film review

Camera Obscura: Interview with Director Aaron B. Koontz

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Looking Beyond Eyes: An Interview with Aaron B. Koontz

By Christopher M. Rzigalinski

Schedules can be hectic. My flight back to Los Angeles from a wedding in New York and director Aaron B. Koontz’s packed press schedule meant that we couldn’t talk directly. But our good friends at the Katrina Wan Press Agency had our backs. Samantha Arevalo and Camelia Adibi forwarded my questions to Aaron so the Cinephellas community could get some insight into his artistic process, being a first-time director, and why he wanted to tackle Post Traumatic Stress Disorder in the new film Camera Obscura. I’d like to thank Samantha, Camelia, and Aaron for taking time out of their busy schedules, and I hope Aaron’s answers get you as hyped for the movie as I am.

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Review-Wonder Woman (2017)

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by Nile Fortner

Finally, a movie about the iconic DC Comics character, Wonder Woman has hit the big screen. A character that finally has her own big feature movie, a movie 75 years in the making!  

When DC first launched their expanded-cinematic-universe, many fans were not thrilled with the start of this cinematic universe. I personally enjoyed Man of Steel, even though some people argued that Superman was too moody and depressing. That film was followed by Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, and fans as well did not react to well to that movie either. I have parts I like about the movie and other parts I can’t stand. I did not like the portrayal of Lex Luthor and how they forced Doomsday into the movie. Suicide Squad had its issues, and many people seemed to give up on DC Comics setting up this expanded-cinematic-universe. Many fans saw Wonder Woman as the last chance for this cinematic universe to work and finally give us a movie in this universe that blows audiences away with action, story, and character development.

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The ALIEN Film Franchise and Where It Went Wrong…

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by Nile Fortner

Most people who saw the original Alien film directed by one of my all time favorite directors, Ridley Scott (Blade Runner, Thelma and Louise) a horror classic. Not just in the sci-fi and horror department, but in all aspects of film. The first Alien film is more than just a creature feature that pounces out of the dark and kills our characters. It is a film that stands the test of time and considered a classic.

Surprisingly, critics were not all that kind to the film when it hit theaters way back in 1979. The Chicago Reader once described the film as “An empty – headed horror movie, with handsome cinematography.” I personally like most of the Alien films, and I was enthusiastic about the new film in the franchise, Alien: Covenant. However, before I went into this movie, I decided to go back and visit the Alien flicks (that means you too Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem) leading into Covenant.

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Review – Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2.

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by Old King Clancy

When the first Guardians of Galaxy was released in 2014 it felt like a very odd choice for Marvel to make following the success of The Avengers; a sci-fi series featuring a talking tree, a psychotic raccoon, the tubby guy from Parks & Rec., and directed by a guy from Troma? Never should’ve worked. And yet, $770 Million and worldwide praise later, the film did work and serves as one of the highlights of Marvel’s cinematic universe, so no pressure on the sequel.

To get it out of the way quickly, Vol. 2 doesn’t live up to the first, only because the first film had no expectations of it, it came from nowhere, and blew everyone away. While the sequel had the unfortunate luck to come second, it’s still a burst of color and fun, while one of the best standalone MCU films to date.

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AMERICAN GODS premieres this Sunday on STARZ!

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The highly anticipated premiere of “American Gods” airs this Sunday, April 30th at 9 PM ET/PT on STARZ.  “American Gods” posits a different kind of war brewing—one between Old Gods and New.  The traditional Old Gods, with mythological roots from around the world, fear irrelevance as their believers die off or are seduced by the money, technology, and celebrity offered by the New Gods. Shadow Moon (Ricky Whittle) is an ex-con who, left adrift by the recent death of his wife, becomes bodyguard and traveling partner to conman Mr. Wednesday (Ian McShane). But in truth, Mr. Wednesday is a powerful old deity, on a cross-country mission to build an army and reclaim his lost glory.

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Cinephellas Podcast-Episode 6 (Alexander Nevsky Interview)

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Cinematic Diplomacy: A Conversation with Alexander Nevsky

by Christopher M. Rzigalinski

Alexander Nevsky’s latest film, Black Rose, blends horror, mystery, and action genres for a fresh take on cinematic Russian/American relations. His directorial debut gets rid of the tired, Cold War stereotype of the Soviet villain versus the US hero. Instead, Black Rose tells the story of Nevsky’s Russian Police Major, Vladimir Kazatov, working side by side with the LAPD to find a killer targeting young women in West Hollywood. This simple change in perspective facilitates a conversation about international diplomacy and the political realities of 2017, as we are confronted daily with questions about Donald Trump’s relationship to Vladimir Putin and whether Russia interfered with last year’s presidential election.

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Netflix ‘The Get Down’ Part 2 Review!!

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Dust Off Your Turntable, and Groove All Over Again With ‘The Get Down’ Part 2

by Nile Fortner

When I first heard about Netflix The Get Down, I was interested but a little worried. The Get Down is a Netflix original series. The series documents the rise of Hip-Hop and the downfall of disco music in a hardcore, 1970’s chaotic New York. The show was created by 2013 The Great Gatsby director Baz Luhrmann. I was a little worried because I am someone who loves hip-hop and rap music. I love the history of the music genre, and how it grew into the worldwide phenomenon that it is today. I was mainly worried because an Australian director creating and unfolding a story about old school hip-hop doesn’t really come to mind at first. On the other hand, the first season of this show was well done. The first few episodes started a little slow, but it transitioned itself into a very good series. The show is filled with 70s nostalgia, great music, and characters you can get behind. Now we get part two, and part two of this series brings us more story, more music, more drama, and makes the audience want to view more.

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Check Out The New Ridley Scott Featurette from PHOENIX FORGOTTEN!

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On behalf of Cinelou Films, we are pleased to share a new featurette from PHOENIX FORGOTTEN featuring Sir Ridley Scott .  

PHOENIX FORGOTTEN was produced by Ridley Scott(The Martian, Alien, Blade Runner), WES BALL (The Maze Runner franchise) and T.S. NOWLIN (Pacific Rim: Uprising, The Maze Runner franchise) who also co-wrote the film. JUSTIN BARBER co-writes and directs in his feature film debut.

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