// Category Archive for: Movie Reviews

Blu-Ray Review: Assault on Precinct 13 (Collector’s Edition)

By Brad Henderson

“It would be a privilege if you’d walk outside with me.”
—Lt. Ethan Bishop in Assault on Precinct 13

When I was younger I discovered John Carpenter. I was obsessed with Halloween and The Thing; this made me try to track down everything that he had done. Keep in mind that this was the middle of the ’90s so certain titles on VHS were scarce and DVD hadn’t hit it big yet. Tracking down Carpenter titles was very difficult for a little kid that loved obscure films.

I would go with my parents to every flea market that we could so I could scour the depths of boxes trying to find any horror or action titles that existed. Assault on Precinct 13 was one of those titles that I was searching for. I was determined to find it and consume it.

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DVD Review: All Hallows’ Eve

By Brad Henderson

A year or so ago I was introduced to a short film called “Terrifier.” It was one of the most horrific shorts I’ve ever seen, about a girl haunted by a terrifying clown. No matter where she goes, he is there. “Terrifier” is the type of nightmare we have as children when we can’t do anything or run anywhere because the nightmare is always there. That was the basic reason why I liked the short so much: it didn’t have a story or anything, but was just pure terror.

All Hallows’ Eve is the feature by the team that brought us “Terrifier” and it is equally terrifying. Don’t go thinking that it will be the scariest film you will ever see, but if you haven’t seen this filmmaker’s work before, you will be in for a treat.

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Blu-Ray Review: Big-Ass Spider

By Brad Henderson

Why wouldn’t you want to watch a film called Big-Ass Spider?

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Blu-Ray Review: The Act Of Killing

By Brad Henderson

I really wouldn’t even consider this a review; I consider this a plea for people to watch a recently released documentary called The Act Of Killing. It’s been on many Top 10 lists this year and when I first heard the buzz about it, I was expecting to see something else. I’m not sure what that was, but in my mind I was expecting something not so gut-wrenching.

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DVD Review: Sanguivorous

By Brad Henderson

What would be your definition of an experimental film? I honestly think all definitions are B.S. I say this because of the actual definition of experiment: a scientific procedure undertaken to make a discovery, test a hypothesis, or demonstrate a known fact. I don’t think any of these apply to film.

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DVD Review: Mischief Night

By Brad Henderson

One of my favorite things in film is the home invasion subgenre. I think it’s one of the scariest real-life events that can take place. Because there have been many great home invasion films, when I saw the trailer for Mischief Night I got a little pumped. I actually turned off the trailer halfway through so it could be a surprise.

Mischief Night has the elements of a great film and does many things right in order to create a suspenseful film. The beginning of the film is a little silly and that’s because they put Charlie O’Connell in it and tried to make him a badass. I’m not sure what they were going for but Charlie doesn’t cut it. Once that dissolves, we are presented with Em, who suffers from psychosomatic blindness and her night alone during a Halloween tradition called Mischief Night.

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Movie Review: The Visitor

By Less Lee Moore

The opening scene of The Visitor is exactly the kind of scene I love in late ’70s sci fi and horror films. John Huston encounters a faceless hooded figure in a desert, where the orange and grey sky indicates that it may be on another planet or in an alternate dimension. There are explosions, then a snowstorm. The figure is revealed to be a creepy young girl who looks decayed and then disappears. Unfortunately, The Visitor goes downhill from here, unless you like watching bad movies ironically.

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Movie Review: Good Vibrations

By Less Lee Moore

No doubt there are many who’ve heard of Terri Dooley, music lover, DJ, record shop owner, and tireless champion of the unheard music, but for those of us who haven’t, Good Vibrations is a giddy delight. Based on the real life (mis)adventures of the Belfast native, the film should win the hearts of all movie and music lovers, even those who’ve determined themselves too jaded to care.

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DVD Review: Ain’t Them Bodies Saints

By Less Lee Moore

There’s no question that Ain’t Them Bodies Saints is a visually stunning movie. Though set in Texas during the 1970s, it was filmed in Shreveport, Louisiana. Cinematographer Bradford Young takes full advantage of the natural landscape and his exceptional ability to capture light in a shot is impressive. The performances from the entire cast—Rooney Mara, Casey Affleck, Ben Foster, and Keith Carradine—are outstanding. Writer and director David Lowery certainly has a way with creating a mood. Unfortunately, all of the characters are such slippery fish, that it’s sometimes hard to connect with any of them.

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Blu-Ray Review: Streets Of Fire

By Brad Henderson

I believe Streets Of Fire is a film that has to grow on you. I don’t mean that in a negative way but unless you like complete cheese, you may just think Streets Of Fire is at most, OK. My best friend introduced me to this movie for the first time a couple years ago. I enjoyed the film but it didn’t hit me hard like I thought it would. I didn’t yearn to watch it again although the music did stay with me. This past year I saw the film for a second time at the theater with some hardcore fans in the beauty of 35mm. Then it hit me. Seeing this film presented to me in that format made me feel differently.

So when I heard Second Sight Films was putting out a Blu-Ray my interest was piqued and I got excited . . . really excited.

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