Screenings in the Bay (Friday to Sunday): Mandy, Assassination Nation, I Am Not A Witch

Hey guys, happy Friday!

There's one title in particular that I have been hearing is amazing and it's the only one that's sold out at the Alamo all weekend. But you can still catch it on VOD and in some difficult showtimes next week. I'm talking about Mandy! I've heard everything from it's the second best movie of the year to "not even the people who went to laughing through the whole thing could ruin it". And I'm in!

Also this week, I Am Not A Witch opens at the Roxie Theatre, Perfect Blue returns to the Roxie, and Assassination Nation opens everywhere.

Opens This Week

Assassination Nation (2018)

Screening All Weekend (1hr 50min)

Drama/ Mystery/ Suspense (Rotten Tomatoes)

High school senior Lily and her group of friends live in a haze of texts, posts, selfies and chats just like the rest of the world. So, when an anonymous hacker starts posting details from the private lives of everyone in their small town, the result is absolute madness leaving Lily and her friends questioning whether they'll live through the night.

Alamo Drafthouse

Mandy (2018)

Screening All Weekend (2hrs)

Action/ Horror/ Thriller (IMDB)

Pacific Northwest. 1983 AD. Outsiders Red Miller and Mandy Bloom lead a loving and peaceful existence. When their pine-scented haven is savagely destroyed by a cult led by the sadistic Jeremiah Sand, Red is catapulted into a phantasmagoric journey filled with bloody vengeance and laced with fire.

Also on VOD

Roxie Theatre

I Am Not A Witch (2018)
Friday 21st & Saturday 22nd @ 7pm (1hr 33min)
Sunday 23rd @ 6:45pm
International/ Drama (Rotten Tomatoes)

Following a banal incident in her local village, 8-year old girl Shula is accused of witchcraft. After a short trial she is found guilty, taken into state custody and exiled to a witch camp in the middle of a desert. At the camp she takes part in an initiation ceremony where she is shown the rules surrounding her new life as a witch. Like the other residents, Shula is tied to a ribbon which is attached to a coil that perches in a large tree. She is told that should she ever cut the ribbon, she'll be cursed and transformed into a goat.

Perfect Blue (1997)

Saturday 22nd @ 2:30pm (1hr 21min)

Sunday 23rd @ 2pm

Horror/ Anime (IMDB)

Mima was a pop idol, worshiped by the masses until fashion dictated otherwise. In order to salvage her career, she is advised to drop music and pursue acting. A soap opera role is offered but Mima's character is less clean cut than desired. Regardless, she agrees and events take a turn for the worse. She begins to feel reality slip, that her life is not her own. She discovers (imagines) her identical twin, a mirror image that hasn't given up singing. Internet sites appear describing every intimate detail of her life and a figure stalks her from the shadows. Her friends and associates are threatened (and killed) as Mima descends into a dangerous world of paranoid delusion. She fears for her life and must unravel fact from illusion in order to stay alive. Perfect Blue represents a major change from traditional anime subject matter, analyzing the pop icon phenomenon, fame and its psychological impact on the performer.

-Huntress

Bluray Tuesday Featuring: Scream For Help, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom & The Toy Box

September 18th 2018

It's that time of week again. This week's releases, both new and older, are pretty solid. Scream Factory release Scream For Help for the first time on Bluray with a new scan. Also from Scream Factory this week is another first time on Bluray release of 1978's horror thriller The Evil. I'm hearing about both of these films for the first time and I look forward to checking these out. Denise Richards and Mischa Barton's new horror film The Toy Box also hits shelves today. The Toy Box cover reminds me of Hills Have Eyes for some reason and I may blind buy this week. I'm hoping it's good but am also not holding my breath. The biggest release this week is Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom the fifth installment in the Jurassic Park series. I really enjoyed this sequel, it's pretty dark and takes a different turn for the franchise. Target will carry an exclusive digibook packaging with a bonus disc and Best Buy's exclusive is a steelbook packaging. Next up from Well Go USA is Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum, Phantasm 3 and Phantasm 4. If you never got the Phantasm box set these are perfect to complete the single release set. Rounding out the week is Season 3 of Supergirl, Season 11 of The X-Files and Keanu Reeves thriller Siberia. What will you buy, rent or skip this week? Let us know in the comments. Until next week!

Scream For Help: Amazon - $27.99

A teenage girl suspects that her cruel step-father is plotting to kill her and her mom, but she is unable to get anyone to believe her.

 

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom: Amazon - $24.99

4K: Amazon - $27.99

Three years after the destruction of the Jurassic World theme park, Owen Grady and Claire Dearing return to the island of Isla Nublar to save the remaining dinosaurs from a volcano that's about to erupt. They soon encounter terrifying new breeds of gigantic dinosaurs, while uncovering a conspiracy that threatens the entire planet.

 

 

Steelbook: Best Buy - $32.99

 

Digi-Book: Target - $32.99

 

5 Film Steelbook: Best Buy - $64.99

 

The Evil: Scream Factory - $23.99

A chilling tale of suspense and survival. When a doctor rents a haunted house to use as a clinic, he and his associates are victimized by supernatural powers within.

 

The Toy Box: Amazon - $9.99

A family takes a road trip across America, but they may not be alone.

 

 Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum: Amazon - $14.99

The crew of a horror web series travels to an abandoned asylum for a live broadcast. It soon encounters much more than expected as it moves deeper inside the nightmarish old building.

 

Silencer: Amazon - $14.99

Retired hitman must reawaken all his deadly skills, and fight a one-man war against his former employer. 

Phantasm 3: Amazon - $17.99

The Tall Man, that imposing menace from Morningside Mortuary, is back and once again haunting the thoughts of the now-adult Mike and his friend, ex-Ice Cream vendor Reggie. The two continue their hunt for the mysterious figure and in his path of destruction encounter a variety of dangerous situations, friends and enemies. They also must contend with the resurrected dead plus a growing number of the infamous and deadly silver spheres which aid the Tall Man as he sets his sights on indoctrinating Mike and finishing the fight begun so many years ago...

 

Phantasm 4: Amazon - $17.99

Taking off immediately where the last one ended, in this episode Mike travels across dimensions and time fleeing from the Tall Man, at the same time he tries to find the origins of his enemy, and what really happened the night that his brother died. Meanwhile, Reggie (accompanied by a beauty he picked up on the road) battles the spheres and the undead in a quest to find Mike before the Tall Man can complete his transformation...

 

Siberia: Amazon - $14.99

An American diamond merchant travels to Russia to sell rare blue diamonds of questionable origin. As the deal begins to collapse he falls into an obsessive relationship with a Russian cafe owner in a small Siberian town. As their passion builds, so does the treacherous world of the diamond trade from which he is unable to extricate himself. Both collide as the American man desperately looks for escape in a world with no exit.

 

The Lowering Tower: Amazon - $26.99

The events that led to the deadliest terrorist attacks ever to take place on American soil are chronicled in a series that reveals the untold story of the September 11 attacks and how the secret rivalry between the FBI and the CIA may have inadvertently set a path for the tragedy to take place.

 

Looker: Amazon - $21.99

Plastic surgeon Larry Roberts performs a series of minor alterations on a group of models who are seeking perfection. The operations are a resounding success. But when someone starts killing his beautiful patients, Dr. Roberts becomes suspicious and starts investigating. What he uncovers are the mysterious - and perhaps murderous - activities of a high-tech computer company called Digital Matrix.
 

 

The X-Files (Season 11): Amazon - $19.99

Two FBI agents, Fox Mulder the believer and Dana Scully the skeptic, investigate the strange and unexplained while hidden forces work to impede their efforts.

 

Supergirl (Season 3): Amazon - $37.99

Meet Kara Danvers, aka Kara Zor-El, who escaped the doomed planet Krypton at age 12 and was raised on Earth by her foster family, the Danverses. Years later, Kara lives in National City working for fierce taskmaster Cat Grant alongside her friends, IT technician Winslow "Winn" Schott and photographer James Olsen. But Kara's days of keeping her talents a secret are over when Hank Henshaw, head of a covert agency, enlists her to help protect the world from sinister threats.

  

-The Impostor

Screenings in the Bay (Monday to Friday): The Predator, Don't Leave Home, Crater Lake Monster

The past couple of days have been crazy and I realize it's already Wednesday, but we still have a lot of movies to talk about that will be unleashed upon us in the second half of this week!
First off, the movie I have been having an inner debate about for months now, The Predator, opens for early screenings tomorrow, with a wide release Friday. I've said it before and I stand by it, there are too many comedians for me to have absolute faith in this movie, but the trailer looks pretty good (from what I remember) and there's no way I'm not going to see this.
Also opening this week are several straight to VOD titles, both of which have titles of films that have already been released. Patient Zero and The Basement will be out this Friday, and I don't really have any idea of what to expect from either.
Tonight Weird Wednesday will be featuring Lizard in a Woman's Skin several hours after the Super Shangri-La Show's presentation of The Crater Lake Monster at the Balboa Theatre. And yes, you can totally go to both!

This is also the weekend of Son of Monsterpalooza in Burbank, California! Among the panels, guests and special effects, this year they will also be introducing the first annual short film block, and you can bet I'll be in that audience. Tickets are already getting blacked out, so get them soon if you don't want to wait in a three hour long line.

Opening This Week

The Predator (2018)

Early Screening Thursday 13th (1hr 47min)

Opens Friday 14th

Action/ Adventure/ Horror (IMDB)

From the outer reaches of space to the small-town streets of suburbia, the hunt comes home in Shane Black's explosive reinvention of the Predator series. Now, the universe's most lethal hunters are stronger, smarter and deadlier than ever before, having genetically upgraded themselves with DNA from other species. When a young boy accidentally triggers their return to Earth, only a ragtag crew of ex-soldiers and a disgruntled science teacher can prevent the end of the human race.

Patient Zero (2018)

Limited Theatres/VOD Friday 14th (1hr 33min)

Action/ Drama/ Horror (IMDB)

A supervirus has turned humankind into highly intelligent, streamlined killers, and an asymptomatic victim who can communicate with the infected must lead the last survivors on a hunt for Patient Zero and a cure.

The Basement (2018)

Limited Theatres/VOD Friday 14th 

Horror (IMDB)

Craig is abducted and wakes up in a basement. His captor, Bill, is a twisted serial killer who wishes to reenact his own capture, with Craig playing the part of Bill and Bill playing everyone else. As Bill tortures Craig, he cycles through a number of personas, all while Craig tries desperately to find a way into Bill's pathology in order to save himself.

Alamo Drafthouse

Weird Wednesday

Lizard in a Woman's Skin (1971)

Wednesday 12th @ 10:05pm (1hr 35min)

International/ Horror/ Suspense (Rotten Tomatoes)

This cult movie classic is a psychodrama murder mystery thriller involving LSD, psychoanalysis, lesbianism, and having at least one extremely-gory dream sequence. Florinda Bolkan stars as the woman with all the clues to murder. Stanley Baker is the unlucky police inspector who has to separate what is fact from fantasy.

Don't Leave Home (2018)

Opens Friday 14th @ 9:30pm (1hr 26min)

Thriller (IMDB)

After recently unveiling her new sculptural exhibit on Irish urban legends, artist Melanie Thomas is contacted by Father Alistair Burke, a reclusive Irish priest who, legend has it, once painted the portrait of a young girl who later disappeared on the very day her image vanished from the painting. Now, summoned by Burke and his cohort to the Irish countryside for a special art commission, Melanie eagerly accepts the offer, never stopping to consider that some urban legends might be true. Being praised as "GET OUT with Catholic guilt in the Irish countryside" (Indiewire), DON'T LEAVE HOME proves that not all mysteries should be solved.

Balboa Theatre

Super Shangri-La Show Presents

The Crater Lake Monster (1977)

Wednesday 12th @ 7:30pm (1hr 25min)

Horror/ Fantasy (Rotten Tomatoes)

This bargain-basement dinosaur romp finds a backwoods community terrorized by a massive plesiosaur, aroused from its hibernation at the bottom of Crater Lake by a meteorite impact. A dull police manhunt subplot drags things down in the second act, but there's some cheesy fun to be had as long as David Allen's lumbering stop-motion beastie is onscreen, munching down on the locals like a lumpy, waterlogged beast from 20,000 Fathoms. This drive-in favorite is notable mainly as an example of the burgeoning stop-motion animation skills of Allen, whose career ranged from TV commercials (remember Mrs. Butterworth?) to steady feature work under the aegis of producer Charles Band, with whom he collaborated on numerous productions.

This film will be preceded by In Search of - The Ogopogo Monster

Castro Theatre

Double Feature

Suspiria (1977)

Friday 14th @ 7:30pm (1hr 32min)

Drama/ Fantasy/ Horror (IMDB)

A candy-colored nightmare from Italian terror maestro Dario Argento, Suspiria weaves a menacing tale of witchcraft as a fairy tale gone horribly awry. From the moment she arrives in Freiberg, Germany, to attend the prestigious Tans Academy, American ballet-dancer Suzy Banyon (Jessica Harper) senses that something horribly evil lurks within the walls of the age-old institution. Ill at ease as the result of her fellow student's peculiar behavior and increasingly terrified following a series of gruesome and spectacular murders, Suzy slowly begins to unravel the dark history of the academy. Convinced that the occult roots of the school and the horrific tale of its founding mother may hold an unthinkable secret, she begins a hallucinatory journey into the black heart of one of the most powerful witches ever known to exist. As Suzy edges ever closer to a secret that may hold the answers to all of her nightmares, the coven's grip on her soul begins to tighten until there is seemingly no escape. Will Suzy solve the mystery of the cursed academy before the fearsome Black Queen consumes her, or will she finally reveal the secret that has forever haunted the lavish corridors of the academy and bring an end to the Black Queen's terrifying reign?

-with-

The Neon Demon (2016)

Friday 14th @ 9:25pm (1hr 57min)

Drama/ Horror/ Thriller (IMDB)

When aspiring model Jesse moves to Los Angeles, her youth and vitality are devoured by a group of beauty-obsessed women who will take any means necessary to get what she has.

-Huntress

Bluray Tuesday Featuring: Brain Dead, Summer of 84', & Christine

September 11th 2018

Bluray Tuesday returns! This week is a lot lighter than the past few weeks. First up from Scream Factory is Brain Dead released for the first time on Bluray. Also from Scream Factory this week is Demi Moore led fantasy horror film The Seventh Sign. Both of this week's Scream Factory releases I actually have not seen but Brain Dead is one I'm looking forward to. If you enjoyed Strangers Things, indie thriller Summer of 84' hits Bluray from Amazon at a low price. I overall liked Summer of 84', I wanted to love it but I'd recommend giving it a watch. Christine hits its 35 year anniversary this year and to celebrate there's a 4K release of it this week. Best Buy will carry an exclusive steelbook for it. Next up is from Unearthed Films which releases the next American Guinea Pig film Sacrifice. Rounding out the week is Ocean's 8 with an exclusive steelbook packaging only at Best Buy, the Superfly remake, and only at FYE a steelbook of the classic Halloween. What will you buy, rent or skip this week? Let us know in the comments. Until next week!

Brain Dead: Amazon - $29.99

A psychological thriller from the writer of the original "Twilight Zone!" In a showdown of man vs. machine, Martin plunges into a chaotic nightmare trying to save his mind from the megalomaniacal corporation! 

 

Summer of 84': Amazon - $12.99

After suspecting that their police officer neighbor is a serial killer, a group of teenage friends spend their summer spying on him and gathering evidence, but as they get closer to discovering the truth, things get dangerous.

 

Christine (4K): Amazon - $19.99

Geeky student Arnie Cunningham falls for Christine, a rusty 1958 Plymouth Fury, and becomes obsessed with restoring the classic automobile to her former glory. But as the car changes, so does Arnie, and his newfound confidence turns to arrogance behind the wheel of his exotic beauty. Arnie's girlfriend Leigh and best friend Dennis reach out to him, only to be met by a Fury like no other.

 

Steelbook: Best Buy - $24.99

 

American Guinea Pig: Sacrifice: Amazon - $15.99

Haunted by the death of his father and other psychological traumas, Daniel (Roberto Scorza) returns to the home where he was raised. Faced with intense emotional scars, as well as physical -- which are realized by the years of self-harm depicted by the cuttings adorning his body -- he enters the bathroom to begin a journey of self-exploration, self-mutilation and quite possibly, self-enlightenment. Prepared only with three white candles and some crude instruments, Daniel attempts to beckon the embrace of the Goddess Ishtar (Flora Giannattasio) to assist him on his self-illumination.

 

Ocean's 8: Amazon - $24.99

4K: Amazon - $29.99

Five years, eight months, 12 days and counting -- that's how long Debbie Ocean has been devising the biggest heist of her life. She knows what it's going to take -- a team of the best people in the field, starting with her partner-in-crime Lou Miller. Together, they recruit a crew of specialists, including jeweler Amita, street con Constance, suburban mom Tammy, hacker Nine Ball, and fashion designer Rose. Their target -- a necklace that's worth more than $150 million.

 

 

Steelbook: Best Buy - $34.99

 

Halloween (1978) Steelbook: FYE - $32.99

Fifteen years ago, Michael Myers brutally murdered his sister. Now, after escaping from a mental hospital, he’s back to relive his grisly crime again, and again...and again.

 

Superfly: Amazon - $19.99

Cocaine kingpin Youngblood Priest realizes that it's time to get out of the game after surviving a violent attack from a crazed rival. Hoping for one last score, Priest and his partner travel to Mexico to arrange a deal. The career criminal now finds himself trying to outmaneuver the cartel, two corrupt police officers and all the double-crossers that threaten his path to freedom.

 

Cold Water (1994): Amazon - $27.99

In 1970s France, teens Christine and Gilles are restless, prematurely disillusioned and utterly appalled by their parents' listless attitudes toward life. They enliven things through sex and petty theft, but the latter lands Christine in a home for troubled teens. She breaks out, skipping town with Gilles, and the couple end up at a wild party in the woods. They then move to a nearby commune, but receive a culture shock there that strains their relationship.

 

The Seventh Sign: Amazon - $26.99

Around the world, the signs of the apocalypse--as outlined in the Book of Revelation--seem to be coming to pass in the wake of a mysterious wanderer. Father Lucci, the Vatican Emissary assigned to investigate, dismisses the occurrences as natural, but Abby Quinn, a young American woman, has reason to fear they're real--and that the unfolding events may spell disaster for her unborn child.  

 

The Big Bang Theory (Season 11): Amazon - $32.99

With the arrival of baby Halley and a government contract to deliver experimental technology, new adventures await the series' gang of nerds and the women who love them.

 

 - The Impostor