Until Midnight (& Sometimes Later)

A movie about spirituality and desperation and what happens when hope is all but lost, Prisoners is gripping and will keep you on the edge of your seat.

An amazing cast led by Hugh Jackman and Jake Gyllenhaal gives absolutely outstanding performances of a compelling script. See the full review at buzzymag.

An excerpt:
Keller Dover’s (Hugh Jackman) personal philosophy, passed down from his father is: “Hope for the best. Prepare for the worst.” He’s a devout survivalist, and a bit of a control freak. When his daughter and her friend are kidnapped–his world is turned upside-down.

Monsters University, Pixar’s anticipated follow-up to Monsters Inc. takes a step back from the Scarers at the Scream Factory of Monsters, Inc. and shows us a happier time, when things were slower and less competitive–college! See my full review at buzzymag.

An excerpt:
The movie begins with Mike, as he and his class at Frighton Elementary tour the Scare Floor at Monsters, Inc. and he is inspired to become a Scarer himself. He works hard and gets good grades.

And he goes to Monsters University to follow his dream. Early shots of MU are great.

This a low-budget, well-written, well-conceived well-acted thriller based on some clever manipulations of society. What would good people do under pressure and with no fear or reprisal? It’s an interesting look at a social experience gone terribly wrong.

Sequel The Purge 2 is already in the works, after The Purge made approx $34 million opening weekend, on a budget of $3 million.

An excerpt:
The Sandins are a rich family living in a gated community. This is a near future where the “new founding fathers” have given everyone a way to resolve their aggressive tendencies: once a year, for twelve hours, anything goes. The annual Purge.

The result is a weirdly polite society . . .

Gorgeous art prints, great rock music, and lots of naked bodies all feature prominently in Rob Zombie’s latest outing, The Lords of Salem. It’s got some strong performances, superb casting, and it’s definitely not your grandmother’s horror film. Check out what I had to say at buzzymag.

An excerpt:
I get the feeling this movie started out as a high concept film: “Wouldn’t it be cool if we got a bunch of horror film stars/scream queens from the 1970s & 1980s together and did a horror movie?”–and it grew from that single idea.

Supernaturalz: Weird, Creepy & Random
Director: Kevin Sean Michaels
Writers: Benjamin Parris
Stars: Paulson Ambookan, Alexia Anastasio, Mia Bené, Tationna Bosier, Debbie D, Joel M. Reed

In the same vein as Scary Movie, comes Supernaturalz: Weird, Creepy & Random, a silly romp of a film that never takes itself too seriously, wrapped up in a Bollywood-style wrapper.

Set in the traditional home to witches–Salem, Massachusetts–this obviously low-budget film had its moments. At times I couldn’t help laughing out loud. And it was never predictable.

There are two major plotlines (that eventually intersect). The first involves Dawn (newly out of prison) looking to find her adult daughter, Hope, with the help of the Mighty Sardar. The other is the adventures of the Garter Snakes, a girl gang on the run after committing a crime.

The attention given to the props was obvious, from having the Mighty Sardar reading a comic book in bed to various and sundry dildos dressed up as religious artifacts to a particularly interesting window treatment. The stunts were believable for the most part, rather than fantastical.

There was even Game of Thrones-esqe sexposition, featuring a belly dancer in juxtaposition to Dawn and Sardar giving critical background for the story. The first haunted house I’ve seen featured in a film that was outfitted with the clapper. And lots of bad puns!

Some of the plot points just weren’t explained as well as they might be–like Dawn and her daughter having some sort of psychic connection. The ending seemed a bit rushed, and a touch of deus ex machina, and at times the movie was very definitely a male-oriented fantasy.

Special shoot-outs to Joel M. Reed as the Heckler and Amanda Grace Marcheschi as Munzi, and the whole cast for delivering their lines with a straight face.

If you don’t take it too seriously, Supernaturalz is goofy fun that doesn’t overstay its welcome.

Keri Russell and Josh Hamilton plod through the motions in Dark Skies, an absolutely dull scary movie . . . see my less dull review at buzzymag.

Excerpt:
This is a typical drama about a married couple whose marriage is falling apart because of financial stress, who find each other and pull their family together as the adversity increases. The paranormal elements might as well not be there.

Better than average performances and not taking itself too seriously slide Warm Bodies over the line into watchable. As believable as a love story between a girl and zombie can be. See the full write at buzzymag.

An excerpt:
Romeo and Juliet–with zombies. As long as you are willing to leave your braaaiiins at the door and ignore the details, this is a fun little movie with a lot of heart.

Tim Burton’s black and white stop-motion animation Frankenweenie is certainly fun, but might have some trouble finding the right audience. The lack of color might be off-putting to the kids who using flock to animated films, and it is scary in places. It’s a must see for Tim Burton fans. My full review is at buzzymag.

An excerpt:
You already know the story: Victor Frankenstein, science nerd, amateur film-maker, beloved dog-owner tragically loses his beloved dog Sparky, and brings him back in a homage to the classic Mary Shelley tale.

A pleasant surprise at the end of the summer, as I finally went to a horror movie that was truly creepy. House at the End of the Street was the scariest movie I saw this summer. Read my review at buzzymag.

An excerpt:
The best part: I was sure I knew where this film was going, and I was absolutely wrong. And then, I was wrong again. It’s got twists and turns, and it is definitely not a run-of-the-mill script.

Sometimes, it’s fun to leave your brain at the door (for the zombies!) and just relax. Why not watch Alice shoot, punch, kick, blow up, and generally destroy t-virus zombies (and their friends) in yet another Resident Evil movie. My full review is up at buzzymag.

An excerpt:
There’s lots of weapons: hand guns, knives, long guns, rocket launchers, and grenades. As well as plenty of T-virus infected monsters to fight. There are clones. And chase scenes, lots of them. Tons of things blow up–destruction of property galore.