Category Archives: Movies

In the mood for some horror? Play “Possum” . . . and pray for the best

It’s been called “the unforgettable horror masterpiece”. Do you dare watch the flick?

Possum, coming to DVD on February 12 from Dark Sky Films, tells the terrifying tale  of Philip (brilliantly played by Sean Harris), a disgraced children’s puppeteer, returning to his dilapidated childhood home and lecherous stepfather, Maurice (portrayed by Alun Armstrong). Philip is intent on destroying “Possum,”a hideously malformed spider-puppet he carries with him in a brown leather case. Unfortunately, and horrifically, Possum refuses to be abandoned.

Philip’s mind is flooded with painful half-memories and nightmarish visions, and when he finds himself embroiled in a local investigation surrounding a missing boy, he grows progressively unsure of what’s real and what’s not. All the while Possum seems to mock his suffering at every turn.
A hallucinatory venture into a truly damaged psyche, Matthew Holness’ Possum is a twisted trip of terror where both nothing and everything is exactly as it seems. Adding to the film’s eerie atmosphere is an original soundtrack by the iconic electronic research lab The Radiophonic Workshop.

“I Am Not a Witch” is a striking satire about witchcraft in contemporary Zambia

And the winner is . . .
The U.K.’s official submission for Best Foreign Film for this year’s Academy Awards is I Am Not a Witch.  The movie,  now on DVD from Film Movement, from the Zambian-born Welsh director Rungano Nyoni, is a striking satire about witchcraft in contemporary Zambia.
Quite good.

When nine-year-old Shula is accused of witchcraft, she is exiled to a witch camp run by Mr. Banda, a corrupt and inept government official. Tied to the ground by a white ribbon, Shula is told that she will turn into a goat if she tries to escape. As the only child witch, Shula quickly becomes a local star and the adults around her exploit her supposed powers for financial gain. Soon she is forced to make a difficult decision – whether to resign herself to life on the camp, or take a risk for freedom.
At times moving, often funny and occasionally surreal, I Am Not a Witch offers spellbinding storytelling with flashes of anarchic humor, showcasing Nyoni as the birth of a significant new screen voice. Festival audiences and juries also agreed, bestowing more than 20 nominations on the film, including the AFI Fest Audience Award and a BIFA nod for “Best British Independent Film”.

“A.I. Rising” is a mind-blowing, visually sumptuous space journey that takes viewers deep inside their souls.

On a lonely mission to Alpha Centauri, Sebastian is teamed up with Nimani 1345, a female cyborg designed to fulfill his every need. At first thrilled to be able to control her, Sebastian grows tired of having his desires fulfilled so easily. Longing for human intimacy, Sebastian alters Nimani’s programmed responses, but in doing so he risks the mission’s security—and his own life. This mind-blowing, visually sumptuous space journey will take you both beyond the stars and deep inside your soul.
Drop image here
Welcome to A.I. Rising, arriving on DVD, Digita, and On Demand March 12 from Lionsgate. Porn actress Stoya, Sebastian Cavazza, and Maruša Majer star. 
The DVD includes deleted scenes, an interview with Stoya, and the featurettes Behind the Scenes of A.I. Rising and A.I. Rising: About the Movie.

Have no reservations about checking into a Copenhagen hotel, “Room 304”

Sex! Betrayal! Corruption! Such facts of life unravel in a Copenhagen hotel, where nine disparate lives intersect by chance or fate.

A hotel manager peers into the abyss of his empty life, leading to devastating consequences for himself, his wife and his mistress.

A Spanish stewardess reaches out for intimacy and finds it in a most unexpected way.

A reserved concierge is forced out of his shell by a shocking event, and an Albanian refugee gets a chance to avenge his wife, but ends up discovering something surprising instead.

An Official Selection in Competition at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, Room 304 (Film Movement), director Birgitte Staermose’s debut feature, will make home audiences think twice before booking a hotel room again.

The graveyard shift in a morgue: A series of bizarre, violent events caused by an evil entity in one of the corpses! Welcome “The Possession of Hannah Grace”

Some say death is the end, but we say death is only the beginning in the heart-pounding horror thriller The Possession of Hannah Grace, debuting on Digital February 19 and on Blu-ray and DVD February 26 from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.
Shay Mitchell stars as a cop just out of rehab, who takes the graveyard shift in a city hospital morgue where she faces a series of bizarre, violent events caused by an evil entity in one of the corpses. The flick also stars Grey Damon, Kirby Johnson, Louis Herthum and Stana Katic.

The Possession of Hannah Grace Digital, Blu-ray and DVD releases come loaded with bonus content, including a deleted scene and two behind-the-scenes featurettes. Take a deep dive with the killer cast and get to know the film’s characters a little better.  In An Autopsy of Hannah, go behind the scenes with head makeup artist Adrien Morot and uncover the transformation process, learning Adrien’s vision for the character, tricks for nailing the look, and what it took to get into the creepy mindset of Hannah Grace. Slashes and gashes and cuts, oh my! Finally, it must get lonely spending night after night alone in a morgue—see how Megan (played by Shay Mitchell) keeps herself entertained during the long shifts in Megan’s Diaries.

Having “Tea With the Dames” is a Wonderful Adventure, times four

There is nothing like a dame. Make that four dames.

What happens when four legends of British stage and screen get together? Dame Maggie Smith, Dame Judi Dench, Dame Eileen Atkins and Dame Joan Plowright are among the most celebrated actresses of our time, with scores of iconic performances, decades of wisdom, and innumerable Oscars, Tonys, Emmys and BAFTAs between them. They are also longtime friends who here invite you to join them for a weekend in the country as they catch up with one another, reminisce, and share their candid, delightfully irreverent thoughts on everything from art to aging to love to a life lived in the spotlight.

Bursting with devilish wit and whip-smart insights, Tea With the Dames is a remarkable opportunity to spend time in the company of four all-time greats, up close and unfiltered. The IFC Films theatrical release was directed by BAFTA award winner Roger Michell. We aren’t the only one who loves the flick; Matt Fagerholm, writing at RogerEbert.com, gushes that  said the film “delivers more laughs than any mainstream comedy I’ve seen in 2018.”

Tim Daly, Natalia Dyer and Kyra Sedgwick highlight the sci-fi thriller “After Darkness”

What happens when it turns dark?

Hope begins at the end of the world in After Darkness, available on DVD, Digital, and On Demand January 15 from Lionsgate.

Natalia Dyer and Kyra Sedgwick highlight this sci-fi thriller about a family’s fight to survive a solar disaster. As skies darken and hopes grow dim, the Beatys try to stay sane in a lavish home with every possible comfort . . .  except sunshine.

Raymond (portrayed by Tim Daly) plans to have his family transported to a secure underground bunker. But as he makes a gruesome discovery, the greatest threat to the Beatys’ survival may be near—or inside—their home.

“Bent” is a harrowing, riveting look at gay love during the decadence and terror of pre-war Germany

We saw Bent when it made its Broadway debut in 1979. Richard Gere and David Dukes were brilliant, as was the harrowing drama.  Forty years later, Bent returns. As a film. Thank you Film Movement Classics.
Set amidst the decadence and terror of pre-war Germany, Bent is a harrowing yet inspirational tale of struggle against oppression, based on the landmark play by Martin Sherman. A chance encounter at a Berlin nightclub exposes Max (portrayed by Clive Owen) and his partner Rudy (Brian Webber) as homosexuals during the “Night of the Long Knives” purge. After two years on the run, they are captured and put on a train to Dachau, where Rudy is savagely beaten to death. Inside the camp, Max finds the will to survive through the help of a fellow prisoner, Horst (Lothaire Bluteau), and the two men develop an unbreakable bond.
Winner of the Prix de la jeunesse (Award of the Youth) at Cannes Critics’ Week in 1997, Bent, which has been digitally restored for optimal home entertainment viewing, was also nominated “Outstanding Film” at the GLAAD Media Awards, and captured the Best Feature Award at the Torino International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival.
 
What a cast! There are also memorable performances by Clive Owen, Ian McKellen, Mick Jagger, Brian Webber, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau and Paul Bettany.
A truly remarkable film not to be missed.

The horror of anti-Semitism spirals in America and beyond. We know love conquers all.

We are based outside of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, a mere eight minutes from Squirrel Hill, where the Tree of Life massacre shattered the peaceful community. It became the deadliest attack on the Jewish community in the U.S.

Such horror and hate crosses the Atlantic. Over the last two decades, a rise in physical attacks and verbal assaults on Jews has been recorded in many countries across Europe. At the same time an increasingly fractured world has exposed deep political, social, and racial division, especially in France.

Laura Fairrie’s Spiral is the story of how a cycle of fear, hatred, and violence has taken hold. In portraying the resurgence of anti-Semitism in France and in the wider world, the film trains its gaze on individuals, witnesses on all sides of the conflicts that have fueled this escalation.

Explore the legacy of the master’s leading ladies in “Hitchcock’s Heroines”

Whether played by Grace Kelly, Doris Day, or Ingrid Bergman, the heroine of an Alfred Hitchcock picture is always the same: stylish, regal, and elegant.
Explore the legacy of Alfred Hitchcock’s leading ladies—their iconic roles, unforgettable costumes, and timeless style in Hitchcock’s Heroines (Insight Editions, $29.99).

Author Caroline Young chronicles six decades of glamorous style, exploring the fashion legacy of these amazing women. Meticulously researched and beautifully illustrated with studio pictures, film stills and original drawings of the costume designs, each chapter focuses on a specific actress, revealing insights into a fascinating period of movie history.
This deluxe book pays tribute to the women of Hitchcock’s era, who were considered some of the fashion icons of their time and inspired styles that continue to be celebrated and imitated today. These leading ladies broke barriers, made history, and transfixed audiences around the world.