Category: Movie news

New movie releases: September

The Alternate is one of the movies that will be available this September on digital platforms. Courtesy photo, used with permission.

A new month means a whole new batch of movies coming up in a variety of genres, from horror, to documentaries, and romance. I prefer science fiction movies dealing with time travel/alternate universes so The Alternate looks good to me, but below is a list of upcoming movies that will be available on digital platforms. (October Coast, 2022)

OUT NOW
We Are Gathered Here Today
Drama | Cinedigm | Digital Platforms (U.S, CANADA)
Director: Danny Boyd, Cast: Danny Huston, Lin Shaye, Phoebe Tonkin, Javicia Leslie
Synopsis: We Are Gathered Here Today is a film about a multi-generational mixed-race family coming together to say their last goodbye to the patriarch of the family, while at the same time dealing with other underlying issues that family gatherings can bring.

SEPTEMBER 2 (limited digital), SEPTEMBER 16 (global national digital release)
Surrogate
Paranormal thriller | Indie Rights | Digital Platforms (U.S, AU, UK, NZ, CANADA)
Director: David Willing, Cast: Kestie Morassi and Jane Badler
Synopsis: Written by Beth King and David Willing, in his feature directorial debut, Surrogate tells of Natalie Paxton (Morassi), a single mother and nurse, who falls mysteriously ill and struggles to stop her family from being destroyed.

Mister Limbo
Sci-fi/Comedy/Horror | Terror Films | Digital Platforms (U.S/CANADA)
Director: Robert G.Putka, Cast: Hugo de Sousa, Vig Norris, Cameron Dye, Hugo Armstrong
Synopsis: A young man in a parachute lands in the middle of a desert. He does not remember who he is or how he got there.

SEPTEMBER 6
Kingdom of the Dinosaurs
Sci-fi/Horror | Uncork’d Entertainment | Digital Platforms/DVD (U.S/CANADA)
Director: Scott Jeffrey, Cast: Mark Haldor, Darcie Rose, Chelsea Greenwood, Chrissie Wunna
Synopsis: In 2030 during World War III a small group of survivors make it into a bunker. Two years later they have to exit to find new supplies, but they are greeted by dinosaur predators.

Something in the Woods
Sci-fi/Horror | Uncork’d Entertainment | Digital Platforms/DVD (U.S/CANADA)
Director: Alex T. Hwang, Cast: Nicole Cinaglia, Robbie Dias
Synopsis: The creature feature tells of two women who battle a frightening monster in the woods and stars Nicole Cinaglia.

This Land
Drama/Documentary | Gravitas Ventures | Digital Platforms/DVD (U.S/CANADA)
Director: Matthew Palmer
Synopsis: From executive producer, Sundance and SXSW winner Jim Cummings (Thunder Road, The Beta Test), This Land is a film exploring six groups of Americans as they experience Election Day across the United States.

SEPTEMBER 13
Gameboy: The Movie
LGBTQ+/Romance | Dark Star Pictures | Digital Platforms/DVD (U.S/CANADA)
Director: Ivan Andrew Payawal, Cast: Kokoy de Santos and Elijah Canlas
Synopsis: Gamers turned lovers Cairo and Gavreel spend time together a few weeks before Cairo returns to his province. Their relationship is tested as they have to deal with distance, the pandemic, fate, and circumstance.

Greywood’s Plot
Horror-comedy | Terror Films | Digital Platforms (U.S, UK, AUSTRALIA, NZ, CANADA)
Director: Josh Stifter, Cast: Josh Stifter, Daniel Degnan
Synopsis: Two friends venture into a forest to see if a monster sighting is real. Has won acclaim on the festival circuit. Stifter’s follow-up to cult favorite The Good Exorcist.

The Alternate
Sci-fi/Thriller | Uncork’ d Entertainment | Digital Platforms/DVD (U.S, CANADA)
Director: Alrik Brussell, Cast: Ed Gonzalez Marino
Synopsis: Upon unlocking a portal to an alternate dimension where all his dreams have come true, struggling filmmaker Jake is forced to confront his idealized self.

SEPTEMBER 15
How Dark They Prey
Horror | Film Valor| Digital Platforms, WatchMoviesNow (U.S, CANADA)
Director: Jamison M. LoCascio and Adam Ambrosio, Cast: Josiah Schneider, Timothy Paul Jobe, and David Johnson.
Synopsis: Four dark tales about the haunting nature of man and the unknown from WWII to Alien investigation, finding the occult, and kidnap with torture, the highly anticipated horror anthology is written by Adam Ambrosio, Anthony LoCascio and Jamison M. LoCascio.

SEPTEMBER 30
The Wild Man
Horror | Terror Films| Digital Platforms (U.S, UK, AUSTRALIA, NEW ZEALAND, CANADA)
Director: Ryan Justice, Cast: Michael Pare
Synopsis: Young women have been going missing in Ochopee, FL, without a single suspect in custody. A young journalist, Sara, convinces her crew to join her investigation as she travels to Ochopee to document her discoveries, but they soon realize their presence in this town is not welcome. Determined to find her story, Sara convinces her friends to stick with her, because they are onto something big. Upon meeting Dale, the town’s notorious conspiracy theorist, she is convinced he knows more than he is willing to share. The crew humors Dale’s ridiculous theories, even accompanying him into the Florida swamps on his quest to show them “The Wild Man,” hoping he will somehow reveal his guilt. But what the crew discovers is a secret much deeper than fairy tales and legends. What they discover is much darker and more sinister than they bargained for.

 

New movie release: Movers Ultimate

Movers Ultimate is available to rent on digital platforms. Courtesy photo, used with permission.

The feature length bromantic comedy about movers you have been waiting for is here. Watch those valuable glasses. Tape up that heavy box. Do not forget to pass on details to the new address. Movers Ultimate is now available to stream. (Movers Ultimate, 2022)

Movers Ultimate is written and directed by Ben Rood and stars Shawn Knox, Chaney Morrow, Sé Marie, Annalese Poorman, Andy J. Carlson, and Grant Kennedy Lewis. It is the story of two best friends who must get off work in time to make it to their 10-year high school reunion and reconnect with the girls who got away. And yes, they are being careful not to break the China.

In the tradition of Waiting and Superbad, Movers Ultimate is now available to rent or buy on digital platforms: Google Play, Vudu, Amazon Prime Video, AppleTV, and YouTube.

Courtesy photo, used with permission.

Orders From Above is a grim reminder of dark times

Orders From Above starring Richard Cotter and Peter J. Donnelly. Courtesy photo, used with permission.

Vir Srinivas’ writing and directorial debut, Orders From Above has picked up awards or nominations at four world festivals, including Cannes and Mannheim. It is available on iTunes and all major digital platforms including YouTube, Vudu, Apple TV, and Amazon Prime Video. The 87-minute film is based on the interrogation of Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann by Israeli police. (Gravitas Ventures, 2022)

Orders From Above – Winner of Best Historical Film at Cannes World Film Festival. Fifteen years after the end of World War II, Israeli police officer Avner Less interrogates Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann, one of the architects of the Final Solution. Adolf Eichmann is finally captured and brought to Israel to stand trial, but without enough evidence to prosecute him, Avner Less needs a confession from him. Directed by Vir Srinivas, with Richard Cotter, Peter J. Donnelly, Darrell Hoffman, and Emmanuel Drakakis.

Orders From Above is based on real events and is set almost entirely in one sparse motel room as Police Captain Avner conducts several interviews with Adolf Eichmann, the mastermind of the Holocaust. Eichmann has finally been captured and brought to Israel to stand trial for the events that took place between 1933 and 1945. Without enough evidence to prosecute him, Police Captain Avner Less must extract a confession to give him a fair trial. For Eichmann’s own safety and to avoid a lynch mob, the interviews take place in an undisclosed location.

Eichmann gives his background, including how easily he fell into the SS, the Schutzstaffel, or Protection Squads, whose final solution included eliminating all enemies of the 3rd Reich. He claims all he did was deport Jews from Hungary and nothing else and that he never had anything to do with giving orders, he only reported what was going on. He makes it a point to stress that he only had a passive role and that he was only a small cog in a big machine, basically an ancillary role and that he was only following orders. When they are no closer to getting a confession, his boss orders Captain Less to fabricate the transcripts but he refuses because unlike Eichmann, he will not blindly follow orders. In a last desperate effort, Captain Less shows Eichmann documentary footage of the mass burials at the extermination camps but all he does is reiterate that he showed unconditional obedience and kept repeating “I obeyed.” He does, though, offer to hang himself in public as an example and states that “the only crime I’m guilty of is apathy.” In the end, Eichmann is convicted on 15 criminal charges, including crimes against the Jewish people and he was hanged the following year. This was the only time Israel has carried out a death sentence.

Since most of the action takes place in a motel room, Orders From Above seems more like a play than a full length feature movie. With the memory of World War II being so far in the past, it serves as an excellent reminder of what happens when one group of people sees others as less than human. The film is in black and white, which gives it the appearance of a genuine historical document. Being that it is mostly dialogue driven, it might be hard for some viewers to remain interested, especially given the heavy subject matter. It should be noted that it contains explicit descriptions and footage, specifically at the end when Eichmann is forced to watch the footage of the horrors of the Holocaust. It might be difficult to watch for some and though it may not bring new information to the conversation, it is an educational tool and reminder of man’s inhumanity to man. Excellent performances by both leading men, especially Peter J. Donnelly as the emotionless, generally unapologetic Adolf Eichmann.

*Thank you to October Coast for an advance screening. The views and opinions expressed here belong solely to the author.

Courtesy photo, used with permission.

Adrienne King stars in Dead Girl in Apartment 03

Adrienne King, the original final girl in horror classic Friday the 13th, returns to the horror arena for Dead Girl in Apartment 03. Courtesy photo, used with permission.

Adrienne King, the original final girl in horror classic Friday the 13th, returns to the horror arena for Dead Girl in Apartment 03. Dead Girl in Apartment 03 premiered August 9 on digital platforms and is coming to special edition Blu-ray and DVD on November 22 from Wild Eye Releasing.  It is available to stream on Amazon Prime Video, Vudu, and AppleTV. (Wild Eye Releasing, 2022)

Dead Girl in Apartment 03 – After recently moving to New York City, a young woman is horrified to discover that her roommate has died in their apartment under mysterious circumstances. After her body is taken away by the police, Laura soon feels an unsettling presence in the apartment and paranormal signs that she will soon be the next victim. With the help of a pair of NYC detectives, Laura must uncover the secret behind her roommate’s death before it is too late. Laura Dooling (Blu Bloods), and Michael Schantz (City on a Hill) also star in the film, the latest from cult auteur Kurtis Spieler (cult classic New York Ninja).

Courtesy photo, used with permission.

Upcoming movie release: Wicked Ones

Wicked Ones will premiere on Video On Demand this September 13, 2022. Courtesy photo, used with permission.

From Wild Eye Releasing and director Tory Jones, and starring Halloween’s Dale Miller, beware Wicked Ones this September. Morgan Pyle, Chris Hahn, and Lucas Dunaway star in a frighteningly fun mesh of Friday the 13th and The Strangers, Wicked Ones premieres on Video On Demand on September 13 followed be a Special Edition Blu-ray on November 8, 2022. (Wild Eye Releasing, 2022)

Wicked Ones – Evil multiplies in this follow up to 2017’s sleeper hit The Wicked One. Set a decade after the events in the first film, survivors Adam and Alex return to Carpenter Falls with their three children – only to be thrust into another confrontation with The Wicked One and two crazed copy cat killers.

Courtesy photo, used with permission.

New horror movie release: I Dream of a Psychopomp

I Dream of a Psychopomp will be on digital on August 19 and on the Kings of Horror Channel on August 26, 2022. Courtesy photo, used with permission.

Danny Villanueva Jr.‘s supernatural drama I Dream of a Psychopomp premiered on Terror Films channel on August 12 and it will be available on digital August 19 and on the Kings of Horror Channel August 26. Jillian Lebling (Bridge of Spies, The Blacklist), Elohim Peña, Ben Shaul, Peter Knox, Steven Alonte, Kulani Kai, N. Meridian, and Fiona Rose star. (Terror Films Channel, 2022)

I Dream of a Psychopomp – A grieving widower haunted by the distressed ghost of his recently deceased wife is visited in his dreams by a psychopomp, a spirit guide of a living person’s soul, who teaches him about the spirit world and soul guiding through stories of death and the supernatural.

“Creating this film was a way to familiarize myself with death in order to ease some of its force when it knocks. Throughout the editing process, I was the primary caregiver of my dying mother who passed away from stage 4 lung cancer on Memorial Day of 2020. She was such a loving person and truly my best friend. I found my exposure to the subject of death and understanding why it is what it is through creating this film to be helpful through the grieving process. Death has become a taboo subject in American culture. We often avoid conversations about it until it arrives, and when it does, we whisper. I think if we talk more about it, we’ll better understand it, and it can be less devastating when it comes. In a time where we are collectively grieving from the many lives lost during the pandemic, I believe this film is especially relevant today.” – Danny Villanueva, Jr.

Courtesy photo, used with permission.

Movie adaptation: ‘Bullet Train’ by Kotaro Isaka

The movie adaptation of ‘Bullet Train’ is now on theaters and stars Brad Pitt. Photo: Amazon

Kotaro Isaka is a bestselling and multi-award-winning Japanese writer whose books have sold millions of copies around the world. He has won the Shincho Mystery Club Award, Mystery Writers of Japan Award, Japan Booksellers’ Award and the Yamamoto Shugoro Prize. His book “Bullet Train” is a dark, satirical thriller that follows the perilous train ride of five highly motivated assassins. It was adapted into a major film from Sony starring Brad Pitt, Joey King, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Brian Tyree Henry, Andrew Koji, Hiroyuki Sanada, Michael Shannon, Benito A Martínez Ocasio, and more. (Amazon, 2022)

“Bullet Train” – Satoshi—The Prince—looks like an innocent schoolboy but he is really a stylish and devious assassin. Risk fuels him, as does a good philosophical debate, such as questioning: Is killing really wrong? Kimura’s young son is in a coma thanks to The Prince, and Kimura has tracked him onto a bullet train heading from Tokyo to Morioka to exact his revenge. But Kimura soon discovers that they are not the only dangerous passengers on board. Nanao, also nicknamed Ladybug, the self-proclaimed “unluckiest assassin in the world,” is put on the bullet train by his boss, a mysterious young woman called Maria, to steal a suitcase full of money and get off at the first stop. The lethal duo of Tangerine and Lemon are also traveling to Morioka, and the suitcase leads others to show their hands. Why are they all on the same train, and who will make it off alive? A bestseller in Japan, “Bullet Train” is an original and propulsive thriller that fizzes with incredible energy as its complex net of double-crosses and twists unwinds up to the last station.

This past weekend I got the chance to watch Bullet Train and I was surprised to learn that it is based on a book. I have not read the book but from reading up on it, there are some obvious differences. Considering that the source is a Japanese novel, The Prince is a boy in the book but a white girl in the movie and Nanao, one of the assassins, is also white and portrayed by Brad Pitt. This does not bother me in the least and I prefer to focus on the story. It is an action comedy movie that reminds me of Deadpool and Quentin Tarantino movies like Kill Bill because of the dark humor and the insane amount of killing and blood involved but without going overboard. The plot twists and surprises keep it interesting and the fact that it takes place on a bullet train foreshadows the momentum of the action. Overall, it is a fun movie, plenty of action and comedy and not too long with a run time of a little over two hours. 

New horror movie: Of The Devil

Of The Devil is available on DVD and digital. Courtesy photo, used with permission.

Kelton Jones’ new movie Of The Devil features The Exorcist’s Eileen Deitz and was released this week. The film, written by Jones and based on a story by James Cullen Bressack, has a cast that includes Vernon Wells (The Road Warrior), Devanny Pinn (Crossbreed), and Robert LaSardo (The Mule). It is available on Vudu and Amazon Prime Video. (Uncork’d Entertainment, 2022)

Of The Devil – A desperate mother and father attempt to cure their eight-year-old son’s brain tumor by enlisting the help of a shamanistic healer. When the ritual results in the child being possessed by an ancient demon, the father must now face his own demons and return to his role as a former priest in order to save his son’s soul and to protect humanity from the evil that he has unleashed.

New movie: Carmen, starring Natascha McElhone

Carmen will open theatrically in major cities and on Video on Demand on September 23, 2022. Courtesy photo, used with permission.

Carmen is perhaps veteran director and accomplished actor Valerie Buhagiar’s most joyous film outing yet. Set in a sun-dappled village in Malta in the 1980s, Natascha McElhone gives a career-best performance as a 50-year-old woman finding a new start in life through romance. Carmen will be released in the US Theatrically in major cities and on VOD in the US and Canada on Friday, September 23, 2022. (Good Deed Entertainment, 2022)

In a small Mediterranean village, Carmen has looked after her brother, the local priest, for her entire life. When the Church abandons Carmen, she is mistaken for the new priest. Carmen begins to see the world, and herself, in a new light. In Malta, it is tradition for the younger sister to devote her life to the church when an older brother enters the priesthood. Inspired by true events, Carmen lives a life of servitude from the age of 16 until 50, when her brother dies. Realizing her own mortality, she leaves the church and makes up for lost time.

Carmen is Buhagiar’s third feature film as a director. She first burst on the scene as a performer in such classic Canadian films as ROADKILL (1989) and HIGHWAY 61 (1991). Other indelible feature performances include EXPECTING (2002), A WINTER TALE (2007), and ADRIATICO MY LOVE (2011).
Malta, Canada- 2021, 88 minutes, in English and Maltese.
Director: Valerie Buhagiar
Starring: Natascha McElhone, Michaela Farrugia, Steven Love.

US Theaters include New York – Cinema Village and Los Angeles – Laemmle Monica with exclusive engagements in Chicago, Detroit, San Francisco (Bay Area), Columbus, and more.
US Video on Demand platforms include Apple TV/iTunes, Amazon, Google Play, Vudu, XFinity Cable, and more.

Good Deed Entertainment (GDE) is an Ohio based independent studio dedicated to producing, financing, and distributing quality entertainment for under-served audiences. Its distribution slate includes recent releases Summertime, Ma Belle, My Beauty, and Lucky Grandma, in addition to the Academy Award nominated, Loving Vincent, and Spirit Award nominated, To Dust.

Movie adaptation: ‘We Have Always Lived in the Castle’ by Shirley Jackson

Movie poster for the movie adaptation of ‘We Have Always Lived in the Castle’ by Shirley Jackson Photo: google

Shirley Jackson was one of the most brilliant and influential authors of the twentieth century. She is widely known for her supernatural stories and novels, including the well-known short story The Lottery and the best-selling novel “The Haunting of Hill House.” (Shirley Jackson, 2022)

“We Have Always Lived in the Castle” is a 1962 mystery novel by American author Shirley Jackson. The novel is written in the voice of eighteen year old Mary Katherine ‘Merricat’ Blackwood who lives with her sister and uncle on an estate in Vermont. Six years before the events of the novel, the Blackwood family experienced a tragedy that left the three survivors isolated from their small village. It is the story about a perverse, isolated, and possibly murderous family and the struggle that ensues when a cousin arrives at the estate. The movie adaptation is available to stream on Peacock, Amazon Prime, and Roku, among other services. (amazon, Wikipedia, 2022)

We Have Always Lived in the Castle is an American mystery thriller directed by Stacie Passon and written by Mark Kruger. It stars Taissa Farmiga, Alexandra Daddario, Crispin Glover, and Sebastian Stan. The arrival of a cousin with ulterior motives threatens the claustrophobic and isolated world of two sisters and their uncle.

 

Photo: amazon