Category: Horror
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Pride and Prejudice & Zombies (***1/2) does good bad cinema
If you like zombies, but never tried a Jane Austen story, let this be your bridge. If you like Jane Austen and your boyfriend / husband likes the zombies, this is probably the closest you’ll get to enjoying something together. Or, if you are like your wife and me, you’ll hope they make a sequel.
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The VVitch (****1/2) stares back at you
It’s a raw film that feels every bit of the gravity of living and more.
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Victor Frankenstein (*1/2) Igor is not Igor
Victor Frankenstein – 2015 Director Paul McGuigan Screenplay Max Landis based on the novel by Mary Shelley Starring Daniel Radcliffe, James McAvoy, Jessica Brown Findlay, Andrew Scott, Charles Dance, Spencer Wilding, Freddie Fox Rule #3 – The real monster in any monster movie is not the narrator. Rule #54 – There is a pretty girl for everyone, especially if the hunchback is curable.…
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10 Cloverfield Lane: Children behave… (****1/2)
This is the rare case where the tie in works for the right reasons.
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The Boy (**) ain’t right
The Boy – 2016 Director William Brent Bell Screenplay Stacey Menear Starring Lauren Cohan, Rupert Evans, Jim Norton, Diana Hardcastle, Ben Robson Everyone needs a friend like Binage. Someone who is as eager to see awesomely bad horror films and is just as disappointed as you when the film is a little better than expected. I have been…
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The Hateful Eight (Roadshow Edition) ****1/2 is a study of balance
The Hateful Eight – 2015 Written and Directed by Quentin Tarantino Starring Samuel L. Jackson, Kurt Russell, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Walton Goggins, Demián Bichir, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen, Bruce Dern, Lee Horsley, Zoë Bell, James Park, Gene Jones, Dana Gourrier That actors save their best performances for Quentin Tarantino is certainly not a surprise. That he continues to pull new good actors from the fringes…
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Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse (**1/2): Doesn’t try real hard
Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse – 2015 Director Christopher B. Landon Starring Tye Sheridan, David Koechner, Logan Miller, Joey Morgan, Sarah Dumont, Halston Sage, Cloris Leachman, Niki Koss, Patrick Schwarzenegger Screenplay Carrie Evans, Emi Mochizuki, Christopher B. Landon Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse tries to be smart. It tries to have heart. But not that hard. Its mission…
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The Hallow (****1/2) takes you in
The Hallow – 2015 Director Corin Hardy Starring Joseph Mawle, Bojana Novakovic, Michael McElhatton, Michael Smiley Screenplay Hardy and Felipe Marino This is the kind of film that is made by a person of real talent. Hardy has been working on this film for about a decade, and before it was previewed at Sundance in January, he had landed the deal…
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Bone Tomahawk (****): I believe those fleas were alive and talented
Bone Tomahawk Written and Directed by S. Craig Zahler Starring Kurt Russell, Patrick Wilson, Matthew Fox, Richard Jenkins, Lili Simmons, David Arquette, Sid Haig, Sean Young, Evan Jonigkeit Two murdering thieves (Haig and Arquette) hear a sound as they rob the corpses of their victims. Going off to investigate, they end up crossing into the sacred ground of a tribe of cannibalistic Troglodytes…the kind that…
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Crimson Peak (**1/2): Feeding on Butterflies
Crimson Peak – 2015 Director Guillermo Del Toro Starring Mia Wasikowska, Jessica Chastain, Tom Hiddleston, Charlie Hunnam, Jim Beaver Screenplay Guillermo del Toro, Matthew Robbins, Lucinda Coxson Full disclosure: I am a fan of Del Toro. I will give him the kinds of breaks that I would not grant others. For this reason, my reviews of his films should be viewed as…
Ebert Did It Better: Gasbag Reviews 