Category: Uncategorized

In 1993, writer/director Phil "Chip" Herman had a dream to make a horror movie with his friends in his neighborhood. Like many aspiring filmmakers before him, he picked up a camera and made it happen, and the result is "Burglar from Hell," which is Herman's attempt to craft something scary with pronounced elements of comedy tossed in to make the whole endeavor digestible. There are bad things happening to good people, some gore, and occasional acts of intimidation, but Herman is definitely in learning mode with one of his earliest productions, going the shot-on-video route for the fright film, which only highlights his shortcomings as a helmer. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

David Huggins is 72 years old and lives in Hoboken, New Jersey. He works part-time at a deli, where he's been employed for quite some time, becoming a welcoming presence at the business, happy to help customers with their orders. He's a painter trying to perfect his technique, looking to the masters for guidance on color and style, in awe of the artform. And when he was a teenager, David Huggins was deflowered by an alien named Crescent, who offered him numerous sexual encounters, gave birth to his child, and supplied access to a society of intelligent insects and furry creatures living in a variety of spaceships. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

A strange mystery unfolds in “Gone in the Night,” but the screenplay, by Matthew Derby and Eli Horowitz (who also directs), doesn’t indulge traditional beats of suspense with the movie. It’s slow-burn work that takes time to fully fall into place, and that kind of ask for an audience requires something in the writing to pay attention to. Derby and Horowitz come up with a study of relationships and aging with the feature, looking to pull viewers in with small offerings of information before finally putting the puzzle together. “Gone in the Night” doesn’t have an explosive payoff, but the journey to a resolution delivers some compelling oddity and insecurities, generating a decent sense of the unknown before all is revealed. It’s a peculiar picture, which helps the endeavor work through some pokiness as it gradually ramps up to its finale. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

After the wild success of Jordan Peele’s “Get Out,” it seemed like a trend was about to be born, with other moviemakers hoping to ride coattails and put out their own take on social and politically attentive horror, empowered by the reality that audiences were growing more comfortable with the tonal mixture. Such a gold rush never really occurred, leaving “American Carnage” one of the few to follow Peele’s endeavor, with screenwriters Julio and Diego Hallivis (the latter directs the feature) hoping to make sense of Trump-era aggression toward immigrants and Hispanic communities by exaggerating such intense focus and hatred. The writing has interesting ideas to share about this unbearable hostility, and it uses genre filmmaking to take the battle of the border to a most bizarre extreme. “American Carnage” isn’t tightly edited, and it lacks a great deal of subtlety, but it handles with a passable macabre tone, doing something appreciably weird with real-world antagonism. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

“Dinner in America” premiered at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival, where it received mostly positive reviews and viewer appreciation. It’s now ready for release over two years after its first screening, and it’s easy to see why a distributor would have some reluctance to launch the feature, which isn’t an audience-pleasing type of movie. Writer/director Adam Carter Rehmeier is attempting to create a character study about unlikable people going through stressful times, and such a venture requires a fine touch when it comes to comedy and heart. “Dinner in America” uses a sledgehammer to bang out some type of tone, which results in a confusing endeavor where nothing is really amusing and personalities are mostly uninteresting. A few performances bring some life to the effort, but the picture plays like a private joke for Rehmeier, who’s not pursuing a story here, just an extended run of idiosyncrasy. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Stephen King’s “Firestarter” was originally published in 1980, quickly inspiring a film adaptation in 1984, where Drew Barrymore, fresh off her turn in “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial,” played the eponymous pyrokinetic. The feature attempted to be faithful to King’s material, and it resulted in a somewhat sluggish attempt to merge fantasy horror elements with various relationship dramas. It didn’t quite work, but it certainly had a clear idea of what it wanted to be. The 2022 remake doesn’t possess such confidence, barely paying attention to King’s plotting as writer Scott Teems (“Halloween Kills”) makes up his own tale of mental warfare, working to condense the original book in ways that basically eliminates characterization and suspense. The new “Firestarter” is a real head-scratcher at times, fumbling with ideas and conflicts, well aware that most viewers sitting down to watch it probably have no idea the 1984 effort (or the book) even exists. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

It’s unusual timing, and perhaps intentional timing, that “Umma” is debuting one week after the release of “Turning Red.” Both movies star Sandra Oh, and both productions deal with the internal struggles of a mother and daughter learning to live separate lives after remaining close for so long. “Turning Red” is the Pixar production, with comedy, bold colors, and sensitivity to the central crisis. “Umma” is co-produced by Sam Raimi and arrives with marketing pushing the endeavor as a creepy ghost story. There is a spirit of sorts in the film, but this is not a horror experience, with writer/director Iris K. Shim using the basics in genre exploration to support what’s more of a family tale of perceived abandonment. Those coming to the feature expecting to be shocked will probably leave disappointed, but quality performances are present, especially from ever reliable Oh. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Long ago, Billie Piper was best known as a pop singer, scoring a few hits before transitioning to an acting career, focusing on television work, including stints on “Doctor Who” and “Secret Diary of a Call Girl.” Piper graduates to more career control with “Rare Beasts,” which is her debut as a writer/director, examining a sustained state of panic for a woman dealing with all sorts of personal issues and brutal relationships. It’s a bold creative step forward for Piper, who gives everything to the feature, trying to make the endeavor as raw and dizzying as possible without losing her audience. “Rare Beasts” is a tough movie, and it aims to address the female experience on many levels of consciousness. It’s not a tidy effort, but Piper’s ambition is something to behold, using her screen time to hammer on the senses and reach hidden areas of shame with a furious picture. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

At the height of the television show "Dynasty" and the rise of the supermodel movement in pop culture, Canada decided it wanted in on the fun. 1984's "Covergirl" merges the glamour of runway domination with slight camp, though director Jean-Claude Lord doesn't exactly turn the production into a drag show. Instead, he treats the material (scripted by co-star Charles Dennis) with as much respect as possible, presenting the fantasy of attention and extraordinary style with the reality of predatory men and personal sacrifices, working to add some grit to the broad picture. "Covergirl" isn't high drama, but it has enough industry challenges to hold attention, delivering a decent examination of the price of fantasy, especially for the women who aspire to make a name for themselves in the world of modeling. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

1986's "Land of Doom" gives the audience a different kind of hero in Harmony, a post-apocalyptic warrior with severe personal contact issues and preference for kicking attackers in the groin as a way of shutting down oncoming violence. She's not exactly a steely, butt-whuppin' type (remember, this is the same release year as "Aliens"), but she's close enough for director Peter Maris, who tries to make a proper actioner with star Deborah Rennard. Tasked with supplying screen authority, and the actress certainly seems like she's having a good time with "Land of Doom." It's a bummer the rest of the feature only reaches a certain level of campy chaos, finding Maris unable to bring his B-movie elements to a boil. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Feeling the urge to bang out another feature after working on a series of B-movies such as "Sorority Babes in the Slimeball Bowl-O-Rama," director David DeCoteau decided to challenge himself with a Corman-esque task. Instead of developing a film from the ground up, DeCoteau simply raided the materials he had access too, partnering with writer Kenneth J. Hall to create 1988's "Nightmare Sisters," which was shot over four days, working with a screenplay that was crafted in a week. Armed with short ends, a cheap 35mm camera, leftover props, and a working relationship with lead actresses Michelle Bauer, Linnea Quigley, and Brinke Stevens, DeCoteau set out to make a cheapie horror romp with broad comedy and ample nudity. Keep those standards in mind, and "Nightmare Sisters" is a triumphant achievement of limited creative goals, watching the cast and crew pull off an amazingly accomplished effort in next to no time, while still managing to include some laughs and pleasing oddity in what's essentially a rush job to feed the once ravenous home video market beast. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

The 1980s were a troubling time for Cannon Films, with producers Menahem Golan and Yoram Globus flooding the market with mediocrity and the occasional disaster. One of the lone bright spots in terms of box officer performance was "The Delta Force," which shot up the big screen in 1986, cashing in on global terrorism fears with a pronounced display of American heroism. The pairing of Lee Marvin and Chuck Norris was celebrated by audiences, but a sequel didn't immediately arrive. A brief delay between installments doesn't do "Delta Force 2: The Columbian Connection" any favors, as the cheap thrill of watching U.S. military might take down foreign baddies is largely missing from the 1990 follow-up, while only Norris returns to duty, grabbing the spotlight as the material explores the vicious nature of South American drug lords and the corrupt governments that support them. Director Aaron Norris tries to maintain a professional attitude about the production, but it's clear enthusiasm has dissipated, as "The Columbian Connection" tends to slide through confrontations instead of pumping itself up with bravado, with Chuck especially tuned out as he sleepily kicks, goads, and slaps around baddies. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Robert Downey Jr. has made a fortune with his participation in the Marvel Comic universe and his dalliance with Sherlock Holmes. Yet, every now and then, the actor likes to remind audiences of his dramatic potential, moving beyond superhero work with material that induces tears not chills. The primary function of “The Judge” is to demonstrate how good Downey Jr. is away from metal suits and Victorian costumes, yet time avoiding disaster and saving the world brings out the best in the star, not this sentimental, painfully overlong effort that never quite decides if it wants to be a domestic drama or a courtroom picture. As usual, Downey Jr. manages the challenge with ease, but director David Dobkin doesn’t aim any higher than a group hug, burying the movie in clichés. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Of course comparisons are going to be made about “Divergent.” With the monumental success of Y.A. adaptations such as “The Hunger Games” and “Twilight,” it’s a given that studios would be hungry to bring Veronica Roth’s trilogy to the big screen, as it contains all the necessary elements to tempt young audiences into theaters. It’s derivative work, but what’s surprising about “Divergent” is how bland it is. Handing material flavored with sci-fi, action, and romance to a team of filmmakers and actors with little experience in the genre mash-up, the movie ends up flat and repetitive, unable to acquire the epic stance it dearly wants to achieve. It’s more than just bad timing, the feature simply doesn’t have the cinematic intensity necessary to launch yet another arc of careworn heroism set in a merciless world of government control. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

After his award-winning turn on the cable hit “Breaking Bad,” it seems like Bryan Cranston would have his pick of roles, able to choose anything that provides a unique challenge. It’s somewhat of a surprise to find the actor starring in “Cold Comes the Night,” a small-scale noir that pairs Cranston with Alice Eve, exploring the seedy underbelly of crime and corruption in rural New York. It’s due to Cranston’s participation that the film remains involving and mildly surprising, with co-writer/director Tze Chun wisely trusting his talent to bring out the steel edges of the material, giving it an emotional punch. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com

Summer
ends with David Lynch’s “Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me,” Nicolas Cage
unraveling in “Honeymoon in Vegas,” and Edward Furlong screeching through “Pet
Sematary II.”

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Brandon Lee kicks up a storm in “Rapid Fire,” nobody asked for “Christopher Columbus: The Discovery,” and director Alan Moyle should be threatened by “The Gun in Betty Lou’s Handbag.”

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Sisters are doing it (murder) for themselves in “Single White Female” and television is Hell on Earth in “Stay Tuned.”

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The sting of violence in “Unforgiven” and Brian De Palma goes slightly mad with “Raising Cain.”

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Rotting away with “Death Becomes Her,” returning to the Swansony roots of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” and mourning Robin Harris in “Bebe’s Kids.”

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