Everyday Black Man is a movie that looks to break the mold created by thirty-plus years of African-American cinema and really establish a crossover hit with an extremely proficient crew. Moses Stanton (Henry Brown, Baywatch Nights) is the owner of a local neighborhood store, and takes in an individual that looks to have the same feelings regarding racial uplift as ey does (Omari Hardwick, from TV’s Dark Blue). When Moses’…
I must admit, I have only recently came back to the comic book (and video) mythos of Superman after about 15 years of inactivity. Grant Morrison created a 12-issue mini-series that ran from 2005 and 2008 that represents the basis of the movie here. In this, Lex Luthor creates an elaborate plan to kill Superman, one that increases eir powers dramatically over the course of one year until a point…
Neshoba county, Mississippi is where the “Mississippi Burning” murders took place back in 1964. For those that are not familiar with the tragedy, a trio of individuals went down to one of the most rural areas in the South, in the hopes that they could go and get a number of African-American voters registered to vote. Rather than allowing that to happen, Edgar Ray Killen and a number of other…
It is surprising that El Superstar is director Amy French’s first feature film. This mockumentary is cast in the fashion of predecessor films (in spirit) like This Is Spinal Tap or A Mighty Wind. Juan Frances (John French, Amy’s brother) was abandoned by eir real parents in Beverly Hills, but was given a second shot at life through the caring arms of eir nanny (Lupe Ontiveros, As Good As It…
It surprises me that some of the films by storied director Federico Fellini have not been given their time in the sun. The Criterion Collection has presented viewers with a stunningly sharp transfer of Amarcord, eir 1973 film about life in fascist Italy, presenting it on the Blu-Ray format. Amarcord is an interesting movie for those in current (and even then-current) United States, as it provides so many similarities and…
Mojo Bones may just be the world’s best collection of legendary and otherwise amazing musicians. This hour-long film has twelve different five-minute clips of musicians as diverse as BB King, Little Richard, Otis Redding, The Doors, and Jimi Hendrix. While each of these artists could conceivably have four and five DVD sets full of their live performances (if not deserving more), Mojo Bones gives viewers a little snippet of each.…
This 1983 version of a Sherlock Holmes tale is helmed by Ian Richardson (BBC’s House of Cards) as the gumshoe. This iteration was part of an aborted six film deal between Sy Weintraub (Tarzan director) and Otto Plaschkes (The Homecoming, Hopscotch), and preceded the ITV Sherlock Holmes series. SargeantJohn Sargeant, writing on NeuFutur as Sargeant, is the founder and editor-in-chief of NeuFutur Magazine, where he has covered independent music, PC…
I believe that it is just because ornithology is not my cup of tea, but I cannot recall any movie or documentary about birds that I find myself having to watch again. Ghost Bird is a film for casual fans of documentaries as well as those that wish to use it as a teaching tool. Ghost Bird is a documentary about the Ivory-billed woodpecker, a bird that was thought to…
First off, there is a full hour and a half of Max & Ruby episodes here. This far outstrips many other companies’ offerings in the childrens’ video market. Secondly, the episodes here represent different themes and morals, ensuring that the replay value for this collection is high. Max & Ruby: Bunny Tales is a value-priced collection (with an MSRP of well under $20), and will be one that children continually…
Balance Bars are the best protein / workout bar out today. That is just a fact. However, instead of merely coming up with a terse statement about it, let me provide NeuFutur readership with the reasons for this. In terms of sheer nutrition, Balance Bars contain substantially more vitamins and minerals than other bars on the market. This is done at low calorie counts, fat contents, and higher protein levels…
We received two different sets of weight training gloves in the space of a week, and we’re providing some insight into the Gripad Gloves today. The first thing that can be said about these is that you do not need to break the bank to buy a pair – from their own web site, you can buy a pair for $16. In regards to the unique style required by weight…
I finally realized I was addicted to realty programming about 10 minutes in the first episode of Ice Road Truckers. The concept for this History channel show is fairly simple: Take a handful of truck drivers, through them up in frozen Alaska and train cameras on them as they haul massive loads up steep mountains with narrow, snow clogged roads and in some very frightening cases, over frozen lakes. The…
For fans of the sixties Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, the release of this DVD set is both a happy and a sad event. The show finally has its last few episodes brought to the DVD format, but that’s exactly it – there are no more parts of seasons to be released. The show did not lose a step despite being on the air for four seasons; “Nightmare”…
Marcus Miller has been on eir own for about thirty years now. 2013 marks the 30th anniversary of eir debut, “Suddenly”, while “A Night in Monte-Carlo” captures eir live side. While there have been more famous recordings in Millers career (one has to remember that ey did stints with both Miles Davis and Luther Vandross), I contend that this is eir most soulful and affecting. A track like “Blast!” speaks…
Beverly Hills Chihuahua 2 is the rare example of a sequel (and a direct to video one) being better than the original outing. The voice work is stronger, owing much to the presence of veteran voice actors like Miguel Ferrer (Delgado) and a whole slew of past and present Disney stars (BridgitMendler – Appoline and Emily Osment – Pep). While only a few years removed from the original, the film…
There are a number of different companies that frequent the water pipe and similar type of scenes, and I cannot say how many of them seem to put the bare minimum of work into their products. Vortex Water Pipes is decidedly the opposite of that, and their Gravity Vortex is one of the best products that we have received for review over at NeuFutur. The coloring is by far the…
Having shed two members since their last release, Boston indie band Aloud is down to a duo, but don’t assume that means a sparse sound. Far from it. Down to members Jennifer de la Osa and Henry Beguiristain, both who share vocal and guitar duties (and occasionally pick up the bass or play piano or glockenspiel), the band turns in their strongest effort yet with Exile, their third release. Put…
Despite having such a nice live performance recorded this year on MIG Music, I must admit I was not too familiar with Lopez’ stuff. Where ey has done some solo albums as well as a stint in Band of Trouble, I feel that ey work here surpasses anything previous captured on disc. This DVD captures Lopez along with Al PahanishJr (drums) and Toni Valdez (bass) for eir Rockpalast date in…
We receive a number of different reissues at NeuFutur. Many of them deal with the ephemera (pictures, lost tracks, live performers) from a particular era in the musician’s life. However, Audio Fidelity’s release of this slept-on Wonder classic has no additional tracks or other aural (or visual) goo-gahs. Rather, what the company has done here has provided listeners with the most clear and crisp recording of a Wonder album that…
This is the definitive release surrounding the musical side of Andy Williams’ career, with each disc showcasing a different side of the legend. Couple that with a number of great featurettes rounding out the rest of the release, and what viewers will have with this sub-$40 set is something that will do perfectly as a birthday or Easter present. SargeantJohn Sargeant, writing on NeuFutur as Sargeant, is the founder and…