Thursday, October 31, 2019

Kimo Stamboel's 'The Queen Of Black Magic' Trailer Is Here To Freak You Out


It may sound like a good idea, like a unique, memorable experience, but never, ever vacation somewhere that doesn’t appear on a map. We’ve all seen enough movies to know this doesn’t end well. And here to illustrate that point, we have the trailer for Kimo Stamboel’s new horror film, The Queen of Black Magic.

Wednesday, October 30, 2019

'Terminator: Dark Fate' (2019) Movie Review


Stop me if this sounds familiar. Dani Ramos (Natalia Reyes, Running With the Devil) just wants to go to her job in a Mexico City car factory. It’s a normal day, arguing with her boss about being replaced by machines, when a shape-shifting killer robot from the future (Gabriel Luna, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.) shows up at work to kill her only to be thwarted by a human soldier, Grace (Mackenzie Davis, Blade Runner 2049), also from the future. 

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

'The Mandalorian' Trailer Pumps Up The Werner Herzog



The first trailer for the upcoming Disney+ Star Wars series, The Mandalorian, was pretty damn great. You know what would make it better? Upping the Werner Herzog content, which is precisely what they did with this new trailer. Check it out below.

Monday, October 28, 2019

'The Grudge' Trailer: Nicolas Pesce Revisits The Supernatural Horror Franchise


Along with The Ring and others, 2004’s The Grudge, an American remake of the 2002 Japanese horror film Ju-on: The Grudge, was at the crest of Hollywood’s fascination with J-horror. (Fun fact, director Takashi Shimizu helmed both versions.) Since it’s been a few years, it’s time to dust off the familiar IP, this time with Nicolas Pesce in the big chair. He brought a great cast, his fascination with bathtubs, and now we have our first look. Check out the trailer for Sam Raimi-produced The Grudge below.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

'The Lighthouse' (2019) Movie Review


Where to begin with The Lighthouse? If you go in expecting the creeping Satanic dread of writer/director Robert Eggers last film, The Witch, you’ll be let down. That’s not to say there’s no creeping dread, because there’s plenty, it’s simply of a different sort. The film edges up to the supernatural, but is more concerned with what lurks inside, deep down, waiting to emerge. It’s also, as my notes taken during the screening attest, “weird as balls.” Somehow it works. I’m not always entirely certain how, but it does.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Brooklyn Horror Film Festival: 'Girl On The Third Floor' Movie Review


Renovating an old house is a major undertaking in the best of circumstances. And when the house in question is a haunted former house of ill-repute with a bad reputation around the neighborhood, it’s an even dicier proposition. But that’s not going to stop the intrepid Dan Koch (Phil “C.M. Punk” Brooks)—a disgraced businessman, adulterous husband to a pregnant wife (Trieste Kelly Dunn), and secret binge-drinker—from giving it the old college try in Girl on the Third Floor.

This 'Antlers' Trailer Has A Horrifying Secret


So, Antlers was already on my radar, vaguely as it’s a few months off. Still, a horror movie from director Scott Cooper (Hostiles, Out of the Furnace), producer Guillermo del Toro (The Devil’s Backbone), and starring Keri Russell (The Americans) and Jesse Plemons (Game Night) certainly warrants at least a modicum of attention. Better yet, it also has cannibals. But damn, this first trailer took the anticipation knob and cranked it to eleven.

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

'Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker' Trailer Gives You One Last Look At Your Friends


UPDATED: Now with more poster!

ORIGINAL POST: Now that we’re getting a movie every year or so, plus the upcoming streaming shows and the glut of books and comics and other media, it’s a bit less special, but I will never not be excited for Star Wars movie. And the final trailer for Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker hits me in all the feelings places. Check it out for yourself below.

Monday, October 21, 2019

Brooklyn Horror Film Festival: 'Porno' Movie Review


This is an updated version of an earlier review.

If you lament the lack of graphic genital torture or exploded testicles in modern horror cinema, you’re in luck. First time director Keola Racela’s  Porno has the cure for what ails you. It also has demons, repressed religious nerds, an uptight straight edge kid, and more Encino Man references than one might initially expect. Gory, ridiculous, and often legitimately scary, it’s a perfect movie to watch late at night, preferably with a rowdy, intoxicant-lubricated crowd.

Brooklyn Horror Film Festival: '1BR' Movie Review


Where would horror, as a genre, be without cults? Or new-to-town transplants with troubled pasts searching for and finding what appears to be the perfect new home? For his first feature, 1BR, writer/director David Marmor combines these two genre staples for an up and down affair that, while ultimately a mixed bag with some pacing issues, pays off with solid tense, thrilling creeps.

Saturday, October 19, 2019

Brooklyn Horror Film Festival: 'The Swerve' Movie Review


High school English teacher Holly (Azura Skye), the protagonist of writer/director Dean Kapsalis’ debut feature The Swerve, is harried, ignored, and unappreciated in every facet of her life. Her husband (Bryce Pinkham) is self-involved, her sons are brats, her students can’t be bothered, her alcoholic sister (Ashley Bell) mocks her, and even her own mother (Deborah Hedwall) berates her and puts her down. 

Thursday, October 17, 2019

'The Bygone' Trailer: This Grim Modern Western Should Have Left When It Had The Chance


A violent, gritty neo-western, you say? I’m an easy mark, you have my full attention. And the trailer for Graham and Parker Phillips’ new movie, The Bygone, certainly piques my interest. Check it out below.

Monday, October 14, 2019

10 Movies To See At Brooklyn Horror Film Festival 2019


It’s the spookiest month of the year, what better time for a horror film festival? And on that front, the fourth annual Brooklyn Horror Film Festival has you covered. It kicks off this week, runs through the weekend, and wraps up next week. In the meantime, it delivers a nice slate of genre goodies and horrific treats to gore up your October.

'Daniel Isn't Real' Trailer: Imaginary Friends Are Jerks


What if Drop Dead Fred but evil? That seems to be the general premise behind Adam Egypt Mortimer’s Daniel Isn’t Real. A troubled young man’s former imaginary friend returns to wreak havoc on his life, but in a much darker, more psychedelic way than in the 1991 Phoebe Cates comedy. (Though, to be fair, that movie is pretty damn weird.) Check out the latest trailer below.

Friday, October 11, 2019

HBO Orders 'Maniac Cop' Series From Nicolas Winding Refn And John Hyams


Nicolas Winding Refn has been talking about a Maniac Cop remake for years. Back in 2015 it was as a movie he would produce from Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning director John Hyams. Even then, he’d been talking about that since 2012. That version never materialized and despite periodic rumblings, we all assumed it was one of the many, many potential projects he expounds on that would never happen—it’s a regular occurrence. But here we are, in the year of our lord 2019, and there’s news that HBO is going to let Refn turn Maniac Cop into a series. And the world sucks a little bit less for the moment.

Wednesday, October 9, 2019

'Gemini Man' (2019) Movie Review


It’s going to be weird to talk about Gemini Man, Ang Lee’s new Old-Will-Smith-versus-Young-Will-Smith action movie. Not because of the plot or acting or story or any of the usual suspects—though there is, as always, much to discus in those arenas—but because of the technology used to make it. By its very nature, this is going to create multiple different viewing experiences, even more so than the usual 3D, IMAX, etc. format choices, and potentially have more of an impact.

Thursday, October 3, 2019

'Eli' Trailer: Ciaran Foy Teams With Netflix For A Spooky Medical Haunted House


Director Ciaran Foy’s feature debut, Citadel, was one of my favorite movies of 2012, horror or otherwise. I think it’s criminally overlooked when we discuss the best horror films of the last decade. That said, his follow up, Sinister 2, wasn’t great. Still, I’m excited for his latest, Eli, which made my most anticipated movies of 2019 list, even if it has been delayed for some time. It drops on Netflix in a couple weeks and to drum up interest, there’s this creepy new trailer and poster.

'Devil's Revenge' (2019) Movie Review


Devil’s Revenge is horror movie about “a down-on-his-luck archaeologist who returns from a cave expedition that contains a cursed relic that’s also a portal to Hell. He discovers that the only way to stop the curse on his family is to go back to the cave and destroy the relic.” It also stars Star Trek alums William Shatner and Jeri Ryan and is precisely the movie you expect from the title, description, cast, and general low-budget horror schlock. YMMV.

Wednesday, October 2, 2019

The Latest 'Parasite' Trailer Sings Bong Joon-Ho's Praises


When people toss around the word “masterpiece,” I usually tune out, especially when it comes to new movies—that’s a term that, to truly apply, I feel needs sit and simmer and have some perspective and distance. That said, when I hear it applied to a Bong Joon-ho movie, while I have to see it for myself, it gets me all revved up because the South Korean filmmaker is a non-stop hit machine. As you might imagine, I’m rather excited for his latest, Parasite, which has been collecting rave reviews, is almost here, and dropped this new trailer.

Tuesday, October 1, 2019

Harley Quinn Is The One They Should Be Afraid Of In The First 'Birds Of Prey' Trailer


Suicide Squad may have been a mess, with a million cuts and major studio interference, but one thing was clear, Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn was a breakout character. If there’s anything worth watching in that movie, it’s her. And now she’s back, and she’s bringing some friends. Check out the first trailer for Birds of Prey: And the Fantabulous Emancipation of Harley Quinn. Yes, that’s the full title, but we’ll just call it Birds of Prey because we’re not masochists.