This movie wasn’t even on my radar, until now. The official trailer for Chiller Films Dementia 13 launched and it looks promising and just in time for the Halloween season. Check it out below.
Dementia 13 is the retelling of Francis Ford Coppola’s film of the same name, which was produced by Roger Corman.
The film was written by Dan DeFilippo (The Invaders and Chilling Visions: 5 States of Fear) and Justin Smith (SiREN, THE BOY), is directed by Richard LeMay (Blood Bound, Naked As We Come) and stars Channing Pickett (Redheads Anonymous), Marianne Noscheze (Horror Time), Christian Ryan (Celebrity Ghost Stories, Casters), Julia Campanelli (116) and Ana Isabelle (The Eyes, Lost Cat Corona).
Chiller Films will be releasing DEMENTIA 13 in Theaters on October 6th and on VOD and Digital HD on October 10th.
There are some things you’d like to remember in life and some you wouldn’t, this movie wouldn’t be one of those that you’d want to remember. Rememory is actually a fairly forgettable movie, not because it’s that awful, but more because it doesn’t do anything to keep your attention. Here is the full breakdown of the movie.
WHAT’S THIS MOVIE ABOUT:
The film’s plot revolves around the murder of inventor Gordon Dunn (Martin Donovan), who created a device that can trace back and replay a persons memory. Peter Dinklage stars in the leading role, playing a man named Sam Bloom, who is determined to find the killer, while also going back to relive and make sense of a past family tragedy. For the most part Bloom has a motive to get hold of the device, but no legitimate reason to figure out Dunn’s killer or befriending Dunn’s widow throughout this investigation. There are countless people that pop in and out of the film as potential suspects and witnesses, most of them claiming that their memories have been damaged due to the experiment. Too many to matter.
HOW DID THE ACTORS DO:
Dinklage was solid all-around. If anything he proved that he’s capable of being in a leading role. Although this might not have been the ideal film to star in. Anton Yelchin, in one of his final performances, plays in a supporting role. He’s not featured much though. The acting wasn’t a problem in this film, actually it was one of the stronger points of it.
HOW DID THE MOVIE LOOK AND SOUND:
It was okay. Many of the scenes are during the night so it fits with the story. The sound was presentable, nothing that stood out. Neither the sound or look were distractions or issues. Which leads me to the following..
WAS IT ENTERTAINING:
For a movie that has a fairly decent concept, it falls flat. Too much of the film is just a revolving door of conversations between Bloom and Dunn’s wife Carolyn (Julia Ormond). The web of suspects and people affected by the memory device is too long and unexplained to keep track and care enough for. This film had potential to be compelling just be the subject matter of it. A device that brings back memory, but at a longer-term cost? That sounds interesting. Unfortunately it wasn’t written in a way to make you care with all the drawn out dialogue and little action.
IS IT WORTH SEEING:
PROS:
As a rental, maybe? (It’s free on Google play for the time being). Fans of Dinklage will get to see him in a leading role and perform well at it. If you’re into a slow-burn of a plot then you may find this watchable enough to stick through the end. The trailer could draw you in with the unique concept, but the end result leaves a lot to be desired.
CONS:
Simply, it’s a boring movie. The pacing is slow. The story gets spun too much to keep any feasible interest. In the end I just didn’t care about the memory device, the murder or Bloom trying to rediscover his past. At 110 plus minutes it’s way longer than it should be. Cut out 20 minutes and nothing would be missed.
Prior to the release of The Limehouse Golem, I had a chance to speak to the director of the film, Juan Carlos Medina. He spoke about the making of the film, transforming the novel to the cinematic adaptation, and much more. Here are excerpts and the full audio of the interview.
The difference of not having written (Golem) and only having to direct it, as opposed to both writing and directing previous films:
JCM: It’s true that I haven’t written the scrip, but I would never search for something that is alien to me. When I got the script it was a script that spoke to things I’m passionate about. I saw an opportunity to be challenged and do something that I really loved and had been wanting to do for a long time. I was a real fan of the novel.
On the importance of being faithful to the novel:
JCM: To my sense it’s about getting to the essence of the novel. Every look is different so you need to have that exercise where you refine the book to its core principles and bring that to a cinematic form.
MY TAKE:
I really enjoyed listening to the analysis and insight that Juan Carlos described. Certainly he had a specific vision for the film and brought it to light while staying true to the novel. I liked hearing his take on the setting and story possibly taking place somewhere else. It made a lot of sense when he talked about stories being eternal, but only the outer elements change. There was definitely some philosophy to his reasoning and explanations, it was deep thinking and insight. These are the kind of responses you’d hope to get interviewing someone, but they don’t come by often.
The movie is definitely worth a look. Fans of the novel will get a dynamic visual version that can’t be told in pages of the book. The mystery aspect of the film kept me drawn in. It’s a genre sort of film that I appreciated. This is 19th century London like you couldn’t imagine.
The Limehouse Golem is out in Theaters, VOD and Digital HD on September 8
The action adventure film Bushwick hits theaters on August 25. The film stars Dave Bautista, Brittany Snow and Angelic Zambrana. I had a chance to speak to Angelic prior to the release of the film. We discussed the making of the film and the shooting locations. Angelic talked about her friendship with Bautista, as well as her approach to characters she plays. All that and more. You can check out the following interview excerpts and listen to the entirety of it below.
RT: What drew her to the film:
Angelic: We shot this in 2015 and the story concept was thought of before that. I thought Bushwick and American Civil War, this is different. I thought it was unique and different and I was hoping they would go with me.
RT: What drew her to the role of Belinda:
Angelic: The character of Belinda reminded me of a friend of mine in the good parts of her. She doesn’t have a filter in her emotions and thinking of her of how special and funny she is gave me permission. I used her to step-in for my audition and to be present in the moment.
RT: You seem to have a flare for playing New Yorker’s, what appeals to you about these characters:
Angelic: Yeah, I am a New Yorker and I’m such a keen observer. I know what the accents are from the old time New York and different periods and different boroughs have different accents. I’m surrounded by true New York characters, that’s why Belinda was inspired by someone. I like them and I’m surrounded by these unique intense New York characters.
MY TAKE:
Angelic is one of the bubbliest and excited people I’ve ever interviewed (that was all on through the phone!). It’s addictive to hear someone so joyous and engaged in the interview and speaking about the film. I’d liken that to someone on a first day of their dream job, seems like Angelic is living many of those first days on a dream job, which is wonderful.
It’s cool to hear that the film was shot on location in Bushwick, NY. I could definitely envision people thinking bombs were going off and something wrong was happening when they used smoke bombs on set. The film definitely has that authentic feel to it. CGI couldn’t do justice to that.
One of the coolest things was hearing how Dave Bautista helped her volunteer in a soup kitchen. She really raved about Bautista. It’s nice to hear stars give back and be good genuine people off-camera. Angelic definitely also seems to be that kind of a person, just check out her Instagram page angeliczambranafanafofanna (for real).
This was one of those interviews that left me with a smile on my face afterwards. I’m excited to follow Angelic’s career, certainly with that personality it will be an easy draw for casting directors. The film itself is unique and compelling. I urge you to check it out.
‘Bushwick’ is out in theaters and VOD on August 25
The trailer for the upcoming Syfy Films Realive is out and here is the first look at it.
REALIVE was written and directed by Mateo Gil (Vanilla Sky original film Abre Los Ojos, The Sea Inside) and features a talented cast including Tom Hughes (About Time, London Town), Charlotte Le Bon (The Walk, The Hundred-Foot Journey), Oona Chaplin (Taboo, “Game of Thrones”) and Barry Ward (The Fall, The Journey).
Syfy Films will be releasing REALIVE in Theaters on September 29, 2017 and on VOD and Digital HD on October 3, 2017.
MY TAKE:
This trailer has me very intrigued. It answers the question that frequently comes up when we think about the medical and technological advances, would you freeze your body if to preserve a longer future life? The Chris Pratt and Jennifer Lawrence recent film Passengers sort of touched on that topic. The visuals looks crisp in this film, the topic is interesting and the plot looks compelling. I didn’t have this film on my radar, but this trailer certainly has me anticipating the release.
The week of August 22 surprisingly offers a small slate of movie releases. This week features some big TV show releases, with season seven on The Walking Dead and season two of Supergirl being released. That being said, there are two major home releases this week that you can’t pass up.
GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 2:
One of the summer’s best films is finally out on Blu-ray & DVD. Guardians Vol. 2 brings back the awesome band of misfits back, with the likes of Peter Quill, Gamora, Drax, Rocket and little Groot. This time around they are attempting the discover the mystery behind Quill’s father. The film offers the same sort of humor, entertainment and fun that the first Guardians did, but with an added punch. I really enjoyed the plot and visuals, but also the fact that Yondu plays a prominent role and his story is explored further than before. It’s good to see the already successful Guardians franchise getting better and Vol. 2 is the proof. The Blu-ray special content is another reason to pick up a copy of the film.
Blu-ray Features:
“Guardians Inferno” Music Video
Hilarious Deleted Scenes
Outrageous Gag Reel
Bonus Round: The Making of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
Audio Commentary by Director James Gunn
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is available now on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray Combo Pack, DVD, Digital HD and Disney Movies Anywhere
The brand new poster and upcoming release date for Brawl in Cell Block 99 was announced. The film stars Vince Vaughn, Jennifer Carpenter and Don Johnson. Here is the synopsis and look at the poster.
Synopsis: A former boxer named Bradley loses his job as an auto mechanic, and his troubled marriage is about to expire. At this crossroads in his life, he feels that he has no better option than to work for an old buddy as a drug courier. This vocation improves his situation until the terrible day that he finds himself in a gunfight between a group of police officers and his own ruthless allies. When the smoke clears, Bradley is badly hurt and thrown in prison, where his enemies force him to commit acts of violence that turn the place into a savage battleground.
Brawl in Cell Block 99 will release in theaters on October 6 and On Demand & Digital HD on October 13, 2017
