Thursday, April 26, 2018

'The Endless' (2017) Movie Review



When you begin your movie with a Lovecraft quote, you establish certain wingnut expectations right out of the gate. And Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead, the duo behind 2014’s Spring, meet those expectations with the twisty sci-fi/horror cult thriller The Endless. And there’s a character named Shitty Carl, which is a nice bonus.

'John Wick: Chapter 3' Plot Synopsis Has Keanu Reeves Thinking He's Back, Again



Over the last few years, action fans have been blessed with two installments in the John Wick franchise. It’s easily the biggest and best action series going. (We can debate the best portion of that statement, but as far as this style of non-superhero, non-giant-robot action goes, it’s by far the biggest—most of this ilk heads straight to DTV.) Thank whatever higher power you prefer, John Wick: Chapter 3 is on the way, and it now has a first synopsis.

Wednesday, April 25, 2018

'Avengers: Infinity War' (2018) Movie Review



I have to give it to Avengers: Infinity War, Marvel decided to stop fucking around. One of the biggest criticisms of their expansive cinematic universe is that no one ever in any real danger and no one of significance ever truly dies. Well, the bodies start dropping a few minutes in and continue throughout. Some are relatively minor in the grand scheme, and not all of them are destined to remain corpses, but quite a few are permanent and substantial game changers. With that, more than any other Marvel movie in their ten-year history, this film carries a legitimate edge of peril most don’t have. Right away, they establish a scenario where death, for anyone, is a real possibility, and the film’s better for it.

Tuesday, April 24, 2018

'Ghost Stories' (2017) Movie Review



Though it takes a while to really find it’s footing, when it does, Jeremy Dyson and Andy Nyman’s horror anthology, Ghost Stories, lives up to the hype it gathered on the festival circuit. The film plays with genre tricks and tropes, with varying degrees of success, but when the filmmakers finally break free, it builds into a clever and inventive crescendo.

Full 'Venom' Trailer Shows Off The Anti-Hero Symbiote



Spider-Man villain/anti-hero Venom has long been a fan favorite, but bringing him to the big screen has proven difficult. The last attempt, let’s just say it didn’t go well. But there’s a new incarnation on the way, and while the initial teaser a while back left people wondering if we’d actually see the iconic symbiote, the new full Tom Hardy-starring Venom trailer leaves no doubt in that realm.

Monday, April 23, 2018

'Buffalo Boys' Trailer: This Indonesian Western Is Action Heavy And Grim



Last month we saw the first teaser for the Indonesian revenge western Buffalo Boys, and it was rad. But it was just a taste. Well, it’s back with a full trailer that delves into the storyline and shows off more of the fantastic action hinted at last time. Enjoy.

Thursday, April 19, 2018

BoneBat Comedy Of Horrors 8: Zombies, Werewolf Dong, And Evil Rubber Duckies



It’s spring, a time of renewal, a time when the weather starts to pick up. Fortunately, on Saturday, April 14, 2018, the weather was complete and utter bullshit trash. Like some of the worst I’ve ever seen, and I’ve lived in Washington my whole life, so I know of which I speak. This fact just made it easier to spend all day inside watching scary movies with likeminded weirdoes at the 8th annual BoneBat Comedy of Horrors Film Festival. And once again, it was a total gas.

UPDATED: 'The Equalizer 2' Trailer: Denzel Washington Is Up To His Badass Old Tricks



From all appearances, I like The Equalizer more than most people. It has a lunatic edge and one of the villains is essentially the Devil, which I’m all for. So, of course I’m game for another team up between star Denzel Washington and director Antoine Fuqua. The Equalizer 2 drops this summer, and to get those of us fond of watching Denzel wreck dudes hyped up, it now has a new trailer.

Wednesday, April 18, 2018

'You Were Never Really Here' (2018) Movie Review



Jonathan Ames’ novella, You Were Never ReallyHere is a gritty, stripped down portrait of a man wounded in nearly every way imaginable. At a hair over 90 pages, it’s spare and efficient. It evokes feel and tone and mood and emotion, hinting at a brutal history for its protagonist, simply named Joe, rather than offering overt explanation and detailed backstory. It’s sparse, but leaves a distinct lingering impression. And in the hands of director Lynne Ramsey (We Need to Talk about Kevin), it makes for a similarly tight, impactful film. Bleak and grim, it’s also a human, tender story about baptism, rebirth, and being repurposed.

'Believer' Trailer: This South Korean 'Drug War' Remake Looks Insanely Awesome



Johnnie To’s 2013 Drug War finds the Hong Kong action auteur working at or at least very near the top of his considerable game. Action packed, violent, and full of betrayal and moral ambiguity, it bears all the hallmarks of the great HK genre offerings. A South Korean remake titled Believer is on the way. The first trailer just arrived and it looks like a worthy, and totally badass, adaptation.

Tuesday, April 17, 2018

Check Out The U.K. Trailer For Grim Muay Thai Prison Drama 'A Prayer Before Dawn'



A24’s A Prayer Before Dawn has been one of my most-anticipated movies since I heard it was happening. It has Muay Thai, tells an insane true-life story, and was partially filmed in notorious Thai prisons using real prisoners. All that sets my movie spider sense a-tingling. And a new U.K. trailer has me marking off days on my calendar and contemplating buying a plane ticket.

Monday, April 16, 2018

'Hotel Artemis' Trailer: Jodie Foster Fronts This All-Star Sci-Fi Crime Thriller



In general, I pay pretty close attention to movies and movie news. Shocking, I know. But I have to admit, I have only the vaguest recollection of hearing the name Hotel Artemis. That oversight has been corrected, however, thanks to this awesome new trailer for the Jodie Foster starring sci-fi action crime thriller. This has my full attention.

Friday, April 13, 2018

'Incoming' Trailer: Scott Adkins And Space And Scott Adkins Pummeling Dudes In Space



This may well be everything I want in life: Scott Adkins and space and Scott Adkins kicking the crap out of people in space. That’s right, there’s now a trailer for Incoming, the long-awaited—by me anyway—Scott Adkins space prison movie. And it’s everything I hoped for. There’s also a release date!

Thursday, April 12, 2018

'Paradox' Trailer: Wilson Yip Teams With Tony Jaa And Sammo Hung For Face Punching Galore



Fans of modern international action cinema are, or sure as hell should be, fans of Hong Kong director Wilson Yip. He helmed the first three Ip Man movies, with another on the way, SPL: Kill Zone, Flash Point, and tons more. (Also Bio-Zombie. I’ll take any chance to mention Bio-Zombie, because no one talks about it enough.) Now he’s returning to the SPL (Sha Po Lang) franchise with the third chapter, Paradox, which just dropped a badass new trailer.

Wednesday, April 11, 2018

'Rampage' (2018) Movie Review



Rampage, the latest opus of urban destruction from director Brad Peyton (San Andreas) and mega-star Dwayne Johnson, may legitimately be the stupidest movie I’ve ever seen. And I watched Air Bud last weekend for some reason. It’s also 100% the movie it looks like, with zero deviation. That’s not to say it’s without a certain level of fun, thanks almost entirely to The Rock, who does what The Rock does best. Only this time there are giant monsters, too. It’s somehow completely bonkers and totally forgettable in the same moment.

'Truth Or Dare' (2018) Movie Review



Just because they have an Oscar on their resume thanks to Get Out, don’t expect low-budget horror factory Blumhouse to change its stripes anytime soon. And as if on cue, here comes Blumhouse’s Truth or Dare. Cheap, schlocky trash, it’s the cinematic equivalent of truck stop hotdog; it does the trick, but it’s all empty calories, immediately forgettable, and you’re hungry again as soon as it’s gone. But while it’s trash, it’s also modestly entertaining trash.

Tuesday, April 10, 2018

'The Meg' Trailer: Jason Statham Versus A Giant Shark. Do You Need More?



I’m a simple man with simple tastes. Tell me you have a movie where Jason Statham fights a giant shark, and I will watch that movie. Hence, my excitement for The Meg (though I’ve seen people rant about how it should just be called Meg, make of that what you will). It’s a film, perhaps a cinematic experience, that exists, and now it has a trailer.

Monday, April 9, 2018

This 'Solo: A Star Wars Story' Trailer Assumes Everyone Will Betray You



When Lucasfilm first announced the Star WarsStory movies, I was down with the idea of standalone films that examine heretofore unexplored corners of that far, far away galaxy. There’s so much room to move and so many stories to tell, not just the tale of the Skywalker clan, their crew, and the Jedi. I’m not as into the idea of using them to rehash characters we already know (I sure as hell don’t want a Boba Fett movie). But despite what I want, we’re getting Solo: A Star Wars Story next month. And there’s another new trailer.

Friday, April 6, 2018

Iko Uwais, Dave Bautista, And Kumail Nanjiani Team Up For Action-Comedy 'Stuber'



Iko Uwais, Dave Bautista, and Kumail Nanjiani are not three actors I automatically associate. Sure, I could see Uwais and Bautista team up for a low-down DTV actioner. By the same token, I can imagine Bautista and Nanjiani in a mismatched buddy actioner. But it looks like all three are about to team up for an action comedy called Stuber.

'The First Purge' Trailer Lights It Up



As a film series, The Purge films fluctuate wildly. The first had a cool concept, but turned in a mostly middling home invasion yarn. The Purge: Anarchy is an exploitation-style throwback that opens up the world and, IMO, is the best of the bunch. The Purge: Election Year tried to up the crazy, with mixed results—there’s good and less good. But these movies are also cheap, quick to produce, and crazy profitable. Which is why The First Purge is upon us, and you can watch the first trailer now and gawk at a new poster.

Thursday, April 5, 2018

'A Quiet Place' (2018) Movie Review



Parenting is hard. Especially when even the slightest noise attracts the unwanted attention of a toothy, angry, altogether terrifying creature that will then rip the entrails from both you and your spawn.

Wednesday, April 4, 2018

Check Out This Rad Poster For 'Beats Of Rage,' 'The FP' Sequel We've Dreamed Of



If you ask me, and no one did, the Trost Brothers’ 2011 dystopian gang dance off, The FP, doesn’t get nearly the love it should. This should be raised to bona-fide cult status by now. Last year, we heard they’re working to Beat-Beat a sequel into reality, and it sounds like their efforts were successful. The FP 2, titled Beats of Rage, has a badass new poster and a ton of fresh details.

'Blockers' (2018) Movie Review



It sounds like and definitely is hyperbole, but Blockers has the potential to become the American Pie or Superbad for the current generation. Those films obviously build on foundations laid by the teen sex-romp comedies of the ‘80s, and Blockers certainly slots into the category that’s ultimately more about friendship than actually getting laid. As a whole, it’s not as over-the-top raunchy as some of it’s compatriots—though there are definite bawdy highs—and it doesn’t always maintain the comic momentum, but it’s a damn entertaining comedy that puts a, sadly, unique spin on the proceedings.

Tuesday, April 3, 2018

This 'Upgrade' Trailer Has Action, Revenge, Horror, Sci-Fi, And Gore, All Of The Best Things



An unfortunate part of being lazy, broke, and hating to leave the house is that I don’t go to many film festivals and I miss out on seeing movies like Upgrade. After it debuted at SXSW recently, Leigh Whannell’s action, sci-fi, horror film garnered a ton of praise from folks I trust. And after watching this first trailer, I see why.

New 'High Life' Photos: Claire Denis, Robert Pattinson, And Sci-Fi




Not to be confused with the “Champagne of Beers,” Claire Denis’ Robert Pattinson-starring sci-fi drama High Life is a movie we’re rather excited about around these parts. It’s been in the works since 2015, and though we haven’t seen a ton from film, it has our full attention. And a handful of lovely new stills arrived on the scene today.

Monday, April 2, 2018

'Baskin' Director Can Evrenol's Turkish Horror 'Housewife' Has A Distributor And Release



Fans of twisted, messed up Turkish horror, do I have some great news for you. Can Evrenol, the director behind the waking nightmare that is Baskin, made another movie, Housewife, and it now has a distributor and a domestic release on the way.

'Cargo' Trailer Throws Martin Freeman And A Baby Into The Zombie Apocalypse



As a genre, it’s difficult to do anything fresh with a zombie movie. When they hit, they’re some of the greatest horror movies ever made. But especially 50 years removed from Night of the Living Dead, the hits far outnumber the misses. Every so often, a film comes along that reminds us there’s still life in the undead. They don’t have to reinvent the wheel—Train to Busan certainly doesn’t, but it’s still a fantastic addition to the cannon—but it has to do more than crap out a slapdash story about the walking dead. Now, I don’t know if Cargo is going to be any good or not, but this new trailer has my attention.