Movie Review: Red Christmas

What is it about Christmas and horror that blends so well? It is a strange mixture that, while not always perfect, often yields entertaining results. Now, outside of Halloween and summer camps, Christmas may be the best pairing with everyone’s favorite film genre. Just look at some of the classics we have already, there is the family friendly horror of Gremlins, the antics of Silent Night Deadly Night, the somewhat sad Christmas Evil, and even the recent iteration of the Krampus tale. That doesn’t even get to international offerings like Rare Exports and Sint. Now we have an offering from Australia, Red Christmas. Does it have what it takes to join the pantheon of classic Christmas horror hybrids? Perhaps.

TV Review: Wolf Creek - Season One

In 2005 writer/director Greg McLean introduced us to the dangerous world of the Australian Outback. For years there have been tales, and in some cases actual truth, to ruthless killers leaving in the Outback. Serial killers who did not take kindly to the tourist interlopers that they would find on their land. The two films (Wolf Creek in 2005 and Wolf Creek 2 in 2013) introduced us to the world of Mick Taylor (John Jarratt), a killer with wicked sense of humor and a mean temper. The films were quite the success, at least for this viewer, of delivering the horror goods and mixing in some elements of true crime. In 2016, they decided to adapt it to the small screen.

Movie Review: Officer Downe

Have you ever thought what a riff on RoboCop and Judge Dredd directed by a member of Slipknot from a comic book source may look like? No? Well, why not? It doesn’t matter much, in case you are curious, such a beast actually exists. Officer Downe is one wild and weird movie. It is the movie that you will continue to watch, while trying to figure out what exactly it is supposed to be. Seriously, I found the movie to be quite entertaining, but when you try to figure it out, it is revealed to just be a complete mess. There does not seem to be a point to it and the story is show buried below the surface that it becomes a negligible element. The best choice would seem to be to just accept it for the surface and enjoy it on the level it is dead set to exist on, a cinematic oddity.

Movie Review: Kickboxer - Vengeance

Way back in 1989 Jean Claude Van Damme was a rising star. He had already shown audiences his considerable screen presence and charisma in Bloodsport and Cyborg. His followup was Kickboxer, an action revenge flick that saw Van Damme head to Bangkok to avenge the brutal death of his brother at the hands of underground fight champion, Tong Po. That film proved to be a hit a spawned a number of sequels. Now, we are faced with a reboot of the franchise. Why? I could not say. Even stranger is that it was sent the direct to video route and is a decidedly lackluster outing.

Movie Review: The Autopsy of Jane Doe

Movies that come with a considerable amount of hype always run the risk of disappointing, of letting someone down after the buildup. It is always a fear of mine, I may listen to some of it, but I try not to get too wrapped up in said hype for fear of letting it sway my actual feelings about any given film. The Autopsy of Jane Doe is the latest film to arrive with a lot of hype and positive buzz around it. Friends messaged me asking if I’d seen it, positive comments on social media, even Stephen King is singing its praises. So, while I was anxious to see it, I went in trying to keep myself in check, just in case.

Blu-ray Review: Train to Busan

This past summer, I had the opportunity to check out a new zombie film from South Korea, it had been garnering a lot of buzz and I was curious to see if it would live up to the hype. The movie is called Train to Busan and it more than lives up to the hype. The film turned out to be an amazingly executed zombie film that delivers the action and also carries a strong emotional hook. It ramps up a little slowly, but it gives us characters, characters that are interesting and make us invested in their survival, or lack thereof.

2016: Favorite Movies of the Year

For 2016, my overall viewing was down, but I was still able to see a lot of really good movies. I would go so far as to say that I saw more excellent movies than I was expecting to. Of course, there are always those that I miss and I have to say that the late year crop of Oscar-type movies have not really excited me. Whether my lack of interest is due to the change in my viewing habits or taste, or that it is a weaker than usual Oscar class, I do not know. In the end, I don’t think it matters. The fact remains, I saw 19 movies that racked four stars or higher over the year. Below are said movies, all of which were seen in a theater.

2016: Worst Movies of the Year

The past year has given us more than a few stinkers. Try as I might to avoid them, I always manage to suffer through a few of them. I did manage to avoid some obvious junk like Nine Lives, Norm of the North, and Dirty Grandpa. Unfortunately, I did find myself sitting through the list below. I do not recommend wasting time with these movies, but far be it for me to dissuade you from seeing anything. Heck, for all I know, you may enjoy some of these. I feel pretty certain that I will not be seeing them again. Note: This list is compiled exclusively from films seen theatrically.

Festival Recap: Hudson Horror Show 14 has Ended

Seven years in and going stronger than ever. It is amazing watching this force of cinema exert its will on an audience and watching them all eat it up. Beginning as a small, unassuming screening of some horror movies, some local, independently made shorts, and a few vendors, it has grown into a colossal beast, an entity known far and wide, able to sell out theaters in minutes. One of the biggest changes was when they expanded into a second theater last year. Even the threat of losing the venue a few years back was not enough to get them down. The Hudson Horror Show has become an institution and easily among the best genre related events of the year.

Movie Review: Doctor Strange (2016)

I have to admit to feeling a little burned out on superhero films over the past year or two. There are just so many out there that they are hard to escape. Besides that, Marvel has planned so far ahead that it seems to sap a lot of the potential drama surrounding the heroes being defeated or perhaps dying. Then there is the problem that as impressive as the Marvel cinematic universe is, it has become studio driven more than creator driven giving everything a sense of sameness. This is why I like it when characters a little out of the mainstream arrive, like Antman last year. The fact we have a Doctor Strange movie adds some knew elements to the mix, shakes things up somewhat.

Movie Review: Blair Witch

Way back in 1999 a movie was released that took the word by storm. It was called The Blair Witch Project and it came out in the days before the internet was everywhere as it is today. What does that mean? It means the film was in perfect position to be marketed in such a way that people did not know if it was real or not, something that most likely would not be able to done today. I guess it was the last hurrah of the “is it or isn’t it” type of word of mouth marketing. Long gone are the days of Faces of Death and the perceived reality of said film’s contents. Why is any of this important? A sequel was made under cover of darkness, which has now been unleashed upon the masses.

Movie Review: Lights Out

I don’t remember how long ago it was, a year, maybe two (three?), I don’t think it’s been that long, but I am too lazy to check; anyway, there was a short that made the rounds on social media that was an effectively creepy film that only lasted a couple of minutes. Well, that short caught the attention of Hollywood and it was green lit to be turned into a full length feature film. That movie bears the same name as the short, Lights Out, and while not perfect, proves to be a highly effective movie. Sure, it feels like a stretched out short at times and there is precious little exposition, but it still manages to unsettle and delivers a nice emotional punch at the end.

DVD Review: Summer Camp

Ever hear of the movie Summer Camp? I hadn’t either until it appeared at a local movie theater a few months ago. The title did not sound all that exciting, so I was going to pass on it, but something told me I should give it a shot. To my surprise it turned out to be a horror movie. Even more surprising was that it was actually pretty good. It has some decent blood and gore, and an old school feel. While it is not exactly a shining piece of original filmmaking, it was surprisingly good and I am glad I decided to check it out. The interesting thing now is to see how well it holds up a few months later.

Blu-ray Review: The Lobster

The Lobster is the sort of movie that defies explanation, a nebulous slice of bizarro cinema that begs to be seen if not understood. Well, that may not exactly be true, on some levels it is perfectly understandable, perhaps even relatable, but the execution takes it to another level of odd. It is a film that challenges expectations, makes you laugh at the absurdity, cringe at some of what it shows, and in some ways touch you on an emotional level. Of course, this is not a movie for everyone, and while I would recommend it to everyone, I cannot guarantee your enjoyment.

Movie Review: Train to Busan

A couple of weeks back I started seeing a movie title pop up in my social media feeds that I had not heard of before. All of the buzz surrounding it seemed to be pretty popular, but figuring I would never get a chance to see, I did not pay it any mind. Things have a way of changing situations pretty quickly and I did find myself with an opportunity to go see it. The movie is called Train to Busan and it hails from South Korea. Another factor that played into my not really looking into it more quickly is the title, it is not really an attention grabbing title, you know what I mean? Well, then I discovered it was a zombie film and I got a little more interested.

Movie Review: Ghostbusters (2016)

Way back in 1984 a movie was released to theaters that has stood the test of time, entertaining millions over and over again for over thirty years. That movie was Ghostbusters, a movie that ranks among the greats and has inspired legions of dedicated fans. A few years later a sequel arrived, and while I do not love the movie, it still has a lot to like. Ever since then there have been ideas of adding a third movie to the franchise. Before now, the closest we had gotten was a video game featuring the voices of the original cast that was released back in 2009. In recent years there were talks of a third film with the original cast, a feature that transitioned the ‘busting to a new generation, and then, most recently, rival male and female team based films. The one that was made was the one featuring all female leads. This led to all manner of controversy before it ever hit theaters.

Concert Review: John Carpenter - Live Retrospective (Playstation Theater, 7/8/16)

It’s not often that I go to concerts anymore. It’s not that I don’t want to go, but access to artists I want to see is a bit more scarce these days. Of course, there are some that I make every effort to go see based on the rarity of appearances. Back in 2013 it was announced that Goblin was embarking on their first ever tour of the United States. This announcement was one of those rare moments, an artist I adore, it was a bucket list moment and the show was utterly transcendent. Two years later I was able to repeat that feeling when composer Fabio Frizzi (The Beyond, Zombie) went on a tour of the US. That, too, was absolutely incredible. Now, in 2016 I was able to scratch another entry off the bucket list, I saw John Carpenter in concert. It was magic.

Movie Review: Central Intelligence

When I first saw the trailer for Central Intelligence, it was right around the time that Ride Along 2 was out, I thought it was pretty quick for a third entry in the series. Of course, I knew it was not another Ride Along, but it was hard to deny the similarities that trailer had to the Kevin Hart/Ice Cube series of films. Based on those similarities, I was almost ready to write it off then and there; however, there was something else at play that kept my interest afloat. I am a fan of Dwayne Johnson, sure, he's had his share of disappointments, but he has a charisma that has carried him past them. In short, I saw the movie and I did, indeed, laugh.

Movie Review: Me Before You

The other day I saw a movie called The Lobster. That film was fantastic, a new take on the romantic comedy that sends it spinning off into the utterly bizarre realm of an undefined future where relationship status is important and people can be turned into animals if they fail to couple. Crazy, right? Anyway, I chose to follow that up with something a bit more traditional. This past weekend saw the release of Me Before You, a romantic comedy that aims to get you right in the proverbial “feels.” I have to say, this is not a type of film that usually gets to me, but every once in awhile one is executed well enough that it cuts through and threatens my tear ducts. No. I did not cry, but the potential was there.

Movie Review: The Lobster

So, The Lobster, that is a movie that happened. It is the sort of movie that defies explanation, a nebulous slice of bizarro cinema that begs to be seen if not understood. Well, that may not exactly be true, on some levels it is perfectly understandable, perhaps even relatable, but the execution takes it to another level of odd. It is a film that challenges expectations, makes you laugh at the absurdity, cringe at some of what it shows, and in some ways touch you on an emotional level. Of course, this is not a movie for everyone, and while I would recommend it to everyone, I cannot guarantee your enjoyment.