Baltimore Screening Pass-palooza: “Thank You for Your Service”!

Posted on October 16, 2017 by Denise

That trailer/Shania Twain song combo is amazing, so I’m glad I’ve got passes for Thank You for Your Service. I’d type more, but as I argued with a belt sander yesterday (spoiler: my right index finger lost), why not just get to it? Synopsis!

DreamWorks Pictures’ Thank You for Your Service follows a group of U.S. soldiers returning from Iraq who struggle to integrate back into family and civilian life, while living with the memory of a war that threatens to destroy them long after they’ve left the battlefield.

So let’s gear up for Awards Season Onslaught shall we?   Continue reading →

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Baltimore Screening Pass-palooza: “Only the Brave”!

Posted on October 16, 2017 by Denise

This looks like an amazing film, and the screening is TOMORROW. So? Synopsis!

It’s not what stands in front of you… it’s who stands beside you. Only the Brave, based on the true story of the Granite Mountain Hotshots, is the heroic story of one unit of local firefighters that through hope, determination, sacrifice, and the drive to protect families, communities, and our country become one of the most elite firefighting teams in the nation.  As most of us run from danger, they run toward it – they watch over our lives, our homes, everything we hold dear, as they forge a unique brotherhood that comes into focus with one fateful fire.

Ready to bring all the kleenex? C’mon!

Continue reading →

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#31in31 2017: “The Nightmare”

Posted on October 16, 2017 by Denise

“This is the story of eight people and what waits for them in the darkness.”

Story: Sleep paralysis. Yeah, I thought it was being trapped in bed. You too? The reality is much worse…because it’s not just the inability to move. It’s the inability to move and seeing terrifying beings coming into your room. This documentary interviews eight people with this condition, letting you inside their terrors.

Scares: A few chills as the real-life interviewees describe what they see during their episodes.

Continue reading →

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TrailerWatch: “The New Mutants” shows Marvel’s spooky side

Posted on October 15, 2017 by Denise

“This isn’t a hospital.  It’s a haunted house!”

Marvel’s new trailer for The New Mutants has got me all sorts of twitterpated.  First off, the cast includes Arya Stark Masie Williams as Wolfsbane, and Split‘s Final Girl Anya Taylor-Joy as Magik.  Then there’s the rest of the mutant crew; Mirage, Cannonball, Sunspot…and a creepy as hell hospital.  Then there’s the premise, which has me dying to find out more. Synopsis!

Five young mutants, just discovering their abilities while held in a secret facility against their will, fight to escape their past sins and save themselves.

This is a damn impressive trailer, and I can’t wait to see what the full film has in store. The New Mutants hits theaters April 13th, 2018!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bu9e410C__I

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Elsewhere Review: “Anansi Boys (Playaway Edition)”

Posted on October 15, 2017 by Denise
Read the original (okay, I wrote this in ’05) here at Green Man Review!

Ah, family. You can’t live with ’em, you can’t wish ’em into an alternate plane of existence.

The say that a long time ago a spider stole all of the stories from a tiger. Maybe it’s just that the spider told them better. Who doesn’t like a tale well told? But you can’t go around as a spider forever, sometimes you’ve gotta mix things up. Keeps things interesting. Just ask Mr. Nancy, he’d tell you. This sporty fellow from American Gods makes his way closer to the limelight here in Anansi Boys.

This time Mr. Nancy throws off what little disguise he had in American Gods and appears as Anansi, full-fledged trickster god, flashy lemon-yellow gloves and all. But as entertaining as he is, he’s not the main character of this story. As the title tells you, this Anansi tale is about his children, Charlie Nancy and his long-lost twin brother, Spider. The cause of the separation is a bit muddy in the beginning, but don’t worry; why they became separated and how they are re-introduced is the focus of this tale. Continue reading →

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Elsewhere Review: Ronald Kelly, “Midnight Grinding”

Posted on October 15, 2017 by Denise
Read the original (okay, I wrote this in ’09) HERE at Green Man Review!

Ronald Kelly? Hrm. Never heard of him, I thought. Until I took a look at the list of stories in this collection and realized not only had I heard of him, I liked his stuff. And I had a few stories of his on my bookshelf, thanks to Cold Blood, Shock Rock and Borderlands 3. So what started out as just another review turned into a sort of fact-finding mission to see what else he has going on. The result? Midnight Grinding is a fabulous collection of tales well told that may keep you up at night either checking under the bed . . . or tucked firmly under your covers too scared to even take a peek.

Continue reading →

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#31in31 2017 – “Gerald’s Game”

Posted on October 15, 2017 by Denise

“It was death you saw. And he’s coming back tonight.”

Story: A couple at their lake house try to spice up their relationship. But Viagra and a heart condition makes things fatal for husband Gerald. And with wife Jessie handcuffed to the bed in the middle of nowhere, her life may be winding down as well. At least she’s got her hallucinations to keep her company.

Scares: Psychological chills mostly, with a few icky bits of creep thrown in. Continue reading →

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#31in31 2017: Hell House LLC

Posted on October 14, 2017 by Denise

“When anybody asks me what happened at Hell House, I say watch the video. You tell me.”

Story: A friendly gang of millennials who run Halloween horror houses decide to strike out from the big cities and head to Abbadon, PA. Their horror “haunt” that year is now known as the “2009 Haunted House Tour Tragedy”. Five years after what happened, an investigative reporter and her trusty cameraman find a survivor, who gives them the security and for-the-record tapes she’d held on to.  Roll that beautiful horror footage y’all!  I’m sure nothing bad will happen.

Continue reading →

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“Happy Death Day” – a movie definitely worth celebrating

Posted on October 13, 2017 by Denise

Nutshell:  Fun, freaky and sometimes frightening, this movie blends horror and comedy expertly.  Kudos to the director, screenwriter, and the amazing Jessica Rothe as the coed who keeps getting killed.  You won’t find a better multiplex movie to celebrate Friday the 13th.  So what are you waiting for? Grade: A

“Prime vag, OUT!”

Story: Tree Gelbman is a total bitch.  Just hateful.  So when someone kills her on her birthday, it’s no real surprise.  But when she starts re-living that day – and that death – over and over again? Surprise! Continue reading →

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#31in31 2017 – ScreenPrism’s Halloween Tropes Explained: Final Girl & Death by Sex

Posted on October 13, 2017 by Denise

What better way to celebrate an October Friday the 13th than with a little digging into the slasher genre?

ScreenPrism – an amazing YouTube channel you should be watching on the regular – did a deep dive into two of the prized tropes of this subgenre, the “Final Girl” and the beloved “Death by Sex”.  They breakdown these prominent slasher tropes, and provide tons of examples.

Give it a watch, and then sit back and really watch those F13 flicks tonight.

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