24 Exposures (2014)

Starring: Adam Wingard, Simon Barrett, Sophia Takal, Helen Rogers
Director: Joe Swanberg


Premise:
A photographer of erotic death scenes gets questioned by an on the edge police detective after a few of his former models turn up dead.

My Take:
A slow moving flick which focuses far more on what goes on between the murders than the murders. It's an art house slasher, I guess that does have watch ability even with the rather generic characters.

Rating: In the middle

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Machete Kills (2013)

Starring: Danny Trejo, Amber Heard, Sofia Vega, Demien Birchir, Michelle Rodriguez, Charlie Sheen, Mel Gibson, Tom Savini, Antonio Banderas, Walton Goggins, Cuba Gooding Jr., Lady Gaga, Vanessa Hudgens, William Sandler, Jessica Alba
Director: Robert Rodriguez


Premise:
Machete is hired by the President of the United States to stop a Mexican revolutionary who is threatening the US with missiles. Machete does the job and uncovers a bigger conspiracy.

My Take:
An all star cast of cameos looks like they are having fun with the outlandish and over the top material. And perhaps that is the point, but I feel one movie would have been plenty (though a third looks to be a possibility). If you have seen the first movie then this is more of the same... lots of blood spray and gun fire.

Rating: Warning (unless your in the mood)

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Cheap Thrills (2014)

Starring: Pat Healy, Ethan Embry, David Koechner, Sara Paxton, Amanda Fuller
Director: E.L. Katz


Premise:
A man who is behind on his rent, just fired from his job, and not sure how he will support his family runs into an old friend at a bar. The two catch up and are interrupted by a couple who start daring them to do things for cash. As the night goes on and the stakes get higher, the two friends are tested on just how far they will go for cash.

My Take:
A great cast handles what appears to be a one note premise, but is actually multi-layered, with ease. And each plays the role perfectly knowing when hit the laughs, drama, and terror. The tight direction only helps to pull the viewer into this crazy world.

Rating: So Good

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Dark Side of Midnight (1984)

Starring: Wes Olsen, Dan Meyers
Director: Wes Olsen


Premise:
A serial killer dubbed "The Creeper" puts a small town on edge and only one detective can stop the maniac!

My Take:
A Troma flick from the early 80's so expect bad acting, cheesy dialog,and an overall cheap look. Mostly this film suffers from being boring and an incoherent plot. Plus the story is very tame compared to many from Troma catalog.  

Rating: Steaming Pile

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Orphan Black, Season 2 (2014)

Starring: Tatiana Maslany, Mary Doyle Kennedy, Jordan Garvais, Kevin Hanchard, Matt Frewer, Peter Outerbridge, Michelle Forbes, Evelyne Brochu, Michael Mando, 


Premise:
A woman discovers she is a clone and there are several of them out there. She fears for her daughter's life as the company who made them come looking for her so she seeks the help of her clone sisters.

Season two has Sara trying to keep her daughter clear from clone Rachel and the Dyad, with help from Allison, Cosima, and sometimes Helena and Mrs S. A new agenda of the Dyad is revealed. We meet the scientist who made the clones. A new group of religious scientists come into the mix. And a few new clones turn up along the way.

My Take:
The second season gets even more complex and intriguing as more clones are discovered and the bigger agenda of the Dyad Group is revealed. There are deaths, new characters, and interesting subplots along the way. I am still amazed at Tatiana Maslany ability to effortlessly switch been about ten completely different characters in this show and each with their own sub story. This season is a wild ride with big twists and turns happening in each episode (sometimes multiple times). IF you haven't started watching this series, then you should start now.

Rating: So Good

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Seeding of a Ghost (1983)

AKA: Zong Gui

Starring: Norman Chu, Phillip Ko
Director: Chuan Yang


Premise:
A taxi driver accidentally interrupts a black magic ceremony. The penalty for doing so has his wife raped and murdered. The driver seeks revenge on those who wronged him by using the dark magic which he stumbled upon to cause the events.

My Take:
It's a rather typical Shaw Brothers production with the black magic vs white magic theme, but that doesn't make it any less entertaining. There is so much wackiness in the final act of this movie and the ending is a must see. There is a reason the flick is called Seeding a Ghost.

Rating: In the Middle





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The Factory (2013)

Starring: John Cusack, Jennifer Carpenter, Dallas Roberts, Mae Whitman, Sonya Walger, Katherine Waterson
Director: Morgan O'Neill


Premise:
A serial killer happens to kidnap the daughter of the detective who has been working the case. The detective and his partner are now on a frantic search for the killer before it is too late, and if they had to go outside the means of the law, the so be it.

My Take:
Another text book detective trying to find a killer story with a rather outlandish twist towards the end. There is way too much of an out of control Cusack driving around Buffalo.Watchable but forgettable.

Rating: Warning

Fringes of Horror by Sean Kimmel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License
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The Amazing Spiderman 2 (2014)

Starring: Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Jamie Fox, Dan DeHaan, Paul Giamatti, Colm Feore, Campbell Scott, Sally Field
Director: Marc Webb


Premise:
Peter Parker struggles with life as Spiderman and wanting to be with his girlfriend Gwen Stacy, who he promised not to be into danger. While this is happening, a worker gets electrified in an experimental test and becomes Electro and threatens the cities power. Also a childhood friend, Harry Osbourn, becomes the CEO of OsCorp and his dying. He wants Spiderman's blood to help save him.

My Take:
I wasn't very high on the first movie in the new reboot (or the Spiderman character in general) and the sequel manages to be even more over the top fluff. There isn't a lot of substance here but is a lot style. Maybe many more than myself will enjoy it.

Rating: Warning

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Tales From the Crapper (2004)

Starring: Lloyd Kauffman, Julie Strain
Director: Gabriel Friedman, Chad Ferrin


Premise:
Two tales one about an murdering alien in a strip club and the other about a herd of buxom female vampires with opening segments from The Crapkeeper.

My Take:
Lots of cameos in this Troma "classic" and lots of what one comes to expect from their movies as it's very tongue in cheek, over the top with gore, lots of nudity, and laughs. I wanted to enjoy it more, but mostly misfired for me.

Rating: Warning

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Only Lovers Left Alive (2014)

Starring: Tilda Swinton, Tom Hiddleston, Mia Walsikowska, Anton Yelchin, John Hurt, Jeffrey Wright
Director: Jim Jarmusch

Premise:
An underground musician (and vampire) is depressed with the living world. He reunites with his lover (also a vampire) who hopes to pull him out of his funk. After her sister (another vampire) unexpectedly arrives and causes chaos, the couple must retreat to another home.

My Take:
A stylish drama that just happens to have vampires for the main characters. Though it does add a little twist vampire lore. Jarmusch always makes interesting films and this no exception, though there is a good chance it willy turn away horror fans. Awesome soundtrack.

Rating: So Good

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Survival Quest (1989)

Starring: Lance Henriksen, Delmurt Mulroney, Catherine Keener, Mark Rolston, Traci Lind, Paul Provenza, Reggie Bannister
Director: Don Cascarelli


Premise:
A group of people taking a week long survival course in the wilderness run into a group of paramilitary survivalists. When an altercation happens and the course leader is murdered by one of the paramilitary kids, the rest of the group tries to hunt down the course takers who witnessed.

My Take:
A good but familiar tale with stellar cast. This flick is another solid, early effort from director Corscarelli.

Rating: In the middle

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Walking Dead: March To War [volume 19]

Author: Robert Kirkman


Premise:
The three groups move forward with their plan to take out Negan and the Saviors. But when they show up early for their payment, things go astray and Rick attacks.

My Take:
Another good volume as there is a lot of suspense building to the final act. And we once again sees Rick react (instead of thinking) which causes harm. This time the other two groups show up just in time to bail him out. The Saviors retreat and Neegan realizes this is going to be a war. Overall, the story once again proves the surviving humans can be far more dangerous than the zombies living around them.

Rating: So Good

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Dead in Tombstone (2013)

Starring: Danny Trejo, Anthony Michael Hall, Mickey Rourke, Dina Meyer
Director: Roel Reiné


Premise:
A gang takes over a rich mining town then kills their leader. The leader makes a deal with Satan, his sole in exchange for the souls of his former gang. The devil grants him 24 hours to do the deed.

My Take:
Definitely not a flick to get cerebral with, but it is rather fun to watch. The cast is decent and the killing is over the top.

Rating: In the middle

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True Blood, Season 7 (2014)

Starring: Anna Paquin, Stephen Moyer, Alexander Skarsgard, Ryan Kwanten, Sam Trammel, Debrah Wol, Chris Bauer, Nelson Ellis, Carrie Preston, Lauren Bowels, Kristin Bauer van Straten, 


Premise:
In season 7, vampires with the Hep Virus invade Bon Temps. They infect and kidnap people before Sookie bands a small group together to save the town.

My Take:
While I think the series has been failing for a couple of seasons now, this final season is an utter mess and worse it is mostly boring. Major characters die, characters came back in the fold, and many characters go against their type that has been beaten over our heads for season (that is not character development, that is desperation). Honestly it feels like the writers didn't even care about a true story, they just wanted to wrap it all up in a neat little Hallmark moment and drag the nothingness out as long as they could. And for a series known for over the top gore and sex, there is little of both in the final season. I really disliked the entire season.

Rating: Warning

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Under the Skin (2014)

Starring: Scarlett Johansson
Director: Jonathan Glazer


Premise:
An alien poses as a female and drives around Scotland seducing young men to feed from. After awhile she starts to develop feelings.

My Take:
A very slow and plodding movie. Basically the same thing happens over and over for the first sixty minutes. Drive around, talk to a guy, take him back to your hide out, and absorb his life force. Honestly, it is rather boring. At least the movie picks up a bit in the final act. The movie does look great from a cinematic stand point and Mrs Scarlett walks around in the buff a few times. Are those enough things to keep one's interest? That I cannot answer.

Rating: In the middle

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Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)

Starring: Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Bradley Cooper, Vin Disel, John C. Rielly, Michael Rooker, Lee Pace, Karen Gillian, Benico Del Toro, Glenn Close
Director: James Gunn


Premise:
A space pirate, Peter Quill,  steals a mysterious orb only find out the relic is being looked for by a powerful being called Ronan the Accuser who will stop at nothing to retrieve the orb and destroy worlds. Quill brings together a group of misfits to help save the universe.

My Take:
I haven't had this much fun at the movies in long time. There are big laughs, action, heart tugging drama, an odd (but good) soundtrack, and great special effects; all of which come at perfect times. The cast simply owns their roles with Chris Pratt in a star making performance as Quill and Bradly Copper stealing the show as the voice Rocket. Director James Gunn, one of my favorite directors, hits all the rights notes with this flick making it something unique to the Marvel universe.

Rating: Mind Blowing

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The Call (2013)

Starring: Halle Berry, Abigail Breslin, Michael Imperioli, Morris Chestnut, Michael Eklund
Director: Brad Anderson


Premise:
A 911 operator gets caught up with trying to help a teenage abductee escape a serial killer

My Take:
A fairly by the numbers thriller which manages to be watchable but hardly noteworthy. I expected something far much substantial from director Brad Anderson who usually manages to short circuit my brain.

Rating: In the middle (but don't expect much)

Fringes of Horror by Sean Kimmel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License
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