TrailerWatch: “Stomping Ground”

Posted on February 10, 2016 by Denise

stomping-ground-dvd“Little lady, these woods is dangerous.  You don’t come out here with a pack’a guys you can’t trust.”

Living in a suburb that backed to woods, my sisters and I always figured something was going on back there.  But we didn’t think about Bigfoot.  (We were too busy dreading the day when vampires from ‘Salem’s Lot would learn about Amtrak late-night scheduling.)  But for you Bigfoot fans and phobics, Stomping Ground has your guy…or does it?

This indie-fest darling has a nice buildup of creepiness and Teh Spooky in the trailer, along with some low-key humor.  Check it out:

Stomping Ground hits VoD March 8th.  I wish it’d been available during last year’s Spooky Movie Fest; this looks like it’d be a really good time in a dark theater.  Read on for the full deets after the jump!
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TrailerWatch — The Purge: Election Year

Posted on February 10, 2016 by Denise

the purge election yearOkay, honesty time. I wasn’t a big fan of The Purge…then again, I’m not that into claustrophobic horror.  But The Purge: Anarchy was fantastic. The issues of governmental overreach, class conflict, and economic disparity were done well, and had me wanting more.  Well, we’re getting more.  And I’m glad to see not only the return of hero Leo Barnes (Frank Grillo), but an extension of the Purge mythology.  Here’s the official deets:

Expanding the universe introduced in the hit franchise that electrified the culture and earned $200 million at the worldwide box office, Universal Pictures’ The Purge: Election Year reveals the next terrifying chapter that occurs over 12 hours of annual lawlessness sanctioned by the New Founders of America to keep this country great.

It’s been two years since Leo Barnes (Frank Grillo) stopped himself from a regrettable act of revenge on Purge Night. Now serving as head of security for Senator Charlie Roan (Elizabeth Mitchell), his mission is to protect her in a run for president and survive the annual ritual that targets the poor and innocent. But when a betrayal forces them onto the streets of D.C. on the one night when no help is available, they must stay alive until dawn…or both be sacrificed for their sins against the state.

Once again returning to collaborate with franchise creator James DeMonaco on The Purge: Election Year are the series’ producers: Blumhouse Productions’ Jason Blum (Insidious and Ouija series, The Visit), Platinum Dunes partners Michael Bay, Brad Fuller and Andrew Form (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Ouija series, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre), and writer/director DeMonaco’s longtime production partner, Sébastien K. Lemercier (Assault on Precinct 13, Four Lovers).
http://www.thepurgeelectionyear.com

Check out the trailer below. The Purge: Election Year tries to break down your steel door on July 1st, 2016.

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ConNews: Andrea Libman comes back to #BronyCon!

Posted on February 10, 2016 by Denise

BronyCon 2016 logoFluttershy is back!  She’s back!  Er, I mean Andrea Libman, the award-winning actress who voices Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie and other ponies in My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, is coming back to BronyCon!  She was funny, sweet and super down-to-earth when I was lucky enough to attend her Q&A last year.***  So carve out some time in your BronyCon schedule to see her!

Okay, read all about it after the jump, everybody — straight from the horse’s mouth (or BronyCon press release.  Either or.)

*** BTW, for folks wanting MOAR PONE during this year’s BronyCon?  I’ll be updating you on-the-fly (on-the-hoof, for you Earth Ponies), with posts after each panel and Q&A I attend.  So get ready to strap in and do this, AFan-style!

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Baltimore Screening Pass-palooza: Triple 9!

Posted on February 9, 2016 by Denise

triple 9 posterLooks like a group of Deadpool cosplayers are takin’ over y’all.  Oh wait.  This is actually a cops/mob/revenge flick with some heavy hitters headlining.  (Say that five times fast.)  Synopsis!

In TRIPLE 9, a crew of dirty cops is blackmailed by the Russian mob to execute a virtually impossible heist. The only way to pull it off is to manufacture a 999, police code for “officer down”. Their plan is turned upside down when the unsuspecting rookie they set up to die foils the attack, triggering a breakneck, action-packed finale filled with double-crosses, greed and revenge.

IMDb has the lineup as Kate Winslet, Gal Gadot, Norman Reedus, Aaron Paul, Casey Affleck, Woody Harrelson, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Anthony Mackie, Michael Kenneth Williams…and on and on. So you know you wanna see this.  Well, c’mon then!

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First Second — celebrating 10 years with a cool February reading list!

Posted on February 8, 2016 by Denise

Print

First Second, the publishing house that has given readers the graphic novels American Born Chinese, Andre the Giant, Friends With Boys, Above the Dreamless Dead, The Divine, just to name a few, is celebrating its tenth anniversary!  Happy anniversary, cool publishing house that gives me stuff I like to read!

To celebrate, they’ve sent out some info on where they’ve been, and where they’re going.  Here’s a taste:

In the past decade, the graphic novel industry has changed drastically — going from an often overlooked corner of the literary universe to an acclaimed, essential part of bookstores, libraries, classrooms, and homes.  First Second has made that possible — with books from authors like Scott McCloud, Faith Erin Hicks, Ben Hatke, Mariko Tamaki and Jillian Tamaki, and Gene Luen Yang that have broken new ground, and won hearts and minds for the whole medium.  In 2016, we’re looking out at a graphic novel industry poised for widespread acceptance of comics in every home across the country.

Yeah, that Scott McCloud, and his new book The Sculptor looks very, very cool. (And if you haven’t read Understanding Comics, you really need to get on that.)  So, ready to dig in to some graphic novels for February?  First Second has come up with a reading list to help you do just that.  Dig in!

February 2016 Reading List

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Baltimore Screening Pass-palooza: How To Be Single!

Posted on February 3, 2016 by Denise

HOW TO BE SINGLE teaser one sheetReady for Valentine’s Day?  Or maybe “Single Awareness Day”?  I’ve always kinda hated that second one, as if when you’re single you can’t like hearts and flowers and stuff.  I always like that stuff, single or not.  Though to be fair, I’m a bigger fan of February 15th, Half Price Candy Day…

If you’re newly single, or still single, or wannabe single, or just up for a laugh, I’ve got passes for the Baltimore area screening of How To Be Single!  Yep.  What better way to kick off Hearts And Candy Week than with a free movie?  Synopsis!

There’s a right way to be single, a wrong way to be single, and then… there’s Alice.  And Robin.  Lucy.  Meg.  Tom.  David.  New York City is full of lonely hearts seeking the right match, be it a love connection, a hook-up, or something in the middle.  And somewhere between the teasing texts and one-night stands, what these unmarrieds all have in common is the need to learn how to be single in a world filled with ever-evolving definitions of love.  Sleeping around in the city that never sleeps was never so much fun.

How To Be Single stars Dakota Johnson, Rebel Wilson, Damon Wayans Jr., Anders Holm, Alison Brie, Nicholas Braun, Jake Lacy, with Jason Mantzoukas and Leslie Mann, and that sounds like a fun ensemble cast.  Right this way to how to grab yourself a pass… Continue reading →

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#BronyCon News: “&Up” programming for the over 21 crowd!

Posted on February 3, 2016 by Denise

BronyCon 2016 logoI do love me some Brony Bar Trot during BronyCon.  It’s awesome, and you can meet a lot of adult-age folks you’ll end up saying hi to all weekend; check out this Crawl Baltimore video if you don’t believe me.  (Plus, the Admiral fell Inn’s Tavern At The Admiral makes some killer pony-themed drinks.)  But this year they’ve upped the ante for folks over 21; “&Up” programming!

It’s not naughty no-no, it’s simply panels and stuff where adults can get together and chat about all things pone without having to worry about the all-ages crowd hearing exclamations or other discourse that their parents will have to spend days trying to explain.  (“Why did that lady say Rainbow Dash has a drinking problem?  What’s a drinking problem?”)

The BronyCon proper will still be all-ages, so never you fear.  “&Up” will be offsite, but nearby (read: across the bridge at the Hilton Inner Harbor.)

And hey — do you have an “&Up” programming idea?  Wanna host an “&Up” panel?  BronyCon wants to hear from you.  I probably wanna go to it.  So get in touch with the ponies-in-charge willya?

BronyCon will be at the Baltimore Convention Center Friday, July 8 through Sunday, July 10, 2016.  Read on for the full press release, including how to tell BronyCon your brilliant ideas! Continue reading →

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Columbia, MD Screening: Eddie the Eagle!

Posted on February 2, 2016 by Denise

eddie the eagle posterReady for round two of today’s screening pass-palooza?  Alrighty then.  Onward, to Eddie the Eagle!  This one’s got a lot of topical feels: Olympic dreams, winter-ness, and of course a good-ol’ feel good story. NOTE: this screening is in Columbia, MD, so DC area folks may be interested as well. Synopsis!

 Inspired by true events, Eddie the Eagle is a feel-good story about Michael “Eddie” Edwards, an unlikely but courageous British ski-jumper who never stopped believing in himself – even as an entire nation was counting him out.  With the help of a rebellious and charismatic coach (played by Hugh Jackman), Eddie takes on the establishment and wins the hearts of sports fans around the world by making an improbable and historic showing at the 1988 Calgary Winter Olympics.  Eddie the Eagle is produced by the team behind Kingsman: The Secret Service and stars Taron Egerton as Eddie, the lovable underdog with a never say die attitude.

Real-life Eddie Edwards was a guy that just went for it all.  And who doesn’t love that?  Plus, he’s got an official Olympic rule named after him (fair warning: while cool as all get-out, that link may spoil the ending of this film for you…) Onward, to passes!

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Spooky “Monday at 11:01A.M.” hits iTunes now, theaters/VOD Feb. 5th

Posted on February 2, 2016 by Denise

MONDAY AT 1101AM FINISH_1080X1920_rgb

“A little bit of Twilight Zone with [The] Shining mixed together”
– Emmanuel Vouniozos, cinematographer

Well.  That’s a heckuva draw for me.  So’s the fact that Lance Henriksen is in this film.  Synopsis!

‘Monday At 11:01 A.M.’ is a suspense thriller starring Charles Agron as Michael and Lauren Shaw as Jenny, a young couple who find themselves in a beautiful yet eerie mountain town where everyone seems strangely familiar. While Jenny busies herself in the small antique shops – Michael wanders into the local watering hole. The bartender (Lance Henriksen) dares Michael to check out Olivia (Briana Evigan), a sultry brunette in the corner. After a drink, Michael takes him up on the offer and moves to sit next to her. The two begin an ominous flirtation with Olivia slipping him her phone number. Michael and Jenny decide to stay overnight at the dimly lit and aging hotel. During the night Michael is jolted out of bed when he hears frantic screams from another room. When he calls the front desk for help, he is met with cold indifference. No one believes him including Jenny. As his hallucinations become more real through a series of horrific events, Michael finds himself desperately trying to walk the line between reality and the terror that awaits him.

I’m getting a The Wicker Man vibe as well (no, not the horrible remake. The good one. The original.) And, of course, “Hotel California” from the Eagles.  Plus, loving Briana Evigan’s “Evil Phryne Fisher” look.  Check out the trailer below.  Monday at 11:01 A.M. is already avaiable for you iTunes horror nerds.  Everyone else will need to wait ’til Friday to check it out at theaters or on VOD.

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Baltimore Screening Pass-palooza: God of Egypt!

Posted on February 2, 2016 by Denise

gods of egypt onesheetPass time y’all!  And you know you’re curious.  Maybe this is the Ptolemaic Dynasty, and that’s why #GodsSoWhite?  But the trailer is a fantastic mishmash of action, gold covered things, and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, so I’ma go into this one thinking Dungeons & Dragons: Egypt Edition.  In other words, hoping for a crazy fun spectacle that’s meant for popcorn rather than analysis.  Synopsis!

In this spectacular action-adventure, the survival of mankind hangs in the balance as an unexpected mortal hero Bek [Brenton Thwaites] undertakes a thrilling journey to save the world and rescue his true love. In order to succeed, he must enlist the help of the powerful god Horus [Nikolaj Coster-Waldau] in an unlikely alliance against Set [Gerard Butler], the merciless god of darkness, who has usurped Egypt’s throne, plunging the once peaceful and prosperous empire into chaos and conflict.  As their breathtaking battle against Set and his henchmen takes them into the afterlife and across the heavens, both god and mortal must pass tests of courage and sacrifice if they hope to prevail in the spectacular final confrontation.

Okay, okay; I’m interested in seeing more of those roaring, fire-breathing giant cobras.  And I’m not hating the fact that they’ve got Anubis — one of my all-time favorite gods — and Anat, the goddess of war, sex, and the hunt (though she’s really a Caanan goddess. *pushes glasses up bridge of nose*)  Throw in Bast, which is quite possible as IMDb is mum on some actors’ roles, and it’s an ancient-mythology dream team for me.  Onward, to passes! Continue reading →

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