Studio 666 is an entertaining bonkers ride featuring The Foo Fighters!

Members of the rock band Foo Fighters move into a mansion to record their 10th album. Once in the house, singer Dave Grohl finds himself grappling with supernatural forces that threaten both the completion of the album and the band members’ lives.

Look Studio 666 is a VERY flawed movie, but that does not take away how fun and bonkers this movie really is. The premise of The Foo Fighters in a haunted mansion so they can record their 10th album alone is a very interesting premise. The Foo Fighters themselves are actually not bad at acting, some members are definitely better than others but even the bad moments are hilarious. There are a lot of jokes that don’t land and some writing that makes you question what they were trying to go for. But most of it is genuinely hilarious in the type of way where this is the type of movie I would have friends over for drinks and to laugh, it has some surprisingly great kills that while are sloppy are still very enjoyable. I feel what makes Studio 666 successful is that it’s one of those movies where you can tell everyone involved had an absolute blast being part of the movie, it’s a genuinely entertaining ride that definitely loses steam towards the end. Mainly due to the movie going on for a bit too long I feel like 10 minutes could have easily been cut and nothing would really change. It also does play out like a lot of haunted mansion movies but at least the movie knows it isn’t trying to do anything new. Speaking of which Studio 666 knows what it wants to be, it’s a entertaining movie with The Foo Fighters that has so many hilarious moments nothing more and nothing less.

Studio 666 is available in theaters!

6/10 C+

Strawberry Mansion is a bizarre sci-fi experience!

In a future where the government records dreams and taxes them, a dream auditor gets caught up in an ageing eccentric’s dreams.

Strawberry Mansion is definitely something…and I mean that in the best possible way. Without giving anything away the film is a very trippy and bizarre film that keeps surprising you with a lot of stunning visuals and it’s own world. It takes the sci-fi genre and completely flips it upside down, the filming has this style to it that creates this atmosphere that adds so much to the film. The style it goes for is dreamlike with surreal visuals which builds the film’s world quite well and makes the film standout, the writing is really well done with some interesting dialogue between the characters and builds up moments that will make you question “what am I watching?” The final act unfortunately does lose a bit of steam and definitely feels weaker than the rest of the film, however the rest of the film is absolutely well done and takes you for a one of a kind experience!

Strawberry Mansion is available on all VOD Platforms.

8/10 B+

Hellbender is a blend of horror and coming of age!!

A teen and her mother live simply in a home in the woods, spending their time making metal music. A chance encounter with a fellow teen causes her to uncover a connection between her family and witchcraft, which causes a rift with her mother.

Hellbender is a interesting case right off the bat, it’s directed by three directors Toby Poser, Zelda Adams and John Adams what makes this interesting is they are a family! Plus all three are in the film as well and the movie itself is quite great, there’s definitely room for improvement but there’s a ton of really strong elements here. The acting is overall pretty strong particularly from Zelda Adams who I would love to see be in more films, the atmosphere is very strong here with tons of haunting moments and genuinely creepy ones as well. This movie takes the coming of age genre and turns into something quite interesting, creating an eerie world with eerie visuals definitely adds to the film quite a lot. It gives Hellbender it’s own identity while at the same time keeping things surprisingly a bit grounded mostly with the mother and daughter connection (Zelda Adams and Toby Poser). The main criticism is towards the writing that does feel off at times and doesn’t completely match the atmosphere the film is trying to go for, but that’s very far and few in between. The movie stays consistent for the most part and ends on a very high note, there was definitely a lot of passion put into the film by the Adams family and I’m definitely looking forward to see what they do next.

Hellbender is available on Shudder!

8/10 B+

The Desperate Hour is a messy thriller that fails to say anything meaningful about a heavy subject.

A mother mourning the loss of her husband lives with her teenage son in a small town. As she’s on a jog in the woods, she finds her town thrown into chaos as a shooting takes place at her son’s school.

The Desperate Hour is the sort of movie that has no idea how to tell an important message, In this case it’s about a school shooting. The positive here is Naomi Watts who despite being the main character and a one woman show has very little to work with, I can see what the movie was trying to for with having all Naomi Watts do is run around that’s basically a majority of the film. This has been done really well before but the problem is the messaging is so botched and doesn’t have anything meaningful to say about a horrible tragedy. It feels like a tacked on plot point which feels incredibly insulting, the writing plays out like a thriller that wants to surprise the viewer only that this exact twist has been done before in better films. The main problem is having Naomi Watts running around while talking on the phone is just not very interesting here, there’s no style, no interesting developments that make the setting interesting and very short lived plotlines that add nothing to the story. There are a few moments that work here and there, as I said before Naomi Watts truly tries her hardest and does give a decent performance. It’s just a shame she’s in a messy movie that does absolutely nothing with a heavy subject.

The Desperate Hour is available on all VOD Platforms.

3/10 D-

No Exit is a thrilling ride with great performances!

A college student, on her way home from visiting her mother, gets stuck with a group of people at a mountain rest stop during a blizzard.

No Exit was a nice surprise, it’s directed by Damien Power who previously directed Killing Ground (2017) and while I don’t think No Exit is as strong it’s still quite a solid little movie. No Exit does take a bit to get going, it requires patience from the viewer that ultimately rewards the viewer with the very thrilling second and third act. The performances combined with the atmosphere are what make this film, Havana Rose Liu who gives such a fantastic performance there’s a couple particular moments that felt incredibly raw from her. Which is probably the last thing I expected from this film, Dennis Haysbert is also pretty fantastic and is by far one of his best performances. Danny Ramirez, David Rysdahl, Dale Dickey and Mila Harris all do really great as well! The atmosphere I said before is pretty fantastic, it has such a strong thrilling feel to it that completely pulls you into the film. The direction from Damien Power gives it more strength to leave the viewer on the edge of their seat, the build up to the final act is very strong and finishes the film very strongly. It’s also a film that uses the confined space element extremely well, it has this feel of claustrophobia to it that really gets into the viewer’s skin. Overall No Exit might not break any new ground but it is a very thrilling film that takes advantage of several thriller elements.

No Exit is available on Hulu!

8/10 B+

A Madea Homecoming is a nothing special about it installment into the Madea series.

Madea’s back, and she’s not putting up with any nonsense as family drama erupts at her great-grandson’s college graduation celebration.

So what’s there to say about the latest Madea movie? Well it’s definitely not as bad as I thought it was going to be, for starters unlike some of the other movies in the series this one actually got some laughs out of me. Granted not any jokes I’ll be quoting but the series hasn’t done that in such a long time to where I’ll give credit where credit is due. David Mann I actually thought was genuinely pretty funny and even Tyler Perry got a few laughs out of me. There’s also some genuinely sweet moments that actually worked, with all that said the movie isn’t good. It still has the exact same issues that a lot of the other movies in the series suffer from, most of the jokes just not being funny, the pacing still feels way too long yet it’s 1 hour and 45 minutes and the writing is just not well done. There’s definitely some interesting bits with the writing as it does mention politics but really does not expand beyond just mentioning them. Overall A Madea Homecoming isn’t one of the worst of the series, it’s a very forgettable installment that at least somewhat tries.

A Madea Homecoming is available on Netflix.

3/10 D-

Big Gold Brick is a messy movie that has no idea what it wants to be.

An enigmatic, middle-aged father of two enlists the help of fledgling writer Samuel Liston to pen his biography. The circumstances leading up to the arrangement are astonishing, and efforts to write the biography are quickly stymied by ensuing chaos.

The major problem with Big Gold Brick is that it’s so uninteresting, this is the very definition of a movie saying or showing so much but saying and showing so little. There was some interesting stylistic choices at times and there’s a few moments that did get a laugh out of me due to how bad they were, but that was not worth enduring 2 hours and 12 minutes of complete and total nonsense, what baffles me is how Megan Fox, Oscar Isaac (although he’s really not in it that long it’s a cameo.) and Lucy Hale are in this. Megan Fox definitely tries her best with what she’s given but the problem is her character is very flat and has no personality, but the same can be said for the rest of the characters. I completely understand the type of comedy Big Gold Brick was trying to go for but it completely misses it’s mark. Lastly there’s the running time which has absolutely no reason to be 2 hours and 12 minutes long, there is so much here that could have been cut and the movie would not have changed at all. Overall Big Gold Brick is a terrible movie that feels like you just wasted your time.

Big Gold Brick is available on all VOD Platforms.

2/10 F

Gasoline Alley is another Bruce Willis paycheck.

Set in the underbelly of Los Angeles, a man is drawn into a high-profile triple murder. The two police detectives on his tail soon join him in attempting to uncover an explosive conspiracy.

Not only are these Bruce Willis movie recycling the same plot lines they are recycling directors as well. Edward Drake who directed American Siege which came out last month is in the director’s chair once again (he’s also done Apex and Cosmic Sin), honestly what do you expect me to say here? It’s once again the exact same thing as the previous movies, the movie still has that ugly style to it where it looks as unappealing as possible. Bruce Willis gives another very phoned in performance with a script that is so poorly written. I’m convinced these movies are a very elaborate money laundering scheme.

Gasoline Alley is available on all VOD Platforms.

1/10 F

Heckle leaves you with no laughs.

A stand up comedian encounters a seemingly insane heckler, who becomes his stalker. This is a heckle on a whole new level…

Heckle is a complete and total mess that despite having a budget of $750,000 feels even cheaper. I have been trying not to be so harsh with films that are obviously meant to go straight to DVD recently, but there comes a point where something this bad can’t be ignored. Everything from the acting, writing and directing is painful and very very hard to get through. The movie is very unappealing to look at and for a movie that’s centered around stand-up comedy it doesn’t have any idea what makes a good routine, this is the type of slasher film that does absolutely nothing for the genre. There’s a great idea in here it’s just surrounded by a terrible movie.

Heckle will be released March 8th on all VOD

Disgrace To Cinema F

Quick Reviews: A Banquet and The Last Possession!

A widowed mother is radically tested when her teenage daughter insists a supernatural experience has left her body in service to a higher power.

Somewhere in A Banquet there is a very interesting movie but unfortunately not everything comes together, I do like the movie tried to combine many types of horror such as possession, cosmic horror and even some body horror that combine with surrealism and a the theme of motherhood. After the first act however the movie unfortunately doesn’t go anywhere, there’s a lot of interesting shots with some decent acting bits but that’s all you are really going to get for the remainder of the movie. It’s one of those slow burn horror movies that is trying to clearly have another meaning, but the movie can’t quite make up it’s mind on what that is.

A Banquet is available on all VOD Platforms!

5/10 C

Out of options after a foreclosure, Kent Peroni is forced to move his wife, Stephanie, nine-year-old son, Jack, and six-year-old daughter, Gabby into the home where his estranged father committed suicide years ago. Once there, the young family begins to notice strange events around the house, which become so terrifying they finally turn to a medium. Spirit guide, Granny Inez arrives, hoping to cleanse the home for Kent’s family, only to learn they’re horrifyingly wrong about the nature of the evil that surrounds them.

Not a whole lot to comment on, The Last Possession has some decent atmosphere that does have some effective moments. The acting is actually not too bad (definitely not anything to write home about however.) the writing definitely could have used another look as some moments do completely take you out of the movie, the movie gets a bit a stronger as it goes on but ultimately becomes a bit too forgettable.

The Last Possession releases March 4th on Terror Films AVOD Channel and on Digital plus VOD March 11th!

5/10 C