// Category Archive for: Movies

VHS Visions: Pledge Night (1990)

By Brad Henderson

Would you want to see a ’90s supernatural slasher flick with a soundtrack by Anthrax? Well, you’re in luck: it does exist and it is called Pledge Night.

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Blu-Ray Review: Dead Kids

By Brad Henderson

All film fans should explore movies made during the “Ozploitation” era of Australian low budget filmmaking. Just about every film that came out during this time is fantastic. Many people have probably seen these films and are just unaware of the term Ozploitation or what movies fit this description.

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Blu-Ray Review: Odd Thomas

By Brad Henderson

I’ve always thought Odd Thomas was a fun book and when I heard it was being made into a film, I was both intrigued and scared. How in the hell were they going to pull something like this off? If you know anything about the story of Odd Thomas then you know where I’m coming from. It’s a good story but a little out there and hard to fathom seeing on the screen. Also, when I heard Stephen Sommers was directing it I admit that I did frown a little because I’m not a fan of his work aside from Deep Rising.

Upon viewing it I was pleasantly surprised and very happy with the direction it took. The CGI isn’t all that bad aside from a couple of scenes that look a little wonky, but everything is else is pretty solid. Anton Yelchin and Willem Dafoe both do a superb job and give everything they have to bring some of their best work to this kickass flick.

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DVD Review: Contracted

By Brad Henderson

Dirty, gross, and brilliant are a few words that come to mind while trying to describe Contracted, a new film distributed by IFC Midnight (not on Blu. . . sigh) that’s been somewhat of a hit on the festival circuit. I’ve known about Contracted for a little while but just haven’t gotten around to watching it until tonight. Now I’m sorry I waited so long to view this masterpiece. Yes, it’s a masterpiece.

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Blu-Ray Review: Ms. 45

By Brad Henderson

Drafthouse Films kills it yet again with another fantastic release. A few years after Abel Ferrara made Driller Killer, he hit us in the face with a smaller flick called Ms. 45. This was a rape and revenge film that pushed the limits back in 1981 and received an X rating during its release.

Abel Ferrara is known for his rawness and brutality but goes a little above and beyond in Ms. 45. A young girl who is mute gets assaulted twice in one evening and then decides to go on a rampage, killing any man that gets in her way. She uses her looks and a .45 to go hunting at night, looking for males on the streets of New York.

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Movie Review: A Field In England

By Less Lee Moore

Reviewing a film like A Field In England almost feels impossible and insulting. While it takes place during the English Civil War of the late 17th century, a historical drama it is not. It is a Ben Wheatley movie and if you’ve seen his others (Sightseers, Kill List, Down Terrace), you’ll know that means you’re in for something entirely different than a standard cinematic experience.

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DVD Review: In Fear

By Less Lee Moore

Maybe I’ve watched too many horror movies or I’m just exceptionally paranoid, but I can absolutely relate to the slowly creeping terror experienced by the protagonists at the beginning of In Fear. Tom (Iain De Caestecker) and Lucy (Alice Englert) are a young couple on their way to a music festival who decide to stop at what they think is a quaint hotel on the way. And of course, with a title like In Fear, you can probably figure out pretty quickly that their plans go terribly awry.

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Blu-Ray Review: The Outsider

By Brad Henderson

There are plenty of films in comedy and horror that mix in nostalgic or so-called throwback qualities and make us feel like we are watching something from the ’80s. These types of films are scarce when it comes to the action genre and I wish there were more of them because of how fun they are. Of course, we have the Expendables series, which is fun and satisfies a large audience, and there was also last year’s Homefront, which felt like it belonged in the ’80s.

Recently a film called The Outsider was released starring Craig Fairbrass (yes, he is the lead), Jason Patric, Shannon Elizabeth, and James Caan. Patric and Caan are both solid actors but it seems that they tend to portray the same characters in every single film, even though it usually does work. Kind of like how John Cusack is always John Cusack, but we still love him.

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The Unseen: Black Water, Night School, The Severed Arm

By Brad Henderson

We all have those films that have slipped under our radar or those that we just didn’t get around to seeing yet. These films could be blockbusters, indie flicks, or just films that weren’t publicized or spoken about enough. In this feature, I’m going to be discussing three films you need to see that you probably missed or maybe even forgot about.

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DVD Review: Children Of A Darker Dawn

By Brad Henderson

Every once in a while we see a film with a killer idea that doesn’t realize its full potential. The plot for Children Of A Darker Dawn (originally titled Railway Children) is better than the film itself. I feel it didn’t go the lengths it should have. I’m saying this with the utmost respect towards the filmmakers themselves. I’m not saying what they did was wrong, but they did have something special and went in a different direction than I thought they were going to.

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