Review Caroline Preece 24 Apr 2014 - 18:50
As The Originals heads into the end of its first season, is it finally starting to deliver what it promised?
This review contains spoilers.
1.19 An Unblinking Death
For a show that most of the time has too much going on, too many characters fighting for attention and too many ideas to properly explore in any depth, this week’s The Originals, An Unblinking Death, made for a nice change of pace. There was still a lot happening, of course, but by focusing on just two of the most pressing storylines – Father Kieran’s madness and the werewolf vs. Marcel war that’s been brewing – we were able to really (no pun intended) sink out teeth into the ramifications of both. It was one of the most controlled episodes the show has done, and was all the more powerful as a result.
Starting with Cami and Kieran,...
As The Originals heads into the end of its first season, is it finally starting to deliver what it promised?
This review contains spoilers.
1.19 An Unblinking Death
For a show that most of the time has too much going on, too many characters fighting for attention and too many ideas to properly explore in any depth, this week’s The Originals, An Unblinking Death, made for a nice change of pace. There was still a lot happening, of course, but by focusing on just two of the most pressing storylines – Father Kieran’s madness and the werewolf vs. Marcel war that’s been brewing – we were able to really (no pun intended) sink out teeth into the ramifications of both. It was one of the most controlled episodes the show has done, and was all the more powerful as a result.
Starting with Cami and Kieran,...
- 4/24/2014
- by sarahd
- Den of Geek
Review Caroline Preece 18 Apr 2014 - 14:45
Another fast-paced episode of The Originals ramps up the tensions between the various factions...
This review contains spoilers.
1.18 The Big Uneasy
It only took 42-minutes for Elijah quest for peace and inter-species party times to go belly up but, boy, was The Big Uneasy fun to watch. Exhausting, but fun. I’ve said it before but, if there’s one thing The Originals seems to have inherited from its parent show, it’s the fast, breakneck storytelling pace; able to explore a potentially season-long arc in just one brilliant episode and then just moving onto the next like it’s no big deal. That might have meant that we’ve seen allegiances change in this first season more times than we can reasonably keep track of, but, with The Vampire Diaries currently parked on its laurels and refusing to move, it’s a good thing.
Another fast-paced episode of The Originals ramps up the tensions between the various factions...
This review contains spoilers.
1.18 The Big Uneasy
It only took 42-minutes for Elijah quest for peace and inter-species party times to go belly up but, boy, was The Big Uneasy fun to watch. Exhausting, but fun. I’ve said it before but, if there’s one thing The Originals seems to have inherited from its parent show, it’s the fast, breakneck storytelling pace; able to explore a potentially season-long arc in just one brilliant episode and then just moving onto the next like it’s no big deal. That might have meant that we’ve seen allegiances change in this first season more times than we can reasonably keep track of, but, with The Vampire Diaries currently parked on its laurels and refusing to move, it’s a good thing.
- 4/18/2014
- by sarahd
- Den of Geek
Tensions between the feuding supernatural factions on The Originals are high as ever when we’re welcomed back to New Orleans this week. A foreboding message scrawled in blood on a wall reads “there will be no peace” and that pretty much says it all because it’s obvious that there will in fact be bloodshed galore. [&hellip
The Originals 1.18 Review: “The Big Uneasy”...
The Originals 1.18 Review: “The Big Uneasy”...
- 4/16/2014
- by Jen
- TVovermind.com
The Originals, Season 1, Episode 18, “The Big Uneasy”
Written by Marguerite MacIntyre and Michael Russo
Directed by Leslie Libman
Airs Tuesdays at 8pm Est on The CW
On this week’s The Originals, the witches host a ceremony, Klaus attempts to re-win the favor of several French Quarter women, Hayley learns the truth about the werewolves’ pact with Klaus, and Elijah struggles to keep the peace.
The Originals is very much a show about the politics of power, and “The Big Uneasy” is a great example of just how entertaining supernatural-fueled power struggles can be, especially when set in a place as lovely and lively as New Orleans. Of course, it helps that those vying for power in the French Quarter are all intelligent, persuasive people–it’s incredibly hard not to root for everyone fighting for the hypothetical throne.
At the very core of the struggle is the burgeoning divide...
Written by Marguerite MacIntyre and Michael Russo
Directed by Leslie Libman
Airs Tuesdays at 8pm Est on The CW
On this week’s The Originals, the witches host a ceremony, Klaus attempts to re-win the favor of several French Quarter women, Hayley learns the truth about the werewolves’ pact with Klaus, and Elijah struggles to keep the peace.
The Originals is very much a show about the politics of power, and “The Big Uneasy” is a great example of just how entertaining supernatural-fueled power struggles can be, especially when set in a place as lovely and lively as New Orleans. Of course, it helps that those vying for power in the French Quarter are all intelligent, persuasive people–it’s incredibly hard not to root for everyone fighting for the hypothetical throne.
At the very core of the struggle is the burgeoning divide...
- 4/16/2014
- by Ashley Laggan
- SoundOnSight
We're happy to have "The Originals" back in our Tuesday night rotation, and with just four episodes left, we're savoring every moment. If you are, too, then check out these stills and a preview of next week's Episode 1.19, "An Unblinking Death."
"The Originals" Episode 1.19 - "An Unblinking Death" (airs 4/22/14, 8-9pm): The Breaking Point — Desperate to help Kieran (guest star Todd Stashwick), Cami (Leah Pipes) insists on an unconventional treatment, but her good intentions lead Kieran to a violent episode.
After Klaus (Joseph Morgan) and Elijah (Daniel Gillies) disagree over the best way to handle the Crescent Wolves, Elijah makes a trip to the bayou, where he is witness to a horrific explosion that only adds to the hatred and mistrust among the communities. While Jackson (guest star Nathan Parsons) and Elijah work to save the wounded, Hayley (Phoebe Tonkin) learns a surprising piece of her family history from...
"The Originals" Episode 1.19 - "An Unblinking Death" (airs 4/22/14, 8-9pm): The Breaking Point — Desperate to help Kieran (guest star Todd Stashwick), Cami (Leah Pipes) insists on an unconventional treatment, but her good intentions lead Kieran to a violent episode.
After Klaus (Joseph Morgan) and Elijah (Daniel Gillies) disagree over the best way to handle the Crescent Wolves, Elijah makes a trip to the bayou, where he is witness to a horrific explosion that only adds to the hatred and mistrust among the communities. While Jackson (guest star Nathan Parsons) and Elijah work to save the wounded, Hayley (Phoebe Tonkin) learns a surprising piece of her family history from...
- 4/16/2014
- by Debi Moore
- DreadCentral.com
Feeling a bit stressed out? Then take a few moments to relax with another clip from tomorrow night's Episode 1.18 of "The Originals," entitled "The Big Uneasy," which features Marcel teaming up with Thierry to attempt a return to the good old days.
"The Originals" Episode 1.18 - "The Big Uneasy" (airs 4/15/14, 8-9pm)
The Feast Of The Blessings - Genevieve (guest star Elyse Levesque) asks Elijah (Daniel Gillies) to allow her coven to publicly celebrate a traditional feast day, where members of the community offer the witches gifts in return for blessings.
Monique (guest star Yasmine Al Bustami) and Genevieve disagree over what the ancestors want from them, and Genevieve reveals her plan to build the witches' power.
When Elijah focuses his attention on restoring their home to its former glory, Klaus (Joseph Morgan) accuses him of doing it only to impress Hayley (Phoebe Tonkin). Next, Klaus sets a new plan...
"The Originals" Episode 1.18 - "The Big Uneasy" (airs 4/15/14, 8-9pm)
The Feast Of The Blessings - Genevieve (guest star Elyse Levesque) asks Elijah (Daniel Gillies) to allow her coven to publicly celebrate a traditional feast day, where members of the community offer the witches gifts in return for blessings.
Monique (guest star Yasmine Al Bustami) and Genevieve disagree over what the ancestors want from them, and Genevieve reveals her plan to build the witches' power.
When Elijah focuses his attention on restoring their home to its former glory, Klaus (Joseph Morgan) accuses him of doing it only to impress Hayley (Phoebe Tonkin). Next, Klaus sets a new plan...
- 4/14/2014
- by Debi Moore
- DreadCentral.com
Another day, another enemy for the Mikaelson family! The Originals (finally) returns tomorrow, Tuesday, April 15, from its little mini-hiatus (Ugh, aren't they the worst?!) and is jumping right back into the center of the storm that is the supernatural fight for New Orleans. And though he's been banished from the French Quarter by Klaus (Joseph Morgan) and Elijah (Daniel Gillies) after his betrayal was revealed, Marcel (Charles Michael Davis) isn't giving up his throne without a fight. One thing he needs in his war against the Mikaelsons? Numbers. We've got an exclusive sneak peek from tomorrow night's episode of the CW hit, "The Big Uneasy," which finds Marcel recruiting an old...
- 4/14/2014
- E! Online
The CW's making sure you don't forget its flagship shows are returning from spring break soon, and next on the promo wheel is a Producers' Preview of "The Originals" Episode 1.18, "The Big Uneasy," with Julie Plec and Michael Narducci.
In this new sneak peek narrated by Plec and Narducci, Klaus is making sure Genevieve doesn't take advantage of her newfound success in the Quarter.
"The Originals" Episode 1.18 - "The Big Uneasy" (airs 4/15/14, 8-9pm)
The Feast Of The Blessings - Genevieve (guest star Elyse Levesque) asks Elijah (Daniel Gillies) to allow her coven to publicly celebrate a traditional feast day, where members of the community offer the witches gifts in return for blessings.
Monique (guest star Yasmine Al Bustami) and Genevieve disagree over what the ancestors want from them, and Genevieve reveals her plan to build the witches' power.
When Elijah focuses his attention on restoring their home to its former glory,...
In this new sneak peek narrated by Plec and Narducci, Klaus is making sure Genevieve doesn't take advantage of her newfound success in the Quarter.
"The Originals" Episode 1.18 - "The Big Uneasy" (airs 4/15/14, 8-9pm)
The Feast Of The Blessings - Genevieve (guest star Elyse Levesque) asks Elijah (Daniel Gillies) to allow her coven to publicly celebrate a traditional feast day, where members of the community offer the witches gifts in return for blessings.
Monique (guest star Yasmine Al Bustami) and Genevieve disagree over what the ancestors want from them, and Genevieve reveals her plan to build the witches' power.
When Elijah focuses his attention on restoring their home to its former glory,...
- 4/12/2014
- by Debi Moore
- DreadCentral.com
While we do prefer Klaus with Cami, his new relationship with Genevieve has added a few welcome sparks to "The Originals," and in this new sneak peek of next week's Episode 1.18, "The Big Uneasy," she has a request for Elijah. We're pretty sure he's gonna say yes...
"The Originals" Episode 1.18 - "The Big Uneasy" (airs 4/15/14, 8-9pm): The Feast Of The Blessings - Genevieve (guest star Elyse Levesque) asks Elijah (Daniel Gillies) to allow her coven to publicly celebrate a traditional feast day, where members of the community offer the witches gifts in return for blessings.
Monique (guest star Yasmine Al Bustami) and Genevieve disagree over what the ancestors want from them, and Genevieve reveals her plan to build the witches' power.
When Elijah focuses his attention on restoring their home to its former glory, Klaus (Joseph Morgan) accuses him of doing it only to impress Hayley (Phoebe Tonkin). Next,...
"The Originals" Episode 1.18 - "The Big Uneasy" (airs 4/15/14, 8-9pm): The Feast Of The Blessings - Genevieve (guest star Elyse Levesque) asks Elijah (Daniel Gillies) to allow her coven to publicly celebrate a traditional feast day, where members of the community offer the witches gifts in return for blessings.
Monique (guest star Yasmine Al Bustami) and Genevieve disagree over what the ancestors want from them, and Genevieve reveals her plan to build the witches' power.
When Elijah focuses his attention on restoring their home to its former glory, Klaus (Joseph Morgan) accuses him of doing it only to impress Hayley (Phoebe Tonkin). Next,...
- 4/10/2014
- by Debi Moore
- DreadCentral.com
Since we still have another week to wait until "The Originals" returns to The CW with Episode 1.18, "The Big Uneasy," the network has released a new promo for the ep that reveals quite a bit of footage we haven't seen yet.
"The Originals" Episode 1.18 - "The Big Uneasy" (airs 4/15/14, 8-9pm)
The Feast Of The Blessings - Genevieve (guest star Elyse Levesque) asks Elijah (Daniel Gillies) to allow her coven to publicly celebrate a traditional feast day, where members of the community offer the witches gifts in return for blessings.
Monique (guest star Yasmine Al Bustami) and Genevieve disagree over what the ancestors want from them, and Genevieve reveals her plan to build the witches' power.
When Elijah focuses his attention on restoring their home to its former glory, Klaus (Joseph Morgan) accuses him of doing it only to impress Hayley (Phoebe Tonkin). Next, Klaus sets a new plan in...
"The Originals" Episode 1.18 - "The Big Uneasy" (airs 4/15/14, 8-9pm)
The Feast Of The Blessings - Genevieve (guest star Elyse Levesque) asks Elijah (Daniel Gillies) to allow her coven to publicly celebrate a traditional feast day, where members of the community offer the witches gifts in return for blessings.
Monique (guest star Yasmine Al Bustami) and Genevieve disagree over what the ancestors want from them, and Genevieve reveals her plan to build the witches' power.
When Elijah focuses his attention on restoring their home to its former glory, Klaus (Joseph Morgan) accuses him of doing it only to impress Hayley (Phoebe Tonkin). Next, Klaus sets a new plan in...
- 4/8/2014
- by Debi Moore
- DreadCentral.com
We have another week to wait until the return of "The Originals," and with the upcoming episode looking to be a special one, we went looking for the scoop… straight from the werewolf’s mouth!
Nathan Parsons, who plays Jackson, told us what we can expect to see in the April 15th Episode 1.18, "The Big Uneasy," and as the season plays out, including a bit more on his character's back story, his dealings with Klaus, the obligatory Jackson-Hayley-Elijah triangle, if he'd ever go hybrid, keeping his humanity, and more.
Dread Central: Hi, Nathan. I want to know just a little back story maybe for our fans who have not yet watched "The Originals." It's a spinoff from "The Vampire Diaries," right? Can you tell us about your character, Jackson?
Nathan Jackson: Yes, I can. Jackson is basically the head honcho, the alpha dog of this werewolf pack called the Crescents,...
Nathan Parsons, who plays Jackson, told us what we can expect to see in the April 15th Episode 1.18, "The Big Uneasy," and as the season plays out, including a bit more on his character's back story, his dealings with Klaus, the obligatory Jackson-Hayley-Elijah triangle, if he'd ever go hybrid, keeping his humanity, and more.
Dread Central: Hi, Nathan. I want to know just a little back story maybe for our fans who have not yet watched "The Originals." It's a spinoff from "The Vampire Diaries," right? Can you tell us about your character, Jackson?
Nathan Jackson: Yes, I can. Jackson is basically the head honcho, the alpha dog of this werewolf pack called the Crescents,...
- 4/8/2014
- by Staci Layne Wilson
- DreadCentral.com
We still have two looooong weeks to wait until "The Originals" returns with Episode 1.18, "The Big Uneasy." To help you pass the time between now and April 15th, here are several stills from the ep.
"The Originals" Episode 1.18 - "The Big Uneasy" (airs 4/15/14, 8-9pm)
The Feast Of The Blessings - Genevieve (guest star Elyse Levesque) asks Elijah (Daniel Gillies) to allow her coven to publicly celebrate a traditional feast day, where members of the community offer the witches gifts in return for blessings.
Monique (guest star Yasmine Al Bustami) and Genevieve disagree over what the ancestors want from them, and Genevieve reveals her plan to build the witches' power.
When Elijah focuses his attention on restoring their home to its former glory, Klaus (Joseph Morgan) accuses him of doing it only to impress Hayley (Phoebe Tonkin). Next, Klaus sets a new plan in motion by finding Cary (guest star...
"The Originals" Episode 1.18 - "The Big Uneasy" (airs 4/15/14, 8-9pm)
The Feast Of The Blessings - Genevieve (guest star Elyse Levesque) asks Elijah (Daniel Gillies) to allow her coven to publicly celebrate a traditional feast day, where members of the community offer the witches gifts in return for blessings.
Monique (guest star Yasmine Al Bustami) and Genevieve disagree over what the ancestors want from them, and Genevieve reveals her plan to build the witches' power.
When Elijah focuses his attention on restoring their home to its former glory, Klaus (Joseph Morgan) accuses him of doing it only to impress Hayley (Phoebe Tonkin). Next, Klaus sets a new plan in motion by finding Cary (guest star...
- 4/1/2014
- by Debi Moore
- DreadCentral.com
Talk about "uneasy"! Brothers Elijah and Klaus come close to blows in this clip from "The Originals" Episode 1.18, entitled "The Big Uneasy." Check it out, and let your anticipation grow for the show's April 15th return.
Along with the clip and the ep's official synopsis, we also have a look at the new trailer that aired during the show's March 22nd panel at PaleyFest 2014.
"The Originals" Episode 1.18 - "The Big Uneasy" (airs 4/15/14, 8-9pm)
The Feast Of The Blessings - Genevieve (guest star Elyse Levesque) asks Elijah (Daniel Gillies) to allow her coven to publicly celebrate a traditional feast day, where members of the community offer the witches gifts in return for blessings.
Monique (guest star Yasmine Al Bustami) and Genevieve disagree over what the ancestors want from them, and Genevieve reveals her plan to build the witches' power.
When Elijah focuses his attention on restoring their home to its former glory,...
Along with the clip and the ep's official synopsis, we also have a look at the new trailer that aired during the show's March 22nd panel at PaleyFest 2014.
"The Originals" Episode 1.18 - "The Big Uneasy" (airs 4/15/14, 8-9pm)
The Feast Of The Blessings - Genevieve (guest star Elyse Levesque) asks Elijah (Daniel Gillies) to allow her coven to publicly celebrate a traditional feast day, where members of the community offer the witches gifts in return for blessings.
Monique (guest star Yasmine Al Bustami) and Genevieve disagree over what the ancestors want from them, and Genevieve reveals her plan to build the witches' power.
When Elijah focuses his attention on restoring their home to its former glory,...
- 3/24/2014
- by Debi Moore
- DreadCentral.com
Just five episodes remain in Season 1 of "The Originals" with the show going on spring break until April 15th. We don't have the synopsis yet for its return episode, #1.18, "The Big Uneasy," but we do have a preview to share. Expect the rest soon!
Family is power. The original vampire family swore it to each other a thousand years ago. They pledged to remain together, always and forever. Now, centuries have passed, and the bonds of family are broken. Time, tragedy, and hunger for power have torn "The Originals" apart.
Will Elijah truly be able to win this battle with his brother? Will Klaus find happiness by embracing his inner wolf? Will that damn baby ever be born?
Related Story: Peta Sergeant Talks Patrick's Chills and Tension, Working with Game of Throne's Charles Dance, Joining The Originals, and More
For more info visit "The Originals" on Cwtv.com, "like" "The Originals" on Facebook,...
Family is power. The original vampire family swore it to each other a thousand years ago. They pledged to remain together, always and forever. Now, centuries have passed, and the bonds of family are broken. Time, tragedy, and hunger for power have torn "The Originals" apart.
Will Elijah truly be able to win this battle with his brother? Will Klaus find happiness by embracing his inner wolf? Will that damn baby ever be born?
Related Story: Peta Sergeant Talks Patrick's Chills and Tension, Working with Game of Throne's Charles Dance, Joining The Originals, and More
For more info visit "The Originals" on Cwtv.com, "like" "The Originals" on Facebook,...
- 3/19/2014
- by Debi Moore
- DreadCentral.com
Filed under: 'Fone Finds
Today on indieWIRE, we talked with beloved "mockumentarian" Harry Shearer about his first feature-length (and factual) documentary, 'The Big Uneasy'; we heard from Howard Feinstein on his resignation from the Sarajevo Ff; got updated on the Tiff lineup; and 'Mozart's Sister' and 'Drive' got reviewed.
When Celebrity Overwhelms Auteurs: Howard Feinstein on Resigning From the Sarajevo Film Festival: We're publishing Howard Feinstein's first-person piece on his reasons for resigning from the Sarajevo Film Festival with the caveat that we're not taking sides; there's two sides to every story and here only Howard has the floor.
Continue Reading...
Today on indieWIRE, we talked with beloved "mockumentarian" Harry Shearer about his first feature-length (and factual) documentary, 'The Big Uneasy'; we heard from Howard Feinstein on his resignation from the Sarajevo Ff; got updated on the Tiff lineup; and 'Mozart's Sister' and 'Drive' got reviewed.
When Celebrity Overwhelms Auteurs: Howard Feinstein on Resigning From the Sarajevo Film Festival: We're publishing Howard Feinstein's first-person piece on his reasons for resigning from the Sarajevo Film Festival with the caveat that we're not taking sides; there's two sides to every story and here only Howard has the floor.
Continue Reading...
- 8/16/2011
- by The Editors at IndieWire
- Moviefone
Today on indieWIRE, Harry Shearer talked his documentary "The Big Uneasy," we got updated on the Tiff lineup, and "Mozart's Sister" and "Drive" got reviewed. When Celebrity Overwhelms Auteurs: Howard Feinstein on Resigning From the Sarajevo Film Festival We’re publishing Howard Feinstein’s first-person piece on his reasons for resigning from the Sarajevo Film Festival with the caveat that we’re not taking sides; there’s two for every story and here only ...
- 8/16/2011
- Indiewire
Pick of the Week: Harry Shearer's first documentary, "The Big Uneasy," on VOD Beloved "mockumentarian" ("This is Spinal Tap," "A Mighty Wind") and voice-work titan ("The Simpsons") Harry Shearer, gets the inside story behind the New Orleans disaster in his first feature-length (and factual) documentary "The Big Uneasy." The film finds Shearer speaking to the tireless investigators and experts (and one whistleblower) to discover that some of the same flawed ...
- 8/16/2011
- Indiewire
Chicago – Some of the best documentaries are spawned directly from the raw outage of a filmmaker intent on sharing vital truths with the unenlightened public. Every frame is fraught with a sense of urgency that keeps viewers on the edge of their seat much like an engrossing popcorn thriller. Yet great passion alone does not make for great cinema.
Rating: 3.0/5.0
“The Big Uneasy” is a rather unfortunate assemblage of excellent footage in need of a stronger editor, writer and director. The layers of muck raked in by this film are entirely convincing and deeply infuriating, but they have been thrust onto the screen in jarringly artless fashion by Harry Shearer, a wonderful actor and humorist whose heart is obviously in the right place. He admits in the film’s production notes that he made “Uneasy” in a short period of time in order for it to be completed by the fifth anniversary of the flood.
Rating: 3.0/5.0
“The Big Uneasy” is a rather unfortunate assemblage of excellent footage in need of a stronger editor, writer and director. The layers of muck raked in by this film are entirely convincing and deeply infuriating, but they have been thrust onto the screen in jarringly artless fashion by Harry Shearer, a wonderful actor and humorist whose heart is obviously in the right place. He admits in the film’s production notes that he made “Uneasy” in a short period of time in order for it to be completed by the fifth anniversary of the flood.
- 8/16/2011
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
After hitting over 75 markets across the U.S. in its theatrical release, Harry Shearer's ("A Mighty Wind," "This is Spinal Tap") documentary "The Big Uneasy," will hit VOD on August 16 through FilmBuff. Here's the synopsis courtesy of FilmBuff: In his feature-length documentary "The Big Uneasy," humorist and New Orleans resident Harry Shearer gets the inside story of a disaster that could have been prevented from the people who were ...
- 7/14/2011
- Indiewire
Reviewed by Amy R. Handler
(May 2011)
Directed/Written by: Harry Shearer
Featuring: Maria Garzino, Ivor van Heerden and Robert Bea
Funnyman Harry Shearer sheds his usual sarcasm to expose issues preceding and following Hurricane Katrina that suggest the devastating storm may not be the natural disaster we believe. Considered one of the deadliest cataclysms in American history, Katrina began in the Bahamas, tracked through Florida and hit the port city of New Orleans as a category 3 hurricane on August 29, 2005. It was claimed that approximately 1,837 died in the storm, though many have never been recovered, and destruction to real estate reached well beyond $80 billion. To this day, many of the city’s residents remain displaced and uncertain about their future.
To structure his argument, Shearer focuses his attention on the Army Corps of Engineers and three whistleblowers who exposed the government agency’s possible negligence prior to the disaster: Maria Garzino,...
(May 2011)
Directed/Written by: Harry Shearer
Featuring: Maria Garzino, Ivor van Heerden and Robert Bea
Funnyman Harry Shearer sheds his usual sarcasm to expose issues preceding and following Hurricane Katrina that suggest the devastating storm may not be the natural disaster we believe. Considered one of the deadliest cataclysms in American history, Katrina began in the Bahamas, tracked through Florida and hit the port city of New Orleans as a category 3 hurricane on August 29, 2005. It was claimed that approximately 1,837 died in the storm, though many have never been recovered, and destruction to real estate reached well beyond $80 billion. To this day, many of the city’s residents remain displaced and uncertain about their future.
To structure his argument, Shearer focuses his attention on the Army Corps of Engineers and three whistleblowers who exposed the government agency’s possible negligence prior to the disaster: Maria Garzino,...
- 5/23/2011
- by admin
- Moving Pictures Magazine
Reviewed by Amy R. Handler
(May 2011)
Directed/Written by: Harry Shearer
Featuring: Maria Garzino, Ivor van Heerden and Robert Bea
Funnyman Harry Shearer sheds his usual sarcasm to expose issues preceding and following Hurricane Katrina that suggest the devastating storm may not be the natural disaster we believe. Considered one of the deadliest cataclysms in American history, Katrina began in the Bahamas, tracked through Florida and hit the port city of New Orleans as a category 3 hurricane on August 29, 2005. It was claimed that approximately 1,837 died in the storm, though many have never been recovered, and destruction to real estate reached well beyond $80 billion. To this day, many of the city’s residents remain displaced and uncertain about their future.
To structure his argument, Shearer focuses his attention on the Army Corps of Engineers and three whistleblowers who exposed the government agency’s possible negligence prior to the disaster: Maria Garzino,...
(May 2011)
Directed/Written by: Harry Shearer
Featuring: Maria Garzino, Ivor van Heerden and Robert Bea
Funnyman Harry Shearer sheds his usual sarcasm to expose issues preceding and following Hurricane Katrina that suggest the devastating storm may not be the natural disaster we believe. Considered one of the deadliest cataclysms in American history, Katrina began in the Bahamas, tracked through Florida and hit the port city of New Orleans as a category 3 hurricane on August 29, 2005. It was claimed that approximately 1,837 died in the storm, though many have never been recovered, and destruction to real estate reached well beyond $80 billion. To this day, many of the city’s residents remain displaced and uncertain about their future.
To structure his argument, Shearer focuses his attention on the Army Corps of Engineers and three whistleblowers who exposed the government agency’s possible negligence prior to the disaster: Maria Garzino,...
- 5/23/2011
- by admin
- Moving Pictures Network
Title: The Big Uneasy Director: Harry Shearer Special appearance by John Goodman, with the voice talents of Brad Pitt, Jennifer Coolidge, Wendell Pierce and Will Lyman If, as the saying goes, humor can be a great revealer of and conduit into hard, unspoken truths, then surely a parallel axiom could also be valid — that a humorist might be able to provide an important and clarifying look at heretofore muddied and jumbled realities. Such a hypothesis is born out in the form of Harry Shearer’s feature documentary debut, “The Big Uneasy”. A look at the true root causes of the Hurricane Katrina disaster in New Orleans, the movie, while a...
- 5/20/2011
- by bsimon
- ShockYa
Harry Shearer’s new documentary The Big Uneasy does for the botched New Orleans recovery what countless earnest independent documentaries have done for our similarly disastrous misadventures in Iraq: It provides a rigorous, point-by-point exploration of systematic failure. Shearer's film is charactrized by a paradoxical sense of quiet rage. The experts Shearer talks to about what went wrong with the recovery following Katrina are mad as hell and willing to sit down and talk civilly about it. The Big Uneasy is so sleepy and understated that when John Goodman shows up to yell his way through an angrily sarcastic ...
- 5/19/2011
- avclub.com
Selected, Nationwide
If you thought the Jarman Award was where you'd find the next big thing in British film art, you're one step behind. This touring initiative gets the four film-makers shortlisted for last year's Jarman – Spartacus Chetwynd, Ben Rivers, Zineb Sedira and Emily Wardill – to select moving-image artists they think we should be watching. The 10 names on the programme might not mean anything to the public yet as they're mostly up-and-coming, recently graduated art students (some of whom appear at screenings), but where else might you find a film that tries to invent a new colour or create a new manifesto based on capturing extragalactic rhythms?
Various venues, Tue to 30 Jun
Mahamat-Saleh Haroun, London
The poor, war-torn, landlocked republic of Chad is virtually unknown on the geographical map, let alone the film-making one, but Haroun is doing something about that. Influenced by calm, observational film-makers such as Hou Hsiao-hsien,...
If you thought the Jarman Award was where you'd find the next big thing in British film art, you're one step behind. This touring initiative gets the four film-makers shortlisted for last year's Jarman – Spartacus Chetwynd, Ben Rivers, Zineb Sedira and Emily Wardill – to select moving-image artists they think we should be watching. The 10 names on the programme might not mean anything to the public yet as they're mostly up-and-coming, recently graduated art students (some of whom appear at screenings), but where else might you find a film that tries to invent a new colour or create a new manifesto based on capturing extragalactic rhythms?
Various venues, Tue to 30 Jun
Mahamat-Saleh Haroun, London
The poor, war-torn, landlocked republic of Chad is virtually unknown on the geographical map, let alone the film-making one, but Haroun is doing something about that. Influenced by calm, observational film-makers such as Hou Hsiao-hsien,...
- 5/13/2011
- by Steve Rose
- The Guardian - Film News
The tagline for Harry Shearer's The Big Uneasy, a Katrina doc that digs into the Army Corps of Engineers' role in the post-hurricane New Orleans flood, reads "Natural Disaster? You Don't Know the Half Of It." Shearer is well-known to public radio listeners for his weekly Sunday talkfest Le Show; the Renaissance man is not only a sharp and funny writer-actor-producer-director and mockumentarian (This is Spinal Tap, For Your Consideration, The Simpsons) but a well-versed media commentator and blogger for The Huffington Post. The half-time New Orleans resident is dead-serious when covering the Katrina debacle. On the eve of the hurricane's fifth anniversary, he decided that putting his own more deeply reported documentary into the conversation might help bring the mainstream media up to speed. ...
- 4/13/2011
- Thompson on Hollywood
The tagline for Harry Shearer's The Big Uneasy, a Katrina doc that digs into the Army Corps of Engineers' role in the post-hurricane New Orleans flood, reads "Natural Disaster? You Don't Know the Half Of It." Shearer is well-known to NPR listeners for his weekly Sunday talk show; the Renaissance man is not only a sharp and funny writer-actor-producer-director and mockumentarian (This is Spinal Tap, Best in Show, The Simpsons) but a well-versed media commentator and blogger for The Huffington Post. The half-time New Orleans resident is dead-serious when covering the Katrina debacle. On the eve of the hurricane's fifth anniversary, he decided that putting his own more deeply reported documentary into the conversation might help bring the mainstream media up to speed. Because HBO ...
- 4/11/2011
- Thompson on Hollywood
When you think Harry Shearer you immediately think of his voice, deep, resonant and authoritative on his NPR program Le Show and shockingly varied in his voice-work on the Simpsons (he voices Mr. Burns, Smithers, Principal Skinner, the Reverend Lovejoy, Dr. Hibbert, and many more characters). It’s a fine instrument and he knows when and how to use it.
With his newest film The Big Uneasy, he is using that voice to tell a true story. The catastrophic 2005 flooding of his beloved New Orleans was preventable. The system of levees designed by the Army Corps Of Engineers was badly flawed, and many knew about it. Other disasters are waiting to happen due to the same faulty designs in other cities. Worst of all, the new system created to replace the one that failed colossally in New Orleans incorporates many of the failings of the earlier model.
In The Big Uneasy,...
With his newest film The Big Uneasy, he is using that voice to tell a true story. The catastrophic 2005 flooding of his beloved New Orleans was preventable. The system of levees designed by the Army Corps Of Engineers was badly flawed, and many knew about it. Other disasters are waiting to happen due to the same faulty designs in other cities. Worst of all, the new system created to replace the one that failed colossally in New Orleans incorporates many of the failings of the earlier model.
In The Big Uneasy,...
- 4/7/2011
- by Lars Nilsen
- OriginalAlamo.com
Thursday I'm heading up to Oregon's Ashland Independent Film Festival (the tenth), where I'll be interviewing this year's Aiff Rogue Award winners, Harry Shearer (This is Spinal Tap, The Big Uneasy) and Morgan Spurlock (The Greatest Movie Ever Sold). I will also check out Measure for Measure and Julius Caesar at the famous Ashland Shakespeare Festival. I'm on the film fest's doc jury, along with filmmaker/blogger A.J. Schnack and doc PR master Judy Arlington. We'll hand out awards Sunday night. The five-day fest pulls about 6000 folks into tiny Ashland for its indie showcase nestled in the Siskiyou mountains near the Rogue River and Crater Lake. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has honored the Aiff as one of 30 festivals in the ...
- 4/7/2011
- Thompson on Hollywood
Harry Shearer has been part of the American comedy scene for most of his life. As a child actor he traded barbs with Jack Benny and Lou Costello. He was an early version of Eddy Haskell in the un-aired original TV pilot of Leave it to Beaver. Most of us become big fans with his work starting in the 1980′s as a cast member of SNL, one third of Spinal Tap, and a regular in Christopher Guest’s improv feature films. And of course Harry provides the voices for many residents of Springfield USA on the long running Simpsons TV series. While his previous two features he directed were satirical comedies (Portrait Of A White Marriage and Teddy Bears’ Picnic) he newest is a tough, straight-forward documentary on post Katrina New Orleans, The Big Uneasy.
Shearer narrates the film as he walks through the streets of New Orleans, a city where he keeps a home.
Shearer narrates the film as he walks through the streets of New Orleans, a city where he keeps a home.
- 11/13/2010
- by Jim Batts
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
The stars are getting ready to shine at the 19th Annual Stella Artois St. Louis International Film Festival (Sliff) next month - November 11th throught the 21st. Sliff will screen nearly 340 films: 200 shorts, 90 features and 48 documentaries. This year’s festival features a record 162 programs, with 44 countries represented. The fest will host more than 100 filmmakers and related guests.
The festival opens with the St. Louis premiere of Casino Jack, directed by native son George Hickenlooper, a former Cinema St. Louis Award winner. Featuring a buzz-generating performance by two-time Oscar winner Kevin Spacey, the film chronicles the rise and fall of disgraced super-lobbyist Jack Abramoff.
Other prominent films featured in the festival include:
Blue Valentine
The Black Swan
The Illusionist
Rabbit Hole
Another Year
The Debt
Made In Dagenham
127 Hours
Winter’S Bone
The fest schedule and a complete list of films (with descriptions) is now available at the Cinema St. Louis Web site (www.
The festival opens with the St. Louis premiere of Casino Jack, directed by native son George Hickenlooper, a former Cinema St. Louis Award winner. Featuring a buzz-generating performance by two-time Oscar winner Kevin Spacey, the film chronicles the rise and fall of disgraced super-lobbyist Jack Abramoff.
Other prominent films featured in the festival include:
Blue Valentine
The Black Swan
The Illusionist
Rabbit Hole
Another Year
The Debt
Made In Dagenham
127 Hours
Winter’S Bone
The fest schedule and a complete list of films (with descriptions) is now available at the Cinema St. Louis Web site (www.
- 10/23/2010
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
This is the review of The Big Uneasy, directed by Harry Shearer (The Simpsons). As early as the 1990s, academics were warning that New Orleans was a city ‘super susceptible to flooding.’ And yet, fifteen years later, when Hurricane Katrina hit the shores of New Orleans, the levees broke, water poured in to the city and the subsequent flooding killed thousands of people. This new documentary explores the enormous series of engineering failures, oversights and negligence that led to the catastrophe, and how those have been lost in the myth of a ‘natural disaster’. So far, so predictable. The Big Uneasy, however, is directed by Harry Shearer. That’s right, Ned Flanders has made a film about engineering. I hear Fred Flinstone is considering a feature on Poll Tax, too.
- 9/30/2010
- by Nell Frizzell
- Pure Movies
This is an exclusive interview with Harry Shearer (The Simpsons) for his latest film The Big Uneasy on Pure Movies. What do you get when you cross an evil nuclear tycoon, a heavy metal bassist, a radio presenter, a political science graduate, a moustachioed Christian neighbour, a campaigner, a Saturday Night Live writer and the flooding of 80% of New Orleans? Harry Shearer, of course. The legendary actor, writer, comedian and voice of The Simpsons is currently promoting his new documentary The Big Uneasy. As the title may suggest, Shearer’s film thoroughly dismantles the myth that Hurricane Katrina was an ‘unprecedented natural disaster’…...
- 9/24/2010
- by Nell Frizzell
- Pure Movies
Harry Shearer discussed his new feature documentary "The Big Uneasy" with Ida's Board President, Eddie Schmidt at Los Angele's The Cinefamily (Silent Movie Theater). Audience Q&A and wine reception followed the discussion.
The event which was sold-out gave audiences the real story about what went wrong when Katrina hit New Orleans, La; and how both the investigators and the Corps of Engineers whistle-blowers were silenced.Special thanks to our wonderful and generous sponsors: Los Angeles County Arts Commission, The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and Pithy Little ...
The event which was sold-out gave audiences the real story about what went wrong when Katrina hit New Orleans, La; and how both the investigators and the Corps of Engineers whistle-blowers were silenced.Special thanks to our wonderful and generous sponsors: Los Angeles County Arts Commission, The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and Pithy Little ...
- 9/22/2010
- by IDA Editorial Staff
- International Documentary Association
If you don’t recognise the name Harry Shearer, you should at least recognise his voice… or one of his voices, as a long running cast member of much loved television show The Simpsons. You may also know him from “mockumentaries” such as the quite legendary This Is Spinal Tap, and A Mighty Wind (which is well worth a look if you haven’t seen it). This time, Harry writes and directs in his first foray into documentary making.
In The Big Uneasy, Shearer takes us through the build up to the devastating Hurricane Katrina which hit New Orleans on August 30th, 2005. He doesn’t dwell on the aftermath as many other documentaries have done, but on the processes and institutions involved in defending New Orleans from such a severe storm. Or not, as the case may be.
He looks at the Army Corps of Engineers, a faction of the...
In The Big Uneasy, Shearer takes us through the build up to the devastating Hurricane Katrina which hit New Orleans on August 30th, 2005. He doesn’t dwell on the aftermath as many other documentaries have done, but on the processes and institutions involved in defending New Orleans from such a severe storm. Or not, as the case may be.
He looks at the Army Corps of Engineers, a faction of the...
- 9/17/2010
- by Cheryl Carter
- FilmShaft.com
We all know of the heartbreaking tales of damage and destruction Hurricane Katrina brought down upon the city of New Orleans and the surrounding areas.Included in all the recent 5th anniversary coverage were several documentaries about the storm and the city’s recovery, such as Spike Lee’s follow-up If God is Willing and Da Creek Don’t Rise and Harry Shearer’s exposé The Big Uneasy.Numerous other movies (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call – New Orleans) and television shows (K-Ville, Treme) have featured the storm and/or...
- 9/16/2010
- by william.henson
- Examiner Movies Channel
As Troy McClure would say, you might remember Harry Shearer from such Simpsons voices as Ned Flanders, Reverend Lovejoy, Mr. Burns, Waylon Smithers, Otto the Bus Driver, and Kang the Alien Octopus. You might also know him as the bassist from the heavy metal band Spinal Tap, author of the novel Not Enough Indians, and host of the radio show "Le Show," a one-man vocal circus in which Shearer talks politics with angry callers, insane guests and top-tier celebrities, all of them played by Shearer himself. This week Shearer shifts gears, with the release of his new documentary The Big Uneasy, a serious, scientific look at how New Orleans flooded. With an investigative reporter's focus, Shearer hones in on the Army Corps of Engineers, the government agency that built the faulty levees that collapsed during Hurricane Katrina, flooding 80...
- 9/7/2010
- by Joshua Kors
- Huffington Post
New Orleans has been to Hell and back, and it is the city where actress Sandra Bullock has found refuge and a rebirth of her own. Bullock, much like the battered town, has sought a new life and greater purpose to put her own unhappy recent past behind her. New Orleans is also a second home to Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, and Pitt's green rebuilding of the ninth ward has impressed city planners and developers with eco conscious homes built at a reasonable cost. Other stars who have found refuge in Nola are Harry Shearer, who is debuting a documentary today (Aug. 30) "The Big Uneasy" and HBO "Treme" actor John Goodman, who has made the old European feeling...
- 8/30/2010
- by April MacIntyre
- Monsters and Critics
When Harry Shearer decided to make his new documentary The Big Uneasy, airing in more than 150 theaters tonight, he did not know that in the yet-to-air HBO series Treme one of the key characters becomes famous for his You Tube rants declaring the post-Katrina flooding of New Orleans an "unnatural disaster." The character, a local professor played by John Goodman, complains that the media and the government have basically gotten the story wrong from the beginning, and even worse, the feds have not fully fixed the failed levee system to this day . Frustrated, the character goes off the deep end by the end of the series - literally and figuratively, apparently never to be heard from again. Shearer cast Goodman, a fellow part-time New Orleans resident, as an occasional comic presence in The...
- 8/30/2010
- by Greg Mitchell
- Huffington Post
As the water rushed in, knocking down the door of her grandmother's home on Touro Street, Tonya Arrington, right, and nine family members headed to the roof. They spent two days and nights on top of the house before being rescued and taken to the convention center, where thugs roamed among the starving. "It was horrible," said Tonya, shown with cousin Michelle Rue near Interstate 10. Photo by Jonas Fredwall Karlsson. Five years ago this week, New Orleans was hit with what many consider the most devastating natural disaster in American history. The response from the Bush administration and the Federal Emergency Management Agency was notoriously inadequate, and the photos and network-news footage from the initial catastrophe and the weeks and months after has been permanently imbedded in the American psyche. Below, a collection of V.F.’s coverage of the 2005 disaster. • Photographer Jonas Fredwall Karlsson and reporter Ron Beinner traveled...
- 8/26/2010
- Vanity Fair
Trailer for another Hurricane Katrina documentary titled The Big Uneasy – this one directed by author and humorist, Harry Shearer (also a New Orleans resident). It’s said to be a “scathing” report on the disaster, and an “inside look” on how it could have been prevented. Shearer speaks to the investigators “who poked through the muck as the water receded,” a whistle-blower from the Army Corps of Engineers, and other “insiders,” including residents of the city, revealing that some of the same flawed methods responsible for the levee failure during Katrina are being used to rebuild the system expected to protect the new New Orleans from future disasters.
The Big Uneasy is said to be “laced with computer imagery that takes you inside the structures that failed so catastrophically, and boasts never–before–seen video of the moments when New Orleans began to flood and the painstaking investigations that followed.
The Big Uneasy is said to be “laced with computer imagery that takes you inside the structures that failed so catastrophically, and boasts never–before–seen video of the moments when New Orleans began to flood and the painstaking investigations that followed.
- 8/26/2010
- by Tambay
- ShadowAndAct
There is a lot of five-year anniversary Katrina coverage this week and next, and Harry Shearer's new documentary adds to that. The Big Uneasy premieres August 30 in theaters around the country, and we got a preview earlier this week. The movie's main antagonist is the Army Corp of Engineers - but Shearer also takes aim at most of the media.
- 8/26/2010
- by Steve Krakauer
- Mediaite - TV
It's unheard of for a movie to play one night in five cities before it's finished and before it has a distributor. But nothing about Louis--which inspired widely divergent reactions at a recent Beverly Hills screening--is what you'd call normal. Also marking the fifth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, radio host/writer/actor Harry Shearer's searing expose The Big Uneasy hits theaters August 30 for one night only. First, Louis is the definition of a vanity project. Veteran Sonia Dada songwriter/musician Dan Pritzker, 50, (a scion of Hyatt Hotels' Jay Pritzker) had never made a movie before when he fell in love with the silent cinema one night, watching Chaplin's City Lights with a live orchestra. For five years he has pursued filming a story about the man who ...
- 8/25/2010
- Thompson on Hollywood
Harry Shearer is best known for his iconic comic work in The Simpsons and This is Spinal Tap. His documentary directing debut, The Big Uneasy, is the least funny film I've seen in a long time. In it, Shearer demystifies the reasons that the levees failed and 1800 people died when Hurricane Katrina pounded the coast line. Shearer's film, a damning indictment of old and new decisions made by money-motivated politicians and the Army Corps of Engineers, will be bared in a one-night-only showing in 150 theaters this Monday (Aug 30th) to commemorate Katrina's fifth anniversary. A New Orleans resident, Shearer financed, wrote and produced a film which doesn't show a single shot of a flood-stranded unfortunate standing atop a roof awaiting rescue. That story of human suffering has been covered by Spike Lee and others. Just as alarming is Shearer's focus on the engineering problems that caused water to funnel in and knock down concrete walls.
- 8/25/2010
- by MIKE FLEMING
- Deadline
One Day Only! One Exclusive Location! The Big Uneasy (PG-13)
Monday, August 30, 2010
Only at Wehrenberg Des Peres 14 Cine
(12701 Manchester Road)
7:00 Pm & 9:30 Pm
The Big Uneasy is a feature-length documentary from renown humorist Harry Shearer (The Simpsons, This Is Spinal Tap). Shearer, a New Orleans resident, gets the inside story on Hurricane Katrina, and how our nation.s greatest natural disaster could have been far less severe. Join him as he talks candidly with investigators and survivors about why the levee systems really failed, and why there could be a repeat soon.
The movie plays one day only, on the five-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina.s devastation. You.ll witness incredible, never-before-seen footage of the early stages of the flooding.
This is a documentary you can.t miss.
Tickets are available Now at prevailing admission price at the box office or online at www.wehrenberg.com...
Monday, August 30, 2010
Only at Wehrenberg Des Peres 14 Cine
(12701 Manchester Road)
7:00 Pm & 9:30 Pm
The Big Uneasy is a feature-length documentary from renown humorist Harry Shearer (The Simpsons, This Is Spinal Tap). Shearer, a New Orleans resident, gets the inside story on Hurricane Katrina, and how our nation.s greatest natural disaster could have been far less severe. Join him as he talks candidly with investigators and survivors about why the levee systems really failed, and why there could be a repeat soon.
The movie plays one day only, on the five-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina.s devastation. You.ll witness incredible, never-before-seen footage of the early stages of the flooding.
This is a documentary you can.t miss.
Tickets are available Now at prevailing admission price at the box office or online at www.wehrenberg.com...
- 8/24/2010
- by Movie Geeks
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.