Category: Horror

“Jurassic World Dominion” – The Poster and Trailer are Here!

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Jurassic World Dominion needs to be seen on the big screen in a packed theater.  Check out the poster above and trailer below and see if you don’t agree.  I love that they’ve got so many from the previous movies and the idea of dinosaurs world-wide.  Deal me in.

This summer, experience the epic conclusion to the Jurassic era as two generations unite for the first time. Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard are joined by Oscar®-winner Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum and Sam Neill in Jurassic World Dominion, a bold, timely and breathtaking new adventure that spans the globe.

From Jurassic World architect and director Colin Trevorrow, Dominion takes place four years after Isla Nublar has been destroyed. Dinosaurs now live—and hunt—alongside humans all over the world. This fragile balance will reshape the future and determine, once and for all, whether human beings are to remain the apex predators on a planet they now share with history’s most fearsome creatures.

Jurassic World Dominion, from Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment, propels the more than $5 billion franchise into daring, uncharted territory, featuring never-seen dinosaurs, breakneck action and astonishing new visual effects.

The film features new cast members DeWanda Wise (She’s Gotta Have It), Emmy nominee Mamoudou Athie (Archive 81), Dichen Lachman (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.), Scott Haze (Minari) and Campbell Scott (The Amazing Spider-Man 2). The film’s returning cast includes BD Wong as Dr. Henry Wu, Justice Smith as Franklin Webb, Daniella Pineda as Dr. Zia Rodriguez and Omar Sy as Barry Sembenè.

Jurassic World Dominion is directed by Colin Trevorrow, who steered 2015’s Jurassic World to a record-shattering $1.7 billion global box office. The screenplay is by Emily Carmichael (Battle at Big Rock) & Colin Trevorrow from a story by Derek Connolly (Jurassic World) & Trevorrow, based on characters created by Michael Crichton. Jurassic World Dominion is produced by acclaimed franchise producers Frank Marshall p.g.a. and Patrick Crowley p.g.a. and is executive produced by legendary, Oscar®-winning franchise creator Steven Spielberg, Alexandra Derbyshire and Colin Trevorrow.

Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment present, in association with Perfect World Pictures, a Colin Trevorrow film. jurassicworld.com

“It! The Terror From Beyond Space” (1958) / Z-View

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It! The Terror From Beyond Space (1958)

Director:  Edward L. Cahn

Screenplay:  Jerome Bixby

Starring:  Marshall Thompson, Dabbs Greer and Ray Corrigan.

Tagline:  It Breathes. It Hunts. It Kills!

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

A rescue team is returning to Earth from Mars.  With them is Col. Edward Carruthers, the sole survivor of the first Mars landing.  Carruthers claims that his crew was killed by an alien life form.  Most of the rescue team believes that Carruthers killed his crew to insure he would have enough food and water to last until help arrived.  That all changes when crew members turn up brutally murdered and it is discovered the alien is on the ship!

If you’re a fan of low budget, 1950s scifi-horror, then you’ll have a blast with It! The Terror From Beyond Space.  What it (It!) lacks in special effects it (It!) makes up with an excellent fast-paced story and a claustrophobic setting.  Dan O’Bannon is said to have used It! The Terror From Beyond Space as the jumping off point for his Alien (1979) screenplay.  If you’ve watched both films, I’m sure you’ll agree.

I applaud Jerome Bixby and his crew’s ability to make the most of the limited budgets/sets.  A perfect example is when they received the alien suit, the mask didn’t correctly fit the actor (Ray Corrigan) playing the monster.  They couldn’t afford to have another mask made and Corrigan’s chin stuck out the mouth hole!  The solution was to paint his chin to look like the monster’s tongue!  Roger Corman would have approved!

It! The Terror From Beyond Space isn’t a great movie, but is a great example of the genre and a lot of fun.  I rate it 4 of 5 stars.

THE DEVIL’S OWN PISS AND OTHER STORIES by Whiskey Leavins / Z-View

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The Devil’s Own Piss and Other Stories by Whiskey Leavins

Trade Paperback: 266 pages
Publisher: Independently published (April 12, 2021)

First sentence…

The Devil, or should I say, a devil, needed a double-thirteen to win.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

Let’s start with The Devil’s Own Piss and Other Stories‘ very cool cover.  If you see that cover art and don’t pick up the book for a closer look, then stop reading this now and go get your eyes checked.  Rafael Andres from CoverKitchen. please take a bow!

Thankfully, the stories in The Devil’s Own Piss and Other Stories are worthy of such a cool cover.  There are over 30 tales populated by Lucifestus and other devils, the dangerous Troupe Brothers, movie stars, influencers, space aliens, regular folks, famous folks from history and many others.  You won’t find everyone in every tale, but often the stories overlap.  What they do have in common is humor.

My favorite stories involved Lucifestus.  He’s an honest-to-goodness, well, maybe not goodness, but he is a devil.  Lucifestus is huge, red and barrel-chested.  He sports a pointy goatee and a blue-black slicked back ducktail.  Oh, and he has these huge horns.  You won’t see his real appearance unless he wants you to.  He could be sitting right next to you in a bar and you’d see a dude that looks like Tom Waits.  Lucifestus is a hard-drinker, who loves to gamble so he’s often found in bars or racetracks.  He doesn’t cheat, and offers tempting wagers for everything from something that would humiliate the loser to the loser’s soul.  I loved every tale with Lucifestus and am ready for more.

The other tales are funny and a nice change of pace.  As the cover indicates, The Devil’s Own Piss and Other Stories is definitely an R-Rated Book.  If you’re easily offended, then this isn’t for you.  I loved it.  Whiskey Leavins is the guy you’d want to buy a few beers (and I don’t drink) and wait for the stories to flow.

Rating:

“So Cold the River” – The Poster and Trailer are Here!

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So Cold the River has an interesting poster and trailer.  I’m going to keep my eye out for it.

A documentary filmmaker hired to profile a reclusive, dying millionaire becomes obsessed with her subject and uncovers the shocking secrets his hometown wanted buried, unleashing an evil force with devastating consequences. Get swept up with this bone-chilling, supernatural thriller, adapted from “The New York Times” bestselling author, Michael Koryta also author of  Those Who Wish Me Dead.

“The Changed” – The Poster and Trailer are Here!

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It’s good to see art on a movie poster.  The Changed definitely has an Invasion of the Body Snatchers vibe (and that’s a good thing).  Deal me in.

Something has taken possession of the hearts and minds of the populace. Kim, Mac, and Jane try to convince themselves it’s paranoia, but before long the city is besieged by the changed. By the time they realize an alien intelligence has merged with their neighbor, Bill, a horde of changed is amassing outside their suburban home.

CAST: Tony Todd, Clare Foley, Jason Alan Smith, Carlee Avers, Doug Tompos, Olivia Freer, Kathy Searle

DIRECTOR: Michael Mongillo

“Project Gemini” – The Poster and Trailer are Here!

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The poster is not bad.  The trailer for Project Gemini is better.  I’d check this out on streaming.

PROJECT GEMINI: Available on Digital, Blu-ray & DVD beginning March 15, 2022.
After centuries of destroying Earth’s resources, humankind faces the grim reality that its last shot at survival may require creating an entirely new home—in outer space. An international expedition is quickly formed to find a suitable new planet, but when plans go awry, the crew is suddenly stranded without power on a strange planet. Unfortunately, they’ll soon learn that something truly unimaginable has been out there watching, lying in wait for the unwary human scouts.

“No Exit” – The Poster and Trailer are Here!

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That’s a clever poster and enticing trailer for No Exit.  Deal me in.

Trust no one. #NoExit starts streaming on @Hulu February 25.

In “No Exit,” Havana Rose Liu (“Mayday”) makes her feature film leading role debut as Darby, a young woman en route to a family emergency who is stranded by a blizzard and forced to find shelter at a highway rest area with a group of strangers. When she stumbles across an abducted girl in a van in the parking lot, it sets her on a terrifying life-or-death struggle to discover who among them is the kidnapper. Directed by Damien Power (“Killing Ground”) from a screenplay by Andrew Barrer & Gabriel Ferrari (“Ant-Man and the Wasp”) based on Taylor Adams’ 2017 novel and produced by PGA Award winner Scott Frank (“The Queen’s Gambit”), the film stars Havana Rose Liu, Danny Ramirez (“The Falcon and the Winter Soldier,” “Top Gun: Maverick”), David Rysdahl (“Nine Days”), Dale Dickey (“Winter’s Bone”), Mila Harris (“Young Dylan”) and Dennis Haysbert (“Breakthrough”).

“Vampires vs the Bronx” / Z-View

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Vampires vs the Bronx (2020)

Director: Oz Rodriguez

Screenplay:  Blaise Hemingway (story by Oz Rodriguez)

Starring:  Jaden Michael, Gerald Jones III, Gregory Diaz IV, The Kid Mero, Sarah Gadon, Method Man, Shea Whigham, Chris Redd and Zoe Saldana.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

Four young friends discover a vampire nest in their neighborhood.  Who would believe that?  No one.  So it falls to the kids to wipe out the blood suckers.

Vampires vs the Bronx is much better than you might think.  That’s due to a combination of the casting, the direction and right mix of horror/humor.  The four lead kid actors are well written and just plain likeable.  The same can be said for the neighborhood adults.  The kids parents don’t come off as adults typically found in kid comedies.  The director provides some cool touches such as a vampire’s hand slowly reaching unseen for a kid, a vampire slowly rising up behind a victim,  There’s a subplot about people moving out of the neighborhood thanks to a corporation buying up property that works well with the story.

I thought that Vampires vs the Bronx would be fun based on the trailer, but I was surprised at how much I liked it.  If they could get the cast, writer and director back, I’d love to see the kids in a sequel with more monsters.  Vampires vs the Bronx earns 4 of 5 stars.

“The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms” / Z-View

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The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms (1953)

Director:  Eugène Lourié

Screenplay:  Lou Morheim, Fred Freiberger (based on a short story by Ray Bradbury)

Starring:  Paul Hubschmid, Paula Raymond, Cecil Kellaway, Kenneth Tobey  and Lee Van Cleef.

Tagline:  They couldn’t believe their eyes! They couldn’t escape the terror! And neither will you! 

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

When a nuclear blast frees a prehistoric monster, the terror mounts as the dinosaur makes its way to New York City!  The true star of The Beast of 20,000 Fathoms is Ray Harryhausen’s Rhedosaurus.

There are a couple of surprisingly frightening scenes when the dinosaur devours some folks!  I was also impressed when a bazooka wounds the Rhedosaurus and its blood releases a prehistoric virus that is fatal to humans! That’s a plot twist I wasn’t expecting in a movie made in 1953. A military sharpshooter (played by Lee Van Cleef) with a radioactive shell is humanity’s last hope.  The final scenes at a amusement park’s wooden roller coaster are still pretty impressive.

The Beast from 20,000 has some fun moments and rates 3 of 5 stars.

“The Cursed” – The Poster and Trailer are Here!

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The Cursed has a cool poster and trailer.  Deal me in.

US Release Date: February 18, 2022
Starring: Boyd Holbrook, Kelly Reilly, Alistair Petrie
Directed By: Sean Ellis
Synopsis: In rural 19th-century France, a mysterious, possibly supernatural menace threatens a small village. John McBride, a pathologist, comes to town to investigate the danger — and exorcise some of his own demons in the process.

Flu (2013) / Z-View

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Flu (2013)

Director:  Sung-su Kim

Screenplay:  Young-jong Lee, Sung-soo Kim (from a story by Jae-ho Jung)

Starring:  Jang Hyuk, Soo Ae, Min-ah Park, Hae-Jin Yoo and Ma Dong-seok.

Tagline:  Death goes viral.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

When a fatal airborne virus runs rampant in a suburb of Seoul, a cure must be found before the government resorts to the ultimate solution to end the outbreak.  With the clock ticking, a female doctor working on the cure has a personal reason to find it — her daughter is infected.

Ma Dong-seok from Train to Busan fame shows up as a bad guy!

Flu takes time to set everything up, but once the virus begins to spread unrestrained, the stakes are raised.  The internment disposal area is mind-blowing.  Min-ah Park is an excellent little actress.  Although Flu was released in 2013, the subject has never been more relevant.  Flu rates 3 of 5 stars.

Jack the Ripper – 10 People Suspected of Being the Killer!

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Vince Guerrieri at Mental Floss came up with a list of 10 People Suspected of Being Jack the Ripper.  It ranges from the highly unlikely (Lewis Carroll) to the probable (Aaron Kosminski).

Patricia Cornwell has DNA evidence that Jack the Ripper was Walter Sickert.

My guess is that the Ripper was Kosminski or Sickert.  I’d be interested in hearing who others think Jack the Ripper may have been.

“Alter Ego” – The Poster and Trailer are Here!

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I like the looks of Alter Ego, but I think the poster might give away a bit too much.

Detective DiBiasse (Eric Roberts) goes to his last crime scene at the Mansion of a wealthy, paranoid recluse named Alan Schaeffer (Dylan Walsh). He brings with him a new detective and starts explaining the strange story of Alan Schaeffer. A man who recently insisted that one of his creations was coming to kill him, but had no evidence to back up his claim. Surrounded by security that reportedly sees nothing, nobody can help Alan Schaeffer and so the police moved on. Now the Detective is back at this mansion with a horrible, brutal crime scene and no suspect in sight.

“Hellblazers” (2022) / Z-View

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Hellblazers (2022)

Director: Justin Lee

Screenplay: Justin Lee

Starring:  Adrienne Barbeau, Greg Beaton, Crash Buist, Bruce Dern, Meg Foster and Billy Zane.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

When a satanic cult summons a demon the residents of a very small southwestern town must band together to survive.

Hellblazers is a low, low budget film set in the 1980s.  It would have fit right in on a drive-in triple feature from the same time period.  If you go in knowing you’re going to get a chance to see older stars in a film that requires you to put your brain on hold to enjoy the ride, you just might (enjoy the ride).  Hellblazers makes attempts at humor but never totally commits to comedy.  There are a couple of jump scares but isn’t really scary despite being about a satanic cult and a demon from hell killing off the population of a small town.

With that said, I watched with my wife and we found it an okay way to pass the time.  Therefore Hellblazers rates 2 of 5 stars.

“Hellblazers” – The Trailer is Here!

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From time to time you hear read me talking about drive-in movies.  They feature c-level celebrities or stars from the past in low budget films usually in the horror genre.  Even when they’re not great (which is often) they can be fun. Hellblazers looks like it qualifies as a drive-in movie.

Stars from the past?  Tony Todd, Adrienne Barbeau, Bruce Dern, Meg Foster, Billy Zane.  Check.

Low budget?  Check.

Horror genre?  Check.

Fun?  I’ll get back to you after I watch it.  So deal me in.

Focused on unleashing hell on earth, a satanic cult conjures up a demon and sets to the task of feeding it the populace of a nearby southwestern town.

CAST: Tony Todd, Adrienne Barbeau, Bruce Dern, John Kassir, Meg Foster, Edward Finlay, Ed Morrone, Billy Zane

DIRECTOR: Justin Lee