Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 31st, 2015
"We're here."
I must start this review by admitting that I did not see 2008's The Haunting of Molly Hartley. In spite of the fact that very few people did actually see that film, I was surprised to find that a sequel would show up seven years later just in time for the Halloween private shock-fests and schlock nights. If you happen to be a fan of the original film, that doesn't mean you should get too excited by the sequel. There is little to tie these films together. Steven R. Monroe takes over the director's chair from Mickey Liddell. Sarah Lind now plays Molly, who was played by Haley Bennett in the first film. None of the original writers remain. While the title character remains, I suspect the thread that actually connects these two films wouldn't support the weight of a fruit fly. Therefore I intend to review this film on its own merits with no more reflections upon what once was back in the salad days of 2008.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Dan Holland on October 31st, 2015
The Horror Network Vol. 1 is an anthology of five short horror films, compiled by Douglas Conner and Brian Dorton. I absolutely love short films: I have created a few of my own, and I have been part of the selection committee for a short film festival. This anthology is fantastic in that it combines my love of short films and my love of the genre of horror. Although most films in this anthology could most certainly be cut for time (as is the case with most independent short films), they do a fantastic job capturing the elements of horror that make your hair stand on end.
The first installment of this anthology is a film called 3 a.m. Looking at the film as a whole, it is certainly a strong opening statement that will keep audiences engaged throughout the entire anthology. While some of the dialog spoken over phones is hard to hear, the rest of the film’s sound design is devoted to creating the horrific atmosphere. The film is essentially about a woman being stalked by an unknown entity. The horror in this film comes from the bloodcurdling howl that echoes across the countryside more than once, something that the main character hears and reacts to. While the source of this sound is never fully seen, the fear the sound evokes is memorable.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by J C on October 30th, 2015
“She’s quite a common girl, very common indeed.”
Of course, we don’t need 50 years of hindsight — or more than 100 years, if you want to go all the way back to the original 1913 staging of George Bernard Shaw’s “Pygmalion” — to know that there’s nothing common about cockney flower girl Eliza Doolittle. And there's nothing ordinary about 1964's My Fair Lady, the beloved Oscar-winning musical that now gets an uncommonly (but appropriately) lavish 50th anniversary Blu-ray update courtesy of Paramount.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by J C on October 29th, 2015
Un, deux, trois! Cohen Media Group has given us an engrossing triple dose of French director Benoit Jacquot. The films —The Disenchanted, A Single Girl, and Keep It Quiet — span a decade and coincide with the moment when the post-New Wave filmmaker started gaining international acclaim. Each of the titles makes its HD debut with this release, and they all offer an intriguing look at Parisian life. The movies also feature some enchanting performances from their leading ladies.
“I used to believe in all manner of enchantments.”
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on October 28th, 2015
"Dark forces are rising. The frequency of possession is increasing all over the world."
Must be Global Warming...check that ,Climate Change. It seems the whole warming thing wasn't exactly working out for these guys. So like a business with a bad reputation you change the name and pretend that's what it's been like all along. There is an alarming increase in the frequency of movie possessions all over the world. But it's not Global Warming or Climate Change that's to blame. Hell, it isn't even Bush's fault. It's got to do with the color green. Devil possession has been a popular horror sub-genre since The Exorcist took the world by storm in 1973. Filmmakers are chasing that success, and filmgoers are hoping to see something that special again. It's not going to happen. No film has ever come within miles of hitting us like The Exorcist did over 40 years ago. We all keep chasing that elusive high, but we'll never see its likes again. Now, that doesn't mean we can't have a little fun while we're looking.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by J C on October 27th, 2015
Between Judgment Day, zombie apocalypses, and various other doomsday scenarios, we've gotten a pretty good look at what the end of the world is supposed to look like. One of the most striking things about Z for Zachariah — an otherwise straightforward and deliberate drama that takes its story from a 1974 novel of the same name by Robert C. O'Brien — is that, for the most part, the end of the world looks an awful lot like paradise.
In fact, the biggest visual clues that this is even a post-apocalyptic story occur within the first 10 minutes or so. That's when we're introduced to a slight, shapeless figure in a makeshift decontamination suit pushing a cart through a barren, abandoned town. We eventually find out her name is Ann Burden (Margot Robbie), and she is presumably the only survivor of an unspecified disaster that has wiped out most of civilization. Ann survives on her family's farmland, which is uniquely (and miraculously) located in a place that shields her from radiation. She also has plenty of fresh water at her disposal. One day, Ann is shocked to find another survivor in a radiation suit.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Archive Authors on October 24th, 2015
Dustin P. Anderson
As far as a synopsis for this movie goes, there isn’t too much to it. We are given a brief look inside the mind of a real-life serial killer. A psychopath has been given a conditional release from jail and is only interested in satiating his lust for killing. After some failed murder attempts, the killer finds an empty house and waits for the occupants to come home. This movie has a lot to say, while being easy to summarize. The story is basic, but there is so much more to it than just the events that take place. It does a great job at making the killer seem more human when we see how clumsy he is at killing people. During the killer’s beginning inner monologue, he states, “this time he won’t get caught,” which, I thought meant he had some grand scheme in place to kill a bunch of people and never see the inside of a jail cell again. The killer actually has no plan; he gets caught up in his passion for murder and bumbles almost every one of his attempts; for instance, when he is caught untying his shoelace the shoelace is in the condemning position used for strangling someone. I also like that the inner monologue of our killer matches the person he is killing; it makes it seem like he is offering an explanation of why he is killing this certain person. When he kills a man in a wheelchair, he starts speaking of his father/stepfather; when he is tying up a young girl he is talking about his sister, etc. This movie is the closest thing to describing to the general public why certain killers do the things that they do, and it is the most disturbing thing I have seen in a while, which makes it an amazing horror movie.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Archive Authors on October 23rd, 2015
"Looks like the crazy is starting."
Actually, it started three seasons ago. The creator of Dawson’s Creek and The Vampire Diaries, Kevin Williams, delivers a thriller that is a bold new entry in the crime drama for television. The Following was 15 episodes of nail-biting bliss that kept the viewer guessing and riveted long after its gut-wrenching cliffhanger season after season. For a while I was beginning to wonder if Williamson had lost his touch with the Scream series, but what you’ll discover here is that Williamson may just be the king of creating and penning one of the darkest serial killers on the small screen.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by J C on October 22nd, 2015
“If I didn’t have movies, life would be pretty boring.”
That statement obviously applies to those of us who spend an inordinate amount of time watching and thinking about movies. (If you’re reading this, chances are you visit this site with some regularity, so I feel good about including you in that group.) However, the notion that movies serve as a source of escape — in every sense of the word — is remarkably expressed in the captivating, stranger-than-fiction tale of the Angulo family. Unfortunately, it’s pretty apparent that The Wolfpack — a vague, shapeless documentary — doesn’t give us the full story.
Posted in: No Huddle Reviews by Archive Authors on October 22nd, 2015
Does anyone remember The Facts of Life? The show ran from 1979 to 1988, but then there was syndication and some reunion movies. So it had a long life and was consistently popular for its predominantly female cast. Where are they now? Blair (Lisa Whelchel) did very well on the 2012 season of Survivor, for one. They were all very young when the show started but were beginning to consider college and apartments in the final years, leaving behind the safe confines that Edna Garrett (Charlotte Rae) had provided. But over the years various cast members came and went. There is a young wise guy in this season who later became a big star. No, it wasn't Leonardo DiCaprio, because that was the series Growing Pains for the 1991 and 1992 seasons. It wasn't Molly Ringwald, because that was the first two seasons of The Facts of Life. The Facts of Life Season Seven is when a young George Burnett (George Clooney) was introduced in 1985. It was one of Clooney's first regular gigs. He also a semi-regular on Rosanne a couple of years later. Tootie (Kim Fields) was another cast member who was in all 201 episodes. Kim Fields went on to star with Queen Latifah in 118 episodes of Living Single. Natalie (Mindy Cohn) was also in all the episodes. Mindy went on to voice Velma in numerous Scooby-Do cartoons. Charlotte Rae (155 episodes) and Nancy McKeon (188 episodes) were the two other main cast members and worked erratically after the show concluded.
The show started with Edna heading a boarding school for girls, but as the years passed she started a shop called Edna's Edibles with the girls helping out. Season Seven starts right after Edna's Edibles burned down, and after dealing with that very special episode, they started a gift shop full of crazy collectibles. George is the contractor they finally hire to do the renovations. George had lived in the Middle East and frequently made light-hearted jokes about his stay there. That is a sign that it took place in the 1980's. Things were different then. Everybody had big hair and strange pastel-colored clothes. The music was full of synthesizers. That makes reissues like this like time capsules. It's not just nostalgia, but an examination of our shared past. Clooney is barely recognizable with his poofy, goofy black mullet and skinny frame. Clooney's future business partner years later, Grant Heslov (Good Night and Good Luck), makes an appearance in an episode as one of Blair's dates.
