Happy Friday everyone! We're almost at he end of another month, which means we're that much closer to our favorite month of the year... And this year it's packed with awesome screenings and events! Knowing that, I'm not too bummed about occasionally light weekends like this one. Not to say there aren't any cool movies playing in our various independent theatres around the city, in fact there are several named events planned for the coming days. Tonight, you can kick off the weekend with the Midnites for Maniacs and Spoke Art "Insomniac Saviors" double feature at the Roxie Theatre, the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts continues their New Filipino Cinema lineup, and Video Vortex returns to the Alamo Drafthouse to round out the end of the weekend.
After a botched bank robbery lands his younger brother in prison, Constantine Nikas (Robert Pattinson) embarks on a twisted odyssey through New York City's underworld in an increasingly desperate-and dangerous-attempt to get his brother out of jail. Over the course of one adrenalized night, Constantine finds himself on a mad descent into violence and mayhem as he races against the clock to save his brother and himself, knowing their lives hang in the balance.
FYI, this movie is Turkish. That’s all you need to know in order to understand that your life is about to be changed. DEATH WARRIOR is what happens when Turkish filmmakers combine Rambo, EVIL DEAD, and ENTER THE DRAGON with fifteen eight balls of cocaine over the course of a weekend.
(There is a technical error on the Alamo's site and this isn't on the calendar, but I'll update the link to get tickets when it's fixed)
"All the animals come out at night" -- and one of them is a cabby about to snap. In Martin Scorsese's classic 1970s drama, insomniac ex-Marine Travis Bickle (Robert De Niro) works the nightshift, driving his cab throughout decaying mid-'70s New York City, wishing for a "real rain" to wash the "scum" off the neon-lit streets. Chronically alone, Travis cannot connect with anyone, not even with such other cabbies as blowhard Wizard (Peter Boyle). He becomes infatuated with vapid blonde presidential campaign worker Betsy (Cybill Shepherd), who agrees to a date and then spurns Travis when he cluelessly takes her to a porno movie. After an encounter with a malevolent fare (played by Scorsese), the increasingly paranoid Travis begins to condition (and arm) himself for his imagined destiny, a mission that mutates from assassinating Betsy's candidate, Charles Palatine (Leonard Harris), to violently "saving" teen hooker Iris (Jodie Foster) from her pimp, Sport (Harvey Keitel).
Nicolas Cage plays EMS paramedic Frank Pierce. It is the early 1990's and New York has not yet undergone its renaissance of recent years. Surrounded by the injured and the dying, Frank is dwelling in an urban night-world, crumbling under the accumulated weight of too many years of saving and losing lives. The film follows Frank over the course of fifty-six hours in his life - two days and three nights on the job - as he reaches the very brink of spiritual collapse and redemption.
Forbidden Memory is a documentary on the study of memory and the policy of genocide, shedding light to the events surrounding the Malisbong Massacre of 1974.
Matriarch Diane (Dee Wallace) has invited her children to celebrate one last Christmas in their family home. Amid celebrations and domestic drama, they receive a visit from a mysterious stranger. Disfigured and cloaked, they feel sorry for him until they discover his extreme religious motives and anti abortion message.
A young American couple, lost in the Thai countryside, find themselves haunted by an evil spirit. Desperate for a solution, the couple spirals deeper into a surreal supernatural world leading them into a frenzied, terrifying confrontation with pure evil.
This past weekend, a certain Clark Little celebrated his birthday. And I'm not talking about the Hawaiian photographer...
Yes, your host Clark Little checked off another year and celebrated the way any film fan would; at the movies. We took a mini field trip to the Mission District of San Francisco t watch Nocturama (2017) at the Roxie Theatre, then had an impromptu discussion about it right afterwards.
"The new film by Bertrand Bonello (Saint Laurent, House of Pleasures) is a terrorism thriller like no other, recalling Robert Bresson's The Devil, Probably as much as it does George A. Romero's Dawn of the Dead. We first follow a group of tense, shifty adolescents as they prowl the streets and subways of Paris, learning through carefully delineated sequences that they're already well underway with a bombing plot. And then it becomes something familiar, yet altogether different, as these subversives tuck away inside a shopping mall and lose themselves in consumer culture - clothes, televisions, toys, and a stirring soundtrack that includes Blondie, Chief Keef, Shirley Bassey, Bonello's menacing electronic score, and Willow Smith. Will they survive the unseen, encroaching authorities? Or, as the walls close in, will they even survive each other? Nocturama presents no easy answers; what it does offer is one of the 21st century's most stirring cinematic experiences."
-Rotten Tomatoes
We followed this up with a screening at the Overlook of a film chosen by the birthday boy. He was drawn to a VHS clamshell, in which sat Wolf Lake (1978).
"War veterans visit a lakeside cabin for a week of shooting, drinking, etc. but find the cabin being looked after by a young caretaker named David. When David's status as a war deserter is revealed, all hell breaks loose."
-IMDB
The synopsis of another film is mentioned too, but since we didn't record anything about it, check it out here. Or better yet, maybe don't.
Next week, engineer Randy will be back in studio with the guys for an much better sounding and more organized episode. We might even have a special guest... Till next week!
6 of 9 viewers "Liked" "Annabelle Creation" (2017, USA)
Here's what the creatures had to say:
Huntress - "Annabelle: Creation made me feel like a kid. I’m not sick of seeing creepy dolls and creepier children in my horror movies, and this one had plenty of both but neither in an exploitative way. It was just a fun studio horror movie that didn’t allow its popularity to prevent having a pretty high body count. I was happy that this was not just an imitation of Annabelle and actually had some unique elements to it, although I’m afraid it’s adding to the trend of the prequel part twos killing their predecessors." - 3.5 Stars Lord Battle - "I had some pretty high expectations coming into Annabelle: Creation considering the film's release was constantly being compared to Ouija: Origins of Evil, because of the choice to open screenings to critics. I'll say Annabelle 2 is definitely an improvement on the previous film but doesn't come close to the leap Ouija 2 made (which isn't totally fair since Mike Flanagan is a genius!) from it's mind numbing predecessor. Talitha Bateman was the films highlight for me, I thought she gave a dynamic performance and really shined among the cast. I also like more than a couple of the scare designs? I'm not sure what to call a pocket of a movie that involves set pieces only explored for one scare... there's actually a lot of those in this Warren universe. And I should say, the Warren Universe hurts this film since being a part of the universe comes with so much baggage that constantly pulls you out of the moment or suspended believe. Annabelle: Creation had potential to be truly engaging but just couldn't get there with new super villains hatching all around." - 3.5 Stars KillDozer - "The trouble with creating a profitable "universe" with film franchises is that no matter who is at the helm you must recreate the vibe and feel of that "universe". The audience expectation is basically the same with each film and every note will be hit, even at the cost of creating what could be a memorable addition to the franchise. Obviously this wasn't always the case, example Alien and Aliens. Unfortunately the current state of big budget horror has the dollar and consistency speaking loader than creativity and innovation. Such is the case with Annabelle: Creation whose talented director David F. Sandberg (the man behind the incredibly fun Lights Out) seems in many ways forced to make a James Wan film and not a David Sandberg film. The problem with handing a talented individual a pre packaged product to resell is that there is no room for anything but one cookie cutter jump scare after another coming out from the blurred background of a shadowy corner. These shots and even the pacing are in the style of the one who started this universe instead of the one now adding to it. I say this after viewing the film in a packed theatre, full of people cringing in terror at every second on the screen (side note I love the experience of seeing a jump scare work on others even if it does not work on me). Obviously the formula is working for the casual genre visitor but for those of us horror nerds and monster kids who live for this art there is nothing new or exciting in this franchise. Writer Gary Dauberman also adds nothing new which is expected from some one involved in the IT remake and straight to TV CG throwaway titles like Blood Monkey and Swamp Devil. I'm actually not shocked that he has been given these big budget projects as his works shows that he is willing to only put to screen what he is told to. With that being said, if you find dolls creepy this should work well for you but I will not be giving this universe any more of my time or money as it is an easily forgettable cash grab. In short, please seek and discover the talent making genre magic happen independently as Hollywood is out of ideas." - 2 Stars (for some fun camera work and 2 solid creepy moments. Easily forgettable and not collection worthy. Audience reaction score of 5 stars because those kids were terrified and that is awesome!)
Clark Little - "Another case of a moneymaker spinoff being better than it should have been. Nice camera work, great performances and fun scares makes this a theatre-going watch. If one is slightly interested in seeing this, disappointment is unlikely. This is a solid entry in the The Conjuring cannon that shows no signs of slowing down." - 3.5 Stars Dabbles - "I will say it again, I hate ghosts. And on an added note, I hate dolls. But from having to sit through The Conjuring 2 and seeing this movie connect in ways that build the universe I'm more interested. I did watch this movie the same way I do all ghost movies, so my judgement is a bit challenged. I loved the way this movie was filmed; from plot to characters you really are engaged. They used a lot of tricks to play with the crowd, a lot of "WTF are you doing" moments but never the less worth the watch. I haven't seen the original Annabelle and The Conjuring but now I might have to since both of them to be sequels. Dolls are scary, especially if you have had a grandmother who displayed a couple in a room where you were forced to just play in when you were a kid. Swearing that it moved or what not. I kept thinking of that damn doll all week." - 4 Stars Midnight Bloom - "I really enjoyed Annabelle: Creation because it finally connected the dots to both Annabelle and The Conjuring 2. You have the family who loses their daughter at a young age and is trying to cope with the loss. They do what any other family would do, they pray and pray, hoping for good results. The movie has such an amazing story line, it opened up so much of how Annabelle made such a big impact on the storyline, a demon possessing the doll so it can stay and find a way to prey on the innocent souls’ on earth. The storyline of the movie kind of has that warning “Be careful what you wish for.” type of vibe, because it basically is a lesson. Be careful what you wish for because you never know who or what you’ll get, or the consequences you’ll pay for. I’d recommend Annabelle: Creation to anyone who loved Insidious, and The Conjuring sequels because it has the same feel as those movies and it connected the dots on all of the Conjuring movies. Definitely worth seeing again! My favorite horror movie of the year." - 5 Stars
TheImpostor - "2017 has been a solid year for horror films and Annabelle: Creation is no exception. The Conjuring universe is expanding quite nicely; it hit a bump with the original Annabelle which in my opinion wasn't a bad movie just uber forgettable, but this effective prequel is far superior. The acting is strong especially when it came to Janice, the crippled main character with more heart than most final girls. Fun fact, the actress playing Janice (Talitha Bateman) is the older sister of the little brother in Lights Out (Gabriel Bateman), which was the directorial debut of David Sandberg, and Annabelle: Creation being his second feature. Ouija Origins's Lulu Wilson was also a highlight and already has a few horror tiles under her belt. She's definitely a mini scream queen in the making. I do feel this film is a rehash of previous Conjuring films with its tropes and formula but it still manages to be just as creepy and thrilling. A few scenes definitely stood out and creeped out the audience which was a fun experience in itself. Overall Annabelle: Creation is the prequel we didn't ask for but thankfully we got. Unique scares, good characters, creepy atmosphere and the maze like house kept me entertained from beginning to shocking end. I'd definitely recommend it preferably in a theater." - 4 Stars Trash - "A competent, unsubstantial horror film that's an improvement on both the director's prior movie (Lights Out) and the mind-numbingly disjointed The Conjuring 2. That's right, the best way to make a better movie than that drivel is to construct a bunch of scenes where all that happens is something spooky approaches and tie them all together with some orphans. The biggest disappointment for me personally, is that there wasn't a Sleepaway Camp reveal that one of the little orphan girls was actually an orphan boy, but that's why no one trusts my opinion on anything anymore! If nothing risky is ever going to happen, the only thing I'm less interested in than a Conjuring shared universe is that new James Franco movie." - 2.5 Stars
Randy The Reverberator - *No Comment* - 2 Stars
The Overlook Theatre Final Rating*
(Below is for after you've seen the film)
BlumHouse, the Warrens, and Content, oh my! First I'd like to say, what I just wrote might have been the dumbest thing in the history of written language but I think it accurately articulates the change in studio produced movies. Back in 2013, these films were released: Agent Carter, Iron Man 3, Lego Marvel Super Heroes: Maximum Overload, Thor: Dark World, The Wolverine, and The Conjuring. I personally never see the "bigger picture" a term thrown around quite often in cliche business settings. BlumHouse, on the other hand, has reinvented the way you make money in our modern studio climate, so I don't think it's that much of a stretch to say the conjuring of Ed and Lorraine's mythos was a calculated move to a world of Marvel-esque content.
After the release of the first Conjuring film I did a little research on the Warrens to learn more about their adventures. The internet at this point had very little to offer on the subject, but thankfully my mother was very aware of who the Warrens where and pointed me in the right direction. I quickly got sucked down the Warrens rabbit hole... (second worst thing ever written) and what I found was a series of fantastical battles with the undead, possessed, and paranormal, it easily could have been a long running novela series except the claim that the stories were true made them much more ominous, even when the good guys win. The final product of my exploration is a terrible write up I did waaay back in the beginning of The Overlook Theatre (it's not hard to find but I refuse to add a link).
I should take a minute to address the fact that I know the Warrens say everything they've reported is 100% real but as I was discovering where all the objects from their museum came from I couldn't help but crash into several accounts stating everything they were and are saying is false. I won't get too much into this but one interesting thing you can look into is the lawsuit Gerald Brittle, author of the 1980's book "The Demonologist", took out against BlumHouse. The gist is BlumHouse says the stories are real so they can use them and Gerald Brittle is saying they are not so they owe him money for his original writing.
What does this all mean? Well it means the Warrens are at least briefly interesting to horror and non horror fans, it means BlumHouse will probably play it safe and move into more "original" content created by side creatures in The Conjuring universe. Oh and it means the first actual horror Universe and yes I am aware that crossover films have always existed but not like this. Annabelle: Creation is a prequel to a spin off that contained a cameo by the Nun from the Conjuring 2, who has a movie slated for 2018. The Conjuring 2 also has a third installment coming out with the 3rd spin-off film The Crooked Man and this might also be the introduction of another possible character the Scarecrow..?
I've talked about this on The Overlook Hour before but all of this extended world lore really hurts the vibe of a horror film. It's hard to get lost in a world when you can't relate to it since it's constantly trying to redefine itself as something unique.
- Lord Battle
The Overlook Theatre materialized at Century Theatres for an opening night screening on 8/10/2017 *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.
Our favorite day of the week returns. This week's theme is Bluray steelbooks and TV series. Just in time for the Fall season which starts in the next month or so. The biggest release this week is Marvel's Guardians of The Galaxy Vol.2. This sequel is also the first Marvel / Disney 4K released so far. I'm surprised Disney didn't jump on the 4K train sooner. So expect many re releases in the near future of both Disney and Marvel films. Target will carry exclusive bonus content for their versions and Best Buy will carry an exclusive steelbook for both its standard Bluray and 4k/3D version. Arrow Video this week releases 80's film The Slayer for the first time on Bluray with new scan and bonus material. I'm looking forward to checking this one out. Arrow Video also releases 80's cult classic Society in an exclusive steelbook edition. Rounding out the rest of the week is several TV show seasons on Bluray. Highlights are definitely Ash vs. Evil Dead the complete season 2 and The Walking Dead's intense season 7. Both have steelbook editions as well. Best Buy will carry the Ash vs. Evil Dead steelbook and Target will carry The Walking Dead steel. The last steelbook to hit shelves today this week is DC's Supergirl the complete second season only at best Buy with new artwork. That's a total of 5 steelbook editions of new releases today so pretty pricey week for steelbook collectors. What will you be buying, renting or skipping this week? Let us know in the comments. Until next week!
Peter Quill and his fellow Guardians are hired by a powerful alien
race, the Sovereign, to protect their precious batteries from invaders.
When it is discovered that Rocket has stolen the items they were sent
to guard, the Sovereign dispatch their armada to search for vengeance.
As the Guardians try to escape, the mystery of Peter's parentage is revealed.
Ash has spent the last 30 years avoiding responsibility, maturity and
the terrors of the Evil Dead until a Deadite plague threatens to destroy
all of mankind and Ash becomes mankind's only hope.
Siblings, Eric & his surreal artist sister Kay, her doctor husband
David, her sister-in-law Brooke along with pilot Marsh become stranded
on a rugged isle face off against a supernatural beast drawn to Kay who
dreams of its killings.
The Walking Dead tells the story of the aftermath of a zombie apocalypse
and follows a small group of survivors traveling across the United
States in search of a new home away from the hordes of zombies. The
group is led by Rick Grimes, who was a police officer in the old world.
As their situation grows more and more grim, the group's desperation to
survive pushes them to do almost anything to stay alive.
In the second season, Lucifer Morningstar deals with the unexpected
arrival of his mother, who has escaped from her prison in hell and
assumed human form.
In a future world, a physicist's experiment to harness unlimited energy
goes wrong. Chased by drones and soldiers, Will Porter must race through
an imploding world and retrieve the Redivider box to save his
family…and all of humanity!
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.
Even though he's from a wealthy family, teenager Bill Whitney (Billy
Warlock of BAYWATCH and GENERAL HOSPITAL) just can't seem to fit in
among the mysterious upper class of Beverly Hills. But when he learns
that his parents and sister may be involved in secret sexual depravity,
Bill begins to suspect that rich people are indeed very different from
the rest of us. Can Bill escape his initiation into a nightmare world of
privileged perversion or will he be forced to make the ultimate
contribution to SOCIETY?
I hope nobody looked directly at the eclipse this morning, you'll need those eyeballs working at full capacity for this great week of movies in the bay area! I see several familiar names in the lineup for this week, to of which wee have already reviewed with out movie loving creatures. The first of these started screening at the Roxie last week and will continue its run for most of this week and that is Dave Made a Maze. The second one is only available on VOD for now and it's one we have a history with. KillDozer interviewed the director and we reviewed it almost exactly a year ago; Red Christmas, which stars Dee Wallace. Not only that, but this week also features some classics like A Nightmare on Elm Street, Phantasm, and Taxi Driver. And on top of all that, the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts is a week into their New Filipino Cinema film fest! Read on for details!
Matriarch Diane (Dee Wallace) has invited her children to celebrate one last Christmas in their family home. Amid celebrations and domestic drama, they receive a visit from a mysterious stranger. Disfigured and cloaked, they feel sorry for him until they discover his extreme religious motives and anti abortion message.
Coraline Jones is a girl of 11 who is feisty, curious, and adventurous beyond her years. She and her parents have just relocated from Michigan to Oregon. Missing her friends and finding her parents to be distracted by their work, Coraline tries to find some excitement in her new environment. Coraline seriously doubts that her new home can provide anything truly intriguing to her, but it does; she uncovers a secret door in the house. Walking through the door and then venturing through an eerie passageway, she discovers an alternate version of her life and existence.
Following an ever-growing epidemic of zombies that have risen from the dead, two Philadelphia S.W.A.T. team members, a traffic reporter, and his television executive girlfriend seek refuge in a secluded shopping mall.
Terror Tuesday
Witchboard (1986)
Tuesday 22nd @ 10:15pm (1hr 38min)
Horror/ Suspense (Rotten Tomatoes)
When a young girl uses a Ouija board, she communicates with the helpful spirit of a little boy. Suddenly though, a killer starts picking off her friends one by one. Typical horror film manages to churn out an original moment here and there.
Writer-director Paul Thomas Anderson steps outside his contemporary world of dysfunctional Angelenos to explore a very different dysfunctional man -- an oil pioneer whose trailblazing spirit is equaled only by his murderous ambition. There Will Be Blood is Anderson's loose adaptation of the novel Oil! by Upton Sinclair, and it focuses its attentions on Daniel Plainview (Daniel Day-Lewis), a miner who happens upon black gold during a disastrous excavation that ends in a broken leg. Pulling himself up from the bowels of the earth, both literally and metaphorically, Plainview embarks on a systematic and steadfast approach to mastering the oil business. Using plain-spoken and straightforward language, Plainview launches a campaign to convince small-town property owners they should let him drill their land. Without him, they won't have the equipment to access the profit beneath their feet. He builds an empire this way -- and gradually becomes obsessed with the intrinsic value of power, growing increasingly irascible and paranoid in the process. Plainview meets his match in Eli Sunday (Paul Dano), a teenage preacher in the small California town of Little Boston, whose brother tipped Plainview off to the town's plentiful supply of untapped oil.
Several people are hunted by a cruel serial killer who kills his victims in their dreams. While the survivors are trying to find the reason for being chosen, the murderer won't lose any chance to kill them as soon as they fall asleep.
-with-
Phantasm (1979)
Thursday 24th @ 9:15pm (1hr 28min)
Horror/ Sci-Fi (Rotten Tomatoes)
The residents of a small town have begun dying under strange circumstances, leading young Mike (Michael Baldwin) to investigate. After discovering that the Tall Man (Angus Scrimm), the town's mortician, is killing and reanimating the dead as misshapen zombies, Mike seeks help from his older brother, Jody (Bill Thornbury), and local ice cream man Reggie (Reggie Bannister). Working together, they try to lure out and kill the Tall Man, all the while avoiding his minions and a deadly silver sphere.
Dave, an artist who has yet to complete anything significant in his career, builds a fort in his living room out of pure frustration, only to wind up trapped by the fantastical pitfalls, booby traps, and critters of his own creation. Ignoring his warnings, Dave's girlfriend Annie leads a band of oddball explorers on a rescue mission. Once inside, they find themselves trapped in an ever-changing supernatural world, threatened by booby traps and pursued by a bloodthirsty Minotaur.
"All the animals come out at night" -- and one of them is a cabby about to snap. In Martin Scorsese's classic 1970s drama, insomniac ex-Marine Travis Bickle (Robert De Niro) works the nightshift, driving his cab throughout decaying mid-'70s New York City, wishing for a "real rain" to wash the "scum" off the neon-lit streets. Chronically alone, Travis cannot connect with anyone, not even with such other cabbies as blowhard Wizard (Peter Boyle). He becomes infatuated with vapid blonde presidential campaign worker Betsy (Cybill Shepherd), who agrees to a date and then spurns Travis when he cluelessly takes her to a porno movie. After an encounter with a malevolent fare (played by Scorsese), the increasingly paranoid Travis begins to condition (and arm) himself for his imagined destiny, a mission that mutates from assassinating Betsy's candidate, Charles Palatine (Leonard Harris), to violently "saving" teen hooker Iris (Jodie Foster) from her pimp, Sport (Harvey Keitel).
Nicolas Cage plays EMS paramedic Frank Pierce. It is the early 1990's and New York has not yet undergone its renaissance of recent years. Surrounded by the injured and the dying, Frank is dwelling in an urban night-world, crumbling under the accumulated weight of too many years of saving and losing lives. The film follows Frank over the course of fifty-six hours in his life - two days and three nights on the job - as he reaches the very brink of spiritual collapse and redemption.
After involving in a film production accident that leaves her crippled, Jane Ciego, a successful actress, slowly transitions into madness after experiencing horrors and torture in her own home.
