The mysterious stranger, the weathered lawman, the preacher with a past: each of these tropes has been used countless times to tell tales of war, revenge, and redemption. They’re tropes due to their frequency, implying a laziness in creativity, but,… Read More ›
thriller
“The Cellar” Blu-ray Giveaway
Thrills and chills come from all kinds of places. In the case of Brendan Muldowney’s The Cellar, he drew inspiration from the supernatural, the scientific, and the downright human to develop his story that debuted at SXSW 2022 before it was… Read More ›
“AmbuLAnce” delivers on all the promised Bayhem and more.
Now I wish I could say I came up with the phrase “BAYHEM” as it is the perfect description for anything Michael Bay touches. You come for the absolute chaos and insanity that Michael Bay is known for, however that… Read More ›
Horror comedy “Keeping Company” delivers in both genres.
First time feature director, Josh Wallace joins co-writer Devin Das, who also wrote this as his first feature, in a devilishly delicious horror comedy in the newest movie, Keeping Company. The movie is anything but ordinary and it delivers some… Read More ›
Russian horror-thriller “Row 19” is a bumpy, albeit clever, ride.
More than any other form of storytelling, horror provides an opportunity of self-discovery through exploration of the darkest parts of ourselves. Sometimes this takes the form of a wordless, unstoppable shape, sometimes a clown with an acidic tongue, and other… Read More ›
Abuse takes on many forms in writer/director Jeremiah Kipp’s “Slapface.”
Actions have consequences. We may not know what they are in the instant that we make a choice, but they come eventually. Sometimes the consequence is something joyful, bringing light and life to you and those around you. Other times,… Read More ›
Riddle me this: What’s lime green, red, and black? The home release discs for director Matt Reeves’s “The Batman.”
I looked, and there before me was a pale horse! Its rider was named Death, and Hades was following close behind him. They were given power over a fourth of the earth to kill by sword, famine and plague, and… Read More ›
Discover the missing minutes of the Nixon tapes in historical fiction comedy/thriller “18 ½.”
18 and a half minutes. A lot can happen in that time. Depending on where you live, you can get to the store, purchase accoutrements, get home, and make a meal. Or perhaps you can work in some exercise, jogging… Read More ›
Dead or alive, “RoboCop” can come home with you on 4K UHD from Arrow Video.
There’s a strange thing that happens when machines that are capable of destroying are set in motion but aren’t stopped — they just continue to destroy with almost unfettered access. We can try to prevent or redirect, but there’s rarely… Read More ›
No matter the tools, this “Firestarter” won’t ignite.
Here’s the thing with making adaptations of Stephen King’s written works: there’re so many that haven’t been made yet! King is still at his apex of churning out quality genre content regularly, and to this day, he continues to write… Read More ›
Arrow Video released a 4K UHD restoration of the sci-fi time travel thriller “12 Monkeys.”
Given the recent news of accomplished actor Bruce Willis’s failing cognitive health, watching a film like 12 Monkeys is a tad bittersweet. On the one hand, we’ll never get a stirring performance like this again; on the other, his works,… Read More ›
The kids are so incredibly not alright in Eskil Vogt’s “The Innocents (De uskyldige).”
“I believe the children are our future Teach them well and let them lead the way” – Whitney Houston Is there anything more innocent than the joy of a child’s summer vacation? Playing with friends in the sun all day… Read More ›
Paranoia seeps through every frame of surrealist, absurdist sci-fi thriller “Friend of the World.”
These are wild times we’re living in. We’ve got wars for land in Ukraine and Israel bordering on genocide, racial strife and religion tied too closely with politics in the U.S. and U.K., a cult of personality seizing the good… Read More ›
With its intensity in storytelling and direction, Russell Owen’s “Shepherd” is not to be missed.
Relatively new director Russell Owen has managed to do something that very few directors can do even when they’re tenured, let alone at the beginning of their career. Only one other director comes to mind who can create this kind… Read More ›
“Clean” Blu-ray Giveaway
Released in January, Adrien Brody starred in the dramatic thriller Clean, which he co-wrote with director Paul Solet. If you missed this redemption story when it dropped or are just prefer to own the cinematic stories you watch, Clean will hit… Read More ›
“We’re All Going to the World’s Fair” but should we?
Before anyone asks: no, this is not a spiritual musical successor to Rodgers and Hammerstein’s 1945 musical State Fair, so don’t get your hopes up like I did. The internet — a beacon of hope and knowledge in modern human… Read More ›
“Chariot” misses on almost all of its potential.
Sometimes what sounds good on paper does not necessarily translate well past that. What is worse than an idea that doesn’t fully flourish is when the plot description that is plastered over the internet gives away the entire movie itself… Read More ›
When the mystery remains, Korean action drama “Spiritwalker” crackles with energy and intrigue.
There can be just as much enjoyment in going on a journey you do know as in venturing on one marked by unfamiliar terrain. The predictability of something brings comfort, while something peculiar offers its own enticements. Writer/director Yoon Jae-keun… Read More ›
A heavy-handed atmosphere hampers “The Long Night.”
For many, the search for self is the hardest journey one can engage in. Maybe you don’t feel like you belong with your blood relations, maybe you don’t feel like you belong among the general public, heck, maybe you don’t… Read More ›
Return to Woodsboro in the latest entry of the beloved “Scream” franchise, now on home video.
Legacy — those who create it rarely live to see it last. Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Hamilton has a line in which legacy is described as “planting seeds in a garden you never get to see grow.” In 1996, master filmmaker Wes… Read More ›