The Overlook Theatre Reviews: Lily C.A.T.

7 of 9 viewers "Liked" "Lily C.A.T." (2017, USA)

Here's what the creatures had to say:

Book Wyrm - "I thought the animation was very smooth and the story was interesting (kind of reminds me of Mass Effect Andromeda) but I didn't need to see a cat get eaten by a wall." - 3 Stars

Trash - "It was my second anime feature of the week. The prior night we'd been at the Alamo Drafthouse watching Perfect Blue and my attention was waning hard and fast, so I'd ducked out to the bar to order another Campari & soda and gotten wrapped up in conversation. The only reason I even returned to the movie theater was my unshakable sense of obligation, but I could barely focus. And I let myself admit why: I don't fucking care about anime. Most animation can't hold my attention, the aspects of cinema that really fascinate me are so production-based, and when you remove those dimensions and flatten it out to drawings, no matter how intricate and controlled, something is lost. So when I arrived at the Overlook last Thursday, I was greeted by Lord Battle declaring: "Damn, I was hoping you'd be late. We're going to watch another anime." "Where's the nearest bar?" I asked, and Huntress slapped a beer in my hand and sat me down and we started watching Lily C.A.T. And I tried. I really fucking tried! The story is clearly a mash-up of Alien, The Thing, and 2001, visions and plot points emulating some of the more memorable bits of sci-fi classics and I'm drooling and my eyes are rolling back into my head cos I don't give a shit. For some reason, if they had been people I could read the emotions of, sets that someone designed and constructed, special FX make-up bringing the aliens into the world, I would have loved this dumb unoriginal movie. But it didn't have any of that. I can't even gauge if it was good or bad. I guess it was bad." - 1.5 Stars

Lord Battle - *Spoilers* - "Lily C.A.T. starts us off on the Nostromo whose current crew seems more suited for either a bargain bin slasher film or Stallone helmed action movie. The alien from The Thing sneaks on the ship while everyone is in their sleeping chambers and when the crew awakens 2 of the employees are lying about their identity. Also HAL 9000 has secretly been controlling the ship this whole time and everything happening may be his fault... I don't normally put spoilers in my reviews but I think most horror fans will pass by this one simply because it's an anime feature, when it's actually a film taking all our favorite elements from these sci-fi horror films and working them into a 90 minute 80's animated feature. My only complaint is that if you're going to pull from all of these different sources, you need to create a story that will transcend or at least evolve into new ideas for the genre you're currently exploring. Lily C.A.T. doesn't do this in script but the fact that it's animated is does change everything." - 4 Stars

The Great Hornito - "Lily C.A.T. really is a solid 80's sci-fi alien movie. The soundtrack is awesome. The story is a mix of Alien and The Thing that blends them very well. The pacing and build up made the realism really high. Overall very entertaining and I recommend it." - 3.5 Stars

Huntress - "Lily C.A.T. made me wish I watched anime in the 90's. After watching I realized how much I like​ who-done-it mysteries set in close quarters. I wasn't​ expecting an animated movie to get so brutal, so when people started dying I was shocked, both by how gory it got but also how inventive the kills were. A name like Lily C.A.T. is so unassuming but this is a movie that creeps up on you." - 4.5 Stars

The Berkeley Blazer (R) - "A solid, heavily Alien (1979)-inspired sci-fi anime movie that was a surprisingly timely watch after recent offerings like Life and Passengers, which share themes and specific scenarios with Lily C.A.T.. Fortunately, Lily is a bit more interesting than both of those movies, and what primarily makes Lily work is its strong characterization. We have a crew of virtual strangers who have woken up after a long cryosleep journey from earth to a frontier planet, led by the ship staff and their wise, anti-Ahab captain. An alien life form enters the ship while internal dramas unfold amongst the vessel's inhabitants. Each character feels so particular and uniquely motivated that one feels Lily could have been based on fighting game or RPG, except that for a sci-fi anime, Lily's tone is surprisingly restrained. The film's other design work is superb; monsters and ship interiors and exteriors are believable and aesthetically interesting, partly due to the Alien influence and partly due to having talented designers like Yoshitaka Amano (Final Fantasy, Vampire Hunter D) on board. If there's a complaint I have about this version of Lily C.A.T. it's that it feels a little too short, which makes sense as, if I'm not mistaken, this was a movie adaptation of a television series. All in all this is worth your time. The 80's anime look may put some potential viewers off but I'm fairly certain such philistines are rare amongst our readership." - 3.5 Stars

Drumachine - "Lily C.A.T. is entertaining but forgettable. The writing is a bit bloated yet engaging with its sci-fi horror influences, which it's not afraid to show. I think this would have been better suited spread across a tv series to give the plot some breathing room." - 2 Stars

Dabbles - "I am honestly at a loss for words. I was entertained by the theme and the music especially after a serious moment. I'm curious about the dubbed version." - 4 Stars

Math Mage - *Spoilers* -  "[35% The Thing, 30% Alien, 20% 2001: A Space Odyssey, 15% Murder on the Orient Express] * [High budget late 80's anime (tropes)] - 4 Stars

The Overlook Theatre Final Rating*

(Below is for after you've seen the film)

It's amazing how World War II created a long romantic cultural dance between America and Japan, where each country looks to the other as a land ripe with exotic ideas and rich culture. This is reflected in many films; in Akira Kurosawa's Seven Samurai we see Japanese culture applied to the tropes of a Western and in turn remade for American audiences as The Magnificent 7 (a western), Saturday morning cartoons on all TV networks have visually been infused with varying degrees of anime influence which was originally crafted by Osamu Tezuka's (considered the Walt Disney of Anime) Astro Boy which was influenced by Betty Boop! Lily C.A.T. might not be anywhere near as influential as these other films but Hisayuki Toriumi tapped into something very special and it's ready to be rediscovered.

  This carefully crafted love letter to the Japanese people solidified Betty’s already growing popularity in Japan

With Alien Day last week, Perfect Blue playing the Alamo the night before, and the Yerba Buena's Feline-fest starting this week, it seemed like the stars had aligned for the Overlook to finally review Lily C.A.T.. Math Mage brought a copy of Lily C.A.T. on DVD over after a discussion we had on how Satoshi Kon's Perfect Blue could have easily been live-action but was enhanced by being animated. When he told me the film was a mix of Alien and The Thing, but stayed as restrained as Perfect Blue, I was skeptical to say the least but after watching the film I was blown away by how celebratory this film was in 1987, way before popular culture ever caught on. And I mean the little details are what really shine while watching this film in 2017. The idea of mixing HAL 9000 with Ripley's cat seems very modern. Then you add the theme of robots replacing humans in their starship navigator jobs and it's hard to not draw a connection to self driving trucks and truckers.

My hope in covering this is that a couple of horror fans will just give it a shot based on the source material and maybe walk away with an open mind or even a new interest.

- Lord Battle

The Overlook Theatre materialized in a residence for a screening on 4/27/2017

*Based on the star ratings turned in by character reviewers, others viewed and got to "Dislike" or "Like" but that does not affect the rating.

Your Favorite Slashers Are Now Kawaii Anime Girls

Have you ever wondered what Freddy or Jason might look like if they were anime girls? Well Kotobukiya did too and they decided they needed to make this dream a reality. This week it was suggested to me by Lord Battle that I should bring to light these strange figures from Japan that transform your favorite horror villains into kawaii anime girls!

Most of you probably don't know this about me, but I am very into Japanese figure collecting. I have everything from nendoroids to figmas to 1/8th scale PVC figures of all different sorts of anime and video game characters. I started going down this terrible money draining rabbit hole in high school and haven't been able to escape since. It was while I was perusing one of my usual figure sites for something for myself that I stumbled across the first figures of this series, Freddy and Jason. I was so confused by them that I showed them to Lord Battle and he was immediately enamored. I later did some research and found out that Kotobukiya figures was doing a line of bishoujo horror villains and they looked amazing. These figures are all under the category of statuettes and are typically the figures I like to buy the most. They don't really have too many interchangeable parts like nendoroids or figmas and their production quality is amazing.

Initially the first two installments in the series sold out very quickly. I was a bit upset because I had wanted to buy them for Lord Battle's birthday, but I later went to a collectible toy fair and found out where they had all been sold out to. These figures do reach a wide audience apparently, and Kotobukiya has continued to re release them making them quite easy to purchase now that they know there is an actual demand out there for them. If you look now, you can probably find most of these figures on Amazon (although they have since raised the initial price of Freddy and Jason since I purchased them). You can also check Crunchyroll and preorder them there for much cheaper, but you will have to wait a bit because they are preorders for the next rerun (I do recommend this if you aren't in a rush because they are great with their customer service and if you are a premium member you get another discount off of the price).

I just wanted to post this picture because I actually didn't know they were making a Tiffany figure and thought I should share it with you. With her that makes a total of five figures in the series including Freddy, Jason, Chucky, and Edward Scissorhands. Check them out! They're all well made, they smell very nice when you take them out of the package, and they look great on shelves!

-Bookwyrm

Screenings in the Bay (Friday to Sunday): A Dark Song, Ginger Snaps, David Lynch: The Art Life

Happy Friday everyone! This is the last weekend of April and also the end of ths first third of the year... This year is kind of flying by, and I hope everyone is making good use of their time and checking out a lot of movies! Over the next couple of days the day area has a pretty eclectic selection of movies ranging from the classic Rocky Horror Picture Show to several new indie releases that we'll only be able to watch on VOD (for now). 

Tonight the new documentary David Lynch: The Art Life opens at the Roxie Theatre and with it they will also be screening several of his other films, including Eraserhead and Mulholland Drive. This mini fest will run into next week.

Opening This Week

A Dark Song (2017)

Available on VOD (1hr 40min)

Drama/ Horror (Rotten Tomatoes)

A determined young woman and a damaged occultist risk their lives and souls to perform a dangerous ritual that will grant them what they want.

The Black Room (2017)

Limited Theatres/ VOD (1hr 31min)

Horror (Rotten Tomatoes)

Paul and Jennifer Hemdale have just moved into their dream house. But their happy marriage is about to be put to the test as they slowly discover the secret behind the black room in the cellar. Something else is already living in their new home and it is growing stronger every day.

Castro Theatre

The Maltese Falcon (1941)

Sunday 30th @ 7pm (1hr 41min)

Drama/ Mystery/ Suspense ((Rotten Tomatoes)

A private detective takes on a case that involves him with three eccentric criminals, a gorgeous liar, and their quest for a priceless statuette.

-with-

Beat The Devil (1953)

Sunday 30th @ 5:05pm & 8:55pm (1hr 29min)

Drama/ Thriller (Google)

On their way to Africa are a group of rogues who hope to get rich there, and a seemingly innocent British couple. They meet and things happen...

Landmark Clay Theatre

Midnight Madness

The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)

Saturday 29th @ 11;55pm (1hr 41min)

Horror/ Musical/ Sci-Fi/ Comedy (Rotten Tomatoes)

This low-budget freak show/cult classic/cultural institution concerns the misadventures of Brad Majors (Barry Bostwick) and Janet Weiss (Susan Sarandon) inside a strange mansion that they come across on a rainy night. After the wholesome pair profess their love through an opening song, their car breaks down in the woods, and they seek refuge in a towering castle nearby. Greeting them at the door is a ghoulish butler named Riff Raff (Richard O'Brien), who introduces them to a bacchanalian collection of partygoers dressed in outfits from some sort of interplanetary thrift shop. The host of this gathering is a transvestite clad in lingerie, Dr. Frank N. Furter (Tim Curry), a mad scientist who claims to be from another planet. With assistants Columbia (Nell Campbell) and Magenta (Patricia Quinn) looking on, Frank unveils his latest creation -- a figure wrapped in gauze and submerged in a tank full of liquid. With the addition of colored dyes and some assistance from the weather, Frank brings to life a blonde young beefcake wearing nothing but skimpy shorts, who launches into song in his first minute of life. Just when Brad and Janet think things couldn't get any stranger, a biker (Meat Loaf) bursts onto the scene to reclaim Columbia, his ex-girlfriend. When Frank kills the biker, it's clear that Brad and Janet will be guests for the night, and that they may be next on Frank's list -- whether for murder or carnal delights is uncertain. And just what is that mystery meat they're eating for dinner, anyway? In addition to playing Riff Raff, O'Brien wrote the catchy songs, with John Barry and Richard Hartley composing the score. ~ Derek Armstrong, Rovi

New Parkway Theatre

Ginger Snaps (2000)

Saturday 29th @ 10pm (1hr 48min)

Drama/ Fantasy/ Horror (IMDB)

In this modern werewolf tale, sisters Ginger and Brigitte are ostracized by their town because of their morbid inclinations. Soon after being attacked by a wolf, Ginger begins to exhibit strange nocturnal behavior. Now Brigitte must decide whether to save herself or join Ginger in otherworldly doings.

Roxie Theatre

David Lynch: The Art Life (2016)

Playin All Weekend (1hr 33min)

Documentary (IMDB)

This riveting profile of director David Lynch explores how the formative experiences of his youth led him to become the artist he is today. The film includes archival footage and home movies, as well as interviews with Lynch as he paints in his studio.

Eraserhead (1977)

Friday 28th @ 9pm (1hr 29min)

Drama/ Horror (Rotten Tomatoes)

This surreal nightmare examines male paranoia. Our hero and title character, Henry, faces a number of horrifying obstacles in meeting someone of the opposite sex, meeting her parents, and procreating. Produced during a one-and-a-half-year period while director David Lynch was a student at the American Film Institute, the film launched him as a major new talent admired by cinephiles and filmmakers all over the world. It stands today as a milestone in personal, independent filmmaking.

Mulholland Drive  (2001)

Saturday 29th @ 9pm (2hrs 27min)

Drama/ Mystery/ Thriller (IMDB)

After a car wreck on the winding Mulholland Drive renders a woman amnesiac, she and a perky Hollywood-hopeful search for clues and answers across Los Angeles in a twisting venture beyond dreams and reality.

David Lynch Shorts

Sunday 30th @ 8:30pm (53 min)

Before he was a filmmaker, David Lynch was an art student, a painter. His film work grew out of painting, not cinephilia, and his first film, Six Men Getting Sick (1967) is in a very real sense, a “motion picture”. Lynch’s early shorts are fascinating because they’re not indebted to conventional movies. They are explorations of shape and light, texture, form and sound, and they open up the first crack into the feverish anxieties, the abiding sense of dread and disgust that runs as a malevolent undercurrent throughout Lynch’s cinema.

Stanford Theatre

The Bad and the Beautiful (1952)

Friday 28th to Sunday 30th @ 5:20pm & 9pm (1hr 58min)

Drama/ Romance (IMDB)

An unscrupulous movie producer uses an actress, a director and a writer to achieve success.

-with-

Bedlam (1946)

Friday 28th @ 7:30pm (1hr 19min)

Saturday & Sunday @ 3:50pm & 7:30pm

Drama/ Horror/ Thriller (IMDB)

Nell Bowen, the spirited protege of rich Lord Mortimer, becomes interested in the conditions of notorious St. Mary's of Bethlehem Asylum (Bedlam). Encouraged by the Quaker Hannay, she tries to bring support to reforming Bedlam, but the cruel Master Sims who runs it has her committed there. The inmates, however, have the last say.

-Huntress

The Overlook Theatre Reviews: Phoenix Forgotten

9 of 11 viewers "Liked" "Phoenix Forgotten" (2017, USA)

Here's what the creatures had to say:

The Ascendant - "Although it echoes quite a few technical & promotional aspects of The Blair Witch Project (1999), Justin Barber's Phoenix Forgotten (2017) is just interesting enough to warrant its 87-minute run-time. The film (Co-Written by T.S. Nowlin) succeeds tremendously when it bathes itself completely in the year of 1997, whether it is reveling in Jay Keitel's (Analog Days) spot-on Cinematography, (using) incorrect references or immersing us in the public obsession with UFOs throughout the time-period. It's safe to say that I was enthralled with this film's mystique whenever I was in the presence of our doomed-filmmakers, Josh, Ashley & Mark (played by Luke Spencer Roberts, Chelsea Lopez & Justin Matthews) or observing sightings of The Phoenix Lights themselves (originally occurring over Phoenix, Arizona & Sonora, Mexico) via found footage or through various news clips. Against that, the film consistently lost my attention whenever Justin Barber & T.S. Nowlin's script entered present day, as Sophie (played by Florence Hartigan) begins a search for her lost brother Josh and his missing cohorts, through the trio's found footage as well as through interviews with local law enforcement and various family members. The main issue here (outside of strange establishing shots) is with Florence Hartigan's incredibly flat performance, which speaks less to a sister frantically searching for some connection in her brother's disappearance, than it does to an actress who is a bit too aware of the camera in front of her and a director that isn't sure how to soften her (stiff) performance. In spite of this, Phoenix Forgotten's (2017) foot in the past is its consistent strength, even if it confines itself inside safe & predictable tropes." - 2.5 Stars

The Berkeley Blazer - "As our astute readers well know, the key to an effective supernatural or scifi mystery is distance and obfuscation; the less one knows about the mystery the more mysterious it is, and the greater likelihood that the viewer's sense of wonder is heightened specifically because they want to know more. Thus a creator must know when and how to dole out just enough information to keep the viewer rapt. Phoenix Forgotten (PF) strikes this balance brilliantly through the first 93% of the film, and then fails miserably with a misbegotten and surprisingly derivative conclusion that even retroactively banalizes some of the tantalizing clues provided in the earlier parts of the film. Oh well, if that’s your peeve then avoid this film at all costs. If you can overlook this, I urge you enjoy this found footage/ lost X-files episode when you have a free evening. The idea: in the late 90's three kids in Arizona go missing while in pursuit of the origins of the mysterious, possibly otherworldly lights that they witnessed near their home. Lucky for us, two of the kids is are aspiring documentarians whose search for the truth is inspired by their desire to film and present their findings to the world. Fast forward to the present day and we are following the grown up sister of one of the kids who went missing, filming a documentary about their disappearance. Thus, the film is presented as a documentary (about missing documentarians) and affords us the temporal and formal distance from the central incident of the movie, making the the mystery agonizingly potent. We are fascinated as we watch footage unreel of the three friends and their discoveries in 1997 juxtaposed with the anguish and longing of the loved ones in the modern day who still have no idea what happened to the missing. We also get beguiling commentary by experts involved in the search. The clues presented in both the modern day documentary and the 90’s era documentary the kids are making create a wonderful foreboding mystery to the whole proceeding (until they are cheapened by the conclusion) and though we’ve seen these associations before in films and media (and which PF joyfully references), the presentation of these clues and ideas are nonetheless effective in inflating our expectations. Not incidentally, the nineties footage really achieves and authentic feeling tone that is really integral to the way the modern and 90’s era footage interact with each other narratively. This authenticity was personally exciting for me as someone who as a youth lived for two years in the southwest and was obsessed with secret military projects and aliens, I was impressed by how salient the filmmakers made the tone of that time and place for the audience." - 4 Stars

Captured by the Beast - Fell Asleep - Default 2 Stars

Clark Little - "The sub genre of found footage will always pull me in. I buy in, every time. Phoenix Forgotten was no exception. I knew nothing of it and saw no trailer. This movie almost worked. Using an "investigative documentary" approach, which was effective, allowed the viewer to become more invested in the missing party. But the ending ruined any chance of becoming memorable and will ultimately fall in the category of just another entry in the saturated found footage market." - 2.5 Stars

Dabbles - "I loved this movie. It combined everything I like about found footage and my infatuation with UFOs. I've always had a thing for the idea of the unknown since the days of X-files and this pretty much made me go back to that feeling of wondering if there were or are other beings. The way they sequenced this movie was pretty ingenious, from the set up to the pay off you're hooked on what is going on. At first it was a bit jarring because (spoiler alert) a narration comes up but then it made total sense to the movie as a whole. If you bare with me, the form of "found footage" is kind of like hardcore wrestling. In hardcore wrestling you see something being set up or pulled out, whether it's a table, thumb tacks, barbwire, it's there in the beginning or in the middle of a match, and you know that this thing, what ever it is, is important because it is going to come into play some how. The performers go through the motions and build this tension for a big pay off. Then there it is, the object or theme that was wavering to the side of the action that you were consciously trying to clue into the plot. With Phoenix Forgotten, they did just that, as I was watching I was also trying to clue in where is this going to take place, how is this thing going to play into the whole experience, and once they clued you in you are there for the ride. Effects were great, plot and story well played out, performances of the actors sold everything on screen, and it was deeply satisfying." - 5 Stars

Drumachine - "A love letter to 90's sci-fi presented in a well structured found footage package. ...By far the most real feeling found footage film I've seen." - 4 Stars

Huntress - "My heart sank just a little bit at the opening of Phoenix Forgotten, where we are greeted by a distant and steady shot of a girl looking out of a plane window, because I was looking forward to a pure found footage film. But when it was soon revealed that this was the younger sister of one of the missing kids, and that she was being followed by her own cameraman to make a documentary... well it's moments like that that keep me from researching new movies too much. My curiosity and excitement ran wild. And only now do I realize just how well crafted this film and story were. How the audience gets to know the missing three through their own footage, but also through the speculation and commentary of their family's interviews, that we don't really know much about the documentary's host except through little clues like her birthday video being re-titled to reflect the other even that happened that day. Phoenix Forgotten was a great mystery and drama, in addition to being legit found footage film. It's a ride I definitely want to take again." - 4 Stars

The Impostor - "Phoenix Forgotten is a breath of fresh air for the found footage sub genre. I went in with high hopes and I was not let down. Found footage is one of my favorite genres of mine; I love the build up, twists, and turns and Phoenix Forgotten has all of that and more. Acting is top notch especially from Chelsea Lopez who plays Ashley. Don't sleep on this film, it's great in the theater (found footage usually is) and will definitely surprise you. While there aren't many scares, the mystery and tension built throughout captivates you. Overall solid film and I look forward to picking up on Blu-ray when it gets released in a few months. Don't follow the lights lol." - 4 Stars

Lord Battle - "I find myself comparing the found footage genre to Lars Von Tries Dogma 95' movement because it's really the best way to explain to someone (especially a high brow film fan) why a genre would adhere to strict parameters that most audiences don't understand, let alone respect. Phoenix Forgotten is what I call a "nerdy" found footage film, with film-makers going out of their way to hit most of the notes that define the genre. This is an important distinction since it drastically changes the tone of the film from others in the horror sub-genre (Paranormal Activity, As Above, So Below). I ritually roll my eyes whenever some "Film Critic" replaces their review of a found footage film with a comment about The Blair Witch, but the imagery in Phoenix Forgotten is so spot on 90's nostalgia that I actually would have welcomed some constructive Blair Witch Project name dropping. It infuriates me that the film peasants who only don their thinking-cap when watching Kubrick or Lynch constantly cast a net of ignorance at a whole genre of film. I often find myself defending the found footage genre but Phoenix Forgotten doesn't need my help, just marketing..." - 4.5 Stars

Randy the Reverberator - "As a non-avid watcher of found footage, I quite enjoyed Phoenix Forgotten. I had seen posters for the film around my neighborhood, but besides that I really had no clue what to expect. I went in thinking that it could potentially be awful, but as someone who grew up interested in, as well as a little bit scared of aliens and UFO's, I figured it would at least be fun. When the film opened with a very well composed, high definition shot, it diverted my expectations, knowing that this was a found footage film. The framing device that's used before we dive fully into the found footage (there are clips of footage beforehand as well), looks and works great. The story of a sister looking for her brother who disappeared is something that's been done before, but it feels genuine and authentic. It also sets up the characters and relationships of the kids who went missing, while on their own rogue mission to find out what is up with the Phoenix Lights. Although this worked for me, it did start to drag, and when they throw it to the recently found tape, I was completely ready for it. The third act is exciting, and as someone who used to shoot "movies" on Mini DV tapes, there's a ton of nostalgia for that as well as for the time period. If you've seen a found footage film before, you know how this is going to end...but they've crafted some unique visual effects for one of the final moments, and it doesn't rely on jump scares or shaky cam to obscure the events." - 3.5 Stars

Trash - "We're a Found Footage Friendly Family here at the Overlook Theatre, but I have to confide something in you now that I'm a few beers deep: most found footage horror does not work for me. The "we found a tape, here's the tape" premise is too sloppy and unbelievable, and what I actually want from the sub-genre is a well-constructed faux documentary. I want non-nonfiction, and that's exactly what Phoenix Forgotten was -- and it's easily one of the best I've seen. Sadly, it's about a half decade too late to matter much, audiences have lost interest, and the marketing for this was really half-assed. But the characters are good, the alien story is interesting, and the dedication to recreating the 90's in archival footage and old tapes is on point. And it pays off! The climax isn't too big to break your focus, and it certainly isn't a disappointment. It's smart and it's weird and it's going to fail at the box office. Bummer." - 4 Stars

The Overlook Theatre Final Rating*

(Below is for after you've seen the film)

YouTube is very alive with Phoenix Lights talk, video, and UFO conspiracies, so I've grabbed what I believe to be a well-rounded representation of the different kind of UFO love YouTube has and presented it in four videos below. Enjoy.

Here is a recent Phoenix news broadcast that sums up the Phoenix Lights story pretty well.



The Phoenix Lights documentary is exactly what it sounds like and in its entirety above.



Could this be another actual sighting of the lights?



Ummm a real UFO cult meets at Tom Green's place...

And if you haven't already, check out the official site for Phoenix Forgotten here.

-Lord Battle

The Overlook Theatre materialized at Century Theatres for an opening night screening on 4/21/2017

*Based on the star ratings turned in by character reviewers, others viewed and got to "Dislike" or "Like" but that does not affect the rating.

The Overlook Hour Guest Profile: Vito Trigo

The man of the hour for episode 36 is an incredibly high energy, deep intensity, and endlessly charismatic actor, who has captured the hearts of the Overlook's audience, Vito Trigo.

Vito (center) as Leonardo in Return to Nuke 'Em High

The role that solidified Vito in the Overlook's collective memory was in Science Team, which we screened just before Amazon Instant Video decided to purge a lot of its good independent horror movies. We immediately reviewed and purchased it. After listening to this episode, you may want to do the same.

Still from My Bloody Banjo

Vito also showed up as the easily enraged boss in My Bloody Banjo, which was also on the to-be-removed list. The DVD is ironically available on Amazon and through Midnight Releasing's site.

I'm personally looking forward to checking Vito out in Mr. Bricks. I have no idea what to expect from it but I like it that way.

And finally, what Lord Battle would refer to as an urban fantasy, Pig Pen, which you can find here. Vito talks about all of these films in episode 36, but he also goes into his love of pro wrestling, theatre, and explains why #sleepotrigo exists.

-Huntress

Bluray Tuesday: Featuring Underworld 5, The Girl With All The Gifts and Psycho Cop 2

April 25th 2017

New week, new blurays released to add to our collections. Underworld 5 Blood Wars hits stores today. It may not be the best series of films but I actually enjoy them and look forward to owning this today. Best Buy will carry a pop art exclusive steelbook for this title. La La Land, which I have been hearing about nonstop on social media and word of mouth, I personally haven't seen yet and look forward to seeing what all the fuss is about. Target will carry a bonus disc exclusive and Best Buy a steelbook packaging. The Girl With All The Gifts is another film that I have noticed got lots of praise and is yet another zombie film. It has an interesting take and is one on my list. Vinegar Syndrome releases two titles this week. Psycho Cop 2 and Double Exposure with all new scans for the first time on Bluray. Both also collection worthy. Scream Factory releases three titles this week all for the first time on bluray as well and ones I haven't heard of. The Screaming Skull, Exterminator 2 and I Bury The Living. If anyone has seen these let us know what you think of them. So what will you be buying, renting or skipping this week? Let us know in the comments. Until next week!

Underworld 5 Blood Wars: Amazon - $19.99

4K: Amazon - $27.99

Death dealer Selene (Kate Beckinsale) must fend off brutal attacks from both the Lycan clan and the vampire faction that betrayed her. Joining forces with allies David (Theo James) and Thomas (Peter Andersson), she embarks on a quest to end the eternal war between the two races, even if it means making the ultimate sacrifice.

 

 

Steelbook: Best Buy - $27.99

 

The Girl With All The Gifts: Amazon - $16.99

In the future, a strange fungus has changed nearly everyone into a thoughtless, flesh-eating monster. When a scientist and a teacher find a girl who seems to be immune to the fungus, they all begin a journey to save humanity.

 

Psycho Cop 2: Amazon - $16.99

A satanic policeman (Bobby Ray Shafer) puts a gruesome end to the fun of four buddies at a bachelor party.

 

La La Land: Amazon - $19.99

4k: Amazon - $24.99

Sebastian (Ryan Gosling) and Mia (Emma Stone) are drawn together by their common desire to do what they love. But as success mounts they are faced with decisions that begin to fray the fragile fabric of their love affair, and the dreams they worked so hard to maintain in each other threaten to rip them apart.

 

 

Steelbook: Best Buy - $19.99

 

Bonus Disc: Target - $19.99

 

Caltiki, The Immortal Monster: Amazon - $22.99

A team of archaeologists led by Dr John Fielding descends on the ruins of an ancient Mayan city to investigate the mysterious disappearance of its inhabitants. However, the luckless explorers get more than they bargained for when their investigation of a sacrificial pool awakens the monster that dwells beneath its waters – the fearsome and malevolent god, Caltiki.

 

Double Exposure: Amazon - $15.99

A photographer (Michael Callan) begins to have a series of nightmares concerning bloody, gruesome murders. When those murders become reality, he is the prime suspect and must find the real killer.
 

 

The Screaming Skull: Amazon - $19.50

Sickening howls and ghastly visions threaten newlyweds when they move into an isolated mansion teeming with secrets. The house was the site of a gruesome accident which killed the husband's first wife and the dead woman's presence continues to haunt their home in the form of a ghostly skull. The young bride has nowhere to run in this desolate farm country and is relentlessly tormented by the apparition. Caught up in the mayhem, the husband is unable to contain the dreadful truth of the manor as the couple struggles to keep their sanity in a final horrific confrontation...

 

The Vampire Bat: Amazon - $19.99

When the villagers of Klineschloss start dying of blood loss, the town fathers suspect an outbreak of vampirism. While police inspector Brettschneider remains skeptical, scientist Dr. von Niemann cares for the victims one by one. Meanwhile, suspicion falls on simple-minded Herman Gleib because of his fondness for bats.

 

From Hell It Came: Amazon - $16.99

On a remote South-Sea island a tribal prince is killed by a witch doctor for making friends with the nearby American expedition providing medical care while they research nuclear fallout. Before his death, the prince swears revenge and returns from the grave as a giant tree-like monster bringing death to the prince's enemies (and anyone else who gets in the monster's way)

 

Exterminator 2: Amazon - $19.99

A vigilante (Robert Ginty) retrofits a garbage truck with armor and machine guns for wiping out street punks.

 

I Bury The Living: Amazon - $19.50

Robert, the manager of a cemetery, begins a torturous descent into insanity when people owning grave plots begin to die at an alarming rate - seemingly by his hand. On the graveyard grounds map, a black pin in a plot means death, white means life. When the pins get mixed up and strange accidents happen, Robert believes he has the power of life and death. In a hideous experiment the manager resurrects the newly buried, culminating in a night that leaves him in a state of frenetic dementia pursued by a murderer...!

 

Detour: Amazon - $16.99

Harper, a seemingly naive law student, obsesses over the thought that his shifty stepfather was involved in the car crash that left his mother comatose. Drowning his suspicions with whiskey, he finds himself conversing with a volatile grifter Johnny and his stripper companion, Cherry. As daylight breaks and the haziness of promises made becomes clearer, how will Harper handle the repercussions (not to mention the violent duo on his doorstep)?

 

   - The Impostor