1. PRIDE AND PREJUDICE AND ZOMBIES
Screen gems
2016 Color
108 Mins.
Horror/Romance/Action
Lily James, Lena Headey, Matt Smith, Douglas Booth, Jack Huston and Sam Riley star.
Written and Directed by Burr Steers
Based on the novel by Seth Grahme Greene
Rated PG-13 for violence and adult themes.
THE DEAL: Jane Austen's beloved classic gets the undead treatment in this cinematic adaptation of the best selling novel by Seth Grahme Greene. The classic tale of Elizabeth Bennett and her sisters in search of love takes place in a world overrun by the zombie virus. And besides looking for a husband the young women are trained to defend their families and loved ones.
RELEASE: Wide Theatrical
THE BUZZ: Reviews have been middling so far but even the worst of them don't seem to condemn the film.
Positive:
Jimmy O of Jo Blo says "Even with the overuse of CG PPZ is still a bloody good blast of zombie fun!"
Terri Schwartz of IGN says " PPZ is a funny good looking feature film that delivers exactly what it promises!"
Negative:
Andrew Barker of Variety says " It's awkward and unsatisfying."
Tom Huddleston of Time Out says " The film flatlines the moment anyone draws a blade."
PROS:
1. The trailers are kick ass.
2. The guys are smoking hot.
3. The genre mash-up is inspired . The treatment worked well for Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter and seems to work even better here. Combining the time period's lush romance and straining female independence with zombie mayhem seems to yield explosive results.
CONS:
1. The PG-13 rating doesn't bode well for the material. Meaning there will a major exclusion of gory fun.
2. This is Writer/ Director Burr Steer's first genre feature coming off of generic teen fodder like 17 Again and Charlie St. Cloud.
3. Screen Gems doesn't have the best track record period.
CONCLUSION: I myself can't wait to see this film! Genre movies like this almost never have the best reviews but I still tend to enjoy them. Sitting at 50% positive out of 8 reviews on Rotten Tomatoes is decent for a film of this type. Most of the time critics can't grasp genre films and what the audience is really showing up for. That being said I'm 85% sure this will be a solid flick! Look below for the link to a bad ass TV Spot!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TYvOWvBsBOw
ALTERNATIVES:
1. ABRAHAM LINCOLN VAMPIRE HUNTER- If you want a sexy male lead and vampire action instead of zombies.
2. DEAD ALIVE: If you want your zombie mayhem gory as hell!
3. WARM BODIES: If you're good with the whole zombie romance thing and don't mind it being PG-13 but want it set in modern times.
2. SOUTHBOUND
Dark Sky/orchard
89 Mins.
Horror/Anthology
Kate Behan, Matt Bettenelli-Olpin and Larry Feseenden star.
Written by Roxanne Benjamin, Matt Bettenelli-Olpin, David Bruckner, Susan Burke, Dallas Richard hallam and Patrick Horvath
Directed by Radio Silence, Susan Burke, Patrick Horvath and Roxanne Benjamin
N/R
THE DEAL: Five interlocking tales of terror follow the fates of a group of weary travelers who confront their worst nightmares and dark secrets on a lonely stretch of highway.
RELEASE: Friday select theaters Limited
2/09/16- VOD
THE BUZZ: With 78 % positive reviews the buzz is on the solid side. Critics are saying that the film is the best horror anthology in quite some time.
Positive:
Frank Scheck of The Hollywood reporter says " the Horror anthology genre gets a shot in the arm, An uncommonly cohesive and intelligent example of the form!"
Nicholas Rapold of film comment magazine says " It's the rare group effort without a dud as it cruises through variations on the genre with style and confidence."
Negative:
Michael Nordine of The Village Voice says " Just as most of the characters can't outrun their pasts neither can they escape familiar plot contrivances."
Chuck Bowen of Slant Magazine says " SB is yet another contemporary horror film that seemingly belongs to every era but it's own."
PROS:
1. The film is sitting at 78% positive reviews out of 12 reviews on rotten tomatoes which is really high for a genre feature.
2. The trailer looks refreshing and inspired.
3. The combination of indie horror directors and writers is impressive.
CONS:
1. The film has 78% positive reviews on rotten tomatoes. Sometimes when horror movies are rated really high by critics they don't really appeal to the general horror community.
2. The buzz has been limited I just heard about this film two weeks ago when the trailer premiered.
3. The wealth of talent behind this has been responsible for some great stuff but some of them are also responsible for the wildly uneven V/H/S series and The Pact 2.
CONCLUSION: The trailer looks powerful and looks to breathe new life into the Anthology subgenre. Yes there is a chance that it just may be too artsy for it's own good but from what I've read it seems that Southbound could be a new horror classic. I am 70% positive this will be a good film. Check out a link for the awesome trailer below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=skNeUjtjD6Y
ALTERNATIVES:
1. Creepshow 2: If you want an inspired, retro severely underrated creep fest.
2. Body Bags: You can also check out Carpenter's little seen anthology.
3. Fear itself: For some truly solid horror shorts check out the little seen but hella scary terror series.
3. REGRESSION
Filmnation
2015 Color
106 Mins.
Horror/thriller
Ethan Hawke, David Thewlis, Emma Watson and Aaron Ashmore star.
Written and Directed by Alejandro Amenabar
Rated R for language, violence and sexuality.
THE DEAL:1990 in Minnesota a young woman accuses her father of a horrible crime and he admits to it which unlocks a horrifying nation wide mystery about Satanism.
RELEASE: Limited theatrical on Friday
VOD release next Friday 2/12/16
THE BUZZ: The Buzz is overwhelmingly negative with only 5% positive reviews. Critics and audience are saying that the film is performed well but is ultimately overly mediocre.
Positive:
Mark Kermode of Observer UK says " It straddles the line between psychological suspense and supernatural horror."
Negative:
Henry Fitzherbert of Daily Express says " It is well performed but lacks tension and surprise."
Stefan Pape of HeyUGuys says " it's the cinematic equivalent of a dog chasing it's tail."
PROS:
1. Emma Watson stars in her first genre feature. She's proven herself a solid actress and regardless of how the film is . It should be worth checking out just for this reason.
2. Alejandro Amenabar wrote and directed one of my favorite films of all time The Others.
3. The trailers look interesting and creeptastic.
CONS:
1. That 5% positive reviews on rotten tomatoes really makes you put the brakes on.
2. Alejandro Amnebar was also responsible for the awful Vanilla Sky.
3. Although the trailers look creepy they do seem to possess an almost lifetime movie of the week quality to them.
CONCLUSION: Honestly it could really go either way but I have a feeling the movie may be better than what people are making it out to be. This will definitely be a film that divides audiences in whether you become immersed into the atmosphere or don't buy into it. Either way the true crime angle is always an interesting one. I am 60% sure this might be a decent film. Check out the atmospheric trailer below and make your own decision.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-pBwIsVGaL4
ALTERNATIVES:
1. The Others: With a standout lead performance from Nicole Kidman this slow burn supernatural horror film is sure to give you goosebumps.
2. Spellbinder: if you're in the mood for a retro, fun satanic cult feature check out this underseen gem.
3. Borderland: After Dark released this disturbing little movie based on a true story about a trio of college students who discover a human sacrificing cult in Mexico.
4. THE PACK
Lightning
2015 Color
90 Mins.
Horror/Thriller
Anna Lise Phillips and Jack Campbell star.
Written by Evan Randall Green
Directed by Nick Robertson
N/R
THE DEAL: A Family in the Australian Out back is attacked by a pack of wild dogs.
RELEASE: limited Theatrical and VOD this Friday
THE BUZZ: There is absolutely no buzz on this film.
PROS:
1. It's been a while since we've seen a killer dog flick executed the right way.
2. The trailers look pretty fun.
CONS:
1. Arriving on no buzz and being buried upon release doesn't bode well for the film.
2. Is there going to be anything new with this concept?
CONCLUSION: Look I'm a sucker for killer animal flicks. I find even the worst of them to be sort of entertaining. Plus the trailer looks pretty fun. ultimately it can go either way. just because it's arriving quietly doesn't mean it's terrible, it may just be too familiar of a concept to merit a marketing push. I am 50% sure this could go either way but I'm hoping it's cool. check out the tense trailer below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lp6nUcshWzM
ALTERNATIVES:
1. Man's Best friend: With a fun, retro sci-fi edge check out this awesome little flick.
2. CUJO: Hello the ultimate killer dog movie!
3. Into the Grizzly Maze: For some killer animal fun check out this under seen but overly entertaining flick that arrived quietly last year.
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