Out in Theaters: ‘THE FINAL GIRLS’

October 9, 2015 by Matt Oakes Posted in Out in Theaters, Uncategorized Tagged Adam DeVine, Alexander Ludwig, Alia Shawkat, Angela Trimbur, Horror, Malin Akerman, Nina Dobrev, Out in Theaters, Reviews, Taissa Farmiga, The Final Girls, Thomas Middleditch, Todd Strauss-Schulson 3 Comments

The premise for The Final Girls – a group of teens are inexplicably sucked into a slasher movie and must survive its 92 minute runtime in hopes of returning to their world – is questionable to say the least. One might think to find such a movie buried deep down in and amongst the filth of Netflix; hidden amongst those low-budget wanna-be’s masquerading as the real deal. It doesn’t take the aid of Sherlock to prove that this is not the case. Not only is The Final Girls not atrocious, it’s rather excellent. As in, it’s goddamn righteous. Read More

Channing Tatum is a Merry Sailor in Trailer for Coen Bro’s ‘HAIL, CAESAR!’

October 9, 2015 by Matt Oakes Posted in Trailers Tagged Channing Tatum, Frances McDormand, George Clooney, Hail Caesar!, Jonah Hill, Josh Brolin, Ralph Fiennes, Scarlett Johansson, The Coen Brothers, Tilda Swinton, Trailers Leave a comment

Have you ever wondered what Channing Tatum would look like in a little sailors outfit? Wonder no more. The trailer for Hail, Caesar!, the newest comedy from Joel and Ethan Coen, has arrived and it looks nothing short of glorious (and features Tatum dressed oh-so-preciously) . Hail, Caesar! tells the story of a tentpole movie production halted when its leading man (George Clooney) is kidnapped and held for ransom. The sure-to-be winning picture is brimming with talent; in addition to Tatum and Clooney, Josh Brolin, Tilda Swinton, Scarlett Johansson, Ralph Fiennes, Jonah Hill and Frances McDormand are set to star with cinematography provided by all-star DP Roger Deakins. Read More

AMERICAN HORROR STORY: HOTEL, Episode 1: “CHECKING IN”

October 9, 2015 by Madelyn Sutton Posted in Reviews, TV Reviews Tagged American Horror Story, Denis O’Hare, TV Reviews Leave a comment

Here’s the thing about camp today: pure examples of it are extremely rare. First of all, we know too much; Sontag’s “Notes on Camp” was published in 1964 and has been assigned in humanities courses at liberal arts colleges ever since, so the possibility for an uncritical reception of a “new” camp object is fairly limited. Then, of course, the descriptor “camp” is generally applied to older things; in the moment, we are too caught up in the seriousness of whatever it is that we will come to see as over-serious and excessive and exuding mostly style. But the real sticking point is the all-pervasive cynicism ruling so much of art, fashion, character, life today. Cynicism is the killer of camp, it is the self-knowledge, self-irony and most importantly, general disdain that refuses the possibility of the ebullience of camp.

Out in Theaters: ‘PAN’

October 8, 2015 by Matt Oakes Posted in Out in Theaters Tagged DVD Reviews, Garrett Hedlund, Hugh Jackman, Jason Fuchs, Joe Wright, Levi Miller, Pan, Reviews, Rooney Mara Leave a comment

Were one to take both Pan and Oz: The Great and Powerful as case studies of skillful directors attempting to adapt iconic source material, they would be forced to reason that this just ain’t a venture worth taking. The same exact sentiment can be said of Pan the film. Joe Wright (Hanna, Pride and Prejudice), working from a Jason Fuchs (Ice Age: Continental Drift) script, has drained the prestige from his presence in attempting to tell a for-all-ages tale of the flying boy with a sentient shadow who never ages. Rather, he delivers a schizophrenic, incredibly frustrating family-friendly adventure with staggering highs and lows. Had Pan just been bad – rather than offering the odd moments of true clarity and borderline brilliance – the inevitable disappointment wouldn’t sting quite as much. As it, it’s a monstrous failure with absolutely out-of-place moments of undeniable inspiration. Read More

SOUTH PARK “The City Part of Town” Recap

October 8, 2015 by Brittany Cullen Posted in TV Reviews Tagged Matt Stone, South Park, Trey Parker, TV Reviews 1 Comment

Last week on South Park: Mr. Garrison is busy dropping truth bombs across America but his quest for the White House isn’t resonating well with some sects of society, specifically those with an 8th grade education or higher. Jimmy Fallon is directing jokes of a similar nature at the good people of South Park, as he makes light of the type of community that would give rise to such an outspoken redneck on The Tonight Show. Butters is reduced to tears as he watches Fallon parody the state of education in his hometown: “Welcome to South Park University, open your shotguns and slap your wives”. Read More

The Deepest Cuts: ‘THE BURNING’ (1981)

October 7, 2015 by Madelyn Sutton Posted in Retrospectives Tagged Horror, The Burning, The Deepest Cuts, Tom Savini Leave a comment

The Deepest Cuts is a weekly invitation into some of the sleaziest, goriest, most under-explored corners of horror and cult film online. Every title will be streamable and totally NSFW. Whether it’s a 1960s grindhouse masterpiece, something schlocky from the 90s, or hardcore horror from around the world, these films are guaranteed to shock, disturb, tickle, or generally blow your mind.

The summer camp slasher happens to be one of my favorite sub-subgenres, for a number of reasons: the woods are inherently creepy, particularly after dark; the lone nut seeking bloody vengeance is a great set-up for suspense; and then you’ve got all the sweaty group dynamics that develop among pubescent youths in short shorts, left to their own arts-and-crafts-related devices. And while Friday the 13th and Sleepaway Camp, just to name the most popular two, are undeniable gems, The Burning gives them both a bloody-good run for their money.

Out in Theaters: ‘YAKUZA APOCALYPSE’

October 7, 2015 by Eric Brown Posted in Out in Theaters Tagged Hayato Ichihara, Lily Franky, Out in Theaters, Reviews, Takashi Miike, Yakuza Apocalypse, Yayan Ruhian Leave a comment

Martial and arts are a natural translation to Asian cinema. Fighting, warriors, and ancient traditions are common themes in the canon treated with a feast of visuals and cinematic ambidexterity. So I thought I was prepped for what was to come with Yakuza Apocalypse under-titled, The Great War of the Underworld, directed by Takashi Miike. For those unaware, Miike is known for his prolific filmography but most notably for bending genres and pushing censorship boundaries with hyperbolic violence and sexual perversions usually in the form of Yakuza—members of international crime syndicates—subject matter. In other words, I’ll do my best to say it’s a Yakuza-gangster-horror-fantasy film. And completely uncategorizable. Read More

Out in Theaters: ’99 HOMES’

October 7, 2015 by Matt Oakes Posted in Out in Theaters Tagged 99 Homes, Andrew Garfield, Laura Dern, Michael Shannon, Noah Lomax, Out in Theaters, Ramin Bahrani, Reviews Leave a comment

*This is a reprint of our Sundance 2015 review

Success and honesty have become diametrically opposed forces in 99 Homes, a one-percenter housing thriller that pits a wolf of real estate in the form of an e-cigarette munching Michael Shannon against a hardworking everyman day laborer (Andrew Garfield). Money though is a powerful drug. Opulence, an even purer form of intoxicant. And as Dennis Nash’s (Garfield) desperate catches the sweet whiff of greenback wafting from the depths of Rick Carver’s (Shannon) pockets, he becomes willing to trade in his common man status for the spade suit of an iniquitous property mogul.

FEAR THE WALKING DEAD Season 1 Finale “The Good Man” Review

October 6, 2015 by J Simpson Posted in TV Reviews Tagged AMC, Colman Domingo, Elizabeth Rodriguez, Frank Dillane, Kim Dickens, Lorenzo James Henrie, Mercedes Mason, Patricia Reyes Spíndola, TV Recaps, TV Reviews, Zombies 1 Comment

In “A Good Man”, we all get the post-apocalypse we deserve, as Fear The Walking Dead draws to a close. All good things must come to an end. Fear The Walking Dead ended up being very good, despite a rocky start and some missteps. Most of these were corrected in FTWD’s conclusion.

First of all, let us address the rotting corpse in the room – the zombies (or “Walkers” or “biters” or “shambling bags of flesh”, choose your sobriquet.) The main criticism I saw leveled at the AMC mini-series was the lack of Walkers, which is a pretty serious allegation for a show with “The Walking Dead” making up ¾ of its title. “The Good Man” makes up for this drought in spades, with wave after wave of rotting flesh, as The Walking Dead‘s universe sees its very first herd. Read More

Blu-Ray Review: ‘WE ARE STILL HERE’

October 6, 2015 by Matt Oakes Posted in Blu-Ray/DVD Reviews Tagged Andrew Sensenig, Barbara Crampton, DVD/Blu-Ray Review, Ted Geoghegan Leave a comment

Synopsis: “After their teenage son is killed in a car crash, Paul (Andrew Sensenig) and Anne (Barbara Crampton) move to the quiet New York countryside to try to start a new life for themselves. But the grieving couple unknowingly becomes the prey of a family of vengeful spirits that reside in their new home, and before long they discover that the seemingly peaceful town they’ve moved into is hiding a terrifyingly dark secret. Now they must find a way to overcome their sorrow and fight back against both the living and dead as the malicious ghosts threaten to pull their souls – and the soul of their lost son – into hell with them.” Read More