Baltimore Screening Pass-palooza – “Summer of Soul”!

Posted on June 14, 2021 by Denise

Ready to see that kickass Harlem Cultural Festival documentary by Questlove? I’ve been stoked about this ever since he mentioned it during the Oscars… You too? Synopsis!

In his acclaimed debut as a filmmaker, Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson presents a powerful and transporting documentary—part music film, part historical record created around an epic event that celebrated Black history, culture and fashion. Over the course of six weeks in the summer of 1969, just one hundred miles south of Woodstock, The Harlem Cultural Festival was filmed in Mount Morris Park (now Marcus Garvey Park).  The footage was never seen and largely forgotten–until now. SUMMER OF SOUL shines a light on the importance of history to our spiritual well-being and stands as a testament to the healing power of music during times of unrest, both past and present. 

Ready? Let’s go!

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TrailerWatch – “Hotel Transylvania: Transformania”!

Posted on June 13, 2021 by Denise

Okay, this came out weeks ago… But I just saw it on YouTube, so it’s new to me. And since I adore this franchise, I’m posting it, dammit. Synopsis!

Drac and the pack are back, like you’ve never seen them before in Hotel Transylvania: Transformania. Reunite with your favorite monsters for an all-new adventure that presents Drac with his most terrifying task yet. When Van Helsing’s mysterious invention, the ‘Monsterfication Ray,” goes haywire, Drac and his monster pals are all transformed into humans, and Johnny becomes a monster! In their new mismatched bodies, Drac, stripped of his powers, and an exuberant Johnny, loving life as a monster, must team up and race across the globe to find a cure before it’s too late, and before they drive each other crazy. With help from Mavis and the hilariously human Drac Pack, the heat is on to find a way to switch themselves back before their transformations become permanent.

Fingers crossed we’ll see more Winnie, my absolute favorite werewolf! Hotel Transylvania: Transformania hits theaters July 23rd, 2021.

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PVOD pass giveaway – “Spiral: From the Book of Saw”!

Posted on June 4, 2021 by Denise

Not ready to hit the theaters yet? Honey, I feel you. Or, did you catch Spiral in theaters and want to watch it again at home? I got all y’all. Because I’ve got passes for the Premium Video On Demand (PVOD) of Spiral! In case there are any folks out there that missed the marketing explosion? Synopsis!

A criminal mastermind unleashes a twisted form of justice in Spiral, the terrifying new chapter from the book of Saw. Working in the shadow of his father, an esteemed police veteran (Samuel L. Jackson), brash Detective Ezekiel “Zeke” Banks (Chris Rock) and his rookie partner (Max Minghella) take charge of a grisly investigation into murders that are eerily reminiscent of the city’s gruesome past.  Unwittingly entrapped in a deepening mystery, Zeke finds himself at the center of the killer’s morbid game.

Ready? Let’s go!

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Freaky Fridays – “Mandy”

Posted on June 4, 2021 by Denise
Horror, Cult Movies, Exploitation Cinema, 70s Schlock, and more! Let’s look at something cool!

“You ripped my shiiirt! You ripped my shiiirt!”

Genre: Wild-ass Lovecraft-Meets-Jason Voorhees Cult Craziness With A Revenge Twist (got all that?)
Year Released: 2018
Pedigree: Horrorhound Elijah Wood is a producer
Where I Watched: Shudder

Synopsis: Red and Mandy live in the absolute boonies, in a gorgeously haphazard cabin. But when a crazy hippie cult leader decides Mandy is gonna be his new wife? Red has to saddle the hell up. Have I mentioned the batshit crazy LSD leather boys? Because there are batshit crazy LSD leather boys.

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Virtual screening – “The Tomorrow War”!

Posted on June 2, 2021 by Denise

Seen the trailer for the upcoming Amazon scifi film The Tomorrow War? Intrigued? Me too! And I’ve got passes to see it early, because I care y’all. Synopsis!

In The Tomorrow War, the world is stunned when a group of time travelers arrive from the year 2051 to deliver an urgent message: Thirty years in the future mankind is losing a global war against a deadly alien species. The only hope for survival is for soldiers and civilians from the present to be transported to the future and join the fight. Among those recruited is high school teacher and family man Dan Forester (Chris Pratt). Determined to save the world for his young daughter, Dan teams up with a brilliant scientist (Yvonne Strahovski) and his estranged father (J.K. Simmons) in a desperate quest to rewrite the fate of the planet.

Ready? Let’s go!

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TrailerWatch – M. Night gets “Old”

Posted on May 27, 2021 by Denise

“Dad, why are you looking at me like that?”

Man, I remember being a kid. Loving the beach, really wanting to be a grownup… But in M. Night Shyamalan’s newest joint, running through your years (all of them) in a single day? No thank you. Synopsis!

Visionary filmmaker M. Night Shyamalan unveils a chilling, mysterious new thriller about a family on a tropical holiday who discover that the secluded beach where they are relaxing for a few hours is somehow causing them to age rapidly … reducing their entire lives into a single day.

There’s some seriously crazy stuff going on in this trailer, and I’m hoping Shyamalan has shaken the dust off his terrible Glass trilogy ender and crafted a winner. Fingers crossed.

Old hits theaters July 23rd, 2021.

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TrailerWatch – Marvel Studios’ “Eternals”

Posted on May 24, 2021 by Denise

“Throughout the years we have never interfered. Until now.”

I’ve been looking forward to this film ever since they announced it. Why? Because I don’t know anything about these characters, but they sound intriguing AF. Plus, Gemma Chan is freaking awesome. Synopsis!

The saga of the Eternals, a race of immortal beings who lived on Earth and shaped its history and civilizations.

Eternals hits theaters sometime in November, 2021.

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Elsewhere Reviews – Lily’s Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups – 70% Cocoa

Posted on May 16, 2021 by Denise
Originally published on Green Man Review!

I’m iffy on Stevia. On the one hand, it’s a plant-based sweetener that’s super low calorie, so it’s a great swap for the chemical packets I typically put in my latte. On the other hand, it’s got a weird aftertaste that grosses me out whenever I overdo it. But Lily’s seems to have a knack with getting that perfect proportion of sweetness without aftertaste with these Stevia-sweetened cups. Pair that with Fair Trade and non-GMO ingredients, and this is about as guilt-free as you can get when you’re digging into a cheat day treat. Or an “I deserve this” treat. Or a “screw it I’m doing this” treat. You get the idea.

Full disclosure; I’m a huge fan of high-octane level dark chocolate (the folks who’ve been around for a while now know this), so when I saw these at the store I was predisposed to like them. I liked them even more when I opened the packet and notice each cup was individually packaged. In today’s Keep Everything Even Cleaner Than You’d Normally Do pandemic world? That’s a nice bonus. Plus, it’s easy to grab a few and shove them into my bag for an on-the-go treat. The individual packets are kind of tough to open, but I do concede that I’m an absolute klutz when it comes to opening candy packets. So it might just be a me thing that won’t affect you in the slightest.

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Freaky Fridays – “What Lies Below”

Posted on May 14, 2021 by Denise
Horror, Cult Movies, Exploitation Cinema, 70s Schlock, and more! Let’s look at something cool!

“Holy crap.” [Both a line of dialogue and my constant thought while watching this…movie.]

Genre: WTF Lovecraftian Wannabes
Year Released: 2020
Pedigree:
Where I Watched:  Netflix

Synopsis: Unlikeable 27 year old teenager gets to spend her summer with her immature, weird mom. Mom has a weird boyfriend. Maybe he’s not human? Maybe he’s just a guy that likes sniffing her clothes. Who’s to say?

Fabulous or Frustrating?: This is a film that feels like huge chunks of plot we’re gouged out at random. Because there are so many unanswered questions at the end of this film, I’d like to give the Creator’s the benefit of the doubt that they actually did know what kind of story they wanted to tell, but were hampered by post-production? Otherwise this is just a garbage film by a bunch of people that don’t want know what the hell they were doing. So? Let’s get on with this.

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TrailerWatch – “The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard”

Posted on May 13, 2021 by Denise

“I believe it’s pronounced ‘Thank You’.”

The combination of Ryan Reynolds and THE Samuel L. Jackson was *chef’s kiss* in The Hot Bodyguard. Salma Hayek’s Sonia got a wee bit of screen time in the original, but she was so electric there was no way they were gonna leave her story like that. So, hello there, sequel! Synopsis!

The world’s most lethal odd couple – bodyguard Michael Bryce (Ryan Reynolds) and hitman Darius Kincaid (Samuel L. Jackson) – are back on another life-threatening mission. Still unlicensed and under scrutiny, Bryce is forced into action by Darius’s even more volatile wife, the infamous international con artist Sonia Kincaid (Salma Hayek). As Bryce is driven over the edge by his two most dangerous protectees, the trio get in over their heads in a global plot and soon find that they are all that stand between Europe and a vengeful and powerful madman (Antonio Banderas). Joining in the fun and deadly mayhem is Morgan Freeman as…well, you’ll have to see.

The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard hits (Hee) theaters June 16th, 2021.

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