Three stranded strangers end up arriving at a cabin in the omnipresent middle of nowhere. Jody (Sara Paxton, Shark Night) has just robbed a convenience store. Sam (Katherine Waterston, Taking Woodstock) is newly pregnant and looking for her husband. Tom (Scott Eastwood, son of yep, that guy) is dealing with a broken-down car. The temperature […]
DVD review
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Breaking Wind
I kid. Clearly, there are jokes, fired at a regular, near-rapid pace. It’s just that none is funny. Consider these random examples:• A Capt. Jack Sparrow impersonator holding salad tongs asks a group of frightened women, “Anyone in the mood for a good salad tossing?” • An Edward Scissorhands impersonator lets loose a fart, sniffs […]
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Queen: Days of Our Lives
Only lead singer Freddie Mercury was convinced of the rock band’s royal spell on Billboard charts and radio airwaves, predicting prophetically not just “We’ll be together until we die,” but “I’m not going to a pop star. I’m going to be a legend!” Mercury demonstrated a true showman’s confidence and command of audiences, belying his […]
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Baba Yaga
Based upon the erotic comics of Guido Crepax, the film focuses on Valentina (Isabelle De Funès), a nudie-art photographer/pixie who’s almost run over late one night by a mysterious, black-veiled older woman (Carroll Baker, “Giant,” “The Carpetbaggers”), who claims their meeting is preordained, steals a garter clip for the day and warns her not to […]
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First Squad: The Moment of Truth
The alt-history animation centers on Division Six, a do-gooder group of mentally linked youths who use the gifts of astrology, clairvoyance and hypnosis against legendary sorcerer/black-arts practitioner Baron von Wolff and his wizard warriors. After having bloodily slaughtered a Russian village to smithereens, the Baron — aka the Angel of Death — is pursued by […]
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Spiderhole
It’s been such a cliché for decades that the recent comedy “Tucker and Dale vs Evil” may have parodied it (however unlikely) to its well-deserved death. At least the quartet of UK collegians of “Spiderhole” has done something different: Rather than go away for the weekend, these students leave their dreary dorms behind for good. […]
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Lethal Ladies 2 Collection
Nope, that nugget of wisdom isn’t from Starz’s hit “Spartacus,” but from producer Roger Corman’s 1974 hit “The Arena,” one of three female-centric actioners that comprises Shout! Factory’s double-D, double-disc “Lethal Ladies 2 Collection.” Naturally, it’s the latest entry in the as-addictive-as-crack “Roger Corman’s Cult Classics” line. Unimaginatively remade with Playboy Playmates Karen McDougal and […]
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Justified: The Complete Second Season
Fresh off an Emmy nomination for his starring role, Timothy Olyphant owns his character of U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens to such a degree, it just may prove to be the one that defines his career. In short: He’s badass. Givens remains in his godforsaken hometown of Harlan County, Ky., a backwater, redneck-ridden hellhole that he […]
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The Staircase
It’s that gripping — a miracle, considering the film is so long (six hours), it has to span two discs. On Dec. 9, 2001, Nortel executive Kathleen Peterson died at the bottom of a narrow stairwell in her North Carolina home, presumably from a fall. She was found by her novelist husband, Michael, who called […]
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Klown Kamp Massacre
At the grand re-opening of Klown Kamp at Camp Sparking Lake — long “closed due to death curse” — many a wannabe clown meets his maker in a grisly manner, such as a seltzer bottle full of face-melting acid. Naturally, the debut film from the directorial team of Daniel Valdez and Philip Gunn is primarily […]