by Matt Blackwood, Mar 26 2012 // 9:00 AM

If you love old B-movies, you can’t miss Shout Factory’s line of “Roger Corman’s Cult Classics” DVD collections. Horror, fantasy, science fiction, grindhouse- all are represented in these neat 3- and 4-film multi-packs.
The Vampires, Mummies, and Monsters collection is kind of a B-movie potluck. The four films on two discs created over a span of 17 years have incredibly different looks, tones, and yes, monsters.
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Posted in: DVD · DVD Reviews · Horror · Horror Reviews · News · Sci-Fi
Tagged: B Movies, DVD, DVD Reviews, Monsters, MST3K, Mummy, Roger Corman, Vampires
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by Matt Blackwood, Feb 28 2012 // 1:30 PM

There are many reasons a film might be hard to watch: unbelievable performances, sloppy writing, unskilled direction. Some movies offend with tasteless portrayals of strong sexual content or graphic violence.
Beautiful Boy doesn’t have any of these problems. The film is beautifully acted and well made. Its one sex scene is very thoughtfully done. Beautiful Boy is hard to watch because of the sheer intensity of the subject matter it covers.
Bill and Kate are emotionally distant and muted until they receive the worst news two parents could possibly get. Not only has their only son been killed in a campus shooting, but it turns out he was the shooter.
The couple must deal with their own loss while trying to weather the varied opinions of family, neighbors, and media. This also gives them more time than they wanted to examine how they feel about one another.
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Posted in: Anchor Bay · Drama · DVD · DVD Reviews · Movies
Tagged: DVD, DVD Reviews, Maria Bello, Michael Sheen
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by Matt Blackwood, Feb 21 2012 // 10:30 AM

As technology gets smaller and cheaper, making films is getting easier and easier. But in a market lousy with low-budget indies, it’s not always easy to score well known actors. This wasn’t a problem for Mark Vadik.
The writer/director of Cyrus: Mind of a Serial Killer somehow managed to wrangle several seasoned actors for parts of various size, including Brian Krause (Charmed), Danielle Harris (multiple Halloween films), Doug Jones (Hellboy), and the irreplaceable Lance Henriksen. As you watch the film, the obvious question that comes to mind is, How?
Cyrus is a frame story in which TV journalist Maria Sanchez, looking for fodder for her tabloid news show, interviews a man who claims to know the identity of a local serial killer. He tells her and her cameraman the sad tale of Cyrus, a former soldier who, when his marriage and business fell apart, turned to murder and cannibalism.
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Posted in: Anchor Bay · Drama · DVD · DVD Reviews · Horror · Horror Reviews · Movies · News
Tagged: Brian Krause, Cyrus, Danielle Harris, Doug Jones, DVD, DVD Reviews, Horror Reviews, Lance Henriksen, Movies, Slasher
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by Matt Blackwood, Feb 13 2012 // 11:30 AM

Uncharted is one of the most beloved and critically praised game franchises of all time. Both epic and intimate, the trilogy brought back the concept thought killed by shooters of games as storytelling.
The game has been so successful, it was only a matter of time before Hollywood took notice and decided to translate its already cinematic action to the big screen. Actors rumored to have been involved include Mark Wahlberg, Robert De Niro, and Bruce Campbell.
But who would be perfect? Let’s get ur dream cast together and find out.
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Posted in: Adaptation · Dream Cast · Features · Movies · News · Video Games
Tagged: Claudia Black, Dennis Farina, Gavin Rossdale, Gillian Jacobs, Kevin Durand, Movies, Nathan Fillion, Naughty Dog, Uncharted, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, Video Game Movies, Video Games
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by Matt Blackwood, Feb 6 2012 // 9:00 AM

Max Landis’s Death and Return of Superman is a very long sketch. No, it’s a really funny short film. No, you know what it’s like? It’s like, after a long night of gaming, when you’re hanging with your best nerd friends having a laugh, debating movies and video games and all things geeky. Tie all that together into a 17 minute short film and you’ve got The Death and Return of Superman.
Screenwriter Max Landis (Chronicle) decided to film his late night nerd philippic and brought some familiar friends along for the ride.
Death and Return of Superman, affectionately dubbed DAROS, cuts back and forth between Landis recounting the story of Big Blue’s demise directly to the camera and live-action re-enactments by actors using Landis’s voice (much in the style of the Drunk History series).
The star-studded short features Mandy Moore, Morgan Krantz, Elijah Wood, Elden Henson, Dustin Romero, Matt Bennett, Zach Cregger, and Jimmi Simpson in key roles. Sharp-eyed viewers can also spot cameos by Simon Pegg, Sarah Shahi, Whitney Moore, Chloe Dykstra, Micah Sloate, Chris Hardwick, and Ron Howard.
Check out the full film, which was released for free on YouTube Friday, after the jump.
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Posted in: Action · Comedy · Comics · DC · DC Entertainment · Fan Films · Fandom · Movies · News · Video · Web · Writers
Tagged: Chloe Dykstra, Chris Hardwick, Chronicle, Death and Return of Superman, Dustin Romero, Elden Henson, Elijah Wood, Jimmi Simpson, Mandy Moore, Matt Bennett, Max Landis, Micah Sloate, Morgan Krantz, Ron Howard, Sarah Shahi, Simon Pegg, Superman, Whitney Moore, YouTube, Zach Cregger
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by Matt Blackwood, Jan 31 2012 // 12:00 PM

In case you missed it in theatres (and chances are you did), the sci-fi thriller In Time, starring Justin Timberlake and Amanda Seyfried, comes to Blu-Ray and DVD* today.
The first thing you might notice about In Time is how good-looking it is. Of course, being an Andrew Niccol (Gattaca, Lord of War) joint, the film is stylish and immaculate, but that’s not what I mean. I am referring to the film’s entire cast being comprised of gorgeous young actors. With the exception of two young children, every character in the film is 25 years old.
No matter how many years they have behind them, everyone from grandmothers to mob heavies are played by actors in their mid-twenties to early-thirties. Combine that with Hollywood’s natural trend towards beauty, and the effect creates what can only be described as a “model” future.
You see, in In Time‘s vision of the future, genetics have been altered to give everyone’s life a predetermined length. At 25 years old, bodies stop aging but start counting down. Everyone gets a year, but time can be earned, traded, gambled, or stolen. It is, in fact, the only currency humanity has left.
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Posted in: 20th Century Fox · Action · Blu-Ray · DVD · DVD Reviews · Movies · News · Sci-Fi
Tagged: Amanda Seyfried, Andrew Niccol, Cillian Murphy, DVD, DVD Reviews, In Time, Justin TImberlake, Vincent Kartheiser
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by Matt Blackwood, Jan 31 2012 // 7:30 AM
First, Chronicle‘s trailer goes viral, attracting over 8 million views on Youtube. Then they try to capture lightning in a bottle by releasing “flying men” in NYC. That’s right, taking a page straight out of the marketing of Skyline, the studio sent out a few cameramen with Thinkmodo to make the people of New York City experience what it would be like to see some flying heroes in action.
Attaching a camera to a few custom RC planes shaped like people may not sound like a whole lot of fun, but it certainly looked cool. We’ve got to hand it to the marketing team for Chronicle. Between the trailer and this plan, they seem to know exactly who their audience is, and how it is to reach out to them.
To that point, Fox hosted a contest yesterday for a college to get a special screening of the film before it hits theaters. For those that don’t go to one of the lucky schools, here’s a little something to tide you over until opening day. Youtube sensation DeStorm, along with MysteryGuitarMan, has made a video answering Fox’s question, “What would YOU do with telekinesis?” See DeStorm’s answer HERE.
Chronicle, the found footage thriller about a trio of high school students who gain super powers, opens in theatres everywhere February 3rd. Check out the “viral” campaign to convince New Yorkers that men can fly after the jump.
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Posted in: 20th Century Fox · News · Sci-Fi · Trailers · Video · Viral Marketing
Tagged: Alex Russell, Chronicle, College, Dane DeHaan, DeStorm, Fox, Michael B. Jordan
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by Matt Blackwood, Jan 30 2012 // 3:00 PM
Now that Marvel has its own movie studio, it’s time for the House of Ideas to try out some fresh ones on the big screen. Sure, we all know the Iron Man and Thor sequels will make a billion dollars, but Marvel needs to think long term and use this opportunity to branch out.
Black Panther has never ranked in readership with Marvel’s flagship titles, but the movie-going audience is more diverse. A superhero film featuring a strong black cast could bring in a whole new audience to comic book movies. And the hardcore fans will always be along for the ride so long as the movie stays true to the source material.
Of course, in order to do that, the studio has to nail the casting.
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Posted in: Adaptation · Casting · Comics · Dream Cast · Editorial and Opinion · Features · Marvel · Marvel Studios · Movies · News
Tagged: Adaptations, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Aldis Hodge, Black Panther, Comic Book Movies, Comics, Doug Jones, Eamonn Walker, Erica Tazel, Jurgen Prochnow, Marvel
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by Matt Blackwood, Jan 27 2012 // 7:30 AM

Texas Killing Fields is a strong, straightforward crime thriller which tells the story of three cops running the gauntlet in an attempt to solve two brutal crimes. But the film is particularly notable for its haunting tone and superlative acting.
Director Ami Canaan Mann does everything she can to give the movie an infectious gloom, an impressive imitation of the sprawling claustrophobia specific to Southern poverty. Mann, daughter of the legendary Michael Mann (who also co-produced the film), makes a lot of smart choices here, but none more crucial than the cast.
Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Sam Worthington bring their own unique intensity to their natural good cop/bad cop relationship, and a pre-Oscar nomination Jessica Chastain (The Help) brings a fiery quality to a supporting role. As usual, the 12-year-old Chloe Moretz shows remarkably advanced nuance for an actor her age.
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Posted in: Action · Anchor Bay · Blu-Ray · Drama · Movies · Mystery and Suspense · News · Thriller
Tagged: Ami Canaan Mann, Blu-Ray, Chloe Moretz, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, jessica Chastain, Movies, Sam Worthington
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by Matt Blackwood, Jan 25 2012 // 3:00 PM

The legal battle between The Weinstein Company and Relativity is over, and The Crow reboot is looking like a foregone conclusion.
Director F. Javier Gutierrez and writer Jesse Wigutow have signed on to once again adapt the James O’Barr graphic novel about a slain musician resurrected for vengeance.
Gutierrez’s sci-fi debut Before the Fall has garnered him awards from bodies as diverse as the Cinema Writers Circle and Screamfest. He is currently in pre-production on an adaptation of The Monkey’s Paw.
Wigutow wrote the 2003 dramedy It Runs in the Family and the upcoming Irreparable Harm. He has also worked on the adaptations of Eragon and The Ruins.
Casting announcements are expected over the next few days.
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Posted in: Adaptation · Announcements · Comics · Directors · Legal · News · Reboots and Remakes · Weinstein Co. · Writers
Tagged: F. Javier Gutierrez, Jesse Wigutow, Relativity, The Crow
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by Matt Blackwood, Jan 25 2012 // 8:00 AM

On February 13, DOOM is coming to New York City.
Co-presented by MTV Geek and Warner Home Video, the world premiere of JUSTICE LEAGUE: DOOM (check out the trailer here ) will be held on Feb. 13 at the Paley Center for Media in New York City.
The new DC Animated feature, based on the classic Mark Waid story “Tower of Babel”, reunites Justice League‘s Kevin Conroy (Batman), Michael Rosenbaum (Flash), Carl Lumbly (Martian Manhunter), and Susan Eisenberg (Wonder Woman) and also stars Tim Daly (Superman/Batman: Apocalypse) and Nathan Fillion (Green Lantern: Emerald Knights).
We’ve got an exclusive clip for you to take a look at after the jump, featuring a very nasty super villain gang taking down one famed caped crusader. JUSTICE LEAGUE: DOOM premieres on Blu-Ray and DVD February 28.
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Posted in: Adaptation · Animation · Blu-Ray · DC · DC Entertainment · DVD · MTV · News · Video · Warner Bros
Tagged: Andrea Romano, Batman, Green Lantern, Justice League, Justice League: Doom, Kevin Conroy, Mark Waid, MTV Geek, Nathan Fillion, Phil Morris, Superman, Warner Home Video, Wonder Woman
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by Matt Blackwood, Jan 24 2012 // 1:00 PM
The Flickcast recently got the chance to speak with Marshall Cook, whose new film Division III: Football’s Finest is now on Blu-Ray and DVD. Cook co-wrote, directed, edited, and starred in the film, which stars Andy Dick as an insane college football coach.
The Flickcast: Congratulations on the movie; it’s hilariously funny. You clearly have a good sense of comic timing.
Marshall Cook: Well, a lot of the supporting cast are writers, and it was a culmination of everyone’s work that went into this. I don’t have the ego to say I’m the funniest person here.
TF: Did you write it with the actors you got in mind?
MC: Yeah, pretty much all of them, except for a couple. Alison Haislip, who plays my love interest, auditioned and she was very similar to the girl it was based on; she had that guy’s girl personality. Also, she’s just a solid actor. I’m really glad we got her.
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Posted in: Blu-Ray · Comedy · Directors · Exclusive · Interviews · Movies · Writers · Writing
Tagged: Alison Haislip, Andy Dick, Division III, Marshall Cook
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