Brent Lorentson

This review is going to be a little different from what you may be used to seeing here at Upcomingdiscs.  We’re about to venture off the path of mainstream films and delve into the dark and seedy areas of cinema where the naughty, the gory and the cult lurk.  This comes with a warning: these films are not for everyone. Seriously, this is your chance to click away, because these films can leave an impression on the viewer and are difficult to unsee.  Also these films do come with a not-rated label, so no one under 17 permitted, for those youngun’s still sticking around to read, go ahead and click onto the Mary Poppins Returns review. I read some nice things there; this here is no review for you. I don’t want to be held responsible for the nightmares these films may cause you down the road.
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It’s been a while since there has been a good invisible man film.  It’s one of the original Universal horror monsters that just doesn’t seem to get the fanfare that I feel it deserves.  Some of the greats in Hollywood have tackled incarnations of the character. John Carpenter with Memoirs of an Invisible Man (1992); then there was Hollow Man (2000), but neither of these films are what you would consider classics, though they are films I had fun with.  So when The Unseen crossed my path, I was looking forward to this. After all, it has been a while since this type of character has been tackled; then factor in that it is being helmed by Geoff Redknap, who previously worked as a special effects artist on Cabin in the Woods, Watchmen, and numerous other projects.  This just seemed like it would be a good match.  The result is a bit of a mixed bag.
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It was 1985 when The Key to Rebecca first aired. It was a made-for-TV film based on the novel by Ken Follett.  I had never heard of the film until a couple of days ago and had no knowledge of the book, so I was pretty much going into this with nothing more than the blurb you can read off the back of the DVD box.  The one thing that jumped out at me was the running time on the film: 3 hours and 14 minutes, so one thing I knew was it would be a film I’d be spending a decent amount of time with.  I have nothing against long film. I don’t care what the runtime is on a film, just so long as the film is good, and unfortunately The Key to Rebecca didn’t turn out to be the suspense-filled spy film I had hoped it would be.
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Shout Factory is at it again, releasing yet another cool and unappreciated film from the past, so hopefully a new audience can possibly embrace this fun, punk-rock, exploitation gem.  Writer and director Penelope Spheeris, who created the brilliant documentary The Decline of Western Civilization (1981), followed her documentary with the 1984 film Suburbia.  It’s no surprise that she would follow her punk documentary with a low-budget film that delves into the lives of kids who are entwined in the punk scene.  Seeing how Roger Corman is listed as a producer on the film, it should come as no surprise that this is shot on a low budget; this is one of those times where cheap goes a long way in setting the tone for a film and keeps the look of the film honest.  But is it worth taking a trip through Suburbia?
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“Every pain needs a name.”

Despite taking several cues from Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, the new Showtime series Kidding couldn’t be any further from the children’s TV show millions of kids grew up with.  Instead, what Kidding offers is a front row seat where we see a man who embodies all that is wholesome, kind and optimistic dissolve into something that is emotionally broken as his sanity and life crumble around him.  Kidding isn’t simply a dark comedy, but instead is the start of a man’s journey when he is confronted by tragedy and shown just how cruel the world around him is.  While the show isn’t a complete romp of doom and gloom over its ten-episode first season, it still should be made clear this show is not for kids.
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Family Guy has reached a level of impact upon the American pop culture where I believe the characters need little to no introduction.  Is there anyone really that doesn’t recognize Stewie? After all, he’s reached the status of icon and has even become a fixture of the Thanksgiving parade as one of the many floats.  Where The Flintstones, then later The Simpsons were at one time the dominating animated family on the television tackling day to day struggles of the modern American (each in their own and unique way), Family Guy (love it or hate it) now seems to be the go-to animated family.
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Any time you make a low-budget film that for a majority of the film takes place in a single location, it can be a bit of a risk.  Factor in shooting a film on a small budget, small cast, then you have to hope that the idea can hook an audience, and it’s a script that will keep an audience hooked for the duration of the film.  The problem After Darkness has from the get-go is it doesn’t have the budget to match its ambition, nor does it have the script to help the actors carry the burden of this film.  Even with Kyra Sedgwick and Natalia Dyer (Stranger Things), this film was a struggle to get through. For those brave souls who want to know more, it’s time to hunker down, ‘cause this one was a doozy.
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Though this wasn’t a film I remembered first seeing, the VHS box art is one I’ll never forget for how cheesy it was.  For those who don’t know, it had a man having a kebab impaled into his mouth.  While the cover art isn’t the most appealing, what got me interested was seeing that the film was directed by J. Lee Thompson, who has a fun and diverse body of work.  With films like The Guns of the Navarone, Conquest of the Planet of the Apes, Cape Fear (the one starring Gregory Peck and Robert Mitchum) and numerous others, for film lovers this should be enough to garner some interest to want to check out. Does the film hold up as an 80’s slasher, or should this be a title that should have remained shelved to collect dust?  It’s time to strap on those party hats and find out.
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Family Guy has reached a level of impact upon the American pop culture where I believe the characters need little to no introduction.  Is there anyone really that doesn’t recognize Stewie? After all, he’s reached the status of icon and has even become a fixture of the Thanksgiving parade as one of the many floats.  Where The Flintstones, then later The Simpsons, were at one time the dominating animated family on the television tackling day to day struggles of the modern American (each in their own and unique way), Family Guy (love it or hate it) now seems to be the go-to animated family.
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In 1983 when Krull first came out it was riding the wave of sci-fi and sword-and-sorcery films that were attempting to cash in following the success of Star Wars.  I didn’t see this in theaters, but I did eventually see it once it was on VHS.  My memories of the film were vague at best, but what I never could forget was the “glaive” weapon that you see displayed on the cover art.  For many, though, I can understand if you are just now hearing about Krull for the first time considering the film’s age and its lack of commercial success.  While Krull isn’t a great movie, it’s still a silly (unintentionally) yet fun movie that was directed by Peter Yates.  In case you need a little reminder, Yates is responsible for a little-known film some may have heard of called Bullitt.  So, after three decades, how does the film hold up?  Well, saddle up; I’m about to tell you.

In the opening moments we get an opening shot in space, and we are watching a massive ship pass across the screen (no, this is not Star Wars). Not to be too judgmental so early on, but it does bother me that the spaceship looks like a giant log in space.  The ship lands on the planet on Krull. It’s here where Prince Colwyn (Ken Marshall) is marrying Princess Lyssa (Lysette Anthony). 
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one of the biggest action stars in Hollywood.  He got his start in martial arts films; The Way of the Dragon was his big coming out as we got to see him go toe to toe with the legend Bruce Lee.  So in 1982 when Silent Rage came out, people knew what to expect out of Norris even though this was still before some of his biggest hits.  I remember seeing the movie when I was a kid. It was part of a Chuck Norris marathon, where I also got to see Firewalker, a film that for some reason I became obsessed with. (Upon re-watching it years later, the film didn’t hold up at all).  That’s sort of the thing with a lot of films that you adore as it kid; they don’t quite hold up as much as you would like them to, so I was a bit hesitant when Silent Rage was offered to review.  Would it hold up as a fun action romp, or would it let me down?

Sheriff Stevens (Norris) is the lawman in a small Texas town that doesn’t seem to ever have much trouble, and that seems to be fine for the sheriff.  The film opens up with Jack Kirby (Brian Libby) waking up and obviously on the edge of losing it. As it turns out, he’s completely gone insane and goes on a mini killing spree at the home where he is staying. 
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The story is loosely based on a real incident called “The Newton Massacre”, which was basically a brutal shootout that took place in a saloon back in 1871.  Though we do get to see the incident in the film, the story places most of its focus on the events that in theory led up to this violent showdown.  It’s a good idea, and after reading up on the actual shootout, this could have been a tale that would have suited Eastwood, John Ford, or Howard Hawks. Deadman Standing has all the right parts to make a great independent western; unfortunately, by the time you’re ten minutes into the film, you’ll see that this film was a misfire.

The film wastes no time in setting up the political divide that has struck the small boomtown of Hyde Park.  There is an election that is going to take place, and basically it’s a battle over land between the cattlemen and those who work for the railroad. 
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When it comes to Christmas horror films, it’s been a while since there has been a hit that has tackled the holiday and succeeded.  For me you’d have to go back to 2010 with Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale, or more recently Krampus in 2015. But despite the few hits this time of year, there tend to be several attempts for a horror film to come out and make a name for itself.  This year we get the low-budget offering All The Creatures Were Stirring, an anthology film which on paper seemed to show plenty of promise, but the execution resulted in one of the most tedious films I’ve seen this year.  The film opens up with friends Max (Graham Skipper) and Jenna (Ashley Clements) getting together for the holiday since neither has anyone to spend the holiday with, so rather than be alone they go on a bizarre date.  Max decides to take his date to an independent stage performance that is mostly silently performed.  Each act that the performers put on is a story that we see over the course of the film. Though this may be a unique way to present the separate stories, it definitely lacks in execution.

The first story — usually when it comes to anthologies this is the one that tends to be the best or at least should be a major hook. 
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