Action thriller King of Killers. Courtesy photo, used with permission.
In today’s movie news, if you like action thrillers, King of Killers is now available on Blu-ray™ and DVD. Written and directed by Kevin Grevioux, the cast includes Alain Moussi (Nobody), Marie Avgeropoulos (“The 100,” 50/50), Georges St-Pierre (Captain America: The Winter Soldier), Stephen Dorff (Blade, Old Henry), Frank Grillo (Captain America: The Winter Soldier), and Kevin Grevioux (Underworld). (EG-PR, 2023)
Based on a graphic novel by writer-director Kevin Grevioux, King of Killers follows former Agency hit man Marcus Garan (Alain Moussi) as he attempts to unravel the mystery behind a tragic incident. When offered a $10 million contract to eliminate the world’s greatest assassin, Marcus travels to Tokyo to meet the client (Frank Grillo), but discovers other professional killers have been invited as well. Now Marcus and the others must confront this deadly, mythical assassin or die trying.
Karen Lam’s highly anticipated horror movie is out now on digital platforms. Courtesy photo, used with permission.
Karen Lam‘s highly-anticipated The Curse of Willow Song, starring Jennifer Body’s Valerie Tian, has been picked up by Uncork’d Entertainment. The horror picture, receiving great early buzz thanks to its strong special effects, is now available on digital formats including iTunes, Amazon, Vudu, Google, YouTube movies, and more. (October Coast, 2023)
The Curse of Willow Song – Willow Song, a recovering addict, is released on probation after serving her prison term for arson. Struggling to start over, she faces systemic racism and eviction. Willow finds herself in a concrete wasteland. Facing isolation and displacement, shadows creep into Willow’s mind and her nightmares become too real. Against the backdrop of a city seen in vacant properties and people left behind. Willow can’t escape the nightmares, as the shadows come to life.
“The Curse of Willow Song has so much to offer. It will appeal for the genre audience but also the Asian community – as represented in front of and behind camera”, said Keith Leopard, President Uncork’d Entertainment. “Karen Lam is truly one of the most exceptional filmmakers out there, and The Curse of Willow Song reiterates that.”
Clint Eastwood. Image by Brigitte Werner from Pixabay, used with permission.
Sometimes a certain type of movie becomes trendy. This leads to various film studios creating their own variations in order to cash in on this trend. Some trends last a couple years while others last a generation. In most cases, they have a certain decade in which they peak. Below are just some of the biggest trends that have taken over Hollywood throughout the years and what made them so popular.
1930s: Creature Features
Creature features are typically horror movies that revolve around a single monstrous creature. There have actually been many creature feature waves throughout cinema history – Hollywood went through a sci-fi alien monster phase in the 1950s with movies like Attack of the 50 Foot Woman and The Blob, while Japan released numerous movies about giant monsters (‘kaiju’) throughout the 1960s including the Godzilla and Gamera movies. However, the peak of creature feature movies was all the way back in the 1930s and included movies like Dracula, Frankenstein, The Mummy, King Kong and The Werewolf of London. Nowadays, creature features are rarer in favor of more supernatural horror movies or more human villains. Recent reboots of Godzilla and King Kong have typically been more action-oriented than horror-based.
1950s: Westerns
The most iconic movie trend is arguably the ‘western.’ These movies about cowboys and life on the frontier would gain popularity in the 1930s and reach their peak in the 1950s. The Gunfighter, Oklahoma, High Noon and The Searchers are some of the most iconic movies from this period. The success of westerns during this period is thought to be due to the nationalism and need for escapism caused by the Cold War. Ultimately however, the market would become saturated causing individual westerns to earn less money at the box office in the late 1960s, paving the way for a new style of action movies. Of course, the genre would never truly die – there have been many cowboy movies released since and every few years a director like Tarantino or the Coen Brothers will release an epic western blockbuster.
1960s: Beach party films
In 1963, AIP released a movie titled Beach Party which would spawn a series of beach-themed comedies aimed at teen audiences (although you could argue Gidget in 1959 was the film that truly kickstarted the genre). The 60s was a period of teen rebellion and these movies appealed to the attitudes of the time by being centered around the adventures of teens. By the end of the 60s, beach party films were overdone however and biker movies briefly took over as the new teen-based movie of choice.
1970s: Disaster movies
The 1970s was the peak of disaster movies. Airport, The Towering Inferno, The Poseidon Adventure and Earthquake are just some of the classics produced during this decade. Why were disaster movies so popular in the 1970s? Some critics have suggested that it was a reflection of the political and economic chaos of the time. These movies played to audiences’ fears and made huge amounts of money at the box office, leading to increasingly bigger budget films until they became played out. Disaster movies would make a comeback in the 90s due to the birth of CGI, but became less popular after 9/11.
1990s: Teen ‘gross-out’ comedies
Teen comedies would gradually evolve from the fairly innocent beach party films of the 1960s to more overtly sexual movies (such as the ‘brat pack’ movies in the 1980s) and eventually gross-out comedies in the 1990s. These films relied on shock value and toilet humor to push the boundaries of comedy and included franchises such as Dumb and Dumber, American Pie and Scary Movie. These comedies would continue to remain popular in the 00s but increasingly began being aimed at young adults rather than teens.
2000s: Found footage horror
In 1999, The Blair Witch Project was released – a movie that would kickstart the found footage horror trend. This movie trend aimed to make horror movies feel more realistic by filming them in the style of a camcorder recording. Found footage horror movies peaked in the 00s with the release of films like Paranormal Activity, REC and Cloverfield. Endless sequels and reiterations of the genre have since reduced its novelty and nowadays found footage horror movies – while still continuing to be frequently made – don’t do as well at the box office.
2010s: Superheroes
The most recent notable movie trend has definitely been superhero movies. These movies dominated the 2010s – particularly superhero movies based on Marvel and DC comics. The creation of Marvel studios and its purchase by Disney in 2009 would ultimately lead to superhero movies being churned out at an alarming speed compared to previous decades. Avengers: Endgame in 2019 remains the highest grossing superhero movie and the second highest grossing movie of all time. Since then, superhero movies have been underwhelming at the box office and the likes of Disney have been slowing down releases. Is the superhero movie fad coming to an end?
End Times is available in limited theaters and Video On Demand. Courtesy photo, used with permission.
In movie news today, get ready for another post-apocalyptic zombie movie as End Times releases today.
End Times stars horror icon Jamie Bernadette and Craig Stark and is available now in limited theaters and Video On Demand. Jim Towns is the writer and director and The Asylum is the distributor. (The Write Way, 2023)
End Times follows a pair of mismatched travelers, Claire and Freddie (Bernadette and Stark), as they try to escape a deadly pandemic that has turned Los Angeles into a zombie-infested wasteland. Claire is a privileged young suburbanite ill-equipped to survive in this hostile new landscape, until she meets Freddie, a retired soldier who lost his daughter to the virus. As they travel together to reach the perimeter, Freddie teaches Claire the skills that will enable Claire to survive, and the uneasy partnership between the two grows into something more akin to a father/daughter relationship. Before they can reach safety, the two will have to escape brutal gangs, cannibals, cults, and the undead.
“We have a heartfelt horror here that has not only scared those who have previewed the film, but has also left them in tears at the end. Perhaps the toughest acting I have ever done is in the last 20 or so minutes of this film—yes, maybe even tougher than I Spit on Your Grave if you can believe that ha ha. It tried me as an artist, pushed me as an actor, and tested me as a person. I owe a big thank you to actor Craig Stark for being an incredible scene partner throughout this film and to writer and director Jim Towns for his brilliant vision and guidance.” – Jamie Bernadette
“I’m excited that after a lot of hard work, End Times is being unleashed on the world. This film was a battle to make from start to finish, but I’m so very proud of it and of everyone who came together to make it. I think it tells a universal story about the bonds between people that get us through tragedy and disaster, and finally bring us to a place of hope. My thanks to my producing partner Jamie Bernadette, our stars Jamie and Craig Stark, Dominique Swain, Kaiwi Lyman and Sadie Katz, and to the Asylum for their trust in the film.” – Jim Towns
The supporting cast includes Dominique Swain, Jessica Morris, Kaiwi Lyman, Dan Buran, Stefanie Estes, Maria Olsen, Sadie Katz, and Victoria De Mare.
Life is often so busy. We have many responsibilities and commitments that it’s so easy to forget to live. After all, there are so many things in our lives that can bring us joy and we definitely deserve to indulge in them regularly. Yet, either we just can’t find the time or them or we don’t always really know what to turn to. If you’ve found yourself in a rut, you may want a little inspiration. So here are five things that you should always look to fill your life with for more joy.
1. Books First of all, we have books. When you’re a bookworm and avid reader, books are always going to bring you joy. You’re going to find that you’re able to really immerse yourself into a relaxing environment when you read. It’s okay to always want to prioritize reading time. Filling your life with books and stories can be a simple way to make sure that your life feels fulfilling.
2. Food It’s safe to say that food always brings us joy. When you’re eating your favorite meals, life can feel good. And if you’re a foodie, taking the time out to go to the right restaurants and trying new dishes is always going to be fun for you. But you can also do the same by cooking things up at home too. Maybe it’s an authentic goulash or your favorite pasta dish – another way, cooking can always make you happy. And it’s certainly something to enjoy the results of too.
3. Movies If you love cinema, then turning to the right movies is always a good idea. You’re likely to find that filling up your time with amazing stories, documentaries, and even things like shows and theater could spark so much joy in your life. Cinema is art, just as much as other forms. So allowing yourself to switch off and enjoy it can be such a great move for you.
4. Nature Then we have nature. Being in nature is something that can bring so much happiness into our lives without us even knowing it. Nature is calming. When we’re outdoors, we can exercise, move, enjoy sunlight, and many other things that help our health. Whether you like to walk, practice yoga in the garden, read in the sunshine, or anything else, being in nature can be great for you.
5. Travel Finally, there’s also travel. You may find that getting out and about in the world is always going to bring you a lot of joy. There’s a wealth of experiences to be had when you travel. From relaxing and enjoying the culture, to getting out into nature and eating more food (two of our joy-filled things), you can do so much when you travel. If you’re yet to book your next trip, go ahead and do it. After all, our lives should be filled with experiences we’ll never forget.
Dark Entities is the new horror movie from Terror Films. Photo: Terror Films, used with permission.
From writer/director Brandon McLemore, encounter Dark Entities this April from Terror Films. Starring Elena Ontiveros, Brandon McLemore, Jackson Lee Turner, and Warren McLemore, discover what is in the walls of the Winters house this April. Dark Entities is available worldwide April 14 from Terror Films on digital. It is available for streaming on Tubi, Amazon Prime, and Google Play. (October Coast, 2023)
Dark Entities – Following a tragic accident in 1977, the three Winters siblings move into the mysterious home they inherited. They soon discover the house holds dark secrets that seek to threaten everything they hold dear. Convinced the strange occurrences are a result of trauma, they seek out logical explanations with little success. They look to the help of a parapsychologist as the supernatural forces become life threatening. With time running out, will they be able to survive the dark entities?
Those Who Call is a new horror movie available now for streaming. Courtesy photo, used with permission.
Uncork’d Entertainment has acquired Anubys Lopez’ backwoods horror film Those Who Call and premiered on digital January10, 2023. It is available to stream on Amazon Prime Video, Google Movies, and You Tube. (Those Who Call, 2023)
Those Who Call– The film, starring Angie Sandoval, Yetlanezi Rodriguez, Reese Fast, Kevin Kinkade, and Addison Cousins, tells of two sisters who go on a road trip to Colorado. On their way there, their car breaks down in an abandoned old town. Soon they realize things are not what they seem, and they are not alone in the forest. They find themselves being hunted by a sadistic pagan cult and must do everything in their power to survive.
“If you enjoyed The Lodge, Winchester, and The Heretics, Those Who Call should be on your must-see list. Headlined by two very strong actresses, Those Who Call has so much going for it. We look forward to audiences discovering it in January, when we release.” – Keith Leopard, President Uncork’d Entertainment
Uncork’d Entertainment was founded in July, 2012 by Keith Leopard, a Home Entertainment industry veteran with more than 23 years of experience in purchasing, acquisitions, merchandising, marketing, and analysis of major studio and independent supplier to the home entertainment market. The Company focuses on distribution in six areas: Digital Media, Physical Home Entertainment, Aggregation, Theatrical and Television, Foreign Sales, and has secured relationships across all platforms to ensure your film reaches the widest audience possible. Keith and his team are committed to maximizing revenue, controlling costs, and assuring their Content Partners the highest quality of service, a commitment to market and merchandise their film and a rewarding experience by partnering with Uncork’d Entertainment.
SA Examiner 