Brent Lorentson

Hollywood just can’t seem to get enough of kids doing creepy things and the parents believing their child has turned into some kind of monster.  We’ve seen these films before, and to be honest, aside from The Omen and Children of the Corn, I can’t think of any other films in the “Bad Children” sub-genre that have made much of an impact on me.  This week I’ll be reviewing two of them, and the first happens to be The Hole in the Ground.  The major turnoff I have towards these kinds of films is that they play it too safe.  It seems these movies tend to avoid crossing certain lines, and, well, that’s frustrating. After all, these tend to be horror films, and isn’t that the point, to make your audience squirm with unease and have genuine dread?  It’s only a movie; it’s OK to be a little provocative in the name of entertainment.
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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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