interesting. Apparently, beginning at 10:00am Feb. 12 at the Army National Guard armory in Van Nuys, California, volunteers including Military families, war Veterans, fans and more will be on hand to assemble up to 7,000 Skyfall branded care packages to be sent to active duty soldiers overseas. The idea is to promote the movie’s Blu-ray release of course, but by way of doing something incredibly nice for the troops. Continue on to read all the details about this upcoming care package initiative.
Continue reading ‘James Bond Partners with Operation Gratitude for “Operation SKYFALL” on February 12’
