Archive Page 517
May 1st, 2012 by Aaron Neuwirth
Chemistry can certainly make up for a film that is way too relaxed. The Five-Year Engagement is a film that follows a pretty standard formula, despite the few tweaks and R-rated sensibilities, but ultimately never rises above average at best, given effort to shove so much into a film that runs far too long. It is fortunate that the film has a large, funny, and mostly likable cast. The leads, in particular, have a strong chemistry together, which makes the film work better than it could have been, were it to be handled differently. Still, the over-reliance on various tangents and lack of a stronger core makes the film uneven overall, despite being quite funny when it shines best. The fact that drama plays heavily into the film also reflects on the tonal issues I had, but there is still enough here that I found nice enough to ease into a very mild recommendation for an easy rental. Continue reading ‘Some Laughs And Unevenness Throughout This ‘Five-Year Engagement’’
May 1st, 2012 by Aaron Neuwirth
Monday night, April 30, 2012, at the Newport Beach Film Festival proved to be fairly worthwhile, as I was able to see a fairly entertaining thriller. This was the Norwegian film Headhunters, which felt, in a lot of ways, like a nice follow up to other recent trashy thrillers such as Limitless or even The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (when referring the basic plot of that film). Headhunters is not so much a film that has deeper meanings as it is a film that simply sets up some key characters and lets various amounts of suspense and action follow suit. The film has some tonal issue, as the thrilling nature of the film is counterbalanced by some over-the-top elements, but for the most part, Headhunters is a pretty entertaining (and violent) way to spend a couple hours. Continue reading ‘NBFF Review: Headhunters’
April 29th, 2012 by Brian White
The world needed another Underworld film, right? Of course it did! Don’t kid yourself for one single minute that Kate Beckinsale’s tight, formfitting black leather outfit doesn’t fill theater seats. Of course it/she does! And don’t fret! Sony Pictures didn’t let us down. Not by a long shot, in my opinion. There’s plenty of Kate Beckinsale a$$ shots to go around. Rest assured…even if you’re Gregg Senko and this is your most anticipated film of 2012, it’s hard, again…in my opinion, not to at least have some fun with this a$$ kicking fourth entry in the Underworld franchise. Everyone loves a good time, right? Why so serious?! Continue reading ‘Underworld: Awakening (Blu-ray Review)’
April 28th, 2012 by Gerard Iribe
Steven Soderbergh is back with his latest indy film disguised as a big budget feature, which features an all-star cast and marks the debut of MMA female champion Gina Carano. Who’s in Haywire? Everyone. You’ve got Michael Douglas, Ewan McGregor, Antonio Banderas, Channing Tatum, Michael Fassbender, Bill Paxton, and a partridge and a pear tree. Seriously, with that much talent in front and behind the camera, one would be hard pressed to not think that the Haywire is something special. Well, we’re here to find out if all that awesomeness transcends into an awesome feature film. Keep reading and we’ll tell you. Boom! Continue reading ‘Haywire (Blu-ray Review)’
April 28th, 2012 by Jami Ferguson
Through portraits of its most influential Pharaohs, Planet Egypt investigates Egypt’s incredible legacy: King Narmer, who united more than 40 regional tribes into the first Egyptian civilization; Thutmose III, who expanded and secured Egypt’s borders; Amnenhotep III and his revolutionary son Akhenaten, who attempted to break the power of the priests and reorganize the traditional role of religion; and Ramsses II, the great builder of temples and tombs who devoted his life to the cult of death. Threaded throughout are intimate details of typical Egyptian daily life. From feats of engineering and the most ambitious construction projects in history, to its obsession with life, death and immortality, the amazing story of ancient Egypt still astounds us today. Continue reading ‘Planet Egypt (DVD Review)’
April 28th, 2012 by Aaron Neuwirth
Here is an example of a film that I wish was sillier. As it stands, The Raven is a slickly made thriller about a serial killer who goes to implausibly complex extents to recreate scenes from the more gruesome works of Edgar Allan Poe, but it suffers due to it not being much fun to watch. The film could have gone two ways to help itself out. The Raven could have gone a very serious route and played out like a 19th century Se7en. Or, the film could have added a layer of camp or more dark humor and turned out to be something like Tim Burton’s Sleepy Hollow. Unfortunately, The Raven falls somewhere in the middle; with John Cusack being the only thing to help it along, aside from some neat production aspects. The story never becomes more than bland; the other characters are equally uninteresting, and the results are fairly lackluster. What starts out as a neat idea is ultimately unfulfilling. Continue reading ‘I’ve Seenith ‘The Raven’, Nevermore’
April 28th, 2012 by Aaron Neuwirth
I will just start by not apologizing for my title, as I will easily sacrifice spelling for the sake of alliteration. With that out of the way, I think it is wonderful to see a new stop-animation motion picture from Aardman Animations. Being one who is a big fan of Wallace & Gromit, I was thrilled to be going back into a world of very specific character designs and some dry British humor. ‘Pirates!’ did manage to deliver quite a bit in that regard, even if it was a bit different from what I was expecting. Regardless, with plenty of jokes that range from subtle to off-kilter and an inherent level of sweetness that is always seen in Aardman Animations, The Pirates! A Band of Misfits is a fun take on a swashbuckling story and it has a great look to it. Continue reading ‘‘Pirates!’ Plunder A Plethora of Phun!’
April 28th, 2012 by Sean Ferguson
Continuing to focus on New Orleans in the aftermath of Katrina, the second season of the critically-acclaimed HBO series Treme tells the colorful, interwoven stories of a group of ordinary people who endure in the midst of unthinkable loss and hardship. It’s now fourteen months post-Katrina and residents of the Crescent City are finding it harder than ever to rebuild their lives, much less hold on to their special cultural and musical identity. Some have left to become expatriates in places like New York City; others have been forced to sell their homes to outside developers. Those who remain cope with high crime levels and dwindling federal support. Still, the proud, even defiant spirit that defines the city lingers among its faithful inhabitants. Continue reading ‘Treme: The Complete Second Season (Blu-ray Review)’
April 27th, 2012 by Aaron Neuwirth
Last year I gave lots of praise to the quietly chilling Martha Marcy May Marlene and the sci-fi, existential drama Another Earth. Sound of My Voice functions like a film that has the sensibilities of both and will fit in well for those who at least found intrigue in either of the aforementioned films. The film is an example of low budget filmmaking succeeding in presenting a story that contains science fiction elements without the use of any special effects and getting the best out of limited production values and a small group of talented actors. The story is certainly one that can draw the viewer in as well. Despite wishing for a little more and finding the ending fairly abrupt, I can still say that I took away a lot of appreciation for what came from this interesting and somewhat challenging film. Continue reading ‘Bravely Accept The ‘Sound Of My Voice’’
April 26th, 2012 by Aaron Neuwirth
There should be a lot more coverage coming in the near future, but I just wanted to point out that from April 26th to May 3rd, 2012, the 13th annual Newport Beach Film Festival will be in full swing. As always, the festival takes place in beautiful Newport Beach, right along the coast. Over 400 films from over 50 countries will be screened during the week and, in addition, the Newport Beach Film Festival offers filmgoers the opportunity to meet the filmmakers. Directors, screenwriters and cinematographers eager to share their work will provide an exclusive inside look at the industry during post-screening Q&A’s. Continue reading ‘The 2012 Newport Beach Film Festival Begins’
April 26th, 2012 by Gregg Senko
Two of the most prominent establishments that film nature documentaries these days are the BBC and Disney. The BBC tends to focus on a more straight delivery with a dose of epic-ness thrown in. DisneyNature, however, focuses their films around a story as their crews follow a select group of animals, capturing their plights and good fortunes alike. This past weekend, following a year after its highly successful African Cats, DisneyNature brings us the highly touted Chimpanzee.
Continue reading ‘DisneyNature’s Chimpanzee’
April 25th, 2012 by Gregg Senko
It was back in the 90’s when Valiant Comics lived the good life before tapering off into oblivion. With a variety of titles to their credit including Archer & Armstrong, Harbinger, and Ninjak, their hottest book was arguably X-O Manowar. After the company changed hands and then practically fell off the face of the earth, its glory days may be resurfacing this year as the new-look Valiant makes its debut on Free Comic Book Day, May 1st, with the relaunch of X-O Manowar, which will be written by Robert Venditti (who also wrote The Surrogates books, which later became a popular Bruce Willis film) and penicilled by artist Cary Nord (Marvel Comics Presents).
Continue reading ‘A ‘Valiant’ Return’
April 25th, 2012 by Sean Ferguson
The ultimate love story continues in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s spectacular musical Love Never Dies, a sequel to the legendary “Phantom of the Opera.” From musical theater’s most captivating composer and featuring the new highly-acclaimed Australian production filmed in Melbourne, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Love Never Dies arrives on Blu-ray with perfect hi-def picture and perfect hi-def sound and DVD on May 29, 2012. With lush visuals and a mesmerizing score that rivals the original in power and beauty, this live production of Love Never Dies is a romantic necessity for every Broadway fan’s collection. Continue reading ‘Love Never Dies Arrives on Blu-ray May 29th!’
April 25th, 2012 by Matt Goodman
Two minutes in The Wicker Tree, and already I’d rather have the bees. Labeled as a sequel to the 1973 cult classic The Wicker Man (while clearly being a sequel to the god-awful 2006 remake with Nicolas Cage), The Wicker Tree does no good, entertainment-wise. Not only is The Wicker Tree horribly written – it takes about fifteen million years to get into motion – and when it does, you’ll already be dozing off. While those are some pretty harsh reasons, my biggest gripe with the film was our two leads, Brittania Nicol and Henry Harrett, who do absolutely nothing to capture the audience’s attention. The Wicker Tree is massively un-entertaining that rightfully deserves to be shelved in the $2.99 section of Best Buy and never visited again. This is a rather pointless retread of the first. Does the film have a worthwhile Blu-ray presentation? Read on to find out. Continue reading ‘The Wicker Tree (Blu-ray Review)’
April 23rd, 2012 by Blu-ray Brian
Besides Cabin in the Woods, the other movie that totally surprised me this year was Chronicle. Even though I’m not a huge fan of these handy cam movies, I have to admit when things are done right, and by golly…Chronicle was done right! Chronicle asks the magic question…what are you capable of? The Blu-ray, featuring an extended cut with must-see deleted scenes, flies onto the format May 15th. That’s coming up quick folks. Mark your calendars. No wait! Better yet…pre-order today and indulge in the full press release below from Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment. Continue reading ‘‘Chronicle’ Flies Onto Blu-ray This May!’
April 22nd, 2012 by Gerard Iribe
Lit will be releasing their new album The View From The Bottom June 19th, but as a special treat, you can listen to one of the new tracks before then. Same Sh**, Different Drink can be considered an “unofficial” sequel to My Own Worst Enemy without trying to be a new version of that classic song. In addition to the song we’ve included the PR release for the album. The boys are gearing up for a tour of the new record in addition to the Summerland Tour, with several other popular rock bands in tow. 2012 is gearing up to be a spectacular year for Lit, so give Same S**t, Different Drink a listen at Litband.com and let us know what you think. Cheers. Continue reading ‘Lit: ‘Same Sh**, Different Drink’’
April 21st, 2012 by Sean Ferguson
To satisfy consumer demand and serve the growing base of Blu-ray households, The Walt Disney Studios today announced plans to add more than 30 popular and iconic films to its ever-expanding Blu-ray library. Each film selected for release has been fully digitally remastered, with dirt and anomalies cleaned to a pristine level, offering viewers optimum high definition picture and sound quality of some of their favorite films. The films selected for release appeal to families, film-lovers and collectors with a wide-breadth of Live-Action, Animated, Romance titles that range from Beaches to While You Were Sleeping and Pocahontas to The Santa Clause. Many are celebrating special 10th, 15th and 20th Anniversary Edition releases, many are Academy-Award Winning Films like Dead Poets Society, Evita, Dick Tracy, and many are back by popular demand including Hocus Pocus, Adventures in Babysitting, and The Color of Money.
Continue reading ‘Disney Plans to Release 30+ Blu-rays for 2012!’
April 20th, 2012 by Aaron Neuwirth
Vanilla can be an underrated flavor. The Lucky One is a film that does everything as one would expect it to do and has little shading to really differentiate it from what one expects a romantic drama to be. It has several impossibly nice characters, one jerk, and plenty of adorable animals living in a beautiful setting, going through the motions of a story that will definitely end in one specific way. With that said, I have nothing really against any of this. It is fine for the audiences that this film is meant for (fans of romantic dramas and devotees to Nicholas Sparks books) and does not have anything clunky or poorly handled enough to really make me have any sort of ill will towards the film. Overall, it may play like a plain, vanilla-type film, but it’s fine. Continue reading ‘Find Out If You’re ‘The Lucky One’’
Chemistry can certainly make up for a film that is way too relaxed. The Five-Year Engagement is a film that follows a pretty standard formula, despite the few tweaks and R-rated sensibilities, but ultimately never rises above average at best, given effort to shove so much into a film that runs far too long. It is fortunate that the film has a large, funny, and mostly likable cast. The leads, in particular, have a strong chemistry together, which makes the film work better than it could have been, were it to be handled differently. Still, the over-reliance on various tangents and lack of a stronger core makes the film uneven overall, despite being quite funny when it shines best. The fact that drama plays heavily into the film also reflects on the tonal issues I had, but there is still enough here that I found nice enough to ease into a very mild recommendation for an easy rental. Continue reading ‘Some Laughs And Unevenness Throughout This ‘Five-Year Engagement’’
