Archive Page 279
May 12th, 2016 by Aaron Neuwirth
As nice as it may be to champion an original thriller with big movie stars and some relevant themes, Money Monster doesn’t do much to challenge the audience. That’s not necessarily required, but when a studio has the audacity to title a film Money Monster, you should be expecting more bite. There is a somewhat entertaining film here, but it seems like there should be more, given the talent involved.
d
d Continue reading ‘This ‘Money Monster’ Is Pretty Tame (Movie Review)’
May 11th, 2016 by Brandon Peters
Directed by Harald Zwart (The Karate Kid) from a screenplay by Scott Alexander, Larry Karaszewski, Zack Stentz and Ashley Edward Miller, Agent Cody Banks Frankie Muniz (Malcolm In The Middle), Angie Harmon (Rizzoli & Isles), Hilary Duff (Cheaper By The Dozen), Ian McShane (Deadwood), Martin Donovan (Trust). The film co-stars Keith David (Larger Than Life), Cynthia Stevenson (The Player) and Darrell Hammond (TV’s Saturday Night Live). The popularity of Agent Cody Banks would spawn the 2004 sequel – Agent Cody Banks 2: Destination London – reuniting Frankie Muniz, Cynthia Stevenson and Keith David. The spy game will never be quite the same in the action comedy Agent Cody Banks.
Continue reading ‘Agent Cody Banks (Blu-ray Review)’
May 11th, 2016 by Shohan Cagle
So I had pretty high hopes for how the Black Panther was going to be presented in the latest Marvel movie “Captain America: Civil War”. Fortunately, I was not disappointed. There were a few moments prior to seeing the film when I was a little worried that he was gonna come off as just some generic foreign character without any kind of personality. Take the Entertainment Weekly cover photo for example; they had Cap and Iron Man in the foreground with the Black Panther sitting between them and slightly behind. Now that would’ve been FINE, but they had to go and muck it up by adding a “Meow” next to T’Challa’s head. It was at that moment that it seemed like we were in for a “Borat” level of representation for this character. Other characters would be cracking cringe worthy jokes about his suit and the idea of this fresh new BLACK Hero would become a parody of itself.
Continue reading ‘Could Black Panther become the new Batman?!’
May 10th, 2016 by Brandon Peters
It starts as a game… and there’s no end in FRIGHT! A simple prank call turns into a night of person-to-person terror in I Saw What You Did, a movie that dials up the heart-stopping suspense! Scream Factory presents the Blu-ray debut of William Castle’s I Saw What You Did on May 17, 2016, complete with an all-new high definition transfer. Joan Crawford (What Ever Happened To Baby Jane?, Trog) and John Ireland (Terror Night) are among the stars in this chiller produced and directed by the great William Castle (The Tingler, House On Haunted Hill).
. Continue reading ‘I Saw What You Did (Blu-ray Review)’
May 10th, 2016 by Brandon Peters
Run Francesca! Run for your life! Oscar® winner Patty Duke stars in the tense and claustrophobic psychological thriller, You’ll Like My Mother. On May 10, 2016, Scream Factory presents the thriller for the first time on Blu-ray with an all-new HD film transfer, and complete with extras including new interviews with actors Richard Thomas and Sian Barbara Allen. Rosemary Murphy (To Kill A Mockingbird), Richard Thomas (The Waltons), and Sian Barbara Allen (who was nominated for a Golden Globe for her performance) also star in this “intriguing, tautly directed thriller [that delivers] a high level of terror and tension” (TV Guide)!
. Continue reading ‘You’ll Like My Mother (Blu-ray Review)’
May 10th, 2016 by Aaron Neuwirth
Imagine a rich comic universe with plenty of potential to be found in simply taking a piece of it, rather than cramming so much into one feature film. That has been the struggle of X-Men films over the years and while some have managed to balance this assemblage of characters better than others, there is also the matter of having these films mixing up super-powered action with interesting themes. Sadly, X-Men: Apocalypse comes up lacking in both character and substance, making its grand-scale action somewhat worthless in a very muddled film.
d Continue reading ‘‘X-Men: Apocalypse’ Is A Bland Look At The End Of The World (Movie Review)’
May 10th, 2016 by Brandon Peters
There are over 6 million car accidents in America every year, that’s nearly 18,000 accidents every day. We exchange our information and go our separate ways. But sometimes, accidents happen for a reason…. Chiller original movie FENDER BENDER, starring Makenzie Vega (The Good Wife), Dre Davis (Pretty Little Liars), Cassidy Freeman (Longmire) and Bill Sage (American Psycho), debuts June 3, 2016 (9 PM) on Chiller. Written and directed by Mark Pavia, FENDER BENDER harkens back to the horror-thriller classics of yesteryear and spins a cautionary tale of a simple car accident gone awry. This original movie is developed and produced by Shout! Factory in association with Chiller.
. Continue reading ‘Chiller Original Movie FENDER BENDER From Scream Factory Premieres Friday, June 3 at 9 PM’
May 10th, 2016 by Blu-ray Brian
I’m very excited about this news today! Acclaimed producer J.J. Abrams and up-and-coming director Dan Trachtenberg deliver a new masterpiece that critics are calling “riveting, gripping and loaded with tension” (Scott Mantz, “Access Hollywood”) when 10 CLOVERFIELD LANE debuts on Blu-ray Combo Pack, DVD and On Demand June 14, 2016 from Paramount Home Media Distribution. The film arrives two weeks early on Digital HD May 31. make sure to check out the rest of the press release below for this thrilling title! Continue reading ‘Blu-ray Finds The Address For 10 Cloverfield Lane This June’
May 10th, 2016 by Brandon Peters
Romantic obsession has harrowing consequences in ‘90s cult-classic, suspense thriller THE CRUSH, written and directed by Alan Shapiro (Flipper, TV’s The Outsiders) and starring Cary Elwes (Saw, The Princess Bride, Twister), Alicia Silverstone (Clueless, Batman and Robin), Jennifer Rubin (Bad Dreams, Screamers) and Kurtwood Smith (TV’s Agent Carter, That ‘70s Show). On June 21, 2016, SCREAM FACTORY™ is proud to present THE CRUSH Blu-ray edition, featuring new audio commentary with writer/director Alan Shapiro, new interviews with Kurtwood Smith and Jennifer Rubin, and more!
. Continue reading ‘Cult Classic THE CRUSH Arrives On Blu-ray June 21st!’
May 10th, 2016 by Aaron Neuwirth
People familiar with Michael Moore are aware he can be a polarizing figure. The other thing to keep in mind is how surprisingly charismatic and affable he can be. While he has made his views clear in past films, there is often plenty of humor to be found as well. This is what works best about Where To Invade Next, an enjoyable documentary that does a lot to keep Moore’s views somewhat in check, while he travels the world to look at how other countries function.
d
d Continue reading ‘Where To Invade Next (Blu-ray Review)’
May 9th, 2016 by Shohan Cagle
IFC Midnight presents What We Become. Starring Mille Dinesen and directed by Bo Mikkelsen, this Danish horror/thriller follows a suburban family who have been quarantined into their home due to a severe and contagious viral outbreak. Isolated from the rest of the world, teen Gustav spies out and realizes that the situation is far from under control. With the help of their neighbors the family must abandon their idyllic home life before it’s too late. Continue reading ‘What We Become is an intimate story of a horrific outbreak (Movie Review)’
May 9th, 2016 by Shohan Cagle
As a kid most of the people I hung around were BIG into skateboarding. So naturally, I wanted to be a part of their merry urban adventures. But alas, I could barely stay upright on a board, and the one or two times I ATTEMPTED to do a “trick” ended in disaster. I even went so far as to study the great Tony Hawk and read his auto-biography in the hopes of stirring some sort of skater passion lying deep within me. Eventually I realized that I just wasn’t meant to walk the path of four wheels and pursued other interests. But when you watch Thalente (Pronounced Talent) or listen to him talk, you can just feel this kinetic energy and undying love that he has for skating. There is no conceivable way that you could mistake his feelings for skating boarding as passing phase. For this South African, skating is life, and life is skating. It’s never really flat out said, but it’s pretty clear that if it weren’t for his board, he would’ve ended up a dead a long time ago.
Continue reading ‘I Am Thalente will kick-flip it’s way into your soul! (Movie Review)’
May 7th, 2016 by Aaron Neuwirth
This year features a variety of superhero films and it turns out one of the wildest, offbeat ones will remain one of the year’s biggest hits. Yes, while the world deals with the various universes being created by Marvel Studios and Warner Bros., Fox has been plenty confident in this break from their X-Men films to deliver a fourth wall-breaking smart ass who supposedly changes what superheroes are all about. That is not quite the case, as Deadpool is about as straightforward as it gets (with added blood and swearing), but there is fun to be had. Now the film arrives on Blu-ray for you to get closer than ever to him.
d Continue reading ‘Deadpool (Blu-ray Review)’
May 7th, 2016 by Brandon Peters
Take a terrifying plunge into the warped mind of a disturbed young woman with the visually and emotionally compelling psychological thriller The Abandoned. Making its Blu-ray and DVD debut June 7th, 2016 from Scream Factory, in conjunction with IFC Midnight, this suspenseful release also includes brand new bonus features, including an alternate ending, deleted scenes, and the theatrical trailer. Fans can pre-order their copies now by visiting ShoutFactory.com.
.
. Continue reading ‘Suspenseful Thriller THE ABANDONED Makes Blu-ray Debut June 7th From Scream Factory’
May 5th, 2016 by Aaron Neuwirth
For this last post concerning my coverage of the 2016 Newport Beach Film Festival, I wanted to take the time to dig into some of the short films presented. Thanks to a lovely programmer, I was able to attend a couple shorts programs. A few in particular really stood out and while it is great to see short films in general, I want to specifically get into the two shorts that functioned as westerns; each of a different sort.
d
d Continue reading ‘NBFF 2016 Review: Winter Light And Lightning In The Hand’
May 5th, 2016 by Aaron Neuwirth
Nothing says great Blu-ray release like the announcement of a sequel or remake to lead to this happening. Soon we will have a follow-up to one of the biggest blockbusters of the 90s with Independence Day: Resurgence and that has led to a new release of Independence Day, complete with an all new transfer for both versions of the film, new extras and plenty of other things to make me happy. I am an unabashed fan of the film and it’s great to have a terrific new release of it. Dig in to learn more about the new edition of this alien invasion/disaster movie spectacle.
h Continue reading ‘Independence Day: 20th Anniversary Edition (Blu-ray Review)’
May 5th, 2016 by Brian White
I guess you could say with the exception of Rogue One and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Captain America: Civil War is amongst my most anticipated films of the year. Many of my peers tell me that’s pretty sad being a critic and a screenwriter by night trying to be taken seriously, but I don’t care. I love me some superhero flicks! And with an all-star cast like this one, who needs to wait for another Avengers outing? This one’s like The Avengers 2.5, is it not? Of course it is! Have you seen the trailers? If so, you know what kind of bad a$$ moments that are in store for you here, but that’s just the frosting on the cake. Believe me folks. You haven’t seen anything yet! Continue reading ‘‘Captain America: Civil War’ Thrills Divisionally (Movie Review)’
May 5th, 2016 by Brandon Peters
An unsettling spiritual shocker, The Binding shows the darker side of devotion when a religious family’s patriarch begins receiving visions of bloodshed. Written and directed by Gus Krieger, produced by Michael Glassman and Scott Hyman, The Binding presents divine psychological horror through a modern reimagining of the Biblical tale of Abraham, who was commanded by God to bind and kill his infant son. A young minister’s wife (Arrow’s Amy Gumenick) attempts to reconcile her foreboding maternal instincts with her deeply religious husband (Josh Heisler) and his increasingly disturbing intentions. Is he receiving visions from God or unraveling within his own delusions of grandeur? How far will a family’s faith extend when their blind devotion means their violent destruction? Praised for its intelligent design, The Binding became a critical favorite through its celebrated performances and cerebral nuance. Continue reading ‘Psychological Shocker THE BINDING Makes Blu-ray Debut August 2nd From Scream Factory’
As nice as it may be to champion an original thriller with big movie stars and some relevant themes, Money Monster doesn’t do much to challenge the audience. That’s not necessarily required, but when a studio has the audacity to title a film Money Monster, you should be expecting more bite. There is a somewhat entertaining film here, but it seems like there should be more, given the talent involved.
