Category Archives: Movie Reviews

«Falling Stars», Witches, Brooms and Death from above. (on VOD and theaters on October 11th)

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Three brothers find the hard way that no conspiracy theory could prepare them for the worst night of their lives. There is something dangerous lurking in the skies, but it does not come from outer space. 

“Falling Stars” is the new film from Gabriel Bienczycki and Richard Karpala, coming to theaters and VOD on October 11th, and it brings a tale of brooms, corpses and curses. 

Set in an alternative reality where witches are not really just a myth or something that grown ups use to scare the young so they learn to behave, we meet a trio of brothers celebrating the first night of the harvest season. In said nights, rumor has it that you can see some falling stars in the sky, but these are not in fact celestial bodies from outer space, but rather witches descending to the ground in search of victims.

This is dismissed to some degree by Adam and Sal, the younger brothers, but Mike, the oldest one, seems to know better. 

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Now on VOD: «eVil Sublet» ; What is wrong with some haunting if the rent is cheap?

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When you were a child, surely every time you saw a horror movie about a haunted house, you asked yourself “Why don’t they just move out?”, and chances are, now that you are an adult paying the rent you know the answer… “Because we can’t afford to rent anywhere else”. This sad truth is part of the premise of “Evil Sublet” the new horror-comedy film written and directed by Allan Piper, and that will be released on VOD on October 1st.

Here is the Official Synopsis:

“Alex and Ben find their dream apartment in New York’s East Village (AKA the eVil). Who cares if it’s cursed if the rent is cheap and it’s got an eat-in kitchen, right?

But when the bad roommate situation of living with murderous ghosts becomes too much for them, they must enlist the help of friends to escape the evil of their sublet.”

I really liked this film, A LOT. It has a lot of humor and very nice running gags that made me chuckle and even laugh aloud several times. It managed to stay balanced between comedy and horror, although it does stays a little bit more with the humor than the scares. I am not complaining, because when the movie wants to be scary, IT BECOMES SCARY. This is something we can understand from the very opening scene, that got me hooked, by the way.

Now, let me give an idea of what to expect with “Evil Sublet”.

You know that moment in some comedy films, when a joke does not land and the film drags it for too long or the joke is repeated again and again in the movie, but still is not funny? Well, this film has EXACTLY THE OPPOSITE: It has several good jokes and gags that are very subtle and go by very fast, almost a “blink and you miss it” kinda thing.

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«Things Will Be Different»: You have all the time in the world, but against you.

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The plan was simple: Rob a fortune, lay low for two weeks in an abandoned farm, spend some quality time with your estranged sister, make plans for the future, and when you come back to your own time, enjoy your millions. What could go wrong?

 

Just about everything… Since you are invading a property that belongs to some people with abilities beyond your comprehension that might not like that you are using their realm as an AirBnb, and won’t let you go until you comply with a mission that might cost you more than the fortune you stole. 

This is the premise of “Things Will be Different”, a very original tale of suspense and science fiction written and directed by Michael Felker, where sanity and family bonds will be put to the test. This film will be released on select cinemas and VOD on October 4th.

I saw this film twice, and let me tell you, you better prepare to have your brains hurt… but in a good way. Although “Things Will Be Different” is slow at some (brief) moments, it still is an entertaining ride. But I had to reflect for some time about certain parts of the film once it ended, and that had not happened a lot since I saw “Primer” back in 2004. (“Resolution” being another occasion). 

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«Tenants»: 7 floors of horror… but at least the rent is cheap! (now on VOD!)

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I think most of us can agree that the only thing more terrifying than seeing how expensive renting a new apartment has become, is finding yourself stuck with the worst neighbors possible and unable to move out. Monsters I can deal with, crazy neighbors that wake up at 4 A.M. to do aerobics with the TV full volume, not so much!

 

And being a huge fan of horror anthologies, I was very interested in “Tenants”, the new film just released on VOD this Tuesday 24th, from Cranked Up Films and that was directed by Blake Reigle, Jonathan Louis Lewis, Sean Mesler and Buz Wallick.

 

Here is the official synopsis:

“After waking up in an unfamiliar apartment complex, a woman desperately searches for her sister while being hunted by a shadowy figure. As she makes her way through the building, unspeakable horrors befall the tenants she interacts with.”

I would highly recommend watching the trailer AFTER seeing the film, as I think it gives away too much, and this is a film you definitely should give a chance.

But why?

Because here you will find  body horror, monsters that come from everyday items, weird infections, alternate dimensions, roommates that literally try to kill each other, vengeful ghosts, and an interesting tale of a twisted way to keep a family united.

 

Do you need more reasons?


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«Hayride to Hell»: Get your revenge fresh and organic! (now on VOD)

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Some say that revenge is a dish that tastes better when served cold, but humble farmer Sam Coxe prefer his vengeance fresh… and ORGANIC.

Just released on VOD this Tuesday 24th, comes a tale of rural justice via Breaking Glass Pictures called “Hayride To Hell”, where farmer Sam (played by Bill Moseley) squares off a long time grudge with the abusive county Sheriff Jubel (played by Kane Hodder), and tries to defend the farm that has been on his family for 200 years from a wicked corrupt trio that are part of the city council and wants a big piece of his land.

After one really scary accident lands Sam in the ER, he decides that had enough abuse and makes a deal with his enemies: In three days he will put together a very especial version of the haunted hayride attraction he had run for years to make some extra income (much to the dislike of the council and the sheriff), and if he manages to scare the living daylights of them, they will leave him alone for once and for all, As you might imagine, if he fails, he will have to sell the land as the counsel demands.

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From Fantasia 2024: «Dirty Bad Wrong»

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This year at Fantasia 2024, I had the chance to see some short films, and although I could not check as much as I wanted to, I was lucky that the ones I saw were very good.

And the short “Dirty Bad Wrong” directed by Erica Orofino, was not only good, but a great example of “Less is more”.

From the official synopsis:

Desperate to keep her promise to host the best superhero party for her 6 year old, young mother Sid, a sex worker, takes extreme measures and books a last-minute client with a dark fetish.

We don’t get nothing too graphic or extreme.. On the screen. However I’m sure in our minds, we are filling the gaps, and we know that whatever happened to be that client’s fetish was very gruesome. (there are hints, and they are not that hidden)

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From Fantasia 2024: «A Samurai In Time»

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In the final times of the Edo period, Shinzaemon Kosaka, a Samurai member of the Azu clan, starts a duel to the death with rival clan member Kyochiro Kazami. Before either of them can land the final blow on his opponent, an immensely powerful thunder is heard above them. Shinzaemon then suddenly wakes up in a remote village, in plain daylight, with his enemy nowhere to be found.

After seeing some ruffians trying to attack a defenseless woman, Shinzaemon tries to assist a samurai who appears to defend her, and here is where Shizaemon receives the first of many surprises of the day: He is now in modern time Kyoto. He is in the middle of a filming set, and what he just witnessed is a Jidaigeki (A period drama) being filmed. After being mistaken for an extra in the film production, our protagonist is kicked out of the set, thrown into a world he cannot recognize, and this is where the real fun (for us) begins.

This is the plot of “A Samurai in Time”, a film written and directed by Junichi Yasuda, which was presented in Fantasia 2024 yesterday. This film is not a regular “fish out the water” comedy involving time travel, but is an excellent homage to the Jidaigeki genre, and also has a deep emotional punch that I was not expecting. Continue reading →

From Fantasia 2024: «Heavens : The Boy And His Robot»

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Set in a world where humanity managed to explore the universe for more resources and later got into an interplanetary war with Mars, Kai, a boy that lost his father to the war, grows up and joins the Mecha Corps Academy. His desire of defending his planet, and finding his mother that has been lost in space for many years, is what keeps him moving forward despite having a very weak constitution and having to work way more than the rest of his teammates. When he is assigned his own Mecha, the two start to form a bond that makes them strong enough not only to survive the training, but also the many challenges they will need to overcome in order to survive this war.

That is the premise of “Heavens: The Boy And His Robot”, the new film by writer/director Rich Ho, who spent more than a decade working on this project, and was presented in Fantasia 2024 last night.

This movie left me with mixed feelings, and I will try my best to explain why:

The movie looks amazing, the special effects are great and the fights (both in the sky and on the ground) are breathtaking, not to mention that they are all in plain daylight and you can see everything that is going on with a lot of details.

This is in part the cause of my mixed feelings. The creator of this project, Rich Ho (Who writes, directs, composes the music, and also takes part in the special effects) spent years trying to push the technology to create the special effects for this film, and you can see the result is nothing short of amazing. And, just for that, the guy has all my respect.

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From Fantasia 2024 : «This Man»

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A menace from beyond the realm of the living seems to be behind the grizzly murders that are increasingly taking place in several places in Japan. A couple of detectives trying to stop this apparent epidemic started to note a pattern: most of the victims were under psychological care, and before their demise, they were claiming to have recurring nightmares where a very particular-looking man was trying to kill them.

A happy couple that feels blessed with their daughter and a life free of worries, have their world shaken when close friends of the mother share that they also have recently seen in their dreams “This Man” (as has been described in the media), and fear that their death is approaching. Is this a case of mass hysteria, or is this an omen that humanity itself has its days numbered?

I was very interested in the plot of “This Man”, the new film from Tomojiro Amano that was screened in Fantasia 2024. I was glad that I was not disappointed. While I felt that this production did not have a big budget behind it, the story was very well developed and made very good use of the special effects with the resources available.

The characters were very likable and therefore you worry a lot when you see the misfortune starts to fall on them. (Although at the beginning of the film, I felt I was about to have a diabetic coma due to so much sweetness in the marriage mentioned before). Even when the film is not gory or very graphic, some moments might make you feel uneasy and the film surprises you by showing you that anybody can die in this story. Films like these, are the ones I enjoy the most. Continue reading →

From Fantasia 2024 : «Hell Is a Teenage Girl»

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I rarely review shorts (I just mostly recommend them). However, this Fantasia 2024, I saw several synopses that got my interest and made me think: “Why the hell not??” The first one to draw blood is “Hell is a Teenage Girl”, written and directed by Stephen Sawchuk.

I want to cut to the chase, so let me copy/paste the official synopsis and jump to the best stuff!

‘HELL IS A TEENAGE GIRL’ OFFICIAL SYNOPSIS:
 Every Halloween, the small town of Springboro is terrorized by its resident SLASHER – a masked serial killer who targets sinful teenagers that break ‘The Rules of Horror’ – don’t drink, don’t do drugs, and don’t have sex! At the center of it all is Parker Campbell, the Slasher’s estranged biological daughter. In an attempt to clear her name and make things right with the town, Parker sets out on a life-or-death mission in hopes of ending his reign of terror once and for all…

Ok,  

Let’s dig in!

I really liked this short. And I was surprised that it went for a serious route, when I am sure that other directors would take a comedic route, if not plain parody.  This is a straight-up Slasher, and a good one at that!

Being only 15 minutes, it is understandable that a lot of background information could not be explained, but I think Stephen Sawchuk gave us all the information that we needed to understand Parker and her struggles. She is very likable, and it was cool to see that even when her life is a social living hell, she is not bitter at the whole world and nor wants to see it burn. 

If anything, she wants to see only her father burn. 

I think this could be expanded into a full feature, but it would need a lot of caution to not pad the plot with useless fillers or exposition. It would be tricky, but I am sure that we could see some moments of the original massacre that started the whole thing, without stealing the spotlight from Parker’s story.  Continue reading →