'Cosmic Dawn' (2022) Movie Review

When cults and horror and sci-fi collide, that’s a sweet spot. Cinematically speaking anyway, it’s probably not so great in real life. Such is the situation for writer/director Jefferson Moneo’s new film, Cosmic Dawn. 

'1BR' (2019) Movie Review

Where would horror, as a genre, be without cults? Or, for that matter, 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.

Fantasia 2019: 'J.R. "Bob" Dobbs And The Church Of The SubGenius' Movie Review

When I was in high school, a friend sent away a dollar—this is back when mail order was a thing—and received a packet of stickers featuring the clip-art face of a grinning, 1950s-ideal-of-white-suburbabn-American-man clutching a pipe between two rows of perfect teeth. Along with the stickers were various pamphlets and leaflets extolling the virtues of a wingnut religion that, at least at first glance, appeared to be an elaborate joke. This WTF literature was my first introduction to The Church of the SubGenius. To this day, I’m still not entirely certain of the veracity of this particular religious sect, but now, thanks to Sandy K. Boone’s documentary J.R. “Bob” Dobbs and the Church of the SubGenius, we can all bask in the underground strangeness.

'Midsommar' (2019) Movie Review

When the lights went down, I certainly didn’t expect to describe Hereditary director Ari Aster’s Swedish pagan cult horror Midsommar as either “silly” or “a hoot,” but if the glass slipper fits… This is heightened ‘70s exploitation that builds to a bug-nuts crazy climax that had me rolling and clapping. Think hallucinatory Douglas Sirk nightmare by way of Jodorowsky-style surrealist fairytale, all punctuated with bursts of gore and terror.

AGFA And Shout! Factory Team Up To Bring 50 Cult Classics Back To Theaters

Well hot damn, this is like Christmas morning! The fine folks at the American Genre Film Archive and Shout! Factory have teamed up to bring 50, count ‘em 50, cult classics back to the big screen this year. 

'Midsommar' Trailer: 'Hereditary' Director Returns With A Creepy New Folk Horror Movie

For  first time feature writer/director, Ari Aster knocked one out of the proverbial park last year with Hereditary. It’s not only one of my favorite movies of 2018, it’s also one of the best horror movies in recent memory. So, you’re damn right his next movie is high up on my must-see list. And lucky for everyone, his follow up, Midsommar, opens this summer. Check out the spooky first trailer below.

Panos Cosmatos's 'Mandy 2' Idea Won't Happen But Is Still Bonkers Rad

Just to get this out of the way: I love Mandy, it’s going to land very high on my end-of-year best-of list. It wraps up in a satisfying manner and I don’t think it needs or even should receive a sequel. That said, if it does get a follow up, which it won’t, it should definitely follow director Panos Cosmatos’ sequel idea, because hot damn, it’s a doozy.

This 'Apostle' Trailer Has Cults, Revenge, And Head-Drilling

Over the next few weeks, Netflix will release two of my most-anticipated movies of 2018, movies I’ve been frothing at the mouth for since I first heard they exist. They drop Jeremy Saulnier’s Hold the Dark this month, and in October, they release Apostle, the latest film from The Raid mastermind Gareth Evans. That doesn’t hit until October, but as if Evans’ very involvement doesn’t land this at the top of your must-watch list, this first trailer should do the trick.

'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.

Nic Cage's Crazy Demon Cult Film 'Mandy' Is Headed To Theaters, Rejoice!

This year, the main reason I was bummed to miss Sundance was I missed the bonkers-sounding, Nic Cage-starring madness that is Mandy. It’s one of those movies that, after it premiered, it kept sounding crazier and crazier, and more and more perfect every time. Now there’s good news, as it’s been picked up for distribution and we’ll be able to mainline it into our eyeballs this summer.

Blu-Ray Review: 'Psychomania'

A vicious gang of bikers who kill themselves in order to return from the grave even more badass. What’s not to like about the plot of Don Sharp’s 1973 horror joint, Psychomania (also known as The Death Wheelers). Already a sleazy cult classic, Arrow Video just released a fantastic new special edition Blu-ray, which, if you have any inkling or proclivities towards this sort of fare, you should pick up.

'Apostle': 'The Raid' Director Gareth Evans Casts Handsome Badass Dan Steven In Period Actioner

A Gareth Evans movie is always good news. It’s been too long since he pummeled us all about the head and neck with The Raid and The Raid 2 (and, of course, Merantau). But he’s back with a new project in the works called Apostle, and as if that’s not enough, he’s bringing badass leading man Dan Stevens along for the ride.

'Sound of my Voice' Movie Review

Is “Sound of My Voice”, the latest film from indie princess Brit Marling, an undercover science fiction story masquerading as a cautionary tale about cults? Or is it a story about cults in the guise of sci-fi? A case can be made either way, but I lean towards the former—that “Sound of My Voice” is covert sci-fi. Whichever way you approach, however, this is a quiet, inventive, subtly enthralling little film. Marling, who co-wrote the script with first-time director Zal Batmanglij, delivers a standout performance in this film that does a lot with very little. You start watching only to realize, somewhere along the line, that you’re hooked.

'Martha Marcy May Marlene' Movie Review

The haunting string arrangement over the opening credits of Sean Durkin’s thriller “Martha Marcy May Marlene” stirs definite echoes Hitchcock. In this case it makes a certain amount of sense to evoke the master of cinematic tension. The film is a long, slow build, where the pressure and apprehension grows and increases steadily throughout, wrapping you in a tight squeezing grip.

Blu-ray Review: 'The Big Lebowski: Limited Edition'

Fuck it, Dude, let’s go bowling.

I didn’t love “The Big Lebowski” the first time I saw it. It feels good to finally admit that. By the time 1998 rolled around I’d been a big Coen Brothers fan since first watching “Raising Arizona” in 1987, and had seen everything they’d put on film. “Fargo” only solidified my affection, so when their next film, “Lebowski”, came out, I went to a Sunday afternoon matinee that first weekend. Walking out into a drizzly March afternoon in the Pacific Northwest, I’d enjoyed myself well enough, but it wasn’t anything that blew my hair back. I wasn’t the only one with a less-than-enthusiastic reaction, and the film was neither a critical nor commercial success.

Home video is where “The Big Lebowski” really hit its stride and found an audience. This film makes a definite case for repeated viewings. With the ability to watch and re-watch you are afforded the opportunity to drink in and truly appreciate the subtle jokes, Walter’s priceless rants, and the random weirdness that makes “The Big Lebowski” so great. Watching it now I can’t see how I had such a tepid reaction my first time, and the film has blossomed into a full-blown cultural phenomenon. There are constant midnight screenings, t-shirts and bumper stickers printed with quips of dialogue, websites, chatrooms, and even regular festivals and conventions. Hell, at work we have three phones, each with a name. One is “Walter”, another “The Dude”, and we call the third “The Jesus”. (Let it be known that I had nothing to do with this.) “The Big Lebowski” isn’t “Star Wars” or “Star Trek” or “Rocky Horror” in terms of nerdy fan obsession, but it isn’t far off.

It seems fitting that since the home video market is so responsible for the popularity of “The Big Lebowski”, now it is getting special edition Blu-ray Book release. I’ll try not to waste too much of your time with plot details, as I’m going to assume that most of you are at least marginally familiar with the movie. It is essentially the Coen Brothers’ loose retelling of Raymond Chandler’s 1939 detective novel, “The Big Sleep”. Remember the use of the word “loose”. There are distinct similarities between the two works, but they are, obviously, vastly different entities.

Instead of Chandler’s hardboiled private investigator, Philip Marlowe, the story centers around a burn-out, ex-hippie stoner named Jeffrey Lebowski (Jeff Bridges), know as “The Dude” to his many friends and well-wishers. Floating through life on a cloud of smoke, his daily routine consists primarily of getting high and bowling with his buddies, Walter (John Goodman), an easily agitated Vietnam vet, and Donny (Steve Buscemi), a naïve milquetoast who often unwittingly walks right into Walter’s rage. After being mistaken for another Jeffrey Lebowski (David Huddleston), a wheelchair-bound millionaire no less, the Dude is compelled to navigate a seedy criminal underworld that includes kidnapping, blackmail, murder, and modern feminist art, among other things.

At a basic level, what the Coens did is drop a laid-back slacker into the middle of a tense, twisted detective story, just to see what would happen. The result is a frantic mish-mash of comedy, mystery, and cinematic trickery that, while it can be overwhelming at first glance, is one of the most unique and entertaining films in a generation. Endlessly quotable, the re-watch potential for “The Big Lebowski” is through the roof. Like I said, it is one of those films that gets better with age, and no matter how many times you’ve seen it, you can pop it into your disc playing machine, and watch it again and again.

You are entering a world of pain.

Besides a sharp, clean picture, “The Big Lebowski” Limited Edition Blu-ray Book comes with a ridiculous number of extras, a list that it is truly worthy of the “Special Edition” tag. With the package you get a digital copy of the film, as well as a 28-page booklet that features exclusive interviews, trivia, and photos from the movie. But wait, there is so much more:

There are a trio of interactive “U-Control” features; “Mark It, Dude”—an on-screen counter that keeps track of the “dudes”, “Lebowski-isms”, and “f-bombs” throughout the movie—think the “Carnage Counter” on the “Red Dawn” DVD; “Scene Companion”—which lets you watch behind the scenes footage, interviews, and assorted other extras while you watch; and “The Music of ‘The Big Lebowski’”—a feature that identifies the songs on the soundtrack and lets you build a custom playlist.

“An Introduction”—This is the least entertaining of the bonus features. It is a faux intro from a faux film industry type that just doesn’t hit the mark and is tired rather than entertaining. It is only four minutes, but feels much longer.

“Worthy Adversaries: What’s my Line Trivia”—This is exactly what it sounds like a “Lebowski” trivia challenge. The kicker is that you can play solo, or test your knowledge head-to-head with a buddy. Won’t that sound like fun after a couple of hearty bong rips.

“The Dudes Life”—This 10-minute featurette is taken up mostly by Bridges discussing his process as an actor, and some specific preparations he employed to get ready for his role as The Dude.

“The Dude Abides: ‘The Big Lebowski’ Ten Years Later”—After a full decade has elapsed, members of the cast and crew are interviewed about the legacy of “The Big Lebowski”, with a large emphasis placed on the Coen’s and the unique way in which the brothers work.

“Making of ‘The Big Lebowski’”—An older inclusion, this is a pretty standard making-of feature, though it is interesting to hear the characters discuss their roles and the film not only before it was released, but before it became a true cult phenomenon.

“The Lebowski Fest: An Achiever’s Story”—Features clips from Eddie Chung’s film “The Achievers: The Story of the Lebowski Fans”, a documentary about the people behind “Lebowski Fest”, an event that has since become an annual gathering of like minded Dude devotees.

“Flying Carpets and Bowling Pin Dreams: The Dream Sequences of The Dude”—Exactly what it sounds like, this extra explores the “Kafka Moments”—as the Coens call them—where “The Big Lebowski” flies off on surrealist tangents. Don’t ask me how I know, but these interludes are the closest thing to a glue-sniffing hallucination that I’ve ever seen captured in a movie.

“Interactive Map”—Flip around and choose between significant locations from “The Big Lebowski”. Each entry comes with a brief, usually less than a minute, glimpse at the places where the movie was filmed, and a bit of trivia about each spot in the greater Los Angeles area.

“Jeff Bridges Photo Book” and “Photo Gallery”—This is exactly what it sounds like.

And to top off the whole thing there are a handful of online Blu-ray features for you to explore. All in all this is a great package, especially for die-hard fans of “The Big Lebowski”.