28 December 2014

The Woods Within 2014 - REVIEW


Here we have a Slasher film that is being released in about a week or so from Studio 605.  Anymore the indie slashers are the ones that I have leaned towards over the big budget movies with a ton of CGI and stupid shit.  This one nonetheless is filmed close to my hometown of Cincinnati, Oh.  All of these things make me think I am really going to like this film but I have been wrong before and I always leave plenty of room for error.

Nicole (Tori Ahr) and her high school friends are all planning a before graduation campout party in the woods.  The only thing is people start to die and the group of friends quickly turn on one another as they get picked off one by one.  Everyone is a suspect and  no one is safe in The Woods Within!

Slasher films for the most part are fun and people enjoy watching people getting sliced and diced and I am no different.  However, I was not really a fan of The Woods Within.  The story itself was way too predictable.  The lack of originality and predictability really took away from the fun factor.  I know its meant to be more of an homage than an original slasher flick but still I think it lacks. The characters are not developed enough and the reveal of the killer wasn't too much of a reveal at all.  It was pretty easy to guess from early on in the film.  This film also really lacked humor.  The tone and the atmosphere is too serious.  A Slasher is meant to be fun, bloody and should be able to make you laugh at one point or another.  Not sure I cracked a smile at any point.

Something else that really bothered me while watching this was the lack of emotion in the acting.  I was not expecting an Academy Award performance by any means but for the most part the acting was stiff and did nothing to grab the audience at all.  There are a couple performances that were decent but nothing that really stands out.

I really am not trying to sit here and bash this film because I think it could find an audience.  The kill scenes were good and had a few good effects to go with it.  Looking at the quality of the film I thought it looked great.  The sound and the look really is fantastic and any other release that Studio 605 puts out I would definitely give it a watch.  Here comes that part where I rate this film.  Well, while I think they did a great job in some areas there is just too many that I didn't think they did.  I rate this 4 stars out of 10.  Stay twisted everyone!

27 December 2014

The Philip K. Dick Science Fiction Film Festival Returns For 2015 Event


Four-Days Jam-Packed with Award-Winning and Groundbreaking Features and Shorts HIGHLIGHT: Mark Netter's "Nightmare Code" Starring "The Walking Dead's" Andrew J. West 

NYC PREMIERE: Jacob Akira Okada's Documentary Short "Painting The Way To The Moon"

@PhilipKDickFest #PKDFestNYC

(New York City, N.Y.) - Legend states that events come in threes -- a phenomenon in its truest form for The Philip K. Dick Science Fiction Film Festival as it embarks on a third year honoring the literary world's most nuanced and visionary author, Philip K. Dick. The highly anticipated four-day experience from January 15-18, 2015 will screen at three distinguished locations including The Cervantes Institute, Tribeca Cinemas and The Producer's Club and features a slate of innovative features and shorts which capture the distinctive boldness of the the genre and brings forth the most riveting moments of science fiction cinema ever to grace the big screen.

The festival launches on Thursday, January 15, 2015 at The Cervantes Institute with a free-admission night of international science fiction shorts beginning at 7pm. The exciting schedule includes Martín Rosete's Voice Over (2011, Spain), Michel Goossens' Exit (2013, Spain/Netherlands), MacGregor and Bruno Zacarías' Similo (2014, Spain), Daniel Romero's No Mires Ahí (2014, Spain), Fernandez Sanchez's Sujeto Darwin (2014, Spain), Antonio Souto Fraguas' Renacimiento (2013, Spain), Thierry Lorenzi's On/Off (2013, France), Didier Philippe's Seule (2014, France), Lee Citron's Martian American (2014, USA/Mexico) and Federico Telerman's Albino (2014, Argentina).

The mayhem comes full force on Friday, January 16, 2015 at Tribeca Cinemas with the frighteningly entertaining and award-winning Nightmare Code (2014) at 7pm in Theater One. The star- studded film features Andrew J. West, widely known to audiences as Gareth on AMC's mega-hit The Walking Dead, Mei Melançon (X Men: The Last Stand, The L Word) and Googy Gress (Apollo 13, Parenthood) and follows the gripping account of a start-up programmer who battles a mysterious software code that takes on a life of its own following the murderous rampage of his predecessor. The feature film is directed and produced by Mark Netter, written by Netter and M.J. Rotondi and executive produced by Craig Allen and Avi Bachar. A Q&A session with Netter is scheduled to follow. Having premiered to critical success across the board, Jacob Akira Okada's documentary short Painting the Way to the Moon (2013) will have its exclusive New York City premiere at 9pm in Theater One. Produced by Adam Morrow and Carylanna Taylor the film follows Princeton mathematician and artist Ed Belbruno, who discovered a new form of space travel. His "eureka" moment while working at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in the 1980s came to him while painting. The groundbreaking conjecture that satellites could use the mathematics of the chaos theory rather than rocket fuel to orbit around the moon and send experiments into space was initially rejected by NASA and he was soon fired. However, his work eventually found a home at the agency. The film examines how "art and science share a common process and explores how creative thinking is not only for artists," according to the official film synopsis. A Q&A session with Belbruno is scheduled to follow.

A block of international science fiction short films begins at 7:30pm in Theater Two. A highlight of the evening is Room 731 (2014, USA) which stars Tim Kang, best known as Kimball Cho on CBS' smash-hit The Mentalist. The film directed by Young Min Kim and written by Kim and Christie Cushing is a supernatural mystery along the bloodlines of The Grudge and Saw and follows an amnesiac girl who awakens in a jail-like room and is haunted by dangerous spirits. Also starring Yoojung Kim and Nikki SooHoo, the film sheds light on the traumas of the WWII-era Japanese concentration camp known as "Unit 731." Industry professionals including Eddie Yang (co-founder, Alliance Studio), SFX makeup artist Diana Choi (The Dark Knight), Vanessa Mi Kyung Lee (The Hunger Games), editor Jimmy Gadd (The Mentalist) and executive producers Anna Liza Recto and Michael Kaleda (Bold MP) have rallied behind the project. The evening continues with Thomas Charles' Désaffection (2013, France), Mat Owen's Turn On (2013, UK), Winnie Cheung's Dear Lucas (2014, USA), Laura Maxfield's A Girl, A Cat, A Bomb (2014, USA), [followed by Room 731 in sequence], Faroukh Virani's Vimana (2014, USA/India), Aldo Romero's Silent Threat (2014, USA), Erin Li's Kepler X-47 (2014, USA) and Vanessa Gould's The Atom Bomb (2013, USA). And just when you thought the screams had died down, three filmmakers barricade themselves in a haunted house where no one has survived past 21 Days (2014) at 9:30pm in Theater Two. The spine-chilling and multiple award-winning feature film written and directed by Kathleen Behun stars Whitney Rose Pynn (co-star of NBC's upcoming David Duchovny series Aquarius), Max Hambleton and Mickey River. A Q&A session with Behun is scheduled to follow.

The festival continues on Saturday, January 17, 2015 at The Producer's Club with three blocks of short films. First up are Philip K. Dick-inspired films of "Paranoia, Conspiracy and Dystopia" at 3pm including John Butler's The Terminal Node (2014), Stephen Parkhurst's Frontier (2014), Scott Danzig's Sky Paradise (2013), Alessandro Bricoli's Ignorenatus Alius (2014), Gavin Williams' Sleepworking (2013), Anthony Willis' Escapement (2014), Etienne Gravrand's The Fischer Case (2014), Joachim Huveneers' I Wish My Life (2014), Ayoub Qanir's Artificio Conceal (2014) and William Hart and Ciaran Birks' Serpent Dreams (2014). After the block, audience members will have the opportunity to vote for the "Best PKD Short." Next is "Wonders, Curiosities and Oddities" at 5pm include Zac Grant and Jason Markowitz's The Dahl House (2014), Peter LaSala and Christopher Ventura's Except for Us (2014), Dustin Lee's The Astronomer (2015), Michel Goossens' Ego (2014), Edmond Deraedt and Kristin Arnesen's Reliquary (2014) and Keaton Smith's The Story of Christopher Jenkins (2014). "Horror and Supernatural" closes out the lineup with Andy Green's Vomica (2014), Lauren Morrison's Viscera (2014) and Kristen Swinkels' Nigredo (2013). But the night is far from over with the screening of the award-winning feature film The Perfect 46 (2014) starring Whit Hertford, Don McManus and James M. Connor. Written and directed by Brett Ryan Bonowicz, the film follows the story of a geneticist who develops a website to pair individuals of a pure genetic match in order to create the "perfect child." Ending the night is the feature There (2014), a high-octane thriller about a socially displaced war veteran who " justifies domestic terrorism by interpreting his actions with alien invasion." Written and directed by prolific underground filmmaker James Fotopoulos, the film stars Xander O'Connor, Brenda Bakke and Sarah Brooks.

The festival ends on Sunday, January 18, 2015 but not before the twists and turns of Inverse (2014) at 4pm in Tribeca Cinemas' Theater One. Written and directed by Matt Duggan, the feature film stars Josh Wingate, Luisa Beck, W.C. Boelter and John Burish in this story of eternal ruination and forbidden desire. Experience captivating shocks as a man awakens from what he perceived as death but is in fact a parallel universe all the while he falls in love with his doppelgänger's wife and mankind is threatened with total destruction. A Q&A session with Duggan is scheduled to follow. When all is dead and done, the highly anticipated awards ceremony brings the festival to a satisfying close.

The Philip K. Dick Science Fiction Film Festival has thrilled its attendees with entertaining and visually captivating themes which have made the event a favorable and continued success. For full schedule and ticketing information please visit www.thephilipkdickfilmfestival.com. The festival will take place on January 15, 2015 at The Cervantes Institute (day is free admission) at 211 East 49th Street, New York, NY 10017 (visit nyork.cervantes.es/en/default.shtm or call 212-308-7720), January 16 and 18, 2015 at Tribeca Cinemas at 54 Varick Street, New York, NY 10013 [at Laight Street, one block below Canal Street] (visit www.tribecacinemas.com or call 212-941-2001) and January 17, 2015 at The Producer's Club at 358 W 44th Street, New York, NY 10036 (visit www.producersclub.com or call 212-315-4743). And always be sure to visit the festival's Twitter page at twitter.com/PhilipKDickFest (tweet the hashtag #PKDFestNYC) and the Facebook page at www.facebook.com/ThePhilipKDickFilmFestival.

About The Philip K. Dick Science Fiction Film Festival:

The Philip K. Dick International Film Festival of Science, Science Fiction, Fantastic Film and the Supernatural is New York City's first festival of its kind and is organized by individuals and filmmakers who understand the difficulties and challenges of telling a unique story in a corporate environment. With extremely successful 2012-2013 festivals, a 2013 international event in Lille, France and endless screening events the festival is only beginning its vision of honoring the legacy of the great Philip K. Dick. From guest speakers and writers who best represent the goals of the festival, original voices and enhanced visions in works submitted, this is a festival created by filmmakers for filmmakers.

About Philip K. Dick:

"Reality is whatever refuses to go away when I stop believing in it." - Philip K. Dick
Philip K. Dick (1928-1982) was one of the 20th century's most profound novelists and writers within the science fiction community. His exploration, analysis and beliefs led to the publishings of 44 novels and 121 short stories. Dick's enormous library of works led to several film developments including Blade Runner (1982), Total Recall (1990), Minority Report (2002), Paycheck (2003) A Scanner Darkly (2006), Radio Free Albemuth (2010), The Adjustment Bureau (2011) andTotal Recall (2012). Dick's enormously effective views comprised of fictional universes, virtual realities and human mutation foresaw an exaggerated version of the current state of government and contemporary life. Though he is gone in the physical form his philosophies live on in the techniques applied to modern stories and films and generate large displays of appreciation and understanding.

BIBLE BELT SLASHER: THE HOLY TERROR Coming To DVD

This Christmas Brain Damage Films presents The Bible Belt Slasher: The Holy Terror, a love letter to the 1980's and its low budget slashers from the mind of Bradley Creanzo. The movie is already available On Demand through most major cable, satellite, and internet VOD providers, with a bonus-packed DVD arriving December 30th. DVD extras include the 30-minute "Bible Belt Slasher Part 1" short film, original music videos, bloopers/deleted scenes, TV spots, interviews and more.

About the Film
The Bible Belt Slasher is the brain child of writer/director/producer/star/cinematographer/composer/editor/80's fanatic Bradly Creanzo. Some may remember him from the 2013 documentary Adjust Your Tracking, in which he shows off the replica retro video store he built that lives in his basement (which also appears in Bible Belt).

The Holy Terror is actually the second film in the series -- the first is a half hour short included on the DVD -- described by Creanzo as having "Something for everyone whether it be violence, blood & gore, 80's music, suspense, black comedy or that walk down slasher memory lane."

Both films premiered together to a sold out theater in New Jersey, followed by a very limited DVD, VHS and Betamax (yes, you read that right) release. Brain Damage Films has no plans for a wider Betamax release but we're excited to bring this uniquely entertaining piece of cinema to the masses just in time for the holidays!

Synopsis
It's December 1989, and Wilkins, Tennessee native Jason Fry returns to wreak more havoc on the survivors, friends and families of the teenagers whom he killed in the first film. Fry is committed back to the Hillside Sanitarium for his brutal crimes, but he doesn't stay there long. Fry kills his doctor and escapes going on a bloodbath crusade of revenge against those he believes to be sinners in his eyes. Only Dr. Landers knows what Fry is and he will do anything in his power to stop him, but will he save everyone from the holy terror that Fry brings this Christmas season?

Check out the clips below:

Clip 1: "Candy Cain"

Clip 2: "Season's Beatings"

Clip 3: "He Could Be Anywhere"

21 December 2014

Top 5 Horror Films of 1990


If you talk to horror fans most will say for the most part the 90's were not very kind of the horror genre.  I disagree.  It was not a boom like the 1980's but still there are some real gems in this decade.  There are a few years where it is hard to find a handful of good horror films but it started out strong and finished strong.  Here we are entering the best horror films of 1990.



I am a total sucker for good anthology horror.  I loved the TV show and the movie is no different.  3 great stories with a nice wraparound as well.  The first one being the best, Lot 249,  starring young stars Christian Slater, Julianne Moore and Steve Buscemi.


This one made this list because I love a slashers and this movie is just fun.  It's not a great movie by any stretch of the imagination but it is entertaining.  Did I mention the half naked women running around the entire movie?  That should account for something!


 This really is one of my guilty pleasures.  I love the whole franchise of the Prom Night films but this one really stands out for me.  A very tongue in cheek, cheesy slasher film that is meant not to be taken seriously and you have to love that.  The cast in this film isn't awesome but the performance of Cynthia Preston does make it better.  See my past interview with her from last year if you are a fan of this film.


The First Power is one of those movies I consider to be very underrated.  It had its big star in it Lou Diamond Phillips but the main reason I enjoy this film is for Jeff Kober and his excellent performance portraying a serial killer in this film.  This one was just released on Blu Ray too if anyone was interested in giving it a try.


My favorite movie of the franchise and my favorite of 1990.  Childs Play 2 in my opinion was better than the first and was a great followup.  This is one of the few franchises that started in the 80's and really put out some good films in the 90's.

14 December 2014

First Trailer For "The Culling" Has Been Released - PRESS RELEASE




The supernatural thriller The Culling is being revealed here! This title, from director Rustam Branaman, involves a lost and lonely, young girl. She encounters five friends at an isolated cafe and they bring her back to her home. But, a secret lies in the bowels of this cursed structure, one in which none of the friends can escape. Starring Elizabeth Di Prinzio (The Devil Within), Jeremy Sumpter (Peter Pan), Brett Davern (“Awkward”), Chris Coy, (Hostel: Part III) and Linsey Godfrey, The Culling now has a thrilling first trailer

The clip shows the five friends, with Lucy (Harley Graham). They drive her back to her home, but the house is strangely empty. As the night grows darker, Tyler, Emily, Sean, Hank, and Amanda begin to suspect that Lucy has brought them into a ghostly trap. Can they escape this curse? Only if the home’s demonic inhabitants will let them.

Recently, The Culling has been picked up by Signature Entertainment, for distribution in the United Kingdom. The release will take place on DVD, this upcoming March 23rd, 2015. As well, there are plans to release the film in North America; New Media Millenium Distributors will handle the film’s domestic distribution. A release date for the United States and Canada is coming soon. For now, media and editors can enjoy a first look at, which is sure to be, one of 2015’s most exciting and terrifying indie horror features- The Culling!

The trailer can be downloaded here and uploaded on the platform of your choosing:

https://app.box.com/s/uj9z3ls1uwn3j6bl18et


As well, the trailer can be viewed here, on Youtube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HNN7n8JyhYo

More photos can be found at the Silver Lining Media Group social media page:

https://www.facebook.com/silverliningmg/photos