SIFF 2016: 'Tag' (2015) Movie Review

Under normal circumstances, a river full of school girl corpses, ones that have been cut in half no less, shouldn’t be funny. But when this scenario is in the hands of manic madman Sion Sono, as it is in his latest wingnut opus, Tag, it certainly elicits a chuckle, even if it’s an uncomfortable one.

Movie Review: 'Gods Of Egypt'

Alex Proyas’ new film, Gods of Egypt, is straight up bonkers. That’s the impression given by the trailers and TV spots and the overall, weird-as-shit aesthetic, but nothing, not the promotional material, not even a handful of strong LSD, will prepare you for the insanity that unfurls before your eyes.

The First 'Warcraft' Trailer Is Totally Bananas

I haven’t regularly played any video game since Legend of Zelda on the original Nintendo Entertainment System. That includes World of Warcraft, but I’m all in for big fantasy epics, so Duncan Jones’ adaptation of the popular online game, Warcraft, is a film I’ve been curious about. Though this movie feels like it has been on the way for years (I keep forgetting it is happening), today arrives with a brand spanking new trailer for us to gawk at. Check it out below.

Sono Sion's 'Tag' Trailer Goes Bananas On Schoolgirls

Sono Sion is a madman, and a prolific one to boot. The Japanese auteur of crazy has no less than six movies set to drop this year, one of which is Tag, which, as you can see in this bananas new trailer, is not particularly nice to Japanese school girls.

Takashi Miike's 'Yakuza Apocalypse' Looks Totally Nuts In This New Trailer

Leave it to Takashi Miike to deliver a gangster vampire flick, which appears to be exactly what he’s done with his latest underworld opus, Yakuza Apocalypse, which has dropped this quick new preview on the world. (It might actually be two, I’m not sure.. Is that a furry with a lightsaber at the end? What the hell is going on here? I’m not entirely sure, but goddamn I can’t wait to find out. Then again, this is the guy who put a poorly computer animated cockfight in City of Lost Souls, so nothing should surprise you at this point.

'Jupiter Ascending' Movie Review: The Wachowskis' Latest Is Big, Beautiful, And Bland

The Wachowski’s don’t make small, quiet films. They go big, they go ambitious, and they desperately need a hit, like how a crack head needs a hit. Their last two, Cloud Atlas and Speed Racer, did not exactly light up the box office. Unfortunately, their latest, Jupiter Ascending, is not likely to be that movie, as there isn’t much that truly works. This is a mishmash of crazy ideas thrown into a blender with a damsel-in-distress movie, full of what is best described as heroic space rollerblading. What makes this so unusual for the Wachowskis is how, despite fits of madness like what appears to be a race entirely comprised of a flying lizard biker gang, utterly bland this movie is.

Blu-Ray Review: 'The Manson Family'

At its best, Jim Van Bebber’s 2003 exploitation flick “The Manson Family” is like watching a hallucinatory nightmare come to life. Vivid and savage, the film is full of images that stick with you long after your viewing experience comes to a close. To mark a full decade of madness, SeverinFilms has unleashed a new 10th anniversary Blu-ray to fuck with your mind and conscience. What more do you need beside orgies, drugs, and murder, with a special emphasis on the orgies?

'Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning' Movie Review

When John’s (Scott Adkins) family is murdered in front of him, he sets out on a quest for to find the man who pulled the trigger, Luc Deveraux (Jean-Claude Van Damme). His journey takes him to some dark, unexpected places. That’s the basic plot to Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning, the latest installment in a franchise that began in 1992. The film, however, takes that simple premise, and buries it beneath a big ol’ pile of crazy. Like Van Damme looking like psychotic clown crazy.

Blu-ray Review: 'The Coast Guard'

Director Kim Ki-duk’s (“3-Iron”) 2002 military drama, “The Coast Guard”, now out on Region 1 Blu-ray courtesy of Palisades Tartan, begins with a great deal of promise. The film starts out as a powerful, emotionally intense portrait of the casualties of war, even in a time of relative peace. As “The Coast Guard” progresses, however, the film spirals out of control, fractures into multiple stories that each distract from the other, and ultimately gets away from what made it engaging and watchable.

'Joyful Noise' Movie Review

I certainly didn’t intend to see “Joyful Noise”. You know the one I mean, the uplifting, feel good, everybody hug, Dolly Parton/Queen Latifah joint about competitive gospel choirs. The one where you see the commercials and think, who the hell is going to watch that? Apparently I will. Like I said, it was unintentional. I went downtown to attend a screening of “Contraband”, which is much more the speed of everyone who reads this site. That was the plan. But here’s the problem, I’m an idiot. I didn’t bother to double check what theater “Contraband” was showing at, and I just went to the one where the vast majority of local screenings are held. Like usual I wandered up to the obvious PR firm intern standing at the door with a list, told her I was here for the screening, wrote down my name and who I write for, and headed for the appropriate theater. Security didn’t even wand me.