Get Lost With "GIRL IN WOODS" Starring Charisma Carpenter and Jeremy London, on VOD June 3rd

Jeremy Benson's "Girl in Woods"
Starring Juliet Reeves, Charisma Carpenter, Jeremy London

Premieres on Cable VOD & Digital HD June 3rd
From Candy Factory Films
   
New York, NY- Candy Factory Films has announced the June 3rd Cable and Digital HD release of Jeremy Benson's Girl in Woods.  The latest thriller from the director of Shutter and Live Animals, the titular Girl must battle nature and her own demons for her survival and sanity in a deserted part of the Appalachian Mountains. 

Girl in Woods will be available to rent or own starting June 3rd on Comcast, DirecTV, iTunes, Dish, Amazon Instant, Google Play, Vudu and more.

Girl in Woods stars Juliet Reeves (Automaton Transfusion, Zombies, Zombies, Zombies!), Charisma Carpenter ("Buffy the Vampire Slayer", "Angel", The Expendables), Jeremy London (Mallrats, "Party of Five"), Lee Perkins (Foxcatcher, KatieBird), John Still (Hustle and Flow, Live Animals) and introduces Shaun Elizabeth as "Little Grace."

The death of her fiancé (London) leaves Grace (Reeves) abandoned in a harsh mountain wilderness. Struggling against the elements and fighting off starvation, the fragile shell of her sanity begins to crack. Her situation worsens when she notices a dark figure stalking her every step.

Through memories of her mother (Carpenter) and father (Perkins), Grace finds a long-forgotten truth about herself. It is this secret, long hidden away, that will either lead her to safety or down a path of horror beyond anything she could comprehend.


                            Watch the Trailer

Get Lost With "GIRL IN WOODS" Starring Charisma Carpenter and Jeremy London, on VOD June 3rd

"Hell or High Water" With Jeff Bridges, Chris Pine -- New Trailer Now Available

Hell Or High Water
Release: 08/19/2016

“Hell Or High Water” is a modern action drama set in West Texas where the distinction between honest men and outlaws has blurred beyond recognition. Featuring a cast that includes Academy Award®-winner Jeff Bridges (“Crazy Heart,” “True Grit”), Chris Pine (“Star Trek,” “Into The Woods”), Ben Foster (“3:10 To Yuma,” “The Messenger”) and Gil Birmingham (“The Lone Ranger,” “Twilight”), “Hell Or High Water” is directed by David Mackenzie (“Young Adam,” “Starred Up”) and written by Taylor Sheridan (“Sicario”), produced by Sidney Kimmel, Peter Berg, Carla Hacken and Julie Yorn and executive produced by Gigi Pritzker, Bill Lischak, Michael Nathanson, Rachel Shane, John Penotti and Bruce Toll.

A story about the collision of the Old and New West, two brothers -- Toby (Chris Pine), a straight-living, divorced father trying to make a better life for his son; and Tanner (Ben Foster), a short-tempered ex-con with a loose trigger finger -- come together to rob branch after branch of the bank that is foreclosing on their family land. The hold-ups are part of a last-ditch scheme to take back a future that powerful forces beyond their control have stolen from under their feet.

Vengeance seems to be theirs until they find themselves in the crosshairs of a relentless, foul-mouthed Texas Ranger (Jeff Bridges) looking for one last triumph on the eve of his retirement. As the brothers plot a final bank heist to complete their plan, a showdown looms at the crossroads where the last honest law man and a pair of brothers with nothing to live for except family collide.


                             Watch the Trailer

    Genres
    Action, Drama

    Rating
    R

    Starring
    Jeff Bridges, Chris Pine, Ben Foster, Gil Birmingham

    Directed By
    David Mackenzie

    Produced By
    Sidney Kimmel, Peter Berg, Carla Hacken, Julie Yorn

"Hell or High Water" With Jeff Bridges, Chris Pine -- New Trailer Now Available

Film House Germany's Summerstorm Entertainment Taps John Moore to Direct "N.O.C."

FILM HOUSE GERMANY’s SUMMERSTORM ENTERTAINMENT TAPS JOHN MOORE TO DIRECT "N.O.C."

RainMaker Films is Financing with Radiant Films International/ Cargo Entertainment Handling International Sales

CANNES (May 12, 2016) –– Film House Germany has tapped John Moore (A Good Day to Die Hard, I.T) to direct its upcoming action-thriller N.O.C.. Gabriela Bacher will produce for Summerstorm Entertainment, a subsidiary of Film House Germany, alongside Vandal Entertainment’s Navid McIlhargey and Cargo Entertainment’s Marina Grasic. John Moore, Peter Veverka, Christian Angermayer and Klemens Hallmann will executive produce. Mimi Steinbauer for Radiant Films International/Cargo Entertainment is handling foreign sales, beginning in Cannes. Production is scheduled to commence at the end of summer in Berlin.

Penned by Dave Matalon and Daniel Scott Gordon, N.O.C. follows Alek, a CIA deep undercover operative who discovers that a faction of the agency is actively collaborating with the terrorist cell he was sent to infiltrate. Stuck in a hospital in Berlin and with the help of Corinne, the EMT who saved his life, Alek must evade both the agency and the terrorists, if he wants to bring the evidence of the unsanctioned special op to the people he thinks he can trust.

“N.O.C. is a complex, brain-twisting thriller, a bold, ‎hard-edged story, ripped from the headlines. And John Moore is the creative force for this kind of character-driven action film with an enthralling political undercurrent,” said Gabriela Bacher and Navid McIlhargey.

Moore takes on the project with a host of action credits in tow, including: A Good Day to Die Hard, Max Payne and Behind Enemy Lines. His work can next be seen in I.T., starring Pierce Brosnan and Anna Friel.  Moore is represented by Paradigm.

N.O.C.  is the latest in one of a number of projects on Film House Germany’s robust slate – a Berlin-based multi-faceted media company founded by Christian Angermayer. Film House Germany recently announced Marco Kreuzpaintner Undying which will star Patrick Schwarzenegger and Liana Liberato.  The current film slate includes: Byron Willinger & Phil De Blasi’s Command and Control; Ciro Guerra’s The Detainee; Emma Holly Jones’ Everything Carries Me to You; The Feud directed by Steven C. Miller; Adam Salky’s I Smile Back starring Sarah Silverman; Bernard Rose’s Frankenstein; Kweku Mandela’s Mandela’s Children; Jalmari Helander’s Big Game; and Atom Egoyan’s Remember.


About Film House Germany

Film House Germany is a multi-faceted media company, covering the development, financing, production, and co-production of film and TV for audiences worldwide. Headquartered in Berlin, with outposts in London and Los Angeles, Film House Germany was founded in 2011 by entrepreneur Christian Angermayer, and is the parent company to Summerstorm Entertainment and Egoli Tossell.

Film House Germany has strategic alliances with Basil Iwanyk’s Thunder Road Pictures and Navid McIhargey’s Vandal Entertainment, in addition to strong relationships with other major production companies and leading distribution partners around the world.

Past projects include: Jon S. Baird’s Filth; Ron Howard’s Rush; Michael Hoffman’s Academy Award Nominated film The Last Station; Olivier Assayas’ lauded mini-series “Carlos;” Paul Andrew Williams’ Unfinished Son; Bernard Rose’s The Devil’s Violinist; Marco Kreuzpaintner’s Coming In; Peter Chelsom’s Hector & the Search for Happiness starring Simon Pegg and Rosamund Pike; Alexander Sokurov’s Russian Ark; Kai Wessel’s Hilde; Paul Verhoeven’s Black Book; and Christopher Smith’s Black Death starring Eddie Redmayne and Sean Bean.

About Radiant Films International

Founded by international sales veteran, Mimi Steinbauer, who is President and CEO, Radiant Films International, is an international sales company which acquires and distributes theatrical feature films.

Radiant's current slate includes the recently announced YA thriller THE CHANGEOVER starring Timothy Spall, Melanie Lynskey, Charlie Heaton, and Lucy Lawless, the inspiring sports drama AMERICAN WRESTLER: THE WIZARD starring William Fichtner, Jon Voight, Gabriel Basso, Lia Marie Johnson, and George Kosturos, the romantic comedy CARRIE PILBY starring Bel Powley (THE DIARY OF A TEENAGE GIRL) and produced by Suzanne Farwell (THE INTERN) and Susan Cartsonis (WHAT WOMEN WANT), the action thriller drama JUVENILES starring Beau Knapp and Stephen Moyer (HBO’s “True Blood”) in post-production, LONDON TOWN starring Jonathan Rhys Meyers, the horror film NO SUCH THING and THE DRIFTLESS AREA starring Anton Yelchin and Zooey Deschanel.

Other titles include the action thriller TAKE DOWN directed by Jim Gillespie and starring Ed Westwick, Jeremy Sumpter, Phoebe Tonkin and Sebastian Koch, DARE TO BE WILD starring Emma Greenwell (“Shameless”) and Tom Hughes (BBC2’s “The Game”) which was named one of the Audience Award Winners at the 2015 Jameson Dublin International Film Festival, IFC Films’ release HUNGRY HEARTS starring Adam Driver and Alba Rohrwacher who both won Coppa Volpi Awards at the Venice Film Festival and MADAME BOVARY starring Mia Wasikowska, Ezra Miller and Paul Giamatti, which was released in the U.S. by Alchemy.

About Cargo Entertainment

Cargo Entertainment is a production and film financing company with an international sales arm. With offices in New York and Los Angeles, Cargo brings to the marketplace a distinctive new option for successful, highly qualified producers and filmmakers looking for a full-service production partner. The distribution, licensing and sales operations are headed by President of Distribution Mimi Steinbauer who brings well over twenty years of experience in the film industry. Prior to launching Radiant Films International, Steinbauer ran Hyde Park International, where she was instrumental in acquiring, financing and selling such films as Academy Award® nominated “Blue Valentine”, Robert Rodriguez’s “Machete”, and “Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance”. Steinbauer was previously Vice President of Distribution at New Line Cinema, Sales and Distribution Consultant for Voltage Pictures, President of International Sales and Distribution at Franchise Pictures, and Head of International Television at Trimark Pictures. Over the course of her career, Steinbauer has been instrumental in securing financing and/or selling over 500 films including “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy, “The Hurt Locker”, “The Matrix”, “Rush Hour 2”, “The Notebook” and “Three Kings”.

Cargo’s founding and managing partners are Marina Grasic and Jan Korbelin who bring to the company an extensive background in the entertainment industry spanning the fields of production, finance, business and legal affairs. They have produced or executive produced such films as Academy Award® winner “Crash,” “Alpha Dog”, ”Smart People” and “New York, I Love You”. A former entertainment attorney with a JD in international law, Grasic previously was COO and co-founder of Sidney Kimmel Entertainment and built it into one of the leading independent feature film companies dedicated to the production of high quality independent films. Previously, Korbelin held the position of President of ProSieben Television, which he helped build into one of the largest and most profitable European networks. As partner and managing director of various film and television production companies, Korbelin raised and managed $150 million dedicated to the production of feature films and television programs.

Film House Germany's Summerstorm Entertainment Taps John Moore to Direct "N.O.C."

MadRiver Pictures to Finance & Produce James Gray's Sci-Fi Epic "AD ASTRA"

JAMES GRAY TO WRITE AND DIRECT
THE SCI-FI EPIC “AD ASTRA”

MadRiver Pictures to finance and produce together with RT Features and Anthony Katagas

LOS ANGELES (May 12, 2016) — MadRiver Pictures announced today that they will finance and produce James Gray’s (The Lost City of Z, The Immigrant, Two Lovers) Ad Astra, a sci-fi epic whose longline is currently being kept under wraps.  Gray, Keep Your Head Productions’ Anthony Katagas, RT Features’ Rodrigo Teixeira and MadRiver’s Marc Butan are producing. RT Features Lourenco Sant' Anna and Sophie Mas are executive producing. Casting is currently underway and expected to be announced shortly, with production eyeing an early 2017 shoot.

MadRiver’s Kim Fox will handle international sales, while CAA, which represents Gray, packaged and arranged the financing for the film, and will represent its domestic rights.

Gray is currently in post-production on Lost City of Z starring Charlie Hunnam, Tom Holland, Robert Pattinson and Sienna Miller, which is also produced by Butan and Katagas. Frequent collaborators, the trio has also worked on Two Lovers starring Joaquin Phoenix and Gwyneth Paltrow, and We Own the Night, starring Mark Wahlberg, Phoenix and Eva Mendes.

MadRiver’s Marc Butan said:  “I’m incredibly excited to be teaming up with James and Anthony again and to be working with RT Features.  James wrote a fantastic script and continues to raise the bar – I look forward to working on this film.”

MadRiver Pictures is a film finance, production and international sales company. The company finances and produces 3-4 director and star-driven films per year in the $15-50 million budget range for global wide release.  MadRiver Pictures recently expanded its operations by launching an international sales arm, which handles sales and distribution on all MadRiver films, Annapurna Pictures titles, and third party projects.  The company is in production on Peter Landesman’s Felt starring Liam Neeson and Diane Lane.

RT Features has been producing films and TV series in Brazil since 2005 and ventured into the U.S. market in 2008, financing development and producing such ambitious pics as Noah Baumbach’s Frances Ha as well as Robert Eggers’ The Witch. Recently, the company produced Gaspar Noe's Love and James Schamus Indignation. RT’s slate includes The King’s Speech’s scribe David Seidler-penned The Games of 1940. RT Features is currently working on a feature film adaptation of Bob Dylan’s “Blood on the Tracks.”

MadRiver Pictures to Finance & Produce James Gray's Sci-Fi Epic "AD ASTRA"

THE EMPEROR OF PERU -- Movie Review by Porfle

I think I remember seeing a VHS copy of surrealist director Fernando Arrabal's THE EMPEROR OF PERU, aka L'odyssée de la Pacific (1982), in a budget bin somewhere once, with a different name and a really crappy-looking cover, and thinking that it was just about the last thing in the world I'd even think of watching. Now I'm glad I've gotten a chance to see it, but I really wish I'd seen it when I was a kid.

This low-budget French-Canadian production starts out looking like one of those obscure foreign children's movies that your local station might've pawned off on you on Saturday afternoon along with PIPPI LONGSTOCKING or SUPERBUG. Certain elements, however, raise this odd effort above the norm as it matter-of-factly explores some rather serious territory while often veering into a pleasingly headscratching surrealism.

Toby and his older sister Liz are a couple of playful, somewhat spoiled kids living with their rich uncle and aunt, who also take on a Cambodian refugee named Hoang for the summer as he awaits placement in foster care. The three children become fast friends and have many biking adventures in the woods, where they meet a crippled old former railroad engineer named Tubo (Mickey Rooney) living in a vine-covered freight car converted into a hermit's shack.

Toby discovers a derelict locomotive engine near an abandoned roundhouse, and with Tubo's help the children restore it to working order. Their plan is to travel to Cambodia and find Hoang's mother, who had to give him up during their flight from oppression, so that he can marry her.

This is complicated when the mayor shows up and announces that the city council has voted to place Tubo into a rest home for his own good. As the police descend on his secluded shack with lights flashing, the children scramble to prepare the locomotive for their escape.

Much of the film's running time is devoted to depicting Toby's wild flights of fantasy in which sees himself as a champion drag racer, a dashing astronaut, a celebrated orchestra conductor, and a courageous fire chief braving the raging flames to rescue his beloved duck, Federico, from a burning building.

The segments are narrated by a breathless play-by-play commentator ("Braver than Popeye! Braver than Joan of Arc!" he exclaims) and also feature a deadpan Hoang as trenchcoated ace reporter Bumphrey Gokart. This is the usual kid-fantasy stuff done in a light and entertaining style and is quite amusing.

Taking the film beyond such fluff, however, are Hoang's startlingly serious flashbacks of life in Cambodia, one of which shows sadistic soldiers invading his village and holding a child upside-down by his feet, threatening to shoot him. We also learn that his father has been taken away to a concentration camp, and witness Hoang's traumatic separation from his mother during their escape from Cambodia. She makes him promise that he won't cry, which explains why Hoang always seems so solemn and stoic--he's still trying to keep his promise.

In a quietly intimate conversation late at night in Hoang's bedroom, he reveals to Liz his intent to find his mother and marry her. Liz asks, "And when you marry your mommy, will you know how to kiss her? Like in the TV ads?" In an accompanying flashback, his mother's comforting face is replaced by that of Liz herself. This is the kind of thought-provoking stuff Uncle Walt probably wouldn't have felt inclined to include in his version of the story.

As in those old Swedish PIPPI LONGSTOCKING movies (which I love), adults are either sympathetic allies who are themselves childlike, or absurdly officious nincompoops. Mickey Rooney's "Tubo" is the former, introducing himself as the Emperor of Peru when they first meet and offering the kids a cigar. When told that cigars give you cancer, he retorts, "That's not true! Doctors with all their hogwash. I'll tell you what gives you cancer--soap and water! Washing all the time! That gives you cancer, only faster." Toby responds brightly, "I'll have a cigar!"

Clearly, this isn't one of those films intent on pounding sundry lessons into young viewers' heads. The kids are shown having outrageous adventures free of adult supervision and doing pretty much whatever they want, existing in their own world which operates by their own rules.

They even discover an old coal mine thanks to some indigent circus performers they encounter and start mining coal for the locomotive's steam engine, which the severely screw-loosed Tubo thinks is simply grand.

Rooney, one of the greatest actors who ever lived, has a ball in his role, clearly ad-libbing much of his dialogue and letting his own vast stores of natural nuttiness fully round out the character. In Tubo's own fevered fantasies, he's either a bewigged emperor with an army of midgets or, fittingly enough, Napoleon, and in one segment reminiscent of the old TV faith-healer shows we get to see him rising joyously from his wheelchair thanks to Toby, the world's greatest doctor. "Marry your mother?" Tubo bellows in response to Hoang's plan. "Why, if more of my subjects had only married their mother, we'd have had less divorces!"

This movie has been released on VHS with such titles as ODYSSEY OF THE PACIFIC and TREASURE TRAIN. One DVD version I found online was called LITTLE CHAMP and was paired with Shirley Temple's THE LITTLE PRINCESS as a two-fer.

The DVD from Cult Epics is in 1.66:1 anamorphic widescreen with both English and French soundtracks and English subtitles. There are no extras. Edith Butler's musical score contains both the usual jaunty kid-movie music and some nice New-Agey stuff.

THE EMPEROR OF PERU falls a tad short of strict political correctness, and may actually be a little weird, but I think sometimes that's good for kids. It causes them to form their own thoughts instead of simply absorbing someone else's. And the strangely open-ended fadeout--which reminded me, believe it or not, of the end of RUNAWAY TRAIN--will probably leave you wondering what the heck you just watched, no matter how old you are.

Read our review of THE FERNANDO ARRABAL COLLECTION 2

THE EMPEROR OF PERU -- Movie Review by Porfle

"Crush the Skull" Los Angeles Director and Cast Screening Event 5/12

"CRUSH THE SKULL" SCREENING WITH DIRECTOR AND CAST  MAY 12 IN LOS ANGELES

CRUSH THE SKULL will have a special screening event at Laemmle NoHo on Thursday May 12. The event will feature a Q&A with director Viet Nguyen and the cast.

CRUSH THE SKULL follows a pair of thieves who become trapped in a serial killer’s house.

CRUSH THE SKULL will open in Los Angeles and Portland on May 13. The film premiered at the Los Angeles Film Festival in 2015 where Indiewire raved the film is “a bone chillingly good time full of laughs and thrills.”


                            Watch the Trailer

Official Synopsis:
A group of thieves find themselves trapped in a house they intended to rob, only to discover they've inadvertently wandered into the lair of a deranged serial killer. Forced now to navigate his sadistic torture den, will they survive?

Starting May 17 CRUSH THE SKULL will be available on the following platforms: iTunes, Amazon Instant, Blockbuster, Google Play, Xbox, PlayStation, Vudu, and Cable On Demand.

READ OUR REVIEW OF "CRUSH THE SKULL" HERE

"Crush the Skull" Los Angeles Director and Cast Screening Event 5/12

"Alice Through the Looking Glass" Poster and Trailer

"Alice Through the Looking Glass" Poster and Trailer

CRUSH THE SKULL -- DVD Review by Porfle

Remember that time you broke into a house to rob it, and the house turned out to be an inescapable death trap built by a homicidal maniac?  Well, the very same thing happens to the protagonists in first-time feature director Viet Nguyen's CRUSH THE SKULL (2015), only this time you get to kick back and watch THEM have to deal with it.

Ollie (co-scripter Chris Dinh) and Blair (Katie Savoy) are a very nice young couple who just happen to be professional burglars, and they're looking to make one last big score so they can pay their debt to a scary loan shark and retire. 

Unfortunately, as explained above, they choose the way-way-wrong house, resulting in hours of blood, terror, horror, and getting killed for them and/or their equally hapless associates and fellow captives. 

I didn't expect much from this premise beyond your average time-waster, so I was in for a big surprise when it turned out to be one of the sharpest, funniest, and most delightfully quirky horror flicks I've seen in recent years.  In addition, of course, to delivering a heaping helping of tense, nail-biting suspense and some genuine chills.

Despite being criminals, Ollie and Blair are very likable and you really feel for them in their predicament. I love the running gag of humor-challenged Ollie always bungling a joke and then Blair translating it into "funny" for him.

Ollie's prickly relationship with Blair's brother Connor (Chris Riedell) and his addlebrained toady Riley (Tim Chiou), both of whom fancy themselves master criminals despite being totally inept, is also played with delightful deadpan humor. 

The punchy interaction between the four leads is what helps make the early scenes of the film so entertaining while making us feel for these characters when their situation becomes shockingly dire.

Lauren Reeder plays Vivian, a caged woman who claims to have already been held captive for weeks.  Walter Michael Bost (IMMORTAL) is the relentlessly menacing killer. 

The scenes inside the maze-like basement of the killer's house and its various dungeons are nightmarish even while shot through with moments of giddy humor.  With constant close calls and harrowing escape attempts, we're kept on edge every moment right up until the final blackout in which the film's title is driven home like the definitive thunk of a guillotine blade. 

The DVD from Breaking Glass Pictures is in 1.78:1 widescreen with Dolby 5.1 sound and closed captions.  Extras include trailers for this and other Breaking Glass releases, a photo gallery, a behind-the-scenes featurette, and, best of all, three very fun short films starring Chris Dinh including two variations on the "crush the skull" theme. 

Creative and clever, CRUSH THE SKULL takes a simple idea, a terrific cast, and a very modest budget and blends them into a crackling spook house thriller that actually makes you feel good about watching it instead of bummed out for a week and a half. 

Buy it at Amazon.com

Starting May 17 CRUSH THE SKULL will be available on the following platforms: iTunes, Amazon Instant, Blockbuster, Google Play, Xbox, PlayStation, Vudu, and Cable On Demand.

CRUSH THE SKULL -- DVD Review by Porfle

THE MAJESTIC -- Movie Review by Porfle

With THE MAJESTIC (2001), Frank Darabont dives all the way into the deep end of the nostalgia pool and wallows in cloying sentiment to the point of going under.

Throwing subtlety to the wind, the formerly restrained director indulges an apparent penchant for smarm while his first non-Stephen King effort ultimately morphs from a would-be tearjerker into a heavy-handed message film--a fantasy Hollywood wish-fulfillment tale in which our main character, emitting gleaming waves of Capra-esque integrity while wielding the Constitution like Captain America's shield, bucks the nasty government bad guys to a standing ovation during a HUAC hearing.

Jim Carrey divests himself of his usual mega-farcical persona and goes serious as ambitious hack screenwriter Peter Applegate, who gets accused of being a communist during the red-scare witch hunts of the 50s.

When the drunk and depressed Peter accidentally drives off a bridge and is washed up onto a secluded California beach with no memory of his former life, he makes his way to a small town where he's mistaken for a missing WWII soldier named Luke who's been declared dead after several years.

Martin Landau (ED WOOD, X-FILES: FIGHT THE FUTURE) plays Luke's father Harry Trimble, ecstatic over his son's apparent return and suddenly eager to reopen his derelict movie theater, the Majestic, with Luke's help.

Meanwhile, Peter/Luke becomes a hero and inspiration to the entire town, not to mention Luke's former girlfriend, the lovely Adele (Laurie Holden of Darabont's hit TV series "The Walking Dead").

After suffering many losses during the war, the embittered town's dormant heart is reawakened (symbolized by the Majestic's gala, blazing-neon resurrection) by the presence of their beloved prodigal son. Peter, on the other hand, feels unworthy of such admiration, knowing somehow that he hasn't earned it.

Still, he does his best to live up to everyone's image of him--especially since the love between him and Adele has been rekindled--and finds himself settling into his new life as a truly changed man.

Almost as in a Ray Bradbury short story or an episode of "The Twilight Zone", the town seems to represent Peter's idea of Heaven after his symbolicdeath, and for awhile, we almost expect something supernatural to happen.

Unfortunately, what does eventually transpire--Peter's discovery, arrest, and eventual grilling before a hostile Congressional committee--is disappointingly mundane and contrived in comparison.

To his credit, Carrey is pretty good in this serious role but unfortunately just carries too much baggage to make us forget him as Ace Ventura, Fire Marshall Bill, the Mask, etc.

The film's standout is, unsurprisingly, Martin Landau as Harry, while a radiant Laurie Holden proves to be as much at home on the big screen as she was in "The Walking Dead."

The rest of the film's rather impressive cast includes James Whitmore (THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION), David Ogden Stiers, Gerry Black (RE-ANIMATOR, NATIONAL LAMPOON'S VACATION), Bob Balaban, Ron Rifkin, Allen Garfield, Chelcie Ross (THE LAST BOY SCOUT), Jeffrey DeMunn (SHAWSHANK, THE GREEN MILE), Hal Holbrook, and, in the "movie within a movie" scenes, Cliff Curtis (COLLATERAL DAMAGE, LIVE FREE OR DIE HARD) and cult icon Bruce Campbell. Darabont also snagged some big name actors and directors to do offscreen voice work.

It wouldn't be so bad if Darabont weren't trying so hard to channel Frank Capra and mold Carrey into Jimmy Stewart for the film's paint-by-numbers resolution, which ultimately attempts to recreate the tearfully joyous finale of IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE.

Like its honey-glazed period atmosphere, THE MAJESTIC's sentiment comes off as too sickly-sweet and unreal to be nearly as truly effective as either Capra's films or Darabont's own earlier triumph.


Read our review of THE FRANK DARABONT COLLECTION

THE MAJESTIC -- Movie Review by Porfle

VAMPIRES -- DVD Review by Porfle

No, they're not the "Dracula" or "Twilight" kind of vampires.  They're the figurative kind who "suck" people's life energy in order to stay young, which makes a creepy old university bustling with coeds returning from summer vacation the perfect place for them to hang out. Just as the name VAMPIRES (1986) also makes a not-that-exciting horror movie sound more exciting.

Rescued from obscurity by Film Chest's new DVD presentation, VAMPIRES was originally half of a little-known two-part anthology called FRIGHT HOUSE by co-writer (with James Harrigan) and director Len Anthony, whose only other credits are the even more obscure MURDEROUS INTENT (which, as of this writing, has yet to garner five votes on IMDb) and the George Romero documentary DOCUMENT OF THE DEAD. 

Slow going at only 70+ minutes, this must've been a real slog as part of the 110-minute FRIGHT HOUSE.  The film is palpably low-budget and has a dark, murky look that  might make you feel as though you're watching a very old VHS tape.  And when you aren't trying to make out what's going on visually, you'll be trying to piece together the fragmented plotline in which most of the potentially interesting action occurs off-camera.

Original NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD star Duane Jones is on hand as Dr. Harmon, who's always mulling over his Tarot cards and who seems to know a lot about the mysterious and reclusive benefactor to the college, Madame Madeline Abadon (Jackie James).  We're given clues as to her true nature pretty early, so it's not that hard to figure out her deal or what's happening to various students who are turning up missing. 

The script also lingers on a couple of young female students--Ione (Orly Benyar), worried about her missing boyfriend whom we earlier saw attacked by something unseen in a creepy basement, and Debbie (Robin Michaels), another student whose search for answers leads her to some shady experiments in immortality that occurred when the college was an asylum for the criminally insane.

Most of these details and the resulting plot developments are flung at the viewer the way Dr. Harmon deals out his Tarot cards, and are just as tricky to decipher.  Still, the film does at times have a certain watchability if one settles in with low expectations and a high degree of patience.

 

At other times, however, VAMPIRES is either comically bad or just plain dull.  An early scene featuring a coed alone in her dorm room is probably the most entertaining, since it not only opens the film with some gratuitous nudity (she takes a shower) but also presents us with one of the few instances of a horror film character being sucked down her own toilet along with her boyfriend during sex. (The actual suckage occurs off-camera, of course, accentuated by the sound of a courtesy flush.)

Performances are a bit on the amateurish side, with some exceptions. Jackie Jones is watchable as Madame Abadon mainly because her impressive looks give her a certain charisma.  Jones, meanwhile, is beloved by NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD fans but given much less of a character to work with here and comes off as rather unremarkable. 

The DVD from Film Chest Media Group is in 4x3 full screen with original mono sound.  No subtitles or extras.  Closed captions are available, which is always a big plus for us hard-of-hearing viewers. 

If you recall having to settle for the last movie on the video store shelf after all the good stuff was already checked out, you may feel that way when watching VAMPIRES.  It's a less-than-stellar viewing experience, but a certain amount of enjoyment can be wrung from it if you squeeze hard enough.

Buy it at Amazon.com

VAMPIRES -- DVD Review by Porfle

Rooster Teeth Announces "Red vs. Blue: The Chorus Trilogy" Limited Edition SteelBook

RED VS. BLUE: THE CHORUS TRILOGY
TO BE RELEASED IN A NEW LIMITED EDITION STEELBOOK®

First ever 'Red vs. Blue' SteelBook® collects Seasons 11 - 13
of longest running web series in history

Austin, TX - Friday, April 22, 2016 - As fans prepare for the online premiere of Red vs. Blue: Season 14 this summer, Rooster Teeth and Cinedigm (NASDAQ: CIDM) are excited to announce a first for the longest-running web series in history. "The Chorus Trilogy" story arc, otherwise known as Red vs. Blue: Seasons 11- 13, will be re-released as a new Blu-ray set in a limited edition, collectible Blu-ray SteelBook® on June 28th.

For this first-ever Red vs. BlueSteelBook® release, the Rooster Teeth Animation creative team worked closely with Scanavo's design team to produce the amazing new artwork featured on the SteelBook® cover and interior.

"We're ecstatic not only to collect the entire Red vs. Blue: The Chorus Trilogy into one set, but for RvB to be Rooster Teeth's very first SteelBook release! We love the case's art design and hope the fans will be as proud as us to have such a cool edition on their shelves," said Gray G. Haddock, Head of Rooster Teeth Animation.

"Scanavo believes in injecting an element of fun into our work, a philosophy that is shared by the incredibly talented team at Rooster Teeth.  As a result, we've been able to produce an innovative SteelBook® that will surprise, delight, and hopefully bring some magic to the unboxing experience," said SteelBook® Division Senior Creative Marcin Pogorzelski of Scanavo North America.

Synopsis: Once again the misfits from Blood Gulch find themselves stuck in the most worthless piece of real estate in the galaxy, or so they think.  When dark forces begin to align against them, they suddenly realize that there's a lot more at stake than just being rescued. Stranded on the planet Chorus, the Reds and Blues must convince two enemy armies to join forces or suffer complete annihilation at the hands of a bloodthirsty warlord. "The Chorus Trilogy" (Red vs. Blue: Seasons 11 - 13) is as hilarious as it is thrilling. Between deadly mercenaries, alien artifacts and old rivalries, our hapless heroes are in for the fight of their lives in the longest running sci-fi/comedy series in American history.

THE CHORUS TRILOGY (RED VS. BLUE: SEASONS 11 - 13) STEELBOOK®
Territory:        US & Canada     Format:      Blu-Ray
Language:      English              Color:         Yes
Widescreen:   Yes                    Length:       360 min          
Year:                2016                 Rating:        NR
Genre:             Action/Comedy


About Rooster Teeth
Rooster Teeth is a pioneering studio responsible for some of the biggest online series in history, such as the award-winning and longest-running web series, "Red vs. Blue." Rooster Teeth also produces the globally acclaimed animated series "RWBY," the first western anime series to be distributed in Japan, the award-winning "Rooster Teeth Podcast," and "Immersion," a reality format that brings video game theory to the real world. With a massive global footprint of more than 25 million subscribers to its YouTube Network, 3 million unique monthly visitors to its RoosterTeeth.com hub and 1.8 million registered community members, Rooster Teeth was founded by Matt Hullum, Burnie Burns, Gus Sorola, Geoff Ramsey, and Joel Heyman in 2003, and is now a subsidiary of Fullscreen, Inc., a global youth media company that develops online creators and produces multi-platform entertainment experiences. Discover more at http://www.roosterteeth.com.

About Cinedigm
Cinedigm is the leading independent content distributor in the United States, with direct relationships with over 60,000 physical and digital retailers, including Wal-Mart, Best Buy, Target, iTunes, Netflix, and Amazon.  The company's library of over 32,000 titles and episodes encompasses award-winning documentaries from Docurama Films®, next-gen Indies from Flatiron Film Company®, acclaimed independent films and festival picks through partnerships with the Sundance Institute and Tribeca Films and a wide range of content from brand name suppliers, including National Geographic, Discovery, Scholastic, WWE, NFL, Shout Factory, Hallmark, Jim Henson and more.  Cinedigm proudly distributes numerous Oscar®-nominated films, including The Invisible War, Hell and Back Again, GasLand, Waste Land and Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory; current and upcoming theatrical releases include Destin Daniel Cretton's highly acclaimed Short Term 12,  Godfrey Reggio's Visitors, Penny Lane's Our Nixon and Shaul Schwarz's Narco Cultura.

Cinedigm™ and Cinedigm Digital Cinema Corp™ are trademarks of Cinedigm Corp www.cinedigm.com. [CIDM-G]

http://www.cinedigm.com/ 
http://facebook.com/cinedigm                                             
http://twitter.com/cinedigm                                             
http://youtube.com/cinedigm

Rooster Teeth Announces "Red vs. Blue: The Chorus Trilogy" Limited Edition SteelBook

"TRADED", a Gritty Period Western Starring Michael Pare, Kris Kristofferson and Trace Adkins, Rides into Theaters/VOD on June 10 from Cinedigm

REVENGE IS A BITTER DEAL IN THE GRITTY PERIOD WESTERN
"TRADED"

STARRING TRACE ADKINS, MICHAEL PARÉ AND
KRIS KRISTOFFERSON

Opening Theatrically June 10 in Top Markets Including New York,  Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia and Dallas, the Western Thriller from Cinedigm and Status Media Will Also Be Available Day-and-Date On Demand & Digital HD

                              TRADED Official Trailer (2016)

LOS ANGELES, CA - This June, revenge is a bitter deal in the period Western, TRADED, from Cinedigm and Status Media, starring country music star Trace Adkins (The Virginian, The Lincoln Lawyer), Michael Paré (Weaponized, Bone Tomahawk, The Lincoln Lawyer, Eddie and the Cruisers) and Country Music Hall of Famer, Golden Globe®-winner and American icon Kris Kristofferson (Blade franchise, A Star is Born, Two for Texas, Billy the Kid).  On June 10, the gritty drama will open theatrically in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, Dallas, Washington, D.C., Houston, Phoenix, Denver and Kansas City, and day-and-date, be available on demand and Digital HD.

In 1880s Kansas, sharpshooter turned rancher, Clay Travis (Paré), goes from happily married father of two to a man on a mission after the disappearance of his 17 year-old daughter, Lily.  Determined to protect what little family he has left, Clay leaves his quiet ranch and heads to Wichita where, after confronting the ruthless Ty Stover (Adkins), he discovers that Lily's been traded away into an underground sex ring in Dodge City.  And it's there, with the help of an unlikely companion -- hardened old barkeep Billy (Kristofferson) -- that Clay makes a stand to bring his daughter home, leaving a trail of gunsmoke and bodies in his wake.

 

 

Filled with dramatic Western vistas and sweeping panoramas, TRADED, directed by Timothy Woodward Jr. (Weaponized, 4Got10), was shot in California and New Mexico, including locations in the Yucca Valley, Paramount Ranch and Big Sky Movie Ranch.  Co-stars include Tom Sizemore (Saving Private Ryan, Black Hawk Down), Martin Kove (The Karate Kid trilogy), Quinton Aaron (The Blind Side) and, in her theatrical debut, Kris' daughter, Kelly Kristofferson.

"As a small-town boy growing up in South Carolina, I was weaned on all the classic Westerns," said Woodward Jr. "So, to have the opportunity to helm an emotionally freighted story of frontier revenge set in the 19th century was more than a dream come true.  The highlight, obviously, for myself and the entire cast and crew was to watch a true legend, Kris Kristofferson, ply his trade in the same boots he wore in one of his first starring roles in Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid."

About Cinedigm
Cinedigm is a leading independent content distributor in the United States, with direct relationships with thousands of physical retail storefronts and digital platforms, including Wal-Mart, Target, iTunes, Netflix, and Amazon, as well as the national Video on Demand platform on cable television. The company's library of films and TV episodes encompasses award-winning documentaries from Docurama Films®, next-gen Indies from Flatiron Film Company®, acclaimed independent films and festival picks through partnerships with the Sundance Institute and Tribeca Films and a wide range of content from brand name suppliers, including National Geographic, Discovery, Scholastic, NFL, Shout Factory, Hallmark, Jim Henson and more.

Additionally, given Cinedigm's infrastructure, technology, content and distribution expertise, the Company has rapidly become a leader in the quickly evolving over-the-top digital network business. Cinedigm's first channel, DOCURAMA, launched in May 2014, and is currently available on iOS, Roku, Xbox and Samsung, with additional platforms currently being rolled out. Cinedigm launched CONtv, a Comic Con branded channel in partnership with WIZARD WORLD, on March 3, 2015. The Company's third OTT channel, DOVE CHANNEL, launched on September 15, 2015 and is a digital streaming subscription service targeted to families and kids seeking high quality and family friendly content approved by Dove Foundation.

Cinedigm™ and Cinedigm Digital Cinema Corp™ are trademarks of Cinedigm Corp. [CIDM-G]

READ OUR REVIEW OF THE FILM HERE

"TRADED", a Gritty Period Western Starring Michael Pare, Kris Kristofferson and Trace Adkins, Rides into Theaters/VOD on June 10 from Cinedigm

Shark Thriller "The Shallows" New Trailer and Pics

THE SHALLOWS
Thriller
June 29, 2016

In the taut thriller The Shallows, when Nancy (Blake Lively) is surfing on a secluded beach, she finds herself on the feeding ground of a great white shark.  Though she is stranded only 200 yards from shore, survival proves to be the ultimate test of wills, requiring all of Nancy’s ingenuity, resourcefulness, and fortitude.

 

Directed by:                   Jaume Collet-Serra
Written by:                    Anthony Jaswinski
Produced by:                 Lynn Harris  Matti Leshem
Executive Producers:    Doug Merrifield  Jaume Collet-Serra
Cast:                              Blake Lively

This film is not yet rated by the Motion Picture Association of America.  For future rating information, please visit www.filmratings.com.  Credits not final

                                              Watch the trailer

Shark Thriller "The Shallows" New Trailer and Pics

"TOTAL FRAT MOVIE" -- Gravitas Ventures Acquires U.S. Rights to College Comedy

GRAVITAS VENTURES ACQUIRES U.S. RIGHTS TO COLLEGE COMEDY, ‘TOTAL FRAT MOVIE’

Based on popular college lifestyle website TotalFratMove.com,
the film will hit theaters and On Demand September 23

Los Angeles, CA (May 3, 2016) — Gravitas Ventures has secured U.S. rights to “Total Frat Movie” from Digerati Films, inspired by the hugely popular college lifestyle website TotalFratMove.com. Following in the footsteps of “Animal House” and “Old School,” the Greek life comedy about a fraternity searching for redemption and lost glory is slated for release in theaters and On Demand September 23. “Total Frat Move: The Book” was a 2013 New York Times Best Seller.

The cast includes Justin Deeley (“90210,” “Drop Dead Diva”), Nick Bateman (“Hobo with a Shotgun”), Rebecca Dalton (“Spun Out”), Alex House (“Todd and The Book of Pure Evil”) and features Tom Green (“The Tom Green Show,” “Road Trip”).

Charlie Martin (Deeley) couldn’t be happier to be the newest member of Alpha Chi Gamma. That is, until the rival Kappas sabotage their celebratory fireworks and the Alpha house is permanently shuttered. Just like that, Charlie’s dream of following in his late father’s footsteps, one of Alpha’s most legendary members, goes up in smoke. Three years later, a still distraught Charlie discovers a loophole in the school’s rules and presents his evidence to Dean Kravitz (Green). The dean agrees to reinstate the Alphas, but under one condition: get 15 members by the end of rush week. One problem: rush week starts in 24 hours.

“We are thrilled to be working with Gravitas Ventures and the team from Grandex productions,” said Executive Producers Brian Ross and Bob Sanitsky. “We are excited that Gravitas saw the potential of our debaucherous film. Their team’s unique approach will provide the biggest reach possible.  We look forward to working with them to bring this shockingly funny fraternity film to audiences everywhere.”

“This film captures the same spirit of classics like ‘Animal House,’ ‘Van Wilder,’ ‘Project X,’ and ‘Road Trip’.” said Dan Fisher, Sr. Director of Acquisitions from Gravitas. “We couldn’t be more excited to be working with the team from Total Frat Move.”

Digerati Principals Brian Ross and Bob Sanitsky are the Executive Producers of “Total Frat Movie,” directed by Warren P. Sonoda (“Swearnet: The Movie”). The film is written by Stephen Fromkin and Sacha Pavlovic. Bob Wertheimer produces, with, Fred Fuchs, Neil Bregman, and Jonathon Bronfman also serving as Executive Producers. The creative team also includes Production Designer Brian Verhoog, Director of Photography Sami Inayeh, Costume Designer Ann Dixon, and Editor Aden Ferrari Bahadori.

The deal was negotiated by Dan Fisher and Michael Lange for Gravitas, and with CAA on behalf of the filmmakers.

ABOUT GRAVITAS VENTURES
Gravitas Ventures is a leading all rights distributor of independent cinema. Founded in 2006, Gravitas connects independent filmmakers and producers with distribution opportunities across the globe. Working with more than 500 content partners, Gravitas Ventures has distributed thousands of films into over 100 million homes. Their most recent releases include Colin Hanks’ “All Things Must Pass,” “Being Evel” from Academy Award® winning director Daniel Junge and producer Johnny Knoxville, “Bleeding Heart” starring Jessica Biel and Zosia Mamet, “Backstreet Boys: Show ‘Em What You’re Made Of,” and “Barney Thomson” starring Robert Carlyle and Emma Thompson. For more information, please visit gravitasventures.com and follow @GravitasVOD on Twitter and @gravitasventures on Instagram.

"TOTAL FRAT MOVIE" -- Gravitas Ventures Acquires U.S. Rights to College Comedy

Varese Sarabande to Release James Horner Blu-ray

VARÈSE SARABANDE RECORDS TO PAY TRIBUTE TO LEGENDARY COMPOSER
JAMES HORNER WITH BLU-RAY RELEASE

The 2013 Hollywood in Vienna Concert Features Breathtaking Concert Performances,
75-Minute Symposium, and Presentation of the Max Steiner Award

(April 29, 2016 – Los Angeles, CA) – Varèse Sarabande, in partnership with Tomek Productions, will release a very special Blu-ray marking the first anniversary of the passing of Academy Award®-winning composer James Horner (TITANIC, APOLLO 13, BRAVEHEART).  HOLLYWOOD IN VIENNA: THE WORLD OF JAMES HORNER was recorded in Vienna, Austria, as a part of a celebration of his life and music. At the annual film music gala, celebrating the world’s leading film composers and produced by Sandra Tomek, Horner was awarded by the City of Vienna with the “Max Steiner Film Music Achievement Award”.

 “For days following James’ death, while fans of his music were utterly consumed by their grief and understandably inconsolable, I began hearing from many of them how much they were helped by seeing footage of the Vienna concert,” said Varèse Sarabande producer Robert Townson.  “James called the experience ‘the most memorable moment in my life.’ We could see how his eyes were glistening and that the reality of what his music truly meant to people might actually be sinking in for the first time.”

“I am very glad that our concert celebration in Vienna was so special for James - and it’s lovely that we can share this special evening with many more thanks to this Blu-ray release by Varèse Sarabande,” said Tomek.

The ORF Vienna Radio-Symphony Orchestra, conducted by David Newman, paid tribute to Horner on October 3 and 4, 2013, with two concerts at the Vienna Konzerthaus. It was the first time in his career that Horner was an audience member at an orchestral concert of the beloved themes that he wrote.  This setting reinvigorated Horner's love of concert music and opened the composer up to exploring this new frontier in the years before his passing.

The repertoire performed included music from STAR TREK: THE WRATH OF KHAN, AVATAR, TITANIC and THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN.  Featured in a medley were Horner’s themes from WILLOW, A BEAUTIFUL MIND, APOLLO 13, ALIENS, THE MASK OF ZORRO and THE ROCKETEER.  Singer Deborah Cox was joined by pianist and singer Jeremy Schonfeld on a beautiful performance of “Somewhere Out There” from AN AMERICAN TAIL.  Geza Frank performed the Irish bagpipes on the always-riveting music from BRAVEHEART.  No retrospective of Horner’s work would be complete without TITANIC – featuring vocals by soprano Ildikó Raimondi.

This special weekend also included a symposium with Horner. “I cherish the time and opportunity I had with him at Hollywood In Vienna in 2013,” remembered Townson, who conducted the 75-minute discussion, also featured on the Blu-ray release.  “We discussed James’ memories of certain films and the creative process of composing.  He teared up three times during our talk and he told me that the concert tribute to him there was the first time he had heard his film music in a concert hall. The whole trip to Vienna was a very emotional experience for James, who had a special tie to the city through his father because he had spent his youth there.”

“Our symposium was held at the ‘Max Reinhardt Seminar’ of the Vienna University of Music, where James’ father, Harry Horner, studied stage design. It was the first time James came back to these locations. Those days were just magical, for him and for all of us,” Tomek stated.

Varèse Sarabande will release the HOLLYWOOD IN VIENNA: THE WORLD OF JAMES HORNER Blu-ray through major platforms and retailers in June 2016.

Varese Sarabande to Release James Horner Blu-ray

"May the Fourth Be With You" Day Kicks off Countdown to Fan Expo Dallas

May the Fourth Be With You Day Kicks off Countdown to Fan Expo Dallas

Unofficial Star Wars Holiday Means Only One Month to Texas’ Biggest Comics, Sci-Fi, Horror, Anime and Gaming Convention

DALLAS, April 29, 2016 – As every true Star Wars fan knows, Wednesday, May 4, is not just any day – it’s May the Fourth Be With You Day, the unofficial international holiday celebrating everything that happened a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. It also marks, nearly to the day, the month-long countdown to FAN EXPO DALLAS™, the largest convention for lovers of comics, sci-fi, horror, anime, gaming and more in the State of Texas, running from Friday, June 3, through Sunday, June 5, 2016, at the Dallas Convention Center.

FAN EXPO DALLAS will feature a Super Star Destroyer amount of celebrities, replicas and more for every fan of Star Wars, science fiction and pop culture. Among the celebrity guests will be Carrie Fisher, the actress who created the immortal character of Princess Leia, along with:

·         Jeremy Bulloch (Boba Fett, Star Wars Episodes III, V and VI)
·         Daniel Logan (Young Boba Fett, Star Wars Episode II)
·         James Arnold Taylor (Obi-Wan Kenobi, Star Wars: The Clone Wars)
·         The 501st Legion (world’s largest costumed fan club)
·         Rebel Legion (international costumed fan club)
·         Astromechs Builders (droid and prop builders)
·         Mandalorian Mercs (international costumed fan club)
·         Park Sabers (hand-made light sabers with electro-luminescent blades)

In addition, the 1,000-pound, 17-foot-long Roxy the Rancor – Jabba the Hutt’s terrifying “pet” from Star Wars: Return of the Jedi – will be on hand for free photos and to help raise money for the Make a Wish Foundation. Also at the expo will be a life-size replica of the Luggabeast from Star Wars: The Force Awakens and a full-scale replica landspeeder, just like Luke used in Star Wars: A New Hope. All of the replicas, as well as the celebrities and fan clubs, will be available for photos.

Other appearances will include Doctor Who’s Peter Capaldi, Michelle Gomez and Jenna Coleman together for the first time in North America; Stan “The Man” Lee (co-creator of Spider-Man, the Avengers, X-Men and innumerable other Marvel Comics characters); original Star Trek cast members William Shatner, George Takei and Nichelle Nichols; Hollywood icons John and Joan Cusack; creative genius Frank Miller (Dark Knight III); and performers from Batman, SpongeBob SquarePants, Netflix’s Jessica Jones, Angel, The Vampire Diaries, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, The Flash, Arrow, Pretty Little Liars, Harry Potter, Game of Thrones, Agent Carter, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back and more.

“May the Fourth Be With You has become an international day to celebrate not just Star Wars but also the childlike sense of awe and wonder in all of us,” said Andrew Moyes, show director for FAN EXPO DALLAS. “Helping to create that same feeling for the fans at Fan Expo Dallas is one of the greatest joys of the event.”

For the full list of appearances and family-friendly activities, tickets and other information, please visit www.fanexpodallas.com. Stay connected with the show for announcements and updates by registering for their newsletter, and following them on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. For vendor information, please click here. Those interested in volunteering can find more information here. Accredited media can request press passes by applying for accreditation at www.fanexpodallas.com/press.

About FAN EXPO DALLAS

FAN EXPO DALLAS is the largest comics, sci-fi, horror, anime and gaming event in Texas and is quickly growing into one of the largest events in North America. It is packed with exciting, family-friendly activities and celebrity guests. The pop culture extravaganza is host to 50,000 fans at the Dallas Convention Center for the three-day annual event.

FAN EXPO HQ is one of the largest entertainment convention groups in North America. Collectively it hosts over 300,000 fans annually at FAN EXPO CANADA™, FAN EXPO VANCOUVER™, FAN EXPO REGINA™, Toronto ComiCon, MegaCon Orlando, FAN EXPO DALLAS and two other Dallas shows.

For more information, please visit the FAN EXPO DALLAS website and follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. General inquiries can be sent to info@fanexpohq.com, exhibitors can contact exhibitor@fanexpohq.com and questions about tickets can be sent to tickets@fanexpohq.com.

"May the Fourth Be With You" Day Kicks off Countdown to Fan Expo Dallas

TELEIOS -- Movie Review by Porfle

Remember in GATTACA when normal "inferior" human Ethan Hawke dreamed of going into space like the genetically-altered "superior" humans who got to be astronauts? 

In the suspenseful sci-fi thriller TELEIOS (2016), we get to see a whole crew of such perfect specimens on a mission to Saturn's moon Titan to recover the cargo from an ill-fated mining expedition.  But what happens to them is far from "perfect."

The first thing I noticed is that the look of the film is somewhere between a graphic sci-fi novel and the cover of ELO's "Out of the Blue", with shades of Chesley Bonestell and Ralph McQuarrie.

The limited sets--most of the story takes place aboard either salvage ship Teleios or derelict mining vessel Atromitos, in orbit over Titan--hint at a relatively modest budget, yet everything's finely-rendered and eye-pleasing.

When the crew awaken from their two-year suspended animation, we meet straight-arrow Commander Linden (Lance Broadway, OLYMPUS HAS FALLEN), first mate Iris Duncan (Sunny Mabrey, SNAKES ON A PLANE), Doctor Orson (Mykel Shannon Jenkins, DRIFTER: HENRY LEE LUCAS), engineer Chris Zimmer (T.J. Hoban, "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia", "The Wankers"), and navigator Emma Anderson (Christian Pitre, BOUNTY KILLER).

These genetically-enhanced people have a somewhat doll-like appearance which skirts the edge of the "uncanny valley."  They remain outwardly calm during a crisis--such as the one that greets them minutes after awakening--with only widened eyes betraying their inner anxiety.  After the danger passes, they do allow themselves some mild levity and a sigh of relief.

When they board the Atromitos, we get the familiar trope of listening to the doomed captain's log which starts out normal and then gets progressively worse with each update.  Apparently, there was a mutiny in which the crew killed each other and jettisoned the cargo, supposedly a compound capable of repairing Earth's decaying atmosphere, to Titan's surface.

Only one survivor remains, a lowly engineer named Travis O'Neill (Weetus Cren, CUTTING ROOM, W.M.D.), and he's in an apparent state of mute psychosis.

The tension mounts as the Teleios crew begin to experience a rapid increase in negative emotional responses (violence, anger, hostility, and, in the case of Zimmer and Anderson, uncontrollable sexual desire) and a deterioration of their mental faculties.  When the situation becomes life-threatening, they consider torture or worse to force O'Neill to enlighten them as to what the hell's going on.

It's sort of gratifying to watch these genetically superior humans who smugly refer to unmodified stiffs like the Atromitos crew as "pre-mans" (a non-P.C. term) coming apart at the seams for whatever mysterious reason as their brisk efficiency gives way to irrational behavior, indecision, and fear. 

Their predicament continues to deepen and become more fascinating as the gravity (so to speak) of the situation gradually reaches critical level.  The emphasis here is on mystery and suspense over action (most of which takes place in the last ten or fifteen minutes) and dazzling special effects, but this makes the film no less rewarding of an experience.

Performances are good, especially Sunny Mabrey as Duncan, the only crewmember who seems to be holding it together despite a bad case of the shakes, and Weetus Cren as "inferior" Atromitos survivor O'Neill, who's either crazy as a loon or just putting on an act.

Ursula Mills (PETER PAN) does a terrific pantomime as Lulu AH-320, a mannequin-like robot who serves as O'Neill's love interest and to whom he whispers things in Russian and Mandarin when he thinks no one else is listening.  Michael Nouri (FLASHDANCE, THE HIDDEN) appears on the Teleios' monitor screen periodically as Nordham, the Earth-based mission coordinator who seems to be hiding crucial information from the crew. 

Writer-director Ian Truitner (CUTTING ROOM, THE INTERVIEW) renders his screenplay with fluid, creative camerawork and fills the screen with lots of colorful future-world eye candy. 

While hardly the space-opera rollercoaster ride of STAR WARS or the deeply cerebral mindwarp of 2001, TELEIOS is thoughtful, satisfying sci-fi with an absorbing mystery and some startling plot twists.  And like a good book, it stays with you after the final page is turned. 


Sci-Fi London Film Festival World Premiere:
5:00 pm, May 1, 2016
Stratford East Picturehouse
Salway Rd, London E15 1BX, United Kingdom

Encore Screening:
9:00 pm, May 4, 2016
Stratford East Picturehouse
Salway Rd, London E15 1BX, United Kingd

Tickets: http://sci-fi-london.com/festival/2016/programme/feature/teleios

Watch the trailer

Official site

TELEIOS -- Movie Review by Porfle

"12 Sci-Fi Cult Classics Collection" 3-Disc DVD Collector’s Set Out May 31

Film Chest Media Group Proudly Presents
12 Sci-Fi Cult Classics Collection

Aliens … Monsters … Brain Swapping …
Anything Was Possible on the Cusp of the Atomic Age

15+ Hours of Science-Fiction From the 1920s to 1960s
3-Disc DVD Collector’s Set Out May 31st
  
BRIDGEPORT, Conn. — May 1, 2016 — For Immediate Release — From the late ’20s through the ’60s, there was a time when the cinematic idea of the future bordered on visionary and down-right absurd. Now, blast into the past with more than 15 hours of film, which paved the way for the science-fiction genre, with the 12 Sci-Fi Cult Classics Collection, available in a special, three-disc DVD collector’s set  May 31 from Film Chest Media Group.

On the cusp of the atomic age when rockets were launching into space and anything was possible, the science-fiction genre exploded onto the big screen, exploiting the curiosities and fears of the cosmic unknown.

Sci-fi producers pandered to the public with questionable discoveries and partial truths involving science of the future. The plots, while not completely believable, offered situations that featured different laws of science, separate from those known from past  or present, and embraced the concepts of environmental change, space travel and life on other planets, among a variety of topics, making great fodder for filmmakers of the time.

 

Featured in this special, 3-disc DVD collector’s set are Metropolis (1927), Phantom From Space (1953), The Attack of the Giant Leeches (1959), The Giant Gila Monster (1959),  The Killer Shrews (1959), Teenagers From Outer Space (1959), The Wasp Woman (1959), The Amazing Transparent Man (1960), The Phantom Planet (1961), The Brain That Wouldn’t Die (1962), The Atomic Brain (1963) and Destroy All Planets (1969).

12 Sci-Fi Cult Classics Collection is presented in full screen with an aspect ratio of 4 x 3 and original sound.  Special features include synopses and a photo gallery.

About Film Chest Media Group:
Founded in 2001, Film Chest Media Group offers high-quality content for a wide variety of
production and distribution needs, boasting one of the world’s largest libraries (10,000+ hours) of classic feature films, television, foreign imports, documentaries, special interest and audio—much of it restored and digitized in HD. Headquartered in Bridgeport, Conn., with offices in New York City, the company also produces and distributes collector’s DVD sets. Visit us online: www.filmchestmediagroup.com

12 Sci-Fi Cult Classics Collection
Film Chest Media Group
Genre: Sci-fi/Horror/Thriller/Cult/Classic
Original Release: 1927-1969 (B&W/Color)
Not Rated
Format: DVD (3-Discs)
Running Time: Approx. 15 ¼ Hours
Suggested Retail Price: $19.98
Pre-Order Date: May 10, 2016
Street Date: May 31, 2016
Catalog #:  FC-526
UPC Code:  #874757052694

Buy it at Amazon.com

"12 Sci-Fi Cult Classics Collection" 3-Disc DVD Collector’s Set Out May 31