Posts

Showing posts from May, 2018

"The Son of Bigfoot"

Image
For years, man has wondered if there is something between man and animal that roams through wildernesses and mountains throughout the world. They go by many names and have several legends and theories, but they're always described as large hairy creatures with big feet. What if the legend wasn't a myth and that bigfoots were than anyone knew, and even had kids? Adam Harrison (Pappy Faulkner) looks like your typical pre-teen, even with his long shaggy hair that make him a target for bullies. He wouldn't say he was different than anyone else, except that recently he's been finding that his hearing can get very acute, his hair grows overnight, even after he's cut it and when his adrenaline gets racing, his feet get bigger to where they burst out of his sneakers. Too scared to tell his mom Shelly (Marieve Herington) about anything he hides out in his house where he comes a hidden box in the vent containing an address that is out in the middle of nowhere and letter

"Bent"

Image
When it comes to enforcing the law and fighting crime, there's one thing worse than pursing a cop killer, a cop killer that was once a cop that have gone bad, or the preferred term "Bent" We hear the stories, we see the movies, but when the lines of the right side and the wrong side of the law blur together, it can be hard to tell who's side someone is really on. Three years ago Danny Gallagher (Karl Urban) was a good cop, but when he and his partner arrive to a boat where they're about to take down a man they've been pursuing called Driscoll (John Finn) Danny and his partner Charlie (Vincent Spano) a good cop with a bad gambling problem find themselves in the line of fire, and when they discover that one of the men they shot was a cop with a wire, things quickly go south and Charlie pays with his life. Now released, Danny faces having to rebuild his life as a disgraced cop with all police eyes on him waiting for him to screw up. One of his only allies

"Hollow In The Land"

Image
The saying that we will pay for the sins of our father is a cruel and unjust saying and heavily debated. It's a known fact that those who spend time behind bars will have children that are far more likely to do time themselves, yet for those who do get left behind and try to do their best often are made to suffer regardless until something tragic occurs, then all eyes are on them. Alison Miller (Dianna Argon) lives with the judgmental eye of the community she grew up in after her father Keith robbed a store and proceeded to runover and drag a young teenage boy. Now as the one year anniversary since that tragedy, she still is trying to pick up the pieces since her father was put away for the murder and her seventeen-year old brother Brandon (Jared Abrahamson) is at risk of following in his footsteps after getting into an altercation with another youth Leland (Cody Chernenkov). The following morning, Alison is surprised to learn from policeman/friend Darryl (Shawn Ashmore) and

"The Lost Tree"

Image
In life there is death, it's a fact. When our time comes can be sudden and uncertain and usually when it happens it can leave those we leave behind devastated. Though the question of what lies beyond after death is one that has baffled us since the beginning and when we think we've connected, just what have we connected with? Noah (Thomas Ian Nicholas) is grief-stricken after being caught by his wife Emma (Clare Kramer) about to have an affair with fellow co-worker and friend Jenna (Lacey Chabert) and causing her to run out in the path of an on-coming car resulting in her death. Taking the advice of his father John (Michael Madsen), he rents a cabin out in the middle of nowhere site unseen to get away from it all for a while. As soon as he arrives he notices there's something strange about the place. The realtor Alan (Scott Grimes) who hesitates to go up to the property that the previous family left all their stuff suddenly without explanation. There's a hidden ups

"Maya the Bee: The Honey Games"

Image
In pop culture, some art whether its paintings, books or movies that influence other art. Many films reference other films or books and sometimes even take a page from their books and make it their own story. "The Hunger Games" Trilogy is a fine example and one that clearly influenced this next film. In the sequel to "Maya the Bee", we find the main character Maya (Coco Jack Gillies) the optimistic bee who loves to race and spend time with her more cautious friend Willi (Benson Jack Anthony). When a messenger from the famous hive Buzztropolis and home of the Honey Games that Poppy Meadow is never invited to arrives, Maya is excited, until she learns that the Empress (Marney McQueen) is demanding half of the summer honey collected be donated to the games, it is a shock to all, especially the Queen (Justine Clark). Yet despite the Queen's instructions to not do anything, Maya and Willi travel to Buzztropolis to speak to the Empress to not take their honey,

"10x10"

Image
In life, we all make choices. Some of these choices are done in the heat of the moment others are plotted out more carefully. Yet when the choice to do something becomes an obsession, it can take an ordinary person and make them do things out of character, or bring out their true colors. At first glance Cathy (Kelly Reilly) looks like any other pretty young woman that works at her flower shop and takes a yoga class, but Lewis (Luke Evans) isn't so easily fooled. Watching her every move, he waits for just the right moment and kidnaps her and brings her to his home where he has built a 10x10 soundproof room and holds her captive. As he goes back and forth plotting his next step, he keeps coming back to Cathy and asking her the same question, "What is her name?" and no matter how many times she tells him it's Cathy, Lewis will not accept the answer. He knows behind that innocent face is a dark secret that ties their past together and he will not rest until the truth

"Birthmarked"

Image
Since the study of human behavior began, the topic of Nature verses Nurture has been a debatable topic. Are we prone to behaving according to the code in our DNA or if in the right environment could we prove to contradict or chromosomes? Ben and Catherine (Matthew Goode and Toni Collette) both are intelligent scientists and come from a long line of great minds. In 1977 under the assistance of their eccentric Professor Gertz (Michael Smiley) they propose the idea that nurture can overcome nature in the right environment and set out to do so with three children. Their own biological son Luke (Jordan Poole) they will nurture to be an artist rather than continue the family tradition of science, Maya, (Megan O'Kelly) an adopted newborn girl from "feebleminded" parents they will raise to be intelligent and Maurice, (Anton Gills-Adelman) another adopted child who comes from temperamental parents to be raised a passivist. With the aid of a Russian who specializes in chil

"Samson"

Image
For those who remember Sunday school, most of us were taught the story of Samson and his amazing strength and where it led him in his final days, but not many of us were told the whole story as to who Samson was and the purpose of his God-like strength. Samson (Taylor James) was prophesized since birth that he would serve "The Living God" with his strength and would lead his Hebrew people to rise up against the oppressing Palestinians led by King Balek (Billy Zane) and his horrible son Rallah (Jackson Rathbone). There are three vows that Samson is bound to, he cannot drink, he cannot touch the dead and he cannot cut his hair and for much of his life he is able to follow them, but when he falls for a Palestinian woman named Taren (Frances Sholto-Douglas) who is in service to Rallah, he finds himself wanting to have some say in his destiny and chooses to marry Taren. During the ceremony Samson comes to face with Rallah who has been following the stories of Samson and th

"Bad Apples" One Ruins the Bunch, Two Kill The Whole Tree

Image
Most kids are naturally good deep down, but every now and again, one (or in this case two) come around that just seem to have a wicked streak in them that seems to grow until there comes a moment where they reach their peak of evil In a small town one Halloween, two twin sisters born on Halloween under bloody circumstances as possibly the origin to their evil dawn mask and homemade Halloween costumes and decide to turn Trick or Treat into Trick and Terror as they go through the neighborhood killing those who don't come to the door with treats. During this time Jane Black (Brea Grant) the new teacher at a middle school and her R.N. husband (Graham Skipper) have moved into the neighborhood from L.A. hoping to make a fresh start, but when he leaves for his shift, Jane is left alone in a strange new house, until someone comes knocking on the door. Not willing to go down easy, she fights back at her juvenile intruders and barricades herself upstairs as she tries to formulate a pla

"Lego DC Super Hero Girls: Super-Villian High"

Image
As many parents know, Lego has been branching out past their building toys and diving into the world of cinema with many beloved characters from Marvel Comics to Scooby Doo. Of course one of the most famous franchises is that of the DC universe with Batman, but for girls who need a positive role model, they are featuring the Super Hero Girls. During the teen years of many of your favorite DC female characters such as Wonder Woman (Grey Griffin), Supergirl (Anais Fairweather), Batgirl (Ashlyn Madden) Katana (Stephanie Sheh) Bumblebee (Teala Dunn) and a new Green Lantern named Jessica Cruz (Cristina Milizia).  Aside from Jessica, there have been many other new editions to Super Hero High such as Cheetah, Catwoman, Frost (Killer Frost to the comic fans) as well as some other familiar faces like Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy (Both played by Tara Strong), yet with new students comes rivalry and egos that clash. Meanwhile, Lena Luthor (Romi Dames) the sister of Lex Luthor who is tir

"Stephanie"

Image
Many parents will tell you children are resilient. In many cases this is true. They bounce back from bad falls, they can stay surprisingly strong during an upsetting time and at times can show maturity beyond their years. Yet in this case, no child should ever have to face such a challenge. Stephanie (Shree Crooks) is a nine year old who seems to have been left home alone and not like in a fun accident "Home Alone" way, this has been for some time. Her only company are her stuffed animals, mainly a turtle she calls Francis. As it becomes clear that the world has been hit by some type of invasion, we learn that there is also a creature that comes into the house when Stephanie becomes upset or scared and will only go away when she stays quiet and calm.  Just as things are becoming more serious with the power going off and limited food available, Mother and Father (Anna Torv and Frank Grillo) suddenly return! As to the reason for their leaving is still a memory Step

"Stratton"

Image
In a world of terrorist and secret organizations, there are those that protect the well being of their nations that the rest of the world never hears about. Yet when one of their own turns traitor.  Special Boat Service commando John Stratton (Dominic Cooper) is one of the finest Britain has to offer, but when a mission to find and destroy a bio-weapon in Iran goes south when someone has already stolen it and killed all the people there leading to a shootout that kills his partner Marty (Tyler Hoechlin) it becomes clear to superior Sumner (Connie Nielsen) that the organization has a leak. As Aggy (Gemma Chan) the woman behind the scenes pieces the clues together, they discover someone pulling the strings on the other side that Sumner identifies as Grigory Barovsky (Thomas Krestchmann) long believed to be dead is planning to use the bio-weapon with drones for his own purposes.  All I can say about this film is that I hope the novel its based off of was better written than

"The Humanity Bureau"

Image
 With much concern about government and climate change, we often wonder what will happen in the future. Will we find a way to improve things or will it come to a point where the very nature of our society begins to crumble? Noah Kross (Nicolas Cage) works for a government organization in a not so distant future known as the Humanity Bureau which goes through people's backgrounds and records to decide if they are productive members of society in a world where oceans have dried up, basic foods like coffee have become scarce and expensive and water must be boiled and filtered before consuming. If you're deemed not productive enough, you're taken to New Eden which is supposed to promise a better life. While working on his latest case with a single mom Rachel Weller (Sarah Lind) and her eleven year old son Lucas (Jakob Davies) Kross is approached by someone who knows the real truth about New Eden and the reality is horrifying.  Taking Rachel and Lucas on the run f

"Valentina's Wedding" (La Boda de Valentina)

Image
This one I'm very pleased to be writing about because of its foreign element. While there are parts in English, most of the movie is spoken in Spanish, yet despite the cultural difference, it is relatable in any language. No matter where you go in the world, family will drive you crazy and sometimes drag you kicking and screaming into the family drama Valentina (Marimar Vega) seems to have a great life in the states, works for a philanthropic organization and just became engaged to her boyfriend Jason Tate (Ryan Carnes), there's only one issue, the family she left behind in Mexico. The Hidalgos are powerful like the Kennedys and have the drama of the Kardashians with her alcoholic half brother Bernardo (Jesus Zavala) an Aunt who skypes from prison, a drama queen stepmother and a father while well meaning has let his political chances for mayor get tarnished by the family's outrageous incidents.  In an effort to transfer money to his political campaign without l

"Escape Room"

Image
Not to be confused with the other 2017 movie of the same name that caAnme out. This one features legendary "Scream" cast member Skeet Ulrich who now plays F.P. Jones, Jughead's Father on the dramatic television series, "Riverdale". Also featured is Sean Young well known for her role as Lt. Lois Einhorn from "Ace Ventura". In this movie, Skeet Ulrich is about to get a hard lesson on what happens when you do not heed the warnings of things that should not be messed with and that there are dangers hidden in our world waiting to be released. Brice (Skeet Ulrich) is the owner and operator of a once popular horror-themed escape room club called "Deranged" now facing hard times. In an effort to drum up business, he visits a nearby antique shop run by Ramona (Sean Young). When he eyes an old wooden box designed to look like the face of a skull, Brice is immediately taken with it, but Ramona warns that it is not for sale because of the demo

"Batman Ninjia"

Image
We've seen Batman do just about everything. We've seen him in 19th century London, we've seen him as an older man coming out of retirement in a corrupt future, we've even seen him take on Superman and live to tell the tale. Though we've never seen Batman as a samurai.  Starting off in modern day Gotham City at the infamous Arkham Asylum, Gorilla Grodd (Fred Tatasciore) has gathered some of Gotham's worst of the worst, The Penguin (Tom Kenny), Two Face (Eric Bauza), Deathstroke (also played by Fred Tatasciore), Poison Ivy (Tara Strong) and of course Harley Quinn (also played by Tara Strong) and The Joker (Tony Hale) to be the first to use a time travel devise that they can use to rewrite history, but when Batman (Roger Craig Smith) crashes their party, everything goes wrong and he suddenly finds himself in ancient Japan. There he discovers that The Joker has taken control over one of the providences while the other villains excluding Gorilla Grodd ha

"Darrow and Darrow: In The Key Of Murder"

Image
Hallmark Mysteries channel this summer is coming out with several new films from many of the major players like Kellie Martin and Lori Loughlin who are already well established with many films and will be adding at least three new ones in June and August. Until then, we are getting the latest from one of the newest characters in the second Darrow and Darrow film.  Claire Darrow (Kimberly Williams-Paisley) the single mom attorney of the Darrow and Darrow law firm is one who looks out for the little person whether its taking Pro-Bono cases like a permit dispute over a lemonade stand or letting her mother Joanna Darrow (Wendie Malick) live with her and her daughter Lou (Lilah Fitzgerald) and work with the practice after years of absence from the law firm. Though when D.A. and love interest Miles Strasberg (Tom Cavanagh) comes to Claire when his aspiring singer half-sister Phoebe (Mackenzie Porter) is arrested for the murder of her abusive producer Terr

"Avengers: Infinity War"

Image
Well better late than never, the review not the movie. I'm sure all of you out there have heard your two cents about the latest to the Marvel Comic Universe and how it's breaking records even with "Black Panther" having broken many of them just months before. Anyway, those I've promised on Facebook about my review, I will get to the good stuff at the end, until then let's catch up. As we all know from previous clips featured in other Marvel films, these powerful stones known as Infinity Stones are the sources of great power that can change life as we know it in an instant and that a powerful villain known as Thanos is seeking to possess them to control the universe. Every Marvel movie from Captain America to Black Panther has been leading up to this moment, Thanos's arrival.  Since "Captain America: Civil War" the Avengers have gone their separate ways, many of them being considered fugitives by the U.S. Government, but when Bruce Ba

"12 Strong" and a nation stronger

Image
September 11, 2001 changed the way we looked at the world and shook our security in how safe we were. Yet like so many times before, this nation was going to hold its ground and make those responsible answer for their crimes. We've heard so many stories of went down here as we picked up the pieces of our nation, but one story of how we struck back has not been told, until recently. Captain Mitch Nelson (Chris Hemsworth) of the U.S. Army who has been fortunate enough not to see any real combat in his military career and is about to take on an office job to have security and be the family man he wants to be has his plans completely altered when he sees the World Trade Center being attacked on the news. Wasting no time, he takes action requesting to get his team of 12 men back together and strike back at the Taliban. With some convincing from fellow Green Beret Hal Spencer (Michael Shannon) who puts his retirement on hold to be part of this team, they set out to Afghanistan

"Most Likely To Murder"

Image
In high school, there's always that guy who was "Big Man on Campus" who seemed to peak at seventeen and afterwards it all just went down hill. Dead end job, never quite left high school in their mind and just never will. Though if put in a situation where they are forced to go beyond what they've been capable of, can they rise to the challenge or like their old football just falls flat? Billy (Adam Pally) was once known as "The King of Stream Valley" back in high school, but high school has long since passed him and now works as a bathroom attendant in Las Vegas. Coming home for Thanksgiving and to pack up his stuff before his parents move, he tries to reconnect with an old flame Kara (Rachel Bloom) only to discover that she is now dating the town pharmacist and former social target Lowell (Vincent Kartheiser) to his dismay.  After getting plastered and high, he witnesses Lowell acting strangely in his home which is just across the way from his ho

"Mary and the Witch's Flower"

Image
Anime has captured the imaginations over the past few decades, many being based off of folklore or stories. "Ponyo" was inspired by Hans Christian Anderson's "The Little Mermaid" and this movie is inspired by the children's novel "The Little Broomstick" by Mary Stewart and much like Mary Stewart captured our imaginations with her writing, this story takes that and brings it to life. Mary Smith (Ruby Barnhill) is a young girl who has recently moved to the country living with her Great Aunt Charlotte (Lynda Baron) while her parents are busy with their work elsewhere. Stuck with nothing to do before the school year begins, she tries to be helpful to those around her but ends up making a mess of things. Bored and frustrated, she takes to the woods where a strange black cat called Tib leads her to a mysterious blue flower that she learns is known as the Witch's flower, once coveted by witches. In further exploration, she discovers a little

"Tremors: A Cold Day In Hell"

Image
Like many, I have been a cult follower of this franchise for years. Even though I was too young to see the original when it came out in 1990, once I was old enough to watch, I was hooked. While the original didn't do so well at theaters, it holds a high record of video rental sales (back before video stores became extinct). Since then, it has had a prequel film along with a short lived television series (which should have had a second season in my opinion) and as of yesterday has welcomed its six installment. Picking up not long after the last installment where our survival enthusiast hero Burt Gummer (Michael Gross) is back in Perfection, Nevada with the son he never knew he had Travis B. Welker (Jamie Kennedy) fighting off another pest problem, a Federal agent from the IRS that is taking claim of his property. While holding down the fort at Chang's market, that's when they get the call about a Graboid problem with a twist, they're in the Canadian Arctic.  A

"Backstabbing for Beginners"

Image
It's no secret that America's government is far from perfect. It seems not a day goes by where we don't hear about some dirty secrets or political corruptions of some kind that sends the country into a frenzy of protest and turmoil. Yet we somehow manage to overlook much of it. Mainly because we're not in a position to change it, until someone takes a stand and says "We can".  Michael Soussan (Theo James) the son of a late diplomat has always wanted to follow in his father's footsteps. He believes by becoming a diplomat he can make a difference in the world. He is finally hired to run the Oil for Food Programme under the guidance of his boss Pasha (Ben Kingsley). Michael soon learns the job entails more than he thought when being sent overseas and finding flaws such as expired medication being given to the people and Northern Iraq's rations being less than that of other areas. With the assistance of Christina Dupre (Jacqueline Bisset) an int