Monday, January 27, 2020

Ridgewood Guild International Film Festival Kicks off 10th Anniverary Festival Season with "An Evening with Oscar" Fundraiser Party in Ridgweood, NJ on February 7th

The Ridgewood Guild International Film Festival kicks off its
10th Anniversary Season with it's yearly "Evening With Oscar" Party
The Ridgewood Guild International Film Festival kicks off its 10th Anniverary in 2020. To kick off the season, they are hosting "An Evening with Oscar" party on Friday, February 7th at Park West Loft, 38 Oak Street in Ridgewood from 8:00pm – 12 midnight. 

Held at the upscale Park West Tavern this event is filled with excitement, movie trivia, people in the film business and fine food and drink. Guests also get to walk the "Red Carpet" and pose for photos. There will also be dancing and a trivia and a costume contest with some great prizes from local businesses. You can dress as your favorite Oscar-nominated character, or dress formally. The cost is $65 per person, which includes a two-hour open bar, passed hors d'oeuvres, pasta station, salad and dessert. 

Friday, January 24, 2020

VIDEO: Iliana Reviews Ford V. Ferrari - A Wild Ride You Won't Want to Miss

Iliana Guibert- McGinnis is an actress, writer and filmmaker. With that background, it's no suprise she knows her stuff when reviewing a film. Here's Iliana's review of Ford v. Ferrari, that's playing in theaters now because of the Oscar buzz. When she first told me about this movie, she said, "It's not really about cars! You'll like it!






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Movie Review of Greta Gerwig's Little Women: A View through the Eyes of a A Male High School Film Critic on this Remade Classic

by Ashton Samson
Little Women 2019 Review: Greta Gerwig Brilliantly Captures the World of Louisa May Alcott's Novel, All While Creating a New One for 2019
For as long as I can remember, it has been a personal goal of mine to read Louisa May Alcott’s 1868 classic, Little Women, not only because of the many glowing reviews that the book has received, but also because I have always thought that in discussions with others who had read the novel, I would later be able to offer my perspective, which might be considered unique because I am a fifteen-year old male. 
Over the years, I have heard nothing but the highest acclaim from Alcott’s many vehement fans. They have stated that the novel is so beloved because of its brilliantly crafted characters, swift pace and enduring themes and messages that have touched women and men alike since its publication. Amazingly the novel has never been out of print and in elementary schools, it is the most frequently read work of literature, statistically exceeding even the Bible. Most recently, in anticipation of the upcoming film, I finally had the chance to read the novel and found it to be one of the most enjoyable and heartwarming books I have ever read.

Tuesday, January 14, 2020

New Film LIBERTÉ: A Call to Spy about Three Female WWII Spies Premieres at Santa Barbara Film Festival: Wins Prestigious Anti-Defamation League Stand Up Award

LIBERTÉ: A Call to Spy, a film written and produced by Sarah Megan  Thomas (Equity), will premiere at the 2020 Santa Barbara International Film Festival which runs January 15th-25tth 2020. LIBERTÉ: A Call to Spy, is the story of three heroic women serving as spies in World World II as part of Churchill's new secret army, the Special Operations Executive (SOE) which was designed to build a resistance. The film is inspired by the real lives of three women: Vera Atkins (played by Stana Katic) Virginia Hall (played by Sarah Megan Thomas) who was an ambitious American with a wooden leg, and Noor Inayat Khan (played by Radhika Atpe), The movie was directed by Lydia Dean Pilcher. The movie also stars Linus Roache and Rossif Sutherland.

This film will receive the prestigious Stand-UP Award at SBIFF given by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) Santa Barbara/Tri-Counties Region in California. The League states, "The courageous heroism of soldiers risking their lives to counter the Nazis is not a new story. What is new, at least for the big screen, that the heroes featured in LIBERTÉ are women, and it is certainly worth discussing why it has taken so long for their stories to be celebrated in this way."


Stana Katic, Sarah Megan Thomas and Radhika Apte play real-life female heroes.

Tuesday, January 7, 2020

Movie Review of JoJo Rabbit: A Satire Done Right and Here's Why

By Ashton Samson

In the opening scenes of JoJo Rabbit, I must admit that I found myself in a state of disbelief.  I couldn’t believe that I was watching a satire, where the principal character, JoJo, adores and idolizes Hitler. One can imagine the initial conflicting feelings that were swirling around in my head as the film started. Is it alright to laugh at what I’m seeing? Will there be an abundance of humor in this film?

I was thinking in the theater as the film started that Taika Waititi, a man known for his humor, shouldn’t include too many jokes in the movie, because otherwise, it could come across as a movie in which the audience is on Hitler’s side, laughing at his jokes, finding him to be a funny man. The answers to my questions were yes, it is alright to laugh because no, there won’t be an abundance of humor. Although it might not seem like it at first, JoJo Rabbit is an immensely successful film because it does what a satire is supposed to do.

Friday, January 3, 2020

Indie Rock Band Zoochie Debuts First Album entitled "Honey" at Pianos Showroom in New York City January 10th

Zoochie, the popular indie-rock band that came together in New Brunswick NJ, is debuting their long-awaited first album at Pianos howroom in New York City on January 10th from 7pm - 11pm EST. The venue is located at 158 Ludlow Street.  Flychatcher and Boyish will open.

Zoochie will be debuting songs from their new album entitled "Honey".  Honey contains 9 dynamic rock tracks, each of them pulling from different influences of each of the band members over the three years they have been together. Expect rock and jazz sounds with whispers of their favorites like Zappa, Cage the Elephant and Haitus Kaiyote.

When asked what can be expected of the album, the band responded. "A specific type of energy.. one that will move you.. something new."

The band's first hit was "Matador." They released an EP in November 2019 called Pow! This past summer they released the song "Talk", which will also appear on a movie soundtrack. The album "Honey" was produced by Paul Ritchie at the Parlor Mob at New Future Studio in Belmar, NJ.

Listen to “Honey” Here: https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/zoochie/honey

Film Review of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker - A Phenomenal Conclusion to the Series and Message about Inclusivity Satisfies the True Fan

By Ashton Samson

Star Wars, The Rise of Skywalker is a somewhat disappointing entry not without its moments of greatness.

Editor's Note: We get a unique perspective from Ashton, who is a very young Star Wars fan when you consider the age of most movie reviewers.
  
The force has been strong with me for most of my life, as it has been for many of the true fans of Star Wars. Therefore, there must have been a great deal of pressure placed upon J.J. Abrams to make The Rise of Skywalker a fitting conclusion to the Star Wars Saga. Although A New Hope wasn’t the first film I watched, the classic was one of the only movies at the time that I understood on a deeper level than Peter Pan, Pirates of the Carribean or any other childhood film I grew up watching. I was obsessed with watching Johnny Depp make jokes as Captain Jack Sparrow or Captain Hook dueling with Peter Pan, but when I watched A New Hope for the first time, as the mature little boy that I was, I saw more to the film than lightsaber duels and operatic space battles.