The movies that make me wish I was at #TIFF2015

Posted on September 11, 2015 by Denise

tiff 2015 drool listHonestly?  This year’s lineup is spectacular.  I mean awesome.  I basically want to just set down in my Clockwork Orange strap-down chair, grab my eyedrops, and settle in.  But I’m down here.  So I’ll have to wait.  ‘Til these hit the local multiplex, here’s what I’m dreaming about catching at the Toronto International Film Festival.  Mmmmmmovies…

(Click on film titles for trailers/clips!)

The Final Girls: I’ve drooled over this uber-meta horror spoof before. I’m still drooling.

Southbound: by the makers of V/H/S.  ‘Nuff said.

Yakuza Apocalypse: Vampires.  Monsters.  Yakuza.  Knitting.  Takashi Miike.  (CAUTION – RED BAND TRAILER AT HYPERLINK)
Continue reading →

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Baltimore Screening Pass-palooza: Black Mass!

Posted on September 11, 2015 by Denise

black mass onesheetJohnny Depp does love roles he can sink himself into.  So watching him play the notorious Boston gangster James “Whitey” Bulger in Black Mass should be pretty sweet.  Seen the trailer?

Yep. Feels like a mix of Goodfellas and The Town. Not too shabby. Plus, I’m dying to see Benedict Cumberbatch go full Boston Irish. Goodness knows he’s ginger enough for the part.  (That’s a compliment, btw.)

So, ready to get some passes?  Here goes… Continue reading →

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The Visit: some scares but ultimately unsatisfying

Posted on September 11, 2015 by Denise

the visit onesheet

Nutshell: great twist, not-so-great movie.  Grade: C

Visiting gramma and grampy.  Who doesn’t love that?  Cookies, hot chocolate, tons of love and affection…and locking yourself in your room ’til sunup.  Not what you recall growing up?  Well, that’s The Visit, and while there are tons to really like here, the whole doesn’t equal the sum of it’s few scary parts.

“People are scared of old people for no reason.”  There’s a great line, and a killer theme, with M. Night’s use of scary things like the fear of loss of control as people get older.  He even pulls out Sundown Syndrome, a real thing that definitely can be written sinister with the right touch.

However, The Visit just doesn’t seem to connect with the creepy most of the time.  There are plenty of “gotcha!” moments, and some serious scary here and there, but these are tidbits in an otherwise bland buffet. Perhaps that’s because I saw several excellent plot ideas that either drifted off, or were simply dropped.  There’s a good reason why a few are left hanging, but all-in-all the sense of cloistered dread just isn’t there.  If it was, I wouldn’t have cared about the other storylines…but as it is, they feel unfinished, rather than a moment that adds up to a satisfying whole. Continue reading →

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“Spectre” – Sam Smith to sing title song “Writings On The Wall”

Posted on September 8, 2015 by Denise

spectre songI love Sam Smith’s amazing voice. And so I’m stoked to hear him do the honors for Spectre‘s theme song. Plus, this will most likely mean a glorious performance at the Oscars!

Check out the full press release after the jump! Continue reading →

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New poster for new “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” prequel “Leatherface” gives me hope

Posted on September 5, 2015 by Denise

leatherface onesheetAm I the only one who has “Alice’s Restaurant Massacree” playing in her head every time I see the title of this movie?  With full orchestration and five-part harmony. Just me?  Fine.  But any way you slice it (PUN CROSSING), the new poster for the Texas  Chainsaw Massacre “prequel” Leatherface has a nice Maniac feel to it.

Since Rob Zombie did a pretty cool job with looking into Michael Meyers’ backstory with his Halloween — say what you want about shifting around canon, his series does well as its own thang — I’m going to give relative newbie directors Alexandre Bustillo and Julien Maury the benefit of the doubt.  Here’s the synopsis, which actually sounds promising:

Prequel about teenage Leatherface who escapes from a mental hospital with three other inmates, kidnaps a young nurse and takes her on a road trip from hell. Along the way, they are pursued by an equally deranged lawman out for revenge.

This film obviously knows how to grab good leads, with Lili Taylor, Stephen Dorff as headliners.  As nobody is listed as Leatherface (yet), it may be a wait-and-see as to who’ll come out wearing the meat mask.  I hope so; that sense of unknown will help drive the spooky.  Otherwise this could shift from an all-out horrorfest to a “Bad Guy Chasing Badder Guys” film.  I’m hoping for the former, expecting the latter, and crossing my fingers that Leatherface will fall somewhere in-between.

Leatherface breaks loose in 2016.

[WeGotThisCovered.com]

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“Spectre” onesheet (aka movie poster) debuts!

Posted on September 4, 2015 by Denise

Spectre Onesheet sept 4

And I love the skull-person in the background.  And I love that there’s a Day of the Dead scene.  Hello, gorgeous sugar skulls!  And hello synopsis:

A cryptic message from the past sends James Bond on a rogue mission to Mexico City and eventually Rome, where he meets Lucia Sciarra (Monica Bellucci), the beautiful and forbidden widow of an infamous criminal.  Bond infiltrates a secret meeting and uncovers the existence of the sinister organisation known as SPECTRE.

Meanwhile back in London, Max Denbigh (Andrew Scott), the new head of the Centre for National Security, questions Bond’s actions and challenges the relevance of MI6, led by M (Ralph Fiennes). Bond covertly enlists Moneypenny (Naomie Harris) and Q (Ben Whishaw) to help him seek out Madeleine Swann (Léa Seydoux), the daughter of his old nemesis Mr White (Jesper Christensen), who may hold the clue to untangling the web of SPECTRE. As the daughter of an assassin, she understands Bond in a way most others cannot.

As Bond ventures towards the heart of SPECTRE, he learns of a chilling connection between himself and the enemy he seeks, played by Christoph Waltz.

Speaking of Day of the Dead, check out these images.  I’ve included one non-DotD one, because Bond.  Spectre hits theaters November 6th, 2015.

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OMGOMGOMG — the “Dragon Blade” trailer is badtastic!

Posted on September 3, 2015 by Denise
dragon blade

(L-to-R) Fabio, Drunken Master Circa 48BC, Guineviere’s Stunt Double from King Arthur, and Uncofortable Roman Soldier star in “Dragon Blade”!

YOU GUYS.  Cusack, Brody and Chan in Dragon Blade, an epic historical movie played straight…and also armor.  Thank you, baby Jesus.

Watch it.  WATCH IT NOW.  I’ll wait.

C’mon y’all. John Cusack.  Adrien Brody.  High-caliber actors putting on fake armor and bellowing like Conan.  And also, Jackie Chan as his usual martial arts badass character.  Who needs more than this?  I’m looking forward to when this hits VOD — it hits theaters and VOD Friday, September 4th — because it will be a drinking game movie of magnificence.  I’ma watch this trailer again.  And again.  Basically I’m busy for the rest of the day.

Apparently this was a YOOGE smash in China, and I’m not surprised.  It’s epic madness, with pretty damn good production values. (Dragon Blade sports one of the largest movie budgets in the country’s history.)  I’m still bouncing over Cusack in armor.  Oh, the glorious, glorious miscasting!  I cannot wait.  Please let there be a sequel…and let all three return.  Hell, make it a trilogy and I swear I’ll never ask for anything else ever again.

Read on for the synopsis and general 411. Like you need any other reason to watch this whole thing beyond that freakin’ fabulous trailer. Continue reading →

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“Miss You Already” trailer is a mini-movie of lifelong besties

Posted on September 3, 2015 by Denise

Trailers are fun.  They’re like Lays potato chips.  Can’t watch just one.  So here’s a look at the trailer for Miss You Already, starring Drew Barrymore & Toni Collette.

MISS YOU ALREADY is an honest and powerful story following two best friends, Milly (Toni Collette) and Jess (Drew Barrymore), as they navigate life’s highs and lows.   Inseparable since they were young girls, they can’t remember a time they didn’t share everything -secrets, clothes, even boyfriends — but nothing prepares them for the day Milly is hit with life-altering news.  A story for every modern woman, MISS YOU ALREADY celebrates the bond of true friendship that ultimately can never be broken, even in life’s toughest moments.

Be warned; the trailer shows you EVERY SINGLE BIG MOMENT in the film.  So basically you’re watching the thing in Cliff Notes form. But it does look like a sweet besties film.

Miss You Already hits theaters November 6th.  Hey; cancer movie opening just in time for awards season!  I’m betting that’s not a coinkydink.

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Yes, Rose. There is a Golden Girls pr0n parody. (NSFW, naturally)

Posted on September 3, 2015 by Denise

First things first: this trailer is just dirty.  Not nekkid. And it may change the way you think about the Golden Girls theme song forever.

Okay now.  My GG-loving brain doesn’t know if it should love the fact that this show is getting the…naturalistic…treatment, or if I should just grab the brain bleach.  Either way, I had to share this.

I do give props for the casting of women over the usual adult film star age in this.  And I’m guessing there’s a lot of spoof.  Still, I think I’ll stick to the trailer.  Dammit, that theme song is stuck in my head.  Maybe some cheesecake would help.  But definitely not coffee creamer.

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“Concussion” trailer hits hard

Posted on September 1, 2015 by Denise

concussion onesheet“You’re going to war with a corporation that owns a day of the week!”

D-eeeee-yam.  That’s some heavy stuff right there. Concussion — with its focus on repetitive head trauma’s horrible consequences for athletes — is definitely gonna be a hot topic this awards season, and this football season.

Does this film have For Your Consideration written all over it?  Of course.  But this trailer got to me.  Maybe because the PBS documentary League of Denial: The NFL’s Concussion Crisis was so moving.  Maybe because Will Smith is looks like he’s all-in with his performance.  (I’m also glad to see Gugu Mbatha-Raw, whom I’ve adored ever since Belle.) Perhaps it’s simply heartbreaking to think about all the people irrevocably damaged due to a sport I sometimes enjoy watching.  Go local team!

Will Smith stars in Concussion, a dramatic thriller based on the incredible true David vs. Goliath story of American immigrant Dr. Bennet Omalu, the brilliant forensic neuropathologist who made the first discovery of CTE, a football-related brain trauma, in a pro player and fought for the truth to be known.  Omalu’s emotional quest puts him at dangerous odds with one of the most powerful institutions in the world.

Concussion hits theaters Christmas Day, 2015.

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