Posted in: Disc Reviews by Brent Lorentson on October 17th, 2019
The novel The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson is certainly a literary classic, but for the sake of this review you’ll need to ignore the book and the previous film adaptations…I think it’ll be easy to forget the 1999 film The Haunting. I say this mostly because if you go into this series expecting that story, you will be disappointed. Instead, what creator and director Mike Flanagan has delivered is a masterpiece of horror that is so good that as the season plays out it manages to outdo itself again and again up to its final episode. When it first aired on Netflix I binged it and instantly fell in love, and when the opportunity arose to return to the series and see extended cuts of the episodes, I was more than happy to oblige.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Brent Lorentson on October 16th, 2019
Ever since I saw High Tension, I’ve been a fan of Alexandre Aja. The guy simply has a nice visual flair and for the most part puts out quality horror films. From The Hills Have Eyes remake, to Mirrors, and the beautifully shot Piranha 3D, Aja has made gore look like fine art on the big screen. So to hear he’d be working with Sam Raimi on a horror film, well, that’s simply music to my ears. It’s been a while since we’ve had a good man vs. nature horror film, and the concept of a family attempting to survive a category 5 hurricane in Florida while being hunted by alligators in their crawlspace, well, if that doesn’t get you excited, then just back away now. Crawl isn’t a movie attempting to be high art or go for Oscars; it’s a movie that just wants you to have fun for 90 minutes, and it delivers on that.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Brent Lorentson on October 15th, 2019
I wonder how this film would have been received if The Road simply didn’t exist. It’s just about impossible to watch this film and not see the striking similarities between the films, though Light of My Life definitely isn’t as grim or as brutal as The Road. Light of My Life is the directorial debut from Casey Affleck, who seems to be following in his brother’s footsteps by taking the step behind the camera. How does he fare behind the camera? He definitely shows that he has a solid eye when setting up his shots and telling a story, though there is certainly room for him to improve. It’s a bold move to make a post-apocalyptic film your first feature and decide to star in the film as well, but for me I was glad to see him take such a risk, and I’m impressed he almost nailed it. The film takes us into a world where most of the world’s female population has been killed off by some sort of a disease. While the world isn’t quite in shambles, we definitely see that society has quickly crumbled as cities struggle to thrive. Rag (Anna Pniowsky) has somehow managed to survive this vicious disease, and with the aid of her Dad (Casey Affleck) he’s kept her alive and has been training her to survive in this hostile environment. This is pretty much a father’s worst nightmare for his daughter to grow up in, and we get to see how her father deals with everything from suspicious travelers to simply educating her on puberty.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Brent Lorentson on October 11th, 2019
The Conjuring franchise and its spin-offs have been a success at the box office since 2013. Now with the third Annabelle hitting the big screen, it’s time ask the question: is this the end for the franchise? We already know there is going to be a third Conjuring film coming out next year, but beyond that, I’m guessing the studio heads are watching to see how this film fares with the summer competition. I wasn’t a fan of the first Annabelle. The second one was better, but still it seemed to pale in comparison to The Conjuring films, so to be honest, my expectations were not very high for this new installment. As it turns out, this ended up being my favorite of the spin-off movies, and I have no shame admitting how much fun I had with this one.
Posted in: 1.78:1 Widescreen, 1080p, AVC MPEG4, Blu Ray, Disc Reviews, DTS HD 5.1 MA (English), Sci-Fi / Fantasy, Warner Bros. by Brent Lorentson on October 6th, 2019
When it comes to the DC universe on television, I feel like Warner Bros. knows exactly what they are doing and truly understands the comics as well as their audience. Ever since they launched their streaming service they’ve been putting out new material that is arguably upping the stakes, knowing that soon Disney will be putting out there new streaming service in a matter of weeks. I was impressed with Season 1 of Titans. I loved how it was a show targeting a more mature audience, but it was Doom Patrol I wasn’t so sure about. All I had known about the Doom Patrol was from their one episode in Titans, and from what I saw, I really enjoyed the possibilities. Well, now that I’ve seen all 15 episodes of Season 1, I can honestly say What the F***?, followed by that was certainly a unique experience.
Posted in: The Reel World by Brent Lorentson on October 4th, 2019
“Art is dangerous.” It’s a quote that has been passed around over the decades, and it’s something I tend to agree with. Over the weeks building up to the release of the film, there seems to be a manufactured panic about what could happen when Joker releases onto the big screen. In Aurora, Colorado, they’ve elected to not show the film as a way to not trigger local residents who were involved in the 2012 shooting. This I can understand, considering the shooter did indeed dress as the Joker when he committed his act of violence. As for other parts of the US, the local police and military have been placed on high alert, all because people are worried about the gun violence and how it may motivate deranged fans to go on shooting sprees. This obviously is not what the studios or filmmakers ever intended, but it is unfortunately a sign of the times that we are living in. No one should have to fear going to the movies. The theater for many is the place for audiences to escape for two hours and forget the troubles and the horrors of the real world, and my hope is audiences will be able to do so without violent incidents.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Brent Lorentson on September 27th, 2019
When it comes to shows that simply sneak up on you and manage to suck you in, This Is Us would be a show I never saw coming nor expected to simply fall in love with. As a show that is on network television it stands toe to toe with the best that cable has to offer. But what is most surprising is that what sets this show apart from the rest of the pack isn’t a complex antihero or dragons; instead, it is as simple as being a show that feels as real as anything I’ve seen on television in some time. As the title would suggest This Is Us is simply about a family and the struggles and successes that come day to day, though as many of you can understand and relate, there is nothing simple about life and the constant hurdles that are thrown at us on a day-to-day basis. I was hesitant when I first began the series, but I was quickly moved by its characters and their stories. I was impressed by the first two seasons, and I’ve wondered if it can maintain its level of quality moving into a third season level. After another 18 episodes and plenty of tears, I was a little let down by the first part of the season, but it came together in the end, delivering some of the best moments in the shows run to date.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Brent Lorentson on September 13th, 2019
Last month it was officially 50 years since the Manson Family brought chaos into the world with the massacre at Ciello Drive that left a pregnant Sharon Tate brutally murdered along with her friends. Since then the name Charles Manson has become a symbol of pop culture despite not ever being a part of the actual murders. Even after all these years, there are so many myths about Manson and his followers, it’s doubtful we’ll ever really know the truth. Over the period of 50 years there have been countless films about the murders and the Manson family. Most recently Quentin Tarantino put out Once Upon a Time in Hollywood that gave audiences a fantasy perspective of the events of that night and came out to be a successful film over the summer and a contender for numerous awards. With that being said, there are also films like Manson Family Movies that came out in 1984 and was nowhere near the commercial success. Manson Family Movies is impressive where it dabbles in the found-footage genre as a recreation of the events that led up to the murders while also recreating the violent crimes. Unfortunately, despite how ambitious it may be, this looks like it was made with no budget and at times is painful to watch.
Posted in: The Reel World by Brent Lorentson on September 6th, 2019
“This meeting of the Losers’ Club has officially begun.”
I don’t think I’d be exaggerating by saying It Chapter 2 might be the most highly anticipated horror film in quite some time. Two years ago when the first It hit the cinemas, sure, I expected it to be a hit, but the film went on to be a pop culture sensation. Pennywise was already well known because of the books by Stephen King but also because of the loyal fan base of the 90’s mini-series. Debates were heated about which Pennywise was better and more terrifying, while other debates went on about which adaptation was better. I always felt it was unfair to compare this new version to the mini-series simply because we only had half a film, and now finally this weekend we have the conclusion to the story about our favorite Losers’ Club, only instead of teenagers they are all grown up. Now that the wait is over, how does this film stack up alongside the first half and the mini-series? Well, I’ll say it’s better than the mini-series but doesn’t quite have the magic of the 2017 film.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Brent Lorentson on September 5th, 2019
Here we go again, another revenge film. Despite my love for the “revenge” sub-genre, it is getting to the point where there just seem to be too many uninspired films flooding the market. Blue Ruin is perhaps the best revenge film I’ve seen in the past ten years, and it seems several other filmmakers feel the same way because of the amount of films that have been churned out, all attempting to emulate its gritty realistic style, but just fail in the process. Into the Ashes could have been something different; we get some glimpses at what could have steered this film into some interesting territory, but before it gets to take any chances, the film is quickly reeled back to the overbeaten path so many have tread upon before. In a small Alabama town, Nick (Luke Grimes) is trying his best to live a quiet, peaceful life. He’s married to the sheriff’s daughter and has a decent job that pays the bills; the trouble is he has a violent past, and it’s catching up with him in the form of Sloan (Frank Grillo), who has just been released from prison. Before Nick was living the quiet life, he used to run with a violent crew, and Nick took off with their money after things went bad. Nick’s used the money to start a new life, but as you would expect, his former criminal partners don’t care that Nick has started a new life, and they are out for some payback.
