Outcast Comments: Aladdin (2019)

So, the other day I took some time to take in Disney’s new live action redux of their classic animated film, Aladdin. It just happened to fit into my schedule, as I had not really planned on seeing it. I thought the trailers looked awful, I was not sold on Will Smith playing the Genie, and I fail to see the point in Disney’s recent fascination with remaking all of their animated properties. So, I was fully expecting to not like it. Well, to my surprise, I actually enjoyed it. It is not perfect, and is little more than trifling entertainment, but I would have no problem recommending it. Now, I am not going to review it, but just wanted to throw out some quick thoughts.

Movie Review: The Dead Don't Die (2019)

The Dead Don’t Die is a movie that came to my attention quite literally out of nowhere. I seem to recall hearing something about a movie being made locally, to me, and it turns out it was this. I do not know precisely where, but the locations seem vaguely familiar to me. I was also clued in by the majority of the audience at my screening were zombie extras in the film. In any case, the movie itself is a dry-witted, masterpiece. I absolutely loved the simplicity of everything.

Movie Review: Blindspotting (2018)

The first time I saw the trailer for Blindspotting, I was a little confused as to what it was. The trailer begins by making you think it is some sort of comedy and ends looking more like a drama on race relations and perceptions. As it turns out, the movie is both. We follow a young man whose parol is nearly up, navigating the complicated relations and his own changing perceptions in the wake of witnessing a police shooting. Now, I do not have the words for a full review, but I at least wanted to share some of my immediate reaction in the wake of seeing it.

Screening Report: Uncle Sam at Alamo Drafthouse, Yonkers (4/17/18) w/ Bill Lustig

It must have been a year or so ago that I attended a screening at the Alamo, in Yonkers, that was hosted by Bill Lustig. I forget what movie it was, but I want to say Vigilante or Maniac Cop 2. Wait a minute, you don’t know who Bill Lustig is? For shame. He is a director and producer who has been in and around the industry for decades, and he is responsible for bringing us such classics as Maniac and Maniac Cop. Well, in any case, after the screening, there was some discussion about any possible interest in seeing his last directed film, Uncle Sam. I was the first one to say that I would be there. It is not that it is a great movie, but it is a fun one that I thought would be fun to see with an audience. Now, here we are basking in the afterglow of a screening of said movie.

Critical Capsule: Game Night

This movie was a complete surprise. Don’t get me wrong, I am not calling great or anything, but it is genuinely funny, involving, and actually kept me guessing throughout. Game Night is a legitimately fun movie that just when you think you see where it is going, it swerves and changes everything. I liked the cast, Jason Bateman and Rachel McAdams are a good lead pair. I also liked that the makers tried to do stuff with the style to further the concept of games, most notably using tilt shift to make the town look like a game board and the cars as game pieces. This is he sort of surprise I like to have, when hoping to be entertained, and walk away genuinely liking it.

Critical Capsule: Jumanji - Welcome to the Jungle

I know a lot of people had very strong feelings about the prospect of a Jumanji remake. I was not one of them, sure I enjoyed the movie, but I cannot say I had any particular attachment to it. That said, I initially thought this new edition looked pretty bad. I was wrong. No, it is not a great movie by any stretch, but it is a lot of fun and I liked the use of the video game elements throughout. Beyond that, the cast had great chemistry and Jack Black, in particular was quite well cast and had a rather strong character arc. Likewise, I actually didn’t mind Kevin Hart here, I am not usually a fan of his. Then we have the Rock, who was great as usual. Finally what can be said about Karen Gillan? Overall, this was a fun addition to the Jumanji-verse, not sure I need anymore but this is an easy one to recommend for a little fun in the theater.

Movie Review: The Disaster Artist

The Room is, hands down, one of the worst movies ever made. The funny thing is that we are here talking about it years after its release, which was really no more than a blip. Why? Why are we still talking about this awful movie? Let’s take that a step further, why are theaters having midnight screenings? Why do these screenings sell out? Why? Why? Why? The only thing that I can surmise is that we, as a collective, are attracted to crap. Seriously. I admit it, I have seen The Room and would likely watch it again. I must be some sort of masochist. Now, we have reached the ultimate in our collective love for bad filmmaking, a movie made by bi Hollywood names attempting to find the source of enjoyment of this terrible movie and deeper than that, an understanding the enigmatic figure at the center of it all.

Critical Capsule: A Bad Moms Christmas

Last year, Bad Moms proved to be a bit of a surprise hit. You know what that means! Let's rush out a sequel! That brings us A Bad Moms Christmas. The main cast returns and adds a number of notable names to play the mom’s moms. Well, I am happy to report that while this has very little plot, it still maintains the vulgar charms of the first and is quite enjoyable. It is by no means great, but is a fun R rated holiday romp and the additions of the mom's worked out quite well. I wonder what could be next? I don't really see this as a long running franchise, but I would not be against another go around with these put upon mom's just trying to do the best they can for their families. Perhaps unrealistic, but certainly relatable.

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.

Movie Review: Runaway Nightmare

So, as I was looking for something to watch, my gaze turned to my collection of Vinegar Syndrome releases. In the past couple of days, I watched a pair of their releases and figures I might as well keep it going. As I scanned the spines looking for an appropriate title, I settled on Runaway Nightmare. An oddity released way back in 1982 and one I was pretty sure I had never seen before, that’s always a plus. Anyway, as I started to watch the movie, something seemed vaguely familiar. As it turns out, I have seen Runaway Nightmare before, but I’ll be damned if I could remember any specifics about the plot. The deeper into the movie I got, I realized why I couldn’t remember the details.

Movie Review: Savage Water

Do you ever watch a movie and wonder why it was made or who the intended audience was? Not only that, you keep watching, no matter how bad it gets? I am sure you have, I know I have on more than one occasion. Savage Water just happens to fulfill all of those qualities. For more than 90 minutes, I sat there wondering why I was watching, hoping it would get better, and powerless to turn it off. I daresay it is one of the worst movies I have ever seen. Despite how bad it is, I sit here willing to give it a pass for getting made. I mean, clearly it is low budget and made by somebody who wanted to make a movie. You have to respect that dedication even if the final result is awful.

Movie Review: Kung Fu Yoga

The prospect of a new Jackie Chan movie fills me with excitement and a little bit of dread. Jackie will always be a charismatic figure. Whether he is on the screen, in an interview, or just walking down the street, he will always be that happy go lucky guy that I would love to sit down with. With that said, he is not getting any younger and his kung fu skills are not what they used to be. The last film of his that I saw was Chinese Zodiac back in 2012, that movie was downright dull and uninspired, despite Jackie’s presence. So, when Kung Fu Yoga arrived, I approached with trepidation.

Event Recap: Exhumed Films Presents - 3-Dementia!

If you know me, you know my love for genre films and the Hudson Horror Show. Even if you don’t know me, there is a good chance that you still know this about me. While Hudson Horror may be local genre marathon saviors they are hardly the only game around. There is a group based out of Philadelphia, PA, called Exhumed Films that has been in the game for twenty years, delivering all manner of genre movie marathons, all from 35mm prints. On July 16, 2017, the group put on what may be the most unique show they have ever had. The show was called 3-Dementia and, you guessed it, was comprised entirely of 3-D films. It also happened to be the first Philadelphia set show of theirs that I have attended.

Movie Review: Rush Hour 3

I remember when the first Rush Hour film came out, it was way back in 1998. Jackie Chan was on a run of action films that was raising his international recognition (Rumble in the Bronx, Supercop, First Strike, Operation Condor) and Chris Tucker was a rising star following Friday, Money Talks, and The Fifth Element, so it seemed like a good idea to combine the fleet feet of Chan with the fast tongue of Tucker. I have to admit, I really liked that first film, the second two. Granted it has been some years since I have revisited them. Now, for some reason I decided to revisit part 3, and it has not aged well. I’m not sure I really liked it the first time around back in 2007.

Movie Review: Bonejangles

What do you get when you combine a subpar slasher and a subpar zombie movie? Bonejangles, of course. Toss in a healthy dose of horror themed comedy and a not quite efficient level of exposition and you end up with a movie that is actually somewhat entertaining. It is funny, almost in spite of how mediocre the pieces are on their own, the movie still manages to entertain enough to be worthwhile. To take that a step further, I feel you could have had a good film if you picked one side and expanded that into a feature. With that said I do like the idea of combining the disparate elements, if not the execution.

Movie Review: Peelers

Do you ever look at a description of a movie or watch a trailer and just know that you should stay away from it? Of course you have, we have all been confronted with a movie that seems so bland or derivative that they hardly seem worth your time. Peelers is one of those movies. Take the concept: strippers versus zombies. Hardly a fresh concept, it has been a number of times over the past few years, and I cannot say any of them have been all that entertaining. Peelers doesn’t change the trend and tends to the dry and boring side.

Movie Review: Nothing but Trouble (1991)

What else can I say but Wow! Some movies just completely defy explanation and this 1991 oddity is one of them. Nothing but Trouble was Dan Aykroyd’s big follow up to 1989’s Ghostbusters II. Yes, he made some other appearances, but nothing quite as high profile as this exceptional box office dud. The film blends dark comedy with some backwoods horror and splashes with a healthy dose of surreal. It arrived in theaters where it proceeded to go nowhere, it is possible it is more famous for the hate it drew from Roger Ebert than anything else. Do you want to know the craziest thing? I love it.

Movie Review: The Belko Experiment

I swear, I think it was only a week ago that I first heard about The Belko Experiment. The trailer played before the movie Iced (a Video Vortex presentation at the Alamo Drafthouse in Yonkers). I was immediately intrigued, turning to my theater neighbor, Michael Gingold (of Rue Morgue magazine) and asked if he knew of it. He told me he had seen it and that it was good. All right, that’s good. The trailer looked funny and violent and I spied the likes of Michael Rooker and John C. McGinley in the cast, and then I saw it was from the team of James Gunn and Greg McLean. All good. Then I get an email about a free screening with a live stream Q and A. Who am I to say no to that?

Movie Review: The Lure

There are some movies that as soon as you see the trailer you know you have to see it. It is the feeling I get when I see a trailer for, say, a new Star Wars movie or like when I saw the preview for John Wick: Chapter 2. Well, that feeling welled up inside of me when I saw a trailer for The Lure. Now, I am sure many of you look at that title as if I were typing in a foreign language. That’s all right, sometimes I feel that way as I am typing. The Lure is the English title for Corki Dancingu, a Polish genre mashup that is definitely a unique experience. Granted, I did not love it as much as I thought I would based on the trailer, but I think it may grow on me with more viewings.

Movie Review: Psychic Killer

Here is another 70’s era exploitation feature that has come to my attention by way of a Vinegar Syndrome release. Psychic Killer is a fun, pulpy romp that is not as serious as it wants to be, nor as in depth as it could be. It is a movie that you really have to accept on its own terms. I found that the minute you begin to question it, is the same time your interest will begin to waver. It is buoyed by some decent performances, but even as I was entertained, I wonder what it could have been had it been given another rewrite or two.